YourClassical Adventures

Everybody gets scared sometimes. Even grown-ups need to find ways to feel safe. Listen to some examples below of how music can turn fear into comfort and courage.

Ludwig Van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 "Moonlight" — Does it sound like Beethoven is comforted by the light of the moon in the middle of the night?

LISTEN — Ludwig Van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 "Moonlight"

Giuseppi Tartini: Violin Concerto "The Devil's Trill" — This composer got a great idea for a piece of music after having an intense dream about the devil and the violin.

LISTEN — Giuseppi Tartini: Violin Concerto "The Devil's Trill"

Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt "In the Hall of Mountain King" — Sometimes fear is helpful, and can tell you when to get out of a bad situation.

LISTEN — Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt "In the Hall of Mountain King"

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Do you feel drawn in by the sound of the cello? Do you know some of the most popular pieces written for cello, or which cellists enjoy covering pop songs? Find out in the listening examples below.

Johann Sebastian Bach: "Prelude" from Cello Suite No. 1 — This is one of the most recognized pieces for solo cello.

LISTEN — Johann Sebastian Bach: "Prelude" from Cello Suite No. 1

Antonin Dvorak: 2nd movement from Cello Concerto — Some consider this to be one of the best and most breathtaking movements ever written for the cello.

LISTEN — Antonin Dvorak: 2nd movement from Cello Concerto.

Ed Sheeran: Perfect — This is a pop song covered by 2Cellos, a duo that plays on electrified cellos.

LISTEN — Ed Sheeran: Perfect

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Find out what the music of Claude Debussy sounds like, and explore all the pictures it can paint in your mind. Hear different examples of Debussy's music below.

Claude Debussy: "Nuages" from Nocturnes — Nuages is the French word for clouds. What kind of clouds do you think Debussy was writing about?

LISTEN — Debussy: "Nuages" from Nocturnes

Claude Debussy: Gardens in the Rain — Here's a fun piece he wrote about a lush, green garden.

LISTEN — Debussy: Gardens in the Rain.

Claude Debussy: "Play of the Waves" from La Mer — What instruments do you hear in this piece that sound like waves rolling up and down?

LISTEN — Debussy: "Play of the Waves" from La Mer

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A concerto features a soloist that stands at the front of the stage, while they play the melody and the orchestra follows. Hear different examples of the concerto below.

Antonio Vivaldi: "Summer" from The Four Seasons — The violinist leads the orchestra in this famous concerto about the summer heat.

LISTEN — Antonio Vivaldi: "Summer" from The Four Seasons

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 08 - 1st mvt — There is a really fun conversation happening between the soloist, and the orchestra in this concerto.

LISTEN — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 08 - 1st mvt.

Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 02 — How many soloists do you hear throughout this piece?

LISTEN — Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 02

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Peaceful and easy listening can do wonders for your peace of mind and creativity. Check out the playlist below to hear some examples.

Ludovico Einaudi: "Fox Tracks" — In this first piece, the composer is inspired to write this piece while taking a long walk through the forest. Can you guess what animals he might find?

LISTEN — Ludovico Einaudi: Fox Tracks

Camille Saint-Saens: "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals — Here's music written about the swan, a bird that looks so peaceful and graceful as it swims across the water.

LISTEN — Camille Saint-Saens: The Swan

Arvo Part: Mirror in Mirror — It's fun to practice taking long, slow breaths to this piece, about never ending images.

LISTEN — Arvo Part: Mirror in Mirror

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Explore the different voices of the oboe with works by Prokofiev, Jean Francaix and more!

Sergei Prokofiev "The Duck" from Peter and the Wolf — A popular selection from the story of Peter and the Wolf. Does the oboe sound like a duck, or some sort of bird to you?

LISTEN — Sergei Prokofiev: "The Duck" from Peter and the Wolf

Jean Francaix: "Belle De Nuit" from The Flower Clock — In this piece, the oboe is a blooming moonflower. This flower blooms when it's dark out, just before dawn.

LISTEN — Jean Francaix: "Belle De Nuit" from The Flower Clock

Carl Nielsen: Two Fantasy Pieces — In this fantasy, the oboe sweeps from low to high pitches. What colorful imagery do you hear in this piece?

LISTEN — Carl Nielsen: Two Fantasy Pieces

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Explore different examples of the most popular song and dance music of the Renaissance, featuring works by Michael Preatorius and John Playford.

John Playford: "Four English Country Dances" — Renaissance dance music was often played on stringed instruments and a popular wind instrument, called a recorder.

LISTEN — John Playford: Four English Country Dances

Michael Praetorius: "Dance Suite from Terpsichore" —Many Renaissance dances were slower, and performed at parties in large groups.

LISTEN — Michael Praetorius: Dance Suite from Terpsichore

Thomas Morely: "I love, alas, I love thee" —Songs of the Renaissance were sung in small groups, without instruments.

LISTEN — Thomas Morely: I love, alas, I love thee.

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Explore different examples of the most popular dance of Vienna, featuring works by Waldteufel, Johann Strauss, Jr. and Irwin Kostal.

Emile Waldteufel: The Skater's Waltz — You can discover a waltz by how it sounds and by listening for three beats. Can you hear groups of three beats in this waltz?

LISTEN — Emile Waldteufel: The Skater's Waltz

Johann Strauss Jr.: On the Beautiful Blue Danube — Maybe you've heard this waltz before. It's one of the most famous ever written by Johann Strauss Jr., inspired by the Danube River in Vienna.

LISTEN — Johann Strauss Jr.: On the Beautiful Blue Danube

Irwin Kostal: Laendler — This is an example of another popular dance from Austria, the Laendler. Does it sound similar to the waltz?

LISTEN — Irwin Kostal: Laendler

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Explore how music can help you be brave and courageous on and off the stage with music selections by John Williams, Beethoven and more.

John Williams: Superman Theme — Sometimes courage means being brave and helping other for the sake of being a good person. That sounds like a superhero.

LISTEN — Williams: Superman Theme

Dario Marianelli: Jane Eyre — "My Edward and I" — Sometimes courage means speaking from the heart and letting others know how you really feel.

LISTEN — Marianelli: My Edward and I

Ludwig van Beethoven: First movement from Piano Sonata No. 21 — Beethoven didn't need a fancy cape to be courageous. He was confident sharing new ideas and stories in the music.

LISTEN — Beethoven: 1st movement from Piano Sonata No. 21

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Have you ever wanted to learn how to play the drums, or any percussion instrument? Find out what classical pieces they are featured in, and how they add excitement to the music.

Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra — There are two notes played back and forth on timpani. It's a pitched, percussion instrument. Can you hear the two different pitches on the timpani?

LISTEN — Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Maurice Ravel: Bolero — One of the most famous pieces in classical music featuring the snare drum.

LISTEN — Maurice Ravel: Bolero

Aaron Copland: "Hoe Down" from Rodeo — This is a really fun piece of ballet music featuring the xylophone. The xylophone almost looks like a keyboard, but you strike the wooden bars with mallets.

LISTEN — Aaron Copland: Hoe Down from Rodeo

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