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Inspiration is What Sparks a New Idea

Composers, like other creative people, need inspiration to write, or “compose” music. Sometimes, composers search inside themselves to their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Other times, it’s a trip outside into the world, looking at nature, reading stories, going places, or thinking about current events. But once they have their idea, then what?

How Do Composers Write Music?

Whether inspiration comes from observation, memories, or imagination, every composer uses the same basic tools to write music. One tool is pitch, which refers to the high notes, low notes, and all the notes in-between. Another is rhythm or the long and short notes. (Once you mix pitch and rhythm, you’ve written a melody.) Composers also decide on the tempo of the music, which can change fast to faster and slow to slower. Composers must choose which instruments will perform the music as well as the dynamics—whether the music’s volume is loud or quiet.

Our Brains: Wired to Music

Scientists now know there is a strong connection between our brain and how we listen to music. Interestingly, there is no one special place in the brain that analyzes music. Instead, when we listen to music, our brain sends messages to many different parts that handle separate tasks. For example:

• Get the Picture - Our mind’s eye sees pictures when we listen to music, like settings, nature scenes, loved ones, activities, or events.
• They’re Playing Our Song - Music triggers memories of people, places, or events in our lives.
• Shake It Off - The brain hears music and sends signals to sway, tap our feet, snap our fingers, clap our hands, bob our heads, or get up and dance.
• Show Some Emotion - Happy songs make us happy but sad songs bring us down—and then dance songs pump us up again! Music connects to emotions and moods.
• Puzzle It Out - The brain solves patterns and puzzles in music, trying to predict what might happen next.

The Call of Nature

Many composers are inspired by the natural world around them. They have written music capturing the drama of a sunrise, the stillness of the moon, a violent battle at sea, and even the depth of outer space.

Wind and Rain: The Four Seasons

Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi was inspired by nature and his own poetry to write a series of violin concertos to express the four seasons. In the “Presto” (meaning super-fast) section of “Summer,” Vivaldi uses music to tell the story of a shepherd and his flock caught in a sudden summer rainstorm.

Sometimes composers choose to write music that features one instrument over all others. Such a composition is called a concerto, a work that features the talent and skill of a solo performer. The soloist at this concert is a member of the National Symphony Orchestra (or NSO). In a concerto, composers write the soloist’s part to be especially flashy and technically difficult to perform so that the soloist can really show off his or her skills.

Down by the River: The Moldau

Czech composer Bed˘rich Smetana (BED-rick SMET–ah-na) was inspired to write The Moldau by nature, memories of his personal adventures, and a deep love for his country. The work is named after an actual river that runs from a mountainside, through the Czech countryside, and into the city of Prague. In his music, Smetana tells the story of the river’s journey as it passes people and events happening along its banks. Smetana even composes music to describe white water rapids!

Smetana visited the Moldau River several times in his life. He wove those personal memories and impressions into a lush melody that serves as a river theme. You will notice that the river theme starts gently but then its melody swells as the river widens.

You will also notice that Smetana changes the music to depict different scenes on the riverbanks. Listen for Smetana’s use of French horns and trumpets sounding like hunters chasing a deer through the forest. Listen for the violins performing a polka (a lively couple dance) at a wedding party. And listen for the flutes as Smetana imagines mermaids in the moonlight.

Take out a sheet of paper and a pencil or crayons. As you listen to Smetana’s music, draw a picture of his river. Start with the river and a tree or maybe a rolling hill, and draw the pictures that the music suggests to you. Perhaps you see the hunters. Or you see the farmer’s wedding, or the mermaids, or even the rushing rapids.

You don’t have to be a great artist. Draw stick-people if you want. See if the music inspires you to see the same pictures that Smetana shared from his imagination and memory.

The Voice Within

Many composers find inspiration by focusing on their memories and sense of values. Sometimes, these personal statements can make a composer’s music sound serious and dramatic. Other times, they might sound amusing, playful, and fun.

Good Friends: Enigma Variations

British composer Edward Elgar was playing with a melody at the piano when his wife Alice told him she liked what she was hearing. To amuse her, Elgar played the same melody— but kept changing it so that each variation sounded like one of their neighbors and friends. This playful exercise turned into Elgar’s Enigma Variations and includes musical portraits of Elgar’s friends, his music student, and even a neighbor’s bulldog.

Elgar took inspiration from the people who lived around him. When we listen to his Enigma Variations now, we don’t necessarily think of the specific people Elgar had in mind. Instead, we reflect on how important it is to have friends and to connect with people in life.

Listening Activities

Ready to dig deeper into inspiration? The following audio listening activities will help you explore the minds of composers, their music, and your own ideas!