Classical Music Exploration

Brief introduction video of music history:

 

Listen to this video below to see how classical music transformed over time:

Breaking it down:

1. The classical period is between the baroque and romantic periods. This means that music from the classical period is music composed between about 1750 to 1820.

2. The greatest composers of the classical period are:

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). He learned to compose music before he could read/write.
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827). ***Notice that the classical music period ended BEFORE beethoven died. This is because he ended it! His music was so new that he created a new genre! The amazement  doesn’t end there; he was deaf by the age of 25, but continued composing and pushing musical boundaries. And you wonder why we study him??
• Joseph Haydn (1732–1809). As a boy, he once cut of another child’s pony tail! He also taught Mozart. Haydn told Mozart’s father that he was the most skilled child he had ever met!
• Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach (1714–1788) [son of the great J. S. Bach]. He set the stage for Mozart and Beethoven. Upon his death, Mozart stated, ” He was the father, we are the children.”

3. The sound of music is difficult to describe, but classical music can be identified by the following:

• A tune! Most music of the classical period has a clear tune. There is little of the weaving together of different tunes that you get in baroque music. This means that music from the classical period often sounds much simpler than baroque music. If you listen closely you will notice that the melody sits right on top of the lower strings. This is the era when melody became the most important! You will also notice that classical music used the piano more than the harpischord (which has a harsher sound, while the piano has more flexibility with volume and tune).
  • Piano verse Harpichord:
  • 1. While hammers are used to strike the strings of a piano, the strings are plucked in a harpsichord.2. The harpsichord became popular in the 14th century, but the piano was only introduced in the 18th century.3. While the harpsichord comes with five octaves, the piano has seven octaves.4. When comparing their keys, the harpsichord’s keys are slimmer.5. A tone can be sustained in a piano, while it cannot be done with a harpsichord.6. A piano player will have full control over the volume of sound produced; one can play soft and loud sounds. On other hand, a harpsichord player does not have such control.
• Loud one second, quiet the next (but not as much as romantic music). Music from the classical period keeps changing volume. It keeps changing in many other ways as well. You will notice these as changes of mood.
• The name! The same names keep coming up over and over again in music of the classical period. For example, you will see lots of symphonies, sonatas, and concertos. Each of these is a style all of its own!

Source: http://kidsmusiccorner.co.uk/types/classical/the-classical-period/

Musical Worlds Collide: 

Task: Review the list that you and your partner signed up for here to see who you are researching. You will prepare five power point slides after researching your musician. You will create this power point in your Google drive and share it with dcastellano@socsd.org. Use the links below to guide you.

• Slide One: Introduce musician (date of birth and death, nationality, place where he lived, looks, etc)
• Slide Two: Childhood
• Slide Three: Personal life
• Slide Four: Career path
• Slide Five: Famous Songs and Song analysis

*Be sure to include pictures, be prepared to present, and ready to speak for 5 minutes!!

Additional Questions to Include in Presentation:

• What makes this person special or interesting?
• Where was this person educated? How did this affect their later accomplishments?
• What kind of effect did he or she have on the world? other people?
• What are the adjectives you would most use to describe the person?
• What examples from their life illustrate those qualities?
• What events shaped or changed this person’s life?
• Did he or she overcome obstacles? Take risks? Get lucky?
• Would the world be better or worse if this person hadn’t lived? How and why?

Helpful links:

OpenClassical
History of Classical Music By NAXO
Composer Database
The Classical Music Navigator
Classic Composers
Life and work of famous composers
Great Classical Composers
Kids Corner – Classical Period
Strange Facts about Composers
Discover Music…the fun way