1. Having watched the programme you may be under the impression that Shostakovitch wrote serious and melancholic music that glorified the state and its people. However, he also wrote in other kinds of genres such as jazz. Listen to his Jazz Suite No 1 and Jazz Suite No 2 (1934 and 1938 respectively). Although not strictly jazz, more like tea dances or popular dance forms, he employs his typical melodic lines and shifting harmonic ideas, which are reminiscent of those in his Fifth Symphony. Listen to the opening of the Fifth Symphony and the first number of the Jazz Suite No.1 or the Lyric Waltz from the Second Suite. Also think about the unusual instruments he is using, which are not usually featured in the symphony orchestra. What are these? (The Foxtrot in Jazz Suite No.1 best illustrates this).

2. Many Jewish composers fled Germany during the thirties fearing for their lives. Most found their way to England or America, and in particular to Hollywood where they found that they were able to make impressive livings writing for films. Perhaps the most famous of these was Erich Korngold (1897–1957). Having been labelled a genius by Mahler he wrote some fine operas and vocal works such as 'Violanta' and 'Das Wunder der Heliane'. It was his film scores that secured his place in musical history however, as he created the typical Hollywood sound of the thirties and forties. His greatest scores are for the films 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' and 'The Sea Hawk' for which he won Oscars. These terrific scores endure even today and began a tradition surviving today through the work of Bernard Herrmann and John Williams. Try to listen to some of his recordings, or better still, watch 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', a vehicle for the actor Errol Flynn. Consider the late Romantic tradition that he came from by listening to a work by Richard Strauss or Mahler. What makes these scores so symphonic and classically inspired?

Shostakovitch also wrote very impressive film music. If possible, try to get hold of the Russian film versions of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and 'King Lear'. These are monumental in the way that they employ the orchestral forces in order to illustrate the drama effectively. These film scores are also available on CD but are best heard simultaneously with the film.

3. Kurt Weill's piece of musical theatre 'The Threepenny Opera' is full of great songs which endure even today. Listen to some of the recordings of 'Mack the Knife' in its original German, the version by Ella Fitzgerald, and a version performed by a modern artist, such as Robbie Williams. Is there a difference in the mood created by tempo or even by language? You may find the German version from the recording of the opera much more sinister and menacing compared to the more sanitised later versions. Why do you think it has become so popular?

Sing some other songs by Kurt Weill such as 'Surabaya Johnny', 'Bilbao Song' or 'Alabama Song'. Try to make an arrangement of Mack the Knife using the instruments available to you in your class groups.

4. The rise and popularity of jazz, blues and swing during the twenties inspired the development of such monumental artists such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and much later, John Coltrane. Each was a master of their instrument and took their playing and creative skills to the highest possible peaks. Listen to some works by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Compare them to the some of the popular swing bands of the thirties and forties. What makes their music more complex, and musically, so very interesting? Listen to how they develop melodic and harmonic lines.

Compare also the singing styles of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, both very popular, but very different, during the thirties and forties. What do you notice? See if you can get hold of recordings of Ella singing songs by George Gershwin ('The Man I Love', 'But Not For Me', 'Love Is Here To Stay'). Then try to sing some of the songs by Gershwin from songbooks of his works. What do you notice about the melodic and harmonic lines in this work? Listen also to Gershwin's most famous song 'Summertime'. Sing this if you have copies. Then compare the operatic version (from 'Porgy and Bess') with the versions by Ella Fitzgerald and, if possible, the beautiful piano version played by the British born jazz composer George Shearing.

5. The one composer not mentioned in the programme who was also living through the terrors of the late thirties and forties in Europe was Béla Bartók. To many he is considered to be one of the greatest composers and certainly perhaps one of the most important of the twentieth century. He lived through a similar dictatorship to Russia and Germany in Hungary, where Admiral Nicholas Horthy conducted a similar purge on Jewish citizens. When the Nazis invaded Austria, Hungary's neighbour, Bartók knew that the alliance between Germany and Hungary would be strengthened and he would be a possible 'persona non grata' even though he was not Jewish. In 1940 he left for America. Although he composed the 'Concerto for Orchestra' in 1943 his most significant body of work was written in Europe prior to his departure. Listen to the amazing orchestral writing in the 'Concerto for Strings, Percussion and Celeste' or parts of 'Duke Bluebeard's Castle'. Listen also to the complex harmonic, melodic and rhythmic writing in the great String Quartets. Try to play some of his early 'Pieces for Children' (1908 – 9) or his later graded Piano pieces 'Mikrokosmos'. Think about his influences (Hungarian and Romanian folksong, polyrhythms and polytonality, late Romanticism as well as atonality). Compare his work to Shostakovitch and Prokofiev.