Composers
For this project, you’ll answer ten questions about composers from seven of the periods you studied throughout your course. You will submit one essay that
covers all seven composers. You must select one composer from each of the following periods to research:
Medieval and Renaissance Periods
Francesco Landini
Thomas Weelkes
Tielman Susato
The Baroque Era
Johann Pachelbel
Barbara Strozzi
Arcangelo Corelli
The Classical Era
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Marianne Martinez
William Billings
The Romantic Era
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Arthur Sullivan
Modest Mussorgsky
The Early Twentieth Century
Manuel de Falla
Charles Griffes
Francis Poulenc
American Innovations in the Arts
Danny Elfman
W.C. Handy
Zez Confrey
Twentieth Century Internationalism
Tan Dun
Tania Leon
Ali Akbar Khan
Questions
Once you’ve selected the seven composers you’d like to research, you’ll need to research the answers to the following ten questions for each composer:
What are the years of the composer’s birth, and, where applicable, death?
Where was the composer born? Where did he/she compose (if different than birthplace)
What musical training did the composer receive, if any?
Does/did the composer play any instruments? If so, what instrument(s) is the composer most well-known for playing?
Which genre(s) did the composer contribute to? If he or she contributed to multiple genres, where did he or she make the greatest impact?
Who were the composer’s influences or teachers?
In what ways is the composer’s work characteristic of his or her time period?
What are some of the composer’s most famous works?
What challenges, if any, did the composer face that may have affected his or her work
What is innovative about the composer’s work?
You’ll then write a 1,000 to 1,200 word essay consisting of an introduction, one paragraph about each composer, and a conclusion.
