Unit 3 Composers & Music History
Episode 2
The Classical Period
Neatness, balance, and order
1
OVERVIEW
The Classical period, 1750-1820, was a period of balance and simplicity in
music. This episode examines how a few musical geniuses inspired a new
form of music. When a motor-mouthed wannabe shop assistant arrives,
Quaver seeks to remedy her problem of talking too much by introducing
her to the simple beauty of Classical music created by Mozart, Beethoven,
and Haydn. From the shop to the Quaver Symphony Hall, she gains an education in the Classical period and life in general.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will learn:
• The sound of the Classical period was simpler and less fancy than the
Baroque period.
• The “question and answer” style – balanced musical phrases.
• The lifestyle and fashions of the Classical period (1750-1820).
• The differences between the Classical orchestra and the Baroque
orchestra.
• The most notable composers of the Classical period: Mozart,
Beethoven, Haydn, and Clementi.
Vocabulary
Phrase
Melodies
String Quartet
Balanced
Ordered
Classical
© Quaver’s Marvelous World of Music •
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Unit 3 Composers & Music History
MUSIC STANDARDS IN LESSON
1: Singing alone and with others*
2: Playing instruments
6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
7: Evaluating music and music performance
8: Understanding the relationship between music and the other arts
9: Understanding music in relation to history, style, and culture
Complete details at QuaverMusic.com
Key Scenes
2
What they teach
Music
Standard
1
Gwenda is introduced to the
balance and simplicity of
Classical music
Classical music is organized in balanced and neat musical phrases like in a conversation.
6, 9
2
The Classical Period Show
An understanding of 18th century culture provides insight into what influences the popular style of music.
8, 9
3
Great Classical Composers
Some of the greatest works of the period were created
by four notable composers: Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn,
and Clementi.
9
4
A performance of Mozart by
the Quaver Symphony orchestra
To transform a Baroque orchestra into a Classical orchestra, it’s out with the harpsichord and in with additional
instruments.
6, 7,
9
5
Song: The Classical Period
inspired by Mozart’s Rondo
Alla Turca
By adding lyrics to several well-known Classical works,
Quaver provides a fun way to remember characteristics
of the period.
6, 9
LESSON INTRO Introducing the episode
Select two students to come to the front of the class. Ask them to pretend that they are meeting for the first time
and want to get to know each other. As they initiate a conversation, have everyone listen carefully. After two or
three minutes, ask students to evaluate how the pair spoke to each other.
Point out that conversations are usually a series of balanced sentences; there is a tendency to answer with the
same length of sentence used to ask the question. Otherwise, it would be a very strange conversation. Demonstrate this by having a student ask you a question such as, “What is your name?” to which you respond in a very
long-winded way.
Music is like a conversation but with tunes. Sing the song Happy Birthday to You. Point out to students that the
song is comprised of four equal phrases that are put together so each phrase builds on the previous phrase. Ask
the students to sing it again; this time stop them between the phrases, saying aloud “phrase one” and so on.
This episode looks at how music of the Classical period built neat musical phrases that balanced each other.
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* concepts included in the Teacher Guide, but not in the DVD
Discussion Points
3
The Classical Period
PLAY EPISODE
• How did Classical music help Gwenda?
•
•
•
it helped her to speak in balanced phrases
Name three notable composers of the Classical period.
Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Clementi
How did the orchestra change during the Classical period orchestra?
it grew larger and the harpsichord was eliminated
How was the Baroque cake different from the Classical cake?
the Classical cake was less fancy
4
CLASS ACTIVITIES
WhaMt iussaic Period?
Slow Is a Go
classify music (and
other forms of art) by bracketing years of stylistic similarity. Although opinions differ, these are
the most commonly recognized
designations:
Use visual aids to assist students in listening to Classical music with
slow tempos. As you play Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Andante
(Track 1), you might blow bubbles and encourage students to move
gently through the room, making no attempt to pop them. Or give
each student a silk scarf to move to the music. For Haydn’s Symphony
101, The Clock (Track 2), students can make clock movements!
Historians
Renaissance
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
Impressionist
(1450-1600)
(1600-1750)
(1750-1820)
(1820-1910)
(1870-1910)
Tracks 1 & 2
Purpose: Appreciating classical music of slow tempo
Fast Is a Blast
Tracks 3 & 4
Purpose: Appreciating classical music of fast tempo
Play Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, 1st Movement (Track 3) and have
students keep a steady beat with body movements (pat, pat, clap, clap).
Note how long it takes for them to coordinate their movements to the beat.
Then play Mozart’s A Musical Joke, 4th Movement (Track 4), and using
new movements, note how quickly they adapt to the new tempo. Discuss
with students how their movements changed.
PRINT
PRINT
WORKSHEET
WORKSHEET
Ride the Classical Period Train
Worksheet # 1
Purpose: Useful facts about famous composers
Set up four chairs at the front of the room to be the
Classical Period Train. Using the Great Composers worksheet, test students’ knowledge of the Classical period
by asking a series of questions.
For example:
Which composer gradually lost his hearing? Beethoven
When a student answers correctly, he or she gets to ride
the train by taking a seat on one of the chairs.
Once the “train” is full, allow the other students to ask questions
to specific riders on the train. If an incorrect answer is given, the
students swap places.
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Unit 3 Composers & Music History
Style Detectives
Tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10
Purpose: Recognizing music of the Classical period
Ask students to determine whether the following selections are or are not music from the Classical period. Pause
between tracks to discuss the reasons for their decisions.
Track 5 Cajun Cousins
Track 6 Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, 2nd Movement - Classical
Track 7 Rock ‘n’ Roll
Track 8 Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.5, 3rd Movement - from the Baroque period (listen for the harpsichord)
Track 9 Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, 1st Movement - Classical
Track 10 Modernism - from the 20th century
Tracks 11, 12 & 13
VIDEO REPLAY
The Classical Period
IWB 1
Purpose: Remembering the basics of the Classical period
Sing along with the closing song of the episode, The Classical Period
(Track 11). The instrumental chorus played by the house band is actually a Classical piano piece by Mozart called Rondo Alla Turca (Track
12). The part Quaver sings is part of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C (Track
13). Discuss with students what makes a great melody.
5
WEB ACTIVITIES
PhoneBox / Time Venues
Although invented in the latter part of
the Baroque period, the piano replaced
the harpsichord as the instrument of
choice during the Classical period. Find
out more about this amazing invention
by visiting the world of Cristofori. Quick...
to the phone box!
IWB
2-4
Play activities on your
INTERACTIVE White Board
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PhoneBox / Time Venues
Students can travel back to the
Classical period to learn more
about Beethoven and his remarkable music. They can also choose
from several activities and games
to explore his incredible life.
The Classical Period
6
PRINT
PRINT
WORKSHEET
WORKSHEET
HOMEWORK
Great Composers of the Classical Period
Worksheet # 1
Purpose: Learning important facts about Classical period composers
Students can learn more about Classical composers from the take-home pages provided. Consider assigning them to learn the content for a quiz at the start of the next
lesson. This document can be added to their other composer pages.
Composer Biography
Purpose: Understanding and presenting the life of a famous composer
Assign students to research a Classical period composer of their choosing and prepare a presentation. They could
create a poster with pictures and facts, dress a doll as a famous composer, or come dressed to make a first-person
presentation as the composer. Be creative!
Additional session activities
7
ASSESSMENT
Classical Assessment
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WORKSHEET
WORKSHEET
Track 14
Worksheet # 2
As students begin this assessment, play Mozart’s Symphony No.
40, 1st Movement (Track 14) to provide a relaxing environment.
They should choose from the word bank the items that characterize music of the Classical period, name at least two composers,
and jot down a minimum of two facts about each of the composers they name.
The phrase “Classical music” is used in two ways: to
describe all orchestral music from any period and to
describe one specific period, 1750-1820. Don’t get
confused!
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Unit 3 Composers & Music History
8
CROSS-CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES
Art
Tracks 2 & 4
Provide students with a piece of paper with a line drawn across the middle. Play two contrasting recordings of classical music: Haydn’s Symphony 101, The Clock (Track 2), which is slow,
and Mozart’s A Musical Joke, 4th Movement (Track 4), which is upbeat. Students should draw
a picture of whatever comes to mind upon hearing the two different pieces. Have students
share their drawings.
Ask them to detect the similarities among the pictures. Then have them to compare these pictures to their drawings from the Art cross-curriculum activity from the Baroque episode.
Social Studies
Materials
Needed
IWB 2
Look at the historical headlines on the IWB. Instruct students to place events in date order
on the time line. Compare and contrast what was happening on both sides of the Atlantic
during the same time period.
- Paper
- Colored pencils
9
DIGGING DEEPER
Musical Form
Track 15
Purpose: How composers use theme and variations
Play the selected variations from Mozart’s 12 Variations on “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (Track 15), and ask
students to describe how Mozart was musically creative with a simple tune. In music, we call this form theme and
variations.
Give each student a ball to bounce a few times. Play the track again, asking students to create a new bouncing
routine to accompany each variation they hear.
PRINT
PRINT
WORKSHEET
WORKSHEET
Ode to Joy
Worksheet # 3
Track 16
Purpose: How different instruments express the same melody
Listen to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in D-minor, Ode to Joy (Track 16). Ask students
to notice how the famous melody is played by different instruments each time it is repeated. Discuss with students how each instrument adds an unique interpretation to
the melody.
Challenge students to learn to play this melody on an instrument such as the recorder,
Orff instrument, or piano.
Materials
Needed
- Bouncing balls
- A recorder, Orff instrument or piano
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The Classical Period
TEACHER NOTES
Featured
Instruments
Recorder
Piano
Orff Instruments
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