Educational Resource A Purcell Guide
A Purcell Guide Written by Alison Mackay and Craig Romanec Tafelmusik 427 Bloor Street West Toronto, ON M5S 1X7 Phone 416.964.9562 Fax 416.964.6337
Table of Contents Introduction... 2 Curriculum Expectations... 3 Junior...3 Intermediate...3 Senior...3 Information... 5 Composer s Life...5 Composer s Times...7 Composer s Music...8 Fairy Queen... 9 Pieces for string orchestra... 10 Pieces for Choir... 10 Activities... 12 Junior...12 Objective... 12 Summary... 12 Activity... 12 Intermediate and Senior...13 Objective... 13 Summary... 13 Activity... 13 1
Introduction Welcome, and thank you for downloading and using this educational resource guide. We hope that you will find the material useful. Within this guide you ll find content information prepared by one of Tafelmusik s own musicians, activities for students from grades 6-12 based on this information, and curriculum connections for these grades as set by the Ontario Ministry of Education. Tafelmusik, based in Toronto, is a period instrument orchestra that has achieved international stature through its recordings and concerts. Founded in 1979, the orchestra is currently lead by violinist Jeanne Lamon as music director, a post she has held since 1981. The Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, specializing in Baroque choral performance practice and vocal technique, was formed in 1981 to complement the orchestra and is currently under the direction of Ivars Taurins. This resource guide has been created for any teacher that wants to integrate the arts into their classroom; this can include core music teachers as well as classroom teachers who want to deliver a more well-rounded curriculum. We have created this document in effort to create a strong link between ourselves and educators in the hope of promoting knowledge of Tafelmusik, period performance, and baroque and classical music in general. As such, feel free to recommend this guide to colleagues or other interested parties. 2
Curriculum Expectations T afelmusik focuses its attention to delivering resources appropriate for grades 6 through 12. This educational resource, including the activities presented, address the following curriculum requirements for these levels for the province of Ontario. Junior Grade 6 Music Language (Writing) Communicate their thoughts and feelings about the music they hear, using language and a variety of art forms and media (e.g., painting, computer animation); Several opportunities exist for curriculum links for the activity presented below with the Language (Writing) curriculum Intermediate Grade 7 Music Create and perform musical compositions that make use of elements of music studied in pieces learned in this grade; Grade 8 Music Senior Grade 9 Music Create musical compositions that make use of elements of music studied in this grade, write them in standard notation, and perform them; Create a simple composition using the elements of melody, rhythm, and form and a variety of media (e.g., pencil and paper, acoustic instruments, recording equipment, MIDI technology, music software); Make artistic decisions about aspects of performance in individual and group situations; 3
Grade 10 Music Grade 11 Music Make artistic decisions about interpretive aspects of performance in individual and group situations (e.g., articulation, staccato in different styles, straight versus swing eighths, dynamics, solo versus accompaniment); Compose and/or arrange simple homophonic compositions, using technology where appropriate (e.g., compose a melody with lyrics that includes non-chord tones and that is set to given chord progressions that include dominant sevenths; arrange existing music for an ensemble of available instruments or voices, transposing where appropriate); Analyse and evaluate musical works, demonstrating an understanding of some major characteristics of baroque and classical music, popular music, and Canadian and non- Western music; Identify, analyse, and evaluate musical works through listening; Analyse works from the baroque and classical periods, and from popular, Canadian, and non-western traditions (e.g., a chorale and fugue, a sonata-allegro movement, a jazz bebop song, a raga), explaining how the various elements of music work together in the particular style, and evaluate the effectiveness of the use of the elements; Grade 12 Music Compose and/or arrange simple homophonic compositions in four or more parts, using technology where appropriate (e.g., write a composition using non-chord tones in the melody and chord progressions that include dominant sevenths; arrange existing music for an ensemble of available instruments or voices, transposing where appropriate); 4
Notes Information Composer s Life H enry Purcell, the great genius of English baroque music was born in London in 1659. For his entire life he lived within walking distance of Westminster Abbey, the church where English kings and queens are crowned and where the funeral of Princess Diana was held. Purcell became the organist of Westminster Abbey just before his twenty-first birthday and when he died at the tragically young age of 36 he was buried there at the foot of the organ. Figure 1 George Frideric Handel Purcell s musical life was profoundly affected by political events in England. He was born just after the death of Oliver Cromwell, the puritan ruler of England who had executed Charles 1, prohibited instrumental music in churches and closed down all the theatres in London. During his rule most musicians were unemployed and it was impossible for children to receive a formal music education because most teaching was done in schools associated with church choirs, which no longer existed. Cromwell's soldiers had been housed in Westminster Abbey and they had destroyed the organ and pawned the organ pipes to buy beer. Figure 2 Westminster, with the abbey, parliament and royal When Purcell was a year old, Charles I's oldest son was brought back from exile in France and was crowned Charles II. He was an enthusiastic lover of music and he particularly admired the orchestra and choir of Louis XIV of France (the young king portrayed in Man in the Iron Mask). Charles set about 5
Notes establishing a special royal choir for his private chapel and his own orchestra of 24 string players to perform at special ceremonies and to entertain the king at dinner with a kind of music called "Tafelmusik" or table music. When Henry Purcell was eight or nine he was chosen to sing as a boy treble in the king's chapel. He attended school there, was clothed and fed and was given lessons in singing, violin, organ and composition. The boys were also taught Latin, reading, writing and arithmetic. Figure 3 A procession of the children of the royal choir. Purcell's voice broke when he was 14, an unusually early age at this time of late puberty due to poor nutrition. He had to leave the choir but was given the job of repairman and tuner of instruments and music copyist. He began to show such talent in composition that when he was 18 he was appointed special composer to the king. He remained in the employ of the royal family until his death, through the reigns of Charles II, James II, and William and Mary. Figure 4 The Coronation of James II in Westminster Abbey. Purcell composed several anthems for the occasion 6
Notes Composer s Times P urcell s London was an exciting, crowded and dangerous city with noisy street vendors, cobblestone streets and wooden houses. When Henry was six, 70,000 people died in the plague that swept Figure 5 A London fire truck from 1670, through the invented just after the great fire. unsanitary city in the heat of the summer. A year later, in September of 1666, the great fire of London burned for five days and destroyed 13,000 houses and 87 churches including the great cathedral of St. Paul's. Many buildings were rebuilt by the famous seventeenth-century architect Christopher Wren, including a new St. Paul's and two new theatres, Drury Lane and Dorset Garden at which many works by Purcell were performed. Figure 6 London, just before the great fire of 1666. The main highway through London at this time was the river Thames, which cut through the middle of the city. It was easier to go by boat from place to place and then walk than to struggle through the narrow, crowded and dirty streets. When Purcell wanted to travel from his house near Westminster Abbey to the Dorset Garden Theatre for a rehearsal of one of his works, he could catch a river taxi and be rowed to the theatre steps that went right down to the water. The water-taxi union was so powerful in Purcell's lifetime that it was able to prevent bridges from being built across the river; there was only 7
Notes London bridge which was covered in houses and stores and which displayed the heads of convicted traitors on spikes at the gateway. Figure 7 London in 1690, still with only one bride over the Thames. Composer s Music Figure 8 The Duke s Theatre at Dorset Garden Purcell s compositions include hundreds of works for every type of musical occasion. He wrote anthems and cantatas for church services, birthday odes and welcome songs for the royal family, songs for solo singers and instrumental works for organ, harpsichord and string ensembles. Towards the end of his life he began to compose more and more music for the theatre. The monarchs at this time, William and Mary were not very interested in music and although they kept Purcell in their employ, they did not require him to write as much music for their daily activities at court. He used his free time to compose songs, 8
Notes dance music, choruses and instrumental interludes for new theatrical productions at the Dorset Garden theatre. Figure 9 The Duke s Theatre at Dorset Garden with its steps from the river. Purcell would have traveled from home to the theatre by boat. At this time there wasn't a strict line dividing drama, opera and ballet; play performances often included large amounts of singing and dancing. This had partly to do with the design of the theatres. In Shakespeare's time, a generation or two earlier, the audience had sat around the stage and were aware of any set changes. By the time of Purcell, the audience sat in front of the stage in a shoe-box shaped theatre and an arch over the stage blocked the backstage workings from the spectators. This helped to create a greater emphasis on illusion, and stage machinery was used to create magical scene changes as sophisticated as anything we know today. The audiences loved these spectacular effects and demanded more and more of them; therefore more and more incidental music, songs and dances were needed to cover the workings of the machines as the sets were changed. In his own time, Purcell was renowned for his ability to use beautiful melodies and unusual harmonies to express strong emotions. His seventeenth-century publisher, Henry Playford, said that in his vocal music "he had a peculiar genius to express the energy of English words, whereby he moved the passions of all the auditors". Fairy Queen Purcell composed the music for Fairy Queen, an adaptation of Shakespeare s Midsummer Night s Dream, for a production in 1692. Midsummer Night s Dream was not Shakespeare's most popular play during Purcell's lifetime; the language 9
Notes was considered a bit uncouth and earthy. Yet because of its magical setting and exotic characters it lent itself to the spectacular stage effects described above. Of the 2 100 lines in the original play, 950 were cut by the anonymous adaptor and 450 new ones were inserted to be spoken or sung. Changing Shakespeare's text seems like sacrilege to us today, but he simply was not revered at this time in the way that he is today. The revised play was divided into five acts and at the end of each act new lines were inserted which allowed Titania or Oberon to introduce large musical interludes featuring rustic, magical or exotic characters who sang and danced. These interludes usually had little to do with the characters or action of the play and were really an excuse for lavish dance routines with astonishing scenery changes, much like the musicals of today. The following sections will refer to movements from Fairy Queen recorded on Tafelmusik s CD Purcell: Ayres for the Theatre, found on Sony Classical SK 66169. Pieces for string orchestra 1. Rondeau (Fairy Queen) Track 27 This beautiful piece with its tender returns to the opening material was played near the beginning of the play. The performance began with two sets of music called the "first music" and the "second music". The musicians assembled 20 minutes before the play began and played two pieces (the "first music"). Then the audience chatted for a while and two more pieces (the "second music") were played. Then after more chatting there was a grand overture with trumpets and drums. This rondeau was the second piece of the "second music". 1. Entry Dance (Fairy Queen) This lively and angular dance was played in Act V of the play in which Juno appeared in a machine drawn by peacocks. After some dialogue between Juno and Oberon, Juno sang an exquisite song called "The Plaint". Then the "entry dance" was played and danced to cover the darkening of the scene and the changing of the set to a spectacular garden in China. 1. Chaconne (Fairy Queen) Track 39 This noble dance, one of the most wonderful of Purcell's compositions, comes at the end of the play and is danced by Chinese dancers in the garden. Pieces for Choir Purcell's vocal music in The Fairy Queen demonstrates many of the characteristics which have made him one of the most beloved composers of all time. He set poetry to music with imagination and expressiveness, using 10
Notes melody and harmony to change mood in a flash from tender pathos to sparkling wit. His seventeenth-century publisher, Henry Playford, said that "he had a peculiar genius to express the energy of English words, whereby he moved the passions of all the auditors." 1. "If love's a sweet passion" (Fairy Queen) Track 31 Like many of Purcell's theatre songs this piece existed in several versions. In the original play it was introduced by the orchestra, sung by a soloist in verse 1 and sung by the choir in verse 2. In Purcell's time it was also published as a solo song and as an orchestral piece, as it is played on the Tafelmusik CD. In this version for choir, both verses have been set chorally and a keyboard reduction has been provided for rehearsal. The song appears near the beginning of Act III of the play and is sung by a troop of fawns, dryads and naiads who have entered into a beautiful wood. Two great dragons make a bridge over the river; their bodies form two arches through which two swans are seen at a great distance. This is the song that Titania asks to have sung to entertain her new-found love, Bottom, who is in the form of a donkey. 2. "Now the night is chased away" (Fairy Queen) This song is sung by soprano solo and chorus to welcome the dawn of King Oberon's birthday. The solo may be sung by a single voice or by the entire soprano section and the keyboard should play throughout. 11
Activities T hese activities are meant to accompany the content given in the Information section of this document. Presented in three levels junior, intermediate, and senior each activity helps makes use of the content to teach students in an activity-based manner that is guided by the curriculum mandated by the Ontario Ministry of Education. Teachers should recognize that the categorization of these activities serves only as a helpful guide. Please feel free to adapt any activities to your age group and class. Junior Objective To further understand the era of baroque London, especially when compared to the students present day environment. Summary Students will write a letter to Purcell. Activity Learn about London. The information above gives a good description of London, England during the baroque era. Introduce students to this information and have them research more about the place and time. Here are some websites to get started: History http://www.see-london.com/briefhistory_stuart.asp http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/history/london-life/londonlife17th.html Fashion http://www.vincents.demon.co.uk/stays/ordwomen.htm http://www.marquise.de/en/1600/index.shtml Include a class discussion to help students share information. 12
Write a letter. Have students write a letter to Purcell in which they compare their present day environment with that of Purcell s. The letter can include comments and questions. Intermediate and Senior Objective To allow students the practice of composing music. Summary Students will create a very short piece of music in groups. Activity Introduce Purcell s Chaconne. Purcell s Chaconne (track 31) from Fairy Queen is based on a richly descriptive setting, as described above in the information section. Read the description to the students, writing points on the blackboard. Ask students to describe, while listening to the music, how the music conveys the atmosphere evoked through the passage. Write incidental music. Have students form groups of four. Students will use the same setting description to compose their own short piece. The piece should be between 30 seconds to one minute long. Perform the piece. Each group should perform the piece for the class. After each performance, analyze the composition in the same way as the class analyzed Purcell s composition for how the atmosphere is being invoked. 13