Composers diary
1. Many composers kept diaries during their lives. Choose a composer from the twentieth (or twenty-first) century and an important event from that
composer’s life. Consider how this event relates to the music the composer wrote. Write a diary entry related to that event in 1st person voice, as if the
composer wrote it (Your choice should not be in the Jazz, blues, pop, rock, rap, or other popular music genres.). Provide a link to a sound file or YouTube
video of the composer’s music, to help classmates become more familiar with this individual’s work. In the subject line for your post, include the composer’s
name. List any websites or other sources you used to write your post at the bottom of the post.
2. What is your personal reaction/response to this composer and/or the music we have studied so far in class? How does learning about music apply to your
life and/or past experiences?
Sample Solution
Once the century turned, music transitioned from the grand, symphonic Romanticism of Brahms, Mahler and Wagner, and started to break from its traditional harmonic and structural systems, and boundary-pushing genres like serialism, aleatoric music and minimalism started to emerge. Composers explored the phenomena of their time – from psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud to the world wars that shook everything – and created powerful pieces of music that kept up with the fast pace of change that characterized 20th century. Edward Elgar (1857-1934) brought us the Enigma variations, the Pomp and Circumstances Marches, and a cello concerto to end all cello concertos. The English pastoralist cemented the “English” symphonic sound, his pieces reflecting the mood and patriotism of the nation, in many ways, with sounds and emotions of pre-war Britain audible in contrast to those following the First World War.
