Unit 4: Nature
Playlist
Activities
Vivaldi: Concerto in F major for Violin, Strings, and Continuo, RV 293, Op. 8, No. 3, “Autumn” from The Four Seasons
UNDERSTAND
- What are some adjectives for the Autumn season which come to mind when you hear this work?
ANALYZE
- Analyze how the solo violin part, here performed by Arnaud Sussman, is effectively used to paint the picture of the Autumn season. Refer to sounds the solo violin may be imitating to help paint this picture for the listener.
EVALUATE
- Vivaldi's set of Four Seasons Concerti all feature the solo violin to convey main scenes of the seasons. Defend why the solo violin was the best instrument to convey those scenes. Would you have picked another instrument?
CREATE
- Vivaldi's Four Seasons Concerti are each accompanied by a poem describing scenes from each season. Compose your own poem about Autumn, using musical images you hear in this work.
Farina: Capriccio stravagante for Violin, Two Violas, Cello, and Continuo
UNDERSTAND
- What kinds of animals do you think are being imitated in this work?
ANALYZE
- Farina imitates animals and other instruments to paint a picture of daily life in this piece. Compare Farina's approach to this kind of imitation with that of Vivaldi in the selection from the Four Seasons also in the playlist.
EVALUATE
- Which composer, Farina or Vivaldi, is more effective at conveying images of daily life in their works?
CREATE
- Farina portrays a day in his life. Write a play/movie script with characters which this piece would accompany.
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring for Piano, Four Hands
UNDERSTAND
- Identify a few musical examples of Spring in this piece.
ANALYZE
- Listen to the original version of this work for full orchestra. Select a passage and compare the sounds of the orchestral version and this version for piano four hands.
EVALUATE
- Audiences rioted in the theater when they first heard this work. Evaluate why that may have been and why the work's evoation of Spring is well known today.
CREATE
- Stravinsky's Rite of Spring was originally composed for ballet with a backdrop and costumes. Draw or paint the kind of backdrop you think is conveyed in this music. Think about the Russian landscape and time of the year implied in the music.
Dvorák: Quintet in E-flat major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello, Op. 97, “The American”
UNDERSTAND
- What instrument has been added to the standard string quartet ensemble to make this work a string quintet?
ANALYZE
- In the accompanying Inside Chamber Music lecture, Bruce Adolphe discusses Dvorak's experiences in America. Discuss how American influences are reflected in this work.
EVALUATE
- In the accompanying Inside Chamber Music lecture, Bruce Adolphe describes the pentatonic (or 5-note) scale found in this work as the international mode. Evaluate this statement.
CREATE
- Build a playlist of songs (from any style) which you feel describes America, representing your own unique point of view.
Mozart: Quartet in B-flat major for Strings, K. 458, "Hunt"
UNDERSTAND
- Why is this work called the "Hunt" Quartet?
ANALYZE
- Mozart dedicated this work to Franz Joseph Haydn. Compare this work with Haydn's "Joke Quartet" from Week 2. How may have Mozart paid homage to Hadyn's style in this piece?
EVALUATE
- Mozart did not call this work the "hunt," rather it was his publisher that added the title. What word would you use to describe this work and why?
CREATE
- Imagine you are creating a playlist around the theme of "nature" and create your own using videos from the CMS archive.