Non-Directed Music Listening Program Series I
Week 1 Composer: Manuel de Falla (1876 1946) Composition: Ritual Fire Dance from El Amor Brujo Performance: Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy Recording: Greatest Hits of The Ballet, Vol. 1 CBS XMT 45658 Day 1: This week s listening selection is titled Ritual Fire Dance. It was composed by Manuel de Falla. Manuel de Falla was a Spanish musician who used ideas from folk stories and folk music in his compositions. The Ritual Fire Dance is from a ballet called Bewitched By Love and describes in musical images how the heroine tries to chase away an evil spirit which has been bothering her. Day 2: This week s feature selection is Ritual Fire Dance composed by the Spanish writer Manuel de Falla. In this piece of music, de Falla has used the effects of repetition, gradual crescendo, and ostinato rhythms to create this very exciting composition. Crescendo is a musical term which means the music gets gradually louder. Listen to the Ritual Fire Dance this time to see how the effect of the crescendo helps give a feeling of excitement to the piece. Day 3: This week s featured selection, Ritual Fire Dance, was written by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla in 1915. Yesterday we mentioned how the composer made use of the effect of gradually getting louder to help create excitement. Do you remember the musical term for the effect of gradually increasing the volume? If you were thinking of the word crescendo you are correct. Day 4: Ritual Fire Dance, this week s featured composition, was composed by the Spanish writer Manuel de Falla.
In this piece the composer uses a number of effects to make the music sound exciting. One of the effects is the use of a gradual crescendo to cause more tension in the music. De Falla also uses a great deal of repetition to make the music have more tension. Listen today for repeated rhythms and melodies in the music. Day 5: This week s feature selection is Ritual Fire Dance. It was written by a Spanish musician. Do you remember his name? If you were thinking of Manuel de Falla, you are right. Can you name two of the effects which the composer used to make the Ritual Fire Dance so exciting. If you were able to identify both crescendo and repetition as contributing factors, you have done very well. Let s now enjoy the Ritual Fire Dance for the final time.
Week 2 Composer: Ardashir Farah Composition: Gypsy Earrings Performance: Jorge Strunz and Ardashir Farah Recording: Strunz and Farah Americas, Mesa RZ 79041 Day 1: This week s featured selection is Gypsy Earrings by the contemporary composer and performer, Ardashir Farah. Gypsy Earrings is a selection performed by the guitar duo, Strunz and Farah. Although there are other instruments in the performance, the music is strongly oriented to the style of the acoustic guitar and draws heavily on the Latin American and Spanish background of one of the performers Jorge Strunz. Day2: This week s selection, written by the contemporary guitarist, Ardashir Farah, is entitled Gypsy Earrings. Ardashir Farah is an Iranian guitarist whose style and technique are a perfect complement to the talents of his performance partner, the Costa Rican born Jorge Strunz. In this selection you hear the style of the flamenco guitar and the rhythms of Latin America combined with instruments associated with jazz and popular music. This unique combination of the diverse styles of classical guitar, folk rhythms and melodies, and jazz improvisation provides us with an exciting new medium of musical expression. Day 3: This week s feature composition is entitled Gypsy Earrings. It was written by the Iranian born guitarist, Ardashir Farah.
This selection combines the style of Spanish flamenco guitar with the folk music of Latin America. Flamenco, the dance and music of the Spanish gypsies, is characterized by fanciful and colourful costumes, alluring movements, stamping of the feet, clapping of the hands, and skilful use of the castanets. Although this piece was originally written for two acoustic guitars, the open nature of its form provides a unique opportunity for freedom of musical expression in an improvisational form. The improvised, or invented, solos in the middle of the piece are supported by the small jazz combo (keyboards, bass and percussion) which accompanies the guitars. Day 4: The Iranian born composer, Ardashir Farah, wrote this week s featured listening selection entitled, Gypsy Earrings. Do you remember for which group of instruments the piece was written? It was written for a guitar duo supported by jazz combo keyboards, bass, and percussion. The composer used the style of the classical flamenco guitar and intertwined it with the wonderful rhythms of Latin American music to give it a strong Latin American feel. As you listen today, try to concentrate on the rhythms and sounds of the instruments which accompany the melody. Day 5: This week s feature composer is the Iranian performer, Ardashir Farah. This week s listening selection is his composition, Gypsy Earrings, performed by the guitar duo of Jorge Strunz and Ardashir Farah. Gypsy Earrings is heavily oriented to the styles and techniques of the acoustic guitar. Yesterday you listened carefully to the instruments and rhythms which support the guitar duo. Today, try to listen to all aspects of the piece and see if you can hear the influence of the Spanish flamenco guitar, the folk-like rhythms of Latin America and passages which are improvised, or invented, as the piece is performed. Week 3
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi (1678 1741) Composition: Autumn from the Four Seasons, Allegro Concerto in F Major, R. 293 Performance:New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, & The Best of the Canadian Brass, CBS FMT 45744 Special Note Two recordings of this selection have been recorded on the tape. The first (the orchestral version) is to be used to coincide with the dialogue for days 1, 2, and 4. The second (brass quintet version Canadian Brass) is to be used with the dialogue for days 3 and 5. Day 1: This week s listening selection is the Allegro from Autumn composed by Antonio Vivaldi. The composer wrote this selection as part of a longer piece of music titled The Four Seasons. Before we hear the musical excerpt it will be helpful to know that in this piece he is describing hunters setting out at dawn in chase of a fox. You will hear the hunting horns and the horses giving chase and you will hear the music Vivaldi wrote to describe the terrified fox trying to avoid the hunters. Day 2: This week s feature selection is Autumn from The Four Seasons written by Antonio Vivaldi. Autumn was written for a string orchestra and if you listen carefully you will notice there are only violins, violas, cellos and string basses playing. You may also notice that the violin, the stringed instrument with the highest voice, often plays by itself. It was over two hundred years ago that Vivaldi chose the violin to lead the orchestra in describing one of the activities of Autumn.
Day 3: This week s feature selection, Autumn from The Four Seasons was written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1725. For the past two days we have heard Autumn performed by a string orchestra as it was originally written. Today we will hear the same piece of music played by a famous Canadian group called the Canadian Brass. In order to perform this piece they had to re-arrange the music of Vivaldi so that the parts played by the stringed instruments could be played by brass instruments. You will hear how the arrangement for brass instruments sounds quite different although all of the melodies are the same. Day 4: Today we again listen to Autumn from The Four Seasons composed by Antonio Vivaldi. The version we will hear today is the original composition written for string orchestra. As you listen, take note of the effects created by the strings imitating the hunting horns, the galloping horses, and the fox trying to escape from the hunters. Listen to the violin as it leads the orchestra so that when you listen to the arrangement for brass ensemble tomorrow, you will be able to determine which instrument has the dominant role. Day 5: This week s featured selection, Autumn from The Four Seasons, was written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1725. Today we will listen to Autumn performed as an arrangement written for the internationally acclaimed Canadian Brass. This group consists of two trumpets, one French horn, one trombone and one tuba. As you listen, try to decide which instrument has the leading role which was played by the violin in the arrangement for string orchestra we heard yesterday.
Week 4 Composer: Serge Prokofiev (1891 1953) Composition: Peter and the Wolf Performance: Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy Recording: Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf, Columbia Odyssey YT 34616 Special Note In order that students may hear the entire story of Peter and the Wolf, the work has been divided and recorded in five sections. The recording for each successive day continues from the point where the piece ended on the previous day. Do not rewind the tape each day as the next section of the work is announced and recorded in sequential order. Day 1: This week s listening selection is a series of excerpts from Peter and the Wolf written by the Russian composer Serge Prokofiev. In Peter and the Wolf, the composer uses different melodies and musical moods to tell the story. Each character is assigned a melodic theme which is played every time the character enters the story. At certain points you will hear several of the themes performed at the same time because a number of characters are involved simultaneously in the action. Let s listen as the narrator introduces the characters and the story of Peter and the Wolf. Day 2: Peter and the Wolf, this week s featured listening, was written by the Russian composer Serge Prokofiev. First performed at the Moscow Children stheatre on May 6, 1936, this piece is based on a Russian story, the title of which is literally translated as How little Peter fooled the wolf. Through this selection, the composer hoped to provide a piece of music that would help children identify the instruments of the orchestra. Try to remember how the story ended yesterday so its continuation will make sense today.
Day 3: This week s featured composition is a series of excerpts from Peter and the Wolf written by Serge Prokofiev. An excerpt is a portion of music which is taken from a longer musical selection. We only have time to hear a small portion of Peter and the Wolf because, although it is one of the most successful classical pieces ever written for young people, the entire piece is approximately 25 minutes long. Day 4: The Russian composer, Serge Prokofiev, wrote this week s feature selection Peter and the Wolf. As you listen to the continuation of Peter and the Wolf, notice which instruments the composer has used to describe each character in the story. Try to decide if you think Prokofiev made choices which are well suited to the nature of each character. Let s now listen as the story continues. Day 5: Today we will hear the conclusion of Peter and the Wolf which was written by the Russian composer, Serge Prokofiev. Peter and the Wolf uses easily recognized melodies and instrumental tonal qualities to describe the characters in the story. You may wish to listen to a copy of the record or tape at the public library so you can hear the entire selection in one listening. Listen now as we hear the conclusion of Peter and the Wolf.
Week 5 Composer: Georges Bizet (1838 1875) Composition: L Arlesienne, Suite No. 1 Prelude Performance: New Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Munch Recording: Carmen / L Arlesienne, London 421 632-4 Day 1: This week s featured listening is the Prelude from L Arlesienne, Suite No. 1 by the French composer Georges Bizet. The example you will hear this week was written as incidental music to accompany drama. The Suite which we now hear performed in concerts was created by putting together a series of extracts from that incidental music. The entire Suite No. 1 consists of four selections chosen from the twenty-seven original musical items written for the drama. Day 2: French composer Georges Bizet wrote this week s listening example in 1872. We will listen to a portion of the Prelude from L Arlesienne Suite No. 1. In this music, Bizet uses a tradition theme the Marcho del rei or the march of the kings as the basis for a number of variations. You will hear the theme played a number of times with each repetition being different but recognizable. Bizet varies the theme by changing the tempo, by changing the instrumental arrangement and by altering its style. Listen for these variations during the first portion of the excerpt. Day 3: L Arlesienne, Suite No. 1 was written by the French composer Georges Bizet in 1872. Here is an excerpt from the Prelude. Yesterday you listened specifically for the variations on the traditional theme the march of the kings. Today, as you listen, notice the solo instrument in the second half of the example to see if you can determine which instrument is featured in the Andante the term used to describe the slower portion of this piece. Day 4: French composer Georges Bizet wrote this week s listening example the Prelude from L Arlesienne, Suite No. 1.
Yesterday, you listened with particular interest to the Andante portion of the Prelude to determine which instrument was featured in the solo. If you think the solo was played by a saxophone... you are correct. This is one of the few pieces written for orchestra that features the saxophone in a prominent role because the instrument was once considered to be crude and unrefined. Now let s listen to the Prelude from L Arlesienne, Suite No. 1. Day 5: This week s featured listening example is a portion of the Prelude from L Arlesienne, Suite No. 1 written by French composer Georges Bizet. Georges Bizet is known for his ability to write music that uses the instruments of the orchestra to create fresh blends of sounds which mirror the colours of the pictures and images he is trying to describe. Listen today to Bizet s skillful use of the orchestra first in the opening passage of the Prelude as he uses the technique of variation to alter the march of the kings and then in the Andante as he uses the orchestra to accompany the solo melody played by the saxophone.
Week 6 Composer: Camille Saint-Saens (1835 1921) Composition: Danse Macabre Performance: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Sir Neville Mariner Recording: Bolero /Sorcerer s Apprentice, Phillips 420 812-4 Day 1: This week s feature listening selection is Danse Macabre written by the French composer Camille Saint-Saens. Danse Macabre is a tone poem which Saint-Saens defined as a piece which develops from a single idea and tells a story. Sometimes we call the styles of music which tells stories program music. As you listen to this piece for the first time, use your imagination to develop a story which might be told by this music. Tomorrow I will tell you the story that Saint-Saens used. Day 2: Camille Saint-Saens wrote this week s listening program excerpt, Danse Macabre, in 1875. The program for this piece was summarized by the composer as A graveyard at midnight Death summons the dead from their coffins by drumming with his heels on a piece of tombstone and playing a dance tune on his fiddle. The winter wind moans through the trees as the skeletons come through the dark, running and leaping beneath their shrouds, their bones rattling as they dance suddenly the early morning rooster crows and, in a wild scramble, the skeletons hurry back to their graves. Day 3: Danse Macabre was written by Camille Saint-Saens in 1875.
As you listen today, try to identify the fiddle played by Death to summon the skeletons and the rattling of skeletal bones which is performed on the xylophone. You may also hear the dance of the skeletons as it becomes more excited just before the rooster crows to signal the arrival of morning. Day 4: This week s feature selection is Danse Macabre written by Camille Saint-Saens. At the first performance of Danse Macabre, the audience booed and called out negative comments about the piece. Although we find the music quite acceptable and normal now, in the late 1800 s the harmonies that Saint-Saens used in this piece were very unusual and proved to be very upsetting to the audience. Day 5: The featured listening for this week was written by the French composer, Camille Saint-Saens. It is titled Danse Macabre. As you listen to this selection use your imagination to create the images of the story to bring the music to life. Notice how effectively the composer uses the instruments of the orchestra to develop musical pictures.
Week 7 Composer: Paul Dukas (1865 1935) Composition: The Sorcerer s Apprentice Performance: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Sir Neville Mariner Recording: Bolero / Sorcerer s Apprentice, Phillips 420 812-4 Day 1: This week s featured listening was written by the French composer Paul Dukas in 1897. It is titled The Sorcerer s Apprentice. This selection paints the picture of a broom which has been given the ability to walk and carry water by a very powerful sorcerer so that the broom may help the sorcerer carry water in his castle. The broom finds a way to create more brooms just like itself and soon they are all carrying water and are beginning to flood the castle. You will hear the piece start very quietly with music that symbolizes the single broom, grows as more brooms become involved, reaches a climax when the sorcerer enters the room and discovers the mess, and concludes with the single broom carrying out the task by itself. Day 2: French composer Paul Dukas wrote this week s listening example, The Sorcerer s Apprentice, in 1897. Today, as you listen to The Sorcerer s Apprentice, notice how quietly the piece begins with the bassoon playing the main theme and how it seems to create the picture of the broom coming to life. After the loud climax of the piece, you will notice that music, which is very similar to the opening, is used to bring the selection to a close. Day 3: The Sorcerer s Apprentice, this week s featured listening example, was written by the French composer Paul Dukas in 1897.
Some of you may recognize the music of The Sorcerer s Apprentice from the Walt Disney movie entitled Fantasia. This piece was considered to be very suitable as a theme for film animation because it creates such a vivid picture. It was the first musical selection that was animated for the movie. Day 4: Paul Dukas was a French composer who lived from 1865 to 1935. This week s listening selection is his composition The Sorcerer s Apprentice. Written in 1897, just before the beginning of the 20th century, this piece is the only one written by Dukas which has achieved international recognition. He wrote other music which is well known in his own country but The Sorcerer s Apprentice is the only selection performed regularly outside of France. Day 5: This week s featured listening is the Sorcerer s Apprentice written by the French composer Paul Dukas. As you listen to The Sorcerer s Apprentice for the final time, notice how the composer uses the instruments of the orchestra to create growing excitement as the story evolves. You will probably observe that he gradually uses more and more instruments with increasing emphasis on the percussion section as the piece nears the climax. After the strongest section of the piece, he creates a feeling very much like the beginning by once again using only a few instruments.
Week 8 Composer: Series I Favourites Composition: Various School s Own Choice Performance: Recording:
Week 9 Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 1791) Composition: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor Molto Allegro Performance: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Bohm Recording: Mozart Symphonies, Deutsche Grammophon, Privilege 427 210-4 Day 1: This week s featured selection is the Allegro Molto from Symphony No. 40 in G Minor written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In a six week period in 1788, during the most unhappy period of his life, Mozart wrote the last three of his 41 symphonies. The entire allegro Molto section of the Symphony in G Minor is based on three note themes. You will hear them all used in the restless melody which opens this movement and becomes the basis of the entire Symphony. Day 2: The listening example this week is the Allegro Molto, the first movement from Symphony No. 40 in G Minor written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The restlessness of the opening melody of the movement is created in part by the great rhythmic activity of the melody itself and by the rapid tempo of the whole Allegro Molto section. Allegro Molto means very quickly and is the term used to describe the speed at which the piece is performed. It also becomes the name of the movement. Day 3: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote the Symphony No. 40 in G Minor in 1788. We will listen to the first movement Allegro Molto. When this Symphony was written, Mozart was in a very unhappy state. His mood is reflected in the music of the Allegro Molto through the restlessness of the themes and melodies created from the short, three note motifs. He also uses the technique of constantly changing the melody in subtle ways thus making it feel unsettled emphasizing the mood of restlessness. Day 4:
Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, wrote the Symphony No. 40 in G Minor approximately 200 years ago. Our listening example this week is the first movement from that Symphony the Allegro Molto. Much of the music that was written when the Symphony in G Minor was composed was meant to be performed in the courts of wealthy people for entertainment. This symphony is somewhat unusual because it was written by Mozart for performance at a public concert. Day 5: Today we will listen to the Allegro Molto from Mozart s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor for the last time. As you listen to the Symphony notice once again how the composer uses the techniques of orchestral composition to create a strong feeling of restlessness in the music. As you listen to the music, remember that this piece was written near the end of Mozart s life when he was very poor, unhealthy and unhappy. Do you think the music communicates some feeling of the composer s unhappiness?
Week 10 Composer: Franz von Suppe (1819 1895) pronounced soop ae Composition: Light Cavalry Overture Performance: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti Recording: Light Cavalry / Suppe Overtures, London 421-170-4 Day 1: This week s featured listening is the overture Light Cavalry written by Franz von Suppe in 1866. The music begins with a fanfare-like passage played by the trumpets and this theme is echoed by the French horns with some minor changes. Both versions of the opening theme set the mood for this piece which has been dubbed the military operetta because of the many obvious musical references to the cavalry horse mounted troops. Day 2: Composer-conductor, Franz von Suppe, wrote this week s listening example, the overture Light Cavalry, in the mid-nineteenth century. Yesterday, you heard the fanfare-like opening played by the trumpets and the French horns. Today, as you listen to this famous overture, see if you can hear how the composer uses the melody of the fanfare to develop the first section of the piece before it change tempo. Day 3: Franz von Suppe was born in Dalmatia which is now called Croatia. His overture Light Cavalry was written and first performed in 1866. You have probably noticed that the music of this overture changes tempo a number of times during the course of its performance. As you listen today, note the manner in which the composer uses the changes of tempo and the instruments of the orchestra to create the image of horses moving in a very graceful trot. Day 4: The overture Light Cavalry was written by the famous composer and conductor Franz von Suppe for performance in 1866.
Most overtures were originally written as music that was to be performed before an opera or an operetta actually began to ensure that the audience was seated and paying attention. Usually they used themes from the actual opera being presented as a preview of the work. Suppe s overtures are unique in that they served only to set the mood for the ensuing stage work, and thus a composition might be used for more than one play. Let s now listen to the Light Cavalry overture. Day 5: This week s featured listening selection is the overture to the operetta Light Cavalry written by Franz von Suppe. The military operetta Light Cavalry successfully combines Hungarian, Italian and German national music. First performed in Vienna before an enthusiastic audience, the overture is one of approximately three hundred stage works written by the composer in addition to a variety of instrumental, orchestral and sacred music. Despite the large number of pieces Suppe wrote, only a few are still performed today and he is most famous for his overtures.
Week 11 Composer: Johannes Brahms (1833 1897) Composition: Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor Performance: Gewandhaus Orchestra, Kurt Masur Recording: Bolero / Sorcerer s Apprentice, Philips 420 812-4 Day 1: The music selected for the listening program this week is the Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor composed by Johannes Brahms. Brahms was charmed by his country s folk music and he was especially interested in the music of the Hungarian gypsy because he found the music of the gypsies to be gloriously alive. The folk melodies that Brahms selected to use when he wrote this piece demonstrate the rhythmic vitality and beauty of the gypsy dance music. Day 2: The Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor, this week s featured listening piece, was written by the Austrian composer Johannes Brahms. Hungarian Dance No. 5 is developed from four short melodies, which you will be able to identify because of their contrasting moods. Today, try to identify the first two fold melodies that Brahms used when writing this piece. The first is sad and sorrowful and second is based on an exciting gypsy dance melody which shifts the main rhythmic accents off the beat or pulse of the song. Day 3: Written by Johannes Brahms, this week s featured listening selection is the Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor.
Yesterday, we listened carefully to identify the first two folk songs used by composer Johannes Brahms when he wrote Hungarian Dance No. 5. Did you hear the first melody which has a strong feeling of sadness and the second melody which has a strong rhythmic pulse? Next comes a happy tune which makes one think of the running, shuffling steps that dancers sometimes take. The final fold melody used sounds like a question and answer. See if you can identify all four as you listen today. Day 4: Johannes Brahms, an Austrian composer, wrote this week s listening selection which is titled Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor. As you listened today, were you able to identify all four of the gypsy folk melodies used by Johannes Brahms in his composition Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor? Hungarian folk music is known for its sharply contrasted moods. The music is often tender or sorrowful one moment and wild and exciting the next. Day 5: Austrian composer Johannes Brahms wrote this week s listening selection, the Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor. Much of the music written by Johannes Brahms is thoughtful and scholarly but he also delighted in the rollicking dance melodies of the country. During his life he collected hundreds of folk songs and wrote them down so they would not be lost or forgotten. Hungarian Dance No. 5 is a very famous example of Brahms ability to use folk music as a source for the creation of his own compositions.
Week 12 Composer: Series I Favourites Composition: Various School s Own Choice Performance: Recording:
Week 13 Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 1750) Composition: Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring Performance: Lucerne Festival Strings, Rudolf Baumgartner Recording: Adagio Barocco, Deutsche Grammophon 3335 606 Day 1: The featured listening example for this week was written by Johann Sebastian Bach and is titled, Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring. This chorale, one of the best known of Bach s works, is a hymn which comes from a longer piece called a cantata which was written for performance in church. Originally composed for a men s choir with organ and orchestral accompaniment, the piece has been re-written in this version for symphony orchestra. Day 2: The featured composer for this week is Johann Sebastian Bach. The featured selection is Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring. Neither story nor picture music, this chorale or hymn suggests listening for the sheer beauty of its sound. The majesty of this music creates the atmosphere of a great cathedral with a special mood of dignity and serenity. Listen today to sense the impressive, serious appeal of the chorale which was originally written to be performed in Bach s church in Eisenach, Germany. Day 3: This week s listening selection was written by the famous German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. It is titled, Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring. Today, as you listen to Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring, pay attention to the flowing accompaniment which is such a vital part of this chorale, providing a feeling of unceasing, graceful, rhythmic movement. The chorale s melody, moving in a solid block of chords, rings out clearly in contrast to the fluid nature of the accompaniment. Day 4: Written by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring is one of his most well known pieces.
Born over 300 years ago, Johann Sebastian Bach played an extremely important part in the development of the music of western culture. His attention to the established rules of writing music, which had evolved before his time and his skill as a composer, resulted in the formalization of the principles of tonality (scales, keys, etc.) that we still follow today. Bach s music remains a model and an ongoing source of inspiration for musicians of the twentieth century. Day 5: Johann Sebastian Bach composed this week s listening example, Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring in the early 1700 s. Although famous as a composer, Bach was even more well known during his lifetime as an exceptional organist. Possessing an inventive mind and an independent spirit, he nonetheless was willing to learn all he could from others, sometimes walking as far as thirty miles to hear other famous organists play concerts in neighbouring cities. Let s listen to his composition, Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring. Week 14
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 1893) Composition: The Nutcracker Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies Dance of the Militons Performance: Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Jean Martinon Recording: Ballet Favourites, London 417 840-4 Day 1: This week s featured listening selection consists of two short pieces from The Nutcracker written by Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky s music The Nutcracker was written as a story ballet or as a dance piece for the stage which tells a story with its scenery, costumes, special music and dancers enacting the play in pantomime. In the Soviet Union, Tchaikovsky s country ballet music has always been considered so important that only the best composers are asked to write music for ballet. This week we will listen to two pieces from the ballet suite The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and The Dance of the Militons. Day 2: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote this week s very famous listening selection The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky wrote a great deal of ballet music which has become favorite concert music as well. The Nutcracker was written in response to a request from the Russian Imperial Theatre asking him to write a ballet for the Christmas season. For his theme, Tchaikovsky chose one of Hoffman s Christmas Tales entitled The Nutcracker. The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and The Dance of the Militons are two of the pieces the composer wrote and combined with other short pieces to create the whole ballet and tell the story of The Nutcracker. Day 3: The Nutcracker ballet was written by the famous Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky in the late 1800 s.
Tchaikovsky wrote fifteen different dance pieces for his fairy tale ballet The Nutcracker. Later he chose seven of them as a set, or suite, of concert pieces and later added an overture or opening piece to the suite. One of the seven is The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies. The melody of the beautiful sugar plum fairy is very delicate and fairy-like. Part of that effect is created by using celesta, an instrument which looks like a piano but sounds like softly ringing bells. Day 4: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, one of the most well known of all Russian composers, wrote this week s listening selection The Nutcracker. The Dance of the Militons is the second piece from The Nutcracker we are listening to this week. This piece has a different feel about it which results from the use of different orchestral instruments and a much more determined rhythm pattern. Tchaikovsky intended that the piece would help us imagine the movement of little toy soldiers. Let s now listen to The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and The Dance of the Militons. Day 5: The ballet Nutcracker was written by the famous Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker was originally written as a ballet but the suite of seven pieces, which Tchaikovsky selected as concert music to be played apart from the performance of the ballet, is equally famous. The theme of the ballet and the beauty of the music is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of concert goers around the world each year at this time.
Week 15 Composer: George Frederic Handel (1685 1759) Composition: Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah Performance: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Richter Recording: The Messiah, Polydor 2530 643 Day 1: This week s featured listening selection is the Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah written by George Frederic Handel. The Messiah is probably the most famous oratorio ever composed. It was first produced in Dublin, Ireland with Handel himself conducting the orchestra and chorus. The entire work consists of a variety of choral, solo and orchestral selections combined in a manner very similar to the style of an opera. Let s now listen to the Hallelujah Chorus. Day 2: In 1741, George Frederic Handel composed the listening selection featured this week. The piece is the Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah. After The Messiah was performed in Dublin it was produced in London, England where it was met with a storm of protest by the clergy. It was during the first performance of the work in London that the audience, carried away by the power and noble character of the Hallelujah Chorus, all stood at the same time as if by some pre-arranged signal. Ever since, audiences around the world rise at the beginning of this selection and remain standing until its conclusion. Day 3: Composed by George Frederic Handel in 1741, the listening selection for this week is the Hallelujah Chorus from the oratorio The Messiah.
A virtuoso on the harpsichord, Handel also played the violin and the organ very well. Although he worked as a church organist, Handel was first attracted to the city of Hamburg, Germany by the productions of its famous opera house. He then moved to Italy to be in closer contact with the great Italian composers of the time and then after a brief return to Germany, spent the last forty-two years of his life in London, England. Day 4: This week s listening selection is the famous Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah composed by George Frederic Handel in 1741. The Messiah is an example of a musical form called an oratorio which may be defined as an extensive setting for solo voices, chorus and orchestra. It is performed without scenery, costumes or action on stage. Although based on text from the Bible, the oratorio was designed to be performed on the stage of the theatre and not in the church. The Messiah was written in the incredibly short time span of twenty-four days. Let us now listen to the Hallelujah Chorus. Day 5: Composed in 1741, the Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah is one of the most well-known pieces of music written by George Frederic Handel. In 1750, eight years after its first performance in Dublin, Ireland, The Messiah was finally accepted by London audiences. Since that time, it has probably been sung throughout the world more often than any other large choral work. Let s now listen to this week s featured listening selection for the final time, the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel s oratorio The Messiah.
Week 16 Composer: Jean Sibelius (1865 1957) Composition: Finlandia Performance: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan Recording: Herbert von Karajan Conducts: Les Preludes, 1812 Overture, Finlandia,Deutsche Grammophon 427 222-4 Day 1: This week s featured listening selection is the tone poem Finlandia written by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Sibelius wrote music test characterized as poems which evoke meaning but do not literally describe. The composer identified deeply with the people of Finland and so understood their nature that it made the quotation of folk songs unnecessary in his writing. although he never used folk music as a source of thematic material, many of his themes could have been popular tunes, and at least one the choral from Finlandia became one. Day 2: In 1899, Finnish composer Jean Sibelius wrote the listening selection featured this week. The piece is the tone poem Finlandia. Although it did not use folk songs of Finland, Finlandia became immediately popular with the people of the country and its musical nationalism was clearly evident and those political implications were not lost to the authorities. The performance of Finlandia was forbidden by the tsarist police when Finland was demanding her independence at the beginning of the twentieth century. Day 3: Composed by Jean Sibelius in the 1890 s, the listening selection for this week is the tone poem Finlandia. With its rousing trumpet calls and stirring melodies, Finlandia provides a good example of Sibelius technique of writing music. He was moving away from the use of elaborate themes and turning to the use of simple, beautiful melodies and short motives which were often no more than fragments. These motives are skillfully combined and developed into a meaningful structure which sustains a high degree of musical tension and momentum. Day 4: This week s listening selection is the tone poem Finlandia, composed by Jean Sibelius.
In 1899, Jean Sibelius wrote music to introduce and accompany six tableaux depicting notable events in Finnish history the last of which was entitled Finland Awakes. Following a successful concert performance of these pieces and a request from a wealthy patron for a nationalistic overture, the composer separated the final piece from the others in the set and gave it the now familiar title Finlandia. Day 5: Composed in 1899, Finlandia is one of the most well-known and most often performed pieces of music written by Jean Sibelius. Sibelius tone poem Finlandia had important nationalistic importance for his country as Finland sought independence from the Russian Empire late in the nineteenth century. While his melodies are not folk tunes, they have many of the same qualities and reflected the spirit and pride of his countrymen. Let s listen to Finlandia for the final time.
Week 17 Composer: Antonio Vivaldi (1678 1741) Composition: Winter from The Four Seasons Allegro non molto, Allegro Concerto in F Major, R 293 Performance: New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, Lorin Maazel (violin) Recording: Vivaldi s Greatest Hits, CBS XMT 45810 Day 1: This week s featured listening selections are the Allegro non molto and the Allegro from the Winter section of The Four Seasons composed by Antonio Vivaldi. The composer wrote this selection as part of a longer piece of music titled The Four Seasons. We listened to the Autumn movement of The Four Seasons earlier this year. The winter solstice (the first official day of winter) occurs on the day of the year which has the least amount of sunlight. The date of the winter solstice is December 21. In this piece, Vivaldi celebrates the beginning of winter. Day 2: This week s selection is Winter from The Four Seasons written by Antonio Vivaldi. Vivaldi wrote The Four Seasons to describe the various seasons of the year. He described each of them in both words and in music. In the poem he wrote about winter, he said Trembling, frozen, in the icy snow at the horrid wind s harsh breath; running while constantly stamping one s feet; and feeling the chatter from the overwhelming cold. In music he wrote the composition Winter. Day 3: This week s featured selection, Winter from The Four Seasons was written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1725.
Yesterday, we heard part of Vivaldi s poem about winter. Today, we will hear the rest of what he wrote about this season. Passing quiet and contented days by the fire while outside the rain soaks people by the hundreds; walking in the ice with slow steps for fear of falling, turning cautiously. Turning suddenly, slipping, falling down, going on the ice again and running fast until the ice breaks open. Hearing, as they burst through the bolted doors, Scirocco, Boreas, and all the winds at war. This is winter, but it brings such joy. Day 4: Today, we again listen to the Allegro non molto and the Allegro from the Winter movement of The Four Seasons composed by Antonio Vivaldi. From his words we can tell that Antonio Vivaldi had a variety of feelings about winter. He describes the wind s harsh breath, the overwhelming cold, rain soaks people by the hundreds. But in the last line he wrote, Vivaldi said This is winter, but it brings such joy. As you listen to the music today, can you hear Vivaldi express the harsher aspects of winter as well as the beauty and joy of the season? Day 5: This week s feature selection Winter from The Four Seasons was written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1725. As he did when he composed the Autumn section of The Four Season, Vivaldi chose the violin as the instrument which would lead the string orchestra and also serve as a solo instrument in Winter. He thought the violin would be an appropriate orchestral voice to help describe the harshness and beauty of winter.
Week 18 Composer: Louis Gottschalk (1829 1869) Composition: Cakewalk - The Grand Walkaround Performance: Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy Recording: Greatest Hits of the Ballet, Vol. 1, CBS XMT 45658 Day 1: The featured selection this week was composed by Louis Gottschalk. It is entitled Cakewalk. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the idea of outstanding visiting performers was beginning to be relatively common in the United States. Most of the visiting virtuosos were European artists. Toward the middle of the century America produced its own virtuoso Louis Gottschalk. Gottschalk was born in New Orleans and was widely recognized as one of the most outstanding pianists of his generation. Day 2: The piece being featured in the Listening Program this week is Cakewalk, which was written by Louis Gottschalk. An American pianist, Gottschalk wrote many short pieces which were very tuneful and of varying degrees of difficulty. May of these pieces became common selections in the repertoire of piano students. Cakewalk sometimes called The Grand Walkaround was originally written for solo piano. Day 3: Cakewalk is the title of this week s listening selection. It was written by Louis Gottschalk. American Louis Gottschalk was best known during his lifetime as a virtuoso pianist. Of more long lasting importance were the pieces he wrote for piano which are still played by keyboard students. Also of great importance were the short pieces he wrote during the 1840 s The Banjo, Bamboula, Le Bananier which, by exploiting themes and sounds of the New Orleans area, pointed the way to an awakening nationalism in the United States. Day 4: The music selected for the Listening Program this week is the Cakewalk written by Louis Gottschalk.
A virtuoso American pianist, Louis Gottschalk drew upon the customs and music of his New Orleans birthplace for many of the musical ideas he used in his own compositions. Cakewalk is reminiscent of the style of music which was used at social functions where people brought fancy cakes, set them on display and then walked around the display of cakes in time to the music. People took the cake they were standing closest to when the music stopped. Use your imagination to visualize the cakewalk as the music plays. Day 5: Written by Louis Gottschalk, the music featured in the Listening Program this week is entitled Cakewalk. This piece was written by an outstanding American pianist in the mid nineteenth century. It draws upon the musical and non-musical traditions of New Orleans for inspiration and concept. As you listen today, see if you can hear some of the stylistic and rhythmic elements that you might hear in an early jazz piece from the same area.
Week 19 Composer: Igor Stravinsky (1882 1871) Composition: Firebird - Danse Infernale Performance: Boston Pops Orchestra, Arthur Fiedler Recording: Night on Bald Mountain, Deutsche Grammophon 413 689-2 Day 1: This week we will be listening to Danse Infernale from Igor Stravinsky s ballet L Oiseau de Feu or The Firebird. Every ballet relates a story and as you will be able to tell from listening to the music, the Russian legend of the Firebird is very exciting. Prince Igor releases the Firebird from captivity and the bird gives him one of his feathers in appreciation. This feather later enables the Prince to free thirteen beautiful girls from the ogre Kastcher s castle. One of these damsels eventually becomes Prince Igor s bride. Day 2: Danse Infernale, this week s listening selection, comes from Igor Stravinsky s ballet, The Firebird. You can easily imagine evil sorcerers, wizards and gnomes casting spells and creating difficulties for the hero, Prince Igor. The music begins with a bang then immediately drops to an ominous, low rumbling of the timpani as it begins to build excitement. Stravinsky effectively uses brass instruments to set the tone for the piece then switches dramatically to the lighter, almost innocent, sounds of the flute, glockenspiel and violin. These two contrasting ideas then battle for supremacy in the piece. Day 3: Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky, wrote this week s featured listening selection Danse Infernale in the year 1910.
Stravinsky uses the instruments of the orchestra in a manner that allows you to almost see the forces of good and evil battling each other. One of the ways he accomplishes this is by using a lot of dissonance. Dissonance occurs when you hear notes that don t seem to fit correctly with the rest of the music. Dissonance makes you feel somewhat uncomfortable and agitated. Day 4: Today, as you listen to Igor Stravinsky s Danse Infernale, try to imagine the dance movements that would best help tell the story of The Firebird. Stravinsky creates much excitement in the music by using a lot of dissonance. He also sets a relatively fast musical tempo which effectively depicts the dancing flames and the spirits swirling around in the darkness. Do you feel Stravinsky s use of dynamic contrasts (loud and soft) help create the mood of the piece? Day 5: Today marks the final time that you will listen to Danse Infernale from Stravinsky s ballet, The Firebird. The Firebird was Igor Stravinsky s first ballet. When it was introduced in Paris on June 25, 1910, it was a huge success. Stravinsky brings the story of The Firebird to life by using a variety of musical techniques. He uses dissonance, dynamic contrasts and tempo changes to make the characters come to life. Listen to how Stravinsky constantly changes the combination of instruments to create specific moods for each idea.
Week 20 Composer: Joseph Haydn (1732 1809) Composition: Symphony in G, No. 100 ( Military ) - Allegretto Performance: Wiener Symphoniker, Wolfgang Swallisch Recording: Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 94, 100 and 101, Phillips 422 973-4 Day 1: This week we will listen to the Allegretto from Joseph Haydn s Military Symphony. This particular symphony is one of the twelve which are appropriately labeled the London Symphonies as Haydn wrote them especially for a London audience. Before he moved to London, Haydn had spent thirty-two years in the employ of the Hungarian Prince Esterhazy. Because he composed and conducted his own orchestra he was able to experiment with many innovative ideas. In the Allegretto Haydn uses a trumpet fanfare to capture the attention of his audience. A fanfare is a trumpet introduction to signal a military ceremony or operation. This was unique to the orchestra as previously trumpets never received solo parts. Day 2: This week s featured listening selection is the Allegretto movement from Joseph Haydn s Symphony in G, No. 100 which is sometimes called the Military symphony. In the late 1700 s Papa Haydn, as he was fondly called by his fellow musicians, was invited to compose and conduct twelve symphonies for an appreciative London audience. Notice how Haydn begins with a very simple theme in the strings and woodwinds. He then alters this theme by adding the stronger sounds of the brass and percussion instruments. He also changes the sound slightly by introducing the sounds of a minor key which give the music a somewhat sad feeling. Day 3:
Joseph Haydn s Military Symphony is one of the twelve London Symphonies. The Allegretto is the second movement from this work which is also known as the symphony in G, No. 100. Prior to Haydn perfecting the art of orchestration or arranging music for orchestral instruments, symphonic music was generally conducted from and accompanied by a piano-like instrument called the harpsichord. The harpsichord was supposed to fill in the holes within the music by having the harpsichord player perform all notes of the chord in case some were missing when the music was arranged for orchestra. The Allegretto begins with a simple theme in the strings and woodwinds. This theme then moves between sections of the orchestra. Listen to how Haydn uses a variety of techniques to connect the statements of the theme thus achieving a long, uninterrupted musical line. Day 4: Today we will again listen to the Allegretto from Austrian composer Joseph Haydn s Symphony in G, No. 100. Haydn was sixty years old when he wrote the set of London Symphonies. The music represents the culmination of many years of work and practice and shows how Haydn used many techniques to intrigue and involve his listeners. In the Allegretto he begins with a simple thematic exchange between the strings and the woodwinds. Listen to how he keeps the music moving with short solo-like lines played on instruments such as the oboe. He adds even more interest by switching his bright major key to a short minor key played by the darker sounding instruments. After this you are never quite sure what will happen next! Day 5: Today we will listen to the Allegretto from Joseph Haydn s Military Symphony for the final time. Haydn s symphonies usually consisted of four contrasting movements or sections. Why do you think Haydn waits until the end of the Allegretto movement to sound the trumpet fanfare? It is probably because he was constantly trying to surprise his audience by using different combinations of instruments, rhythms and sounds. The trumpets had always acted as accompaniment to the rest of the horn section. In the Symphony in G, No. 100 they play a solo line which has a distinctively military sound.