Music - Section 2 [Introduction] Flashcards
This deck is about just the introduction of Section 2: Marvels Made Musicals
How does music theory traditionally describe pieces of music?
as fixed objects
What did composers use music to portray for centuries?
the surrounding world
Apart from the earth’s geographical features, what can musical works illustrate?
weather and inhabitants
What are programmatic pieces?
instrumental pieces with a storyline
Who wrote La Mer, which depicts the sea
Claude Debussy
When was La Mer, which depicts the sea, written?
1905
Who wrote The Sea
This is not the Debussy one.
Frank Bridge
When was The Sea written?
This is not the Debussy one.
1924
How is La Mer similar to The Sea
in terms of musicality
Both are programmatic pieces describing the sea in a non-specific way
Who wrote Vlatava?
Vlatava is a Czech river
Bedrich Smetana
When was Vlatava written?
1874
Vlatava is widely known by what German name?
The Moldau
What is the second longest river in the world?
The Amazon
As a tribute to the Amazon:
Who wrote the ballet score Águas da Amazônia
Translated: “Waters of the Amazon”
Phillip Glass
When was the ballet score Águas da Amazônia written?
1999
Who wrote the Yellow River Cantata?
Xian Xinghai
When was the Yellow River Cantata written?
1939
When was the Yellow River Cantata revised and turned into a concerto for piano and orchestra?
1969
Who led a group of Chinese composers in revising the Yellow River Cantata into a piano concerto?
Yin Chengzong
What river and its tributaries make up the world’s largest river system?
The Mississippi River
What organization suggests that the Mississippi
River may be the most musical river in the
world?
The National Park Service
What amateur historian collected songs about the Mississippi River?
Dean Klinkenberg
How many songs about the Mississippi River were collected by one amateur historian?
over a thousands
Who wrote the Mississippi River Suite
Florence Price
When was the Mississippi River Suite written?
1934
What is Florence Price known for?
First Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra
Who wrote Mississippi Suite: A Journey in Tones?
Ferde Grofé
When did Mississippi Suite: A Journeys in Tones premiere
1926
Where did Mississippi Suite: A Journeys in Tones premiere
New York
Who composed Reflections on the Mississippi?
A relatively recent work
Michael Daugherty
What instruments was Reflections on the Mississippi originally written for?
Tuba and orchestra
When was Reflections on the Mississippi written?
2013
What instruments has Reflections on the
Mississippi been arranged for?
Tuba and wind band
What was Michael Daugherty’s first wind band composition titled?
Niagara Falls
When did Michael Daugherty write his first wind band composition?
1997
Which band did Daugherty write his first wind band composition for?
The University of Michigan Symphonic Band
Where are the Niagara Falls located?
On upstate New York’s border with Canada
Which massive volcanic eruption led to the creation of a national monument?
Mount St. Helens
Produced the largest landslide in recorded history
When did Mount St. Helens erupt?
1980
Who composed Symphony No. 50: “Mount St. Helens”?
Alan Hovhaness
When was Symphony No. 50: “Mount St. Helens” composed?
1982
Where was composer Alan Hovhaness living when Mount St. Helens erupted?
Seattle
Who wrote Yellowstone for Violin and Orchestra?
Jett Hitt
When was Yellowstone for Violin and Orchestra written?
2002
As their first orchestral composition:
Who wrote Sequoia?
Joan Tower
When was Sequoia written?
1981
Who was the first Black composer to have their orchestral work performed by a major American orchestra?
William Grant Still
What was the first orchestral work by a Black
composer to be performed by a major American
orchestra?
Afro-American Symphony
When was the first orchestral work by a Black
composer to be performed by a major American
orchestra?
1931
Who composed American Scene, which surveys much of the United States?
William Grant Still
How many suites did American Scene contain?
Five
What were the suites of the American Scene named?
The East, The South, The Old West, The Far West,
The Southwest: A mountain, a Memorial and a
Song
What scholar published a book-length study of the vast musical output that has captured various
American scenes in 2003?
Denise von Glahn
What was Ferde Grofé’s greatest achievement?
The Grand Canyon Suite
Ferde Grofé composed a lot of scenes
When was Grofé’s Death Valley Suite written?
1949
Ferde Grofé composed a lot of scenes
When was Grofé’s Hudson River Suite written?
1955
Ferde Grofé composed a lot of scenes
When was Grofé’s Yellowstone Suite written?
1960
Ferde Grofé composed a lot of scenes
When was Grofé’s Niagara Falls Suite written?
not to be confused with Daugherty’s Niagara Falls piece
1961
Ferde Grofé composed a lot of scenes
When was Grofé’s Dawn at Lake Mead written?
1956
