Teacher: Edelstein Class: IB Music SL

Lesson: Introduction to the Twentieth Century

Time: April 19th-20th; or when ready to begin twentieth century music

Lesson Title: A Scrambled Survey of Twentieth Century Music

The students will be able to identify and articulate a number of
characteristics about twentieth century music, based on the listening
examples.

Objective: The students will be able to identify and articulate a number of characteristics about
twentieth century music, based on the listening examples. After listening to each of
the 26 listening examples, students will make an attempt to order the
pieces based on the musical elements that they hear. In

Standards: MU:Re7.2.C.IIIa Analyze aurally the elements of music (including form),

compositional techniques, and procedures, relating them to aesthetic
effectiveness, style, mood and content.
MU:Re8.1.C.IIIa Develop, justify and defend interpretations of varied
work, demonstrating an understanding of the composers’ intent by citing
the use of elements of music…
MU:Re9.1.C.IIIa Evaluate the effectiveness of the technical and
expressive aspects of selected music and performances.
MU:Cr1.1.C.IIIa Describe and demonstrate multiple ways in which
sounds and musical ideas can be used to represented extended sonic
experiences or abstract ideas.
MU:Cr2.1.C.IIa Assemble and organize multiple sounds or musical ideas
to create an initial expressive statement of selected sonic events,
memories, images, concepts, texts, or storylines.

Eligible Content: History – Identify and analyze cooperation among 15-20th century.
Writing – Develop tone and voice through the thoughtful and precise use
of language. The students will apply the historical events and
characteristics of the given piece and be able to comment as to how they
have an effect on the literature/art/and compositions of this given period.

Academic or Guided practice and apply knowledge to listening skills

Content Vocab: Students will answer an open-ended question verbally and will be
expected to answer open ended question in the format of PSSA
 Aural analysis: The students will be able to describe/cite example and
apply all concepts introduced in these lessons by writing in their Listening
Journals. The students will comment on the following Musical Aspects of
the piece – melody, harmony, rhythm, form, texture, timbre
Lesson Plan & Flow:

Skill(s)/Technique(s): Historical context, aural analysis

Materials/Resources: Writing utensils, listening apparatus, projector screen

Opening: Introduce the context of the twentieth – what happened historically? what
was the effect on that musically? what might we expect to hear?
Talk about the progression – what do we hear in twentieth century music,
and how did it progress? how does it relate to the events and ideas?

Activities: The students are given a worksheet with at least part of the title of 26
different representative works of twentieth century music (see list below).
However, the pieces are not listed in chronological order, so as we go
down the list while listening to short excerpts of each piece, the students
will take a guess as to the year it was composed (with a timeline on the
projector to give them context for historical events) and/or an event, idea,
etc. associated with the piece. Once they’ve listened to each piece (with
maybe a little discussion between pieces), they will put the pieces in the
chronological order that they think they were written.

Closing: Open forum with the students on what they heard, and what their
reactions were to the different pieces, styles and compositional
techniques.
Depending on the students’ preference, review the pieces either in
chronological order, or in the page order while revealing their place in the
order. Ask the students what surprised them, what didn’t, how it varied
from their expectations, etc.

Assessments: Informal discussions, eventually collecting the worksheets and “grading”

them based on accuracy

Extensions/HW: Exploring other composers or pieces mentioned/referenced to compare

and contrast; share the playlist with them
Listening to other twentieth century pieces to see how they fit into what
we listened to
Materials:
1. Symphony No. 6, Gustav Mahler - 1904
2. The Firebird, Igor Stravinsky - 1910
3. 6 Little Piano Pieces, VI. Sehr langsam, Arnold Schoenberg - 1911
4. Mother Goose Suite, Maurice Ravel - 1912
5. Pulcinella, Igor Stravinsky - 1920
6. String Quartet “1931,” Ruth Crawford Seeger - 1931
7. Carmina Burana, “O Fortuna,” Carl Orff - 1935
8. Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, Béla Bartók - 1936
9. Quartet for the End of Time, Olivier Messaien - 1941
10. Sonatas and Interludes, John Cage - 1948
11. Gesang der Jünglinge, Karlheinz Stockhausen - 1956
12. So What, Miles Davis - 1959
13. Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, Krzysztof Penderecki - 1960
14. Sound Patterns, Pauline Oliveros - 1961
15. War Requiem, “Out there…” Benjamin Britten - 1962
16. Ascension, John Coltrane - 1965
17. A Day in the Life, The Beatles - 1967
18. Sinfonia, Luciano Berio - 1968
19. Mass, “Agnus Dei,” Leonard Bernstein - 1971
20. Tales from Topographic Oceans, Yes - 1973
21. Popol vuh, Alberto Ginastera - 1975
22. Music for 18 Musicians, Steve Reich - 1976
23. Fratres, Arvo Pärt - 1985
24. String Quartet No. 2, musica instrumentalis, Aaron Jay Kernis - 1997
25. On the Transmigration of Souls, John Adams - 2002
26. To the Hands, “In Medio,” Caroline Shaw - 2016