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| Posted: Oct 04 2007 at 9:45am | IP Logged
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***PLEASE NOTE: Check Stef's blog for updates and additions to this month's study.
**This post was updated Oct. 6th.
This is Stef's (Stefoodie) composer Study for October. Thank you, Stef, for getting this ready. It looks wonderful!
-Janette
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This month's Composer Study explores music inspired by literature.
I am borrowing heavily from our local orchestra's study this month, and throwing in a few ideas of my own:
We start off with Beethoven's Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, the only music for ballet which he composed in 1801. It is his longest work for piano solo.
If you can see the ballet performance itself, I think that would be an awesome addition to this study. A few years ago a college 2 hours from us offered this production; unfortunately we didn't get to see it.
You can listen to the piece at emusic.com.
Or watch this Google video of a live performance. Or come to my blog where it is currently playing.
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For those who enjoy Greek mythology, you can read the story of Prometheus in the D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths.
Those with younger kids might want to try The Greek Gods by Hoopes and Eyslin. There's a page there with Prometheus' pic that might be used as a coloring page by littles as they listen to a Prometheus-read-aloud, or to Jim Weiss' Heroes in Mythology.
The Bulfinch version is available at Bartleby.com -- high school and up, and offers some good material for discussion. Advanced students may want to tackle Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound.
William Bennett in The Moral Compass (p. 408) has a version of the story. I like that he provides a Christian perspective on mythology. Another retelling we enjoyed is Robert Graves' Greek Gods and Heroes.
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After you've read the story of Prometheus, the kids may want to put together their own "dance" -- if you have a ballet dancer or two around the house, here's a great way to try out their skills! Listen to the music and see where you can incorporate elements of the Prometheus' story. The beginning is very dramatic, so if you've got several children, one of them could be Prometheus, another could be the angry Zeus. More children could be the creatures that Prometheus "makes from clay", so they could start out really low on the ground and rise up as they are "created". Pay attention to the sequences of highs and lows, the crescendos/crescendi and diminuendos and make corresponding distinctions in your dance.
Here's a short description (from program notes from the U of Calif-Berkeley) that may provide you with more ideas as you make up your own ballet:
Quote:
| The plot of the ballet, attributed to Vigano, is as follows: Prometheus creates man and woman from clay and water, and brings them to life with a brand of fire stolen from the sun. He has adapted in them the best qualities of various animals, but failing to give them reasoning powers, he decides to destroy them. Apollo, the god of the arts, intervenes, and the creatures are led to Parnassus, where they become acquainted with music. Apollo then entrusts the furthering of their education to his wards, the Muses. Melpomene (Muse of Tragedy) provides the experience of tragic emotions, while Thalia (Muse of Comedy) teaches them to laugh. Terpsichore (Muse of Dance) teaches them her art, and Bacchus introduces them to the pleasures of wine and frolic. As their education is rounded off, the creatures finally begin to appreciate the beauties of nature; with one last solemn dance, they are sent to embark on the journey of life. |
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Art:
For older children or those who can handle these types of artwork, here are several artists' renditions of Prometheus:
Nicolas-Sebastien Adam's
Dirck van Baburen's
Jacob Jordaens'
Piero di Cosimo's
Pieter Pauwel Rubens', a collaborative work with other painters
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Beethoven:
Read about Beethoven using Mike Venezia's book, or Roland Vernon's.
Here's a previous Beethoven thread at 4real.
We've actually done several Beethoven or Beethoven-related studies there, and here are the links:
April Composer – For the Birds!
May Composer
There are a couple other threads that I found but I'm either encountering a glitch or that part of the forum is closed right now.
Classics for Kids, of course, has had several shows about Beethoven.
I almost forgot, Vox Classics' The Story of Beethoven gives you both music and story on one CD!
You want more Beethoven? Beethoven's Wig and Beethoven Lives Upstairs are both 4Real favorites!
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More Music:
It may be interesting to compare Beethoven's work with Karl Goldmark's. Or Lizst's symphonic poem "Prometheus". Here's a DVD that contains several Prometheus-inspired works! I hope our library has it! Another possibility for comparison -- Haydn's "The Creation".
Those who would like to try their hand at playing The Creatures of Prometheus can get the complete score here. Here's a downloadable one for violin.
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Learning about the orchestra:
Need a beginner's book/refresher about the orchestra? Check out Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine et al. Oooh, one more thing I almost forgot! My most recent find, Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers. (Caveat: I got this book for dd-16 and me, but I've only read bits and pieces of it, so I cannot say for certain if there is any anti-Catholic content -- just FYI).
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Possible Rabbit Trails:
- for Trekkies, and/or spacecraft enthusiasts: look up the USS Prometheus Starfleet tactical vessel
- Study the planet Saturn, which has two tiny moons called Prometheus and Pandora. They are called "shepherding moons" because their combined gravity keeps this ring on a path that is only 60 miles wide.
- Read about the element Pm - Prometheum -- a synthetic rare earth element made in nuclear accelerators and nuclear reactors. No trace of the element has been found in the Earth's crust. Named for the Greek god Prometheus who stole fire from the heavens.
- Take a trip to Rockefeller Center in New York City to see the bronze-gilded Prometheus!
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stefoodie
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| Posted: Oct 11 2007 at 1:05pm | IP Logged
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This week's literature selection needs no introduction. We are listening to music inspired by Mother Goose,
Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, also for ballet. a.k.a. Ma Mere L'Oye.
I've got the "Beauty and the Beast" piece currently playing on my blog if anyone wants to hear it. The alternating sequences between "Beauty" and "Beast" are lovely.
No time to write much, I'm at Panera right now using their free Wi-Fi -- my parents don't have 'net service...
So I'll just point you to a couple of links...
Ravel's Mother Goose Suite at NPR -- I haven't listened to the linked program as I'm here at the cafe and don't want to turn my speakers on  so you may want to screen first before having the kids listen (I made a mistake once and gathered all to listen to a Debussy lecture only to find out that the lecturer was discussing his extramarital affairs...  )
and here's one from the BBC: "Stephen Johnson joins the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Glasgow for an exploration of the musical thinking behind Ravel's Mother Goose."
We also like "The Fairy Garden" (from the same suite) very much. Hope you do too!
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stefoodie
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| Posted: Oct 18 2007 at 8:33pm | IP Logged
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This week we're listening to Mendelssohn's incidental music for "A Midsummer Night's Dream". You can hear Scherzo on my blog.
There are many Shakespeare-inspired or Shakespeare-related music you can listen to if you don't have this particular album. Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, for instance, or Verdi's Othello.
Suggested reading: Chapter 10 of Young People's Concerts by Leonard Bernstein
Ah, Music! by Aliki
Mendelssohn and Shakespeare has been the topic at 4Real several times. Here's a related thread you can peruse for more ideas.
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Mary G
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| Posted: Oct 19 2007 at 7:56am | IP Logged
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Stef -- thanks for all the work that went into this particular "study"! It's a great help to us culture-challenged moms  who WANT to add more music/art but who NEVER seem to get around to it ....
So again, thanks! 
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my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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cornomama4
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| Posted: Oct 24 2007 at 10:34pm | IP Logged
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I don't know if it's "kosher" to add some ideas for listening. If not, I apologize, and please do throw some sort of vegetable matter my way....
A really great listen, but a lengthy undertaking, is Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Suite 1 &/or 2, or the whole ballet (if you keep it on in the background it's do-able) If you find the Philadelphia recording of the Suites with R. Mutti conducting, my hubby is in the horn section of that recording.
Berlioz also wrote Romeo and Juliet music, but it's REALLY long! The Tchaikovsky Suite is the easiest one to hear, esp. for littles.
Mendelsshon's music for Midsummer's Night Dream also has everyone's favorite Wedding March. Who knew?
Stef, I hope you don't get annoyed if I add my .02 to this thread. I just get all excited when I see this stuff posted, and I am inspired to start playing classical music randomly in the house again. I also just played the Wedding March this morning at, of all things, a concert for public school kids. The theme of the concert was based on a book "What Charlie Heard" about composer Charles Ives. Yeah....that's really gonna turn kids on to classical music...Charles Ives.. 
cm4
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Chari
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| Posted: Oct 25 2007 at 1:29am | IP Logged
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cm4...........I only have a moment, but I just wanted to say:
It is totally KOSHER  to add your 2 cents. We encourage it.
Stef is doing a wonderful service to the rest of us..........and anything we can expand on, only makes the study that much more.
Thanks, cm4 for your contribution.......and THANKS , stef, for yours. WONDERFUL!
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Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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stefoodie
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oh my gosh, not at all, cm4, I think I mentioned it in the first Composer study I did -- I'm such a beginner in all of this, that I'd appreciate you all jumping in. PLEASE!
yes, the Wedding March was a revelation for me as well! I had to resist the temptation to put it on my blog along with the Scherzo. I played it at my aunt's wedding but somehow never retained that it was by Mendelssohn. (Homeschooling really has led me to rediscover many, many things, esp. music, that I've forgotten!)
so THANK YOU SO MUCH for your additions -- maybe others can chime in as well, and give suggestions also for future composer studies...
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stefoodie
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This week we are listening to Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt.
Though I am not particularly enamored of the Peer Gynt story, I have always loved the music!
Some ideas to enjoy Peer Gynt:
Start out your morning by playing "Morning" . Have the kids imagine a sunrise scene, while listening to it -- better yet, wake the kids early enough to watch the sun rise!
"Morning" is also a great piece to play if you happen to be studying Creation.
Arabian Dance is another fun early-morning get-up-and-go piece!
Try to figure out what instruments are playing; play musical statues.
Another great one for dancing: In the Hall of the Mountain King - or make gnome puppets/beeswax figures and make them "dance" while listening.
Beethoven's Wig Vol. 2 has "It's the same every
verse" in the tune of "In the Hall of the Mountain King".
The faster songs are great for frog-hopping, and the slower songs for pretending like you are leaves falling from the trees in autumn.
The older kids may want to do a reading/dramatization from Peer Gynt -- or do a simplified version of the story and let the little ones join in.
Locate Norway on the map, where Ibsen and Grieg are from. Read about Norway and its mountains and talk about how its landscape inspired the story and the music. Have the children close their eyes and imagine what Norway is like based on the music. Is it warm or cold? Do you "see" mountains or plains? Can you see the ocean, or the forest? Which pieces sound like "daytime"? Which ones sound like "nighttime"?
Listen to Anitra's Dance, esp. the strings and the woodwinds, and then watch for the triangle -- it sounds like a little bell! (This is my personal favorite, and you can listen to it on my blog where it is currently playing.)
See how many sad faces you can make as you listen to Solveig's Song.
An all-in-one album to listen to is "The Stories of Schumann and Grieg from the Vox classical collection.
And don't forget Classics for Kids.
There's also a short bio of Grieg in "Fun with Composers".
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Oct Composer-music inspired by literature
