A Musical Time
Machine
Activity Guide
KWS School Concerts
Grades 4 - 6
March 30/31, 2010
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Daniel Warren, Resident Conductor
Season Sponsor
School Concert Sponsor
Youth Orchestra Series Sponsor
Dear Teachers
We are so pleased that you will be bringing students from your school to hear this
live performance by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony!
This concert, A Musical Time Machine, will introduce grade 4—6 students to some important concepts from the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum through music.
Not only will the students see and hear our wonderful 60-piece orchestra in the
acoustically superb Centre in the Square, they will also learn new ideas, be exposed to
history and be inspired.
To enhance the concert experience the KWS sends some of its musicians into the
schools to meet the students, give some instrument demonstrations, talk about the
concert and answer questions from the students. Please encourage your students to
be inquisitive—we love answering questions about the music we perform.
The materials in this booklet are designed by our KWS Education staff with input and
oversight by our Educator in Residence, Nancy Kidd. We welcome your feedback.
Thank you, and enjoy the concert!
Christopher Sharpe
Director of Education and Community Programs
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
[email protected]
519.745.4711 ext. 276
KWS Education Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 1:00 PM — Centre In The Square
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM— Centre In The Square
Traditional
Gregorian Chant (Vocal Excerpt)
0:30
John Williams (b. 1932)
"Hedwig's Flight" from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,
Children's Suite for Orchestra
2:00
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554 1612) / ED ROBERT KING
Canzona Per Sonare No 2
3:00
George Frideric Handel (1685
- 1759)
Hornpipe from Water Music, HWV 348-350
4:00
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756 - 1791)
Overture to Don Giovanni, K.527
7:00
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770
- 1827)
2nd movement excerpt from Symphony No.9 in D minor,
op.125, Choral
3:30
Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869)
"Dream of a Witches' Sabbath" from Symphonie fantastique,
op.14
3:00
Igor Stravinsky (1882 1971) / Reorchestrated by
the composer in 1919
Danse infernale from The Firebird
4:00
John Williams (b. 1932)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Children's Suite for Orchestra
Hedwig's Flight
Hogwarts Forever
Voldemort
Nimbus 2000
Fluffy and His Harp
Quidditch
Family Portrait
Diagon Alley
Harry's Wondrous World
5:00
Daniel Warren, Conductor
Daniel Warren is currently the Resident Conductor (1999-present) of the KitchenerWaterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada. He is in frequent demand as a guest conductor and has done so with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre
Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, Orchestra
London Canada, the Windsor Symphony, Symphony New Brunswick, The ERGO and
Continuum ensembles and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble.
He is heard conducting regularly on the CBC. For the past five years he has been the
conductor for the "Westben Arts Festival Theatre" in Campbellford, Ontario, performing repertoire with orchestra and full chorus with soloists both operatic and instrumental, all in a wide variety of orchestral and operatic programs. Recently released is
a CD of selections from the Nutcracker with the KW Symphony that Daniel conducted.
Daniel resides in his owner-built home in a rural setting with his wife and two children.
A Brief History of Symphony Orchestras
The history of the modern orchestra that we are familiar with today goes all the way
back to Ancient Egypt. The first orchestras were made up of small groups of musicians that gathered for festivals, holidays or funerals. During the time of the Roman
Empire, the government suppressed the musicians and informal ensembles were
banned, but they reappeared after the collapse of the Empire. It was not until the 11th
century that families of instruments started to appear with differences in tones and
octaves.
True modern orchestras started in the late 16th century when composers started
writing music for instrumental groups. In the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy the
households of nobles had musicians to provide music for dancing and the court, however with the emergence of the theatre, particularly opera, in the early 17th century,
music was increasingly written for groups of players in combination, which is the origin of orchestral playing. Opera originated in Italy, and Germany eagerly followed.
Dresden, Munich and Hamburg successively built opera houses. At the end of the
17th century opera flourished in England under Henry Purcell, and in France under
Lully, who with the collaboration of Molière also greatly raised the status of the entertainments known as ballets, interspersed with instrumental and vocal music.
In the 17th century and early 18th century, instrumental groups were taken from all
of the available talent. A composer such as Johann Sebastian Bach had control over
almost all of the musical resources of a town, whereas Handel would hire the best
musicians available. This placed a premium on being able to rewrite music for whichever singers or musicians were best suited for a performance—Handel produced different versions of the Messiah oratorio almost every year.
As nobility began to build retreats away from towns, they began to hire musicians to
form permanent ensembles. A composer would then have a fixed body of instrumentalists to work with. At the same time, travelling virtuoso performers would write concerti that showed off their skills, and they would travel from town to town, arranging
concerts along the way. The aristocratic orchestras worked together over long periods, making it possible for ensemble playing to improve with practice.
The invention of the piston and rotary valve led to improvements in woodwind and
brass instruments. The orchestra expanded as more of these instruments were added
to orchestras and composers wrote for the increasing number of musicians. The orchestra size reached a peak around the time of Wagner, who’s operas sometimes required 6 harps in the orchestra.
As the early 20th century dawned, symphony orchestras were larger, better funded,
and better trained than ever before; consequently, composers could compose larger
and more ambitious works. With the recording era beginning, the standard of performance reached a pinnacle. As sound was added to silent film, the virtuoso orchestra became a key component of the establishment of motion pictures as mass-market
entertainment.
The late 20th century saw a crisis of funding and support for orchestras. However,
many orchestras flourish today and a large percentage of mp3 downloads are classi-
KWS School Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
KWS, Daniel Warren
Gregorian Chant
Daniel Warren
CD Track #1
Gregorian Chant
This track provides an example
of how we typically hear Gregorian Chant today.
There's a famous
monastery in
France at Solesmes, and its
monks became
responsible for the
restoration of Gregorian Chant as
you hear it today on CDs and radio.
Terms:
Plainchant:
The name
"plainchant" doesn't mean the music
is boring! Quite the
reverse - it's from
the old French
"plein chant"
meaning "full singing".
References:
YouTube:
“Gregorian Chant”
brings up several
video performance
of this famous
piece.
The history of Gregorian
Chant, or “plainchant”,
begins before the birth of
Christ. Chant is based upon
the songs sung in the synagogues and Middle Eastern
countries. It’s fascinating to
know that some of today’s
chants are based upon the
actual songs which Jesus
sang when he was living in
Jerusalem.
In the early days the chant
wasn't copied into books. It
had to be memorized and it
would take monks many
years to learn all the different songs. Eventually they
worked out a way to write
music down, and words
and notes were copied into
one large book which all
the choir monks would
gather round and sing
from.
Gregorian
Chant
was
adopted by the Christian
Church in about the 6th
Century and it quickly became an essential part of
Christian worship. It was
named after Pope Gregory
the Great who unified all
the chants into one collection. This soon became an
essential part of monastic
worship and monks would
write new chants and take
them from monastery to
monastery.
Gregorian Chant music
Activity
1. Hand out or display a copy of a Gregorian Chant. (see next page)
Have the children list on chart paper a comparison between the notations of Gregorian chant to the notation of one of their songs.
Gregorian Chant
Modern Notation
*no clefs
*treble and/or bass clefs
*2-4 line staff (no staff in the beginning)
*5 line staff
*no time signature
*time signature
*no key signature
*key signature
*no rhythms (time values for notes)
*rhythms included
*no bar lines
*bar lines included
*neumes (no stems)
*round notes with stems
2. Shut the lights in the classroom, have the children close their eyes and put their
heads on their desks to listen to the Gregorian chant.
Where this music might be sung? (church, cathedral) How can you tell? (acoustics, language, monks)
3. Ask them to help you list the unique characteristics of this music:
*sung by male voices only
*unaccompanied (a cappella)
*solo / unison chorus (call and response)
*no harmony
*text is in Latin (sacred …church music)
*no metre (difficult to find patterns of beats)
*no rhythmic patterns
*no “catchy” melody
*limited range of notes (no extreme highs and lows)
KWS School Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
KWS, Daniel Warren
"Hedwig's Flight" from Harry Potter
Daniel Warren
CD Track #2
Hedwig’s Flight
from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Film composer
John Williams
wrote all the music
for all the Harry
Potter films as well
as many other
movies TV shows,
the Olympics and
more!
Terms:
Timbre:
The quality of
sound that distinguishes one voice
or instrument
from another.
References:
YouTube:
“Hedwig's flight”
brings up several
video performances of this famous piece.
Hedwig's Flight is a recurring theme for Hedwig the
owl. It was composed for
the Harry Potter films.
Known as the main theme
of the films, it was first
featured in Harry Potter
and the Philosopher's Stone.
and it has been in every
Harry Potter film score to
date.
COMPOSER
John Williams
1932 - present
John Williams
John is an American composer, conductor and pianist. He has composed film
scores for Star Wars, Harry
Potter, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Jaws! John has
won a variety of different
awards for his music, including 5 Oscars and 16
Grammys. He has been the
laureate conductor for the
Boston Pops Orchestra
since 1993.
Activity
1. Hedwig was Harry Potter’s beloved owl. She was a gift to Harry, snowy white owl who
became his trusted companion.
As you listen to John Williams, “Hedwig’s Flight”, imagine where Hedwig might
be flying. What is her mission? What makes this music sound so exciting and colourful?
*colours and timbres of the instruments of the orchestra – celeste (eerie opening); violins (playing quick, high passages); french horns (playing Hedwig’s theme)
*rhythmic changes – l l l l l l l l l l l l - (played by all section of the orchestra)
*articulation changes – legato (smooth) to staccato (jumpy)
*extreme dynamic contrasts
*extreme ranges of all instruments of the orchestra
2. Using crayons, markers or coloured pencils, draw and colour a picture of a scene or
story that the music might be describing. Be sure to listen to the music as you work!
3. When you watch the Harry Potter movie, The Sorcerer’s Stone, notice how the
music adds so much to what is happening on the screen.
KWS School Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
KWS, Daniel Warren
Canzona Per Sonare No 2
Daniel Warren
CD Track #3
Canzona Per
Sonare No, 2
Like other Gabrieli
works, this Canzona is characterized by contrasts –
of space, of high
and low voices,
and of dynamics.
Terms:
Canzona:
Canzoni are pieces
composed for various combinations
of instruments and
various sizes of
ensembles.
References:
YouTube:
“Canzona Per
Sonare No. 2”
brings up several
video performance
Giovanni’s
excellent
work made him one of
the most noted composers in Europe. Though
COMPOSER
Giovanni Gabrieli
1678 - 1741
Gabrieli composed in many
of the forms current at the
time, he preferred sacred
vocal and instrumental music.
Giovanni Gabrieli
Giovanni Gabrieli was an
Italian composer and organist, born and raised in
Venice. Gabrieli wrote a
wide range of innovative
music, including a work in
which four or more groups
would play at the same
time with the musicians
standing in different places
in the performance area.
The use of instruments in
this fashion laid the
groundwork for the modern orchestra.
Activity
1. Teach the song “Frere Jacques” by rote (see next page). Sing the canon several times
until the class is confident singing it in unison.
2. Once the class has learned the song, divide it in half and have each group sing their
part in canon. Try it in 3 parts or maybe 4!
3. Gabrieli was a church organist. Many of his compositions were written for the church.
Listen to the “Canzona.”
*What instrument family do you hear performing? (brass)
*Can you name the instruments that are playing? (trumpet, french horn, trombone,
tuba)
*How is this piece similar to “Frere Jacques?” (parts are imitating each other at times)
*Which singing voices would go with each of the brass instruments?
Trumpet – soprano; French Horn – alto/tenor; Trombone – baritone ; Tuba – bass
*Why would this piece sound wonderful in a church? (acoustics would enhance each
part)
4. Try singing “Frere Jacques” again. To imitate much the music composed around Gabrieli’s time, you might try the following combinations in canon:
*1/2 class on one side of room …….. 1/2 on the other
*girls sing one part……………………………….. boys sing other
*try 3, 4 parts in a circle
*large group sings one part……….small group sings other
*try the canon in a stairwell or hallway that has live acoustics
5. Experiment with more combinations when performing your canon, then listen to Gabrieli’s piece again. Can you hear anything else?
KWS School Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
KWS, Daniel Warren
Hornpipe from Water Music
Daniel Warren
CD Track #4
Please note: the
track on the CD is
an example of a
Hornpipe from the
Water Music. The
Hornpipe being
performed can be
found at :
Handel’s Water Music includes three suites. It premiered on July 17, 1717
when King George I requested a concert. The concert was performed by 50
musicians sitting on a
barge on the Thames River
in London, England. George
I was said to have loved it
so much that he ordered
the musicians to play the
suites three more times.
George Frederick Handel
www.youtube.co
m/watch?
v=lOoiuMYc5Wc
COMPOSER
George Frederick Handel
1685– 1759
George could play the violin, the oboe, the organ and
the harpsichord. He also
composed. He produced his
first opera, Rinaldo in
1711. It was a success and
gave Handel the finest
reputation in England. He
established the Royal Academy of Music. Near the end
of his life, George became
blind but still continued to
perform and compose music.
Activity
Terms:
Hornpipe:
A spirited British
folk dance from
the Baroque period.
Listen to Handel’s “Hornpipe” from Water Music. Where might this music be used? Why?
(Handel was hired to write this for a King’s party).
1 The orchestra is not as large as those in more modern times, so what is it that
makes it sound so regal? (trumpets, french horns,timpani)
2. Find the metre of this piece: (time signature)
(3/4 time)
*patcsh a steady beat on your thighs
*find the strongest beat and make it the loudest
*place the other beats on your shoulders
*try to keep this pattern while listening to the music
Patcsh
shoulder
shoulder |
Patsch
shoulder
shoulder
beat
beat
beat
|
beat
beat
beat
≥
≥
*try conducting the 3/4 pattern while listening to the piece (see next page)
References:
YouTube: “Water
Music” brings up
several video performance of this
famous piece.
3. Listen to the piece again and see if you can hum the main theme. Can you hear
the instruments imitating each other?
Can you hear the rhythmic imitation in the middle section of the piece? It goes like this:
short short short LONG , short short short LONG
Try to tap this pattern on your thighs with the music.
KWS School Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
KWS, Daniel Warren
Overture to Don Giovanni
Daniel Warren
CD Track #5
Overture to Don
Giovanni
The philosopher
Søren Kierkegaard
wrote that Mozart's
Don Giovanni was
“a work without
blemish of uninterrupted perfection.”
Don Giovanni is an opera.
It premiered in 1787. This
opera is a blend of comedy,
melodrama and supernatural elements. It appears as
number seven on America's
list of the 20 mostperformed operas in North
America.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
COMPOSER
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1756 - 1827
Mozart travelled all over
Europe playing music by
the time he was six. He
wrote his first sonata for
the piano when he was four
and composed his first opera when he was twelve! He
composed very quickly and
wrote huge amounts of
music. Mozart is considered by some to be the
greatest composer who
ever lived.
Terms:
Opera:
A stage work that
combines music
(solo singers, orchestra, and sometimes a chorus),
costumes, and scenery to tell a story.
Most operas are
sung throughout,
with no spoken
lines.
References:
YouTube: “Don
Giovanni” brings up
several video performances played
in various arrangements for different
instruments.
Activity
1. As you listen to the Overture to Don Giovanni, try to imagine what is about to
happen in this opera composed by Mozart.
2. Write a short story that has been inspired from listening to the music. Share your
stories with the class.
Listen again focusing on the musical elements that add colour, tension and drama to
this overture. Have children create a list on chart paper of all of techniques that
they have heard in the piece.
*extreme dynamics – loud/soft; accented beats
* tonality changes- sad (minor) / happy (major)
* texture changes – the number of instruments playing (many instruments / few
instruments)
* timbre – the colour of instruments playing ( strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion etc)
* extreme tempo changes – slow (dramatic) / fast (happy, energetic)
* extreme changes in rhythms – smooth and slow / scale – like and fast
KWS School Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
KWS, Daniel Warren
2nd movement from Symphony No.9
Daniel Warren
CD Track #4
Symphony No. 9 by
Beethoven.
The ninth symphony was composed and performed when
Beethoven was
entirely deaf!
Terms:
Beethoven was 28 years
old when he first realized he was becoming
deaf. He vowed to live
on for music and managed to create some of
the most powerful music
in history despite losing
his hearing very quickly.
Ludwig van Beethoven
COMPOSER
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770 - 1827
Beethoven first studied the
viola and piano, then
moved to Vienna to study
with a famous composer,
Haydn. Beethoven quickly
became known as a brilliant pianist and composer. By 1815 he was losing his hearing and had to
give up performing so he
concentrated on composing. His unique music compositions sounded strange
to many of his audiences. He has had a great
influence on many composers.
Activity
Symphony:
A composition for
orchestra, made
up of (usually)
four movements,
each with a different mood and
tempo.
References:
YouTube:
“Symphony No. 9”
brings up several
video performance
of this famous
piece.
1. Teach the children “Ode to Joy” (next page…) from the last movement (IV) of Beethoven’s, Symphony No. 9. Beethoven was the first composer to include singing
in a symphony! This symphony celebrated “brotherhood and peace.” Can you
sing this song with feeling?
2. Listen to the excerpt from the 2nd movement. Which instrument from the percussion section is featured? (timpani)
3. What techniques does Beethoven use to create the feeling of “joy” in this music?
(*propulsive rhythms! explosive dynamics! accents! exciting repetitive pat
terns!)
4. Imagine standing on the stage of the Centre in the Square listening to the K.W
Symphony Orchestra and then singing with them in the last movement!!
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee,
Op'ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day.
KWS School Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
KWS, Daniel Warren
"Dream of a Witches' Sabbath"
Daniel Warren
CD TRACK #7
Dream of a Witches’
bath is the story of a
at his funeral, and the
guests are witches
monsters!
Sabman
only
and
“Dream of a
Witches’ Sabbath”
“Dream of a
witches’ Sabbath”
is a piece within
the symphony An
Episode in the Life
of an Artist, better
known as Fantastic
Symphony
Terms:
Program Music :
Instrumental music that relays a
story, portrays a
picture, or illustrates an event.
Hector Berlioz
COMPOSER
Hector Berlioz
1803 - 1869
Berlioz a French composer
had an amazing imagination which was expressed
in his choice of instruments and how he
stretched the boundaries of
expression in his orchestra
writing. Berlioz is well
known for creating symphonic program music and
the "idee fixe" which is
where a melody or theme is
used over and over to represent a person or an idea.
Activity
1. Close your eyes and listen to “Dream of a Witches Sabbath.” This music paints a
picture and tells a story through music. (program music) Choose and colour the colouring page that most represents this music to you or draw and colour your own picture. (colouring samples included)
2. Berlioz uses a special and very old theme in this piece. It originated in church music.
It is called “Dies Irae.”
References:
YouTube: “Dream
of a Witches’ Sabbath” brings up
several performances of this song.
3. Listen to the piece again and see if you can hear this theme. What does Berlioz do to
this theme to make it interesting? (passes it around to different instruments in the
orchestra; changes the tempo (speed)
4. Listen again focusing on the musical elements that add colour, tension and drama to
this piece. Can you picture the witches dancing in this dream?
Have children create a list on chart paper of all of the techniques they hear that help
create a story.
*extreme dynamics –very loud/ very soft; accented beats
* tonality changes- sad (minor) / happy (major)
* texture changes – the number of instruments playing - (many instruments / few instruments)
* timbre – the colour of instruments playing ( strings, woodwinds (Eb clarinet solo), brass,
percussion
(bells) , etc)
- new and unusual instruments to add character
*extreme ranges – very high notes / very low notes
*extreme tempo changes – slow (dramatic) / fast ( energetic)
* extreme changes in rhythms – slow (quarter notes)/ quick –( eighth and sixteenth notes)
KWS School Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
KWS, Daniel Warren
Danse infernale from The Firebird
Firebird. While
bewitched by
Synopsis
Daniel Warren
CD Track #8
“Danse infernale
from the Firebird”
The ballet is known
as Stravinsky's
'breakthrough piece',
he composed it at
the age of 28.
Terms:
Stravinsky's ballet centers on
the journey of its hero, Prince
Ivan. Ivan enters the magical
realm of Kashchei the Immortal.While wandering in the
gardens, he sees and chases
the Firebird. The Firebird, once
caught by Ivan, begs for its life
and ultimately agrees to assist
Ivan in exchange for eventual
freedom. Next, Prince Ivan sees
thirteen princesses, with one
of whom he falls in love. The
next day, Ivan chooses to confront Kashchei to ask to marry
one of the princesses; the two
talk and eventually begin quarreling. When Kashchei sends
his magical creatures after
Ivan, the Firebird, true to its
pledge, intervenes, bewitching
the creatures and making them
dance an elaborate, energetic
dance (the "Infernal Dance").
The creatures and Kashchei
then fall asleep; however, Kashchei awakens and is then
sent into another dance by the
Atonal Music :
To the uninitiated
listener, atonal music can sound like
chaotic, random
noise. However, atonality is one of the
most important
movements in 20th
century music.
Igor Stravinsky
the Firebird she tells Ivan the
secret to Kashchei's immortality - his soul is contained
inside an enormous, magical
egg. Ivan destroys the egg,
killing Kashchei. With Kashchei gone and his spell
broken, the magical creatures
and the palace all disappear.
All of the "real" beings
(including the princesses)
awaken and, with one final
fleeting appearance from the
Firebird, to celebrate their
victory.
Kashchei
is
COMPOSER
Igor Stravinsky
1882-1971
Igor Stravinsky was acknowledged as one of the
most important and influential composers of 20th
century. He first achieved
international fame with
three ballets written for the
Ballet Russe. The Rite of
Spring ballet transformed
the way in which composers thought about rhythmic
structure, and was largely
responsible for Stravinsky's
enduring reputation as a
musical revolutionary.
Activity
1. Have the children listen to the “Danse Infernal” from the ballet, The Firebird
Suite. The Firebird has magical powers. Ask them to imagine what might be
happening as they listen to the music
2. Write or tell a brief story that is inspired by the music. Share your story with
the class.
3. What moods are evoked while listening to the piece? (excitement, anxiety, tension)
4. Share the brief synopsis of the story of Prince Ivan and the Firebird.
References:
YouTube: “The Firebird” brings up a
video performance
by the DAAYO Symphony orchestra.
5. Listen again focusing on the musical elements that add colour, tension and drama to
this composition. Have children create a list on chart paper of all of techniques that they
have heard in the piece. (extreme dynamics – loud/soft; tempo changes – fast/slow;
extreme pitch – high/low; tonality changes- atonal music (moving away from a singable
melody); texture changes – the number of instruments playing (thickness or thinness of
sound), articulation – pizzicato/ accents; timbre – the colour of instruments playing
(entire orchestra including a large percussion section and harp); rhythmic emphasisstrong accents, syncopation
KWS School Concerts
A Musical Time Machine
KWS, Daniel Warren
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Daniel Warren
CD TRACK #9
Harry potter and
the Sorcerer’s Stone
Music from the
Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone
soundtrack has been
used in other Harry
Potter films.
Terms:
Dynamics:
Harry potter and the Sorcerer’s stone soundtrack
was nominated for ’Best
Original Music Score’ at the
74th Academy awards.
Composing for film or TV
is not easy. The composer
must work with the Director to identify exactly
where the music should fit
and what it should convey.
Once all the selections have
been composed, the composer watches the film as
he conducts the orchestra
so that it lines up exactly
as planned. It takes a lot of
skill and talent to do this
successfully.
John Williams
COMPOSER
John Williams
1932 - present
John is an American composer, conductor and pianist. He has composed film
scores for Star Wars, Harry
Potter, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Jaws; he has
even composed music for
four Olympic Games. John
has won a variety of different awards for his music,
including 5 Oscars and 16
Grammys. He has been the
laureate conductor for the
Boston Pops Orchestra since
1993.
Activity
Playing loudly or
softly, as indicated
in the sheet music
with an “f” for forte
and “p” for piano.
1. Have the class listen to a scene from a television program or from a movie without watching the screen. Write down what you think is happening on the screen
based on the music score behind the action.
References:
3. Listen to John William’s music from The Sorcerer’s Stone….better yet, watch the
movie and notice how important the music score is to the action on the screen. Discuss some of the ways that composers bring action, characters and emotion to life
through their music.
*use of a variety of usual and unusual instruments – strings, woodwinds,
brass, percussion
* use a wide variety of dynamics
* vary the tempo (speed of music) depending on the action
* vary the rhythms and the use of silence
* change the articulations (smooth, accented, staccato)
* change the keys and tonalities (major – happy; minor – sad/scary
YouTube: “Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's stone” brings
up several piano and
orchestra video performances.
2. Share your thoughts. Why did you assume certain actions were occurring? Watch
the scene now. Were you correct? What cues did the music give you?
Summary of Musical Terms
Atonal Music :
To the uninitiated listener, atonal music can sound like chaotic, random noise. However, atonality is one of the most important movements in 20th century music.
Canzona:
Canzoni are pieces composed for various combinations of instruments and various
sizes of ensembles.
Dynamics:
Playing loudly or softly, as indicated in the sheet music with an “f” for forte and “p”
for piano.
Hornpipe:
A spirited British folk dance from the Baroque period.
Opera:
A stage work that combines music (solo singers, orchestra, and sometimes a chorus),
costumes, and scenery to tell a story. Most operas are sung throughout, with no spoken lines.
Plainchant:
The name "plainchant" doesn't mean the music is boring! Quite the reverse - it's from
the old French "plein chant" meaning "full singing".
Program Music :
Instrumental music that relays a story, portrays a picture, or illustrates an event.
Symphony:
A composition for orchestra, made up of (usually) four movements, each with a different mood and tempo.
Timbre:
The quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another.