Other Classical Genres-Chapter 14

 

Step 1

  • Read Chapter 14: "Other Classical Genres" from Listen 8th ed. using the textbook or ebook

  • Listen to chapter examples using the streamed format located in Launchpad

  • Store notes in your Unit 7 ePortfolio

 

Step 2

  • Submit these on-line quizzes through Launchpad

  • Store the results from these assessments in your ePortfolio using screen shots

1. Test your knowledge of concepts from Chapter 14 using the Listen Site Reading Quiz
2. Test your knowledge of concepts from Chapter 14 using the Listen Site Listening Quiz

 

 
Haydn Seek

Step 1

  • What are the instruments used in a string quartet? 2 violins, 1 viola, and a cello. 

  • Describe the tempo & form characteristics of a string quartet. A string quartet could be in any form: the quartets in the classical period had four movements (generally), and they had a lot of similarities with a huge orchestra/symphony. The movements would generally follow: Sonata (Allegro), in a tonic key, the second movement (slow) in a similar key, the third movement (Minueto and Trio) in the original tonic key, the fourth movement (Rondo/Sonata form) in a related key. 

  • Describe musical elements heard in this movement from Haydn's String Quartet Op. 20 no. 5

(Musical Elements; Pitch, Rhythm, Dynamics, Tempo, Texture, Timbre, Form, Purpose, Harmony, Melody, Expression, Mood, Language, Style, etc.) This movement is a hecking quick one, with a really upbeat tempo. It has polyphony in a lot of places, which makes it sound very layered; the instruments make a very interesting blend, which gives the dynamics the major change in the piece. There is also a very sharp, staccato feel to this song. 

 

Step 2

  • What is an Oratorio? An Oratorio is a large-scale musical work for a combination of orchestra and voices, which usually follows the form of a narrative that could revolve around a religious theme. These would be performed without costumes, scenery, or stage play interaction. 

  • What language is used for Haydn's Oratorio, The Creation? It's in German. We love German. 

  • Describe the shifts in tonality(major/minor) and dynamics heard in The Heaven's Are Telling from the Creation. The song begins in a major key, with a strong and powerful start, and moves into a minor key, where it relaxes into a more soft and legato feel. It goes, again, back and forth, maybe to represent what the heavens are saying and the receiver of the heavenly proclamations. 

 

Step 3

  1. Translation of the title 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'. "A little night music."

  2. Instrumentation Used. This was written for strings: two violins, a viola, a cello, and perhaps, a double bass. 

  3. Movement Format. This has four movements which follow such form: Allegro, Romanze Andante, Menuetto Allegreto, and Rondo Allegro. 

 

Step 4

  • Provide the following trivia regarding this excerpt from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni

  1. Brief plot synopsis. This takes place in the 17th century, but in reality it's timeless. Don Giovani, a Spaniard, is a seducer and goes around making conquests out of women (Donna Anna being our introductory lady). He never learns that he shouldn't sleep with women he doesn't know, and candidly invites a stone statue of Commendatore in the graveyard to dinner. When the statue shows up, it shakes Don's hand and asks him to repent for the evil he's committed. After three hand shakes, Don is relentless and refuses to give up the life of a slut, and flames rise around him, casting him to eternal damnation. 

  2. Original language of the Opera. It was in Italian. 

  3. Musical elements used to enhance the plot in this scene

(Musical Elements; Pitch, Rhythm, Dynamics, Tempo, Texture, Timbre, Form, Purpose, Harmony, Melody, Expression, Mood, Language, Style, etc.). In the beginning of the scene, the statue is singing a very creepy song, with a heavy tone, implying some foreshadowing. Don Giovanni speaks as well, with a a strong tone, showing that he's a solid character with no chinks in his armor. As more singers join in on the fray, the orchestra rises to match them, accompanying them with varying degrees of loudness and combinations of textures and dynamics. 

 

  

The Mozart Effect

Step 1

  • In addition to Chapter 14 and independently explored internet resources, use the following resources to answer the questions located in step 2. 

A.  Amadeus, Fact or Fiction?  

B.  Mozart Requiem 

C.  Mozart's Death 

D.  Magic Flute Freemasons 

E.  Dies Irae from the Requiem

F.  Confutatis from the Requiem

G.  Lacrymosa from the Requiem

H  The Queen of the Night excerpt from The Magic Flute (Who Sang it Best?)

I.  Papagena/Papageno excerpt from The Magic Flute

J.  Mvt. 2 Adagio excerpt from the Clarinet Concerto

 

Step 2

1. List 2 bits of trivia portrayed in the play/movie Amadeus that are factual. Mozart really did love billiards, and he's always portrayed as playing or writing music at his billiard table. The renowned tenor, Michael Kelly, noted that he always played with Mozart and never really won any. Mozart didn't like the Archbishop of Salzburg, and they had a very tense relationship because of the Archbishops closed of attitude towards him. 
2. List 2 bits of trivia portrayed in the play/movie Amadeus that are fictional. Mozart didn't have just one child... he had six! But only two survived to adulthood. Our esteemed children survivors are Karl Thomas Mozart and Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart. Also, Mozart didn't die with his eyes open... if he had slipped into unconsciousness, then his eyes would have been closed. 
3. What is a Requiem Mass? This is a type of mass for the dead. Eg: Dies Irae. 
4. Why did Count Walsegg commission Mozart to compose a Requiem? He wanted to honor his wife's death day (14th Feb). 
5. What 4 details from the Requiem Timeline (Wikipedia Link) interest you the most? I liked how he never finished his requiem in D minor and that Süssmyer finished it in 1792, a year after Mozart's death. The count wanted to take the requiem and rename it as his own. He also wanted to have the mass made to honor his deceased wife. Mozart was also writing a cantana at his death bed. 
6. What posthumous diagnoses (Wikipedia Link) do you think is the most believable? I think that because he suffered from a plethora of diseases like smallpox, tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, typhoid fever, rheumatism, and gum disease, his immune system probably couldn't take the combined force of the diseases in his system. I believe that he died from his "severe miliary fever". 
7. After listening to Dies Irae, how did Mozart musically capture the meaning of the text? Dies Irae, which translates to "the day of wrath", has strong accented lyrics that have a very sudden change in dynamics, with a constant tempo of 4/4 time. The orchestration is quick and sounds very angry, with the harmonies in the strings carrying a more unsatisfied feel with humanity. 
8. How does Mozart change the musical feeling in Confutatis for “Voca me cum benedictus”? The songs stars with a rather angry feel, being in a saddening minor, with staccato, accented notes. the use of attacks in the male voices illustrates the anger/disillusionment in the piece. The mood is entirely changed when it turns into a major key, having the female voices legato phrases, which adds a "content" vibe to the piece. 
9. Translate the Latin for  'lacrymosa' and explain how Mozart conveys this musically. "Lacrymosa" translates to "weeping", which is shown through the ascending and descending notes, highlighted by the use of a crescendo and a quick diminuendo when the legato notes reach their ends. 
10. In what ways does the Queen of the Night aria portray ‘magic flute’ like sounds? Boy, oh boy. Those HIGH NOTES. The control over their voice is just amazing... sometimes I'm convinced that a flute couldn't hit those notes. My favorite was definitely Diana Damrau. 
11. After seeing the Papagena/Papageno duet, what do you think they are singing about? They're singing about finding love in each other. 
12. What might lead some to speculate that the Magic Flute Opera is full of hidden meanings and symbolism relating to Freemasonry/The Masonic Temple? We don't know if Mozart and Schikaneder belonged to the same Masonic Lodge, but we know that both of them were masons, and that the general idealisms were portrayed in their music... just hidden. When Tamino (main character) is in the Temple of Wisdom, he is being initiated into the Masonic Mysteries, all portrayed by ancient Egyptian art. There may be a spiritual message... the symbols are seen throughout within the Masonry occult. They must have known about this kind of symbolism from Kabbahl... we love some Freemason imagery!
13. What is a Concerto? A concerto is a musical composition for a solo instrument(s) accompanied with an orchestra... generally a really large one. 
14. How many movements do Concerto’s generally have? They usually have about 3 movements. 
15. Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto is cataloged as K.622.  The Magic Flute is K.620. The Requiem Mass is K. 626. What does the 'K' stand for and what does it indicate when cataloging the music of Mozart? The K, Köchel catalogue is a chronological catalogue of compositions by Mozart, originally created by Ludwig von Köchel, where every entry is abbreviated as K. and KV. After Mozart's death there were attempts to catalogue his music (Franz Gleibner and Johann Andre--1833), but it wasn't until 1862 that Köchel was successful in creating a comprehensible listing. 

16. The clarinet was more or less invented during Mozart's time.  He composed the Clarinet Quintet and the Clarinet Concerto for which friend? Enjoy this Cat Concerto by Tom & Jerry. Mozart wrote the concerto for Anton Stradler, who was one of the most talented clarinetists in Vienna. The Clarinet Concerto was one of his last works, and definitely one of his first (and last) compositions for that instrument. 
17. What were the results of the 1993 experiment that led to Mozart mania known as the ‘Mozart Effect’? In 1993, Rauscher made a claim that listening to a Mozart sonata for ten minutes made subjects have better spatial reasoning skills in comparison with relaxation instructions that were meant to lower blood pressure. Apparently the mean spatial IQ scores were 8 and 9 points higher after listening to the music than in the two other conditions they simulated. However, it has been shown that the Mozart effect isn’t separate from any musical entity. Listening to music gives the brain a workout, allowing it to utilize it’s functions for movement, memory, spatial reasoning, and coordination. 

18.  Give a brief synopsis of the outcome of Mozart's visit to the Sistine Chapel after hearing Allegri's "Miserere". After hearing the Miserere at the chapel, Mozart went back home and transcribed the whole piece without mistake, and went back again and again to the chapel so that he could, probably, make adjustments and corrections. Oh, he did this at the age of 14, by the way.

19.  Explain Mozart's involvement with the Weber family throughout his life. Mozart was the tom cat and was involved with two of the girls in the family. Not surprisingly, the family travelled around a lot and their most recent destination was Munich (Fridolin had moved to Vienna), and Mozart decided to stay with them. He didn’t want to start things again with Aloysia (who was married!), but he really did admire her younger sister, Constanze. Surprise, surprise, being enamored turned into “love”. Constanze seemed to be the perfect counterpart to Mozart and really didn’t stand for his crap. She kept him grounded and was funny, so that kept their relationship fresh and happy.  

 

 

Beethoven-Chapter 15

Step 1

  • Read Chapter 15: "Beethoven" from Listen 8th ed. using the text book or ebook

  • Listen to chapter examples using the streamed format located in Launchpad

  • Store notes in your Unit 7 ePortfolio

 

Step 2

  • Submit these on-line quizzes through Launchpad

  • Store the results from these assessments in your ePortfolio using screen shots

1. Test your knowledge of concepts from Chapter 15 using the Listen Site Reading Quiz
2. Test your knowledge of concepts from Chapter 15 using the Listen Site Listening Quiz

 
Roll Over Beethoven

Step 1

Use the Bagatelle No. 25 Fur Elise to answer the following questions

  • What is a Bagatelle? A bagatelle is a short piece of music that is usually for the piano. It’s normally very light and airy—something that’s mellow and easy to digest. The name “bagatelle” translates to “a short unpretentious instrumental composition” or “a thing of little value” (wish we could do that with the English language). 

  • What is an Albumblatt? An albumblatt is a short instrumental composition (once again, usually for piano) that translates to “album leaf”. Suspicion: it’s where the modern album comes from. 

  • Describe some unique features of this composition. Für Elise was considered either to be a “bagatelle” or an “albumblatt”, mostly because of the nature of the piece. The harder second and third movement took away from the simple-ness of the piece. Beethoven was completely deaf when he composed Für Elise.  

  • Provide background as to the identity of "Elise". Okay... so the breakdown of “Elise”: she could have been a real person or just a term of endearment. The theories that she was a real person are totally valid. It’s said that Beethoven adored his student Therese von Rohrenbach zu Dezza, and that he proposed but she said no because of an Austrian pretty-face. There’s also the theory that Elise could have been Elisabeth Rockel, or Elise Barensfeld, both friends of Beethoven. It’s said that he was composing Für Elise for one of his simple students and that because she rejected him, he made the second and third movement so hard that she could never dream of playing it. Talk about a sore loser. 

 

Step 2

Use Beethoven's 5th,  Beethoven's Wig & Plink Plank Plunk to respond to the following questions

  • Why do you think that the 4 Note Theme from Symphony No. 5 is so well known? I think that this theme is so famous because of the feelings it carries... it’s usually said the opening of the symphony was supposed to represent the fates knocking at the doors. The other story was that Beethoven wrote it because he was inspired by a little bird... as the bird flew away, his opening motif was established. There are so many interpretations of the dynamic choice and the articulation specificity... maybe it just strikes a chord in everyone that listens to it. 

  • Why do you think this theme has been recycled in so many ways throughout history? The opening four notes were a very important part of Europe’s passive resistance to the Nazi tyranny before/during WWII. The “V for Victory” campaign in Belgian advertised it’s important “V” as a symbol of resistance. The 4 notes were just like that bird... maybe they could fly away from the problems in their day. The music was a symbol for so many forms of resistance... its ability to be recalled so easy just makes it something that’s so catchy and nice. 

 

Step 3

Provide background trivia regarding Ode To Joy

  • The text-origin & meaning. Schiller’s meaning in “Ode to Joy” are really simple: Joy is needed for life and living happily. It is from heaven and is readily available to everyone for good-doing because God loves everyone. The proof of God’s love is found in nature’s motivation and in the “fruit of the vine”. The opening stanza and chorus of “Ode” are really open to interpretation: but only one, really. Men should find hope and joy in everything (just like in Elysium, the Greek resting place after death). “Beggars become Prince’s brother’s” just goes to show that everyone is equal in the eyes of God and that the “kiss to the entire world” includes everyone and that Joy will find those already happy and those in sadness. The song really inspired philosophers and great thinkers like Wagner and Nietzsche. It’s an Ode to Joy, for crying out loud! 

  • The context that Beethoven used it in. The Ode to Joy that Beethoven used was a little different, having been modified by the German poet Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, in 1785. The poem was supposed to address all of mankind. Beethoven’s Ode to Joy was composed in 1824, and was the final movement in his last symphony, Symphony No. 9. It was under-rehearsed and even so, it was a beautiful piece to the audience. It was the first time Beethoven appeared on stage in 12 years after going deaf. 

  • Ways in which this composition has been used throughout history. In 1972 (the year my mom was born, teehee), the Council of Europe made Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” its official anthem. Unsurprisingly, the same thing happened a few years later, in 1985, with the European Union. Even though Schiller’s text isn’t sung in anthem, the love and unity is clear and loud. During WWII, German prisoners of war introduced Beethoven’s 9th Symphony to their Japanese captors. Years later, Japanese orchestras began performing it. After WWII, Japanese orchestras began performing the song again, hoping to bring in some audience help to aid the reconstruction effort. Since then, it has been a Japanese tradition to perform Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at the end of each year.

 

Step 4

Use THIS LINK or Julie Drive the access the Billy Joel/Beatles Influence interview

  • Provide a summary of Billy Joel's classical composer influences

  • Compare/Contrast Beethoven's Pathetique to Billy Joel's This Night

 

Step 5

Use the Piano Sonata No. 14 Moonlight Sonata to answer the following

  • What is a Sonata?

  • Provide background trivia regarding this composition's dedication

  • What are your specific feelings or thoughts in response to this composition?

 

 

 

 

HONORS TRACK

Can Ludwig come out and play?

Option 1

 

A. Highlight the contradictions that filled Beethoven's life to include

  • His Father, Grandfather & Nephew Karl.

  • His romantic interests, i.e. Immortal Beloved.

  • His emotional and physical health.

  • His attitude toward nobility.

 

Beethoven had a really hard life, with his challenges and less-than-ideal circumstances preparing him for greatness. He was one of the most accomplished creator of music in the classical/romantic period. His father was a court musician, and unlike Mozart's father, he was an abusive drunk that wasn't even that good at what he was supposed to do. Johann van Beethoven would beat his kid whenever he played a wrong note, or in a more flowy-way. Naturally, this came out on Mozart himself, and he became angry and brash as well. His public image also caused him to gravitate more towards the ideal of his grandfather, who died when Beethoven was only three. Despite his angry mannerisms, the public never lost interest nor respect for him. Beethoven was an uncle to his nephew Karl, whom he did have a tight grip upon. Even though Beethoven had good intentions, he pushed Karl to attempt suicide (he only wanted to be with is mother!). Beethoven was also really unlucky in the department of romance and affairs. He kept falling in love with aristocratic women who only wanted to be with noblemen, and wouldn't marry Beethoven because of his loser-like status. In one of his last passionate love letters, the woman whom was mentioned as "the immortal beloved," was Antoine Brentano. She didn't want to be with Beethoven, even though she was married to one of his best friends (who would have guessed?!). So Beethoven kept suffering from rejection as well as actual physical trauma because of all the diseases he kept acquiring. Beethoven started going deaf at the height of his career, and he probably had bowel disease, abnormal bone destruction problems, liver disease (because of the alcohol), and kidney disease (also probably because of the alcohol consumption) Beethoven was known as a bohemian, where he really didn't like convention and orthodoxy. He really didn't like to dress up for himself nor other people--as seen when he came strutting into Vienna. Beethoven had to get money from grants and commissions from wealthy and aristocratic patrons. This isn't to say that he was obliged to them; our musical prodigy hated working for the court, very much unlike his teacher, Haydn. Beethoven was regal in his own way... being a musical genius allowed him to turn his nose up to the royalty of Europe and he took it upon himself to disrespect people with power, seeing as his only power came from his works. 

 

 

 

B. Describe how these contradictions influenced his compositions to include

  • His musical accomplishments

  • His influence on other composers

  • Compositional connections to Napoleon

  • Rebellion from the Patronage System 

 

 

 
Throughout the challenges Beethoven faced, he came through as one of the most accomplished musicians in the world... both in the past and probably for the rest of humanity's time. Ludwig van Beethoven was the composer that was known as the "changer of music" because he just fooled around with everything that was known. He wrote nine symphonies that have changed how symphonies have been seen since. Before he died, he composed hundreds and hundreds of sonatas and symphonies and little bagatelles, and god-knows-what. His most notable songs are Ode to Joy, Moonlight Sonata, Symphony No. 5, and Für Elise. He played in the same room as Mozart, and was one of Haydn's pupils. I would love to be Hayden's pupil, but we can't all get what we'd like. In Vienna, Beethoven flourished and he sometimes graced the city of music with a sighting during his performance. He went on making operas and symphonies and sonatas as he travelled, getting into spats with other musicians and composers. In 1803, Beethoven sketched out his little Sinfonia Eroica, also known as his third symphony, that was inspired and dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte. Beethoven saw himself as liberal of thinking and very open to the ideals of the French revolution, but as soon as Bonaparte declared himself emperor, he changed the title of the song and went on to make other angry songs about Napoleon. The most famous musicians were obliged to rely on grants and commissions, but because Beethoven was a lil' ol' special musician, he didn't want to lower himself to that. He was not a musical courtier, and his patronage was limited because he loved rebelling against the system.