Ambleside Online Composer Schedule

Acknowledgements

How Did Charlotte Mason Teach Music?
Do I have to use Ambleside's music selections?
Listen to MIDI files online
99 cent Classical Music MP3 downloads at eClassical.com

The World's Great Men of Music Story-Lives of Master Musicians by Harriette Brower includes Palestrina, Bach, Handel, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart,Beethoven, Weber, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Berlioz, Liszt, Verdi, Wagner, Franck, Brahms, Grieg, Tchaikowsky, MacDowell, Debussy, Toscanini, Stokowsky, and Koussevitzky. The Advisory has not fully previewed this yet.

Opal Wheeler composer biographies are being republished by Zeezok Publishing and sold through The Book Peddlar. Titles that correspond to AO's rotation are: Sebastian Bach, The Boy from Thuringia; Handel at the Court of Kings; Joseph Haydn, The Merry Little Peasant; Mozart, The Wonder Boy; Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends; Ludwig Beethoven and the Chiming Tower Bells; Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff; Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Early Years; Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Later Years; and The Young Brahms. They also have others, and they may be adding more.

Free Composer Coloring Pages

Music Talks for Children by Thomas Tapper for younger children, explains why we should study music, how music is all around us, what makes a classic, etc. (the Advisory hasn't fully previewed this yet, either!)

Websites dedicated to public education in classical music:
http://www.naxos.com/qcomp.htm
http://www.classicalarchives.com/
http://www.composers.net/
A Music Glossary
Classics for Kids Online radio programs about composers with their music in the background. To locate the programs, click on composers, then composers a to z. (Advisory hasn't previewed yet!)

Listen to classical music online!
www.wdav.org 24-hour commercial-free classical music. An Advisory favorite.
http://www.kcme.org/ One Advisory member's favorite. No ads, wide programming, friendly announcers.
http://www.wrr101.com/ Dallas's first radio station
http://wcpe.org/ listener supported, commercial-free
http://www.king.org Features helps for beginner              
http://www.earlymusic.net/home.html They "support and promote early music and historical performance." Click the EARLYNET RADIO button to listen online.

Parents Review articles that discuss music appreciation:
      Art and Literature in the Parents' Union School
      Music and Art in PNEU Schools

Ambleside Online Term Schedule
Term 1: September-November         Term 2: January-March         Term 3: April-June

We encourage Ambleside Online listmembers to follow this term calendar as a group for Artists, Composers, Plutarch, Shakespeare, Folksongs and Hymns. Staying on schedule together for these subjects is voluntary, but greatly enriches our studies as it enables us to share timely and topical resources and experiences on the list.

Please be aware that, as we've gotten get close to terms to start doing specific planning, we have made a few changes. In other words, any future terms are subject to change, especially, but not exclusively, the ones noted.

2008-2009 TERM 1 (This term's artist is Botticelli) Johann Sebastain Bach (1730) (Baroque)
Listening selections for this term:
    Magnificat in D (4 weeks)
    Chaconne (2 weeks) look for this played by Jascha Heifetz on YouTube
    any Church cantata (2 weeks)
    Brandenburg Concerto no. 6 (2 weeks)
    Art of the Fugue (2 weeks) look for Contrapunctus 9 played by Nageeb Gardizi, and then on organ, on YouTube

2008-2009 TERM 2 (This term's artist is Caspar David Friedrich) Franz Liszt (1855) (Early Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Piano Concerto no 1
    Hungarian Rhapsodies (esp no 2)
    Les Preludes
    Liebestraum for piano
    Piano Sonata in B min
    Mephisto Waltz

2008-2009 TERM 3 (This term's artist is Van Gogh) Gustav Mahler (1895) and Anton Bruckner (Late Romantic/20th Century)
Listening selections for this term:
    Mahler: Symphony 1 (Titan)
    Mahler: Symphony 9
    Mahler: Kindertotenlieder (song cycle)
    Bruckner: Symphony no 4

2009-2010 TERM 1 (This term's artist is Raphael) Music: 20th Century British
Listening selections for this term:
    Ralph Vaughn Williams-Symphony 1
    Ralph Vaughn Williams-Fantasia on Greensleeves
    Ralph Vaughn Williams-Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis
    Edward Elgar-Serenade for String Orchestra
    Edward Elgar-Pomp and Circumstance
    Edward Elgar-"Enigma" Variations

2009-2010 TERM 2 (This term's artist is John Singer-Sargent) Edvard Grieg (1890) & Jean Sibelius (nationalists)
Listening selections for this term:
    Grieg Peer Gynt Suite no 1
    Grieg Piano Concerto in A
    Grieg Norwegian Dance no 2
    Sibelius Finlandia
    Sibelius Symphony 1 OR 2 (4 weeks)

2009-2010 TERM 3 (This term's artist is Monet) Maurice Ravel (1915) (Impressionist)
Listening selections for this term:
    Daphne et Chloe - selections
    Bolero
    Mother Goose Suite
    Pavane pour une infante dufunte
    Piano Concerto in D for left hand
    Rhapsody espagnole

2010-2011 TERM 1 (This term's artist is Albrecht Durer -1500, Renaissance) Ludwig von Beethoven (1810) (Classical/Romantic)
    Listening selections for this term:
    Piano Sonata 8 (Pathetique) Opus 13
    Piano Sonata 14 (Moonlight) Op 27
    Symphony No. 3 (Erocia-meaning 'heroic') Opus 55
    String Quartets opus 59, no.1-3 (Razumovsky Quartets)
    Piano Concerto 5 (Emporer) Op 73
    Symphony No. 9 (the one with Ode to Joy at the end) Opus 125

2010-2011 TERM 2 (This term's artist is Carravagio 1600, Baroque) Antonio Vivaldi (1730) (Baroque)
Listening selections for this term:
    Gloria (choral work);
    The Four Seasons;
    Trio Sonata in C major, RV.82;
    plus 3 concerti - Maybe one for violin, one for guitar and
    one for a woodwind instrument such as oboe or bassoon.

2010-2011 TERM 3 (This term's artist is not yet determined) Frederic Chopin (1840) (Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Op 09 no 2 Nocturne in E flat maj
    Op 10 no 3 Etude in E-maj
    Op 10 no 12 Revolutionary Etude in C minor
    Op 21 Piano Concerto number 2 in f minor
    Op 28 Preludes no's 15, 20 and either 16 or 17
    Op 53 Polonaise in A flat, Heroic

2011-2012 TERM 1 (This term's artist is Jean Honore Fragonard, Rococo style) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (early classical)
Listening selections for this term:
    Eine Kleine Nacht Musik
    Requiem [A Vocal work]
    Symphony no. 41 in C major (Jupiter)
    Sinfonia Concertante
    Piano Concerto no. 21 in C major (K.467)

2011-2012 TERM 2 (This term's artist is not yet determined) Felix Mendelssohn (1840) (Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Songs without words
    Violin Concerto in E minor
    Symphony no. 4 in A major (Italian) (4 weeks)
    Octet in E-flat major
    Fingal's Cave ("Hebrides") Overture

2011-2012 TERM 3 (This term's artist is Norman Rockwell) Listening selections for this term:
    Bela Bartok:  String quartet no. 1
    Bela Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra
    Bela Bartok: Mikrokosmos
    Paul Hindemith:   Mathis der Maler (an orchestral work)
    Paul Hindemith:   Ludas Tonalis (solo piano)
    Paul Hindemith:   Viola Concerto, op. 36, no. 4

2001-2002 TERM 1 (This term's artists are Renoir, Rodin) Claude Debussy (1910)  (Impressionist)
    Listening Selections for this term:
    Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun
    La Mer
    Nocturnes for Orchestra
    Suite Bergamasqe includesClaire de Lune
    Children's Corner
    Jeux

2001-2002 TERM 2 (This term's artists are Ruisdale, de Hooch) Johann Sebastian Bach
Listening selections for this term:
    Brandenburg Concerto no. 2
    St. Matthew Passion (for 4 weeks)
    Toccata and Fugue in d minor (do-able in 2 weeks)
    Well-Tempered Clavier (Prelude and Fugue in C minor, Book I)
    Goldberg Variations

2001-2002 TERM 3 (This term's artists are Gauguin, Cezanne, Seurat) Opera Overtures
Listening selections for this term:
    Giuseppi Verdi Aida overture
    Giuseppi Verdi Rigoletto overture
    Giacomo Puccini Madame Butterfly overture
    Giacamo Puccini La Boheme overture
    Gioacchino  Rossini Barber of Seville overture
    Gioacchino Rossini William Tell overture

2002-2003 TERM 1 (This term's artists are Copley, Gilbert Stuart) Franz Josef Haydn (1780) (Classical)
Listening selections for this term:
String Quartet Op 76 no 3 "Emperor" OR String Quartet Op 76 no 4 "Sunrise" (2 weeks)
London Symphony no 104 (4 weeks)
The Creation (4 weeks)
a horn concerto (2 weeks)

2002-2003 TERM 2 (This term's artist is Degas, Manet) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1880) (Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Symphony no 6 "Pathetique"
    Piano Concerto no 1
    Serenade for Strings
    1812 Overture
    String Quartet in D maj (Andante Cantabile)
    Swan Lake

2002-2003 TERM 3 (This term's art is representing the Hudson River School) Mark O'Connor (1961- ) Modern, American and Igor Stravinsky 1882-1971 (Modern, b. Russia, France 1920-1939, US citizenship 1939 til death)
Listening selections for this term:
    Mark O'Connor - Fanfare for the Volunteer
    Mark O'Connor - The American Seasons
    Mark O'Connor - Strings and Threads Suite [Note: O'Connor has free website]
    Igor Stravinsky - The Firebird
    Igor Stravinsky - Rite of Spring
    Igor Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms

2003-2004 TERM 1 (This term's artists are Rubens, Velasquez) Children's Classics
Listening selections for this term:
    Benjamin Britten-Young person's Guide to the Orchestra
    Sergei Prokofiev-Peter and the Wolf
    Paul Dukas-Sorcerer's Apprentice
    Engelbert Humperdinck-Hansel and Gretel
    Claude Debussy-La Boite A Joujoux (The Toy Box, a ballet for children)
    Georges Bizet-Jeux d'enfants, op. 22 (Children's games)
We suggest you schedule as many of these selections as you can comfortably find resources for. These particular pieces are usually easily found at public libraries. If your local branch doesn't have them, ask for them through interlibrary loan. You should also be able to find many used copies available at local used bookstores or internet sites such as www.half.com or www.ebay.com .

2003-2004 TERM 2 (This term's artists are Corot, Courbet) Johannes Brahms (1880) (Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Variations on a theme of Haydn
    Symphony no 1 Opus 68
    Violin Concerto in D
    Piano Concerto no 2 Op 83
    Tragic Overture Op 81
    Wiegenlied (Lullaby)

2003-2004 TERM 3 (This term's artists are Ingres, David) Franz Schubert (1823) (Late Classical/Early Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Trout quintet
    Symphony no. 8 ("Unfinished")
    Symphony no. 9 ("The Great") (2 weeks)
    Impromptus op. 90 (D. 899)
    Die schone Mullerin (a song cycle)

2004-2005 TERM 1 (This term's artist is Mary Cassatt) Antonin Dvorak (1888) (AN-toe-NEEN d-VOR-zhak) 1841-1904, Late Romantic
Listening selections for this term:
    Symphony 9 From the New World
    Slavonic Dances
    Carnaval Overture (may also be spelled Karneval)
    Humoresques for piano
    Quartet in F maj ("American")
    Trio in E min ("Dumky")
Recordings of these pieces may be available at public libraries. If your local branch doesn't have them, ask for them through interlibrary loan. You should also be able to find many used copies available at local used bookstores or internet sites such as www.half.com or www.ebay.com.

2004-2005 TERM 2 (This term's artist is Giotto) Medieval Era Music (see Notes for this Term)
Listening selections for this term:
    1. "A Feather on the Breath of God: Sequences and Hymns by Abbess Hildegard of Bingen" featuring Emma Kirkby and Gothic Voices; Hyperion label.
    2. "Salve Regina - Gregorian Chant" by Benedictine Monks of Saint-Maurice & Saint Maur of Clervaux; Philips label, Silver Line Classics series.
    3. "A Dance In the Garden of Mirth: Medieval Instrumental Music" by the Dufay Collective; Chandos label.

Alternate Option - "Miri It Is" by the Dufay Collective; Chandos label. [If you choose to purchase only this CD, we do urge you to check your library for Gregorian chant and Hildegard of Bingen selections to supplement your study.]

2004-2005 TERM 3 (This term's artist is Winslow Homer) Aaron Copland (1930) & George Gershwin (American)
Listening selections for this term:
    Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring
    Aaron Copland Billy the Kid or Fanfare for the Common Man
    Aaron Copland Rodeo
    George Gershwin American in Paris
    George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
    George Gershwin Concerto in F maj

2005-2006 TERM 1 (This term's artist is Michelangelo) Ludwig von Beethoven (1810) (Classical/Romantic) this term subject to change
Listening selections for this term:
1. Symphony 5 OR 6
2. Piano Sonata 14 (Moonlight, Opus 27) OR 8 (Pathetique, Opus 13)
3. Razumovsky String Quartets Opus 59, no 1-3 OR Septet in E-flat Opus 20
4. Piano Concerto 5 (Emperor, Opus 73)
5. Symphony 7 OR 9 (Opus 125)
6. Fidelio
Options are offered for those who did Beethoven with us in 1999 and would like some new music this term.)

2005-2006 TERM 2 (This term's artist is Jan Vermeer) Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695, Baroque)
Listening selections for this term:
    Selections based on the CD "Essential Purcell" from the Hyperion label. Available from amazon.com   Barnes and Noble

2005-2006 TERM 3 (This term's artist is John William Waterhouse) Johann Strauss, Jr. (1825-1899) (Romantic)
One possible CD suggestion, although most collections will be just as suitable:
Strauss Favorite Waltzes, Franz Welser-Möst, and London Philharmonic Orchestra
Includes these waltzes:
1. Artist's Life
2. Roses From The South
3. The Gypsy Baron: Overturen
4. Tales From The Vienna Woods
5. Emperor Waltz
6. Die Fledermaus
7. On The Beautiful Blue Danube

2006-2007 TERM 1 (This term's artist is Pieter Bruegel the Elder) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1785) (Classical/Roccoco) (This term may change in the future - next rotation, 2012)
Listening selections for this term:
    Piano Concerto 20 (2 weeks)
    Symphony 40 (4 weeks)
    Quintet in A maj for clarinet (2 weeks)
    Piano Sonata in A maj K.331 (2 weeks)
   Concerto for bassoon and orchestra in B-flat major, K. 191 (the only bassoon concerto he wrote)

2006-2007 TERM 2 (This term's artist is JMW Turner) Robert Schumann (1848) (Early Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Carnaval (for piano)
    Scenes from Childhood for piano
    Symphony no 1 in B flat Op 38 "Spring"
    Symphony no 2 in C Op 61
    an arabeske or humoreske
    Liederkreis or other song cycle
Lorraine N. collected some resources - biographies, free and pay downloads of the term's music and posted it to the AO email list.

2006-2007 TERM 3 (This term's artist is Titian) Richard Wagner (1813-1883); Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) (German Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Wagner: Siefried's Idyl (orchestral)
    Wagner: Selections from The Valkyries (opera)
    Wagner: The Love Feast of the Twelve Apostles (choral) (massive work requiring 1200 singers and 100 instruments!) (4 weeks)    Offenbach: Selections from Orpheus in the Underworld (opera)
    Offenbach:  Selections from The Tales of Hoffmann (opera)

2007-2008 TERM 1 (This term's artist is Da Vinci) Music: Russian nationalists
Listening selections for this term:
    Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov- Scheherazade
    Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov-Symphony 2 'Antar'
    Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov-Cappriccio Espagnol
    Alexander Borodin-Polovtsian Dances
    Modest Mussorgsky-Pictures at an Exhibition
    Modest Mussorgsky-Night on Bald Mountain

2007-2008 TERM 2 (This term's artist is Rembrandt) George Frideric Handel (1750) (Baroque)
Listening selections for this term:
    Messiah (an oratorio) (4 weeks)
    Water music
    Any of the organ concerti (such as Organ Concerto in B-flat Major, op. 7,no. 6)
    Rinaldo (opera)
    Harmonious Blacksmith (from suite in E major)

2007-2008 TERM 3 (This term's artist is Jan Van Eyck) Camille Saint-Saens and Hector Berlioz (1850) (Early Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Saint-Saens - Symphony no 3 in C min
    Saint-Saens - Danse Macabre
    Saint-Saens - Carnaval of Animals (Le Carnaval des Animaux in French)
    Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique
    Berlioz - Dance of the Sylphs
    Berlioz - Rakoczy March from the Damnation of Faust

Thank You!
The Advisory wishes to express our gratitude to the members of the former CMMusic list (now The Classical Review), especially Don Fairchild and Patrice Atwell, for their help with conceptualizing the Music Schedule..