Text book required: Forney, Kristine and Joseph Machlis. The Enjoyment of Music: Essential Listening Edition, 2nd Edition. Norton, 2013. ISBN: 978-0-393-91255-5

Discussion 1:
The term “Romantic” has a different meaning from the usual understanding of it when we talk about music history. Listen to the fourth movement of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and Bedrich Smetana’s symphonic poem The Moldau.

These are described on pp. 219 and 225 of the textbook.

1) What is Romantic (with a capital R) about these two pieces?
2) How does the composers’ use of the (Romantic) orchestra support the meaning of the music?

Discussion 2:
Two pivotal works that were important in helping define modern music were Claude Debussy’s Prelude to “The Afternoon of a Faun” and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. The music may be found on the StudySpace website that accompanies your textbook.

The text discusses this music on pp. 260 and 275.

These two pieces certainly have contrasting sounds.
1) What are some of the qualities of Debussy’s and Stravinsky’s music that still sound “modern” to our ears? Or do they still sound “modern”?