The Chamber Music Society of Detroit presents…
Windscape
Flute: Tara Helen O’Connor
Oboe: Randall Ellis
Clarinet: Alan R. Kay
Bassoon: Frank Morelli
Horn: David Jolly
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
After Japan opened to the West in the mid-19th century, the rich artistic and cultural heritage of the Japanese
people began to have a profound influence on the art and music of Europe. Nowhere was this influence felt more
than in France, where, by the 20th century, the art and music of Japan was fully integrated into the development
of what is now widely known as the Impressionist Era. This concert includes both French and Japanese
Impressionistic music accompanied by French and Japanese Impressionistic artworks selected by the musicians
FIRST SEGMENT: Welcome (01:22 to 3:50)
The concept of the program is introduced.
Detailed Timeline for this segment
o 01:22 – Welcome
o 03:50 – The segment ends
SECOND SEGMENT: Préludes- Voiles and Pagodes, by Claude Debussy (4:00 to 12:35)
Claude Debussy originally wrote two books of twelve Préludes for solo piano. Each book was written at an
unusually fast pace of only a few months. The titles of each prelude were highly descriptive with some of the
titles actually put in quotes. These were drawn from other works such as J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan in Kensington
Garden, a book that Debussy’s daughter had received as a gift. Also significant was the placement of the titles.
Instead of placing these at the top or beginning of the pieces, they were included at the end so that they could be
enjoyed with fresh ears and without the prejudice of knowing the title. The ensemble performs transcriptions of
two of the preludes: Voiles (Sails) and Pagodes (Pagodas).
Detailed Timeline for this segment
o 04:00 – Voiles begins
o 07:16 – Volies ends
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07:33 – Pagodes begins
12:35 – Pagodes ends
THIRD SEGMENT: The Sea in Spring by Michio Miyagi (13:01 to 17:32)
Miyagi was a Japanese musician famous for playing the koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument with 13
strings and 13 moveable bridges. Miyagi started playing the koto as a young boy after he lost his sight at age 8.
Haru no Umi (The Sea in Spring) is his most famous piece. He composed the piece at age 35 from childhood
memories of the Sea of Tomonoura before he lost his sight.
Concert can be found at www.MIStreamnet.org/cmsd or www.ChamberMusicDetroit.org/Education
Detailed Timeline for this segment
o 13:01 – The Sea in Spring begins
o 17:32 – The Sea in spring ends
FOURTH SEGMENT: Ma mere l’oye “Mother Goose Suite” by Maurice Ravel (17:55 to 36:15)
Ravel was unmarried and childless, yet he adored children and their world of fantasy. He originally wrote this
piece a piano duet to be performed by two children ages 6 and 7. The subtitle of the piece was “five children’s
pieces.”
Detailed Timeline for this segment
o 17:55 – Introduction to Impressionism
o 22:24 –
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– Petit Poucet (Tom Thumb) begins
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– Petit Poucet (Tom Thumb) begins
o 27:01 – Laideronette, impératrice de pagodes (Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas) begins
o 30:35 – Laideronette, impératrice de pagodes (Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas) ends
o 30:51 – Les entretiens de la belle et da la bête (Beauty and the Beast) begins
o 34:29 – Les entretiens de la belle et da la bête (Beauty and the Beast) ends
o 34:43 – Le jardin féerigue (The Fairy Garden)begins
o 37:46 – Le jardin féerigue (The Fairy Garden) ends
FIFTH SEGMENT: Prelude No. 1 “La Colombe” by Oliver Messiaen (38:04 to 48:15)
Olivier Messiaen is one of the 20th century’s most important composers. Messiaen believes that birds were the
world’s best musicians and considered himself both a composer and ornithologist. He often incorporated
birdsong transcriptions into his music.
Detailed Timeline for this segment
o 38:04 – Narrative introduction to “La Colombe” and “Le tombeau de Couperin”
o 40:06 – La Colombe (The Dove) begins
o 42:12 – La Colombe (The Dove) ends
Teaching concepts demonstrated in this segment:
o La Colombe includes great examples of five note (pentatonic) scales
SIXTH SEGMENT: Le tombeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel (42:29 to 54:30)
Ravel composed this piece as a tribute to his friends who had died while fighting in World War I. Each movement
was dedicated to a different friend. This is perhaps the most famous example of the musical genre “tombeau.”
Tombeau is derived from the French word for “tomb” or “tombstone” and means a piece commemorating the
death of a person of importance.
Detailed Timeline for this segment
Concert can be found at www.MIStreamnet.org/cmsd or www.ChamberMusicDetroit.org/Education
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42:29 – Prélude begins
45:28 – Prélude ends
45:49 – Fugue begins
48:42 – Fugue ends
48:55 – Minuet begins
52:36 – Minuet ends
52:50 – Rigadoun begins
55:25 – Rigadoun ends
FINAL SEGMENT: Questions & Answers, Encore (55:42 to 61:50)
Detailed Timeline for this segment
o 54:48 – Questions from the audience
o 1:06:06 – end of performance
Teaching concepts demonstrated in this segment:
o There is a great introduction to wind instruments and how they produce sound in the Questions &
Answers portion near the end of the recording
CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS FOR THIS CONCERT
Listening Journals are a great resource for teachers to use meet the requirement of all classes having
examples of student writing displayed and analyzed. Journaling allows for the the integration of writing
without compromising the integrity of the musical experience.
o Younger students can use Sound Diaries to record their impressions of the pieces.
Copyright 2011, Minute of Listening, a project of Sound and Music
Concert can be found at www.MIStreamnet.org/cmsd or www.ChamberMusicDetroit.org/Education
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Older students can listen to the pieces and then use the sounds they heard to evoke a story or scene.
These can then be used as a basis for a creative writing assignment. Examples of prompts are:
o Pretend what you just heard was the soundtrack to a new film. Thinking about what you just
heard, write a description of the opening scene. Students can share these opening scenes
with their classes and pitch their film ideas.
o Describe the melody, rhythm, context, etc… of this piece.
o Try listening to the original piano versions of the pieces by Debussy and the Ravel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqF-iVVJsao Debussy Préludes- Voiles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjBrR7mc44Q Debussy Préludes- Pagodes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0RA8lBOLGc Debussy- Le tombeau de Couperin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3VFSI2sXJE Ravel- Les entretiens de la belle et da la bête
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctpqAyT7bBgRavel- Laideronette, impératrice de pagodes
Then describe how the transcribed instrumentation in this piece added to its impact.
o How is this music different than current popular music?
Concert can be found at www.MIStreamnet.org/cmsd or www.ChamberMusicDetroit.org/Education