Character & Mood in Music 2: Depictions of Nature in Music

Here we can see Biber (of Salzburg) and Rameau depicting different creatures in their music., Vivaldi depicting not just the Seasons but also the Tempest of the Sea, and Beethoven depicting a thunderstorm…

We’ll explore others as we move through this topic.

Creative Response: What would you do?

Think about how these composers have tried to represent the sounds of nature in their works. Can you think of any other examples?

Think about how you would represent birds, storms, the seasons and other elements of the
natural world in music.

What are you trying to represent through music?

What are the instruments, the sounds you will use?

Think about melody, rhythm, pitch and tempo – what does the music look like?

Next: Overtures & Ballets