Modern music encyclopedia

Today marks the beginning of our March musical research. Following the letters of the alphabet, our map takes us to the letter A, and it is here that we discover our first musical term – aria! Arias are the most beautiful sections of the opera, sections by which we often remember an operatic piece. They are predominantly performed by main characters, but some of them are also intended for supporting characters. In an aria a singer can demonstrate his or her complete vocal skills and they are generally extremely difficult to perform. They can be lyric or dramatic in character, which also depends on the role of the performer. In an opera, the aria is performed by a male or female opera soloist, accompanied by an orchestra or a smaller musical ensemble. In concerts arias can also be heard accompanied by just a piano.

Identify what you’ve just read in an aria that we have chosen for you. It is an excerpt from the opera “Tosca” by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. Listen to its concert performance. It is interpreted by soprano Irina Rubtsova, alongside the RTS Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Bojan Sudjic is conducting.

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Today, step on to the letter B. It takes us inside musical history, to the end of the 16th century, into the unparalleled baroque epoch, which would last until the first half of the 18th century. Researching the epoch, we can discover that it is during this period that opera emerged, that music for various instruments as well characteristic vocal instrumental forms was in development – oratorios, cantatas, passions and masses. If we were to delve into the workshops of prominent luthiers from the Italian city of Cremona – Amati and Guarneri, and later Stradivarius, we would see violins of exceptional worth and beauty. World famous violin players have been known to perform on some of the instruments which have been preserved until this very day.

And when you say to musicians – baroque, the immediate thought for almost all of them is Johan Sebastian Bach, one of the most significant representatives of this style. And so be it, for us as well, from this day forward! The oeuvre of this composer, who was the court’s organist, harpsichordist, and played violin and viola excellently, is exceptionally vast and inside it we can find almost all of the characteristic baroque forms. Among the most notable ones are the “Brandenburg Concertos”, the collection “Well-Tempered Clavier”, written for keyboard instruments, the “Coffee cantata”, “Mass in b-minor” and “Christmas Oratorio”.

Today we will encounter the world of Bach’s music listening to an excerpt from his “Christmas Oratorio”, whose beauty to this day has not been tarnished by time over the period from its creation in year 1734. While listening, take notice of the motoric rhythm of baroque music, the polyphony which Bach had brought to perfection in his works, recognize the homophony, and more than anything listen to the style of his music. You are listening to the opening choir number as performed by the Choir and Symphony Orchestra of RTS. Maestro Bojan Sudjic is conducting.

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Baroque era will take you into music history, at the end of 16th, through the whole 17th and the beginning of the 18th century. Throug this period, we can follow the development of opera, and other instrumental and vocal-instrumental forms of this epoche. Since 1880, art of the greatest representatives of this style, composers Johan Sebastian Bach and Georg Fridrih Hendl, reaches its peak.

In the Baroque era, the concert style of music was also developing, and with it virtuosity. This is the time when the workshops of famous instrument builders from the Italian city Cremona-Amati and Gvarneria appeared, and then Stradivarius, who made violins of exepctional beauty and value. Some of them, which have been preserved to this day, are played by world-famous violinists.

You will get to know the baroque music and the magnificence of the sound of this epoche by listening a passage from Johan Sebastian Bach’s „Christmas Oratorio“. It is the opening choral song, which will be performed by the RTS Choir and Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Bojan Sudjic will be the conductor.

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Johanes Brahms, german composer, is one of the most famous representatives of late romanticsm in music. Born in musical family in Hamburg, he showed his musical talent at a very young age. He learned to play several orchestral instruments: horn, viola, cello and flute. He was a virtouse on a piano. On a tour with the famous Hungarian violinist Remenyi he got acquianted to the folklore of that country, and during the trip he met composers Franz Liszt and Robert Schuman, with whom he will remaun a close friend for the rest of his life.

He lived in Vienna, where he worked as a composer, conductor and pianist. In the year 1877, he recived an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge.

Brahms opus is wide and it covers many different genres of music. His chamber pieces and compositions for piano are of great significance. He wrote four symphonies and a large number of solo songs. His vocal-instrumental piece „German Requiem“ is one of the most popular with the „Hungarian Dances“, which was inspired by the folklore of that people.

You will get to know Brahms’s world of music through listening the first movement of his „Conerto for Violin and Orchestra, D major, op. 77“. Violinst Dragan Sredojevic will be performing with the RTS Symphony Orchestra and maestro Bojan Sudjic.

Get to know the composers of the romanticism epoche as a follower of official Facebook and Instagram pages of RTS Music production or through our official website.

The word „concert“ has several meanings. We use it when we want to go to a concert hall and listen to a performer or orchestra. In that situation, when we invite someone to come with us, we say „Lets go to a concert!“. We use that same word no matter what genre of music it refers to.

In this sense the word „concert“ is used as the name of the event that we want to go to. That is why it says on the posters, and you can hear in the commercials „The concert will be held by a prominent artist…“.

In musical terminology the word „concert“ refers to a composition written for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra. In the baroque era there were two types of concerts: solo and orchestral, also known as „concerto grosso“(ital.). It is a concert that had a group of soloists, an orchestra and a cotinuo. In the pieces written in the epoche of classicism, the concerts were composed in three-movements, with the fast-easy-fast tempo schedule. In romanticism this form was sometimes expanded to more than three movements, and one-piece concertos also started to appear.

In artistic music concerts are composed for almost every instrument of the symphony orchestra, and even some non-standard ones might appear, such as the fiddle, and there are pieces written in this form where the soloist „plays“, for example, on a typewriter.
Today we are presenting to you the first movement of the concerto for piano and orchectra by Edward Grieg, and the soloist will be our renowed pianist Aleksandar Madzar. We will listen to him with the RTS Symphony orchestra, and maestro Bojan Sudjic will be the conductor.

Listen to the other movements of this concert, and find your favorite pieces of this genre on the official Facebook and Instagram pages of RTS Music production. Modern music encyclopedia answers all of
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When you set off from folk tradition and follow the trail of art music, you will discover an entire world of wonderful compositions inspired by melodies which are a part of folklore. Today’s letter D takes us into the romantic epoch, into the 19th century, to a time when composers found their inspiration in the beautiful sound of music created by the people and strived to reach those listeners which had not been familiar with it.

The letter D uncovers the world of Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, whose compositions are characterized by the sound of melodies belonging to this country’s folklore. But the creator inspired by tradition also finds beauty in the folklore of other nations. For example, his infamous Symphony no. 9, created during his stay in America, was written under the inspiration of the music of Native Americans and African-Americans. And that is why this piece is known by the name “From the New World”, since that is what the American continent was called at the time of his stay in America. It is important to add that from this creator we also need to hear the pieces Concerto for cello and orchestra in B-minor, op. 104, Dumky trio and the miniature for piano Humoresque, and first and foremost the Slavonic Dances, which represent his most popular pieces. There are 16 in total and they are divided into two sets. They are the best example of the composer’s attitude towards tradition, and we can recognize the folklore of different Slavic nations in their sound.

So, let us hear it at once! The RTS Symphony Orchestra and maestro Bojan Sudjic will be performing the Slavonic Dance no. 8, op. 46. And while the rhythm is still in your feet, become a permanent follower of the RTS Music Production official Facebook page and Instagram profile.

Breathe in and fill up your lungs! Today the letter E introduces us to a wind instrument, the English horn. You may not have noticed it in the orchestra, because it is similar to the oboe, but this should not concern you. From today you are the expert for this instrument. How will you be able to recognize it? Easy! It is somewhat bigger than an oboe and that it why it produces lower tones characterized by a soft, nasal and sorrowful sound. But in appearance, it is distinguishable from the oboe not only in length but also by the pear-like widening at the bottom, as well as the bent metal tube at the top of the instrument. You should also know that most oboists can also play the English horn since the fingering is completely identical.

And here’s a little bit of history for you. At the beginning, the English horn did not look like its contemporary cousin. It was constructed like a hunting horn. In the 19th century that curvature transformed into a sharper angle and presumably that is where the secret of its name lies, because in French the word angle means angular, and anglais – English.

Now that we have all this information, it’s time to hear the sound of the instrument. One of the most beautiful melodies brought to us by the English horn was written by Antonin Dvorak, the composer which we met the other day thorough our research. It’s the theme of the second act of his Symphony no. 9, known by the name “From the New World”. We are hearing it as performed by the RTS Symphony Orchestra and maestro Bojan Sudjic. While you’re listening, notice the wonderful colour of this instrument, and observe throughout the act as the theme, brough by the English horn, is taken over by other wind instruments.

From one letter to another – we’re learning and having fun through music. And before we get to our next letter tomorrow, do a little bit of research yourself. You’ll find this even simpler, and also more inspiring, if you become a permanent follower of the official RTS Music Production Facebook page and Instagram profile.

In order to be able to research music, we need to keep up with its tempo. It is sometimes slower, sometimes faster, and often moderate. And once we have caught up with the tempo which the composer has envisioned, then we can say that it is the right one, i.e., for this tempo we will use the Italian term which leads us to the letter Đ/G – đusto (giusto)! The Italian language is the language of music and regardless of where the composer is from – all designations in the notes are understood by musicians around the world. The word giusto is used along with the designation for the speed at which the composition is played, and the speed at which a piece is played is called tempo. That is why the term tempo giusto, as it is also spelled in Italian, means that we are supposed to play at the right speed. How do we know which is the right one? Easy, because the composer has written it at the beginning of the piece, above the partiture. It’s important that we know the appropriate designations for faster, slower, more moderate and various other tempos.

Next to the designation for the right tempo, such as Allegro (fast tempo), Largo (slow tempo), Moderato (moderate tempo), there are also those which show performers which character they should play in. Therefore, if it also giocoso next to the tempo – you should read it as giocoso and you should also know that the composition in question should sound playful and lively!

And here is what it sounds like when played. Listen to the third act of Johannes Brahms’ “Concerto for violin and orchestra”. It is composed in the tempo Allegro giocoso – which means that it should be played quickly, playfully and lively, just as you can hear! The soloist is Dragan Sredojevic and he is performing alongside the RTS Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Bojan Sudjic is conducting.

And in the same tempo, Allegro giocoso, become a permanent follower of the official RTS Music Production Facebook page and Instagram profile!

Just a short step from V we have the letter G, our musical trail that carries us straight to the sound of one of the most popular instruments of traditional Serbian folk music. Today is the day to meet gusle, an instrument not only used for playing music, not only played so that people could dance, but rather used for accompanying the most important epic poems told by guslars. Just like shepherds usually make their own flutes, guslars craft their own instruments, from a single piece of wood, usually from a dry compressed maple or walnut tree, and occasionally from oak or other types of wood, and sometimes even from pumpkins.

Skilled guslars are very respectable. And while their art is most often associated with folk tradition, we can also find them in art music. Listen to the first act of the “Symphony 1804” for gusle and symphony orchestra, composed by Ivan Jevtic. The soloist playing gusle is Bojana Pekovic, and she is performing alongside RTS Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Bojan Sudjic is conducting.

Pay attention to the sound of this instrument. Notice how art is created on a single wire with the help of this unusual bow. Learn how to sing along to the gusle, but also what this instrument sounds like together with a symphony orchestra. These are some of the findings which the letter G uncovers for us today. And tomorrow we’ll be moving on, eager to find out what novelties will be brought to us by music. Join us, as a regular follower of RTS Music Production official Facebook page and Instagram profile.

The piano is one of the most popular insruments in general, and certainly the most popular instrument with keys. It is played using a keybord, which is a row of keys that the performer presses down with his fingers to cause the hammers to strike the strings, and that creates the tone. The piano has two or three pedals that serve to prolong the tone or to silence it completly.

This instrument has 228 strings, 88 black and white keys and a range of seven and a half octaves. There is also a smaller version that is called pianino (small piano). This version is mostly used in households, and it is not for concerts.

The oldest predecessor of the piano is called the monochord, but perhaps the closest to the modern piano is the clavichord. During the 16. and 17. centuries virginal and spinet were used, and in the baroque era the hapriscord was played. Predecessor of todays piano was constructed in the 18th century, and since the 19th century it has been the main concert instrument.

When we say „piano“ we primarly mean the solo instrument, which it is. However it is also used in chamber music. Oftentimes it is a part of a symphony orchestra, but it is also used in popular and jazz music. That is why we decided to present this instrument to you in the sound of jazz. You will have the opportunity to listen to the famous jazz pianist Denny Grissett and RTS Big band who will perform the composition „Nearness of you“.

The modern music encyclopedia of RTS Music production expands the knowledge, but also the boundaries of music. This is more than enough for you to become a regular follower on our official Facebook and Instagram pages or to follow us through our official site.

Rhythm can be one of the key factors in our decision whether we like the composition or not. This is especially noticeable in the compositions of music of popular genres, in which we could talk about the slow rhythm, rhythm of rock, rhythm of dance music…If we want to professionally define the rhythm then we could say that the sequence of tones or sounds of different durations creates the „rhythm“.

There are rhythms that are simple, but there are as well those that are much more dynamic and complex. We can also differentiate rhythms according to different games, such as the rhythm of waltz, samba or tcha-tcha-tcha. However, there are also jazz rhyhtms such as swing or bebop, that can be very interesting.

You will get to know the rhythm thanks to the RTS Big Band. In the interpretation of this ensamble you will be listening the composition „Brasilian Dance of the Flugelhorn“ with famous flugelhorn player Chuck Findley.

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We believe that not many of you have had the experience that we’ll be getting today. Today, we’ve decided to teach you to walk on a string thanks to our new letter S. Your “vocal strings” can take a rest, because we will not be singing. We’ll be using our fingers to make music. We are taking you into the world of plucked string instruments! It’s a group of instruments which produce sound when the strings are plucked (picked) using fingers or a plectrum, unlike other string instruments which require the use of a bow to make sounds. When we think about plucking strings the first instrument that we think of is, naturally, the guitar. Those with more affinity for folk music will think of the tambura, the balalaika or the mandolin, depending on the country where the composition which they are listening to originates from. Looking through history, the number one spot is held by the lute, while the first lady among the symphony orchestra instruments is most definitely the harp.

Today, we present to you the bouzouki, a plucked string instrument whose sound instantly brings Greece to mind! And certainly not by accident, since numerous familiar beautiful Greek folk melodies and songs have been played on this exact instrument. That is why we’ve made the decision to get to know it by listening to sirtaki. Sirtaki is a dance considered to be the traditional Greek dance, even though this is not the case. It was created as a combination of various Greek dances, blended to music composed by Mikis Teodorakis, for the ballet “Zorba the Greek”. It is identifiable by its bouzouki sound. And it is precisely this number from the ballet, called “Sirtaki” that we’ll be listening to today, as performed by Bane Kljajic, playing the bouzouki and the RTS Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Bojan Sudjic is conducting.

Today, with the help of music, we’re on a sound trail of bouzouki strings. Have a listen, and also take a look at how it’s played. Get to know other string instruments with the help of RTS Music Production! Become a follower of our official Facebook page and Instagram profile!

From the month of October, with the beginning of our music sesaon, we are turning new pages of our Modern music encyclopedia of RTS Music production. Get to know one of the greats of Russian romantism Pyotir Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, a small town in Vyatka Governorate (present-day Udmurtia). It is interesting that he first studied at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in Petrograd (present-day Saint Petersburg), where he enrolled at St. Petesrburg Conservatory, where he gained a thorough knowledge of music. After graduating, he moved to Moscow, where he became professor of harmony at newly founded Moscow Conservatory, which today bears his name.

Today, Tchaikovsky is considered the founder of symphonic and concert music in Russia. He wrote six symphonies, famous concerts for piano and violin, three balets „Swans Lake“, „Sleeping Beauty“ and „The Nutcracker“, and some of his most significant operas are „Queen of Spades“ and „Eugene Onegin“.

The opera „Eugene Onegin“ represents one of the peaks in this composeres opera works. The opera was created based on the plot of Alexandar Pushkin’s vers novel „Eugene Onegin“. In this piece, Tchaikovsky’s distinct talent for creating melodies that carry emotional characteristics is recognised. It is also interesting that „Eugene Onegin“ was the first show that was performed at The National Opera Theatre after the liberation of Belgrade on Feburary 17, 1945. At the time, young director of opera, Oscar Danone presented himself at the conductors desk and in the years that follow he will conduct this piece with special dedication.

And today we present to you one of the famous segments from the opera „Eugene Onegin“. You will have the oppurtunity to listen to a „Waltz“ performed by the Radio Television of Serbia Choir and Symphony orchestra under the conduct of Maestro Bojan Sudjic.

Lets play waltz, while looking forward to new music encounters. Folow us on official Facebook and Instagram pages of RTS Music producion.

The trumpet belongs to the group of brass instruments. Out of all the instrumnents from that group, it has the highest register. It has a penetrating sound and composeres often use it to present the festive or combative nature of their music. It is predominantly an orchestral instrument, but it can also be soloistic.

The trumpet has three valves and the tone is obtaiend by pressing or realising these while blowing air into a cup-shaped mouthpiece. In the music literature this instrument is used for getting different, specific tones. The device that is called a mute (sordino), is used for this. Mutes are typically inserted into the flared end of the instrument (bell), and it muffles or softens the tone of the instrument.

The trumpet is also very much associated with jazz music. Many trumpet players left a significant mark, in this genre of music. You will get to know the sound of this instrument thanks to the RTS Big Band. In the interpretation of this ensamble you will be listening the composition, by Astor Piazzolla „Oblivion“, and also the famous jazz trumpet player Bobby Shew will share the stage with the Big band.

Get to know the trumpet today, and through jazz music the other instruments of the Big Band. Let the music encyclopedia help you with that, which you can use as a follower of official Facebook and Instagram pages of RTS Music production or through our official website. We are waiting for you!

When you set off from baroque towards the 21st century, through the opera, from one epoch to another, from composer to composer, from music theatres and performances, premieres, you can see for yourself that throughout musical history to this very day there has been no opera composer as popular and beloved by audiences as Giuseppe Verdi! This creator lived and composed in the 19th century, when opera was at its pinnacle, so high that we can even say that it overpowered other musical forms. What made it so popular? For one, the audience was excited to listen to opera singers who nurtured bel canto, a style characterised by beautiful singing, which had been developing for two centuries. Opera singers were the true stars, and the appearance of some of theme generated great excitement.

It is this environment that Giuseppe Verdi, a noble Italian whose name was even a symbol for political ideas of that time, created in. The cry “Viva Verdi!” was at the same time an abbreviation for “Viva V(ittorio) E(manuele) r(e) d’I(talia)!”, which meant “Long Live Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy.” But let’s get back to composing. Verdi has composed twenty-six operas, but not all of them stayed on the repertoires of opera houses. The opera Nabucco was the first to achieve great success, followed by Rigoletto, The Troubadour, La traviata, A Masked Ball, The Power of Fate, Don Carlos, Aida, Otello and Falstaff. And remember this: Verdi reached quite the old age. He died when he was eighty-eight, celebrated and respected, and his artistic personality has an unbreakable bond with Italy’s cultural life of the second half of 19th century.

And now, along the trail of letter V, which has taken us to Verdi, we are listening to the famous “Drinking Song” from the opera “Traviata”. We are listening to it as performed by soloists, sopranos Ivana Srbijan and Dragana Radakovic, tenor Stevan Karanac and baritone Nikola Mijailovic. They are performing alongside RTS Choir and Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Bojan Sudjic is conducting.

All you need to do is bring your exploratory spirit and as a regular follower of RTS Music Production Facebook page and Instagram profile join us on our musical letters trail.

Meet the composer Antonio Vivaldi also known as „Il Prete Rosso“ or „The Red Priest“ who was called that due to his red hair. Get to know the famous composer and virtouse violinist of the Baroque era, who composed a large number of instrumental pieces. He wrote around 220 concertos for the violin and is considered the creator of the three-movement violin concert that has a fast-easy-fast tempo schedule. Fast movements are characterized by the machie-like rythm of baroque, while others are most often lyrical in character.

In addition to composing, Antonio Vivaldi was also a pedagogue. He coducted the famous girls choir in Venice. He knew the theatre very well, of which he was the director for some time. Besides for the music, he had a perfect sense for poetry as well. At the age of 35 he composed the piece „Harmonius imagination“ on his own lyrics. He wrote 46 operas of which only sixteen are perserved in fragments.

We will get to know this composers music trough the famous cycle „Four Seasons“, one of the most popular pieces in the calssical music repertoire. It consists of four violin concertos composed in 1723., and each concerto resembeling its respective season „Spring“, „Summer“, „Autumn“, „Winter“ . Since it is a piece of programmatic nature, the sound of the solo violin evokes sounds from nature, such as the chirping of birds or the flowing creek. The concerts are technically extremly demanding, which is not unusual if we know that Vivavaldi was one of the first virtouse on the violin, even a century before the famous Nicolo Paganini.

And today we are listening to a young violinist Una Stanic. Along with the RTS Symphonic orchestra she will performe „Spring“ concerto. Maestro Bojan Sudjic will be the conductor.

Listen to the music of the Baroque era on the official Facebook and Instagram pages of the RTS Music Production.