Unit 8: Inspired by Art & Literature
In this week's playlist we take you on a musical journey made to elevate your senses. See suggested assignments and activities for each work on the playlist below.
Playlist
Activities
Crumb: The Ghosts of Alhambra (Spanish Songbook I) for Voice, Guitar, and Percussion
UNDERSTAND
- In what country was the composer Crumb born?
ANALYZE
- Compare this work to other works with a vocalist from previous weeks in terms of use of instrumentation.
EVALUATE
- The use of percussion and guitar in this work connects with the themes found in the text. Defend this statement using examples from the work.
CREATE
- Build your own percussion instrument from items around your house.
Janáček: Quartet No 2 for Strings, "Intimate Letters"
UNDERSTAND
- What are some other performances available in the CMS archive by the Schumann Quartet?
ANALYZE
- Compare the performance of the third movement of this work by the Schumann Quartet and by the Jerusalem Quartet in the accompanying Inside Chamber Music lecture.
EVALUATE
- Janáček sets text from intimate letters which are hidden in the work. How does knowing this information change or not change your understanding of the work?
CREATE
- Take an excerpt of a recent everyday conversation you have had with a friend and, using the techniques discussed in the accompanying Inside Chamber Music lecture, try composing piano melodies which convey the conversation in msic. Notation software with playback can be found here.
Neikrug: Green Torso for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello
UNDERSTAND
- Mark Neikrug is a multi-talented musician. What are his other musical pursuits?
ANALYZE
- Neikrug wanted to "blur the contradiction between motion and stillness" in this work. How does he accomplish this? What other works from this week's playlist would you compare it to?
EVALUATE
- Neikrug writes about the sculpture which inspired this work: "I was intrigued by the suggestive strength of the implied gesture of this torso, which, to me, elicits all the flowing power and beauty of a whole figure." How does this work convey these ideas?
CREATE
- Find an object around your house. Use the CMS archive to find a work that you think conveys your thoughts about that object.
Prokofiev: Selections from Romeo and Juliet for Viola and Piano (arr. Vadim Borisovsky)
UNDERSTAND
- This work is an arrangement of a work by Prokofiev for which other art form?
ANALYZE
- The original version of this work is scored for large orchestra. Listen to movement 3 in this arrangement by Vadim Borisvsky for viola and piano beginning at 5:55. How does Borisvsky's arrangement change your perception of the work? How does the chamber version change or not change the overall character of this movement?
EVALUATE
- Why do you think Borisovsky chose the viola as the featured instrument in his arrangement of this work by Prokofiev?
CREATE
- Use the CMS archive to create your own playlist of other chamber works inspired by art and literature.
Ives: Sonata No. 2 for Piano, “Concord, Mass., 1840-60”
UNDERSTAND
- All four poets named in the title of each movement of this work were part of a nineteenth century American literary movement. What was the name of that movement?
ANALYZE
- Why did Charles Ives name each movement of this work after an American poet?
EVALUATE
- In the final movement of this work, there is a surprise appearance by an offstage solo flutist. Describe your reaction to this moment. What does the appearance of this part add to this work?
CREATE
- In the second movement of this work at 19:04, Gilbert Kalish uses a piece of wood to depress multiple keys on the piano at the same time, creating "cluster" harmonies. Using a ruler, (carefully!) press it against the keys of your keyboard while holding down the pedal and see what special harmonies you can create.