Our Living Composer of the month is New Zealander Nigel Keay, who has been based in France since 1998. Nigel is a freelance composer and violist (and sometimes conductor). He writes primarily for orchestral instruments, from small ensembles to larger orchestral groups, and also composes for voice. Throughout his career he has often played in or directed his own works, and he has held several composer-in-residence positions. His music has been broadcast on Radio France, and increasingly performed in Europe and beyond. Two complete album recordings have been made of his music: Music for Small Groups and the dancer leads the procession (Blumlein Records). His Oboe Sonata and Moderato à cent d'huîtres have been featured on the albums Créations (Continuo Records) and La Cuisine à l'alto (Polymnie) respectively, and he has several future recording projects in progress. For more information about Nigel and his music, visit his website: https://www.nigelkeay.com/index.htm Nigel's compositions: Fanfare for Orchestra String Quartet No. 2 Trio for Clarinet, Viola & Piano "Adagietto Antique" Discover the Sound Garden shop Online products and courses for all ages Nigel's top 5 classical music picks: Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131 Berg: Lulu Ravel: String Quartet in F major Stravinsky: Firebird Suite Tippett: Symphony No. 2 Learn more about Sound Garden

Opera as an art form has continued to grow and develop throughout the 21st century, with new works being premiered every year. Take our quiz and discover which one you are! Want to know more? On the results page, you will find a link to sign up to seven weeks (one per week) of 21st century opera discoveries! Discover the Sound Garden shop Online products and courses for all ages Learn more about Sound Garden

We're so happy to have you here! I say "we", meaning myself (Kayla Collingwood - www.kaylacollingwood.com) and the growing Sound Garden community. What started as a passion for sharing classical music to anyone who would listen has now turned into this: Sound Garden - a hub for classical music immersion, where you can come and engage on your own terms, wherever you are on your listening journey! We're really looking forward to being able to use this platform to share all kinds of content with you, to use as individuals, families, groups, classes, etc. We can't wait to get to know you and to keep learning and growing together! Feel free to take a look around the site, and we would love it if you would share our content with your friends, family, and any groups or communities you are a part of! See you soon! Kayla (and friends!) Learn more about Sound Garden

What is "early music"? Where does it fit in the timeline of classical music? Does it really count as classical music? What is a madrigal? What is a troubadour? What early music should I listen to? Read on for the answers to these questions and more! If you're interested in a more in-depth look into the world of early music, check out our online course: Introduction to Classical Music: Part I: Early Music (476-1600AD)! What is early music? Where does it fit in the timeline of classical music? Early music is loosely defined as classical music from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476AD: the beginning of the Medieval Era/the Middle Ages in Europe. Some people consider the end date of Early Music to coincide with the end of the Renaissance (approximately 1600AD), while others also include the music of the Baroque Era (ending 1750). For our purposes, we choose the end-of-the-Renaissance option, as: Medieval + Renaissance is already a huge period of time - over 1000 years! Music was much less frequently notated (written down) and codified (with established rules) during this time than it was in the "common practice" period, which began during the Baroque Era. The Medieval and Renaissance Eras set the wheels in motion for the developments of the Baroque and beyond. Most early music was for unaccompanied or accompanied voices. Purely instrumental music was primarily used for dancing or court music. Here is a basic timeline of Western classical music history divisions: Exact dates are debated: Different movements and changes happened at different times depending on the exact location - what was going on in Florence was not the same as what was going on in Paris! Just like today, people groups did not always agree on what was important, what was good, or what was appropriate/tasteful within society and art. While some people might have been ready to accept new styles of music and other changes, others did not agree! This means that some examples of music from 1650 can have more characteristics in common with what we expect of the music of the Renaissance than the music of the Baroque. Does early music really count as classical music? When the music of the Early Music period was composed, the genre of "classical music" did not exist. Music was generally either written for church contexts (in which case it was sometimes notated), or secular - often as the "pop" music of the day. Nowadays, we generally consider "classical music" to be "art music" - music which exists for its aesthetic qualities rather than simply for entertainment, composed by people with knowledge of musical structures and elements. If a lot of early music was just written and performed for entertainment, how can it be classified as classical music? Though much early music would not be considered "art" music by today's standards, it was fundamental in establishing the art music traditions and trends that would develop later. Terminology Madrigals, motets, troubadours, trouvères, viols, sackbuts... these words may be a bit, or completely, unfamiliar! There were certain things which existed previously which no longer exist today in the same way, so the terminology to describe them has largely fallen out of use. Here's a quick list of what these particular words mean: Madrigal: A type of (usually) unaccompanied song for several voices singing different parts; usually a love song. Motet: A type of polyphonic (many sounds) vocal work for several voices; usually religious. Troubadour: A poet-composer (singer-songwriter) of Old Occitan poetry. The troubadour movement spread throughout Europe, creating and influencing similar movements, such as the northern French trouvère, the German Minnesang, and the Galician-Portuguese trovadorismo movements. Viol: The predecessor to modern-day string instruments. A viol was a member of the family of hollow wooden instruments which were bowed (played with a bow), fretted (with spaces along the "neck" of the instrument to change the note), and stringed (producing sound from vibrating strings). Sackbut: A type of trombone. What early music should I listen to? That all depends on your taste in music! Scroll down for a few examples to get you started! If you find a piece you like, you can search the name of the composer or the name of the work online to get similar recommendations and more information! Ready to learn more about early music? Notker the Stammerer: Natus Ante Saecula Etienne de Liege: Gloria in excelsis Deo Adam de la Halle - Le jeu de Robin et de Marion: J'ai encore un tel pasté Guillaume de Machaut - Je vivroie liement/Liement me deport Palestrina - O magnum mysterium John Dowland - Flow my tears Learn more about Sound Garden

Announcing: Classical Inspirations: Sergei Rachmaninoff! Classical Inspirations is a series designed to introduce children to classical music figures - connecting the past to the present, integrating different topics of learning, and offering an opportunity for immersion in another world! Our second product of the series focuses on Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Through reading, listening, and completing a range of activities, your child will learn about the composer's life, about the context in which he lived and composed, and about some of his works. The content is designed to be used by independent readers, or with adult assistance. We hope this product will grow with you and your child! This product is currently available as a digital download. How it works: Purchase the product. You will receive a link to download. Print and go! Return to this blog post to listen to the musical excerpts below. Ready to buy? Other products in this series: Classical Inspirations: Amy Beach Listen: Sergei Rachmaninoff Bought the product, or just want to listen to some of Rachmaninoff's music? Here are all the featured works! Prelude in C-sharp minor Prelude in G minor 12 Romances, Op. 14: 11. Spring Waters The Bells Piano Concerto No. 3 Isle of the Dead All-Night Vigil Further Listening Listen to more of Sergei Rachmaninoff's works and relevant works by other composers! Learn more about Sound Garden

Introducing the second product in our Classical Sessions series: Classical Sessions for... Calm! We're passionate about helping you integrate classical music into your life, and we also believe that classical music can be a great tool for learning about other topics. For this reason, we have created Classical Sessions, where you will learn about a specific subject (in this case, the science/theory of calm) and about carefully selected classical music works. So, what is this topic all about? Classical music is often considered to be "calm", "soothing", "relaxing", and so on, and as such is often used for ambience, for study or work, or to reduce stress. Though "calm" is certainly not a descriptor which is representative of all classical music (just listen to Verdi's "Dies Irae" from his Requiem if in doubt!), some works can definitely have this effect. In the workbook, you will be learning about different aspects of what promotes calm in our bodies/minds, accompanied by relevant classical music works. The Classical Sessions workbook is comprised of ten "sessions" - you choose the duration of focused time you will spend on each one. For each session, you will find: information about the topic and about the accompanying classical music work. prompts/questions/activities to work through. On the "About" page of the product, you will find a link to sign up to a 10-week email reminder series as well as a link back to this post. On the "Extend" page, you will find recommendations on how you can further explore and extend your sessions. Also included are a set of templates to use as you continue on your journey. This product is currently available as a digital download. How it works: Purchase the product. You will receive a link to download. Print and go! Return to this blog post to listen to the musical excerpts. Ready to buy? We would love to hear your stories and see your pictures of our workbook in action! Click here to get in contact! Playlist Bought the product, or just want to listen to to some calm classical music? Here's our playlist with all the referenced works! Note that some larger works are found here as multiple tracks (in most cases we have selected a shorter movement to listen to). Holst: The Planets: 2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace Pärt: Für Alina Satie: Trois Gymnopédies Kats-Chernin: Wild Swans: 8. Darkness in the forest Beethoven: Symphony No. 9: III. Adagio molto e cantabile Dvořák: Rusalka: Act I: Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém "Song to the moon" Mahler: Symphony No. 2: IV. Urlicht Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil: VI. Bogoroditse Devo Max Richter: Sleep Learn more about Sound Garden Click here to browse the site!

Get to know composers - their lives and works - with our pack of 100 classical composer profile templates: Listen and learn as you fill them out! Perfect for: Music teachers ✔️ Home-schoolers/home educators ✔️ Nannies/carers ✔️ Families ✔️ Individuals - adults, teens, or kids! ✔️ What you get: 89 templates with pre-filled composer names. 1 template for you to fill out with the name of any composer not included in this pack. 10 templates for you to fill out with the names of living composers (see our Living Composers features on our blog for some ideas!). You can print out each template as needed, or all at once. Punch holes to place in a binder, or stick them on a suitable surface...or maybe you have better ideas than us (tag us on social media @soundgardenclassical or contact us)! Each template includes spaces for you to fill out: Picture box - paste on/design/draw a picture of the composer! Year of birth - ...and death where applicable. Country of birth - may not have been known as the country it is now! Famous for... - what each composer is known for. 3 facts - what interesting facts can you find out? 3 compositions - let's get listening! Ready to buy? Scroll down for some listening ideas...! Playlist Bought the templates, or just want to listen to some music? Here's a playlist with works by some of the included composers! Learn more about Sound Garden

UPDATED with new course links 27.04.23 Introduction to Classical Music: Online Course Want to learn about classical music? Don't know where to start? We have the course for you! Our "Introduction to Classical Music" course is for you if you: Are interested in music Are interested in history Are interested in culture Are simply curious! Parts I and II are available now, guiding you through the history of classical music from the Middle Ages through to the end of the Romantic Era (approximately the end of the 19th Century)! Info About Part I: "Early music" contributed to the development of classical music as we know it today. From monophony to polyphony, from motets to madrigals, you'll finish this course with plenty of knowledge about the history of Medieval and Renaissance Europe and the music that developed from this context. You will also have much more music to add to your playlists! About Part II: During the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic Eras, classical music as we know it today really began to take shape. From Bach to Beethoven and many more, learn about the great composers of these eras, the contexts in which they lived and worked, and the ground-breaking music they created - much of which is still performed today! Reviews Here is some of the feedback we've had from the course: "I loved so much of the course!" "Easy to read and understand" "I loved the music examples...many types of music and history from different cultures" "I felt like I’d learned lots and felt good about what I’d learned" FAQs Who is this course for? Anyone who is interested in: History - How did the people of the past see the world? Music - What kinds of music did people of the past write and enjoy? Culture - What did the lives of people of the past look like? (you don't need to know much about any of the above!) What will I learn? In Part I of the course, you'll learn about Early Music - the music of the Medieval and Renaissance Eras. In Part II, you'll learn about the music and music creators of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic Eras. You'll listen to a range of celebrated masterworks and lesser-known-but-hugely-important pieces of music from these eras - we're sure you'll find yourself tapping your toes and swaying along to some great tunes! How is the content laid out? Each lesson has an attractive, easy-to-understand PDF text-and-images document with everything you need to know (well, to get you started on your learning and listening journey!)! Below the main content, you'll find carefully selected musical excerpts to listen to, with a brief description. At the end of each section, you'll take a quiz - how much can you remember about each era? Note: We may add in video elements, as we know many people will benefit from this! Good news: Purchasing this course (or individual parts) gives you lifetime access, so you can come back at any time and see any changes we have made! If you purchased the course prior to changing course hosts, please get in contact. How long does this course take to complete? Well, that all depends! We recommend an optimum timeline of one to two weeks per part to really reap the benefits, completing 1-2 lessons per day and taking time to explore and listen to more music beyond what is included in this course. Of course, it is entirely up to you! You could complete it in a day, a month, a year... Ready to get started? Learn more about Sound Garden

Those who write music often have very insightful things to say about it! Check out some of our favourites, in no particular order! This list will be updated occasionally! Quotes "I give bird songs to those who dwell in cities and have never heard them, make rhythms for those who know only military marches or jazz, and paint colours for those who see none." - Olivier Messiaen "I wish you music to help with the burdens of life, and to help you release your happiness to others." - Ludwig van Beethoven "In music, things don't get better or worse: they evolve and transform themselves." - Luciano Berio "Nothing is better than music; when it takes us out of time, it has done more for us than we have the right to hope for: it has broadened the limits of our sorrowful life, it has lit up the sweetness of our hours of happiness by effacing the pettinesses that diminish us, bringing us back pure and new to what was, what will be, what music has created for us." - Nadia Boulanger "Music embodies feeling without forcing it to contend and combine with thought." - Franz Liszt "There are so many beautiful things to be said in C Major." - Sergei Prokofiev "So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it." - Aaron Copland "To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist." - Robert Schumann "The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just make sure that one note follows another…and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world." - Leonard Bernstein "There is nothing that surpasses the joy of creation, if only because through it one wins hours of self-forgetfulness, when one lives in a world of sound." - Clara Schumann "For me there is no White music or Black music - there is only music by individual men that is important if it attempts to dignify all men." - William Grant Still "People are allowed to find in my musical works anything what they want - I can't give any recommendations, my task is just to compose. There is only one thing I expect from listeners or critics and that's critical openness." - Unsuk Chin Learn more about Sound Garden

The blog has been a little quiet so far this year... for good reason! Now that we have been in business for a full year, we've learned a lot about what resonates, what doesn't, and have a clearer idea of what is needed most. Our main focus this year is on products and resources for children, particularly within the home school/home education/small group learning communities. With many families having (unexpectedly) experienced the benefits of home/small group learning over the past two years, we've had a lot of interest for more content for this context. However, our mission ultimately is to be a hub for ALL demographics to find classical music learning resources, so there will be more to come for adults and teens in the future, too! With this 2022 mission comes plenty of work to meet the needs of our focus group. Behind the scenes, work is in progress for our next product: a learning curriculum for under-6s. More info to come closer to the launch date! Interested in knowing more? While you wait for the next product launch, head to the shop page: see what we currently offer, and make classical music a part of your daily life! Learn more about Sound Garden

'Tis the season...for Christmas classical music! Of course, there are many great classical settings of well-known, beloved Christmas songs and carols. However, this list focuses primarily on lesser-known carols and arrangements, and other kinds of Christmas classical works! Sound Garden Products At Sound Garden, we currently offer the following products: Classical Sessions for adults and teens Classical Inspirations for ages 6-12 Composer Activity Guides for parents/carers of ages 0-6 Online courses ...and more! Learn more about Sound Garden

Joe Wiedemann is an American composer, who has been composing music (particularly for television) for over 40 years. He has been nominated for three Emmy awards for composing/arranging, as well as receiving eight awards for broadcast journalism! He has received other high-level recognition, including a Telly Award, three Silver AXEIM awards, won the American Idol Underground Inaugural Classical Competition, was Keyboard Magazine's Unsigned Artist of the Month, and was listed as Best Keyboards in Garage Band's Pop category. As a child, he wrote music and experimented with a home movie camera, which led to him developing an interest in audio and visual production components. He went on to complete a double major in Music and Radio/TV/Film, and began a career in broadcasting. He was passionate about creating synth music, and made use of the technology (and developments!) available to him in order to create a new sound world. Joe's works are, of course, available in digital formats, and have also been performed live by ensembles around the world. With a particular interest in the use of the synth in classical music, Joe developed the Orchestronics project, releasing his first album in 1999. "Bulls & Bears" contained 11 tracks, and was the result of Joe's experimentation with the possibilities of the synth in an orchestral context. As of 2021, he is up to album number 6: "Painted Variations". This album is about variations - in melody, orchestration, and more, so that each piece is different from the last. Visit the site at the link below, or keep scrolling to listen to some of Joe's works! Joe's compositions: Painted Variations on a Theme of Paganini Evolve Synth Concerto No. 2: I. Andante con moto Sound Garden Products (article continues below) At Sound Garden, we currently offer the following products: Classical Sessions for adults and teens Classical Inspirations for ages 6-12 Composer Activity Guides for parents/carers of ages 0-6 Online courses ...and more! Joe's Top 5 Classical Music Works: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 Rachmaninoff: Vocalise (arranged for orchestra) Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 Anything by Bach... (so we selected the Magnificat BWV 243) Interested in being featured in a future Living Composer post? Download the form below! Learn more about Sound Garden