1. What have I learnt about music so far in this unit?

2. How has this knowledge influenced my practice as a musician, composer or

teacher?
In responding to these questions, provide three examples of knowledge you
have gained throughout this unit so far. For each example, provide one way
this has changed your outlook as a musician.

The Baroque Period: The Birth of Opera

Watching the lectures from week 5, I learned a little more about the history behind the birth of
opera. In the class, some historical background was presented; Monteverdi’s first opera Orfeo, which
was a recreation of classical Greek mythology; the baroque instrumentation which would include
historical instruments such as a theorbo and baroque stringed instruments and the fact that Eastern
countries (Japan and China) had the music genre since the 13th century 400 years early in
comparison to the Western culture. This knowledge is essential to my career as a freelance musician
in opera productions. Knowing the early history of opera, I can relate my playing and thinking to the
adequate period of music history applying the correct esthetical sound quality, ornamentations and
relate the writing text to the music. I also had the opportunity to know more about the British
composer Purcell. Pursell wrote the first opera written in English, Dido and Aeneas, composed for
girl’s boarding school were all the parts except one were written for girls. Purcell used the chromatic
descend scale passages to represent the resignation. Another great composer and violinist from the
Baroque period were Antonio Vivaldi. Vivaldi composed so many concertos and those compositions
had two main characteristics solo concerto (played by a soloist) and concerto grosso (small chamber
group)

In the same week, the discussion was extended, and the lecture presented J.S.Bach. Bach was an
organist and composer from his time. He did teach his children how to play and read music creating
his pedagogical material for such need. Bach extended and advanced his ideas of polyphonic melody
writing. He developed this technique through his Fugues, where the parts go their independent ways
(counterpoints). Bach's works had been forgotten since his death till the 19th century. Bach wrote a
series of 6 Concertos, Grosso, for a small chamber/orchestra group showing the difference between
the concertino and tutti, basso continuo. As a violinist, Bach has an integral part in the violin
literature. Understanding his work and composition helps to establish some concepts of his music.
Recently I have been practicing a Fugue from his Sonatas and partitas for violin. Learning the fugues
structure and polyphonic ideas helped me subdivide the piece into different themes and guide the
principal melody voice. As a violin teacher, I can better explain to my students Bach's background
and work to the church as an organist and music leader and his work to the court. To acknowledged
Bach’s importance to the history music by being one of the last composers who ends the Baroque
period opening the way to the Classical Era.

Now one opposite period to the Baroque is the 20 th century Modern music. Stravinsky likewise his
contemporary composers were aware of the traditional way of music composition. However their
ideas were completely different from the usual. Paris was the cosmopolitan center for the arts in
the early 20th century. Stravinsky were invited to create and executed three ballet scores for the
Russian Ballet, the Firebird, Petrushka and the Rite of Springs. The orchestration contains large
groups of percussion, brasses and two string sections. The polyrhythms (playing rhythms
simultaneously), different meters make that genre of music unpredictable to the listeners listing to
it. As a musician I particularly interested in music from the 20 th century. The idea of make
connections between parts that does not look like a good match makes the pieces even more
interesting. By learning more about the music from the 20 th century I can relate the composers ideas
to what I am playing and guiding my interpretation. This shows relevance to other subjects too like
the Schoenberg’s tonal harmony.