Vol. 3 Issue No. 6
February, 2017
Lifelong Listeners Newsletter

In honor of Valentine's Day, we will be studying Romantic Era music this month. Don't worry though, romantic era music isn't all sappy love stories (although there are some). Romantic era composers were experts at weaving strong emotions of all types into their music. Whether they were professing their love in song, describing something in nature, telling an epic tale, or just trying to write beautiful music, these composers always expressed themselves through an emotional lens. We hope you enjoy this brief glimpse into a fascinating time period in history. Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Listening.  

 

Music 101        
Music 101 News!
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2/12 (Sun.), 4 P.M. - Performance Class This month's performance class will be co-hosted by two members of our faculty: Joshua Garvey and Sylvia Schwartz!  Come hear Sylvia play the violin and Josh play the piano, learn a bit about their music, and perform a piece of your own!

  

Enrichment Classes! Have you heard? Music 101 is offering several new enrichment classes this year along with our popular performance classes. Best of all, certain classes are FREE of charge, while others remain at a low cost. Meet other kids who are interested in music and enhance what you learn in your private lessons. Classes meet periodically with no long-term commitment required, so they are easy to fit into busy schedules! 
Live Concerts!
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(Use this section with Listener Worksheet #1 and Listener Worksheet #2) 
  
*This symbol indicates that Music 101 faculty will perform in this event 
  
*2/19 (Sun.), 3 P.M. - Orchestra of Indian Hill (Littleton) See Music 101's Jenny Herzig perform with the orchestra!  This concert will feature music descriptive of the elements: earth, water, air, and fire. It will also feature a vocal soloist. Best of all, it is a Sunday matinee, so a great opportunity for families with children.
    
3/4 (Sat.), 8 P.M. - Melrose Symphony (Melrose)  Don't miss this "winter dreams" concert featuring 3 soloists! You will hear the orchestra perform famous works by classical composers along with a clarinet soloist, and 2 trumpet soloists. Support our local musicians and enjoy a fun night out!
Listen Online!
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(Use this section with Listener Worksheet #1 and Listener Worksheet #2)
  
Robert Schumann "Widmung" (Amy Broadbent, soprano) We can't begin a Valentine's newsletter all about emotion in music without a love song. This song called "dedication" was written shortly after Schumann married his love, Clara. Can you hear the joy and happiness Schumann feels for his new bride in the music?

Mauro Giuliani "La Rose" (Jon Mendle, guitar)  Romantic composers didn't always write about love. Sometimes they wrote pieces that described things in nature. This piece is from a set of works describing the composer's favorite flowers. Even though he is describing a rose, there is still a lot of emotion in this piece. Do you think roses remind him of fond memories or someone he loves?
   
Frederic Chopin "Winter WInd" (Evgeny Kissin, piano) During the romantic era, some music got very complicated and took a true virtuoso to create and/or play. Chopin was a true virtuoso on the piano as you can hear in this piece. Interestingly, Chopin did not call this piece "winter wind".  He simply called it "Etude" or "Exercise" number 11. So it is hard to say whether he had nature in mind when he wrote this. Regardless of whether this is supposed describe a violent cold wind, this piece is certainly full of violent emotions! Do you hear any other emotions besides anger in this piece?
  
Edvard Grieg "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (Berlin Philharmonic) Sometimes, composers write music with a specific story in mind. Music that tells a specific story is called "program music" and it was especially popular during the romantic era. This famous piece is part of a set of music written to accompany a Norwegian play called "Peer Gynt".  In this part of the story, the main character is in the underground kingdom of the trolls. As you can hear, the main character experiences many emotions throughout the course of this short piece. Can you guess what is happening in the story just by listening?
  
Johannes Brahms "Violin Sonata No. 3 Movement 3" (Anne Sophie Mutter, violin and Lambert Orkis, piano)  Many of the pieces above are emotional for the sake of describing something specific, but sometimes romantic composers wrote emotion-filled pieces just for their own sake. This piece isn't about anything in particular, but it certainly sparks the imagination! How many different emotions can you count just in this short piece?
In This Issue
Composers & Artists
(Use this section with Listener Worksheet #3)
   
 
 
 
 

Other Links
(Use this section with Listener Worksheet #4)
  
  

How to Earn Listener Points!
You can earn Listener Points by exploring this newsletter! Here is how:

 

1) Download Listener Worksheets from our website or pick up copies at the studio. 

 

2) Go to a concert!  See our "Live Concerts" section for ideas. Turn in your program for 10 points.  Turn in Listener Worksheet #1 or Listener Worksheet #2
about something you heard for 10 additional points. 

 

3) Listen online!  Listen to one of the videos in the "Listen Online" section and turn in Listener Worksheet #1 or Listener Worksheet #2 for 10 points.

4) Click on a link in the "Composers & Artists" section. Turn in Listener Worksheet #3   for 10 points.
  
5) Click on a link in the "Other Links" section.  Turn in Listener Worksheet #4 for 10 points.
 
6) Look up any music topic that interests you.  Turn in Listener Worksheet #5 for 10 points.

 Have a question? Email Jenny Herzig at [email protected]