Page 4
3rd Grade
MUSIC THAT MAKES US THINK ABOUT OUTER SPACE
THE PLANETS BY HOLST
We are exploring the composition MARS in music. This incredibly intense movement from Holst's symphonic piece called The Planets is such a wonderful piece. As we continue to look at repeated rhythms, this piece uses one rhythmic motif over and over to create a very ominous feeling! Watch this video of actual footage of Mars and listen to this piece.
Holst composed this piece in 1914! This is long before space expeditions were even thought to be possible. Remember the first successful air flight wasn't until 1903 with the Wright Brothers and it stayed in the air for 12 seconds. The idea of getting to space was really unimaginable.
EXCITING NEWS!
SPACEX ODYSSEY May, 30, 2020
The world was watching as SPACEX successfully launched their spacecraft called DEMO-2 , which will travel to the International Space Station where the two American astronauts will be remaining for a period of one to four months.
Watching this incredible feat of engineering and collaboration is so inspiring and reminded me of certain musical compositions that have either been inspired by space, or have become forever linked to space images because of movies that were made featuring these pieces.
One of those pieces is Johann Strauss' The Blue Danube, which was feature in a film called 2001: A Space Odyssey. The really interesting thing is that this film was released in 1968. The piece itself was composed way back in 1866!
In researching the piece and the film, it was a wonderful surprise to find lots of information about SPACEX and the DEMO-2 flight.
What music would you pick to accompany these images?
THE BLUE DANUBE BY STRAUSS
Johann Strauss composed this piece in 1866. And, still, to this day it is a very famous classical piece. Most people when they hear it will say it sounds familiar. It is one of the most famous waltzes. As you know a waltz is always set in a meter of three, which lends to it dancelike feel. It wasn't until about 200 years later that this piece became inextricable linked to space travel when it was featured in one of the most legendary space films ever called 2001: A Space Odyssey. (That scene is posted below.)
Enjoy listening and watching Strauss' music in these videos.
A SPACE ODYSSEY 2001
Remember these images were all created long before there was such a thing as computer animation.
A DUCK WALTZ
This classic animation was created by Looney Tunes as part of a larger piece called The Corny Concerto.
TOM & JERRY
A very popular Hanna & Barbera cartoon series, which ran in 1953 when Tom learns how to play the piano in a story about Johann Mouse.