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The Story of Great Music
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Introduction
Instructions & Setup5 Steps -
The Renaissance and Baroque Eras1. Renaissance8 Steps|1 Quiz
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2. Early Baroque11 Steps|1 Quiz
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The Italian Baroque (40 min)
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Watch Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" (35 min)
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The English Baroque: Purcell (35 min)
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The German Baroque (30 min)
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Listen: Early Baroque Recordings
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{+} Listening Journal
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{+} Research Papers
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{+} Projects
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{+} The French Baroque (25 min)
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{+} German Harpsichord Music (20 min)
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{+} Italian Baroque Oratorios & Opera
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The Italian Baroque (40 min)
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3. Handel10 Steps|1 Quiz
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4. Bach13 Steps|1 Quiz
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The Life of Bach (50 min)
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A Personal Portait: Bach
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Bach's Chamber & Orchestral Music (50 min)
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Bach's Large Choral Works (60 min)
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Listen: Bach Recordings
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{+} Listening Journal
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{+} Research Papers
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{+} Projects
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{+} Bach's Keyboard Music
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{+} Bach's Organ Music
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{+} Bach's Cantatas
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{+} Bach's Mass in B Minor
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{+} Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” & Glenn Gould
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The Life of Bach (50 min)
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The Classical Era5. Haydn9 Steps|1 Quiz
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6. Mozart10 Steps|1 Quiz
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7. Beethoven8 Steps|1 Quiz
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The Romantic Era8. Early German Romantics9 Steps|1 Quiz
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Schubert's Life & Music (55 min)
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Mendelssohn's Life & Music (60 min)
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Schumann's Life & Music (55 min)
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Watch Full Works by Early German Romantics (Varies)
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Listen: Schubert, Mendelssohn & Schumann Recordings
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{+} Listening Journal
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{+} Research Papers
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{+} Projects
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{+} Watch a fun documentary on Schubert's "Trout" Quintet
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Schubert's Life & Music (55 min)
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9. French Romantics8 Steps|1 Quiz
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10. Masters of the Piano8 Steps|1 Quiz
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11. Romantic Opera9 Steps|1 Quiz
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12. Brahms8 Steps|1 Quiz
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13. Romantic Nationalism10 Steps|1 Quiz
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Dvorak's Life and Music (60 min)
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Watch Dvorak's Symphony 9 "From the New World" (45 min)
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Grieg's Life and Music (80 min)
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Watch Grieg's Piano Concerto (40 min)
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Listen: Romantic Nationalism Recordings
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{+} Listening Journal
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{+} Research Papers
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{+} Projects
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{+} Smetana's "My Country"
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{+} Dvorak's Great Symphonies
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Dvorak's Life and Music (60 min)
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14. Russian Romantics9 Steps|1 Quiz
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The Russian Five (70 min)
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Watch "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky (35 min)
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Tchaikovsky's Life and Music (60 min)
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Watch a Full Work by Tchaikovsky (35-45 min)
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Listen: Russian Romantics Recordings
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{+} Listening Journal
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{+} Research Papers
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{+} Projects
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{+} Tchaikovsky's Other Symphonies & Orchestral Works
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The Russian Five (70 min)
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The 20th Century15. French Impressionism10 Steps|1 Quiz
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Debussy's Life and Music (65 min)
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Watch Debussy's "La Mer" (24 min)
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Ravel's Life and Music (55 min)
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Watch Ravel's Piano Concerto in G (25 min)
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Listen: French Impressionism Recordings
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{+} Listening Journal
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{+} Research Papers
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{+} Projects
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{+} Other Great Works by Ravel
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{+} Listen to Gabriel Fauré's Requiem
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Debussy's Life and Music (65 min)
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16. Finland, England, & America9 Steps|1 Quiz
Lesson 4,
Step 9
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{+} Projects
Lesson Progress
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- Writing
- Compile a list of scripture references for the parts of one of Handel’s works based on the Bible. You may surprised at the amount of scriptural language used throughout the piece! Figure out how to present your findings to family and friends.
- Art
- Simple: Write the script for a commercial that could have been used to draw audiences to a performance of one of Handel’s works—if they had radio, television, or the Internet!
- Intermediate: Design an attractive announcement, handbill, ticket, or poster for a performance (historical or modern) of one of the pieces in this lesson.
- Advanced: Research the original performance of Messiah at Musick Hall in Dublin on April 13, 1742, and create an authentic advertisement to attract an audience.
- Listening
- In Handel’s Instrumental Music, the closing comment made reference to the development of “color” or “layering” of instruments that would surpass Handel in the works of Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn. While that will become clearer in future lessons on those composers, you can make a start now. Pick an overture from Handel from among this lesson’s playlist and then listen to the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony (which you’ve probably already heard in part—or jump ahead to Lesson 7). How do they compare? How are (some) instruments used differently by Beethoven? This is the beginning of listening with an ear for comparison and contrast.