Getting Started
Step 3
Match the composers/titles to the examples located in this Dropbox Link
1. C. Gregorian Chant
2. F. Thomas Morely Madrigal
3. I. Bach Toccata and Fugue
4. B. Euripides Chorus 408 B.C.E.
5. G. John Dowland Lute
6. J. Vivaldi Spring from Four Seasons
7. D. Medieval English Rota
8. A. Ancient Times
9. E. Renaissance Estampie
10. H. Handel Chorus from the Messiah
Book, Score & CD Tour
Title: Mozart - Requiem CD
Description: At the age of 35 (year 1791), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was approached by a stranger and asked to compose a Requiem for him in commemoration of his dead wife. Mozart was very busy, but accepted due to the large amount of cash offered for the piece. The secrecy behind it was so that Count Walsegg could pass it off as his own composition, but sadly it was left unfinished due to Mozart passing away, and ended up being finished by one of his friends and pupils, Franz Xaver Süssmayer.
Reasons Why: I believe I definitely have a personal bias, but I was immediately drawn to this due to my first and last Prisms containing pieces from this Mass. It sort of marks the start and ending of a very important part of my life for me, a Mass for the death of high school if you would. The pieces are absolutely gorgeous and have a special place in my heart forever and always. (Fun Fact: I did not know that it practically wasn't written by him at all. I think I have a vague memory of it happening in the film though).
Title: Outrageous Women of... (all 3 books)
Description: These books highlight the women and their influential actions from throughout history, and showcase how prominent their influence was (and how their existence was suppressed due to being women). They were misconceived as different things (wrong, witches, evil, etc. etc.) just because they were women, but they actually helped fuel our society forward.
Reasons Why: As I went through the Outrageous women packet that was given to me in one of the earlier units in this class, I absolutely fell in love with the style of it and how it is structured. I appreciate that these books are exposing individuals to a part of history that they may not have been opened up to learning before or even had the knowledge of its existence. These are very significant and large portions of history that people may be missing just because of misogyny, which is a very sad thought.
Title: The Medieval Lady CD
Description: The pieces and manuscripts for Medieval songs often only contained a melody and did not indicate that an instrument accompanied the vocals. The group that recorded this CD picked instruments common in the 12th and 13th centuries, and the instrumentalists followed true to history and added countermelodies and ornamentation. The pieces from later periods are accompanied by the English lute. History was not the nicest to female composers, and did not exist until recently, as compositions appeared under masculine pseudonyms (or being under husbands, brothers, or fathers). The pieces highlighted in this CD have lucky composers since their work has survived.
Reasons Why: I picked this mainly because I enjoyed the music of the Medieval period, and I really loved Hildegard and Greensleeves. The mystery behind Greensleeves as well as the beauty of the song peaked my interest right off the bat. I decided that I should venture and explore other pieces from the period since I had found such a love for the one song.
Title: Pop Sonnets. Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs
Description: This is a small book made up of 100 classic pop songs as sonnets, such as Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird". With the expansive amount of work Shakespeare produced, we have little documentation on his personal life and career, leaving him to mystery and speculation. He was a playwright, meaning his pieces were meant to be heard (due to his use of rhyme and rhythm). This raised the question if he sonnets were meant for performance as well. The exception to this statement is his 154 sonnets published for income during the plague, which caused theaters to close. There are thousands of other sonnets unpublished which were performed with a musical accompaniment, and were passed down through his troupe, King's Men. They even scored a number one hit in 1963 with a version of "Louie, Louie". The book showcases the lesser-known sonnets and the songs they sparked.
Reasons Why: Initially the title and the cover grabbed my attention immediately. As an avid Shakespeare fan, seeing this made me very excited. I also got even more excitement out of seeing Journey on the cover. The intensive amount of 80's bands and early 2000's songs gripped at my musical heart. After reading through some of the Sonnets, I would love to see them performed by an individual or see if there are more in existence. I would pay a large sum of money to see a Bon Jovi or Boston concert solely made up of Shakespearean Sonnet versions of their original songs.
Period Projects
Link to Presentation
Content & Midterm Reflection
Step 1
Where is Early Music(Antiquity, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque) 'Alive and Well'? Provide Examples.
Although being so distant from our current time and music, Early Music has maintained a presence in the modern day. This can be seen in the intensive amount of events that occur both locally and worldwide revolving around this genre. For this topic, I will stick to the local events and performances.
The first one is the Bennington Baroque, a group that presents different performances of Baroque music in Bennington, Vermont. They have multiple upcoming performances: March 31, 2019 (a performance of Handel) and April 16, 2019 (a performance of Bach). There are 15 performances that they have done previously (according to their records). Having this kind of music performed, and especially in such a rural state, goes to show that the Early Music (in this case, Baroque) is still alive in modern day.
Secondly, there is The Boston Camerata. They are an early music ensemble that performs Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras, and of early American music, sacred and secular music. They have produced several CDs and LPs, as well as performed in every continent. Their goal is to preserve and awaken human memory through the form of music in live, educated performances.
Their website: https://bostoncamerata.org/city-on-the-hill-5-apr-19/
Third, Sarah Cantor, who performs for countless orchestras as well as provides workshops in New England (a lot in Vermont!) over the recorder and Baroque flute. She provides all sorts of ways to teach people how to perform on the instruments of Early Music. Not only is she enjoying it herself, but she is helping maintain Early Music by passing it on to more people.
Lastly, saving the best for last, Julie Freebern. Yes I mentioned it in class somewhat as a joke but it also felt appropriate to include you. You're probably one of the only people I know that is so heavily involved in staying dedicated to Early Music and performing it. I know there are other people out there, but you were my first influence and introduction to all of it.
Step 2
Review the Benchmark Goals you set for yourself in Unit 1, what is it that you hope to know and/or be able to do at the conclusion of the course?
A. What were your intended results?
I had planned to finish the course early and hoped to use the time for learning the clarinet and the basics of singing.
B. What were your actual results?
A lot of my assignments were a few days late, and I am currently a little behind rather than being done with the course already.
C. What caused your results?
I don't do work at home and got distracted or busy during C block, so I didn't do work until later. I also got distracted very easily, since having friends around is difficult.
D. What will you do the same next time?
Not a lot. Probably asking questions when I have issues, but try to do it earlier rather than later. Also, I do enjoy when I tell people that I need to focus and do work that day.
E. What will you do differently?
I have already started doing this a tiny bit, but I would definitely try to work on the assignments at home a lot more. Definitely staying more focused in class and worked extra hard so that I can hopefully get my goals from the beginning of the semester done.
Step 3
Review your Getting Started Self Regulation Inventory & Work Habits
A. Comment on the outcome of these self assessments as it relates to the quality of your work flow thus far
I believe I under-evaluated the quality and level of my work, and I accurately guessed that I would be distracted. I appreciate that these assessments made me force myself to focus and realize my flaws, but I still have yet to 100% figure out how to self-discipline myself.
B. What has been your greatest strength?
I believe my greatest strength, which slightly factors into my weaknesses, is that I provide a great level of effort and detail into my work. This definitely does hurt me a bit, but I also take great pride in the quality of my work.
C. How can you compensate for weaknesses?
I think I should definitely try to focus more and work on stuff at home. I would consider lowering the quality of my work so that it does not consume all of my time, but I also feel like that isn't worth it.
D. In what ways might you modify your approach to the class during the second part of the semester?
I will definitely start doing a lot more work at home so that I can get my assignments in on time, as well as make sure I take advantage of the class time to use the resources provided rather than struggling to complete things at home because I do not have the proper resources. I know it will take a lot of effort on my part, but I need to become more strict with myself anyways.
Step 5
Briefly review the assignments you have submitted for Units 1-5
A. Comment on the quality of work reflected in your ePortfolio relating to areas of strengths as well as areas of needed improvement
I believe my notes as well as my presentation skills are superb. I think I could improve on my musical commentary a bit more, but overall I believe I have a very good level and quality of work. My notes from the chapters are very extensive and helpful to everything else I am learning though, so I take great pride in this.
B. Will you continue to sculpt the work reflected in your ePortfolio as you did for the first half of the course or do you plan on making changes for the second part of the semester?
I will try to stick as close to my style of work from the first semester as possible, but I think I may lighten on the length of my notes in order to provide some convenience and more time to work on the rest of my work. Overall, I know if I give myself more time, I can maintain the level of work I am currently giving.
Step 6
Please help us sculpt the next phase of the course by providing feedback, suggestions, etc. related to Unit Content, Listen, Launchpad, Wix, On-Campus, ePortfolio, Work Flow, etc.
I believe that this course is very nice and flows much better than it felt in previous years. One thing I do miss is the group-watching of movies, but since I am pretty alone in this course, I can understand why we aren't doing them anymore (plus the layout of the room is very different). Other than that, I really enjoy the course and how everything is set up, and I am happy I am taking another class in Music Studio. :)
HONORS TRACK
Program Review
Step 1
Research a recent concert program given by a University or College of your choice to answer the following
Where and when did this performance take place?
Mar. 26, 2019 at 7:00 (Tuesday. TOMORROW!)
What types of performing forces were featured on this program? (choir, band, orchestra, jazz, etc.)
Concert/Recital (piano w/ vocalist)
Provide a description of the songs presented including title, composer, genre, style, etc.
The performance I chose is the "Faculty Recital: Ivy Walz, mezzo-soprano" performance at Ithaca College tomorrow. There are no songs listed by the title of the performance is "A Recital of Songs by Women Composers", but I would assume that they would be performing pieces such as The Medieval Lady CD's selection (that may have a piano accompaniment or allows for one to exist), as well as some other female composition pieces. I would love to see what they actually perform as well as hear how it turns out being.
Step 2
Where and when did this performance take place?
Mar. 16, 2019 from 4:00 PM 5:00 PM (Saturday)
What types of performing forces were featured on this program? (choir, band, orchestra, jazz, etc.)
Chamber music (Beethoven, Rebecca Clarke, and Kreisler)
Provide a description of the songs presented including title, composer, genre, style, etc.
Ludwig van Beethoven- Piano Trio in G major ("Kakadu" Variations) op.121a
The style of this piece is very dark and intense. I feel as though I'm in the middle of the woods at night walking up to a castle while listening to this piece. It is around 19 minutes long (roughly), and has some lighter parts to it for sure. One thing that is very interesting is that it almost sounds as if it is in minor, with how sad and... minor it sounds. Surprisingly though, it is in G major, which is more exposed in the violin's melody, rather than the piano and cello parts.
Rebecca Clarke- Piano Trio in E flat minor (1921)
Surprisingly, this one is even more intense than the first one in terms of the opening. This one more clearly displays that it is in minor, unlike the first which is apparently in major (despite sounding otherwise). The pieces are very similar in terms of their very intense, almost scary style. One thing that intrigues me is that this piece almost sounds like it is reminiscent of a Gershwin piece. Both of them share a very similar style, which explains why they are in the same set together. This piece is roughly 10 minutes long.
Fritz Kreisler- Marche Miniature Viennoise
This one is far more upbeat than the previous two, and I feel like this is a piece that you may prefer to open on rather than closing on just because of its upbeat style. There is no display of a cello part in this piece, just the upbeat piano harmony accompanying the fun violin melody that plays through. Although I say it is upbeat, it does not seem happy as much as it feels mysterious. This piece is only roughly 3 minutes long, which is very different compared to the other 2 pieces as well. This one is a very interesting one to mix in with the other songs in the set, but I feel as though it works very well.
