Symphonic Boogie. Contents. NZSO Education Concerts, May Section ONE. Section TWO. About the NZSO 4

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3 Symphonic Boogie NZSO Education Concerts, May 2017 Contents Section ONE About the NZSO 4 Symphonic Boogie Introduction 5 Music you will hear at the concert 7 Section TWO Classroom Projects 11 Project ONE: The Waltz 12 Project TWO: Latin Dances 14

4 Section ONE About the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is your national orchestra. One of the world s oldest national symphony orchestras, we have charmed audiences with memorable concerts and recordings since This March we celebrated 70 years! Today, the NZSO is recognised as an outstanding orchestra of international stature and our reputation for artistic excellence attracts many of the world s leading conductors and soloists each year. Last year, the NZSO was nominated for Best Orchestral Performance at the prestigious Grammy Awards. In our touring programmes each year the NZSO performs more than 100 concerts in more than 30 different communities across New Zealand to audiences in excess of 100,000 people. Many more enjoy the Orchestra s performances through Radio New Zealand Concert broadcasts, film soundtracks, and CD recordings. We also nurture New Zealand s best young musical talent through our Learning & Connecting programmes and the NZSO National Youth Orchestra.

5 Symphonic Boogie Introduction This pack is designed to help you and your class prepare for our concert, Symphonic Boogie, featuring the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. This concert will feature a whole host of different dance music such as the waltz, polka, saltarello and even a hoedown. Please discuss music and dancing with your class before the concert. Ask your children if they like to dance. You might even like to have a go at dancing in your PE lessons. Preparing for your visit When you come to the concert you will hear an exciting mixture of music. We have found that your children s experience will be enhanced if they have heard some of the music before. In the following few pages there are numerous links to YouTube recordings of the pieces you will hear in the concert. You could also play them any type of music and ask them how they would move to it; the more contrasting the styles of music, the better.

6 The Orchestra The orchestra you will see at the concert is slightly smaller than usual and is made up of four sections: strings, woodwind, brass, and percussion. Strings: The string family is made up of the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. All these instruments are played with a bow or plucked with the fingers, a technique called pizzicato. They all have four strings, a bridge, a fingerboard and two f holes on the front. Woodwind: The woodwind family is smaller than the strings and yet capable of making a large amount of sound. The flute is the highest instrument followed by oboe, clarinet and, finally, bassoon. In this concert, you will also hear the flautist playing a piccolo a tiny flute that sounds much higher and can be the loudest instrument in the whole orchestra! Brass: In this brass section, there will be four French horn players, two trumpets, three trombones and a tuba. All four instruments are played in a similar way the player vibrates his/her lips into the mouthpiece rather like blowing a raspberry. Unlike the French horn the trumpet and the tuba, which operate using valves (i.e. keys or buttons), the trombone operates using a long slide. Percussion: Percussionists stand at the back of the orchestra and often play many different instruments at once! Some of the instruments they play may be similar to those you have in your classroom. In this concert you will hear the following percussion instruments: Timpani: Big shiny drums, sometimes called kettle drums Cymbals: Either on a stand and played with a stick or two crashing together Snare Drum: A small drum with metal strings on the bottom to give it a rasping sound Triangle: A metal triangle played with a metal stick. Makes either a ting sound or rings like a bell. It can always be heard above the whole orchestra!

7 Music you will hear at the concert Johann Strauss Jr. ( , Austria) Vergnügungszug Polka (Pleasure Train Polka) Johann Strauss was part of one of the great families of composers at the centre of the Viennese Waltz craze. His father and two brothers were all famous composers and all four lived and worked in Austria. Johann was the most famous and prolific and was known as the Waltz King. He changed the waltz from a simple peasant dance into a luxurious, opulent form of entertainment and soon all the richest people were playing his pieces at their parties and balls. He wrote over 60 waltzes, over 30 polkas and dozens of marches. His most famous piece is the Blue Danube Waltz. You might recognise it from The Little Einsteins. A polka is a fast, lively folk dance originally from Central European countries such as Slovakia and Romania. It is in duple time (in 2). It is a very repetitive, bouncy dance featuring short repeating tunes. As Strauss got older his polkas got faster and faster. In Vergnugungszug Polka the steam train is chuffing to the countryside. Can you hear the train s whistle? Henry Purcell ( , England) Abdelazer: Suite for Strings: Rondeau Purcell is an English composer, who lived during the Baroque era. He worked as an organist but wrote very little for this instrument. Purcell worked in Westminster for three different Kings over twenty-five years. In addition to his royal duties, Purcell also devoted much of his talent to writing operas, or rather musical dramas, and incidental stage music; but he would also write chamber music in the form of harpsichord suites and trio sonatas, and became involved with the growing London public concert scene. Rondeau (rondo) is an old musical and poetry form, and a type of Baroque dance. Purcell s Rondeau is from the Abdelazer Suite and is one of the nine movements. This Rondeau was borrowed by Benjamin Britten for The Young Person s Guide to the Orchestra. Johannes Brahms ( , Germany) Hungarian Dance No. 5 Brahms was a German composer and virtuoso pianist who premiered many of his own works. Many people considered Brahms to be the successor to Beethoven. For a long time he didn't want to write a symphony because he was afraid his work would not be as good as Beethoven's. Brahms ended up writing four symphonies, plus pieces in every musical form except opera. You may know one of his most famous pieces, the Lullaby. His Hungarian Dances were inspired by the gypsy bands Brahms heard when he travelled to Hungary. He wrote 21 dances in all. The most famous one is the Hungarian Dance No.5. Most of the dances are rapid, energetic pieces. Imitating the mercurial spirit of Hungarian folk music, some of the dances change tempo (speed) midway. The fifth dance starts with a quick tempo, then becomes even more frenzied. Observe how the orchestra follows the conductor for all the tempo changes.

8 Antonin Dvořák ( , Czech Republic) Slavonic Dance Op. 46, No. 8 Dvořák was born in a village just north of Prague. He was the eldest of nine children. His father was a butcher who wanted Antonin to become a butcher, too. But, when he saw how musical Antonin was, he made sure he got a good music education, including violin and organ lessons. Dvořák worked as a church organist, and was an avid trainspotter. When he first wrote the eight Slavonic Dances for the piano duet, they became so popular that the sheet music sold out in one day. Here is Dvořák s arrangement of Slavonic Dance No.8 for orchestra. This type of dance is called a furiant, which is a rapid and fiery Bohemian dance in alternating duple and triple time, with frequently shifting accents. Try to follow the rhythm (the beat) at the beginning of the piece. The middle of the dance is melodic with a lovely flute and oboe solo. Edward Grieg ( , Norway) Norwegian Dance No. 2 Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor and the Peer Gynt Suite (which includes Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King ). Grieg had an active career as a pianist, giving concerts all over Europe. Every summer he came back to Norway to compose. He became a great champion of Norwegian music. Grieg s four Norwegian Dances were originally scored for piano duo to satisfy demand for music to be played in the home. Taken as a whole, the four Norwegian Dances are in symphonic form (fast-slow-fast-fast sequence), with the second dance taking the place of a slow movement. Norwegian dance No.2 starts with pizzicato (plucked) strings and solo oboe. Felix Mendelssohn ( , Germany) Symphony No.4 Italian : 4 th Movement Saltarello His full name was Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy but the German pianist, organist, and conductor was widely known as Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn loved to travel. His trips to other countries inspired some of his best music, like his Scottish and Italian Symphonies. His best-known works also include his Overture and Incidental Music for A Midsummer Night's Dream where the Wedding March comes from. Saltarello is the 4 th movement from his Symphony No.4, also known as the Italian Symphony. The saltarello is a musical dance form originally from Italy. It was played in a fast three and is named for its peculiar leaping step, after the Italian verb saltare ("to jump").

9 Béla Bartók ( Romania/USA) Romanian Folk Dances Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20 th century. Bartók was interested in folk music and he travelled throughout Hungary and other neighbouring countries. He spent his final years in New York. Romanian Folk Dances is a short suite based on Romanian tunes from Transylvania. These six short dances ( Stick Dance, Waistband Dance, Stamping Dance, Hornpipe Dance, Romanian Polka, and Quick Dance ) feature clarinet, piccolo, flute, and solo violin. Georges Bizet ( , France) Carmen Suite No.1: Les Toreadors (Spain) Bizet was a French composer and a book worm. His most famous opera is Carmen. When Carmen first opened in Paris, the reviews were terrible. Many critics said there were no good tunes in it, so audiences stayed away. Four months later, Carmen opened in Vienna, Austria, and was a hit. It is now one of the most popular operas ever written. Bizet never knew that audiences would come to consider it his masterpiece. Les Toreadors is played in the overture to Carmen. Toréador is a French term for "bullfighter" and this tune is also the festive, quick march that accompanies the procession to the bullring in the final act of the opera. The bullfighter Escamillo sings the popular Toreador Song in the opera describing various situations in the bullring, the cheering crowds, and the fame that comes with victory. In the middle of the orchestral extract is a smooth, string version of this song. Aaron Copland ( , USA) Hoedown Copland was possibly the most famous American composer of the 20 th century. His music is said to sound like America and often features a large, open sound (like the vast American prairies) and complex rhythms. This piece was written for the ballet Rodeo and tells the tale of a female Rodeo star and her wedding on a ranch. Just the string section of the orchestra will perform this piece. A hoedown is an American folk dance (sometimes called a square dance). It is in 2/4 (two beats in a bar). It is a quick dance related to the Irish jig. The dance was a chance for people to show off their fast, fancy footwork. Successive dancers would come forward to try and outdo each other.

10 David Farquhar ( , New Zealand) Ring Round the Moon - Short Suite: Tango (Argentina) David Farquhar was born in Cambridge, New Zealand in 1928 but spent most of his early years in Fiji. He was educated in New Zealand and began his university studies in Christchurch before completing his degree at Victoria University in Wellington where he later worked as a teacher and composer. He wrote numerous orchestral, choral, stage and instrumental works, songs and music for children, and has been recognized since the 1950s as being at the forefront of New Zealand composition. Tango from Ring Round the Moon Short Suite is influenced by a Latin American dance that originated in Argentina. The word "tango" is associated with "tambo", which initially referred to the musical gatherings of slaves around the River Plate Basin. Chinese traditional Yao Dance Dance of the Yao People is one of the best known and most popular Chinese instrumental compositions of the second half of the 20th century. Although it was originally composed for Western instruments, it is generally performed by traditional Chinese instruments. In the late 20th century, the song was used as the basis for several pop songs Yao Dance is in several sections, some slow and some fast. It begins in 2/4 (duple) meter at a slow tempo, moves to 3/4 (triple) meter, then returns to 2/4 meter in a faster tempo for the finale. Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky ( , Russia) Nutcracker Suite: Waltz of the Flowers Pyotr (or Peter, as we would say in English) Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, a town in Russia's Mountains. He studied law and music. Tchaikovsky travelled all over Europe for performances of his music. He wrote many works that are popular with the classical music public, including Romeo and Juliet, the 1812 Overture, his three ballets: The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker ballet is a dance form in 3/4 time three beats in every bar, and with the distinctive Um-pah-pah accompaniment. The word waltz actually means a turning dance. The waltz is, of course, proudly claimed by the Viennese as their own, and Johann Strauss is deservedly its King. But Tchaikovsky raised the waltz to a higher level of sophistication thanks to his symphonic training and his devotion to ballet. His waltzes are not a mere string of bewitching tunes designed for the ballroom, they are thoroughly theatrical, accompanying dancing and action in ballet or opera. His tunes are bewitching too, and if you find them too familiar, bend your ear towards all the countermelodies and decorative figures with which he masterfully decks them.

11 Section TWO Classroom Projects Here are two short projects for you and your class to undertake. They are optional but will enhance your children s understanding of the music before the concert. The secret to success is little and often rather than a big push the day before! Music benefits from being part of the routine rather than a special event. A few rules before beginning work with instruments: Take time to demonstrate each instrument. Encourage your children to use its name and hold it in the correct way. Pass it around the class and let the children have a go. The children will then be able to make informed choices when they compose: which instrument sounds like rain? Which instrument can be loud, soft, or scary? Encourage your class to respect and care for the instruments from the start. This could save your eardrums from a pounding and will preserve the instruments in a good state of repair. Children should be reminded to put an instrument gently down on the floor when not playing. Put a signal in place for silence. This could be simply putting your hand in the air or clapping a pattern. When children hear or see the signal they stop, put their instrument down and listen. You could even make this into a game. Finally, when working creatively with instruments it is important to try out the children s ideas as they suggest them. Nothing is right or wrong with this type of creative work.

12 Classroom Project ONE The Waltz - playing a pattern to a beat 1. Have a class discussion about dancing. Find out if your pupils like to dance and what music they dance to. Explain to them that 100 years ago many people enjoyed a dance called the Waltz. 2. Explain that a waltz is a type of dance made up of three beats, one strong and two weak: The UM is a strong, loud beat. The pa pa is weaker or quieter. 3. Try out this pattern with your class. Stand in a circle, ask them to say Um pa pa Um pa pa over and over. You may like to use a woodblock or drum to keep it together, and ask them to watch you and to stop when you raise your hand in a stop sign. Now try performing the rhythm like this: 4. When this is steady and strong divide your class into two groups. Explore with the class your school s instrument collection. Ask them if they can spot the difference between the various types of percussion instruments. What are they made of and how do they produce a sound? See if together you can sort them into types i.e. Drums, shakers, metal instruments, wooden instruments. Ask them which instruments are strong and loud and should play the UM beat (they might say drums). Ask them which should play the weaker pa beat. Let s say that they say shakers. 5. Decide which group is UM and which is pa and give out instruments accordingly. You might want to start by just giving out one instrument to each group and trying to create a waltz with two soloists. Now create the waltz rhythm again with each group (or soloist) simply playing on their beat. Your waltz will go like this: 6. When a strong beat is achieved, appoint a conductor. Ask him/her to stand in the middle of the room and to count a loud, steady 1, 2, 3 (or um, pa, pa) and to signal to the groups to start. When your conductor raises his/her hand the waltz must stop.

13 7. You can practise your waltzes using different conductors or swapping instruments around. You might like to try children in pairs; one on the strong beat the other on the weaker beats. Always aim to get a steady, constant rhythm. 8. When you are happy with your waltz give your performers the ultimate test and ask two people to come out and try to dance to it. If they can follow the pattern with their feet, your waltz is a good one! Taking it further If you have xylophones, chime bars or marimbas try creating two waltzes using the following notes: Practise alternating between groups and listen to the waltz changing from one chord to the next. Encourage each group to play at least four Um pa pas before you switch to the next group. This project encourages teamwork, listening and following a conductor. It is also about following a pattern and keeping a pulse. Performing a confident waltz is very hard so don t despair if yours ends up a little bit wonky! Also encourage your children to keep um-pa-pa going in their head and to watch the conductor carefully.

14 Project TWO Latin Dances - counting beats, inventing a repeating pattern 1. Latin dances (such as the rumba, salsa and samba) often have more interesting rhythms than the more classical dances (waltz, polka). Explain to your class that the dance music they will hear at the concert is all made up of repeating patterns. Usually the more interesting the pattern, the more interesting the dance is. 2. Begin with a pulse. Using a drum or a woodblock, play a steady pulse and encourage your class to clap or tap along. When they are good at this, you might like to choose a child to play the drum and lead everyone else. As before, pay particular attention to starting and stopping together - encouraging hand signals for both. 3. Now encourage your class to count to eight as they clap. We will make our pattern fit one bar of 4/4 (four whole crotchet beats in a bar), and so we will count the eight quavers (half beats), like this: Practise this until they can count round and round softly. Then try it with everyone keeping the count in their head. To test that your children are counting, practise clapping four groups of eight and see if everyone stops together. 4. To make an interesting dance we will choose some of the beats to be highlighted or made special. Ask your class to choose one of the beats (one number from 1 to 8). Challenge your children to tap out the pulse and count in their head. When they reach their special number they must say it out loud. 5. Now ask your class which instrument should play on their chosen special beat. Give out that instrument and practise with everyone clapping the 8 and the players just playing on the special beat. Like this: 6. When this is achieved, go through the process a couple of times more choosing other numbers to emphasise and add these (with a new instruments playing them) into your pattern. A really good dance pattern should feature no more than four highlighted beats. Perhaps appoint one child to play the pulse throughout to help keep everyone in time. You may end up with something like this:

15 7. Finally, to give your pattern added spice, ask the class to choose one of the numbers to highlight further by playing two quick beats instead of one (or you could replace the one beat with a flourish, shake, or glissando*). Such modifications must still only take up one beat of time! This will make your pattern even more Latin, but don t overdo it! * a glissando is the term used to describe a swipe up or down a xylophone blurring the notes together. 8. You have now created a new dance pattern of your own. Practise playing it confidently with as many children as possible joining in, either clapping or on instruments. If you are short of instruments simply make one of the special beats a body sound (clapping, stomping, snapping fingers, etc). Why not give your pattern an exotic sounding name and see if you can dance to it? Taking it further To make a structured piece from your pattern, try building up from nothing. Start with everyone counting the eight beats silently then add in one instrument at a time until your pattern is complete. You could even try taking away instruments one by one. Challenge the class to play the pattern four times only and see if they can stop neatly without a conductor but by counting instead. Create an actual dance by choosing one movement for every special beat. This project is the first step towards class composing. It encourages your children to make decisions and create structure. Performing the piece will help them to count beats, play together and focus. By creating their own dance from scratch your children are able to explore all options and try things out in a positive environment. At the end of the project they will have a sense of pride and ownership for their piece.