We’re about to begin another year of piano lessons, and I think it’s going to be the best one yet! It’s just two weeks until the September Surprise, so I thought I’d give you a little something to do before then. Here’s how it works:

1. Look at the image above.

2. Write a short description of what you think the theme this year is all about based on the above image.

3. Leave your description in the comments section of this post.

4. At the September Surprise, I’ll read all the submitted descriptions and award prizes for the one that is the funniest, the one that is the most clever, and the one that is the closest to the real thing.

5. Have fun (as always)!

There are three different keys you can use to unlock a Romantic Era piece. The first is the date. Since Romantic music was composed in the 1800s, the piece has to have been composed in the 1800s, also. The composer is the second key. Some popular Romantic composers include Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Grieg, and many more. The final key is the style of the piece. Because Romantic music was a reaction to eloquent, particular classical music, most Romantic music is big and grand. Also, Romantic music generally uses a wide range of dynamics. This is because the full scale piano had recently been invented, and it took the place of a smaller piano on which dynamics were almost impossible to produce. You can use these three keys to decide if a piece you are playing is from the Romantic Era or not.

http://www.ted.com/talks/evelyn_glennie_shows_how_to_listen.html

I know it is long, but what Evelyn Glennie says can completely apply to the piano and really inspired me to “listen” more to the music I play on the piano.

Album for the Young – 43 pieces
Schumann composed this collection in just 16 days and gave it as a Christmas gift to his children.

Carnaval – 21 Pieces
Almost every piece begins with notes that correspond to the German letters a-s-c-h and relate to the musical notes of Schumann’s name.

Waldszenen (Forest Scenes) – 9 pieces
Within this collection is the piece “Vogel als Prophet (Prophetic Bird)” which is a favorite encore piece for many performers. All nine of these compositions were written in a year, from 1848 to 1849.

Albumblatter (Album Leaves) – 20 pieces
Composed throughout 1832-1845 this collection, like many, is without a program and was not composed in any specific order.  Such collections are generally called character pieces.

Bunte Blatter (Leaves of Different Colors) – 14 pieces
This collection is comprised of a variety of different pieces that Schumann at one point was said to have called “Spreu,” – meaning chaff.

Fantasiestucke (Fantasy Pieces) – 8 pieces
Considered a fusion of literary and musical ideas.  Some of the pieces contain heavy syncopation, which Schumann enjoyed putting into his music.

Kinderszenen (Scenes From Childhood) – 13 pieces
A collection of light and playful pieces including, Traumerei, one of Schumann’s most famous compositions.

People

Frederic Chopin – Composer (1810 – 1849)
One of the most well known composers, Chopin was born in Poland in 1810, and is credited with over 100 compositions of various styles.

Maria Sklodowska-Curie – Scientist (1867 – 1934)
Thought to be one of the greatest scientist of her time, Maria was awarded 2 different Nobel Prizes for her work in physics and chemistry.

Jan Karski – Diplomat (1914 – 2000)
A member of the Underground Polish Army during World War II, Karski spent much time seeking help from the western countries, including the USA, even meeting with President Roosevelt.

Pope John Paul II – Pope (1920 – 2005)
Ordained as Pope in 1978, Pope John Paul served until his death in 2005.  A total of almost 27 years, one of the longest periods of service in the history of the Catholic Church.

Events

966 – Then Prince Mieszko adopted Christianity.
1476 – Poland is plagued by grasshoppers and widespread famine.
1500-1600 – Considered the “Golden Age” of Poland & Lithuania when political stability, prosperity, and cultural achievement reached their peak.
1939 – Invaded by German forces as World War II began.

Places

Treblinka – A Nazi death camp during WWII, now occupied by a monument to it’s history.

Palace on the Water – Originally built as a private bathing house, in 1764 King Stanislas Poniatowski began remodeling it into the “Palace” it is now known as.  It is surrounded by a beautiful park called Lazienki, (Lazienki means ‘the baths’).

Poland

Throughout the years Poland has been repeatedly divided by other countries into their own land, as well as occupied by foreign armies.  Each time, Poland has fought back and, in time, regained its borders for itself.  Since being occupied in WWII by Germany, Poland has worked to put itself back together and move forward into the 21^st century.

Poland is located in Europe.  The northern border is along the Baltic Sea, and in the west Poland is connected with Germany and the Czech Republic, in the south Slovakia, and on the eastern side, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia.

Governed by a democratic republic, Poland is in some ways much like the U.S. in its rules of government.  Each president is elected for 5 years and is allowed two terms in office.  The Senate or Senat are elected for four years, by a majority vote on a provincial basis.  The Sejm, a lower house, are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms.

Poland continues to build and better itself to keep its own up and coming generation at home.