Here are the "Study Questions" Ms. Robbins wrote up for Mendelssohn’s World.
Musical Qualities
In addition to the musical issues that Dr. Strawser has raised, I would like you to think about the following questions.
Please observe carefully at the concert.
Watch and listen to what the musicians do. (Use SHMRG or something like it - see this post)
Pay attention to the details that you see and hear. You may use this sheet and/or the listening guide organizer to take notes for your essay if you like. (two sides to this page)
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
1. - What makes this a “fine art”? How do the performers and the music differ from pop music or other folk music forms? How do you think they might have similarities?
2. - How does the music express itself? Is it merely the notes and their loudness, or are there different ways to play them?
3. - What provides contrast? What is the same (unity)? What is different (variety)?
4. - Can you recognize the structure of the music? If we hear a tune, call that A, then hear A again, and then something new we call B. Many structures are AABA, ABA, ABACAD, etc. Can you analyze the structure of your favorite song?
5. - In what ways does the composer create? In other words, what tools are used to create a musical work of art? If a painter uses color, shading, texture, medium, etc. then what does a composer use?
6. - How do you think the composer communicates through two centuries how the performers today should play the music?
Showing posts with label study questions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label study questions. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Technical Difficulties beyond a Luddite's Control
As it happens (so to speak), one can only count on so many bugs in any given system.
When we began setting this project up, the idea was to post things on a school-based network called (I think) cLc but it wasn't until a few days before school started that I discovered the cLc wasn't available at the high school. So we figured I'd just post anything I wanted to on my blog: material that can be used by both students and teachers.
I was told that students wouldn't have access to YouTube on their school computers because it can be so distracting (tell me about it). But if I posted them on my blog, that should make it easier. I wanted you to be able to see the music, in a way, that would help you familiarize yourself with what you'll be hearing live when these great musicians come in on the 16th to play for you. And also to give you some other things you can listen to just as examples.
Well, on Wednesday, I found out even the embedded videos from YouTube were caught in the security system and you couldn't view them. So I spent a few hours Thursday trying to figure out ways of getting those videos re-posted, downloading some software that refused to install and then discovering once I'd done what they'd told me to do (I think), it still wouldn't work.
Then some of the folks in the I.T. department figured out they could "unblock" some of the YouTube videos but not all (there are, like, 22 of them...). I suggested five that were really good for class viewing.
So check these out in the classroom:
The Octet's 3rd & 4th Movements (you'll hear it live)
The Magic World of Fingal's Cave (which has a video that takes on a tour of the cave and another that plays the piece Mendelssohn composed after he visited the cave 180 years ago)
The Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream (the overture is broken into two videos: I point out where in the timing you can hear certain themes that describe different characters in the play)
My apologies for the unexpected problems (this has become a learning experience for the teachers and myself, as well) and for the irony that we lost some time because I thought my e-mails had gone through when in fact most of them got caught in the school system's spam-filter :-\
My thanks to Ms. Lehmer and Mr. Applegate in I.T. for their help in getting around the glitches (I was calling it SnaFi which is kind of like wi-fi technology but with snafus) and also to Ms. Robbins, Mr. Askey and Ms. Botel for their additional support in all this.
And my thanks also to all the teachers and the students who are bravely going into this project and hopefully discovering something about some music that's been around for a long time, long before this technology I've been having trouble with ever existed...
- Dick Strawser (a.k.a. Dr. Dick, Luddite)
When we began setting this project up, the idea was to post things on a school-based network called (I think) cLc but it wasn't until a few days before school started that I discovered the cLc wasn't available at the high school. So we figured I'd just post anything I wanted to on my blog: material that can be used by both students and teachers.
I was told that students wouldn't have access to YouTube on their school computers because it can be so distracting (tell me about it). But if I posted them on my blog, that should make it easier. I wanted you to be able to see the music, in a way, that would help you familiarize yourself with what you'll be hearing live when these great musicians come in on the 16th to play for you. And also to give you some other things you can listen to just as examples.
Well, on Wednesday, I found out even the embedded videos from YouTube were caught in the security system and you couldn't view them. So I spent a few hours Thursday trying to figure out ways of getting those videos re-posted, downloading some software that refused to install and then discovering once I'd done what they'd told me to do (I think), it still wouldn't work.
Then some of the folks in the I.T. department figured out they could "unblock" some of the YouTube videos but not all (there are, like, 22 of them...). I suggested five that were really good for class viewing.
So check these out in the classroom:
The Octet's 3rd & 4th Movements (you'll hear it live)
The Magic World of Fingal's Cave (which has a video that takes on a tour of the cave and another that plays the piece Mendelssohn composed after he visited the cave 180 years ago)
The Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream (the overture is broken into two videos: I point out where in the timing you can hear certain themes that describe different characters in the play)
My apologies for the unexpected problems (this has become a learning experience for the teachers and myself, as well) and for the irony that we lost some time because I thought my e-mails had gone through when in fact most of them got caught in the school system's spam-filter :-\
My thanks to Ms. Lehmer and Mr. Applegate in I.T. for their help in getting around the glitches (I was calling it SnaFi which is kind of like wi-fi technology but with snafus) and also to Ms. Robbins, Mr. Askey and Ms. Botel for their additional support in all this.
And my thanks also to all the teachers and the students who are bravely going into this project and hopefully discovering something about some music that's been around for a long time, long before this technology I've been having trouble with ever existed...
- Dick Strawser (a.k.a. Dr. Dick, Luddite)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Study Questions #6: Biographical Topics
Most of these basic questions can be answered by checking the "Condensed Biography" post. Not all of these questions can be answered by looking at one “topic” or “post” - you may need to check for more details, following the links to help amplify what you discover.
MENDELSSOHN AS A CHILD & TEENAGER
What were the circumstances around Mendelssohn's birth? What was going on in the city of Hamburg, Germany, the first few years after he was born? What impact might this have had on his family?
Going to school is one thing – but what are some advantages to being taught at home by private tutors? Any disadvantages, other than it'd be pretty hard to call in sick?
Getting up at 5am every day for your classes – SIX days a week! - is one thing, but how does this help a kid develop discipline? How would that be important – especially to someone who has to spend so much time learning and practicing and composing music?
It might be cool to be a prodigy but it has its drawbacks, too – What do you think some of the good points and bad points of “prodigy-life” might be?
Imagine you have an exceptional talent – doesn't matter what it's in – and you're taken to meet the one person in the world you idolize the most. What would that be like for you? That's probably what it was like for Mendelssohn when he met Goethe. What kind of impact do you think this would have on you – not just today, when you meet this person, but later on in your life? Would this be an inspiration to realize your own dreams?
It's pretty amazing that anyone could write music like this in his mid-teens. I always enjoy pointing this out to people who lump all teen-agers into one under-achieving stereotype (maybe that's because they were once under-achieving teen-agers?).
Listen to the first 4 minutes of the Octet clip here and then listen to the 12 minutes of the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream posted here. How does Mendelssohn create the “mood” in these two pieces? Both are inspired by the scurrying sounds you might associate with fairy sprites and elves: how does he do that?
In the Shakespeare piece, how does he musically differentiate the three types of characters that you can't see (even in this video) except in your imagination? What's the difference between the fairies' music, the mortal couples' love-music and the “rustics” music (complete with hee-haws)?
WEALTH
People usually say that Mendelssohn was born into a wealthy family rather than having to struggle with poverty like Beethoven or Schubert did (among other composers). How would this make it easier for Mendelssohn as he grew up? Are there any ways this could be a disadvantage to him?
They say “Money can't buy happiness” (in the long-term) but maybe it can buy ______ [fill in the blank]. Other than material things: what about “Opportunity”? Abraham Mendelssohn might not be able to buy his son some talent, but he could give him opportunities to nurture the talent he had.
What kind of opportunities do you think Mendelssohn might have had that a son from a poor family might not have had? Would this have guaranteed him success - or the poor son, failure?
Not every “rich kid” became a “star” like Mendelssohn did. What kind of things may have given Mendelssohn an advantage over other children from other wealthy families?
Sometimes, “wealth” is not measured in money. You can earn money, you can become famous. What do you think might help make you feel happy with your life, or shape your goals toward some dream? What kind of things might inspire you reach for some dream?
FAITH
These are tough questions: there are no single answers, in fact maybe no real answers at all.
Mendelssohn didn't live a particularly “faith-based” life – that didn't mean he didn't have a strong faith. But what about Mendelssohn's religion? He was born in the Jewish faith but was baptized when he was 7 as a Lutheran. As an adult, he wrote a lot of religious music, some of it based on the Old Testament, and some on the New.
Here's a question that's more about developing an attitude than finding an answer: if a person is born into one faith or another (whatever that is), is that person always a member of that faith, no matter what religion they may follow (or not) later in life?
What if you combine an ethnic heritage with that faith? Would that make a difference?
If you're Jewish and you live in an anti-Semitic community, what choices do you have in dealing with it? What are the advantages and disadvantages to segregating yourself to maintain your faith and your identity? ...assimilating yourself into the surrounding non-Jewish community? ...converting to the same basic religion as your surrounding community? What impact do you think this would have on your life? This is of course more likely a “conjectural exercise” for you, but try to imagine the impact it could have: would it have much impact on a 7-year-old? How do you think other people in your community (or communities – your past and your future societies) would view either decision? Complicated, isn't it?
Felix Mendelssohn was very proud of his famous grandfather, the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn (who died before the composer was born). Has there been anybody in your own family whom you look up to and learn from or who guides you even though that person isn't in your life any more?
He may have been very close to his sister Fanny – she was also an exceptional pianist and composer – but he felt that she should not publish the music she wrote or perform in public (at the Sunday musicales, fine). This echoed his father's attitude. Why was it okay for Felix to publish his music and perform all over Europe but it wasn't okay for his sister? (For more information about her and this topic in particular, read this post, Mendelssohn's Sister and Her World).
There are additional questions about the religious discrimination in Mendelssohn's life, gender discrimination in Fanny's life and about other aspects of discrimination in this post, Study Questions #4.
MENDELSSOHN THE TRAVELER
Mendelssohn loved traveling. Where did he go? What do you think he got out of going to “foreign countries”?
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? What would you hope to get out of that experience? How do you think it might affect you?
What kind of souvenirs would you bring back to remind you of your trip? You can take photos and post them on your blog or MySpace or Facebook page for friends to enjoy. What if you could write a piece of music that would describe your trip?
Lots of composers have done this: Mendelssohn went to Scotland and wrote his “Scottish” Symphony based on some of the things he saw and felt there – and check out the Fingal's Cave post! He went to Italy and wrote his “Italian” Symphony. But George Gershwin came back from Paris and captured the lively time he had there in an orchestral work called “An American in Paris” (there's even a section where he must've had a little too much to drink, because it sounds like he's weaving down the street, unsteady on his feet). Aaron Copland captured a rowdy time in a famous Mexican bar he liked to visit there, capturing the sound of the popular music and the noise and excitement of the crowd: it's called “El Salon Mexico.”
What kind of musical souvenir do you think you would bring home from a vacation? How would you turn what you saw and heard into a piece of music?
Two of the pieces mentioned here are inspired by religion: Mendelssohn wrote an oratorio about St. Paul who used to persecute Christians before he was converted from his Jewish faith to become a major leader in the Early Christian Church. What significance do you think this subject may have had for Mendelssohn, whether he chose it for that reason or not?
He also wrote a symphony that quoted “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” one of the most famous Lutheran hymns. It's called his “Reformation” Symphony. He was 21 when he wrote it but he never published it during his lifetime and in fact it never even got performed. It takes a lot of time and effort to write a half-hour of music: since he was a conductor and played his own music a lot, why do you think he never tried to get this piece on a concert program?
MENDELSSOHN, THE SLIGHTLY OLDER MAN
His “dates” are (1809-1847). How old was Mendelssohn when he died? That's not exactly what we'd call “old” (at least, your parents wouldn't...)
He was a very busy man – conducting, performing, composing, also teaching and organizing music festivals. Even traveling took time: rather than flying home from England in a few hours and dealing with jet lag like he could today, it took him 9 days to get home that one trip, hardly got any sleep on the way, but that's the way it was in those days before trains, much less cars and planes. What impact do you think all this had on Mendelssohn's life, especially after he got married and started a family?
If that wasn't enough, he then went and started a music school – it wasn't just teaching in it: he organized it and ran it, hired the teachers and was, basically, its principal. It wasn't like he needed something to do: why do you think he did it?
And then he wrote another big choral work on a religious theme, about the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Though it's not covered in these posts, who was Elijah and what is his role in the observation of the Passover seder?
What are the circumstances surrounding Mendelssohn's death? (Follow the link to the full post about his last years to read about the peoples' reaction to the news of his death.)
LOOKING BACK ON THE MUSICIAN
There are many posts you can refer to here for more information:
What was it like being a celebrity in Mendelssohn's day? Use this link to find additional questions about this topic in Study Question #5.
If Beethoven was a “super-hero,” how does Mendelssohn's character compare? (follow the “super-hero” link). Do you think the type of personality you are would affect the music you write?
You know whether you're right handed or left handed, but what is meant by “right brain and left brain”? (Follow the link for more information). How do you think these characteristics would turn up in Mendelssohn's personality? While it's generalizing (and a kind of arm-chair psychoanalyzing), do any of these characteristics show up in your own personality? Do you think you might be more right than left brained or maybe a combination of the two?
Mendelssohn was born 200 years ago and died 162 years ago. And yet his music is still popular today with lovers of Classical Music. Why do you think that is?
As you've been reading about him and his music – and the times he lived in – and as you've been listening to some of his music, what do you think about him and his music?
MENDELSSOHN AS A CHILD & TEENAGER
What were the circumstances around Mendelssohn's birth? What was going on in the city of Hamburg, Germany, the first few years after he was born? What impact might this have had on his family?
Going to school is one thing – but what are some advantages to being taught at home by private tutors? Any disadvantages, other than it'd be pretty hard to call in sick?
Getting up at 5am every day for your classes – SIX days a week! - is one thing, but how does this help a kid develop discipline? How would that be important – especially to someone who has to spend so much time learning and practicing and composing music?
It might be cool to be a prodigy but it has its drawbacks, too – What do you think some of the good points and bad points of “prodigy-life” might be?
Imagine you have an exceptional talent – doesn't matter what it's in – and you're taken to meet the one person in the world you idolize the most. What would that be like for you? That's probably what it was like for Mendelssohn when he met Goethe. What kind of impact do you think this would have on you – not just today, when you meet this person, but later on in your life? Would this be an inspiration to realize your own dreams?
It's pretty amazing that anyone could write music like this in his mid-teens. I always enjoy pointing this out to people who lump all teen-agers into one under-achieving stereotype (maybe that's because they were once under-achieving teen-agers?).
Listen to the first 4 minutes of the Octet clip here and then listen to the 12 minutes of the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream posted here. How does Mendelssohn create the “mood” in these two pieces? Both are inspired by the scurrying sounds you might associate with fairy sprites and elves: how does he do that?
In the Shakespeare piece, how does he musically differentiate the three types of characters that you can't see (even in this video) except in your imagination? What's the difference between the fairies' music, the mortal couples' love-music and the “rustics” music (complete with hee-haws)?
WEALTH
People usually say that Mendelssohn was born into a wealthy family rather than having to struggle with poverty like Beethoven or Schubert did (among other composers). How would this make it easier for Mendelssohn as he grew up? Are there any ways this could be a disadvantage to him?
They say “Money can't buy happiness” (in the long-term) but maybe it can buy ______ [fill in the blank]. Other than material things: what about “Opportunity”? Abraham Mendelssohn might not be able to buy his son some talent, but he could give him opportunities to nurture the talent he had.
What kind of opportunities do you think Mendelssohn might have had that a son from a poor family might not have had? Would this have guaranteed him success - or the poor son, failure?
Not every “rich kid” became a “star” like Mendelssohn did. What kind of things may have given Mendelssohn an advantage over other children from other wealthy families?
Sometimes, “wealth” is not measured in money. You can earn money, you can become famous. What do you think might help make you feel happy with your life, or shape your goals toward some dream? What kind of things might inspire you reach for some dream?
FAITH
These are tough questions: there are no single answers, in fact maybe no real answers at all.
Mendelssohn didn't live a particularly “faith-based” life – that didn't mean he didn't have a strong faith. But what about Mendelssohn's religion? He was born in the Jewish faith but was baptized when he was 7 as a Lutheran. As an adult, he wrote a lot of religious music, some of it based on the Old Testament, and some on the New.
Here's a question that's more about developing an attitude than finding an answer: if a person is born into one faith or another (whatever that is), is that person always a member of that faith, no matter what religion they may follow (or not) later in life?
What if you combine an ethnic heritage with that faith? Would that make a difference?
If you're Jewish and you live in an anti-Semitic community, what choices do you have in dealing with it? What are the advantages and disadvantages to segregating yourself to maintain your faith and your identity? ...assimilating yourself into the surrounding non-Jewish community? ...converting to the same basic religion as your surrounding community? What impact do you think this would have on your life? This is of course more likely a “conjectural exercise” for you, but try to imagine the impact it could have: would it have much impact on a 7-year-old? How do you think other people in your community (or communities – your past and your future societies) would view either decision? Complicated, isn't it?
Felix Mendelssohn was very proud of his famous grandfather, the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn (who died before the composer was born). Has there been anybody in your own family whom you look up to and learn from or who guides you even though that person isn't in your life any more?
He may have been very close to his sister Fanny – she was also an exceptional pianist and composer – but he felt that she should not publish the music she wrote or perform in public (at the Sunday musicales, fine). This echoed his father's attitude. Why was it okay for Felix to publish his music and perform all over Europe but it wasn't okay for his sister? (For more information about her and this topic in particular, read this post, Mendelssohn's Sister and Her World).
There are additional questions about the religious discrimination in Mendelssohn's life, gender discrimination in Fanny's life and about other aspects of discrimination in this post, Study Questions #4.
MENDELSSOHN THE TRAVELER
Mendelssohn loved traveling. Where did he go? What do you think he got out of going to “foreign countries”?
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? What would you hope to get out of that experience? How do you think it might affect you?
What kind of souvenirs would you bring back to remind you of your trip? You can take photos and post them on your blog or MySpace or Facebook page for friends to enjoy. What if you could write a piece of music that would describe your trip?
Lots of composers have done this: Mendelssohn went to Scotland and wrote his “Scottish” Symphony based on some of the things he saw and felt there – and check out the Fingal's Cave post! He went to Italy and wrote his “Italian” Symphony. But George Gershwin came back from Paris and captured the lively time he had there in an orchestral work called “An American in Paris” (there's even a section where he must've had a little too much to drink, because it sounds like he's weaving down the street, unsteady on his feet). Aaron Copland captured a rowdy time in a famous Mexican bar he liked to visit there, capturing the sound of the popular music and the noise and excitement of the crowd: it's called “El Salon Mexico.”
What kind of musical souvenir do you think you would bring home from a vacation? How would you turn what you saw and heard into a piece of music?
Two of the pieces mentioned here are inspired by religion: Mendelssohn wrote an oratorio about St. Paul who used to persecute Christians before he was converted from his Jewish faith to become a major leader in the Early Christian Church. What significance do you think this subject may have had for Mendelssohn, whether he chose it for that reason or not?
He also wrote a symphony that quoted “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” one of the most famous Lutheran hymns. It's called his “Reformation” Symphony. He was 21 when he wrote it but he never published it during his lifetime and in fact it never even got performed. It takes a lot of time and effort to write a half-hour of music: since he was a conductor and played his own music a lot, why do you think he never tried to get this piece on a concert program?
MENDELSSOHN, THE SLIGHTLY OLDER MAN
His “dates” are (1809-1847). How old was Mendelssohn when he died? That's not exactly what we'd call “old” (at least, your parents wouldn't...)
He was a very busy man – conducting, performing, composing, also teaching and organizing music festivals. Even traveling took time: rather than flying home from England in a few hours and dealing with jet lag like he could today, it took him 9 days to get home that one trip, hardly got any sleep on the way, but that's the way it was in those days before trains, much less cars and planes. What impact do you think all this had on Mendelssohn's life, especially after he got married and started a family?
If that wasn't enough, he then went and started a music school – it wasn't just teaching in it: he organized it and ran it, hired the teachers and was, basically, its principal. It wasn't like he needed something to do: why do you think he did it?
And then he wrote another big choral work on a religious theme, about the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Though it's not covered in these posts, who was Elijah and what is his role in the observation of the Passover seder?
What are the circumstances surrounding Mendelssohn's death? (Follow the link to the full post about his last years to read about the peoples' reaction to the news of his death.)
LOOKING BACK ON THE MUSICIAN
There are many posts you can refer to here for more information:
What was it like being a celebrity in Mendelssohn's day? Use this link to find additional questions about this topic in Study Question #5.
If Beethoven was a “super-hero,” how does Mendelssohn's character compare? (follow the “super-hero” link). Do you think the type of personality you are would affect the music you write?
You know whether you're right handed or left handed, but what is meant by “right brain and left brain”? (Follow the link for more information). How do you think these characteristics would turn up in Mendelssohn's personality? While it's generalizing (and a kind of arm-chair psychoanalyzing), do any of these characteristics show up in your own personality? Do you think you might be more right than left brained or maybe a combination of the two?
Mendelssohn was born 200 years ago and died 162 years ago. And yet his music is still popular today with lovers of Classical Music. Why do you think that is?
As you've been reading about him and his music – and the times he lived in – and as you've been listening to some of his music, what do you think about him and his music?
Study Questions #5: Musical Issues
To accompany the posts Celebrities in Music, Classical & Popular Culture and Child Prodigies
CELEBRITIES
Most of you have grown up after the early years of Michael Jackson's artistic career. But how has he, his music and his dancing affected the music and the musical performers you enjoy today?
What do you think it's like to be a celebrity – whether a musician, a movie star or a sports figure? Are there good-points and bad-points? What are some of these?
What responsibilities do people have when they become celebrities as well as role-models for younger fans?
Reading the post about Celebrities in Music in the 19th Century, how do certain facts and observations about Franz Liszt or Paganini or Mendelssohn or others mentioned relate to celebrities you see today?
Scrolling down toward the end of that post, you can read some unpleasant facts about the personal life and attitudes of the composer Richard Wagner. Even today – especially following his having been the favorite composer of Adolf Hitler and accused of writing the “sound track” to the 2nd World War & the Holocaust – people have serious issues regarding his music separately from his life.
What details of Michael Jackson's life have been brought out in the press after his sudden death this past summer that made people argue whether or not he should be regarded as a great artist?
Can you balance the difference between the private person he was and the public art he created?
How do the lives and career of other famous people reflect the conflicts between the public and the private person? What impact does it have on their careers or their legacy?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
NEW & OLD
The Younger Generation is usually reacting to the likes & dislikes of the Older Generation. Ask someone in your parents' generation how they reacted against their parents – then ask someone in your grandparents' generation how they felt about the music and fashion and lifestyle of their children (your parents).
How does society today react to popular art from five or ten years ago? Has anything you once liked become something you now think is old-fashioned and you no longer like it? Why do you think this changed?
What are some of the things people your parents age say about the music and movies and TV shows you like?
What are some of the things you say about the music, movies and TV shows people your parents' age like?
If you discover something that is unfamiliar to you, how do you react to it? Do you ignore it, make fun of it, try to figure out what it is? Do you make up your own decision or let other people make it for you?
If something takes a little work to figure out, are you willing to make the effort? How about something you enjoy doing – playing basketball, dancing, playing in a band or learning the rules for a complex new game? These don't just happen automatically: what do you have to do to learn these particular skills?
BEING DIFFERENT
What similarities do you think there might be between a kid who wants to play basketball and a kid who wants to play the violin?
You might react to someone who does something you can't do with a sense of wonder (“wow, how do they do that?”) or by feeling that they're different from you and maybe not like them for that.
How do you think they accomplish what they can do? How are they similar to you? What things can you do that maybe they can't? How is what they can do similar to what you can do?
How do things you can do define you who you are?
CELEBRITIES
Most of you have grown up after the early years of Michael Jackson's artistic career. But how has he, his music and his dancing affected the music and the musical performers you enjoy today?
What do you think it's like to be a celebrity – whether a musician, a movie star or a sports figure? Are there good-points and bad-points? What are some of these?
What responsibilities do people have when they become celebrities as well as role-models for younger fans?
Reading the post about Celebrities in Music in the 19th Century, how do certain facts and observations about Franz Liszt or Paganini or Mendelssohn or others mentioned relate to celebrities you see today?
Scrolling down toward the end of that post, you can read some unpleasant facts about the personal life and attitudes of the composer Richard Wagner. Even today – especially following his having been the favorite composer of Adolf Hitler and accused of writing the “sound track” to the 2nd World War & the Holocaust – people have serious issues regarding his music separately from his life.
What details of Michael Jackson's life have been brought out in the press after his sudden death this past summer that made people argue whether or not he should be regarded as a great artist?
Can you balance the difference between the private person he was and the public art he created?
How do the lives and career of other famous people reflect the conflicts between the public and the private person? What impact does it have on their careers or their legacy?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
NEW & OLD
The Younger Generation is usually reacting to the likes & dislikes of the Older Generation. Ask someone in your parents' generation how they reacted against their parents – then ask someone in your grandparents' generation how they felt about the music and fashion and lifestyle of their children (your parents).
How does society today react to popular art from five or ten years ago? Has anything you once liked become something you now think is old-fashioned and you no longer like it? Why do you think this changed?
What are some of the things people your parents age say about the music and movies and TV shows you like?
What are some of the things you say about the music, movies and TV shows people your parents' age like?
If you discover something that is unfamiliar to you, how do you react to it? Do you ignore it, make fun of it, try to figure out what it is? Do you make up your own decision or let other people make it for you?
If something takes a little work to figure out, are you willing to make the effort? How about something you enjoy doing – playing basketball, dancing, playing in a band or learning the rules for a complex new game? These don't just happen automatically: what do you have to do to learn these particular skills?
BEING DIFFERENT
What similarities do you think there might be between a kid who wants to play basketball and a kid who wants to play the violin?
You might react to someone who does something you can't do with a sense of wonder (“wow, how do they do that?”) or by feeling that they're different from you and maybe not like them for that.
How do you think they accomplish what they can do? How are they similar to you? What things can you do that maybe they can't? How is what they can do similar to what you can do?
How do things you can do define you who you are?
Study Questions #4: Religious & Social Attitudes
To accompany posts about Religion in Germany in the 1800s, Mendelssohn's Grandfather, Mendelssohn's Jewish Heritage and Mendelssohn's Sister's World.
RELIGIOUS ISSUES
How do the conflicts between religions affect a society's life? I'm thinking about the conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in Germany in the 17th and 18th Centuries as well as more recent fighting in Ireland. What about other similar conflicts in different times or countries?
How does this become more a political conflict rather than just one based on religion?
What were the impacts of anti-Semitism on German society in the 18th & 19th Century during Mendelssohn's family's lives and how did this develop in the 20th Century?
Even though Mendelssohn was born into the Jewish faith and was converted by his father when he was 7 years old to the Protestant faith, he was regarded by many people in his time as “Jewish.” He may not have experienced it as an overbearing or life-threatening form of discrimination but was present throughout his lifetime in often subtle ways.
WOMEN'S ISSUES
Felix Mendelssohn's sister, Fanny, was not “allowed” to perform in public or have the music she composed published. It was considered “unacceptable.” Though some other women could and did do this, Fanny Mendelssohn could not because she was from a wealthy family. Yet the men of wealthy families – like Felix himself – could do this. In what ways does this amount to discrimination?
Though people in England argued for Women's Equality and the Right of Women to Vote & Hold Public Office in the 1770s, nothing was really accomplished in this area until more recently. How did discrimination against women continue into the 20th Century? How has it changed? What do you think caused these attitudes to change?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
CULTURAL & SOCIAL ISSUES
In other world cultures, attitudes toward certain things in life do not always agree with the way they are viewed in the United States or Europe.
For instance, I saw on the news earlier this summer how Afghanistan has a TV program similar to “American Idol.” Keep in mind, singing or even listening to non-religious music was forbidden under the Taliban, but here were men going on TV and singing in front of the whole country. It was a very popular show.
Then a couple of women entered the competition. People in the communities were shocked. When one actually began to move around as she was singing, this was considered “dancing.” Immediately, she was condemned by people in the cities and villages because a woman dancing in public is considered immoral: she received death-threats as a result. People said she should be stoned to death for that.
What other examples can you think of that you may have seen on TV or read about that reflect attitudes different from how we may think about them? If they're fictional - in books and movies - what kind of message might they be sending? How do we interpret these and how do we separate fact from fiction?
Talk with women in your family of your parents' and grandparents' generations and ask them about what attitudes toward women were like when they were growing up. How have things changed?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
DISCRIMINATION
In addition to religious & gender discrimination we've discussed regarding Mendelssohn's times, what other forms of discrimination are there? What about race, age, social class, sexual preference or physical disabilities and differences between ways people look or think?
How does discrimination affect an individual person? What impact does it have on the community? on society in general?
Is bullying a form of discrimination?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
BUILDING TOLERANCE
Some people say that Music is a Universal Language.
The Jewish conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim has formed an orchestra made up of young musicians from the Middle East - Arabs and Palestinians and Israelis. They work together to make music and perform around the world. The hope is that one day they will be able to work together in more ways than just making music.
During Mendelssohn's family's lives, aspects of tolerance had developed even if they weren't held universally. And things changed with later generations.
How do you think a culture develops tolerance and how do you think a culture can lose that tolerance?
RELIGIOUS ISSUES
How do the conflicts between religions affect a society's life? I'm thinking about the conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in Germany in the 17th and 18th Centuries as well as more recent fighting in Ireland. What about other similar conflicts in different times or countries?
How does this become more a political conflict rather than just one based on religion?
What were the impacts of anti-Semitism on German society in the 18th & 19th Century during Mendelssohn's family's lives and how did this develop in the 20th Century?
Even though Mendelssohn was born into the Jewish faith and was converted by his father when he was 7 years old to the Protestant faith, he was regarded by many people in his time as “Jewish.” He may not have experienced it as an overbearing or life-threatening form of discrimination but was present throughout his lifetime in often subtle ways.
WOMEN'S ISSUES
Felix Mendelssohn's sister, Fanny, was not “allowed” to perform in public or have the music she composed published. It was considered “unacceptable.” Though some other women could and did do this, Fanny Mendelssohn could not because she was from a wealthy family. Yet the men of wealthy families – like Felix himself – could do this. In what ways does this amount to discrimination?
Though people in England argued for Women's Equality and the Right of Women to Vote & Hold Public Office in the 1770s, nothing was really accomplished in this area until more recently. How did discrimination against women continue into the 20th Century? How has it changed? What do you think caused these attitudes to change?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
CULTURAL & SOCIAL ISSUES
In other world cultures, attitudes toward certain things in life do not always agree with the way they are viewed in the United States or Europe.
For instance, I saw on the news earlier this summer how Afghanistan has a TV program similar to “American Idol.” Keep in mind, singing or even listening to non-religious music was forbidden under the Taliban, but here were men going on TV and singing in front of the whole country. It was a very popular show.
Then a couple of women entered the competition. People in the communities were shocked. When one actually began to move around as she was singing, this was considered “dancing.” Immediately, she was condemned by people in the cities and villages because a woman dancing in public is considered immoral: she received death-threats as a result. People said she should be stoned to death for that.
What other examples can you think of that you may have seen on TV or read about that reflect attitudes different from how we may think about them? If they're fictional - in books and movies - what kind of message might they be sending? How do we interpret these and how do we separate fact from fiction?
Talk with women in your family of your parents' and grandparents' generations and ask them about what attitudes toward women were like when they were growing up. How have things changed?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
DISCRIMINATION
In addition to religious & gender discrimination we've discussed regarding Mendelssohn's times, what other forms of discrimination are there? What about race, age, social class, sexual preference or physical disabilities and differences between ways people look or think?
How does discrimination affect an individual person? What impact does it have on the community? on society in general?
Is bullying a form of discrimination?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
BUILDING TOLERANCE
Some people say that Music is a Universal Language.
The Jewish conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim has formed an orchestra made up of young musicians from the Middle East - Arabs and Palestinians and Israelis. They work together to make music and perform around the world. The hope is that one day they will be able to work together in more ways than just making music.
During Mendelssohn's family's lives, aspects of tolerance had developed even if they weren't held universally. And things changed with later generations.
How do you think a culture develops tolerance and how do you think a culture can lose that tolerance?
Study Questions #3: Politics & National Culture
To accompany the post, Being German in the Early 1800s.
THE STATE OF GERMANY
Germany as a nation did not exist in 1800. A series of small principalities since the days of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages – going back to Charlemagne around 800 AD – it consisted of around 300 more or less independent countries held together by the German language and its culture.
WHAT IF...?
These next questions are entirely conjectural and is based only on the model of the German states and confederations that existed during the 18th and 19th Centuries:
What might have happened if the United States had never become the “United” States but had remained a loose confederation of independent states as had originally been outlined in the “Articles of Confederation” (which has nothing to do with the Confederacy of the Civil War era)? This was drawn up following the Declaration of Independence and ratified by the 2nd Continental Congress which met in York PA in 1777. Its weaknesses led to the Constitution of the United States and George Washington's becoming President in 1789.
If some of the states had broken down into smaller units – for instance, if Philadelphia had become a “city-state” and Dauphin, York and Lancaster Counties were each independent from the rest of what is now Pennsylvania; and if each new settlement in the interior like Pittsburgh or cities along the Ohio River, had become independent countries instead of part of a growing single nation – how would this affect life in these former British colonies? After all, we spoke a common language but what if each sub-state had its own government, its own currency and stamps and road systems – how would this have affected commerce and the development of canals, railroads and eventually highways? How would it affect traveling?
Would it be the same nation it is today?
How did the Constitution of the United States overcome the weaknesses of this idea of a Confederation and set about maintaining the balance between individual states and the nation as a whole?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
CYCLES
Assuming the concept of action & reaction between one era or generation and the next, if the “Biedermeier” Age of the 1820s-1840s tried to find stability after the chaos of the Napoleonic Era, how might some eras in American history be comparable to this cycle?
Talk with family members from your parents' and grandparents' generations about what they remember – either experiencing it themselves or remembering what their parents and grandparents told them – what it was like during World War II and the Eisenhower Years in the 1950s; about the Civil Rights issues and Viet-Nam in the '60s and '70s followed by the Reagan Years of the '80s?
How do various aspects of our lives today – whether experienced or perceived (in life, in the news, in television and movies) – compare to the social attitudes of the “Biedermeier” Age? Is there any comparison?
THE STATE OF GERMANY
Germany as a nation did not exist in 1800. A series of small principalities since the days of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages – going back to Charlemagne around 800 AD – it consisted of around 300 more or less independent countries held together by the German language and its culture.
WHAT IF...?
These next questions are entirely conjectural and is based only on the model of the German states and confederations that existed during the 18th and 19th Centuries:
What might have happened if the United States had never become the “United” States but had remained a loose confederation of independent states as had originally been outlined in the “Articles of Confederation” (which has nothing to do with the Confederacy of the Civil War era)? This was drawn up following the Declaration of Independence and ratified by the 2nd Continental Congress which met in York PA in 1777. Its weaknesses led to the Constitution of the United States and George Washington's becoming President in 1789.
If some of the states had broken down into smaller units – for instance, if Philadelphia had become a “city-state” and Dauphin, York and Lancaster Counties were each independent from the rest of what is now Pennsylvania; and if each new settlement in the interior like Pittsburgh or cities along the Ohio River, had become independent countries instead of part of a growing single nation – how would this affect life in these former British colonies? After all, we spoke a common language but what if each sub-state had its own government, its own currency and stamps and road systems – how would this have affected commerce and the development of canals, railroads and eventually highways? How would it affect traveling?
Would it be the same nation it is today?
How did the Constitution of the United States overcome the weaknesses of this idea of a Confederation and set about maintaining the balance between individual states and the nation as a whole?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
CYCLES
Assuming the concept of action & reaction between one era or generation and the next, if the “Biedermeier” Age of the 1820s-1840s tried to find stability after the chaos of the Napoleonic Era, how might some eras in American history be comparable to this cycle?
Talk with family members from your parents' and grandparents' generations about what they remember – either experiencing it themselves or remembering what their parents and grandparents told them – what it was like during World War II and the Eisenhower Years in the 1950s; about the Civil Rights issues and Viet-Nam in the '60s and '70s followed by the Reagan Years of the '80s?
How do various aspects of our lives today – whether experienced or perceived (in life, in the news, in television and movies) – compare to the social attitudes of the “Biedermeier” Age? Is there any comparison?
Study Questions #2: War & Peace
To accompany the post, The Impact of Napoleon.
Many historical eras have one person who dominates the world scene. In the early 1800s, that person was Napoleon Bonaparte who became Emperor Napoleon of France and who conquered most of Europe. This involved almost constant warfare between the end of the French Revolution in 1789-1792 and his final defeat at Waterloo in 1815, about 25 years.
When Napoleon and the French sold their American colony “Louisiana” to the United States in 1803, what impact did it have on the development of our country? (See the map)
LIVING IN WAR-TIME
When the French were bombarding Vienna in 1809, the year Mendelssohn was born in northern Germany (far away from this particular battle), Franz Schubert was 12 years old. One day, when he was in school, a large bomb fell and exploded not far from his school. The composer Richard Wagner almost died as an infant because the city where he was born was the scene of a huge battle where 120,000 men lay dead on the fields outside the city, resulting in an epidemic that killed his father and almost killed him.
What impact do you think the constant warfare had on people who lived in Europe then, especially in the areas frequently affected by advancing and retreating armies?
Though most of the wars the United States has fought since the Civil War did not immediately affect our population – the fighting was physically elsewhere – we've lived through different kinds of wars in the past 50-60 years.
Does anyone in your family remember what it was like during 'The Cold War' between the United States and the Soviet Union (now, Russia), either from their own experiences or hearing about what other people remembered?
While the United States and its allies are fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan today, how do these and the “War on Terror” affect our lives both directly and indirectly?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
NATIONAL SECURITY
After Napoleon was defeated, the political situation may have stabilized, but many governments, in order to keep things stable, resorted to secret police and informants to maintain that sense of stability or security.
One of the side-effects of the French Revolution and all these wars was the desire by many people to have greater freedom. This was being suppressed by many of the governments of Europe. In times like this, not just during wars but eras following them, issues of freedom and security often conflict.
The post “Being German in the early 1800s” tells of a situation in Germany and Austria. Scroll down toward the bottom of the post to read about Schubert and his “book club.”
How might these issues be involved in human rights around the world in more recent history or in our own society following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001?
What are the pros-and-cons for arguments on both sides of these issues?
Many historical eras have one person who dominates the world scene. In the early 1800s, that person was Napoleon Bonaparte who became Emperor Napoleon of France and who conquered most of Europe. This involved almost constant warfare between the end of the French Revolution in 1789-1792 and his final defeat at Waterloo in 1815, about 25 years.
When Napoleon and the French sold their American colony “Louisiana” to the United States in 1803, what impact did it have on the development of our country? (See the map)
LIVING IN WAR-TIME
When the French were bombarding Vienna in 1809, the year Mendelssohn was born in northern Germany (far away from this particular battle), Franz Schubert was 12 years old. One day, when he was in school, a large bomb fell and exploded not far from his school. The composer Richard Wagner almost died as an infant because the city where he was born was the scene of a huge battle where 120,000 men lay dead on the fields outside the city, resulting in an epidemic that killed his father and almost killed him.
What impact do you think the constant warfare had on people who lived in Europe then, especially in the areas frequently affected by advancing and retreating armies?
Though most of the wars the United States has fought since the Civil War did not immediately affect our population – the fighting was physically elsewhere – we've lived through different kinds of wars in the past 50-60 years.
Does anyone in your family remember what it was like during 'The Cold War' between the United States and the Soviet Union (now, Russia), either from their own experiences or hearing about what other people remembered?
While the United States and its allies are fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan today, how do these and the “War on Terror” affect our lives both directly and indirectly?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
NATIONAL SECURITY
After Napoleon was defeated, the political situation may have stabilized, but many governments, in order to keep things stable, resorted to secret police and informants to maintain that sense of stability or security.
One of the side-effects of the French Revolution and all these wars was the desire by many people to have greater freedom. This was being suppressed by many of the governments of Europe. In times like this, not just during wars but eras following them, issues of freedom and security often conflict.
The post “Being German in the early 1800s” tells of a situation in Germany and Austria. Scroll down toward the bottom of the post to read about Schubert and his “book club.”
How might these issues be involved in human rights around the world in more recent history or in our own society following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001?
What are the pros-and-cons for arguments on both sides of these issues?
Study Questions #1: for Some Historical Events
In the post "Some Historical Events," there are several things that involved different technologies. Like
TRANSPORATATION
If travelers used a sailing ship – powered by wind-driven sails – since long before the days of Columbus in 1492 and the first steam ship crossed the Atlantic in 1818, how do you think this affected travel in the 19th Century? Why do you think people wanted advances in technology like this? What impact does this have on modern technology? When was the first airplane flight? When were the first space flights? How long has it been since humans landed on the Moon?
Robert Macadam invented a road-paving surface in 1815. What is it called? Do we still use it today? What impact did it have on transportation, then or now? That would make it almost 200 years old - pretty old technology! What do you think city streets would be like without it? What impact did his invention have on society in general?
People rode horses or drove in horse-drawn carriages and coaches. When did the car become a standard part of our society? What do you think a traffic jam in 1820 was like?
Railroads began developing in the early 1800s and during Mendelssohn's lifetime, trains began to connect many of the cities in Germany just as they already had in England and in the United States. What impact would the new technology of railroads have on things like travel, communication, produce and the economy? Compare how it might have been before with what changes may have happened afterward.
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
COMMUNICATIONS
There were also technological advances in communication.
How do people communicate today? What technologies do we use?
Samuel Morse invented the telegraph in 1832, but his was not the first attempt at creating a way of communicating long-distance. Before, people used a system of flags or semaphores that required sight-lines to relay information from one location to the next. Morse's telegraph – along with the code he invented for sending that information – evolved over a period of time before it became standard. In 1838, he began to construct a telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington but the first news transmitted on that line didn't happen until 1844, another six years.
What changes occurred since then in how we communicate?
Ask some older relatives in your family if they remember what telephones were like when they were kids. How have things changed since then? What changes in cell-phone technology have happened just in more recent years?
(Illustration: L = early cell phone from 1980s; R = cell phone from 1990s)
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
WORKING CONDITIONS
We just observed the holiday called “Labor Day” which originally was intended to observe what?
In Mendelssohn's lifetime, laws were enacted in England to reduce the work day for children between the ages of 14-18 to a 12-hour day. In the United States, Massachusetts limited the work day for children under the age of 12 to a 10-hour day.
What impact do you think these changes had on family life then and how do you think your life would be today if those changes had never occurred?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
SLAVERY
When Mendelssohn was 25, England abolished slavery in the British Empire with the passing of laws in 1834. Even Russia freed its serfs (peasants owned by land-owners) by a governmental decree in 1861.
In the United States, it took a civil war to bring about the abolition of slavery with Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 after the war had started and made official only with the passing of a constitutional amendment in 1865.
What circumstances might explain why the United States seemed to “lag behind” the British and Russian Empires?
TRANSPORATATION
If travelers used a sailing ship – powered by wind-driven sails – since long before the days of Columbus in 1492 and the first steam ship crossed the Atlantic in 1818, how do you think this affected travel in the 19th Century? Why do you think people wanted advances in technology like this? What impact does this have on modern technology? When was the first airplane flight? When were the first space flights? How long has it been since humans landed on the Moon?
Robert Macadam invented a road-paving surface in 1815. What is it called? Do we still use it today? What impact did it have on transportation, then or now? That would make it almost 200 years old - pretty old technology! What do you think city streets would be like without it? What impact did his invention have on society in general?
People rode horses or drove in horse-drawn carriages and coaches. When did the car become a standard part of our society? What do you think a traffic jam in 1820 was like?
Railroads began developing in the early 1800s and during Mendelssohn's lifetime, trains began to connect many of the cities in Germany just as they already had in England and in the United States. What impact would the new technology of railroads have on things like travel, communication, produce and the economy? Compare how it might have been before with what changes may have happened afterward.
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
COMMUNICATIONS
There were also technological advances in communication.
How do people communicate today? What technologies do we use?
Samuel Morse invented the telegraph in 1832, but his was not the first attempt at creating a way of communicating long-distance. Before, people used a system of flags or semaphores that required sight-lines to relay information from one location to the next. Morse's telegraph – along with the code he invented for sending that information – evolved over a period of time before it became standard. In 1838, he began to construct a telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington but the first news transmitted on that line didn't happen until 1844, another six years.
What changes occurred since then in how we communicate?Ask some older relatives in your family if they remember what telephones were like when they were kids. How have things changed since then? What changes in cell-phone technology have happened just in more recent years?
(Illustration: L = early cell phone from 1980s; R = cell phone from 1990s)
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
WORKING CONDITIONS
We just observed the holiday called “Labor Day” which originally was intended to observe what?
In Mendelssohn's lifetime, laws were enacted in England to reduce the work day for children between the ages of 14-18 to a 12-hour day. In the United States, Massachusetts limited the work day for children under the age of 12 to a 10-hour day.
What impact do you think these changes had on family life then and how do you think your life would be today if those changes had never occurred?
*** ***** ******** ***** ***
SLAVERY
When Mendelssohn was 25, England abolished slavery in the British Empire with the passing of laws in 1834. Even Russia freed its serfs (peasants owned by land-owners) by a governmental decree in 1861.
In the United States, it took a civil war to bring about the abolition of slavery with Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 after the war had started and made official only with the passing of a constitutional amendment in 1865.
What circumstances might explain why the United States seemed to “lag behind” the British and Russian Empires?
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