Choose FOUR of the following questions to answer. You can do all five to earn up to 15 points of extra credit.
1) In the documentary you watched about The Rite of Spring, the host, Michael Tilson Thomas, says at one point that “ironically, Stravinsky had gone too far forward by trying to go back.” What does he mean by that? Be specific and cite examples from the premiere of the work in you response.
2) Could you consider Ives, Copland, and Bernstein to be American nationalist composers? Explain your answer, and be sure it communicates that you understand what makes a composer a nationalist composer, as covered in your PowerPoint on the subject.
3) “America” from Bernstein’s West Side Story tackles (in very funny lyrics and upbeat music) some serious issues surrounding immigration. What are they? In what ways do they still apply in our own era, if you believe that they do?
4) Use the internet to find an example of a song that played a role in summer 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests. Name the song, the artist, and the context in which it played a role, and in a few sentences, explain how this fits into the tradition of African American music in the United States. What are some specific things it has in common with past genres of African American music?
5) You watched an ad for beef that featured the music of Aaron Copland, because the creators wanted to create an emotional connection between red meat and the hearty down-home American spirit that Copland’s music has come to represent. Pick ANY single piece of music we’ve studied in this class, and tell what product or service you would use it to advertise and why. (Don’t worry if it’s too long for an ad!)
