Our music appreciation classes have now been expanded to include three sessions:
Each session is independent so why not try one out?
Music Appreciation (Thursday online and Friday @Semitone)
Advanced Music Appreciation (Wednesday online)
Have you ever wanted to know more about classical music but felt too intimidated to ask? Have you ever been at a concert and enjoyed it, but felt like you didn't totally know what was going on?
Or, are you a classical music enthusiast who wants to know more about your favourite works, or explore some pieces you haven't heard before?
Semitone's music appreciation classes might be for you. It's informed, but informal; complete but casual. If you want to develop a better appreciation of classical music, then you have to listen to it. Peter introduces each piece by saying something about the composer's place in the development of music, how the piece came to be written and what to listen out for before we listen to it. We listen together, and share our own reactions to each piece.
For any questions about music appreciation classes, please email info@semitonestudios.com or ring 07715 643110.
Music Appreciation
This course is for anyone who is interested in classical music. You needn't have any prior knowledge in order to fully enjoy the sessions.
Day/Time/Location:
Thursday/4:30pm-6:00pm/Online;
Friday 10:30am-12:00pm/@Semitone Studios
Cost: £63 for all 9 sessions or £8 per session
(If this cost is a hardship, please let us know and you may pay what you can afford.)
Friday 5 July: no session
Friday 12 July: Johann Sebastian Bach, Two early cantatas written around 1707 before Bach had
encountered Vivaldi’s music, number 4 and number 150
Friday 19 July: Joseph Haydn, Symphony No 82 in C major The Bear, the first of the six
symphonies commissioned in 1786 for performance at a series of subscription concerts in Paris
Friday 26 July: no session
Friday 2 August: Frédéric Chopin, Piano concerto No 2 in F minor, Opus 21, written when the
composer was aged 20 and first performed by him in Warsaw prior to his move to Paris
Friday 9 August: no session
Friday 16 August: Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony No 11 in G minor, Opus 103, The Year 1905, a
cinematic score written in 1957 which was an immediate popular success in the Soviet Union
Friday 23 August: no session
Friday 30 August: Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No 9 in D minor, Opus 125, written in
response to a commission by the Philharmonic Society of London, first three movements
Friday 6 September: Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No 9, the choral finale
Friday 13 September: Alice Mary Smith, Symphony No 2 in A minor, written in 1876 in response to
a competition for symphonies by British composers but not submitted
Friday 20 September: Antonín Dvořák, The Golden Spinning Wheel, Opus 109, one of a set of five
symphonic poems which the composer wrote in 1896-7 towards the end of his career
Friday 27 September: Francis Poulenc, Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, written in 1949 in
response to a commission from the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Advanced Music Appreciation
This course is for listeners who have at least basic knowledge of classical music - terminology, form, etc. Please enquire if you are unsure.
Day/Time/Location:
Wednesday/2:00pm-4:00pm/Online via Zoom
Cost: £120 for all twelve sessions or £12 for an individual session.
(If cost is an issue for anyone, let us know and you may pay what you can afford.)
The Development of Music for Strings
These online sessions set out to explore a range of classical music composed over the past three hundred years or so, including music in a variety of genres: orchestral, instrumental, choral and
songs. The aim to is to include some well-known pieces but also to explore less familiar repertoire; there is such a wealth of music that we do not normally hear. The theme for each course is chosen
to provide a framework for this. Pieces will be introduced and then we will listen to them and share reactions.
This term’s course will explore the evolution of music for strings and in particular chamber music. The string quartet was a particular important form for many composers. The programme for the
term might be along the following lines. The music discussed and shared will not be restricted to the composers mentioned.
Wednesday 11 September: English and Italian music of the renaissance: Byrd, Dowland, Rossi
Wednesday 18 September: the baroque period: Corelli, Purcell and Vivaldi
Wednesday 25 September: Bach and Handel, the end of an era
Wednesday 2 October: music simplifies for the classical period: Bach’s sons
Wednesday 9 October: Haydn and Mozart, the pinnacle of the classical period
Wednesday 16 October: Beethoven transforms the musical world
Wednesday 23 October: following Beethoven: Schubert, Mendelssohn
Wednesday 30 October: half term break
Wednesday 6 November: which leads to the later romantics: Brahms, Dvořák
Wednesday 13 November: transition to the 20th century: Debussy, Ravel
Wednesday 20 November: the challenge of ‘modern’ music: Berg, Schoenberg, Bartók
Wednesday 27 November: a 20th century giant of the string quartet: Shostakovich
Wednesday 4 December: lots of 20th century music is full of melody
Key composers of string quartets who are likely to feature: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, Smetana, Janáček, Debussy, Ravel, Bartók, Berg,
Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Britten, Tippett, but I will no doubt seek out some less well-known composers to explore and share.