MOLLY ON THE SHORE PERCY GRAINGER Performed by Queensland Symphony Orchestra Secondary Showcase Song to Symphony 5 March 2015 The resource content has been designed as teaching notes and activities for students in years 3-6 in preparation or as follow-up to attending a QSO Concert, viewing a live stream or as a stand-alone resource.
The Composer Percy Grainger Percy Grainger Percy Grainger was born in Victoria, Australia in 1882 and died in 1961. Did you know Percy Grainger has had a crater on the planet Mercury named in his honour. He learnt piano and was so good he gave concerts around the county when he was 12 years old. He lived in Germany, London and America during his life. He gathered folksongs from many countries and composed using these melodies as inspiration. Percy Grainger was also a very good artist, painting in water colours. He had to decide whether to make a career in art or in music. Lucky for us he chose music.
The Composer Famous Compositions Percy Grainger Country Gardens. This composition was based on the old English Song English County Gardens. Irish Tune from County Derry. Grainger uses the Irish melody also known as Danny Boy or Londonderry Air. Performed by Melbourne String Ensemble. Children s March (Over the Hills and Far Away). Vision of children from around the world and though all eras. Shepherd s Hey. Showcase traditional style performances with piano accordion, Violin (fiddle), guitar and Irish bagpipes with orchestral accompaniment (traditional instruments start at 2:40).
Listen and Watch Percy Grainger Molly on the Shore performed on piano follow the piano score. Molly on the Shore performed on violin and piano. Molly on the Shore performed by an orchestra. Molly on the Shore performed as a Celtic reel.
Molly on the Shore The Melody Presto
Molly on the Shore The Melody Molly on the Shore is a very old, Irish folk tune and the Irish people used to dance to this music played on the violin and accompanied by a drum. Play this melody or ask someone in your school to play it for you. Find the musical elements. Do you know what they mean? 1 st and 2 nd time endings Key of G Major (note F#) Anacrusis Repeat sign Treble Clef Time Signature 4/4 Repeat sign Triplet 4 th beat of this bar is the anacrusis at the beginning of the melody
Musical Elements in the Melody Do you know what the musical elements mean? G Major is the scale in which the melody is written and all Fs are sharp (#) Repeat signs tell you that a section of music has to be played again (repeated). Anacrusis are notes taken from the last bar of the music and placed before the first beat to lead in the music. Triplet is a rhythm where 3 notes must be played evenly in the one beat. There are 6 triplets rhythms in the music of Molly on the Shore (previous page). Did you find them all? Time Signature for Molly on the Shore is 4/4 which means there are 4 beats in every bar. 1 st and 2 nd time endings gives two different endings when a melody is repeated.
Rhythms Find these rhythms in Molly on the Shore. Different countries use different names for these rhythms. Which name do you use? Semi-quaver or 1/16 note or tic-a Quaver or 1/8 note or ti Crotchet or ¼ note or ta Triplet or tuplet Clap these patterns: With a friend In two groups in your class One pattern with your feet and one with your hands! On a signal swap parts : :II
Instruments - VIOLA Viola The viola and clarinet have the melody at the beginning of Molly on the Shore. The viola is a member of the string family. It is slightly bigger than the violin and smaller than the cello. It is played in the same way as a violin but the sounds are lower and richer than the violin because the instrument is bigger. The strings are tuned to C, G, D and A. The violin does not have a low C string like the viola. and the viola does not have a high E string like the violin. Listen and Watch Nicholas Bootiman talks about the viola and demonstrates how to play. Frozen Medley played on viola with piano and violin accompaniment. Listen for the difference in sound between the violin and viola.
Instruments - CLARINET Clarinet The viola and clarinet have the melody at the beginning of Molly on the Shore. The clarinet is a member of the woodwind Family. The mouthpiece has a single reed which vibrates to create the sound. Listen and Watch Clarinet Carrot How to make a clarinet out of a carrot! The famous Artie Shaw playing clarinet with a Big Band in 1940 George Gershwin s Rhapsody in Blue features the clarinet at the beginning.
The Beat and Tempo Percy Grainger wrote at the beginning of the piece Keep 4 beats (l l l l) hammering away in every bar throughout the piece, even in the soft bits. The strings, when they do not have the melody, use pizzicato plucking the strings with the fingers to play the notes on the beat. The tempo (or speed) of Molly on the Shore is Presto Lively and fast. Listen to Molly on the Shore and keep the following beat patterns: The first beat of every bar II: l Z Z Z :II Beats 1 and 3 of each bar II: l Z l Z :II Every beat in the bar II: l l l l :II
Australian Curriculum Music Molly on the Shore Percy Grainger Elements of Music Rhythm Pitch Dynamics & Expression Form and Structure Timbre Texture Creating Performing Responding Foundation to Year 2 Beat Crotchet, quaver Fast Presto Pitch direction Forte, piano Introduction Same/different patterns How sound is made Melody accompaniment Years 3 and 4 Quaver, semi-quaver Beat sub-divisions Melodic shape Treble clef Staff (de) crescendo Fortissimo, pianissimo and gradations Repeat sign 1 st & 2 nd time bars Recognise orchestral instruments by sound Patterns 2 or more voices beat and rhythmic patterns Years 5 and 6 Time signature G major scale Bass clef Accent Theme, motif phrase Folk Song (Reel) Viola Clarinet Contrast of texture Years 7 and 8 Articulation Pizzicato Aco Anacrusis Recognise instrumental groups Years 9 and 10 Triplet chromaticism Alto clef Identify instruments by name and sound production. Orchestration Keep beat Rhythmic patterns Playing melody. Awareness of ensemble Australian composer Historical context Celtic music