THE THREE "B's" - BACH, BEETHOVEN AND BRAHMS

Be a Music Investigator!
 

Johann Sebastian Brahms

Ludwig van Beethoven

Johannes Brahms

Johann Sebastian Bach

Ludwig van Beethoven

Johannes Brahms

Instructions | The Questions | The Internet Resources | The Big Question  | Conclusion |

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      Instructions

Use the Internet Links below to uncover some "Treasures" about three famous Classical composers - Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Johannes Brahms.  After finding all the answers, move to the Big Question to bring your ideas together in a broader understanding of the topic.

Three composers whose last names started with "B".   What else did these composers have in common?   How did their lives and their music differ?  What was it like to live when they lived?   How did their environment or station in life affect their music? 

Read through the questions below and explore the Resource List to find the right information to answer each question. Each Webpage holds the answer to one of the questions. 

Because you will be gathering information from a variety of sources about all three composers: the times that they lived in, the contemporaries who influenced the music world during their lives, their background, country of birth, etc., I suggest that you print out the Questions, and write down the answers to make it easier for you to keep track of where you are. 

When you have found all the historical & musical treasures requested, please go to the section called Big Question to bring your ideas together in a broader understanding of the topic.   This part will require you to use a graphic organizer to share what you have learned.

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Questions

    1. What two German composers were born the same year?
       

    2. Were Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart contemporaries?
       

    3. How did people during the times that the 3 B's lived, communicate?
       

    4. Beethoven wrote his greatest works in spite of which physical handicap?
       

    5. For a brief period of three months in 1787, Beethoven received piano lessons from what Viennese composer?
       

    6. How many children did Beethoven have?
       
    7. Which composer had six children, only two of which survived infancy; his early death left the family in dire financial straits?
       
    8. Which composer is often referred to by musicians as a "giant straddling two styles": the Classical and the Romantic?
       
    9. Which of these composers met Franz Liszt, the Hungarian composer?
       
    10.  Which composer died in a different country than he was born?
       
    11.  Where was each composer born?
       
    12.  How many symphonies did Ludwig Van Beethoven compose?
       
    13. Which composer lived the longest?
       
    14. Did any or all of the composers enjoy success in their lifetime?
       
    15. How many children did Bach have?
       
    16.   Brahms was hailed as the predecessor of what composer?
       
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    Internet Resource List
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    THE BIG QUESTION

    Think over the questions above, the answers to them, and other things you've learned while exploring the Websites. Then put all this learning together by creating a Venn Diagram comparing Ludwig van Beethoven with either Johann Sebastian Bach or Johannes Brahms.   Choose at least five (5) ways that they are different, and five (5) ways that they are similar.  Be specific.

    BONUS!   You may also draw a picture or silhouette of one of the composers, locate each composer's birth and date place on a map, or create a timeline for one of the composers that details their life from birth to death.  

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    Conclusion

    I hope that you have enjoyed your journey back in time.  Have you gained more insight during your SCAVENGER HUNT into the life and times of these famous composers?   How did the
    times that they lived in influenced their lives and music?

    Your search and analysis of information and fun facts for each composer should have enabled you to create a Venn Diagram comparing two of the composers.   Maps, timelines, drawings, pictures, and listening to the music of these composers all are ways to bring the THREE B's to LIFE! 

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