MUA 1930. Assignment 11. The Modern Period (I) 1. Name ONE positive historical event of the modern period NOT LISTED in the lecture. a. Americans went to the moon 2. Name ONE negative historical event of the modern period NOT LISTED in the lecture. a. 9/11 3. Watch this performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano concerto no. 2 (first movement): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEGOihjqO9w Answer these two questions: Does Rachmaninov’s music sound romantic (even though he was a 20th-century composer)? Could he be labeled as a conservative composer in the context of the modern period? I think that Rachmaninov’s music sounds romantic because he challenges the idea of a dissonant chord followed by a consonant chord. I think that because of this he could be labeled as a conservative composer because of the more romantic sound or “past” sound that is being created. 4. Look at the Monet painting below. What is impressionistic about it? How does it give the “impression” of something rather than a precise, well-defined representation of it? What do you see on the canvas? Maybe the girl from the movie Clueless (1995) can give y’all a clue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yScK6mbvEUg This painting is impressionistic because there are larger strokes used and less detailed work. As the quote says in the link, it looks good from far away, but up close it does not look as good. From a distance, it gives the impression of a body of water with boats, trees, and a sunset. The closer you look at it, you realize that it isn’t very precise/detailed, and it doesn’t look as good, the closer you look at it.5. Listen to Satie’s: Gymnopédie no. 1. (This video contains three pieces; just listen to the first one). What is “dreamy” about this music? Do you agree with Satie’s dictum, “My music is to be heard, not listened to.” Could you for example study for an exam with this music in the background? I think that this piece is very dreamy because it contains a lot of connected notes, and it played very legato. There are many chords accompanying the melody, and I think that helps with the dreamy effect. I agree with Satie’s dictum, “my music is to be heard, not listened to”. I could definitely study for an exam with this music in the background. It is not distracting, but it is calming and soothing (dreamy). It is simple enough to not be distracted by it, yet it is still calming.