Music Appreciation
Music Appreciation
Course Description
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of great composers, artists, and musical works. The Oscar Peterson School of Music (formerly the Royal Conservatory School) in Toronto offers an unsurpassed breadth of Music Appreciation classes taught by experts in a welcoming and intimate environment. These sessions are designed to expand your understanding and enjoyment of music across genres and historical periods, from the rich traditions of the past to exciting new creations of the present.
What do musical symbols mean? Can I learn to follow along in the score while listening to my favourite symphony? If I play by ear, can I still learn to read music?
Wonder no more.
Our Introduction to Music Theory course opens the door to the language of music. You’ll learn about notation, key signatures, time signatures, intervals, chords, the workings of melody, harmony, and rhythm. You will develop the basic skills for reading music.
Whether you’re a complete beginner, or a music aficionado looking to delve further into your favourite works across many styles and genres, you’ll gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of music.
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The Music of Gustav Mahler: An Introduction
Instructor: Rick Phillips
The music of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was not appreciated during his lifetime, causing him to remark “My time will come.” He was right – Mahler’s music and message have found an audience and continue to grow in popularity. Mahler was a philosopher/musician, struggling to understand the human soul and the meaning of life, death, and life after death. His music is a complex but wonderful language expressing the personal, universal and philosophical, sometimes suggesting another state of mind and being. It’s music that tells us about ourselves, our purpose, our possible future and our spirituality – music tailor-made for the 21st century. This series will serve as an introduction to Mahler’s magical musical world.
Symphonies by Felix Mendelssohn
Instructor: Rick Phillips
One of the first of the great 19th century Romantic composers, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) had a gift for romantic emotion, warmth and tenderness while respecting the traditional musical forms and structures of the past. New wine in old bottles. By his teenage years, he had cut his symphonic teeth with thirteen symphonies for strings, before continuing on with another five full-scale symphonies, including the No. 2 with vocal soloists and chorus titled Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), as well as the popular Scottish (No. 3), Italian (No. 4) and Reformation (No.5) symphonies.
Ebony & Ivory: Four Great Pianists
Instructor: Rick Phillips
Like actors and athletes, no two pianists are alike. Each is a rich mixture of talent, creativity, nationality, personality, education and experience. Using classic recordings from the past and present, this course will explore the lives and music-making of four great pianists from the 20th century and into the 21st – the Polish-born Chopin interpreter Artur Rubinstein (1887-1982), the Soviet-era power-house Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997), the Argentine master Martha Argerich (b.1941) and the Canadian-born globe-trotter Angela Hewitt (b.1958).
Beethoven Overtures
Instructor: Rick Phillips
When we talk about the orchestral music of Beethoven, the symphonies and concertos get all the attention while the Overtures are overlooked. They are wonderful, capsulized orchestral pieces that introduce larger works to follow, or, like tone poems, they evoke people, places and concepts through pure music. The 4 Overtures to Fidelio, the Coriolan, Egmont, King Stephen…..and more.
The Mass in B Minor by J.S. Bach
Instructor: Rick Phillips
J. S. Bach worked away on the Mass in B Minor over a period of about twenty-five years, completing it in the last few years of his life. His design, structure, scope, treatment and expression in this work stand majestically as a pinnacle of the power and art of Music. As a 19th century music critic claimed, "It is the greatest work of music of all ages and of all peoples."
Classical Music in the Movies
Instructor: Rick Phillips
Look into the use of classical music in film soundtracks over the decades. The whys, hows and results, but without the visuals. Among the movies you'll explore will be Amadeus, Elvira Madigan, Apocalypse Now, Annie Hall, 2001: a Space Odyssey, and more.
| Course |
Day |
Time |
Dates |
Instructor |
Tuition |
|
| The Music of Gustav Mahler- An Introduction |
Thu |
1-3pm ET |
May 5-19, 2022 |
Rick Phillips |
$90 |
Register
|
| Symphonies by Felix Mendelssohn |
Tue |
10am-Noon ET |
May 24-Jun 7, 2022 |
Rick Phillips |
$90 |
Register
|
| Ebony & Ivory – Four Great Pianists |
Thu |
1-3pm ET |
May 26-Jun 16, 2022 |
Rick Phillips |
$120 |
Register
|
| Beethoven Overtures |
Thu |
1-3pm ET |
Jun 23, 2022 |
Rick Phillips |
$30 |
Register
|
| The Mass in B Minor by J.S. Bach |
Thu |
1-3pm ET |
Jul 14, 2022 |
Rick Phillips |
$30 |
Register
|
| Classical Music at the Movies |
Wed |
1-3pm ET |
Aug 17, 2022 |
Rick Phillips |
$30 |
Register
|