Does anyone know of a CD or DVD that I can use with a pupil to help him recognise the different periods of music? Ideally I want one that isolates different elements of each period so that he can learn what he's listening for and then be given the opportunity to hear that element in the full arrangement.

He's fine on the rest of the grade 6 stuff but is really struggling on this part.

Hope you can help.

A few years ago I bought Grout and the scores and CDs that went with it. It cost a lot, but they're very useful.

At home I tell my pupils to listen to Radio 3/Classic FM daily and I give them guidelines as to what to listen out for.

I don't know of any one CD that does it. Wow, it would be good if there was!

See
http://forums.abrsm.org/index.php?act=ST&f...ndpost&p=272866
for the written help - EXCELLENT
I don't think the accompanying CD to the ABC book has any such examples,
BUT
I once researched this CD set (I don't have the CDs, but I did print out the contents list:

NA331012FM D.Henley: The Story of Classical Music (Naxos CD set) read by Aled Jones
4 hours approx. 3 CDs: £13.99 ISBN: 9626343141
Over 100 music examples
HMV Mail Order 08705 334578
£1.00 p&p for this

Disc 1 The Story of Classical Music 01. The Story of Classical Music 02:10

The Medieval Period (600-1490)
02. The Year 600: Music in Churches 02:10
03. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) 02:33

The Renaissance Period (1490-1600)
04. Medieval to Renaissance: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525/6-1594) 02:41
05. The Birth of Opera: Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) / Franciscus Bossinensis (fl. 1510) 03:49

The Baroque Period (1600-1750)
06. Into the 17th Century: Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) 03:03
07. London: Henry Purcell (1659-1695) 02:09
08. Germany: Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) 02:04
09. Italy: Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1715) 02:04
10. Germany: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 06:48
etc.......)

Hope that's useful

There are CDs out there that tell the history of classical music. I have one narrated by Aled Jones - it's aimed at young kids in terms of the narrative but the musical extracts are all very useful in setting the scene on music history.

I'll go and get some information from the CD and report back when I've done so!

Oboist

Thanks, I'll have a look at the Aled Jones CD. It sounds hopeful.

The "Performer's Guide to" series published by the ABRSM has CDs giving examples for each period with the corresponding book. Periods are Baroque, Classical and Romantic.

It certainly is an excellent CD. I'm not sure whether many kids are that commited to sit and listen to it all, and even if they do whether they would get the detail they need for the aural tests.

I still recommend the CD for a great background into the history of music though. I listen to it in the car myself:)

BTW, I found an American version of this. Same CD cover, but a different narator. Interesting...

I do use the following which I copied from someone's post (probably this forum!) So sorry I can't quote the owner.

Baroque - often contrapuntal or lots of ornaments
Bach, Scarlatti

Classical - broken-chord type LH accompaniment it may well be Classical
Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart

Romantic - If it's a 'pedally' sort of piece with lots of character it's probably Romantic.
Brahms, Chopin, Rachmaninov

20th Century If it sounds weird, it's probably 20th Century - and of course you may get a jazzy modern piece too.
Stravinsky, Gershwin

I made some midis up with examples. Guess you could do something similar on a CD if you don't have midi equipment.

The AURAL TIME books with comprehensive details of features of each era, over a few sides in each booklet (grades 4/5, 6 ,7 ,8) are available from (no link to the shop, I assure you!, just helping you find them, as I've been asked where to get them from):
http://www.music-exchange.co.uk/ and enter "Aural Time" WITHOUT an exclamation mark in the search box, leaving it to search all sections (in fact they're under associated board). You'll see the "Pupil's Book" versions mixed in - with grades 4&5 at the bottom of the page. They range from £3.50 to £4.50.

These are the best written versions that pupils can buy and use at minimal cost - but also see the ABC book (see my post further up)

Hope that helps

Thanks everyone. This has given me lots of ideas.