Bite-Sized Music Lessons

Transcription

1 Bite-Sized Music Lessons A series of F-10 music lessons for implementation in the classroom Conditions of use These Materials are freely available for download and educational use. These resources were developed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra with funding and support from the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and Education.

2 Symphony No. 1, Movement III (1889) Gustav Mahler Duration: approximately 10:20 minutes Year levels: Elective Written in the language of the Australian Curriculum in the Arts these resources include activities in each of the music learning areas: performing, composing and listening and identify the key competencies reinforced in each activity. Lesson Page Focus Activity 1 5 Listening 2 6 Listening 3 7 Composing 4 8 Score analysis 5 9 Performing Lesson Index Lesson 1: Lesson 2: Lesson 3: Lesson 4: Lesson 5: Presents a series of focus listening questions for familiarisation with the main musical features of the funeral procession music. Focuses on how the elements are treated and includes a dictation task. An arrangement activity based upon a nursery rhyme exploring Mahler s use of cannon, countermelody and ostinati accompaniment. Score analysis activity which compares the use of the elements of music in contrasting sections of the movement. A class performance activity based on an arrangement of major themes from this movement. Bite-sized Lesson Plans 1

3 Composer biography: Gustav Mahler ( ) Austrian composer Gustav Mahler was best known during his own lifetime as one of the leading orchestral and operatic conductors of the day. He has since come to be acknowledged as among the most important late-romantic composers, although his music was never completely accepted by the musical establishment of Vienna while he was still alive. Mahler composed primarily symphonies and songs; however, his approach to genre often blurred the lines between orchestral Lied, symphony, and symphonic poem. Symphony No. 1, Movement III Mahler was inspired by a woodcut made by Moritz von Schwind in 1850 called The Hunter s Funeral Procession. This is artwork is based upon a fairy tale where animals are victorious over a hunter and depicts their funeral procession as they go to bury him. Mahler s love of nature was so strong that this type of theme would have really appealed to him and he would have seen it as an ironic example of justice being done. The original Slovenian song was called The Animals Bury the Hunter, and it was a humorous satirical song which tells the story of the burial of a hunter and a funeral procession which was not composed of humans, but wild animals that appeared to derive great joy from the event. The symphony movement by Mahler picks up on this irony by combining a funeral song with other jocular, satirical themes of the day. Others also feel that Mahler was also making a comment about society by writing this satirical movement. The woodcut is actually making a comment about the natural order of things in the forest and inverts the power base which normally operated. The hunter is dominated by the hunted, the powerful and the powerless have therefore switched positions, Therefore some believe Mahler was making a comment about power structures in society and this is suggesting a temporary liberation of marginalized social groups. This would have been a theme close to Mahler s Jewish heart, and possibly explains why some of the themes sound like Jewish street music themes. Score and audio resources Full score: From the album Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Blumine & Songs of a Wayfarer Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy: Spotify: Instrumentation Woodwind Brass Percussion Strings Piccolo 7 Horns Timpani Violins 1 4 Flutes 5 Trumpets Bass Drum Violins 2 4 Oboes 4 Trombones Cymbals Violas Cor Anglais Tuba Triangle Cellos 4 Clarinet Tam-Tam Double Basses Bass Clarinet Harp 4 Bassoons 2 Bite-sized Lesson Plans

4 Movement I Tone painting in the Prelude Extensive use of the interval of the 4th Song Like melodies Melodic evolution of subjects Thematic development by varied repetition Movement II Scherzo Stamping figure built on the 4th Landler style rhythm and melody Song Like melodies Melodic evolution of subjects Thematic development by varied repetition Trio Simple folk style Lyrical sentimental melody Movement III Folk melody appears in canon and with a countersubject Contrasting themes Musical Parody Movement IV Use of Prelude to set mood Contrasting dynamics Contrasting episodes, including use of uninhibited sentiment Recurrence of theme from Movement I Melodic evolution of subjects Thematic development by varied repetition sound like Jewish street music themes. Focus concepts Treatment of thematic material Canon and countermelody over a repeating bass line Techniques of orchestration Musical parody By completing the activities contained in this kit the students should: become familiar with the focus repertoire in preparation for a concert experience. develop a deeper understanding of each work in terms of its musical features. develop a deeper understanding of the work within the context of the time it was composed. have participated in listening, analysing, composing and performing music through a series of activities based upon the focus repertoire. have practiced skills in notation, dictation and aural perception. Bite-sized Lesson Plans 3

5 Structure of Movement III Mahler did not conform to the traditional structures in symphonic writing. He believed music was governed by a law of eternal evolution. See the resources for a recording of the work. Bar Structural Features 1-38 Section A: Funeral March Opens with a 2 bar intro (doh-soh) on timpani which continues as an ostinato accompaniment. A muted solo bass enters, playing the familiar tune Frère Jacques but in a minor key (D minor). This theme is played as a round during which a counter-theme appears in bar 19 played by solo oboe. The funeral march theme continues in canon with the counter-theme continuing above it Section B: Street Dance Parody Into the solemn funeral march breaks an irreverent street dance shared between oboes and trumpets at Bar 38. After this comes an even more satirical street dance marked mit parodie (with parody) played by clarinet and bassoons at bar 45. The street dance themes merge with the funeral march theme and counter theme and the section closes on a D pedal Section C: Sentimental Song A sentimental song in G major taken from the fourth song in Mahler Songs for a Wayfarer cycle is played by a small group of muted strings. The theme is varied and extended, leading back to a G pedal and a return to the minor tonality Section D: Return of the Funeral March The funeral march theme and counter-theme return, but with new motives. First are trumpets at bar 124The countermelody in the clarinets (bar 118) and flutes (bar 122) is marked keck (cheeky). Another incongruous street dance is introduced by the woodwind at bar 139 in the key of D minor. The street dance parodies, funeral march theme and counter-themes are jumbled together so that the funeral march loses its dignity and can no longer be taken seriously. The movement concludes with the countermelody and finally the timpani playing the fourths ostinato which opened the movement. 4 Bite-sized Lesson Plans

6 Sequential Classroom Activities Movement III, bars 1-28 Lesson 1: Listening Listen to the opening 15 seconds of Movement III from Mahler s Symphony No. 1, then answer the following listening questions. You will need to play it a number of times. 1. Which instrument plays on its own to open the movement? 2. It is playing a two-note ostinato. The first note is D: what is the second note? 3. After a short introduction another instrument enters playing a melody. What is this instrument? 4. Is this part played by the whole section or a single player? 5. The melody is in what key or tonality? Now listen to 0:28-0: What are the next two instruments to play? 7. What material do these two instruments play? What is the name given to this composition technique and what is the result on the texture? 8. This music is called funeral march. How has Mahler manipulated the concepts of music (pitch, rhythm, tempo, articulation and tone colour) to create the atmosphere of a funeral march? 9. A new melody enters (notated below) played by a woodwind instrument heard in 1:04-1:20. a) Which woodwind instrument plays this? b) Mark the articulation on the score below. c) What do you think is the function or musical purpose of the new tune? Bite-sized Lesson Plans 5

7 Lesson 2: Listening In this activity the musical themes will be played and studied to determine how Mahler manipulated the musical elements to make musical parody rather than a solemn funeral march. (Refer to the listening outline for answers). 1. Write out the tune of Frère Jacques from dictation on the stave below. 2. How does Mahler s version of the theme compare to the traditional in his treatment of the following elements: a) Melody. b) Rhythm. c) Tonality. 3. Describe Mahler s treatment of this theme in the score in bars Describe the accompaniment of the main theme in bars A new five-bar melody is introduced at bar 19. Notate this melody on the staff below. 6. How does this contrast to the Frère Jacques theme? 7. What is the purpose of this theme? 8. As the music goes along Mahler adds things which make it sound more of a parody than macabre and serious. Identify two of these and describe how this is achieved. 9. Mahler marks his scores in great detail with many instructions. Make a list of the score markings that occur between figures 5 and 7, and their meaning. Refer to a dictionary if necessary. 10. Despite the large number of instruments playing in Mahler s orchestra, he always manages to make his melodies clearly heard. How does he do this? 6 Bite-sized Lesson Plans

8 Lesson 3: Composing Mahler used this image as the inspiration behind his funeral march: Wie die Thiere den Jäger begraben (The Hunter s Funeral). Moritz von Schwind, 1850 (woodcut). He is believed to have said that it was not what was in the picture that was important, more the mood. Consequently, the funeral march he wrote was more of a parody than a sombre instrumental work. 1. Compose an ironic funeral march using movement III of Mahler s Symphony No. 1 as a model. Your composition will have three distinct sections: Funeral theme based upon a nursery rhyme. Melody and countermelody. A parody of your funeral march. a) Use the well-known tune This Old Man (below) or another nursery rhyme and give it the Mahler treatment to turn it into the theme for a funeral march. Your composition needs to be for an ensemble of at least four instruments. b) Write a simple countermelody that adds colour and irony to your part B. c) Create a simple accompaniment. d) Allocate your instruments to the parts, considering their range and sound. e) Complete the score with significant score markings and the information required to perform the work. f) Rehearse and perform. g) Compare each new composition to Mahler' version which were more successful and why? Bite-sized Lesson Plans 7

9 Lesson 4: Score Analysis Score excerpt 1 Figure Mahler did not conform to the traditional structures in symphonic writing. He believed music was governed by a law of eternal evolution, so everything that repeats was changed in some way. These questions are based on the recapitulation of the symphony s third movement. Revise the A section of the music (Lesson 1) and then answer these questions. You may need to refer to the score to assist you. 1. What is the key at the start of this section? How does this compare to the opening key of the movement? 2. Which instruments are playing the opening ostinato which the timpani first introduced at the start of the movement? 3. Which instruments play the minor key Frère Jacques melody when it enters? 4. Write out the top part of the first three bars of the bassoon entry after Figure 13 in treble clef. 5. This melody is also treated as a canon. What is the distance this time between each entry? 6. Which instrument is included in the recapitulation that you did not hear in the opening excerpt? 7. Mahler uses a very large orchestra in this symphony yet at all times the main thematic information can be clearly heard. How does he achieve this? 8. How does Mahler give the aural impression that the sombre part of the funeral is moving away? 9. How are the tutti violins instructed to play their notes three bars before 16, and what do they need to do to achieve this? Describe the sound of this playing technique. 10. The key changes again at Figure 16. What is it now? How does Mahler clearly establish the new key from Figure 16? 8 Bite-sized Lesson Plans

10 Lesson 5: Performing The score below is an arrangement of the Street Dance parody including the two important themes used by Mahler from Figure 5 to Figure 8 in the score. Either learn to play it as a class, or enter parts into a music program like Sibelius or GarageBand and play it digitally if you do not have other people to perform with. From Movement III of Mahler s Symphony No.1 Bite-sized Lesson Plans 9

11 10 Bite-sized Lesson Plans

12 Bite-sized Lesson Plans 11

13 12 Bite-sized Lesson Plans

14 Bite-sized Lesson Plans 13

15 Answers Lesson 1: 1. Timpani. 2. A fourth below (A). 3. Double bass. 4. Single player. 5. Minor (D minor). 6. Bassoon and cello. 7. The opening melody introduced by the bass. Canon. 8. Slow stately tempo, low pitched instruments, minor key, mournful tone colour, use of the sad theme in canon, sparse texture. 9. a) Oboe. b) Refer to score (see resources) c) Countermelody and to create contrast. Lesson 2: Lesson 4: 1. E flat minor. A semitone higher than the opening D minor. 2. Timpani, harp, cellos and basses. 3. Flutes, clarinets, bassoons. 4. This should look the same as the flute part bars. 6. Harp. 7. By making the melody a clearly discernible line against the texture, carefully choosing the register for the tune and for the accompaniment, not having too many instruments playing when only one instrument has the theme and doubling the melody with a number of instruments during full orchestra sections. 8. The theme after figure 14 is only heard in fragments and new themes are starting to become more prominent and the funeral theme is marked pp. 9. Col legno to play with the wood of the bow instead of the hair. The sound is quite percussive and the pitch is less evident than the rhythm. 10. Back into D minor. Made very clear by the tonic and dominant notes played in ostinati in the lower strings. 14 Bite-sized Lesson Plans