Educational Avatar Update
The avatar updates happen monthly and are a great opportunity to teach students about composers and musicians from our history.
In Practice Space your students can add avatars and background to their inventory so they can keep their home screen fresh! They can only do this after practicing. Each one comes with their own quotes so the composer can tell us about themselves and their musical period. Below are the six Baroque composers this month with the facts they’ll share. We included a little biography if you’d like to share with your students!
George Frideric Handel was German-born English composer of the late Baroque era, noted particularly for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions. He wrote the most famous of all oratorios, Messiah (1741), and is also known for Water Music (1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749).
Facts in app:
I was born in Germany, but later moved to London.
I also went blind towards the end of my career like Beethoven.
I wrote over 40 operas. That's a LOT of music!
Imagine having a concert on a river! Water music was performed on a boat!
Messiah is a spectacular piece that has a chorus shouting "Hallelujah!
Water Music, and Music for the Royal Fireworks remain steadfastly popular today!
I was born in Germany in 1685 but moved to England later in life.
Francesca Caccini grew up and worked in Florence as a musician for the Medici family. She was the first woman to compose opera and the most well-paid musician in the court at the height of her career in the 1620s.
Facts in app:
Not only a composer, but she was also a superstar singer, making people go "Wow!" with her voice.
Imagine this: Francesca was one of the first women to write an opera, a big musical story with singing!
She was a musical genius, playing not one, not two, but three instruments: the guitar, the harpsichord, and the lute!
Francesca's nickname was "La Cecchina," which means "The Songbird," because her music was as beautiful as bird songs!
Born into a family of musicians, Francesca was rocking out to music since she was a little kid!
Francesca was not just famous in Italy; people all over Europe wanted to hear her sing and play!
In a time when few women were composers, Francesca was a trailblazer, showing that girls can do anything!
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, active during the first half of the 18th century during the later Baroque era of classical music. Bach's innovative use of counterpoint proved hugely influential in the development of classical music.
Facts in app:
Bach was a mega music writer, creating over 1000 pieces!
This music genius had a big family with 20 kids!
Bach was also a skilled organ player, rocking churches!
He once walked 250 miles just to hear his favorite musician play!
As a boy, Bach copied music by candlelight to learn new songs!
Bach could make music sound like a story, with high notes for happy moments and low notes for sad ones
Bach was a master of harmonies!
Bach was like a music detective, exploring and mixing different styles!
Bach's tunes are so timeless, astronauts took his music to the moon!
Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer. Like his renowned father Alessandro Scarlatti, he composed in a variety of musical forms, although today he is known mainly for his 555 keyboard sonatas. He spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families.
Facts in app:
Scarlatti was a keyboard wizard, creating over 500 twinkling tunes just for the harpsichord!
Domenico and his dad, Alessandro, were both famous composers - it was a family thing!
Scarlatti loved to make music sound like chattering birds or running streams - a true nature lover!
He was born in the same year as Bach and Handel, a golden year for music!
Scarlatti created zippy and zoomy melodies that would make you want to dance!
He had a royal job, teaching music to a princess in Portugal!
Scarlatti's music was like a roller coaster, full of surprising twists and exciting turns!
His pieces were like little musical stories, each one telling a different tale!
Even though he was Italian, he spent a lot of time in Spain, soaking up the sunny vibes in his music!
Scarlatti was a master of making the harpsichord sing, with tunes that were both bouncy and graceful!
Barbara Strozzi was an Italian composer and singer of the Baroque Period. During her lifetime, Strozzi published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the era. She was known for her virtuosic vocal talent, and the ability to accompany herself on the lute or theorbo.
Facts in app:
Barbara Strozzi was like a musical superhero, being one of the first women to publish her own songs!
She had the coolest job ever, making up songs for big, fancy parties in Venice!
Barbara was not just a composer; she was also a fabulous singer!
Her house was like a magical music castle where artists and thinkers gathered to enjoy great tunes and chats!
Barbara loved to write music that told stories, with characters who laughed, cried, and fell in love.
She was a real-life star in the 1600s, having fans who loved her work even in far-away lands!
Barbara's music is like a colorful painting, with each note creating beautiful pictures in your mind!
Despite facing many challenges, Barbara shined bright, leaving behind music that still makes people smile today!
Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music.He pioneered many developments in orchestration, violin technique and programmatic music like his piece the “Four Season”, which musically depicts each season of the year He also wrote over 500 concertos!
Facts in app:
Vivaldi, with his wild red hair, was sometimes called the "Red Priest" because he was a musician and a priest!
He created music that sounds just like storms, birds, and even barking dogs!
Vivaldi was a superstar on the violin, playing since he was a very little boy!
He wrote a group of concerts called "The Four Seasons" that lets you hear what each season sounds like in music!
Vivaldi was also a teacher, helping many young kids become music stars at an orphanage!
Guess what? Vivaldi wrote over 500 concertos - that's a mountain of music!
Vivaldi was not just a music genius; he was also a fantastic opera impresario, creating big, grand shows!
Despite being very popular in his time, Vivaldi's music was rediscovered many years later, proving it's never too late to be a star!
Facts about the Baroque all of the above will be sharing with us:
Baroque music is a style that prevailed from about 1600 to about 1750.
Baroque music was known for its grandiose, dramatic, and energetic in spirit.
Baroque music is over 400 years old!
Baroque composers were the original rock stars!
The harpsichord was the "in" instrument in the Baroque!
Baroque musicians were like cool sound experimenters!
Small but mighty orchestras rocked the Baroque era!
Back then, music was only live, no recordings!
Operas with grand shows and costumes were all the rage!
The Baroque era made way for the fancy Classical period!
Background Update
Some other fun additions
These all cheer the student on but also talk about tempo and other musical terms!
