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Baroque era
Baroque era
Unit 1
Unit 1
In the next few weeks, we will be going on a virtual journey through different periods of time in musical history. We will start in the Baroque era, then we will go through the Classical era, the Romantic era, the Modernist era, and we’ll finish in the Contemporary period.
Our goal is to be able to distinguish which period in music history does the musical example come from.
Baroque era (1600 – 1750)
Baroque era (1600 – 1750)
Baroque music was composed in a way, that each instrument had their own independent melody. Every orchestra was accompanied by a harpsichord. A harpsichord looks very similar to a piano but has a very distinct sound.
Our first example, will be very known piece, by Johann Pachelbel – “Canon in D Major.”
You might recognize this popular piece from weddings, where it is commonly played.
The composition begins with a cello, which provides us with the main melody. Then we will hear violin 1, violin 2, and the viola join in. Finally, we will hear the bass and the harpsicord as well. All of these instruments will play their own unique melodies but will make a wonderful composition together. I encourage you to listen to this short piece and pay attention to the dialog that these instruments are having with each other.
Unit 2
Unit 2
I hope you liked Pachelbel’s Canon.
Today, let’s listen to another composition from the Baroque era. The orchestras in this period were small, and always had a characteristic instrument – the harpsicord, that we already heard in Pachelbel’s piece.
The piece we will be listening to today, was composed by Antonio Vivaldi, and it is called the “Four Seasons”. There are 4 violin concertos: “Spring”, “Summer”, “Autumn”, and “Winter”. Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian composer, who had red hair, but as all the people in the Baroque era did, he wore a wig with long white curls (you can find his picture in Google images). In his time, Antonio was a virtuoso. That means, that he was an outstanding performer. His violin concertos are very difficult to play.
In the “Four Seasons,” you can hear many sounds of nature depicted in the music. Using musical instruments, Vivaldi imitates the sounds we hear in nature, like: birds singing, buzzing mosquitoes, children that are ice-skating, a warming winter fire. In the “Summer” concerto, you can hear the sound of a storm. Let’s listen to it.
Unit 3
Unit 3
Do you like the music of the Baroque era?
Today we will meet Johann Sebastian Bach. He is one of the most famous and greatest composers of all times. He came from a German family with musical traditions. His father, uncle, and brother were all musicians, and Johann Sebastian learned and mastered the organs, and the violin. He was the youngest of eight children in his family. Later, he had twenty children, and four of them became well known musicians.
Today we will listen to his virtuoso music for a violin solo. This is beautiful piece, that I hope you will love.
This piece is played by Hilary Hahn, an American violinist, who won the Grammy Award. She began playing the violin at the age of three. In 2001, Hahn was named “America’s Best” young classical musician. She stated, that she has played Bach’s pieces every day since she was eight. She lives in Cambridge, MA.
Unit 4
Unit 4
Yesterday we listened to the violin solo piece of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Today, we are going on an adventure with another piece from the Baroque era. I would like to present to you a beautiful piece called: “Air” from “Orchestral Suite NR. 3 in D Major” by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is another example of a small baroque orchestra accompanied by the harpsichord. The instruments dialogue with each other, similarly to the way they did in the pieces of Pachelbel and Vivaldi that we listened to earlier.
You will notice that the orchestras that are playing all these pieces, are much smaller than orchestras we see performing in present day. This is because most of these concerts were played in the homes of rich patrons for their parties and events, or in churches.
Listen carefully to the sounds of the instruments in the video. Do you notice that they sound different? This is because the instruments that are being played in this video use different strings than the ones you and I play on. During the Baroque era, string instruments including the violin, viola, cello, and base, all used strings made of animal guts. This gives the strings a sweeter and more mellow tone. The strings that we play on today, are wrapped in metal, which is why they sound different.
Unit 5
Unit 5
Good morning students!
Today is the last video of Baroque era. We will listen one of the most beautiful violin pieces of this period in music history “Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece has three parts: 1st. fast Vivace, 2nd slow Largo (it’s 4:04 on the recording), and 3rd again fast Allegro (starts at 10:53). Now in front of the orchestra you can see two violin players, who play solo parts. Each voice leads distinct melody line. These independent melodies converse with each other, and the rest of the orchestra. They braid and weave together creating perfect union and harmony. In the back you can see the harpsichord, playing accords that was kind of accompaniment. This technique was very characteristic in the baroque era.
One of the soloists is a boy Christian Li from Australia, who is here only 10 years old. He loves the violin and plays it very well.
Classical Era
Classical Era
Unit 1
Unit 1
Today we begin the Classical era.
Classical era (1750 – 1820)
Classical era (1750 – 1820)
The easiest way to remember the dates which classified this era as the Classical, is by remembering that 1750 was the same year in Johann Sebastian Bach died in. We have already listened to several pieces of Bach from the Baroque era. Since he was one of the most prominent composers during the Baroque era, his death serves as a time mark to end the era and begin the Classical period. Similarly, Ludwig van Beethoven was a famous composer during the Classical era. The death of Beethoven in 1820, is used as the time marker to the end of the Classical era.
The music of the Classical period is very different from the Baroque era. We will no longer hear the interweaving melodies. They will now be replaced by one single melody accompanied with an accord harmony. The orchestras now grow larger and no longer include a harpsichord.
The word classical comes from Latin word “classicus” which means perfect. In contrast to the heavy and serious style of the Baroque era, the Classical period brings light and elegant music styles.
Music of the Classical era is much lighter, clearer, and less complex than the Baroque. Symmetry becomes the main rule.
Vienna in Austria became the capital of music, where many musicians and composers came to live, and where the most famous three Viennese classics Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven worked.
Today, we will listen to a piece by Joseph Haydn, whose music is known for its humor. He wrote 104 symphonies, and this is a world record. Each has 4 parts, and they are written for the orchestra. The symphony that we will listen today is called “The Surprise”. After listening to it, let me know what you think the surprise is.
Unit 2
Unit 2
Today we are going to the adventure with a genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His father, Leopold Mozart, who was an educator and composer, taught him to play instruments, the theory of music, foreign languages, and academic subjects. Soon, he realized that little Wolfgang is a child prodigy.
Wolfgang Amadeus learned to play the violin and harpsichord fluently at a very young age. At the age of five he began to compose music and wrote his first symphony for the full orchestra at the age of eight. When his father realized that he could earn a lot of money at Wolfgang’s concerts, he began many-year-long concert tours all over Europe. Little Wolfgang traveled with his father and sister, playing at the imperial court and in the royal palaces. During one of their trips in Rome, when Wolfgang was 14 years old, he heard in the Sistine Chapel in the papal palace “Miserere” of Gregorio Allegri. This work was performed only once a year during the Easter period and only in the Sistine Chapel; nowhere else in the world. The score was kept in the archive and was not allowed to be taken out or copied. After listening to this 9-voice music piece once, Wolfgang wrote it from his memory.
Today we will listen to the beautiful Violin Concerto NR. 4 D Major, that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed for himself at age of 19. You will see that the orchestra in the classical era is bigger than Baroque one. The music is also very different. The compositions of the Classical period were based on a melody that was simple and easy to remember. Also, in the solo concerto, like in this recording at 7:14, there is a cadenza. The orchestra is silent, and the soloist is showing off his or her virtuoso artistry. Mozart improvised his cadenzas, that means he created them during the performance on the stage. He wrote down cadenzas only for his students.
Unit 3
Unit 3
Hello students!
Can you hear the differences between music of Baroque and Classical era?
Today we are listening to the third famous Viennese classic – Ludvig van Beethoven. Even though he was German composer and virtuoso pianist, he moved to Wien, Austria. He was there a student of Joseph Haydn, whose music we were listening last Monday. At the age of 25 Beethoven began to lose his hearing but despite this he did not stop composing. For example, his Violin Concerto D Major was created when he was already deaf. Beethoven wrote this piece for his colleague Franz Clement, who was a violinist and a conductor of the orchestra “Theater an der Wien”. The solo part was finished so late, that Clement had no time to learn it, and had to play on stage practically reading the music for the first time. Perhaps for this reason the concert was not a success, and for years was not popular at all. In this recording a fantastic performer: Hilary Hahn, who was only 15-years-old, played such a difficult piece. Please note how the melody of this concert is easily catchy. Beauty and symmetry are the hallmarks of the Classicist era. Beethoven’s orchestra is bigger than Haydn or Mozart. You will also find the cadenza at 2:29 which is a fragment of a soloist’s virtuoso show.
Unit 4
Unit 4
I hope you enjoy Classical era in music history.
Until now we were listening works for violin and orchestra. Today you will become familiar with a sonata. It is another musical form composed for solo instrument and piano. The composers of Baroque era used the harpsichord as the main instrument playing chord accompaniment. The sound of this instrument is very characteristic. Inside of its wooden case there are fixed and strained strings. The player hits the key on the keyboard, and activates the mechanism of a trigger, that plucks the string with the quill. It gives the buzzing effect, and it is very difficult to change the dynamics, to play soft (piano) or loud (forte). In Classical period, the harpsichord was replaced by the piano. Now the string is not plucked anymore but is hit with the leather-covered hammer. This new instrument opened new horizons for the composers, who could easily change the loudness of the sounds, and play with expressions. Beethoven improved piano technology, and designed the grand piano, adding more keys. He was constantly improving this instrument to achieve a fuller sound, and greater range.
We will be listening to Violin Sonata NR. 8 in G major by Ludvig van Beethoven. The composer dedicated this music to Tsar Alexander I of Russia, who was the uncle of Anastasia, the main character of the movie: “Anastasia”. You will see very young and talented performer Chloe Chua. When you practice, try to imitate her perfect bow and violin hold.
Hello students!
Today I have a challenge for you. Below you’ll find examples with recorded music. The objective of this challenge is to indicate from what era the given musical example originates. You have been introduced to only two: The Baroque and Classical eras, so it shouldn’t be a problem. If you are not sure, please go back to listen to the music that I’ve been sending over the last two weeks.
Example 1
Example 1.mp3Example 2
Example 2.mp3Example 3
Example 3.mp3Example 4
Example 4.mp3Example 5
Example 5.mp3Romantic Era
Romantic Era
Unit 1
Unit 1
Today we start a new chapter in the history of music, and we’ll talk about The Romantic era.
Romanticism (1820 – 1900)
The main goal of romantic composers was to express their feelings through music. For inspiration, they reached to non-musical content like literature, history, paintings, fantasy, and also folk music. There was a virtuoso development, as if the composers were racing to write harder and harder piece to play. The orchestra can be observed to be bigger than in the classical era, and the harmony (the cords) is more complicated.
Today we meet Niccolo Paganini, who was one of the greatest virtuosos of the romantic era. He was an Italian composer, and performed on the violin, viola and guitar. Since he was a little child, his father forced him to practice for several hours a day. When he was eight years old, he played so fluently and well, that teachers were not able to teach him anything new. Therefore, his education was limited to composition lessons. Paganini was known in all of Europe, and give public concerts across Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Great Britain, Bohemia, and Poland. He composed very complicated pieces for himself, and then played them at his concerts. His exceptionally long fingers and unusual mobility of his joints made him capable of reaching notes that were impossible to play for others. Paganini developed violin techniques that no one before or even after him was able to replicate.
Let’s listen to “La Campanella” by Paganini. You can hear how that piece is difficult to play. The violinist, David Garrett is a very interesting person, not only because his is a great violin player, but also because he starred in the movie about Niccolo Paganini “The Devil’s Violinist”.
Unit 2
Unit 2
Good morning students!
How did you like Niccolo Paganini’s work?
In 2005 Paganini’s violin was sold for one million dollars. The famous musician played many different great instruments made by legendary luthiers: Guarneri, Amati, Stradivari, and Bergonzi. The secret of the legendary violins made by those Italian masters lied in the choice of wood and varnish, and also in the design of the instruments themselves.
Today we will listen to one of the most difficult and most famous virtuoso pieces for solo violin. Paganini's muscles and tendons were elastic and flexible, and his joints were so relaxed that the fingers of his left hand were very stretchy. Thanks to this, he was able to amaze listeners with his speed and ease in overcoming technical difficulties.
“Caprice Nr. 24” in A minor has a number of variations. In the beginning a very melodious and easily recognizable theme appears. Then there are 11 variations of that theme. Each of them is dedicated to the specific and very difficult technique, while simultaneously we can hear the main theme. At the end comes the finale.
I decided to present to you Hilary Hahn. On YouTube you can find many different performers. “The Caprice” of Paganini is considered one of the most difficult pieces in the world, and many talented violin players have been studying the difficult technicalities of this piece for years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcL0IsklM3M&list=RDgpnIrE7_1YA&index=3
Unit 3
Unit 3
Today we meet another composer of the romantic era – Felix Mendelssohn. He was a German pianist, organist, and conductor; moreover, he wrote beautiful violin concerto. You can hear a lot of emotion in his music.
“The Violin Concerto in E minor “was composed for the violin and orchestra. It is a very popular and important piece of work in violin literature. Mendelssohn took SIX YEARS to write this concert. He dedicated it to his friend Ferdinand David, who was giving suggestions to the composer. Its structure is made up of three parts: fast – slow – fast. The violin part is challenging and complicated. Unlike we saw in the Classical era, the cadenza in this piece was written and not improvised. The famous violinist Joseph Joachim commented on Mendelssohn concerto as “the heart’s jewel”.
The whole concert lasts about 30 minutes. You can see the 12-year-old Chloe Chua perform it.
Unit 4
Unit 4
Today we will listen to another German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic era: Johannes Brahms. His music roots from tradition, where Bach and Beethoven were his role models. He liked to refer to the simplicity of folk music, which is why he was looking for inspiration from German folk songs. Brahms wrote only one violin concerto, but it is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of violin literature. The orchestra’s role is no longer to accompany the soloist; rather, Brahms gave it an even more important task: to be more like a partner for the solo instrument or even play at an advantage over it.
In this recording of the third final part of the Violin Concerto in D major, you can enjoy the great performance of Julia Fischer. She is a German violinist, who started her concert performing career at the age of 11 and became a violin professor when she was 23.
Challenge:
Challenge:
Good morning! It is already May; can you believe it?
Next week we will continue the Romantic era, but today I would like to give you another challenge. Can you recognize these music examples? Is it Baroque, Classic, or Romantic era?
Example 1
Example 1 .mp3Example 2
Example 2 .mp3Example 3
Example 3 .mp3Example 4
Example 4.mp3Example 5
Example 5 .mp3Unit 5
Unit 5
This week we are going to continue with Romanticism. This period was known to have outstanding artists and great violin works.
Today I would like to present to you a great composer and violin virtuoso of the Romantic era: Henryk Wieniawski. He was born in Poland, and I am truly proud to come from the same country and even the same city. He was a prodigy child, and his mother was his first teacher. He gave many successful concerts across Europe, and composed pieces for the violin and orchestra during his concert tours. In Wieniawski’s works, you can find both features of Romanticism, bravura virtuosity, and lyricism. Today you will hear the beautiful and sweet melody of the second part of his “Violin Concerto Nr. 2 in D minor”.
Unit 6
Unit 6
Hello!
I hope you like the composers of the Romantic era. Let’s take a look at a Russian artist: Pyotr Tchaikovsky. His parents wanted him to become a lawyer, so they sent him to a boarding school and later to a university. He started to learn music at the age of 21 and graduated four years later with a silver medal. During one of his trips abroad in Paris, France, he heard the opera “Carmen” by the Spanish composer Bizet, and that made a great impression on him. He was so impressed, that Tchaikovsky started to compose his own music. He loved to visit foreign countries because he wanted to meet with other artists and listen to their concerts. He traveled a lot by train and ships, admired beautiful landscapes, and met people of many different cultures and traditions. He visited all of Russia, Europe and even the United States. He composed very emotional and tense music. His melodies were not as symmetrical and regular, as those written in the Classic period by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven. Also, to generate tension in his music he shifted from one key to another, using interesting rhythms taken from Russian folk music. His orchestra was much bigger than seen in the Classical era and very colorful, because he combined different instruments to get very rich and specific timbre. His compositions have a nationalistic Russian feel.
Today we will listen to his Violin Concerto in D major. This composition is one of the most well-known and one of the most difficult of violin concertos in the world. It has three parts: fast – slow – fast. The second and the third movements are going attacca: this means that they follow each other without a break. The solo part is played by an American violinist, Joshua Bell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbJZeNlrYKg
Unit 7
Unit 7
Today I would like you to get to know Pablo Sarasate, from Spain. He started learning violin at the age of five and gave his first public concert when he was only eight years old. During his life he performed across Europe, and North and South America. Just like Paganini, Sarasate composed music for himself to show off his amazing techniques and virtuosity. He played two instruments made by the legendary Italian luthier – Antonio Stradivari.
One of his best-known pieces is “Zigeunerweisen”, that means Gypsy Airs. Originally it was composed for the violin and orchestra, but in this recording, you can admire the Japanese 8 years old: Himari Yoshimura, playing on 20th International Competitions for Young Musicians with a piano accompaniment.
Unit 8
Unit 8
I hope you are enjoying the lessons of the history of music.
Today we will stop in France to meet Camille Saint-Saens. He was a music prodigy, and became a world renown composer, organist, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic era. He was a church organist, but he left his position and devoted himself to giving concerts and composing. He has been compered by experts to Mozart. By the age of two, he excelled in his studies and had learned how to read, write music. He was an outstanding student in many subjects including French, Latin, Greek, mathematics, biology, philosophy, archaeology, and astronomy. He gave his first concert when he was 5 years old and composed his first symphony at the age of 16.
Even though Saint-Saens composed mainly violin concerts, I would like to present to you one of his different compositions. He dedicated his “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” to Pablo Sarasate (who’s music we listened to yesterday). It is played here, by 12-year-old Daniel Lozakovich.
Music of the 20th Century
Music of the 20th Century
Unit 1
Unit 1
I hope you had a good weekend.
Finally, we arrive at music of the 20th century. Compared to earlier periods, the music of the 20th century is colorful. Composers during this period were tired of the traditional scales and harmonies used earlier; therefore, they were looking for new effects using a variety of techniques.
Today, we start with a famous Hungarian composer and pianist: Bela Bartok. During World War II, he immigrated with his family to the United States. He also gave concert in Boston. His Violin Concerto Nr. 2 starts by two harps and strings playing in pizzicato. Then the violin solo appears with a very nontraditional melody. I leave it to you whether you like this style of music. You can hear the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. Hannah Lin is the soloist.
Unit 2
Unit 2
How do you like the music of the 20th century? It is very different than what we have already covered, right? Today, I would like us to listen to Igor Stravinsky. He was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Like Bartok, he immigrated to the United States (one year earlier). He was born in a family of musicians: his father was an opera singer and mother was a pianist. Stravinsky was a very interesting and creative composer who wrote over a hundred pieces. We will listen to the last fast movement of his Violin Concerto in D major. This piece was composed when Stravinsky still lived in Russia.
The soloist is Dylan Ebrahimian who plays with a group of students from Stony Brook University Orchestra.
Unit 3
Unit 3
It’s already been two months since our schools closed. It’s sad. For me the best medicine for sadness is always music.
Today, I wanted to present to you another composer of the 20th century. I love his music! His name is Astor Piazzolla, and he was an Argentinian composer who played a very traditional instrument called the bandoneon. This instruments sound is very similar to the accordeon but is used in ensembles performing a special dance – the tango. When he was four years old, he immigrated with parents to the United States, and lived in New York. At the age of 18, he went back to his home country and stayed in Argentina. Piazzolla loved Bach, the Baroque era composer, that we already listened to a few weeks ago.
We’ll see Chloe Chua playing Piazzolla’s Café 1930 from “Histoire do Tango”. The accompaniment is played on the guitar by Kevin Loh. I hope you like it.
Unit 4
Unit 4
I spent a long time thinking about what other music I could present to you on music of the 20th century.
In this particular period of the history of music, there appeared music that previously did not exist. It was the music written for movies. This type of music is composed specially for the needs of a movie and its illustration. Its role is to feature the characters, their experiences, mood, to depict the story through sound.
I chose a piece by Ennio Morricone, who composed the music to the movie “Cinema Paradiso”. This is the Love Theme, played in a studio of Warner Classics. Here you see Renaud Capucon playing the violin.
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