Music Section 2 Flashcards
Which natural places has Ferdre Grofé composed pieces on?
Yellowstone, Death Valley, Niagra Falls, the Hudson River, Lake Mead, and the Grand Canyon
Which instruments did Grofe play?
piano, violin, viola, and alto horn
Which symphony was Grofe a soloist at?
Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. He was a violin soloist from when he was 17 to 27
Which group did Grofe make arrangements for?
Paul Whiteman Orchestra. He joined in 1920
What arrangement made Grofe somewhat famous?
His symphonic jazz arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Paul Whiteman asked him to start writing original works for the orchestra afterwards.
Who made a short that used Grand Canyon Suite as its score and what award did the short win?
Walt Disney. Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Live Action)
How did Grofe first see the Grand Canyon?
When he was in AZ as a member of the US Cavalry Band during WW1, a friend (who was a sheriff) drove him over.
What is the history of the Grand Canyon’s protection under the US Government?
Forest Reserve in 1893, Game Reserve in 1906, National Monument in 1908, and National Park in 1909
When did Grofe first visit the Grand Canyon?
1917
Who composed Grand Canyon Suite?
Ferdre Grofé
How many acres is Grand Canyon National Park?
1.2 Million Acres
When did the composer begin work on Grand Canyon Suite?
- He finished in 1931
Who inspired “On the Trail”?
Eddie King, a recording supervisor for Columbia Records. He reminded Grofe that Bright Angel Trail was pretty iconic.
What are the five movements in Grand Canyon Suite?
- Sunrise
- Painted Desert
- On the Trail
- Sunset
- Cloudburst
Which movement from Grand Canyon Suite was most popular?
“On the Trail”
What animal sound is heard in “On the Trail?”
Burro (wild donkey) braying.
note: the visitors actually rode Mules
What is the interval that makes the “hee-haw” sound in “On the Trail?”
a drop of a major 7th
Who was the first violin soloist to play “On the Trail?”
Kurt Dieterle
What song did the composer adapt into the Burro motif in “On the Trail?”
Horses by Byron Gay and Richard Whiting
What form does “On the Trail” follow?
rondo form: A-B-A-C-A
What instrumentation did Grofe use to make the clip-clop sounds of hooves in “On the Trail”?
Coconut shells muffled with leather. It is often substituted for temple blocks
What polymeter is heard in “On the Trail?”
The “Cowboy Song” melody is in cut time while the “Burro” motif is in 6/8 time.
When was the Baroque Era?
Roughly 1600-1730
What famous set of violin concertos were composed by Antonio Vivaldi?
The Four Seasons. The second concerto, Summer, has a storm in its third movement
When was the Classical Era?
From around 1730 to 1800
When was the Romantic Era?
Most of the 1800’s
Before the Romantic Era, how did most composers make a living?
They were either on staff as the servant of a wealthy lord or monarch or they worked for the Church.
How did Beethoven come to earn an annual annuity to continue living and working in Vienna?
He was offered a job in Kassel, so three noblemen pooled their resources in 1809 to pay him to remain in Vienna. This gave him lots of artistic freedom since he didn’t have to worry about money.
What did Beethoven do in Vienna in 1808?
He had a very busy year and held a huge 4 hour concert on December 22 that was well received despite technical difficulties.
What pieces did Beethoven premier at his 12/22 concert?
several solo vocal pieces, a mass, Choral Fantasy, his Fourth Piano Concerto, his Fifth Symphony, his Sixth Symphony, and some classic Beethoven improv.
What are the movements in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6?
- Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arrival
in the Countryside - Scene by the Brook
- Merry Gathering of Country Folk
- Thunderstorm
- Shepherd’s Song. Cheerful and Thankful
Feelings After the Storm
What was the name of Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony?
Pastoral
What occurred between movements in “Pastoral?”
Short pauses between movements 1-2 and 2-3, but 3-4 and 4-5 flowed directly into the next.
What animals does Beethoven replicate in mvt 2 of his Sixth Symphony?
Bird calls. Specifically, a nightingale, a quail, and a cuckoo
How does the third movement of “Pastoral” end?
with an F Major Dominant 7th Chord (C-E-G-Bb)
How does the fourth movement of “Pastoral” begin?
A sustained Db pianissimo tremolo
What is played when the orchestra reaches fortissimo for the first time in “Thunderstorm?”
an F minor chord. This contrasts the F Major of the previous movement
What two instruments play in “Pastoral” for the first time in the fourth movement?
Timpani and Piccolo
What instruments play ostinatos in “Thunderstorm” and what pattern do they follow?
The Double Bass plays 16th notes while the cellos play quintuplets. This makes a 4 over 5 pattern
What is the difference between flora and fauna?
flora- plants
fauna- animals
Why was Tōru Takemitsu unable to listen to Western music as a teen?
It was outlawed in Japan during WW2
What Western Musicians inspired Takemitsu in the post-war years?
Claude Debussy, Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Olivier Messiaen, John Cage, and other modernists.
How did Takemitsu begin to embrace his culture’s music?
Through his contact with John Cage in the early 1960’s
What is sawari?
The traditional Japanese musical technique of trying to recreate natural sounds very accurately. Would often be described as just noise by Western Music.
What was the series of works in which Takemitsu used sawari?
The “Waterscape” cycle. Over a bunch of works he portrayed both horizontal (streams) and vertical (rain) levels of water.
What motif did Takemitsu use in many of his works?
his S-E-A motif (Eb-E-A, half step then perfect fourth)
What is Eb in German?
“Es,” pronounced ess.
Who was one inspiration of Takemitsu’s largest series of works?
Kenzaburō Ōé
What is Rain Tree in Japanese?
Samanea saman
What could you call “Ame no ki?” (think instrumentation and # of players)
A percussion trio
What instruments are used in “Ame no ki?”
two marimbas (wood keys) and a Vibraphone (metal keys with motor for vibrato) and croatales
What other instruments do the musicians use in “Ame no ki?” (aside from the larger ones)
crotales. Small brass disks
What follow-up pieces were also written by Takemitsu?
Rain Tree Sketch (1982) and Rain Tree Sketch II—In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen (1992)
What movie did Takemitsu compose the score for?
Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran” in 1985
How do bees communicate about food?
“dances”
What branch of the military was the entire Rimsky-Korsakov family members of?
The Russian Navy
How old was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov when he joined the Naval College in St. Petersburg?
12 years old
Who was an informal tutor to Korsakov, tasked him to compose a symphony, and invited him to a group of renowned composers?
Mily Balakirev
What was the name of the group of 5 Russian composers that defined the style of Russian classical music?
“The Five” or “The Mighty Handful”
When did Korsakov start work on his first opera and how many years did it take to complete?
1868, 3 years
What position was Korsakov given to allow him to focus more on composing and music?
“Inspector of Naval
Bands”
What opera does “Flight of the Bumblebee” come from?
The Tale of Tsar Saltan
In what act does “Flight of the Bumblebee” play?
Act III
How do the violins play in order to not overpower the flutes in “Flight of the Bumblebee?”
con sordino (with mute)
How is Gvidon’s leitmotif used in “Flight of the Bumblebee”
The original leitmotif is incorporated into a fast 16th note rhythm
Who composed the French symphonic work “La mer” (1905)?
Claude Debussy
Who composed the orchestral suite “The Sea” (1924)?
Frank Bridge
In the US, what river has been featured in a vast number of musical works?
the Mississippi River
What are the two great tributaries of the Mississippi River?
Ohio and Missouri Rivers
What rivers make up the world’s third largest river system?
Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri Rivers
Who composed the “Mississippi River Suite” (1934)?
Florence Price
Who was the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra?
Florence Price
Who composed “Mississippi Suite: A Journey in Tones”?
Ferde Grofe
Who composed a tuba concerto titled “Reflections on the Mississippi”?
Michael Daugherty
Who was the composer of “Mount St. Helens”, his Symphony No. 50, commemorating the eruption of Mt. St. Helens?
Alan Hovhaness
Who was a composer who surveyed much of the United States in his “American Scene” (1957)?
William Grant Still
How many subsections are in William Grant Still’s “American Scene”?
five
Which of the following places has Ferde Grofe NOT composed any music about (at least it’s not mentioned in the resource guide):
A) Niagara Falls
B) Grand Canyon
C) Hudson River
D) Missouri River
E) Yellowstone
D) Missouri River
Which of the following instruments does Ferde Grofe NOT know how to play? (at least it’s not mentioned in the resource guide):
A) cello
B) violin
C) viola
D) alto horn
E) B and C
A) cello
Musical representation of tempests can be found as early as what era?
Baroque era
Who wrote two concertos with the title “La tempesta di mare”?
Antonio Vivaldi
In what era did the symphony become popularized?
Classic era
In what era did Ludwig van Beethoven compose his music?
his “I’m rich and other musicians can’t make music for a living” era (this is half true)
no it’s actually the Romantic era but idk who fell for Ludwig van Beethoven
How many movements are in Lugwig van Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony?
five
Which of the following birds did Beethoven NOT mimic in the second movement of his Sixth Symphony?
A) nightingale
B) cuckoo
C) quail
D) chickadee
E) C and D
D) chickadee
The timpani in Beethoven’s “Thunderstorm” contribute to the sound of thunderclaps by means of what?
sforzandos
What are sforzandos?
sharply accented, loud notes
What is the term to describe how Beethoven’s “Thunderstorm” didn’t repeat large-scale sections that would create a strophic form, and predictable compostition?
through-composed: uncertainty of “what comes next” adds drama to the scene
A revised version of Beethoven’s score was used to support a mythological sequence in what animated film?
“Fantasia” (1940)
Who was a conductor closely involved in the changes to Beethoven’s symphony for the film “Fantasia”?
Leopold Stokowski
