Music grows from the life of the people
Every country has songs for work, prayer, love and festivals. These folk songs are passed from person to person, not written down at first. They carry the language, the rhythms and the memories of a people. When history changes (a war, a new ruler, a new town life), the songs change and often record what happened.
So when we study the music of a country, we also read a little of its history.
Composers and the national story
In the 1800s many countries began to feel proud of their own language and past. Composers joined in. They wrote operas on local legends and used folk tunes inside big works. This is called a national school of music.
- Russia: Mikhail Glinka wrote operas on Russian stories (1830s and 1840s). Later composers such as Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov followed.
- Czech lands: Smetana's set of pieces My Homeland (1870s) includes the river piece Vltava.
- Finland: Sibelius wrote Finlandia (1899).
- India: Rabindranath Tagore wrote and set to music songs that grew out of Bengali folk and devotional singing, such as the song that became the national anthem.
In each case the idea is the same: tunes and tales from home go into the concert hall.
Russian ballet
Ballet is a stage art where dancers tell a story without words. The music must be clear for the dancers: strong beats, easy to follow, with themes for each character.
Russian ballet became famous in the 1800s. Tchaikovsky wrote the music of Swan Lake (first staged in 1877), The Sleeping Beauty (1890) and The Nutcracker (1892). Each has a fairy-tale story and tunes you can remember.
In the early 1900s touring ballet companies took Russian stories to other countries. Stravinsky wrote The Firebird (1910) from a Russian folk tale for this kind of company. Dance, tale and music worked together, and people abroad learned about Russian art through ballet.
How to listen: find the history in a piece
When you hear a piece, ask three questions. Where is it from? (the country and time). What story does it tell? (a legend, a river, a fairy tale). Which tunes sound like folk songs? (short, singable phrases that repeat). The answers show how life and history are in the music.
Try it: make a timeline
In the 3D, step along the pillars. Then pick one folk song from your own region. On paper draw a line of time and put three marks: the song as a folk tune, a film or concert piece that uses it, and today. Write one sentence: what part of life does this song remember?
Key formulas and definitions
- Folk song to national school: folk tunes + a country's stories in opera, symphony, ballet
- Ballet = dance + story + music, no words
- Tchaikovsky ballets: Swan Lake 1877, Sleeping Beauty 1890, Nutcracker 1892
- Listen with 3 questions: where from, what story, which tunes are folk-like
Worked examples
1. Why is Glinka called the father of Russian classical music?
He was among the first to write operas on Russian stories and tunes (1830s and 1840s). Later composers built on this idea.
2. What is a national school of music?
A group of composers in one country who use its folk tunes, language and stories in classical works.
3. Name a work that tells a story through dance and say who composed it.
Swan Lake, a ballet with music by Tchaikovsky, first staged in 1877.
4. A piece starts with a short singable tune that repeats, then grows into a big orchestra. What may this show?
It may be based on a folk tune. Composers take a folk tune and develop it for the orchestra.
5. How did ballet companies help spread a country's art?
They travelled abroad in the early 1900s and performed national tales with music and dance, so foreign audiences learned about that culture.
Common mistakes
- Thinking classical music has nothing to do with the common people. Many tunes came from folk songs.
- Mixing up opera (sung drama) and ballet (dance without words).
- Giving wrong dates: Swan Lake is 1877, not 1700s.
- Writing about politics instead of music. Describe the tune, story and instruments.