! 0 0 BACH FUGUE Tocatta
    A fugue is a piece of music in which
 short melodies are introduced and very
 cleverly repeated over and over by other
 parts.  This famous D minor fugue has
 sometimes been called the greatest piece
     of music ever written.
! 0 1 BACH MINUET
    Anna Magdalena, Bach's second wife
 (16 years younger than him!), was a good
 singer and was learning to play the clavier.
 Johann kept a notebook for her in which he
 would, from time to time, write new pieces
     like this one, for her to practise.
! 0 2 BACH AIR
     Bach would have written orchestral
 music like this for his boss, Duke Leopold,
 and his friends to listen to in the evening.
 This piece is commonly known as "Air on
    the G-string".
! 0 3 BACH SHEEP
    This cantata is like a short play created
  for the entertainment of Duke Christian of
Saxe-Weissenfels after coming back from a
hunting party on his birthday.  The character
Pale sings a song about the peace that results
     when a good king rules wisely.
! 0 4 BACH FUGUE
      The word "fugue" literally means
  "flight". A fugue is made of several voices
  which each have their own individual
  rhythm and phrasing, sometimes creating
  the impression that they are chasing one
     another like birds at play.
! 1 0 BEETHOVEN PATHETIQUE SONATA  -- Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827
    A sonata is a group of pieces (usually
 three- fast, slow, fast) called "movements",
 which go together to make a set.  This slow
 movement is one of Beethoven's most
 popular tunes- Elton John made it into a
      pop song.
! 1 1 BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY #5
     The most common theory is that this
   theme symbolizes fate knocking on the
   door.  Beethoven's mood at this time in
   his life was very dark because he knew
   that he soon would be stone deaf.
! 1 2 BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY #9
      This theme is sung by a choir- very
 rare in symphonies.  The words speak of
 universal brotherhood- "Be embraced, ye
 millions, with this kiss to the whole world!"
 Beethoven worked on this melody, off and
     on, for over thirty years!
! 1 3 BEETHOVEN MOONLIGHT SONATA
     This sonata was dedicated to the 17
  year old Giulietta Guicciardi, one of
 Beethoven's piano students.  We assume
 that he was in love with her, but, judging
 by the sadness of the music, his love was
     not returned.
! 2 0 BRAHMS HUNGARIAN DANCE #5 -- Johannes Brahms, 1833-1897
     The Hungarian Dances were written
  for two players at the same piano.  Playing
  "four-hand" music was the favorite
  excuse for young people to get close to
  a member of the opposite sex. (By the
      way- it works!)
! 2 1 BRAHMS LULLABY -- Wiegenlied, Op.49, No.4, 1868
      Wiegenlied means "Cradle Song"-
  this is the famous "Brahms' Lullaby".
  Although he was never married, Brahms
  had a real soft spot for little children.
  They probably wouldn't have liked his
      strong cigars, though.
! 2 2 BRAHMS -- Rhapsody in b minor, Op.79, No.1, 1879
      This is the middle section of an other-
   wise loud and dramatic piece.  Again
   Brahms shows his love for gentle, lovely
   lullabies. He kind of looks like a big
   fuzzy teddy bear, doesn't he?
! 2 3 BRAHMS WALTZ -- Waltz in A-flat major, Op.39, No.15
     Brahms' piano music is oddly voiced
  and thick.  Maybe it was because he spent
  several years as a young man playing by
  ear in dance halls to make money.
  Somehow I don't think he played music
      like this in the bars.
! 3 0 CHOPIN -- Waltz in c-sharp minor, Op.64, No.2, 1846
    Chopin was born in Poland, but moved
  to Paris where he wrote pieces like this
  WWltz, which is a Viennese dance. So
  this music could be considered Polish,
  French or Austrian- take your pick.
! 3 1 CHOPIN -- Fantasie-Impromptu, Op.66, 1835
     For some reason, Chopin never had
  this piece published during his lifetime.
  In 1919 it was made into a song for a
  broadway musical with the words "I'm
  always chasing rainbows". Chopin would
      have been so proud!
! 3 2 CHOPIN -- Nocturne, Op.9, No.2, 1830
    Chopin didn't write the first Nocturnes
 (that was the Irish composer John Field),
 but he did write the finest ones.  The
 term nocturne just means "night music".
 Anyone who has taken ballet classes is
     sick of this piece.
! 3 3 CHOPIN -- Polonaise, Op.53, 1842
     Most composers write for a variety of
  instruments over their career, but
  Chopin wrote only piano music, I guess
  because he was a great pianist.  This
  majestic polonaise is one of the greatest
      works ever written for solo piano.
! 4 0 DEBUSSY -- Preludes, Book I: ...Les collines d'Anacapri, 1910
      This happy piece is meant to put us
   in mind of the sunny hills of Capri.
   DeBussy liked to write music about
   exotic places, even though he often
   had never actually been there himself.
! 4 1 DEBUSSY -- Preludes, Book I: ...La fille aux cheveux de lin, 1909
     DeBussy's piano preludes are pieces
 inspired by a mood, or image, which is given
 in the title. This title comes from a poem
 about a girl with beautiful flaxen hair.  You
 often hear this piece used as background
     music for tea commercials and such.
! 4 2 DEBUSSY -- Suite Bergamesque: Claire de lune, 1890
     Moonlight is the idea which inspired
  this music.  This is one of those famous
  pieces that everyone loves but can't
  remember the title or composer. They get
  so frustrated trying to remember that they
      have to listen to it again to relax.
! 5 0 GERSHWIN -- "Bess, You Is My Woman"
     This is a love duet from the opera
  "Porgy and Bess".  Gershwin wrote many
  famous popular songs as well as
  concert music, so even his serious music
  is always tuneful and fun to listen to
      and play.
! 5 1 GERSHWIN -- Preludes for piano, No.3, 1926
     Gershwin played these preludes in
  public for the first time in 1926 at the Hotel
  Roosevelt, New York.  He once said that
  American popular music "should be made
  to snap and sometimes to crackle".  I
      guess it should "pop" too.
! 5 2 GERSHWIN -- American In Paris, 1928
     Gershwin actually wrote this piece
  while in Paris.  This excerpt represents
  Gerwin's musical view of homesickness.
! 6 0 MOZART -- Piano Sonata in A major: Rondo "Alla turca", K.331
     This tune is what Mozart thought
   Turkish music would sound like.  In
   orchestral music, all you needed to do
   was add some drums and cymbals to a
   snappy beat and there you had it- instant
     Turkish music!
! 6 1 MOZART -- Concerto No.4 for Horn and Orchesta: Rondo, K.495,  1786
     Mozart wrote this concerto for his
  good friend Ignaz Leutgeb, who, apart
  from being a good French horn player, kept
  a cheese shop in Vienna.  Mozart wrote
  Leutgeb's notes in red, green, black
      and yellow ink- just for laughs.
! 6 2 MOZART -- Sonatina
    Like the Bach Minuet, this piece was
  written to teach piano students. Mozart
  labelled this sonata for beginners. You get
  lots of practice playing scales in this
  piece!
! 6 3 MOZART -- Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro, K.525,  1787
     The title of this serenade for strings
 means "a little night music".  No one
 knows the occasion for which Mozart wrote
 this aristocratic entertainment or if he ever
 heard it played, but it has become one of
      his most famous compositions.
! 7 0 SOUSA -- The Stars and Stripes Forever
     I can never listen to this great march
   without thinking of the silly words:
   "Oh be kind to your fine feathered
   friends, for a duck may be somebody's
   mother- she lives all alone in a swamp
      where it's cold and dark and damp".
! 7 1 SOUSA -- Semper Fidelis, 1888
     This is the official march which bears
  as its title the official motto of the
  Marine Corps: "Ever Faithful".  Sousa
  said he wrote it "one night while in
  tears after my comrades of the Marine
      Corps had sung their famous hymn".
! 7 2 SOUSA -- Washington Post
     Sousa was a Marine and the leader of
  the Marine band for most of his career.
  Many of the marches he composed for his
  band to play are familiar to just about
  everyone.
!END
