Classical/Orchestral

The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘classical music’ as “music written in a Western musical tradition, usually using an established form (for example a symphony). Classical music is generally considered to be serious and to have a lasting value.”

Title:
 Bradley Fuller
Bradley Fuller

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Sonatas and Soundscapes explores the diverse and colorful range of classical (and not-so-classical) music. Every weekday host Bradley Fuller programs instrumental music from history’s repertoire...
 Serenade | A Minute with Miles
Serenade | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Serenade is one of those musical terms that has meant many different things at many different times. The term itself comes from the Italian sereno, which is from the Latin serenus, which means “serene...
 Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and Melody  | A Minute with Miles
Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and Melody | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Already during their lifetimes, Antonin Dvorák and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky were among the most famous composers in the world. Their music is extremely sophisticated, the product of highly skilled...
 Chamber Music Rehearsals | A Minute with Miles
Chamber Music Rehearsals | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Chamber music rehearsals are very different from orchestra rehearsals. In an orchestra rehearsal, it’s the conductor’s job to make the overall musical decisions and to ensure that the members of the...
 Francis Poulenc | A Minute with Miles
Francis Poulenc | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Francis Poulenc didn’t have to depend on composition for his living—he was the heir to the fortune of the Rhône-Poulenc pharmaceutical company—but he nonetheless turned out an enormous body of work in...
 Program Notes for Non-Musicians | A Minute with Miles
Program Notes for Non-Musicians | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A word of advice today for non-musicians reading program notes in concert programs: If the program notes are heavy on technical analysis and are loaded with terms like modulation, inversion...
 Atonal Music | A Minute with Miles
Atonal Music | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Atonal music is music that isn’t written in a key, music that doesn’t follow the traditional rules of harmony. But although the term “atonal” tells us what a piece isn’t, it doesn’t tell us what it is...
 Atonality vs Dissonance | A Minute with Miles
Atonality vs Dissonance | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Atonality and dissonance are often linked in listeners’ minds, but they’re not the same thing. Dissonance, from the Latin words for “sounding” and “apart,” is the simultaneous sounding of two or more...
 Max Bruch | A Minute with Miles
Max Bruch | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Some great composers have been pioneers and musical radicals, and some have been fundamentally conservative. Max Bruch was a conservative to his bones, and it served him well. He established his...
 Seymour Barab | A Minute with Miles
Seymour Barab | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The American composer Seymour Barab started out as a pianist and organist, but as a teenager he took up the cello, and as a cellist he became a highly successful orchestra musician, founder of...
 Oboe | A Minute with Miles
Oboe | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The modern oboe most likely originated in France in the 1600's. The word oboe, which is the instrument’s name in both English and Italian, comes from the French name, hautbois, meaning “high wood,” or...
 Rise of Violin | A Minute with Miles
Rise of Violin | A Minute with Miles

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Have you ever wondered how the violin came to play such an important role in the history of classical music? Well, it starts with singing. The invention of opera, in late 16th century Florence, marks...
 Morihiko Nakahara, Conductor | Original SC
Morihiko Nakahara, Conductor | Original SC

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Since 1964, the South Carolina Philharmonic has been performing and promoting high-quality, professional symphonic music for the community. Morihiko Nakahara is known for his charismatic presence on...
Igor Stravinsky  | Artopia
Igor Stravinsky | Artopia

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Igor Stravinsky was born on June 17, 1882 in Oranienbaum near St. Petersburg, Russia. He started piano lessons at the age of nine and began the serious study of composition. At the age of 20 as a law...
 Juilliard In Aiken  | ETV Shorts
Juilliard In Aiken | ETV Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Juilliard in Aiken is a week-long event featuring public performances, concerts and outreach to area schools from students and faculty of Juilliard, America's premier music conservatory. The...
 Priscilla Smith from Juilliard  | ETV Shorts
Priscilla Smith from Juilliard | ETV Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Priscilla Smith from Juilliard discusses chamber music. She discusses pitch in the baroque era and states that she enjoys playing in a baroque ensemble because it is more intimate than playing in an...
 1812 Overture | Artopia
1812 Overture | Artopia

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A Closer Look In this video clip The South Carolina Philharmonic is playing the last few minutes of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. This piece of music was written to celebrate a Russian victory over the...
 Woodwinds Section: Bassoon  | Artopia
Woodwinds Section: Bassoon | Artopia

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Stephanie Whitson plays the bassoon in the South Carolina Philharmonic Brass Section. The bassoon is the largest woodwind and has the deepest sound.
 Woodwinds Section: Clarinet | Artopia
Woodwinds Section: Clarinet | Artopia

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

John Bittle plays the clarinet in t he South Carolina Philharmonic Brass Section. The clarinet uses a single reed. There are many types of clarinets with a very wide range of sounds.
 Woodwinds Section: Flute  | Artopia
Woodwinds Section: Flute | Artopia

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Cynthia Hopkins plays the flute in the South Carolina Philharmonic Brass Section. The flute has a high, clear sound.
 Woodwinds Section: Oboe  | Artopia
Woodwinds Section: Oboe | Artopia

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Petrea Warneck plays the oboe in the South Carolina Philharmonic Brass Section. The oboe is black and made of wood. Its sound is produced by blowing between two small reeds and its high "double reed"...
 String Section: Bass  | Artopia
String Section: Bass | Artopia

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Ken Klatte plays the bass in the South Carolina Philharmonic String Section. The largest stringed instrument is the bass. It's so big the player has to stand up. The sound is very low and rumbling.
 String Section: Viola | Artopia
String Section: Viola | Artopia

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Audrey Harris plays the viola in the South Carolina Philharmonic String Section. The viola is a little larger than the violin and has a mellower sound.