Maestro Maull jumps right into creating an "aha" around listening versus hearing and the process of noticing detail in music using the third movement of Bela Bartok's "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta" as the vehicle.
This episode examines the factors that predispose people not to listen, but also offers an opportunity for some focused guided listening in the first movement of Mendelssohn's "Symphony No. 4 'Italian'". Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" makes a humorous appearance, and a portion of the third movement of Bela Bartok's "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta" is reprised.
Viewers are asked to think about what the basic ingredients of music are. Excerpts from a Gregorian Chant, Medieval Song, and works by J.S. Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Bartok, as well as the jazz piece "Take Five" are used to stimulate this thought process. Morton Subotnick's electronic work "Silver Apples of the Moon" is used to encourage speculation about what is music...or not.
The elements or basic ingredients of music are defined. Musical excerpts from Episode 3 return. Other featured pieces are Mozart's "Piano Sonata, K. 545"; Bach's "Little Prelude in D, BWV 936"; Rachmaninoff's "Symphony No. 2"; Mendelssohn's "Symphony No. 4, 'Italian'" and Morton Subotnick's "Silver Apples of the Moon" - as well as a bit of humor - are all used to refine these definitions.
What happens when we listen to classical music? Open-mindedness and flexible thinking are explored using visual puzzles and musical examples. Handel's fugue from "Concerto Grosso, Op.6, No. 7" reinforces flexible listening. Effective surprise is presented using Bartok's "For Children Vol. II, No. 12" for piano. Rachmaninoff's "Symphony No. 2" is used to demonstrate tension and release.
Listeners are encouraged to grasp larger chunks or 'paragraphs' of musical information. "Ruby My Dear" by Thelonious Monk is played by the Dan Crisci Jazz Quartet. Robert Schumann's piano work "Wichtige Begebenheit" is explored and introduces the concept of program music. Mozart's clever "Variations on Ah! vous dirai-je Maman," also for piano solo, reinforces the concept of open-minded listening.
An in-depth exploration of the 4th movement of Beethoven's "String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 2." Concepts presented in the previous six episodes are revisited in this 'new' context. The Amphion String Quartet joins Maestro Maull to provide a detailed investigation of this entire movement of classical music.
The detailed exploration the 4th movement of Beethoven's "String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 2," featuring the Amphion String Quartet. A complete play-thru of the movement, with listening guide graphics on screen, concludes the program and provides viewers an opportunity to truly experience the concepts they have learned throughout the series.