SYMPHONIC SNAPSHOTS: Heroes and Villains Teachers Pack by Paul Rissmann Welcome to Symphonic Snapshots. This schools concert has been specially designed to introduce your class to the incredible sound of the symphony orchestra. During the performance you will meet a host of musical heroes and villain, explore how composers use the instruments of the orchestra to create vivid pictures and also take part in a premier performance of my new composition H2Oz. The concert programme features: Copland Mozart Saint-Saëns Elgar John Williams Bizet Stravinsky Paul Rissmann Fanfare for the Common Man The Marriage of Figaro Overture Danse Macabre Enigma Variations (excerpts) Theme & Variations 4, 7 and 11 Shark Theme from Jaws Habanera & Les Toréadors from Carmen The Infernal Dance of King Kastchei from The Firebird H2Oz - Audience Participation Piece NB: Please see the separate teaching resource for more information on H2Oz. This is music your class will perform during the concert. Hans Zimmer Pirates of the Caribbean: At World s End COMPOSING IN CLASS This pack contains three creative projects inspired by the music of Elgar, John Williams and Stravinsky. Each project relates directly to music you will hear in concert and will inspire your students to create and perform their own group composition. Even though the activities relate directly to complex orchestral scores, they have been devised to be easily deliverable by non-specialist teachers using standard classroom percussion. The primary purpose of these activities is to enable your students to establish a direct connection to the concert repertoire not through rigorous academic study, but through hands-on practical music-making. All of the projects that follow will work equally as well as pre or post concert activities.
CREATIVE PROJECT No.1 inspired by Edward Elgar Edward Elgar was born in England in 1857 into a large musical family. His father was a piano tuner who also owned a music shop, so young Edward was surrounded by music. Under pressure to contribute to the family finances, Edward left school at 15 and took a job in an office. But just one year later, he decided to abandon the security that 9-5 offered and embark on a musical career. Like many musicians, Elgar juggled a busy life which included a lot of teaching and being bandmaster in the local mental hospital. Elgar s composing career meandered well into his 40 s with only minimal success. The turning point for him came in 1899 with the first performance of his Enigma Variations - it was a massive hit and thrust Elgar onto an international stage. Overnight, he was offered opportunities beyond his wildest dreams. For example, Elgar was the first orchestral composer to have a career in the recording studio. The newly invented gramophone enabled Elgar to record a catalogue of his music onto vinyl (well as long the piece was less than 4 minutes in duration since at the turn of the 20 th century that s all that would fit onto one side of a record!). After the devastation left by the 1 st World War, Elgar s music became intertwined with British identity. Crowd-pleasing favourites such as Land of Hope and Glory and his Pomp and Circumstance Marches firmly established him as the UK s most beloved composer. Variations For over 100 years, musicologists have been bamboozled by Elgar s Enigma Variations and it still sparks heated debate today. Here is what I know as fact: On the 21 st October 1898, Elgar arrived home after a hard day of teaching. Exhausted, he lit his pipe, sat down at the piano and began to improvise. As he played, he stumbled across a melody which we now know as the Enigma Theme. His wife Caroline immediately commented on its beauty. Elgar then proceeded to play around with his theme, suggesting to his wife how various friends and family
might play the tune. They both really liked the idea of a series of musical caricatures and at that very moment the Enigma Variations were born. The intrigue surrounding Enigma was due entirely to a rather cryptic programme note Elgar wrote for the first performance. In it, he stated that his 14 variations reflect the character of various friends and family, but also suggested that another theme could fit through and over the whole set. This instigated a witch-hunt for a new melody that would fit with the Enigma Theme. Over the years, God Save the Queen and Auld Lang Syne have been the two prime candidates, though both are clunky and don t work especially well, and besides, Elgar says the theme fits through and over the whole set. Does that mean the theme has to fit with all of his 14 variations? Elgar never revealed the solution to the enigma, and wisely so. This musical mystery ensured his music remained as an orchestral favourite throughout the world to this very day. Some have suggested that the solution could even be non-musical. Is the theme that fits through and over the whole set simply friendship? Sadly we ll never know though it was a pretty slick marketing trick by Elgar. Elgar made 14 Variations on the Enigma Theme and labelled most of them with the friend s initials.
PLAY THE ENIGMA THEME The best way to understand Elgar s Enigma Variations is to play or sing the main theme. Luckily Elgar s melody is clear and simple and easy to perform on classroom percussion. The Enigma Theme Learn to play or sing the melody below. I have transposed it into as classroom friendly a key as possible, so it will work well played on xylophones or chime bars. However, if it is too challenging for the children to play the entire theme, simply break it up into six smaller chunks - with each child responsible for playing just a single phrase (or bar) of music. NB: If your classroom instruments don t have any sharps or flats don t worry you can replace the final F# (F sharp) of this theme for the note D instead. It will sound just as good. And if you get stuck mastering the rhythm of the theme, have a listen to a recording of the music. Once everyone can confidently play it, make some text to fit with the music and sing the theme.
MAKE A SERIES OF A VARIATIONS A variation is a musical term which nowadays we d simply call a remix. In a variation you hear a tune (or theme) played in a different way. A composer may focus on just a tiny part of the theme, or take bits taken out it or even add new parts to it. But the inspiration behind the variation will always be the original tune. Here is a short list of ways to make a musical variation: change the dynamics varying the volume of the music will make it sound quite different. alter the tempo try playing the music at a different speed. try different phrasing - can you make the music smoother, or more spiky. play it with a new rhythm. perform the theme backwards. How does it sound? Once the children are confident playing Elgar s theme, split the class into small groups and challenge each of them to make a short and simple variation of the Elgar s theme. Try using one or more of the ideas above. How different can each group make their music sound? Variations in the style of Elgar s Friends Now try and make some variations using techniques borrowed from Elgar. W.M.B. The Grumpy Old Man Variation IV is labelled as W.M.B. which stands for William Meath Baker. He was a rich country squire with a reputation for his ferocious temper. Elgar made his variation by removing all the rests (gaps) from the enigma theme, and playing it very quickly and very loudly. Give it a go: play the enigma theme without any gaps between the phrases. Take out all the rests in the music. now play the music as loudly as possible you may wish to add some unpitched percussion to the music. how can you make the music sound really grumpy?
G.R.S Dan the Dog Variation XI G.R.S. is all about George Robertson Sinclair s bulldog Dan. Elgar s music tells about the day Dan accidentally fell into a river. His music represents Dan s aquatic adventure with a special variation. The music is fast and exciting, but still closely linked to the original tune. Using the enigma theme (or bits of it) as a starting point, can the class make music that sounds like: a dog falling into a river. a dog splashing around in the water (Elgar plays the notes of his theme quickly one after the other but without their original rhythm). a dog letting out a loud bark. What instruments would be best for this? a dog with a bell on his collar (Elgar uses the triangle in the orchestra to represent this). The Ultimate Challenge Finally, try taking Elgar s theme and make a variation in the style of a famous person, or a favourite character from a book or even a teacher at school. It may be fun to keep your music-making secret from the rest of the class. Once you ve made your variation, perform it to your classmates and see if they can guess who it is. Listen to Elgar Finally, listen to some of Elgar s Enigma Variations. In our concert we will only play a short selection of them but if the children enjoy this creative project then I m sure they will be interested to hear more of Elgar s music. Try listening to some the other movements in the suite and then discuss what they think the person would be like.
CREATIVE PROJECT No.2 inspired by John Williams Even though your students may be too young to have watched it, all children seem to know John Williams classic soundtrack to the movie Jaws. The first two notes of the score are immediately recognisable and brilliantly heighten tension in the film. But musically of course, those two notes are ridiculously straightforward. Apparently when John Williams sat down at a piano to play Stephen Spielberg his great idea for the film about the great white shark, Spielberg cried. You ve got to be kidding! Today, the deathly toll of two bass notes is enough to strike fear into seafarers around the world. But why is this score so successful and what can we learn from it? John Williams great idea was built from the musical interval of the SEMITONE. The semitone is the smallest possible interval in western classical music - and has a tense, tight sound. The easiest way to find a semitone is on a piano (I promise that you can find it even if you don t play piano). Just play a white note and then the black note immediately next to it. The term semitone describes the space (or interval) between these two notes. However, the best way to play a semi-tone on classroom tuned percussion would be to play the note E followed by the note F or the note B followed by the note C. These two sets of semitones don t require any black notes. And if you have the luxury of playing these notes low enough - such as in the bottom range of a piano (or with the entire double bass section of the orchestra) they start to sound really frightening. So it is the semitone that gives Jaws his bite.
But this is not an exclusive feature of Jaws, movie composers have used the semitone to scare audiences for decades. John Williams is also a composer who knows how to exploit silence in his score. You may find this incredible, but composers actually get paid for writing nothing. Bars rest, gaps in the music, dramatic pauses, sections of the score with absolutely no noise (but which form an integral part of the composition) are all still chargeable! The legendary first two notes in Jaws are surrounded by silence. And that void is equally as important in generating a sense of fear as the sound of the semitone. In music, silence equals suspense. It seems that what you don t include is just as important as what you do! MAKE A SOUNDTRACK semitone silence 1. Start by explaining semitones to the class (see the explanation above). Use a piano or pitched percussion to illustrate the interval. 2. Now, try singing two notes a semitone apart. This is really easy to do - you simply slide your voice upwards or downwards in pitch. Add a little drama to the process by adding some text to the activity - such as Oh no!. Extension If your class are confident singers, challenge them to sing two notes a semitone apart simultaneously. Split the class in two, teach one half to sing a single pitch (for instance an E) - and the other half to sing a pitch a semitone higher (an F). Can they all sing their respective pitch at the same time? How does it sound? How about singing through the alphabet or doing your times tables glued permanently to these two pitches. 3. Now, imagine you are directing a scene for a big budget movie. Storyboard this with the children on a whiteboard aim to make the story as dramatic (and scary if you like) as possible. John and Belinda are walking home late at night. It is cold and dark. A loud shriek pierces the air. Suddenly they feel scared. John and Belinda run at top speed to their front door. Their mum opens the door - they are safe. A black cat strides down the street.
4. Try and transform each bullet point into sound. Wherever possible, use what we ve highlighted from John Williams music - the semitone and the importance of silence to add drama. 5. Once the class have made their music, invite some children to act out the scenario - whilst others play the music. Can they make their music and drama to fit perfectly together? Advanced Extension Why not film the finished product so the class are able to review their work as audience members and critics. Discuss the relationship between music and drama. Does it work well? If so, why? If not, what do they need to do to increase the tension in their performance? As a final challenge, invite the children to play their music live to their pre-recorded film. Just turn the volume down on the movie file and try to play along to it aim to fit the music exactly to the action on screen. Congratulations, your class are now officially film composers.
CREATIVE PROJECT No.3 inspired by Igor Stravinsky At the turn of the 20 th century, the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev planed to introduce Paris to world of Russian ballet. He mounted sensational productions, which were incredibly popular and created a buzz similar to that of a modern West End Show or a Broadway Musical. If you visited Paris, you just had to go see the Ballets Russes. Diaghilev commissioned an unknown 26-year-old Russian to compose music for a ballet of The Firebird. The young and eager Igor Stravinsky wrote a stunning score, which combined with cutting edge choreography was an instant hit. Stravinsky was a musical genius, intent on exploring new sonorities. His music played such an important role in shaping orchestral music in the 20 th century, that I can confidently say music - even pop music - would not be as it is today had Igor Stravinsky had not existed. During our concert, the orchestra will perform a movement from Stravinsky s Firebird Suite called The Infernal Dance of King Kastchei. The Firebird s Tale The Firebird s story fuses together two Russian folktales, the sum of which would make a blockbuster Disney movie. You can easily find several versions of the story online, but for the purpose of our work, I am going to simplify it to just a few basic facts: Prince Ivan is a hero on a quest to recover golden apples stolen from his father and to rescue 13 princesses. King Kastchei (pronounced KAT-CHEYE) is a villain. He is an evil skeleton magician who kidnaps princesses and turns princes into stone.
MAKE AN INFERNAL DANCE FOR KING KASTCHEI When King Kastchei discovers Prince Ivan wandering through his magical garden he is furious. This project will enable your students to create some music to describe his raging temper. You students will learn to say, clap and play the theme Stravinsky composed to describe Kastchei s fury (albeit in a simpler form). 1. Learn to say the word pattern below. Please excuse the text, it is just a bit of fun however its rhythm is very important. Feel free to make alternative words if you like. BEATS 1 2 3 4 5 6 King Kas - - tchei s gone bright red, - He won t come out to play, - You d be - - tter stay away, - Someone put hot chilli in his chocolate spread (with the bold text) 2. Once you can confidently say the rap, try playing its rhythm using un-pitched percussion instruments. Only select instruments that can make short and sharp sounds such as a drum, tambourine, cabasa. 3. It will really help if one person marks the six steady beats on a drum. This is the PULSE. Have one person play the pulse, while everyone else says and plays the rap on top. 4. Now, find some different ways to play the word pattern. Experiemnt with instruments only playing a specific line. For example: Tambourines Woodblocks Claves Everyone Can you find other ways to organise your resources? 5. Sort all the children s ideas into one complete piece of music. You could even make new text or further verses. Just make sure that you stick with the rhythm of the words.
Steal from Stravinsky Start with a massive bang. Stravinsky begins The Infernal Dance with an orchestral gesture that is absolutely deafening - but also incredibly short. Can the class make one loud and short gesture exactly together? Follow this with a rumble, played quietly and quickly on a drum while everyone else says the rap on top. Play the word pattern on pitched instruments. You will need the notes A, B, C, E and Eb (pronounced E Flat). But if you are chromatically challenged in class and don t have the note Eb on your classroom instruments simply play E instead. BEATS 1 2 3 4 5 6 King B Kas C - tchei s A gone B bright red, C - A - He B won t C come A out C to play, E Eb - You d B be- C - tter A stay C a-way, E Eb - Someone * * put hot * * chilli * * in his * * chocolate * * spread * * Choose your own notes to fit with the last line. However, restrict your selection to the pitches A B C D E F. Any of those notes, in any order will sound great. Finally add a simple accompaniment by playing the notes A and E together, as a pulse underneath the theme. Aim to make your music sound as exciting but as evil as possible. Have fun. Paul Rissmann, April 2015