Western Europe

Western Europe

Music and culture

Multiple Select

Which of these countries are part of Western Europe?

• France

• Poland

• Egypt

• Germany

Western Culture

• Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization, Western lifestyle or European civilization, is a term used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, and specific artifacts and technologies that have some origin or association with Europe.

Open Ended

Research some other countries from Western Europe that has not been mentioned in class yet.

Culture

• Western culture is characterized by a host of artistic, philosophic, literary, and legal themes and traditions; the heritage of Celtic, Germanic, Hellenic, Jewish, Slavic, Latin, and other ethnic and linguistic groups, as well as Christianity, which played an important part in the shaping of Western civilization since at least the 4th century.

Germany

• Considered a country of thinkers, poets, and, nowadays, businesspeople. Germany shares a lot of culture and tradition with neighboring countries, especially the Germanic-speaking Austria and Switzerland.

  An important thing to know about German culture is that residents are expected to respect order and structure. It’s important to be on time, not just for work but for social events too, and to follow rules that are in place for the greater good of everybody who lives there.

Open Ended

Search online for the names of three folk music instruments from Germany

The Zither

A concert zither may have from 29 to 38 strings, with 34 or 35 being most typical.

The Alpine zither has 42 strings and differs from the concert zither primarily in requiring the addition of an extension to the body of the instrument to support both the longer additional contrabass strings and their tuners.

Open Ended

Watch the video of Let it be on the german Zither and share with us your comments about the style of playing and the instrument.

https://youtu.be/v0Px_HOquN0

France ( Culture and Food)

• French culture was historically shaped by Celtic, Roman, and Germanic cultures.

• As the official language of France, French is the first language of 88% of the population. Even then, most others speak French as a second language.

Religion and Language

• Most French citizens consider themselves to be Christian (primarily Catholic).

• Most of the remaining population today identifies as agnostic or atheist. However, there are also significant groups of Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist residents in modern France.

Open Ended

The French motto “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity” reflects the values of French society. Equality and unity are important to the French. Research the word Fraternity and the meaning of this phrase.

French Cuisine

• Meals in France are meant to be enjoyed. Food is made with great care, and mealtimes are a prime time for socializing. While French cooking is recognized around the world, there are many varieties in cooking styles, ingredients, and dishes from region to region. For example, Normandy cuisine is known for seafood and cheeses while Burgundy is known for beef.

  That being said, traditional French cuisine is characterized by its cheeses, wines, breads, and sauces. Recently, French cuisine has shifted to reflect lighter fare rather than the more traditional heavy sauces and complicated preparations.

Open Ended

Type the names of traditional French dishes.

Open Ended

Lets watch a short video of music by Lully and share your thoughts about the style of conducting performance, and instruments used in this era.

https://youtu.be/ScyTHuKDCFc