December 15, 2021 - O'Connor Piano Studio

Christmas Countdown: The First Noel

December 15, 2021

| Christmas, Composers, Holiday

The First Nowell (also written The First Noël) is a traditional classical English carol, most likely from the 18th century, although possibly earlier. The word Noel comes from the French word Noël meaning “Christmas”, from the Latin word natalis “birthday”. The melody is unusual among English folk melodies in that it consists of one musical […]

👽 Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra ~ Daily Listening Assignments
Today’s piece is Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss. It was made popular in the 1968 Stanley Kubrick science-fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. The organ part in this snippet looks pretty easy.
🎵 Minuet in G ~ Daily Listening Assignments
Today we will listen to Minuet in G. Several people composed a Minuet (a slow, stately ballroom dance for two in 3/4 time, popular especially in the 18th century) in the key of G including Beethoven, Mozart and Bach. How are the same? How are they different?
🌜 Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata ~ Daily Listening Assignments
Today we listen to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”. The real name for this work is The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor “Quasi una fantasia”, Op. 27, No. 2. It was completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi The piece is one of Beethoven’s most popular compositions for the […]
🇬🇧 The British Grenadiers ~ Daily Listening Assignments
Today’s piece is called the British Grenadiers and I’ve included it because most students today haven’t heard of the piece OR know what a grenadier is. Find this in Keyboard Kickoff, Prelude and many other piano method books. “The British Grenadiers” is a traditional marching song of British, Australian and Canadian military units whose badge […]
🎵 Ponchielli: Dance of the Hours ~ Daily Listening Assignments
Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli became even more widely known after its inclusion in the 1940 Disney animated film Fantasia where it is depicted as a comic ballet featuring anthropomorphized ostriches, hippopotamuses, elephants, and alligators.
❄️ Heller: Avalanche ~ Daily Listening Assignments
I chose this today, when it’s so hot, to remind people of snow and coldness!
⏱ Running Late ~ Daily Listening Assignments
I’m running late today…again!
🤡 😀😢🥸 World Emoji Day
World Emoji Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated on July 17. The day is deemed a “global celebration of emoji” and is primarily celebrated online. Celebrated annually since 2014,[NBC reported that the day was Twitter’s top trending item on July 17 in 2015. Now before the emoji, there were emoticons. Emoticons (emotion + icon) were […]
🌸 Sakura~ Daily Listening Assignments
“Sakura Sakura”, also known as “Sakura”, is a traditional Japanese folk song depicting spring, the season of cherry blossoms. It is often sung or played in international settings as a song representative of Japan.
🍦 Today is National Ice Cream Day!
National Ice Cream Day is observed each year on the 3rd Sunday in July and is a part of National Ice Cream Month. This day is a fun celebration enjoyed with a bowl, cup or cone filled with your favorite flavor of ice cream. Thousands of years ago, people in the Persian Empire would put […]
🥢 Lulli: Chopsticks ~ Daily Listening Assignments
Today’s piece is the one that all kids seem to be able to teach each other without having any lessons at all. “Chopsticks” (original name “The Celebrated Chop Waltz”) is a simple, widely known waltz for the piano. Written in 1877, it is the only published piece by the British composer Euphemia Allen (under the […]
🎵 Joplin: The Entertainer
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🤡 Circus Music ~ Daily Listening Assignments
Will you be going to the Circus this Summer? Here’s some information about circus music.
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🎵 C.P.E. Bach: Solfeggietto ~ Daily Listening Assignments
Solfeggietto is a short solo keyboard piece in c minor composed in 1766 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a German composer and the son of J.S. Bach. “Solfeggietto” is an Italian word meaning “little study” or exercise.

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