Open Court Unit 4

What is an Orchestra?
Comprehension Questions 11.                 Name the four categories of musical instruments used in an orchestra.2.                 Why is a conductor's role important in an orchestra?3.                 What is the difference between a viola and a violin?4.                 How is music from the classical era different from the Baroque period?5.                 What is a symphony?6.                 Name the musical instrument used to tune up all the other instruments before a concert.  Why is that particular musical instrument used?7.                 Why are woodwind instruments called aerophones?8.                 What is chamber music?9.                 What is the difference between an Indonesian Gamelan Orchestra and a Mexican Mariachi Band?10.           Name the loudest musical instruments in an orchestra.  Why are they considered the loudest?
Comprehension Questions 2
1.                 Describe the earliest orchestras.2.                 Name two composers of the romantic period.3.                 Why are the softer sounding instruments placed at the front of an orchestra?4.                 How do musicians produce sound with string instruments?5.                 Why is a saxophone considered similar to the woodwind instruments?6.                 How did the orchestras of Mozart's time vary from those of Richard Wagner's lifetime?7.                 How long is a bassoon, and what sound does it produce?8.                 Name four popular instruments in the brass section.9.                 Who devised the method to write music for orchestras in the twelfth century.  Why did they start writing it down in that manner?10.           When musicians improvise, what do they do?

The Nightingale

Vocabulary1.     coquetry2.    exquisite3.    stilted4.    tomes5.    tone-deaf6.    deigned7.     courtiersComprehension Questions 11.                 Was the Emperor's palace a sight to behold? How?2.                 Was the Emperor aware of everything going on in his kingdom?  Why or why not?3.                 What job was assigned to the Chamberlain, and what was the proposed punishment for failure to do the job?4.                 Who came to the aid of the Chamberlain and the courtiers, and what information was given to them?5.                 Why were the Chamberlain and the couriers taken aback when looking at the nightingale?6.                 What went on in the palace to prepare for the concert by the nightingale?7.                 Was the nightingale a success with the Emperor and in the kingdom - explain with two examples?8.                 How did the mechanical nightingale look, and what happened on its arrival?9.                 Why did the Emperor start crying out for music from his sick bed?10.           Why did the real nightingale come back?

Comprehension Questions 2

1.                 What conveys the idea that the Emperor enjoyed surrounding himself with beauty?2.                 What makes you question the Chamberlain and the courtiers' concept of what is good music?3.                 According to the Chamberlain, outward beauty and beauty on the inside go hand in hand - which statement supports this?4.                 What was the nightingale's reward for singing at court?5.                 What was missing in the song of the mechanical nightingale?6.                 Why did the nightingale leave the palace?7.                 Why was the nightingale banished from the kingdom?8.                 How did the nightingale's song save the Emperor from death?9.                 What does the story tell us about the power of music?

10.           Where does truly beautiful music come from?

Aida

The Sound of Flutes
Vocabulary
1.     courting2.    unmannerly3.    obsidian4.    mournful5.    eerie6.    coup7.     soulful
Comprehension Questions #1
1.           What type of music do flutes play according to the storyteller?2.           According to our storyteller what personality traits do all Native Americans share?3.           Why don't Native American men and women hold hands?4.           What animal was the young warrior hunting when her discovered how to make the flute?5.           What special property does this animal have?6.           When and from who did the young warrior get his idea for the flute?7.           Where did the music from the flute come from?8.           Why did the young warrior go to the sweat lodge?9.           Who fell in love with the young warrior, and why did she fall in love with him?10.       Name all the people, animals, and parts of nature that helped invent the Siyotanka.
Comprehension Questions #2
1.           Give three reasons why Indian men and women had a hard time meeting each other.2.           Did the young warrior kill the elk he was hunting?  If he did not kill the elk, how did it escape?3.           What type of bird helped the young man make the flute?4.           Why did the flute have to be made from a cedar tree?5.           Why didn't the flute work the first time the young warrior tried to play it?6.           How many days did the young warrior have to fast and stay in the sweat lodge?7.           What did the flute look like - the one the warrior made after his vision?8.           Describe the personality of the wincincala the young warrior fell in love with?9.           What happened to the wincincala when she heard the song of the young warrior?10.       Why did all the young men in the village start making flutes?
Ray and Mr. Pitt

Vocabulary

1.     influence2.    jukebox3.    contraption4.    exposed5.    enthralled6.    upright7.     boogie-woogie

Comprehension Questions #1

1.           Where was the great Ray Charles born?2.           When did Ray Charles begin to lose his sight, and when did he finally go blind?3.           What type of music did Ray Charles play?4.           Did Ray Charles allow his disability to stop him from being a musician?5.           Who was Mr. Pit, and how did he help Ray Charles?6.           Why do you think Mr. Pit helped Ray?7.           What is boogie-woogie music?8.           What type of childhood did Ray Charles have?9.           How did Mr. Pit's music affect Ray Charles?10.       How did music help Ray Charles?

Comprehension Questions #2

1.           What was the Red Wing Cafe, and where was it located?2.           Who was Ray Charles' greatest musical influence, and how was he important to Ray?3.           Boogie-woogie music is composed of what kinds of music?4.           How does the reader know that Mr. Pit was a great musician?5.           Why do you think Mr. Pit did not pursue a musical career?6.           What instrument did Ray Charles play?7.           Wow did Mr. Pit teach Ray the piano, and how did this make him more creative?8.           How did Ray Charles feel about Mr. Pit, and did he respect him as a musician?9.           Why was the piano the perfect instrument for Ray Charles?10.       Why was Mr. Pit so important to the author?

  

Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Vocabulary1.     peculiar2.    metronome3.    nimble4.    master5.    pealing6.    awash7.     eccentricitiesComprehension Questions #11.           Why does Christoph say that his family is the laughingstock of Vienna? 2.           Why did Christoph feel that Mr. Beethoven had made a mess in the study? 3.           Why does Christoph like the outside of his house the most? 4.           Why does Christoph's uncle say that there are reasons for Mr. Beethoven's strange behavior? 5.           How did the visitors communicate with Mr. Beethoven after he became deaf? 6.           Give to examples to show that Mr. Beethoven was nervous and moody before his symphony.7.           What was Christoph's reaction after listening to Mr. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony? 8.           What particular name did Christoph name his twin sisters and why did he choose that name? 9.           Give two examples to show that Mr. Beethoven was kind towards Christoph. 10.       According to Mr. Schindler, why did Mr. Beethoven work so hard in composing music? Comprehension Questions #21.           What did Christoph name his dog and why? 2.           What was Christoph's reaction to Mr. Beethoven at the beginning of the story? 3.           Where did Mr. Beethoven go in the summer? 4.           Where was Mr. Beethoven born?  Describe his childhood. 5.           Why does Christoph think Mr. Beethoven is a madman? 6.           When Mr. Beethoven flew into a rage and said, "There are many princes, but only one Beethoven," what did he mean? 7.           Why does Uncle Karl believe that Mr. Beethoven has a restless nature? 8.           Why were Mr. Beethoven's pianos stained?9.           What made Mr. Beethoven's friend suspect that Beethoven was deaf?

10.       What was the famous piece of music Beethoven worked on when he was deaf?

The Man Who Wrote Messiah

Vocabulary

1.     oratorio2.    patron3.    repertory4.    improvising5.    harpsichord6.    prodigy7.     culmination
Comprehension Questions #1
1.                 What did Handel's father want him to be in his adult life? 2.                 How did Handel treat his musicians? 3.                 Name the person who thought Handel was washed up.  Name the person's position. 4.                 How did Handel feel after he wrote the Messiah?5.                 Describe the theater Handel first performed the Messiah in? 6.                 Why did Handel's music become less popular? 7.                 How did Handel use the profits from the Messiah? 8.                 At what time of year is the Messiah often performed? 9.                 What is the date of Handel's death?

10.           In a paragraph, describe the ways in which the two or three composers from the theme are alike.


Comprehension Questions #2
1.                 Who discovered Handel's talent? 2.                 Name the two ways Handel became wealthy. 3.                 What was the name of Handel's first Italian opera?4.                 How did Handel become impoverished? 5.                 What disease did Handel suffer from? 6.                 How could Handel get cured of the disease he had? 7.                 When did Handel write the Messiah, and what did people think of it? 8.                 What was the Messiah about, and when did the opera debut? 9.                 What did the English audiences think of the Messiah?