Composers
Which composer from the Classical Era started composing at age 5, and could play the piano blindfolded and backwards?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Name the all of the musical eras in order
Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern
How many beats is a quarter note worth?
1 beat
Sing me the musical alphabet
A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Name all of the open strings on your instrument.
Violin: E, A, D, G
Viola: A, D, G, C
Cello: A, D, G, C
This composer was known for writing beautiful and memorable melodies, especially in his ballet music.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Bonus: What was one of his favorite outdoor hobbies?
In which musical era did composers care a lot about form and having a clear melody, as well as light texture?
The Classical Era
Bonus! Give me one kind of musical form.
In 3/4 time, what do each of the numbers mean?
3=3 beats per measure
4=quarter notes represent the beat
Draw the clef for your instrument on the board
Lovely
Show me a proper bow hold for your instrument.
Awesome!
Which composer had to worry about spies and the government controlling his music?
Dmitri Shostakovich
Bonus! What job did he have, that he almost did for a living full time?
Listen to the music that Miss Emera plays. Which era do you think it's from? Tell me why you think so!
Nice!
Bonus: Name the composer of the piece...
Draw the missing bar lines.
Nice
Draw the open strings for your instrument on the white board.
Great!
Is the bridge glued down to your instrument? Why is that important to know?
No! It's important that we never set our instruments on the bridge, because it could collapse.
This composer was born the same year as J.S. Bach, and went blind later in life but was still able to compose.
George Frideric Handel
Bonus! What country was he born in, and what country did he become a citizen of later in life?
What is music that tells a story or describes something specific, like an animal, place, or character?
Program Music
Bonus: Give me 3 examples of program music.
Clap the rhythm on the board; two tries only!
Great clapping
Note naming on the whiteboard
Wooooooo
What are the two biggest differences between the harpsichord and the piano?
Harpsichord cannot control dynamics, and the strings are plucked
Name a composer from each musical era AND a fun fact about them.
Yay!
Bonus: Who is the composer of our Minuet and Rondo music for StringTime?
Tell me a defining musical characteristic from each of the musical eras.
Baroque: ornamentation, harpsichord, basso continuo, lots of constant motion, counterpoint
Classical: simple and elegant, clear melody, structure and form
Romantic: feelings more important than form, drama, big dynamic changes, program music, larger orchestras
Modern: lots of experimenting, anything goes, old meets new, unique musical voice, film scores
Tell me the difference between tempo and rhythm, and give me an example of each.
Tempo: speed of the entire piece (andante, moderato, allegro, presto, largo, etc.)
Rhythm: the speed of the notes (16th, 8th, quarter, half note, whole note, dotted half, etc.)
Note naming on the white board, but a little harder..
Excellent
Demonstrate a proper down bow, up bow, retake (bow circle), and tremolo
Nice playing