AROUND THE WORLD
Program
WAGNER
Overture to The Flying Dutchman
SIBELIUS
Finlandia
MUSSORGSKY
Pictures at an Exhibition. Bydlo
ELGAR
Enigma Variations, Nimrod
LI HUAN-ZHI
Spring Festival Overture
GINASTERA
Variaciones Concertantes, Op.23
TRADITIONAL
Arr. Carmen Dragon
Turkey in the Straw
VINE
V: An Orchestral Fanfare
WILLIAMS
Star Wars Suite, The Imperial March
WAGNER
MUSSORGSKY
SIBELIUS
ELGAR
GINASTERA
Turkey in the Straw
VINE
LI
AROUND THE WORLD
Richard Wagner – Overture to The Flying Dutchman
The Composer:
Richard Wagner– 1813 – 1883
Country:
Germany
Era:
Romantic (1730 – 1820)
Famous for:
Use of leitmotif
The Flying Dutchman is an opera composed by Richard Wagner and premiered in 1843. Wagner uses leitmotifs for the characters in the
story and they all appear in the overture. The main focus of the overture is the storm leitmotif.
Wagner was inspired to write the story after being in debt and leaving Germany by crossing the border illegally into Prussia and then
boarding a ship for a stormy passage to London. During the passage the ship had to shelter in a Norwegian fjord.
The Flying Dutchman is set off the coast of Norway in stormy weather. While sheltering from the storm a ghost ship appears . A curse is put
on the ship and they must roam the seas forever but every seven years the captain is cast ashore and if he can find a wife then the curse will
be broken.
An Opera is a drama or play in which all parts are sung.
A Leitmotif is a theme or melody that is associated with a character, idea or event.
Leitmotifs are heard in operas, musicals and movie music when the character arrives on stage or on the screen
LISTEN AND WATCH
Overture to The Flying Dutchman
.
Jean Sibelius – Finlandia – Separate resource available at qso.com.au/learn-qso/resources
The Composer:
Jean Sibelius 1865 - 1957
Country:
Finland
Era:
Late Romantic – Early Modern
Famous for:
Helping Finland develop a national identity while fighting for independence from Russia
Sibelius composed Finlandia in 1899 as a symphonic poem. Sibelius composed the piece for the Press Celebrations of 1899 and he created it
as a secret protest against censorship enforced by the Russian empire. This work has been attributed to rallying the Finns and their eventual
freedom from the Russian invasion of Finland.
The work describes moments in Finnish history but it was not originally performed under the title Finlandia. Many other titles were used with
the most famous being Impromptu, Happy Feelings at the Awakening of a Finnish Spring and A Scandinavian Choral March. Finlandia contains
a hymn tune that has become an unofficial national anthem of Finland.
Finlandia was featured in the movie Die Hard 2: Die Harder.
LISTEN AND WATCH
Listen to, and watch Finlandia performed by the Sydney Youth Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House.
Modest Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition, Bydlo
The Composer:
Modest Mussorgsky 1839 - 1881
Country:
Russia
Era:
Romantic
Famous for:
Establishing a Russian music identity in the Romantic era.
Pictures at an Exhibition is a Suite of ten (10) movements and a recurring movement that called Promenade. Mussorgsky originally
composed this work in 1874 as a piano composition but it was orchestrated by the French composer Maurice Ravel in 1922. In 1870,
Mussorgsky met artist and architect Victor Hartmann and they became good friends. When Hartmann suddenly died aged only 39, an
exhibition of Hartmann’s works was held in Russia. This inspired Mussorgsky to compose Pictures at an Exhibition.
Imagine you are walking through an art gallery. Then you stop to look and admire a painting before moving on to the next painting. Each
movement describes a painting in music and between movements the Promenade theme plays to represent walking from painting to
painting or room to room in the art gallery.
Bydlo describes a painting of “A Polish cart on enormous wheels, drawn by oxen”. The movements begins quietly (pianissimo) and builds
gradually (crescendo) to very loud (fortissimo) as the cart gets closer and closer, and then getting softer (diminuendo) as the cart continues
its journey and moves away.
LISTEN AND WATCH
Bydlo from Pictures at an Exhibition. Also listen to Promenade, the recurring theme.
Listen to the entire Pictures at an Exhibition with the photos of the art works of Victor Hartman.
Edward Elgar – Enigma Variations, Nimrod
The Composer:
Edward Elgar 1857 - 1934
Country:
England
Era:
Late Romantic – Early Modern
Elgar composed the Enigma Variations in 1899. With an original theme and then fourteen variations, Elgar dedicated the work “to my
friends pictured within”. Each variations was composed to show the character and personality of a different friend.
Variation No. 9 is titled “Nimrod” and is dedicated to his close friend Augustus Jaeger who was a music editor in London. Nimrod is a
character in the bible and is described as “a mighty hunter”. His friend had encouraged and supported Elgar during a period of depression.
The style of the variation is solemn and grand, beginning very softly and building to a forte section before finishing softly again.
The tempo marking is Adagio meaning slow.
The violins open with the theme.
Vio
LISTEN AND WATCH
Enigma Variations Nimrod
Spring Festival Overture – 1st Movement
The Composer:
Li Huan-Zhi
Country:
China (Born Hong Kong)
Era:
Contemporary
Li Huan-Zhi was born in Hong Kong in 1919 and died in Bejing, China in 2000.
Li composed Spring Festival Overture in 1955 and describing a Chinese New Year celebration. The first movement of the work was recorded
and broadcast into space on China’s first lunar probe.
There are four movements in Spring Festival Overture. The 1st movement will be performed in “Around the World”.
1. Overture – Allegro con Fuoco – Moderato grazioso – Allegro
2. Andante Cantabile
3. Rondo
4 Moderato
LISTEN AND WATCH
1st movement, Overture of Spring Festival Overture performed by a symphony orchestra.
Spring Festival Overture performed by a traditional Chinese Orchestra.
Alberto Ginastera – Variaciones Concertantes
12th Variation: Variazione finale in modo de Rondo
The Composer:
Alberto Ginastera 1916 - 1983
Country:
Argentina
Era:
20th Century
Alberto Ginastera was commissioned to compose Variaciones Concertantes by the Argentine Friends of Music and it premiered in 1953. In
his early compositions Ginastera used Argentinian folk songs in his work. In later compositions, while the folk songs were an inspiration, he
composed his own melodies and rhythms within 20th century serial music forms.
Variaciones Concertantes was composed in the middle of his career. The work consists of twelve movements which are all variations on the
original theme. The movements are performed without breaks and each variation features different instruments of the orchestra.
The final movement features the whole orchestra.
The entire work lasts 24 minutes.
LISTEN AND WATCH
Excerpt of Finale:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tN-39Qhxc8
Finale:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2kslOtGinE
Traditional – Turkey in the Straw
The Composer:
Traditional.
Country:
America
Era:
Modern (1890 – 1975 )
20th Century (1900 – 2000)
Turkey in the Straw is an American folk song
from the 1800s. No-one knows who the
composer was. This arrangement is by
Carmen Dragon
There are many versions of this song because
it would have been learnt from listening to
others sing the song.
Traditionally the song is played in a hillbilly
style on banjo, guitar or fiddle.
LISTEN AND WATCH
Turkey in the Straw played on guitar and violin or fiddle with double bass.
V: An Orchestral Fanfare
The Composer:
Carl Vine
Country:
Australia
Era:
Contemporary
Carl Vine was born in 1954 in Perth Western Australia and is a composer of contemporary classical music. Carl is Artistic Director of Musica
Viva Australia. He is very well known for his piano compositions and also composes for small ensembles and orchestras . Carl Vine composed
music for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Closing Ceremony.
V was composed by Carl Vine in 2002. Carl Vine says “I have always wanted to title a work using a single letter. The letter V in the title refers
to the Roman numeral for 5 mainly because the pieces is 5 minutes in length.
Instrumentation:
Woodwind:
Piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons
Brass:
4 french horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba
Percussion:
Timpani, Percussion, harp
Strings:
violins, violas, celli, double bass
LISTEN AND WATCH
Carl Vine, Symphony No. 5 Percussion Symphony
John Williams – Star Wars Suite, Imperial March
John Williams was born in New York where his father Johnny Williams was a percussionist. The young John started piano lessons from
age seven. When the family moved to the West Coast, his father found session work playing on film soundtracks and John started
working as a freelance pianist.
After many years working as a session pianist, Williams made the transition into composition. Among his early work as a composer were
the television shows of Irwin Allen such as Lost in Space, Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. He then composed for a variety of films
including The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. His first Academy Award was for the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof.
Stephen Spielberg approached Williams to score his movies. This led to Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman,
E.T. , Indiana Jones, Empire of the Sun, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Amistad, AI and Minority Report. After a gap of a few years
Williams has composed the music for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Tintin, War Horse and most recently Lincoln.
Williams was conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, and he has written several classical concert pieces. He has also been
commissioned to compose works for some big events , Olympics Games and the unveiling of the restored Statue of Liberty.
The main theme of Star Wars has become the easily recognised melody, theme or leitmotif which is associated with Luke Skywalker.
This strong theme features the brass instruments and is a fanfare.
The Imperial March first appeared in the second film The Empire Strikes Back. The theme or leitmotif is the musical symbol for both
Darth Vader and the “evil” of the Empire. Listen for the powerful rhythm which begins the march and continues through the work.
An analysis of the Imperial March can be found on this website.
LISTEN AND WATCH
Star Wars with John Williams conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Imperial March plays when Darth Vader appears in Star Wars
Australian Curriculum – Music
Elements of
Music
Foundation
to Year 2
Years
3 and 4
Years
5 and 6
Rhythm
Beat and rhythm
Fast/slow
Long/short
Tempo changes
ostinato
Compound metre
Pitch
High/low
Pitch direction
Pitch matching
Unison
Pentatonic patterns
Melodic shape
Intervals
Treble clef and staff
Dynamics &
Expression
Forte, piano
Form and
Structure
Timbre
Years
7 and 8
Years
9 and 10
Time signature
Rhythmic devices anacrusis,
syncopation, ties and
pause
Regular and irregular
time subdivision
Triplet, duplet
Motif, Augmentation/
diminution
Major scales
Pitch sequences,
arpeggio, riff,
Bass clef
Minor scales
Key and key signatures
Major/minor chords
Ledger lines
Tonal centres,
Modulation
Dynamic gradations
pp to ff
Legato & staccato
Staccato, legato
accent
Dynamic gradations
Articulations relevant
to style
Rubato, vibrato,
ornamentation,
Introduction
Same/different , echo
patterns, repetition
Verse, chorus, round
Question & answer
Repeat signs
Binary (AB) form
Ternary (ABA) form
Theme, motif
Phrase
Rondo (ABACA) form
ostinato
Repetition and
contrast
Theme and Variation
Verse chorus, bridge
Motivic development
Sonata form
Interlude,
Improvisation
How sound is produced
Every voice and
instrument has its own
sound
Recognise orchestral
instruments by sound
In isolations and in
combination
Acoustic and
electronic sounds
Voice and
instrument types
Texture
Melody
Accompaniment
Drone
Patterns occurring
simultaneously
Contrast within
layers of sound
Creating
Creating sounds using
voice and instruments
Performing
Playing instruments in
groups.
Rhythms
Playing and reading
melodic and
rhythmic excerpts
Sing and play in two or
more parts
Responding
Moving to beat and
rhythms
Respond to the
stories.
Historical context
Awareness of
ensemble
Recognise
instrumental groups
Layers of sound and
their role. Unison,
homo/ polyphonic
Consonance/dissonance
Chromaticism
Identify instruments
by name and sound
production.
Horizontal/vertical
layers
countermelody
Prepared by Pam Lowry, Education Officer
Queensland Symphony Orchestra