Symphonic Metamorphosis

Transcription

1 Symphonic Metamorphosis Middle School Concerts A Teacher s Guide Metamorphosis I & III fair use artwork by M.C. Escher. October 21, :45 am & 11:10 am Laurie Auditorium at Trinity University

2 Table of Contents YPC ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS (1 page) 3 CONCERT PROGRAM (1 page) 4 COMPOSER INFORMATION Paul Hindemith Biography (1 page) 5 Paul Hindemith Biography Quiz (1 page) 6 Biography Quiz Answer Key 14 FEATURED ARTISTS Akiko Fujimoto, conductor (1 page) 7 REPERTOIRE EXPLORATION Symphonic Metamorphosis: A Twentieth Century Masterpiece (6 pages) 8 13 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Web based Educational Resources (1 page) 14

3 Middle School Concert Attendance Guidelines Before the Concert: Please prepare students for the concert using these Teacher s Guide materials. You will receive an electronic ticket message via approximately two weeks before the concert. Students should be briefed on appropriate concert etiquette in advance. Please contact Jeremy Brimhall at (210) with as much anticipation as possible if you have any students that require special accommodations. Day of the Concert (please read carefully!): Before leaving school, please allow time for students to visit the restroom if at all possible. Bookbags, backpacks, rucksacks and similar items are NOT ALLOWED at Symphony education concerts. Exceptions made for medically necessary items. Clearly mark buses for quick identification and memorize bus numbers. Know your lead bus driver s name and be sure you can recognize him/her. TIP: exchange cell numbers! If possible, plan to arrive at the Laurie Auditorium at least 20 minutes before the concert time. For any last minute problems or questions please call Jeremy Brimhall, Director of Education, on his cell phone at (210) Upon Arrival at the Laurie Auditorium Look for TUPD security officers, who will be directing busses to the drop off area. A map showing the bus plan and parking areas will be communicated to concert reservation holders in advance. Check in with a volunteer usher wearing an usher badge. The usher will guide you to your entrance and seating area. All students should be in their seats at least five minutes before the start of the program! No food or drink, including chewing gum is permitted in the concert hall. During the Concert The use of cameras and recorders is prohibited; please turn off your cell phones. Students and teachers should remain in their seats for the entire concert. If a student must visit the restroom during the concert ( emergency only!), please have an adult accompany him or her. Students not maintaining acceptable behavior may be asked to leave. After the Concert Please remain in your seats until your school is dismissed. It may be that your group will NOT be exiting the same doors as those entered. Upon dismissal, listen carefully and follow instructions for departing the building. Back At School Please fill out the online evaluation form for the concert (to be sent by following the concert). Student letters / artwork expressing reactions to the concert are greatly appreciated. Please send any Middle School Concert related student work to: ATTN: Jeremy Brimhall San Antonio Symphony PO Box 658 San Antonio, TX Fax: brimhallj@sasymphony.org

4 Concert Program Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber I. Allegro II. Turandot: Scherzo III. Andantino IV. Marsch Paul Hindemith ( ) What can I expect at the concert? As you get to your seat in the Laurie Auditorium, the orchestra will be warming up on stage. See if you can answer the trivia questions on the screen while you wait for the concert to start. When the lights dim, that s your cue that it s time to quiet down. Applaud for the concertmaster (the head violinist) and the conductor as they come on stage! The orchestra will perform a work called Symphonic Metamorphosis by Paul Hindemith with demos and an interesting breakdown by the conductor. It has four movements and lasts about 20 minutes. Listen up and have a good time! At the end of the concert, listen and wait for your school to be dismissed.

5 Paul Hindemith, composer Paul Hindemith is one of the most famous 20 th Century composers of classical music. Born to a struggling painter and a housemaid in 1895, young Paul grew up in a poor family. His father had once dreamed of being a musician and began training him early in music. Paul took up the violin, and at age 13, received a scholarship to study at Hoch s Conservatory of Music in the nearby city of Frankfurt, Germany. He studied there for eight years, first only as a violin student but later with classes in composition and conducting. He became a talented violinist who received praise from teachers and critics alike, and he also won a cash prize for his first string quartet, composed in During this time, young Paul supported himself by performing in dance bands and other groups for hire. Later, he joined the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra and began to perform with his violin teacher Adolf Rebner in the Rebner String Quartet. Hindemith s father enlisted in the German infantry at the onset of World War I. He was killed in action in Young Hindemith also served; he was drafted in 1917 and sent first to France, where he played in a regiment band and string quartet. Later, he also fought in several battles in Flanders. After the end of the war, he returned to Frankfurt and to performing with the Rebner Quartet. He eventually switched to viola as his main instrument and also formed his own group, the Amar Quartet, with whom he toured Europe extensively. A major breakthrough as a composer came in 1921 and 1922 with premiere performances of several of his chamber music pieces at an international festival for new music. Hindemith s pieces were well reviewed, and his fame grew with continued successes. It was during this time that he found Composer Stats: Paul Hindemith his own unique voice as a composer, still clearly influenced by older masters such as Brahms and Strauss, but also new and adventurous. While continuing to compose vigorously and perform as a violist, he was later Born: Nov. 16, 1895 (120 years ago) appointed as a professor at the Berlin College of Music. The rise of the Nazis in the 1930s led to an increasingly Died: Dec. 28, 1963 (52 years ago) uncomfortable situation for Hindemith, whose wife was of Jewish descent and whose music was criticized by top members of the party. Hindemith and his wife escaped to Switzerland before the start of the Second World Nationality: German, American War and eventually moved to the U.S. in They settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where he was invited to serve as a guest professor at Yale University. During this time, Hindemith composed his most famous work, Mostly lived in: Frankfurt, Germany a suite for orchestra called Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber (Weber was a 19 th Famous works: Kammermusik, century German composer whom Hindemith admired). The work was first performed in 1944 by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and helped to cement his fame in America and throughout the world. Hindemith and Mathis der Maler (opera & symphony), his family eventually returned to Europe where he continued to teach, compose and conduct until the time of his death. Today, Hindemith is regarded as a highly influential composer of the 20 th Symphonic Metamorphosis (suite), century. He is especially Der Schwanendreher (viola concerto) admired for his blending of late romantic styles with his own unique techniques and modern harmonies.

6 Name Paul Hindemith Biography Quiz Instructions: Your teacher will hand out a sheet with a biography of composer Paul Hindemith. Read the biography carefully and then answer the questions below. 1. Which instruments did Paul Hindemith primarily play? a. violin and trombone. b. piano and saxophone. c. violin and viola. d. sousaphone and glockenspiel. 2. Who does the biography mention as having encouraged Hindemith to study music as a child? a. his mother. b. his father. c. his uncle. d. his brother. 3. Which composers does the biography mention as having had a major influence on Hindemith? a. Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. b. Strauss, Debussy and Ravel. c. Weber, Brahms and Strauss. d. Mahler, Weber and Gershwin. 4. Hindemith lived during which World Wars? a. World War I. b. World War II. c. both World War I and World War II. d. he was not alive during either World War. 5. Which best describes Hindemith s involvement in World War I? a. He only played in a band and a string quartet. b. He served aboard a naval ship in the Atlantic Ocean. c. He operated as a spy in Switzerland. d. He both served as a musician and fought as a soldier. 6. Which was a reason for Hindemith to leave Germany? a. He had been offered a better paid job in Switzerland. b. His music had been criticized by the Nazi Party. c. He hadn t been able to find work as a musician. d. Police had issued a warrant for his arrest. 7. Where did Hindemith go to study music as a teenager? a. Hoch s Conservatory of Music. b. Berlin College of Music. c. Paris Conservatory of Music. d. Yale University. 8. Name one way Hindemith found success as a composer. a. He mimicked a lot of Brahms melodies in his own music. b. He combined new ideas with the writing styles of composers who had gone before him. c. He sent copies of his music to several composers in Europe. d. He ignored all music that had been written before his time. 9. Where was Hindemith living when he composed his Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber? a. In Germany. b. In Switzerland. c. In Poland. d. In the United States. 10. According to the biography, which is true about Hindemith? a. Almost no one has heard of him. b. His works are mostly forgotten. c. He was an important and influential 20 th century composer. d. He should have stuck to playing the violin.

7 Akiko Fujimoto, conductor Akiko Fujimoto is the Associate Conductor of the San Antonio Symphony, where she conducts over 40 concerts annually including classical, baroque, ballet, pops, and education concerts and leads preconcert lectures for the Classics series. Previously, Fujimoto was the Conducting Associate for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra where she made her debut on their Classics series conducting the world premiere of Behzad Ranjbaran s Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and Orchestra. A passionate advocate for young musicians, Fujimoto has served as the music director of orchestras at Harvard University, Stanford University and the College of William & Mary. She was also the Music Director of the Williamsburg Youth Orchestras in Virginia. Outside of the U.S., Fujimoto conducted the National Arts Center Orchestra in Canada as part of their Young Conductors Programme, as well as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as part of St. Magnus Festival s Orkney Conducting Institute. She also recently attended the Conductors Lab in France and conducted members of the Berlin Philharmonic. Born in Japan, Fujimoto graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Psychology and holds graduate degrees in conducting from the Boston University and the Eastman School of Music. What is a conductor? A conductor is a musician who leads other musicians in a performance by using visible gestures with her body. Conductors will often use a baton a short wooden stick to help clearly mark the beats. Conductors do a lot more however than direct musical performances. They spend a lot of time studying scores books of music for large compositions like symphonies and getting to know the pieces they conduct. Conductors also lead rehearsals this means that they get to make all the decisions about how a piece of music should sound and how it should be played in terms of tempo, dynamics, balance and many other factors. Conductors use their knowledge and tastes to interpret pieces of music for the audience.

8 A Twentieth Century Masterpiece The 1940s found composer Paul Hindemith living as an exile in the United States. He and his wife Gertrud had escaped their native Germany just before the outset of World War II. They arrived separately in New York City but settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where Hindemith had been offered a position as a guest professor at Yale University. It would be a productive period for Hindemith, during which some of his most successful works were composed. Among these is his Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, completed in 1943 and premiered by the New York Philharmonic in The original idea for this work sprouted from Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Léonide Massine, who approached Hindemith in 1940 about composing a ballet work based on Carl Maria von Weber s music. Weber (pronounced VAY bear) was a widely respected opera composer from the early 19 th century, and a composer that Hindemith also admired. He began working on sketches of the music at the piano, but the ballet idea fell through when Hindemith saw one of Massine s ballets and disliked it. Rather than throwing his sketches away, Hindemith decided to turn them into a symphonic suite. Paul and Gertrud never had children, and free time at their home in New Haven was often spent reading piano duets. It was from four such duets by Weber (piano, four hands) that Hindemith took the themes for Symphonic Metamorphosis. While keeping Weber s melodies and some accompaniment parts very similar to the original, Hindemith creates masterful metamorphoses of them by adding colorful harmonies and orchestration, unusual instrument combinations, new countermelodies, fugal sections, extended phrases and more. In this way, Hindemith bridged the traditional techniques of composers gone before into the realm ofhis own unique ideas and writing style. The themes for the first movement of Symphonic Metamorphosis comes from a piano duet piece by Weber titled Alla zingara, or in Gypsy style [MSC playlist, track 1]. The duet piece is in 2 4 time with a tempo marking of Allegro, tutto ben marcato, meaning quickly, with everything well accented.

9 A Twentieth Century Masterpiece To start the movement, Hindemith keeps the 2 4 time signature and Allegro marking as well as Weber s syncopated accompaniment, played first by the clarinets, bassoons and horns [track 5, 0:00]. Already this is changed, however, with the horns offbeats forming a restless countermelody. Reminiscent of Romani folk music, the melody played by the violins also accentuates offbeats, which are further reinforced by trills in the upper woodwinds. In the second half of the first theme [track 5, 0:28], short segments of the melody are played by the woodwinds in parallel fourths and fifths, a technique that would have been outlawed and unheard of in Weber s time. What is Romani style? The Romani people have sometimes been called gypsies, but the term gypsy is now generally considered to be offensive. With origins in northern India, nomadic Romani people began moving throughout Europe in the 12 th century but particularly in the countries of Eastern Europe. They are a people with a rich culture and musical traditions that have inspired many composers and pieces of classical music. Although many variations exist, some elements central to Romani music include an improvisatory style, frequent switching between major and minor modes, accented offbeats and the frequent use of diminished chords. Hindemith builds excitement in this movement by frequently pitting orchestra families against each other as opposing forces. He does this both by setting them in contrary motion and by giving them opposing rhythms. As woodwinds play a falling motive, violas and cellos noodle upward with restless 16 th notes [track 5, 0:50]; then woodwinds rise chromatically while strings descend in pattern [0:57]. Next, roles are reversed [1:02]. Orchestra families also seem to be in conflict with frequently opposing rhythmic structure, such as the next example between the brass and strings [1:16]:

10 A Twentieth Century Masterpiece Later sections become even more complex with woodwind, brass and string families all seeming to work against each other rhythmically and directionally at times [1:58]. A more peaceful second theme is introduced by the oboe, this time in the key of A major key [2:15] (the movement had begun in A minor). As the oboe continues, Hindemith has the clarinet, flute and piccolo jump in here and there to support and embellish the melody line. The first theme returns, but this time with hair raising harmonies. Violas and clarinet play the melody with flute and piccolo following along but at parallel intervals [2:56], creating what one review described as the sounds of a calliope: the flute plays an octave and a perfect fifth higher while piccolo plays two octaves and a major third higher. Meanwhile, the brass play uneasy and ever changing offbeat rhythms. After a cacophonous climatic section with each orchestra family enforcing its own theme or countermelody, the instrument sections all come together for a powerful finish, ending on a fortissimo A major chord. In 1805, Carl Maria von Weber was inspired to write a Chinese Overture based on a short melody he had found in a 1768 dictionary to describe Chinese music. The original theme used a pentatonic, or five note scale, something common to Chinese folk music and often associated to China by A Calliope European composers of the time. Weber later included his Chinese Overture in incidental music for a play about a princess named Turandot. A piano, four hands version of this Turandot Overture appeared in a volume of duets that Hindemith owned and read through his wife, which gave him inspiration for the second movement of Symphonic Metamorphosis. This movement is titled Scherzo (Turandot). A scherzo is a relatively fast piece of music with a playful or amusing quality. It begins with an introductory section in 4 4 time marked Moderato, or at a moderate pace. A soft note of the chimes on a pianissimo bed of harmonics in the violin and viola set an ethereal mood in the first bar [MSC playlist, track 6]. A single flute and later, piccolo with accompanying woodwinds, intone the Turandot melody, the same theme re borrowed from Weber but with some new notes and intervals added. Four such solos are punctuated by four notes in the chimes, the same four notes that open the Turandot melody. Finally, percussion instruments take over with a march like motive [track 6, 0:57] that leads into the main section of the movement, marked Lebhaft ( Lively ). The Turandot melody, twice as fast now, is passed around first in the low strings while woodwinds play countermelodies and fluttering, insect like trills on the offbeats [1:05].

11 A Twentieth Century Masterpiece Then roles reserve, similar to the first movement, and woodwinds play the melody while violins have the fluttering trills [1:29]. Hindemith continues this metamorphosis of the theme with dance like but driving countermelodies in the clarinets. Meanwhile, oboe and then flute have the melody [1:40]. Next, horns and trumpet trade off under what s become a sea of swirling trills [1:52]. Trombone follow with the melody as the cellos and then violas soflty begin a wandering, triplet countermelody [2:15]. Roles reverse and momentum continues to build as woodwinds, brass and strings switch frequently between playing the melody, triplet countermelody and trill accompaniment. With a great cymbal crash, the music has reached a climax [3:50]. It s as if a ship has struck a great rock and begins to sink in swirling water as brass play a descending line. Violins continue a noodling triplet line until trombones enter with a syncopated motive that might be a reaction to Hindemith s impressions of American jazz [4:07]. While the effect is very different, Hindemith has ingeniously used the same theme as that of the Turandot melody but with the notes simply reordered and re spaced. Horns, trumpet and tuba follow with this new jazzy Turandot in a short, fugue like section. Pieces of the new melody are broken down into smaller and smaller bits until the timpani take over powerfully with the repeated jazzy motive [4:52]. Another fugue like section follows, this time in the woodwinds and featuring a new, staccato countersubject [5:09]. Eventually, the woodwinds die away and the percussion section takes the spotlight [5:50]. Here, the original four note motive that begins the Turnadot is played by both the timpani and chimes but at differing speeds as the sound swells and dies away. In something of a recap of the Lebhaft section, cellos and basses follow with a repeated Turandot theme [6:05], but soon clarinets and bassoons introduce a new countermelody. The new theme follows a mixed meter that includes some measures with three beats. This continues to build steam with a certain determination as more and more instruments join in. Then musical fireworks explode as another climax marked by cymbal crash is reached [6:49]. The four note Turandot slowly dies away in the percussion until the end of the movement, as if the departing procession of the Chinese princess has finally moved out of sight across the horizon.

12 A Twentieth Century Masterpiece The third movement from Symphonic Metamorphosis was inspired by a Weber piano duet piece marked Andantino con moto ( slightly faster than a walking pace, with motion ) and written in 6 8 time [MSC playlist, track 3]. Hindemith keeps the Andantino but has left off con moto, perhaps with a desire for a slightly slower pace than Weber s original. The tuneful opening of the first piano part is played by solo clarinet with accompaniment in the horn and strings [track 7]. A tremolo flute part adds a restless sense of expectation. While the melody and accompaniment follow Weber closely, Hindemith has modified the harmony to include rich 9 th and 11 th chords. The tune is passed around to bassoon, horn and eventually violins and viola, which grow it into something of a climax before leading into the next section, marked tranquillo ( tranquil, peaceful ). Here, a very songful melody, but still Weber s, is introduced by the clarinets and cellos [1:45]. A meandering accompaniment in the violas reminiscent of Weber s second piano part develops into a power countermelody which the woodwinds play in parallel fourths and fifths. This stacks up against a newly composed extension of the theme played by the strings [2:20]. Tensions build, but soon subside as the tranquillo melody returns, this time played by the flute, English horn, clarinet, French horn and cello [2:35]. An extended flute solo provides a florid obligato over a recap of the original Andantino theme to finish out the movement. Hindemith ends Symphonic Metamorphosis with a powerful March ( Marsch, in German) in cut time. Inspiration comes from a Weber piano duet marked Maestoso ( Majestically ) and clearly depicting a solemn funeral march [MSC playlist, track 4], yet Hindemith has transformed it into one of significantly quicker pace [track 8]. The movement opens with powerful brass calls in the trumpet and trombone. In between these calls, Hindemith

13 A Twentieth Century Masterpiece has the horns create something of a resonant echo, but one with unexpected and colorful harmonies. Woodwinds lead with the melody while strings accompany with a boisterous march motive. Later, roles reverse and strings take over the melody, this time forte [track 8, 1:21]. In a more lighthearted section, the horn calls in the middle part of Weber s piano duet are taken over by real horns as woodwinds provide triplet accompaniment [1:42]. An anticlimactic recap of the movement opening is softly played by woodwinds, but trombones follow with the march melody [2:46]. This time, strings accompany with light pizzicato. Returning horn calls, this time accompanied by the full orchestra, bring the work to an exuberant finish. Hindemith once vaguely described his Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber as "lightly colored and made a bit sharper." Howard Posner, in his program notes for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, calls the work a splashy, colorful orchestral piece of the sort that American audiences in particular seemed to like. Indeed, the work gained swift popularity in America both during and after the Second World War, and several arrangements were made so that it could also be performed by military and concert band [see tracks 17 20]. Today, Symphonic Metamorphosis is highly regarded not just by Americans, but around the world as a beloved work of 20 th century classical music. Metamorphosis III fair use artwork by M.C. Escher.

14 Web-based Educational Resources NAXOS Music Library Playlist for MSC Symphonic Metamorphosis Free access to several streaming, high quality recordings of Symphonic Metamorphosis [tracks 5 24], including a version for concert band [tracks 17 20], and works by C. M. von Weber that include the original themes used by Hindemith [tracks 1 4]. username = sasymphony password = mozart Hindemith.info An excellent and comprehensive website dedicated to the composer, his life and works. Includes many photos as well as quotes from letter and interviews. Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids (DSO Kids) See the Hindemith page for a short bio and audio pronunciation of his name. See also games and interactive resources for learning about music and composers. composer/paul hindemith.aspx The Metropolitan Museum of Art A page related to an upcoming lecture about Hindemith and artist Max Beckmann with information about their exile from Germany during the rise of the Nazis. live arts/2016/paul hindemith and max beckmann Holocaust Music A page detailing Hindemith s complicated relationship with the Nazi party and eventual exodus from Germany. and propaganda/third reich/hindemith paul/ Arts Alive Canada see tabs for music resources, instrument lab, great composers, activities and games. San Francisco Symphony Kids Fun and games with music. Answer Key to Hindemith Biography Quiz 1:c, 2:b, 3:c, 4:c, 5:d, 6:b, 7:a, 8:b, 9:d, 10:c