CMP Teaching Plan Rebecca Renee Winnie July 2017 ANALYSIS. Historical/Cultural Context:

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1 W.A. MOZART ( ) Mi lagnerò tacend K.437 Frm his six Ntturni SAB with 2 Vilins and Cell (riginally 3 basset hrns) [r Pian reductin] Public Dmain Editin adjusted frm CPDL by RRW CMP Teaching Plan Rebecca Renee Winnie July 2017 ANALYSIS Brad Descriptin: A shrt accmpanied piece fr spran, alt, and bass cmpsed fr scial music-making. Cmpsed in Vienna, 1787(?) r prbably later. 2 sprans, bass. 2 clarinets and basset hrn. Histrical/Cultural Cntext: Wlfgang Amadeus Mzart (27 January December 1791), baptised as Jhannes Chrysstmus Wlfgangus Thephilus Mzart, was a prlific and influential cmpser f the Classical era. Brn in Salzburg, he shwed prdigius ability frm his earliest childhd. Already cmpetent n keybard and vilin, he cmpsed frm the age f five and perfrmed befre Eurpean ryalty. At 17, Mzart was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg curt, but grew restless and traveled in search f a better psitin. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed frm his Salzburg psitin. He chse t stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he cmpsed many f his bestknwn symphnies, cncerts, and peras, and prtins f the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time f his death. The circumstances f his early death have been much mythlgized. He was survived by his wife Cnstanze and tw sns. He cmpsed mre than 600 wrks, many acknwledged as pinnacles f symphnic, cncertante, chamber, peratic, and chral music. He is amng the mst enduringly ppular f classical cmpsers, and his influence is prfund n subsequent Western art music. Ludwig van Beethven cmpsed his wn early wrks in the shadw f Mzart, and Jseph Haydn wrte: "psterity will nt see such a talent again in 100 years". And s much mre! A ncturne (frm the French which meant ncturnal, frm Latin ncturnus) is usually a musical cmpsitin that is inspired by, r evcative f, the night. The name ncturne was first applied t pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensemble piece in several mvements, nrmally played fr an evening party and then laid aside. Smetimes it carried the Italian equivalent, ntturn, such as Wlfgang Amadeus Mzart's Ntturn in D, K.286, written fr fur lightly eching separated ensembles f paired hrns with strings, and his Serenata Ntturna, K At this time, the piece was nt necessarily evcative f the night, but might merely be intended fr perfrmance at night, much like a serenade. The chief difference between the serenade and the ntturn was the time f the evening at which they wuld typically be perfrmed: the frmer arund 9:00pm, the latter clser t 11:00 pm. In the last years f his life, Mzart spent much f his time in the hme f Niklaus Jseph vn Jacquin, a famus btanist and hrticulturist. Mzart particularly enjyed his gardens and the cmpany f his family Jacquin's children were students f Mzart. It is believed that these ncturnes were sung with this hme with Jacquin singing bass, Mzart n alt, and Cnstanze n spran.

2 Prgram nte: Text: The sixth f the six ncturnes, Mi lagnerò tacend is certainly the mst cmplex. In a ternary (three-part) frm typical f the classical era, it expresses the delight and agny f unrequited lve. The middle sectin mves t mre dramatic declamatin f the text and minr harmnies while the material frm the first sectin returns with ease t cnclude the piece. Knwing that Mzart wrte this piece fr his wn music-making camaraderie, makes it seem mst apprpriate fr a perfrmance by a grup f friends tgether wh gather t study and make glrius music. Pietr Metastasi ( ): Pietr Antni Dmenic Trapassi, better knwn by his pseudnym f Metastasi, (January 3, 1698 April 12, 1782) was an Italian pet and librettist, cnsidered the mst imprtant writer f pera seria libretti. Mi lagnerò tacend I will-lament in- silence Della mia srte avara Abut my fate bitter Ma ch'i nn t'ami, cara, But that-i nt (shuld)-lve-yu O dearest, Nn D-nt l sperar da me. it hpe f me. Crudele, in che Cruel-ne, in what-way Se resta a quest pett If remains in this breast (heart) Il miser dilett The miserable delight Di sspirar per te? T sigh fr yu? t'ffend did-i-ffend-yu I will lament in silence Abut my bitter fate, But, that I d nt lve yu, O dear ne, D nt hpe that f me. Cruel ne, in what way have I ffended yu If there remains in this heart The miserable delight Of sighing fr yu? ELEMENTS OF MUSIC Frm! A is m. 1-24, with the first idea beginning m. 1 and secnd m. 9. B is m. 24 (last nte) 39. The return f the A' is m One might cnsider m a bit f a cda.! This is a nice example f a classical era ternary frm (ABA'), but it als fllws the key and phrase cnstructs typical f snata frm (withut themes being "develped" in the B sectin).! Why might have Mzart selected this frm? He wuld have t repeat the first stanza f the pem t create the 3-part frm, s why nt binary? Certainly, the B sectin allws fr mre expressive harmnic settings f the mre dramatic (meldramatic?) text. Ex: Crudele (cruel ne) and sspirar (sigh). Perhaps the return t the A signifies that unrequited lver is resigned t silently lament their fate and returns t that sentiment after the verly emtinal utburst f questining and sighing. Rhythm! ¾ time. Temp is marked pc Adagi. Rhythm is nt the mst prminent element in this piece Mzart uses traditinal music gestures with nthing unusual.! mm (& 53-65) have numerus entrances n the "and" f 2 (beginning with three 8ths) that are begun by ne vice and eched r imitated by the ther tw. Additinally, the instruments play running 16 th ntes (m & 59-64) prviding a rhythmic prpelling f energy with this tssing f the rhythms between the bass and upper vices and a frantic, insistent energy is added by the instruments as if t emphasize d nt, d nt hpe that f me!! The dramatic rhythm f "Crudele" (16 th pick-up, quarter, quarter) at m. 25 and 28, is the same as " cara" f m. 11 and nearly the same as "ch'i nn ta'mi" (that I dn't lve yu) f m indeed it is the belved wh is causing this cruel pain!

3 ! Nte: m. 11 upper instruments play n beat three, the way the upper vices with the instruments did in m.5 singers will want t cme in n beat three in m.11 rather than waiting fr 1 n m. 12 (50-51 in recapitulatin). This delay gives unexpected attentin t the first ccurrence f the text "Nn l sperar da me" (d nt hpe that f me). Meldy! The meldy is fund primarily in the spran line (with the alt ften supprting in sweet thirds).! The bass takes ver the meldy m ; m ; m , with the upper vices supprting r imitating.! In the A and A' sectins The meldy is mstly in diatnic 2nds, 3rds, and a few 4ths, with sme interesting added decrative half-steps. It is interesting that the first theme sunds sweet and nt very much like lamenting. Why? There are sme dramatic leaps at m. 11/50 " cara" ( dearest) that seem t be pleading. There are sme tritne skips in the upper vices near the cadencing: m / There is regular use f the appggiatura -- mm. 14, 15, 24 (53, 54, 65, 70) give a sense f sighing desperatin. " is a musical rnament that cnsists f an added nte in a meldy that is reslved, delaying the appearance f the principal nte. The added unessential nte is typically ne degree higher r lwer than the principal nte; and if lwer, it may be chrmatically raised. The term cmes frm the Italian verb appggiare, "t lean upn". The A' sectin des nt mdulated t the dminant at m. 52 hence the pitches are different fr the same meldic material! In the B sectin The heightened chrmaticism in the meldy signals tnal center shifts and the anxius "miserable delight". m the meldy (S) wrenches up and dwn in swping cries f misery. m there is meldic sighing n "sspirar". Text painting is especially clear in the wrd brken by a rest m. 37 in the spran (and bass) and the rising/falling 16ths f the alt (m. 38) and the lnely Ab when the ther vices rest. Harmny! The harmny f this shrt wrk is typical the Classical era (diatnic, mstly I, IV, V chrds/majr/minr), yet is quite expressive f the text.! A! B! A' Begins in G majr and the first theme cadences in G (V I). The secnd theme begins D7 and begins t mve t D majr strngly there by cadence at m. 18 and cncludes with a strng V-I cadence in the key f D at m (with an appggiatura). The extended meldic and harmnic cadencing prduces the sense f a desperate insistence. "Crudele" starts and ends in D majr, but mves dramatically away, flirting with g minr and then c minr ("hw have I ffended?") giving a questining sense cadencing in Bb majr mm mve t F, gm, dm, cm the speeding up f the harmnic rhythm adds tensin. mm feel like we are cadencing in c minr, thrugh the meldic "sighing" but the cnclusin takes us t a D majr chrd that becmes clearly the V f the G majr fr the return f A. It is almst as if the sighing has been exhausted and ne must return t the lnely, silent lamenting. mm are identical t the first A sectin still "silently lamenting." At m. 52 the harmny stays in the tnic and extends the V f the cadence (m ) delaying the strng cadence t I -- emphasizing the "d nt hpe that f me."

4 Timbre m strngly cadences but we expect G and get E minr (vi) with an appggiatura hence a deceptive cadence. This extends the cnclusin (a little cda) as it cncludes the phrase with the expected cadence (66-67), but an imperfect cadence! Still extending t A surprise E majr chrd (VI) m. 68 emphasizes the final "N!" takes us t a cnclusive IV-V-I (perfect) with an appggiatura.! The timbre f this piece is dminated by the sund f 2 high vices and 1 lw in bth the singers and instruments.! Few perfrmances use clarinets and basset hrn anymre thugh that creates quite a different clr than using strings r pian. I prefer the sund f 2 vilins and cell. Pian als wrks and is apprpriate fr the style.! The spran uses a fairly high tessitura, ften saring t G abve the staff this upper register clr is supprted by the spran 2 vice, ften singing in saring thirds. The bass vice uses a full range (lw G t high D). The timbre is affected by these ranges and a free, full sund allws fr the passinate expressin f the insistence and angst f this piece. Texture! Mst f the texture is hmphnic meldy in the spran with the ther vices prviding a rich supprt (and smetimes the meldy and supprt is dubled in the instruments). See Meldy abve fr when the bass takes ver the meldy and the ther vices supprt r imitate.! There are several mments when the texture is thinned r varied fr effect: mm there is sme ech and imitatin effects as instruments are independent -- n lnger supprting the vices directly -- further the driving desperatin. It is interesting that the cadence t D majr is sung a cappella (mm.16-17). Perhaps the lneliness f lve unrequited? "Crudele" (mm. 25 & 28) is presented a cappella creating a mre dramatic cry. mm the vices als sing a cappella fr a mre extended cadence (slidifying the maintained key in the A' sectin and it the same place as m in expsitin) and the vices pyramid in imitatin t the extended D7 even mre insistence "d nt hpe that f me." m. 66 (the imperfect cadence after the deceptive cadence) is als sung a cappella. Dynamics! There are nly a cuple dynamic markings in the earliest editin that I can readily access (1881) thse are m : f "Crudele" and p "in che t'ffend". These dynamics supprt the dramatic cry f the text.! The perfrming editin (cpdl) we are using has sme additinal markings that supprt the perfrmance practice phrasing r prvide cntrast. These can be adjusted as needed. Fr example: I might nt pull all the way back t pian at m and m. 40. Chices can be made within perfrmance practice cnventins.! The rise and fall f each phrase lends itself t a crescend and decrescend at the reslutin f the cadence. This is als a functin f the tensin/release f the cadences.! There is n rit. marking in the earlier editin, thugh there traditinally is a relaxatin prir t the return f the A sectin and at the f the piece end. HEART The heart f the piece is the elegant, clear architecture that still manages t cntain a dramatic expressin f the angst and bsessin f unrequited lve. INTRODUCING THE PIECE 1. Ask students t read the translatin f the text silently. a. Have students underline a phrase that strikes them b. Have students circle a phrase that cnfuses them 2. Ask fr tw different readers t read the pem.

5 a. Share phrases that strike them in sme way b. Share cnfusing phrases c. Let discussin ensue 3. Unrequited lve/lve nt returned cnsider bth sides a. Rejectin and repulsin leave me alne! b. Lnging and desire give me a chance! c. What d yu think abut the feelings expressed in this pem? Over-the-tp/Meldramatic Obsessive? A true reflectin if ne's uninhibited feeling? i. Traditinally, this kind f frmal petry was an expressin f an internal dialgue, nt a real dialgue r discussin. Internal feelings nt smething that ne wuld dare t say alud. ii. Are there things here that we can relate t r understand r find empathy with? 4. Cnsider hw a cmpser may chse t set these wrds? Hw might yu? We are ging t study such a setting by the renwned Mzart! In fact, he wrte his setting fr a grup f friends t enjy tgether -- much like us! But befre we are in a gd psitin t really explre the chices that Mzart made when he cmpsed music fr this pem, we need t take sme preliminary preparatins. SKILL OUTCOME Students will shape phrases based n wrd stress and strng-weak/tenut-lift phrase endings in the Classical era style. Strategies 1. Wrk thrugh prnunciatin, wrd stress, meaning in pem reviewing general Italian prnunciatin rules particularly the "fat" t, rlled r, c/ch. 2. Use Italian phrases in warm-up exercises always emphasizing wrd stress (strng/weak) and difficult prnunciatins [D Re D] Use gesture! 3. Wrk pening phrases (m. 1-8) n a neutral syllable with attentin strng-weak/tenut-lift phrase endings. [shrter and sfter] a. Try all n the alt part first, and use gesture. Encurage phrase shaping. Add ther parts. b. Add text and see relatinships between wrds stress and strng-weak/tenut-lift c. Repeat prcess with secnd theme m with as much transference as pssible. d. Challenge students t cntinue t apply thrugh ut. Assessment 1. At every pint in the prcess, the teacher is assessing the wrd stress that the chir is prducing while speaking and singing the Italian as well as rehearsing the strng/weak phrasing, etc. 2. Students mark accented/unaccented syllables in scre as well as phrase endings fr cllectin. KNOWLEDGE OUTCOME Students will examine phrase structure and the larger architecture f frm. Strategies 1. Determine phrase beginnings and endings m (in the A sectin). a. There may be gd discussins abut phrase lengths (3+5 r 8 etc). micr/macr i. What are sme usual r expected phrase lengths? Why is this difficult t determine? ii. Discuss/remind f antecedent/cnsequent (perhaps thinking phrase pairs culd help) iii. Ntice the mre substantial cadences at m. 8 and fr example b. Have students label phrases and discuss as they make decisins i. When cnsideratin f text has been added, it might help with phrase decisins as the phrases ften change with textual ideas.

6 Assessment c. Anther day, have students make individual decisins regarding phrase beginnings and endings in m. 24(end)-39 (the B sectin) and mark in the scre. i. When all have cmpleted individually, frm small grups t cmpare and discuss reasning. 2. After learning m. 1-24, direct students t m. 40. Sing m. 40-end (if pssible) a. Ask students: i. why were yu able t sight-read that s well? ;) ii. Was it all the same? iii. Break int small grups What was the same? Where was it different and hw? Cmpare m. 40-end with m Share findings. [imprtant t include key relatinships and tw themes] b. Teach labels f A and A' and have student write in scre c. And what abut m ? Jt dwn hw this sectin lks in relatin t the ther tw. Share yur findings with tw neighbrs. Discuss. d. Teach label f B. e. Emphasize the pervasive use f this ABA' frm in music als nature, intentinally created bjects, ur lives. Challenge t ntice. f. [Als, in Affective Strategies ntice the questins regarding the use f frm by the cmpser in relatin t the text and decisins made fr meaning and expressin.] 3. Cmpare and cntrast the frm f this Mzart with ther familiar pieces and frms. What is the same r similar in the structure, what is different? a. Dwland: Cme again, sweet lve dth nw invite (binary AB r ABB) b. Blue Skies (mre f a phrase structure aaba) c. Handel: Where'er yu walk (da cap aria - ABA) Additinally: Remember t emphasize the elegance f structure.the value f structure Perhaps incrprated these thughts and questins thrughut the prcesses abve i. Why d yu think this structure wrks s well? ii. What d yu think it is abut this structure that has made it last s lng? iii. A piece f music usually has a large, verall structure that reveals itself if we take the time t find it. And that verall structure is part f the piece, just as much as the beautiful meldy r cl harmny. 1. Thrughut, assess prcess f thinking abut larger structure in discussing and labeling activities abve. 2. Frmally, students will mark phrases and frm structure in an unfamiliar scre. Then they will write abut their reasning fr thse chices. Here, we culd use the Haydn Snatina, as there are a cuple different ways f lking at it. The defense and reasning is as if nt mre imprtant than the "crrect" answer here. AFFECTIVE OUTCOME Students will explre cmpsitinal chices that cnvey the meaning f a text and reflect n ways that seemingly small details can impact the verall md r affect. Strategies 1. While rehearsing the B sectin, draw attentin t the "Crudele" phrase a. Why these dynamics? Try switching. (meaning) b. Why this rhythm? Why nt 3 quarters? (d it) Have we had this rhythm elsewhere? c. Anther day, review abve and ask: Can yu find ther places that the cmpser's chices help cnvey the meaning f the text? i. Individual students search and mark in scre.

7 Assessment ii. Small grups share findings and cntinue search. iii. Share findings with grup. Encurage t cntinue the search. " "Ma" first presentatin each time " sspirar alt m. 35 and 38 and spran m. 37 (als bass) (text painting) " Spran m " m : cadence a cappella; driving instrument sixteenths, repetitin " deceptive, imperfect cadences, m. 68. " Mre? (spran m. 39?) 2. Later in the prcess, draw student's attentin t Mzart's chice f this structure ABA' and hw it is at dds with the tw stanza pem. i. Read the pem in translatin again. ii. What wuld it sund like if Mzart stpped at the end f the B? iii. Why d yu suppse he chse t use the first stanza f the pem again fr the A'? Write first, share secnd. 1. Assessment is dne thrughut classrm discussins and writings. 2. Students write a brief reflectin n the ways the seemingly small cmpsitinal chices made by Mzart in this piece impact their understanding f the expressin f the text. Please give at least tw specific examples that impact yu as a perfrmer. MUSIC SELECTION Mzart is an undisputed majr cmpser f the Classical era whse significance is bth histrical and cntemprary, as evidenced by his music regularly gracing cncert stages everywhere. Students knw f Mzart and are genuinely excited t sing wrks by him the fact that he was cmpsing at their age is als helpful in getting students t cnnect t his wrk. Often a directr is faced with a chir that is nt well balanced, fr whm 3-part singing is mre apprpriate (but ntice, the bass vice is mst definitely changed!). The six ncturnes are riginally written by Mzart fr 3-parts (SAB). Mi lagner tacend is the mst difficult f the six ncturnes, s ne may take a lk at sme f the easier nes (Luci care r Ecc quel fier) if this seems t great a challenge. Sme may wrk better fr changing vices than thers. Regardless f these basic vicing cnsideratins, Mi lagner tacend is an expressive example f classical era style, phrasing, and frm. Mzart als renders an elegant, shrt setting f this famus pem that is, at times, quite dramatic and reflective f the agny f unrequited lve. Rebecca Renee Winnie taught high schl chral music fr 33 years, 28 at Hmestead High Schl in Mequn, WI. She presently wrks as Vcal Arts Department Chair at the Wiscnsin Cnservatry f Music in Milwaukee and has the jy f leading grups f singers at many age levels. Rebecca has served n the CMP cmmittee since 1997 and especially enjys the adventure f searching fr diverse and pwerful music t study with her students. rwinnie@sbcglbal.net Wiscnsin Cmprehensive Musicianship thrugh Perfrmance (CMP)