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This month we are looking at classical music, at the time of Mozart, Haydn, and early Beethoven. 1750- c. 1827. This note will share some interesting facts about this time period, and we are including a challenge for both parents and student! Younger students might also enjoy listening to these shows about Mozart Haydn and Beethoven. If you listen, please let your teachers know. These classic for kids shows are terrific!
http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/showview.asp?ID=27 Mozart
http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/showview.asp?ID=20 Beethoven
http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/showdesc.asp?id=16 Haydn
Here are a few...four questions qualifies you for the hot coco reward, or a trip to the treasure box!
1. How old was Mozart when he started composing? What was his first opera?
2. What new business became an important part in spreading classical music? b) Why was it important?
3. Who were the big 3 classical composers? Which composer's music bridged the classical and romantic periods?
4. How did the style of the classical composer differ from that of the baroque? What about the art and architecture?
5. What city did the big three live and work in during their maturity?
6. What are 2 similarities between Mozart and Beethoven?
7. What was occurring in the U.S. during the classical period?
8. What was the surprise in the Surprise Symphony, and what was the farewell in the Farewell Symphony?
There were many inventions that we take for granted that appeared in this time; here are a few of the more common ones, many we still use!
1714: Mercury thermometer - Daniel Fahrenheit
1752: Lightning rod - Benjamin Franklin
1759: Shampoo- Sake Dean Mahomet of Bengal
1783: Hot air balloon - Montgolfier brothers
1784: Bifocals - Benjamin Franklin
1791: Artificial teeth - De Chemant
1798: Vaccination - Edward Jenner
1804: Locomotive - Richard Trevithick
1805: Submarine Nautilus - Robert Fulton
1807: Steamboat Clermont - Robert Fulton
1816: Stethoscope - Rene Laennec
1818: Bicycle - Karl Drais
1821: Electric motor - Michael Faraday
1824: Portland cement - William Aspdin
1826: Photography - Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
So, Bach couldn't have ridden a bike, or washed his hair! No wonder he wore a wig! And Beethoven could have, but probably didn't, wash his hair, and could have ridden a steamboat down the Mississippi River.
While these composers were writing away in Europe, we had our own problems here in America where:
1729 - Benjamin Franklin founded the first American public library in Philadelphia.
1754 - The French and Indian War erupted as a result of disputes over land in the Ohio River Valley.
March 5, 1770 - The Boston Massacre occurred as a mob harasses British soldiers.
December 16, 1773 - Boston Tea Party occurred as colonial activists dump all 342 containers of tea into the harbor.
April 18, 1775 - Paul Revere's ride.
January 14, 1784 - The Treaty of Paris was ratified by Congress. The Revolutionary War officially ended.
September 17, 1787 - Thirty nine delegates voted to approve and then signed the final draft of the new Constitution.
July 14, 1789 - In France, the French Revolution began with the fall of the Bastille in Paris, an event witnessed by the American ambassador, Thomas Jefferson.
1800 - June. The U. S. capital was moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
1803 - Louisiana Purchase January 18.
1821 - New York gave free Blacks the right to vote