Blog Posts

January's Composer: Maurice Ravel

1/16/2016

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a French pianist who composed in the Impressionistic style. He wrote piano solos, piano concertos, works for orchestra, and a ballet. He is also known for his colorful orchestrations of other composer's piano solos, like Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

Learn more by. . .

Reading an article in the January issue of Piano Explorer magazine.
Watching videos on the Piano Explorer website.
Listen to this video of Mrs. Troutner's favorite Ravel piano solo. :) The title means "playing water," and Ravel included one line of a poem with the music: "The river god laughs at the water as it tickles him." What pictures come to mind as you listen?

J'eux Deau (Playing Water) by Ravel

November's Composer: Antonin Dvorak

11/2/2015

Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) was a composer from the Czech Republic who lived during the Romantic Era. His most famous music includes a set of fun piano duets, Slavonic Dances (one piano, four hands), as well as a symphony based on a trip he made to America, called the New World Symphony.

Learn more by. . .

Reading an article in the November issue of Piano Explorer magazine.
Watching videos on the Piano Explorer website.
Listening to short Classics for Kids radio programs about Dvorak.
Compare/contrast these two versions of Dvorak's Slavonic Dance Op. 46 No. 8. Which is your favorite?

Slavonic Dance Op. 46 No. 8, piano duet version