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music matters Issue #05 Mar 2013Issue #05 Mar 2013
ST. JOHN’S PREP SCHOOL’S MUSIC MAGAZINE
ARTISTEARTISTE OF THE MONTHOF THE MONTH
Miles Davis: the jazz legend with the trumpet
TEACHERTEACHER FEATUREFEATURE Mrs. Williams the
chorister
BARNARDO’SBARNARDO’S ANNUALANNUAL CHOIRCHOIR
COMPETITIONCOMPETITION The choir take on the finals at the Barbican
MUSICAL MUSICAL SAWSAW
Carpentry tools become musical instruments
MUSICMUSIC NOTATIONNOTATION
How the worldHow the worldHow the world writes its musicwrites its musicwrites its music
2
Editor’s
MESSAGE
Dear reader,
It is my pleasure to bring you the next edition of Music
Matters. In this issue, we have a very interesting
featured article exploring the different methods of
writing music around the world. Did you know that
there are hundreds of other methods of writing music
down on paper, on top of the common stave that
everybody uses?
Also, you will get the chance to read all about the
peculiar instrument that is a musical saw. It is, however,
exactly what you might think it is: a commonplace saw
played with a violin or cello bow! It produces the most
fascinating noise, so make sure you do a search on
YouTube and have a listen.
You can also read more about how we fared at the
Barnardo’s annual choir competition at the Barbican.
Have a wonderful Easter holiday!
MR. JONATHAN ANG
Editor
Music Matters
CONTENTS
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
12
Instrument of the Month
Featured Article:
Notation Around The World
What’s On
SJPS Choir News
Activity Page
Young Musician of the Month
Artiste of the Month
Teacher Feature
3
TEACHER FEATURE In this month’s issue, we speak to Mrs. Gwyneth Williams. Apart from being the
Head of Year for Prep 2, Mrs. Williams also has a very keen interest in choral
singing, and has had quite an extensive amount of instrumental training. She
speaks to Music Matters and tells us more.
I was born and raised in Llandinam, Montgomeryshire, in the heart
of Mid-Wales. Music was an important part of my upbringing, as I
often competed in local annual Eisteddfods, in recitation, choral
speaking and pianoforte solos and duets. In addition, I represented
my school at Urdd Eisteddfodau competitions playing the piano,
but I did not pursue the activity beyond Grade 5.
My passion for choral music grew
whilst completing a Bachelor of Arts
Honours Degree in Humanities and
Literature, as it complemented an interest from an early age, in
writing poems, meditations, hymns and some popular song lyrics. I
have recently had my first hymn published in the on-line publication
“Worship Live”, which has now attained an independent status from
its former link to the music publishers - Stainer & Bell.
My recent performance.
listening to. Currently, I really enjoy Faurē’s Requiem and
Karl Jenkins’ setting of the 13th century poem
Stabat Mater, being rehearsed for our Spring
Concert. The 7th movement - “And the
mother did weep”, blends multiple languages
to form a universal depiction of grief through
the suffering of Mary, Jesus Christ’s mother,
during his crucifixion; we sing in English,
Welsh, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
What I am currently
As a chorister in my local church, Advent and Lent are
particularly busy times in which we practise many Anthems,
some of which are sung in Latin. I occasionally join the Diocesan
Choir of St. Paul’s Cathedral, particularly for Ordination Services.
I am also a member of the London Welsh Chorale.
On St. David’s Day (March 1st), I sang at The Guildhall, London at the
Annual St. David’s Day Dinner. Our diverse repertoire included the Easter
Hymn from “Cavalleria Rusticana”, O Rejoice that the Lord has Arisen!
sung to the popular song “Delilah”, made famous by Sir Tom Jones. A
great occasion in such a historic setting!
4
Featured Instrument
of the Month Every month we will feature an instrument, which might be a common instrument, or sometimes a
strange and mystic-looking one instead! If you would like to see it in action, simply visit YouTube
and type in the instrument name, and there you have it! If you would like to learn a new
instrument, simply speak to your music teacher and they will point you in the right direction.
MUSICAL SAW A musical saw, also
known as a singing
saw, is actually a
very basic instru-
ment! It is simply a
hand saw played
with a regular violin
or cello bow. It is
generally played
sitting down, with
the handle of the
saw placed be-
tween the knees . They then bend the saw and
use a bow across the smooth (non-serrated)
edge of the saw, producing an interesting,
ghostly tone that can also vary in pitch, de-
pending on how wide the blade is when it is
be ing bowed.
Musicians who play
the saw are often
called sawists, and
they traditionally
use standard wood-
c u t t i n g s a w s ,
although special
musical saws are
also made. Some
musical saws are
made with thinner
metal, to make it easier to bend. They have
been produced for over a hundred years,
mostly in the U.S. They are also particularly
popular in Sweden and France, but in the UK
you can find them in a shop in Sheffield!
INSTRUMENT Riddles
#1 We come as a pair, you could say that we’re twins.
We’re shiny and crash when you play us, my friend.
If you like to make noise and to march in a band,
You’ll love us ’cause we make those marches sound grand!
I’m a ________________..
#2 Sometimes I’m acoustic and sometimes electric.
Those rock stars, they love me and act energetic.
They strum me or pick me and play lots of songs,
Then put me in a case and take me along.
I’m a ________________..
#3 I sit on the floor and you sit in a chair. You play with a bow that’s made of horse hair.
I’m played in a orchestra, a nice wooden fellow. My name is five letters, they call me a ________________.
5
The British, the
highest per
capita spenders
on music, buy
7,2% of the world
music market.
A piano covers the full
spectrum of all orchestra
instruments, from below the
lowest note of the double
bassoon to above the top
note of the piccolo.
There are 12 fa's
and 96 la’s in the
Christmas carol
"Deck The Hall".
The CD was developed by Philips
and Sony 33 years ago, in 1980.
40 billion songs are downloaded illegally every year. That
amounts to nearly 90% of all music downloads from the internet.
In August 1983, Peter
Stewart of Birmingham, UK
set a world record by disco
dancing for 408 hours.
Justin Beiber says the word 'never' for a total of 69
times in his song "Never Say Never". Now that is a lot!
{ ACTIVITY PAGE }
6
FEATURED ARTISTE
OF THE MONTH
Every month this newsletter will feature a musician, artiste, composer or singer for you
to discover. Remember, if you want to know more about the featured artiste of the
month, you can always find more on the internet, especially on YouTube!
MILES DAVIS Miles Davis was an American jazz musician who was
active from the 1940s to the 1970s. His speciality
instrument was the trumpet, and he is considered one
of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. His
most famous album is Kind of Blue, which was recorded
in 1959. It is said to be the best-selling jazz record in
history, and is regarded by many critics as the greatest
jazz album of all time. In America alone, this album has
sold more than 4 million copies - that is equivalent to
one album for every two people in London!
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRUMPETS Did you know that the trumpet comes in many different variants? The method
of playing them are, however, generally all the same.
POCKET TRUMPET
The pocket trumpet
fits perfectly in a
small suitcase, mak-
ing it great to carry
around for a quick
practice! Jazz musi-
cians sometimes use
it to make themselves look more stylish!
The pocket trumpet has the exact
same range of notes as a regular trum-
pet, and cost between £80 and £3,300.
Davis was born in 1926 and began his musi-
cal studies when he was 13. He has stated
that it was his father who suggested he learn
the trumpet in order to irk his mother, who
disliked the trumpet’s sound. Within three
years, he was playing professionally and, af-
ter finishing high school, he went to study at
the world famous Julliard School of Music in
New York City.
It was in this city where he began to seek out
other famous jazz musicians of the time, such
as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, to join
in on jam sessions at the various jazz clubs
around New York. In the next thirty years, he would then go on to become the most widely recog-
nized jazz musician of his era, due to his unique tone on the trumpet and the “nocturnal” quality of
his playing, on top of his sombre reputation and characteristic raspy voice. Throughout his career
he earned the nickname “Prince of Darkness”. Davis toured to Paris and Tokyo on many occasions,
where he developed a large following, especially in Japan. His legacy continues to this day and his
music has been cited as an influence by many musicians today, such as Santana and Radiohead.
BUGLE
The bugle is one
of the of the sim-
plest brass instru-
ments, and con-
sists of no valves.
A standard bugle can only play five
different notes, also known as the bugle
scale. They are commonly used in the
military, where different bugle calls are
used to indicate the different routines
within the day, such as getting up.
FLUMPET
A flumpet is a relatively new
instrument, and was invented
in 1989. It is a mix between a
trumpet and a fuglehorn,
which is a instrument quite
similar to a trumpet but more
mellow-sounding, A jazz musi-
cian by the name of Art
Farmer found it tiresome to
carry both instruments in his
suitcase, so he invented the flumpet!
7
“
ON the 4th of March, the school choir took part in the finals of the annual Barnardo’s school choir competition at
the Barbican Centre in London. Earlier in the year, the choir sent in a recording entry and, after careful delibera-
tion by a panel of experienced judges, were announced as one of the sixteen finalists in the junior schools (under
12s) category. For their competition performance, the choir sang May It Be by Enya and Mr. Blue Sky by ELO.
The choir is very encouraged that they have fared well
at a national level, given that this is their first competi-
tion entry at this level. Although the St. John’s choir was
not placed in the final results - only the top two choirs
in each category were placed - they cherished the
ANNUAL CHOIR COMPETITION
The choir seated on the Barbican stage.
F2 & F3 singers enjoying a light-hearted moment
before going onstage
experience and enjoyed the opportunity to witness
other stellar choirs perform onstage. They are al-
ready looking forward to next year’s competition! The
choir was led by Mr. Ang and Mrs. Bowie, with Mrs.
Richardson kindly helping out on the day.
The choir performing onstage, conducted by
Mrs. Bowie.
On the 4th of March, the school choir went to the Barbican to participate in the Barnardo’s
competition. We went to take some pictures first and then we went to sing to the judges. We sang
two songs, and the second one featured Emily and Shanaaze soloists. After that we went back to
school and had a lesson, until Mrs. Richardson came to pick us up and take us to the coach back to
the Barbican.
The big night had arrived. We had practised and were ready to go onstage. Right as we were
going onstage, Shanaaze suddenly felt unwell but she went on nevertheless and performed
beautifully. We thought we performed well, and it was such a fantastic experience. Next was the
interval. While the audience got a break, we were all getting sorted out in the seats onstage. There
were a few more songs that other choirs performed, and my favourite one was a school that sang a
mash up of two songs from the television show Glee.
At last, the judges announced the winners, and the winner of the junior category was Kent College
Primary School. It was amazing even though we did not win; it was the best night of our young lives!
GEORGIA MONCASTER, F1 ”
8
DATA BANK
If you answered, starting from left to right, a
hemidemisemiquaver note, a crotchet note, a
semibreve rest, a coda sign, a breve note, a del
segno sign and a minim note,
then congratulations - you would
have attained a Grade 5
knowledge level of music symbols.
However, these notes and
symbols are all relatively
“modern”, and the practice of
writing symbols and notes on a
five-line stave was established as
recently as the 16th century, or
about 500 years ago.
Most music scholars agree that
Western musical notation has its
origins with the Roman writer
Boethuis, who assigned 15 letters
(about two octaves) of pitches
around 500 A.D., or about 2,500
years ago. By contrast to Ancient
Near East culture, this was already pretty late.
Archaeologists have found stone tablets in Iraq that
show evidence of notation, and these date all the
way back to 2,000 B.C.! Before Western notation was
invented, scholars agreed that unless man could re-
member sounds, music would be forgotten forever
unless they could be written down somehow. They
did not have to worry much
though, because by the middle
of the 9th century (about 1,200
years ago), monasteries in
Europe began recording music
down in the form of notes.
This was then developed all the
way till the 1300s where nota-
tion became more uniform an
organised, like this copy of early
English song you can see here
on your left.
Today, modern music notation
is based around a five-line
stave, starting with a clef with
pitches identified with specific
notes. However, many different
types of notations are still used by different coun-
tries throughout the world. To discover more, see
the next page for a diverse collection of different
notation systems, some of which survive till this day.
Look at the shapes below. I am sure you will be able to recognise most, if not
all of them. Can you name the different symbols you see below?
MUSIC NOTATION A CONCISE HISTORY OF
Ever wondered who invented notes like the crotchet or quaver? How was music first written down? Read more to find out.
Want to improve your music notation knowledge to an impressive Grade 8?
Learn these notes & symbols and impress your friends! More unusual notation will be featured in the next issue.
Neutral clef
This clef is used for pitchless instruments, such
as percussion instruments including drums,
cymbals, gongs, triangles and so on.
Alto clef
When this clef is used, it makes the centre line
of the stave middle C. This clef is very often
used in music written for the viola and cello.
Demisharp
This sharp raises the note by half a semitone, or
1/4 of a tone. Pianos cannot perform this as
the smallest interval on a piano is a semitone.
Semihemidemisemiquaver
This note has a value of 1/128 of a semibreve.
In other words, you can fit 128 of these notes
into the value of a semibreve.
9
NOTATION AROUND THE WORLD
Indian bhat notation,
early 20th century Chinese guqin notation, 1425
Indonesian Surakata notation
for gamelan, modern day
Guitar chord fingering,
modern day
Klvarskribo notation for keyboards,
1930s
Banjo tablature fingering,
modern day
Graphic score,
modern day
10
what’s ON IN LONDON Easter is now round the corner, and London is all abuzz with festivity. Here is a highlight of some of
the events taking part across the vibrant capital in April and May. Fun for the whole family!
My First Cinderella 27th Mar - 7th Apr. Peacock Theatre, Portugal St., London, WC2A 2HT
My First Cinderella tells everyone’s favourite rags-to-riches story in a beauti-
fully adapted version specially created for anyone aged three and over.
This show is part of a series that brings young audiences their first taste of
ballet through the magic of fairy tales, captivating music and beautiful
dance. In this performance, Prokofiev’s original ravishing score is accompa-
nied with narration to ensure that everyone enjoys this classic fairytale.
Hampstead Observatory: See The Stars Lower Terrace (near Whitestone Pond), Hampstead, London Until 14th Apr.
Hampstead Observatory has one major advantage over its more fa-
mous brother in Greenwich -- it allows the public to just turn up and see
the stars for free. You do not even have to book. As long as the skies are
clear, the observatory will open up for a few hours at the weekend and
allow people to take a peek at the stars. Budding astronomers will get
the chance to discover the beauty of the cosmos through their first-
class six-inch Cooke refracting telescope, and all viewing sessions are
manned by a demonstrator and an assistant who are both members of
the Hampstead Scientific Society.
CBeebies Live! Presents Justin & Friends 6th & 7th Apr. Wembley Arena, Arena Sq., Engineers Way, London HA9 0AA
Justin & Friends is the pre-school spectacular that simply does not
know when to stop having fun! With a show stuffed full of songs,
dance and comedy skits, Justin & Friends will be a fabulous family
treat for the Easter holidays. Joining Justin on the stage for singing,
dancing and hilarious comedy sketches will be some of the big-
gest stars from Britain’s most popular children’s channel CBeebies.
Justin & Friends promises to have children and parents dancing in
the aisles in this fantastic new arena show for children!
London Duck Tours: The James Bond Tour Duck Stop, Chicheley St., London SE1 7PY Every 3rd Sunday of the month
The James Bond Tour is a lively and fun-filled trip through the capital
by both land and sea. You will get to see some of the locations that
feature in the movies, including 'Q's workplace, where Bond bought
his boxer shorts, and even Ian Fleming's old home! The highlight of
the trip will be when the craft enters the water alongside the MI6
building, guided by your suave character guide as he leads you on
an adventure-packed journey of intrigue and espionage!
11
All information regarding ticket prices, dates and venues in this listing are correct at the time of printing. They
might be, however, subject to change. Please check all relevant websites for any possible updates.
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
SCHOOL TRIP
In the first half of the spring term, F2 and F3 students were treated to a cultural
experience at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to watch La bohème,
Puccini’s most famous operatic work. With tickets to the production usually
costing up to more than a hundred pounds each, St. John’s pupils were very
fortunate to be able to enjoy this world-class production for free of charge, as
part of the Royal Opera House’s education and outreach programme.
Throughout the performance, pupils were dazzled onstage with the variety of
regal costumes, fantastic sets, fake snow, and of course, impressive singing.
The show was staged in its original language of Italian, with subtitles displayed
above the proscenium arch to allow the audience to follow the plot. The
appreciative applause at the end of four acts struck an emotional resonance
with the entire cast, who clearly enjoyed performing to a young but
enthusiastic audience of schoolchildren.
Wallace and Gromit’s Musical Marvels 31st Mar - 1st Apr. HMV Hammersmith Apollo, 45 Queen Caroline St., London W6 9QH
Wallace & Gromit’s Musical Marvels is a live, interac-
tive show featuring classical favourites for all the
family plus specially filmed new Wallace and Gromit
animations. Audiences will experience the dynamic
duo’s backstage exploits as they prepare for the first
performance of Wallace’s brand new work, ‘My
Concerto in Eee, Lad’. A Matter of Loaf and Death is
also screened with live orchestral accompaniment.
The Three Little Pigs Greenwich Theatre, Croom’s Hill, London SE10 8ES 4th - 6th Apr.
Embark on an adventure with the three little pigs as they battle the big bad
wolf with their charming and witty ways! Filled with humour, this endearing
musical will leave you squealing with glee and howling with laughter. A real
coup for Greenwich, this is the European premiere of an exciting new family
musical, written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, the Olivier Award win-
ning writing team behind Honk!, Just So and the new songs written for the
2004 West End production of Mary Poppins.
12
Andreas Koureas, F2
YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH
Q: Hi Andreas, thank you for taking the time to speak to Music Matters.
Can you start by telling us what instruments you play?
A: I play the piano, harmonica, ocarina and I sing.
Q: The ocarina? That is an interesting instrument, tell us more.
A: It is similar to a flute, but it is not long in shape. It is hollow and
has 12 holes and is made out of ceramic. I discovered it when I went on the
internet and typed in “small instruments” and it came up. I then nagged my dad every-
day to get me one and he eventually bought one from me on Amazon.com!
Q: What an interesting tale! Do you take lessons on how to play the ocarina?
A: No, I just teach myself by following the book that came with the ocarina.
Q: Excellent! So, do you prefer the ocarina or the harmonica?
A: Probably the ocarina, because I have managed to learn more how to play more notes on the ocarina
and the harmonica. It is more complicated to play sharps and flats on the harmonica.
Q: Tell us more about your singing. Have you had lessons before? And where have you performed?
A: None as well! However, I have been involved with every school show each year since I was in Prep 1. I
have been fortunate to have been able to sing a solo part every year as well since Upper Transitus. My last
major performance with St. John’s was at the carol concert last year.
Q: Does singing run in your family? How do you think you compare?
A: Yes, it does. My mum did mention to me that my grandpa used to have a very nice voice. My sister Elizavet
in the senior school is also a great singer. I think my sister is probably better than me at singing though,
because she takes singing lessons and has more performing experience than me.
Q: So, do you have a plan to better yourself? And if so, how?
A: I would like to sing more when I am at home and improve my voice! And I am also considering taking
lessons at some point.
If you would like to train to be a singer or instrumentalist, speak to Dr. Rosswick and
she will point you to a suitable teacher for you to have lessons within St. John’s. The
school offers various teachers who will train you up for different types of exams that
suit your strength, including ABRSM, Trinity and LAMDA exams. Who knows, you just
might be the featured soloist at the next school concert!
bit.ly/7T5hXX
The ocarina is a wind instrument with between four to
twelve finger hours, and is traditionally made from clay or
ceramic. It produces a thin, whistling-like sound not
unlike the flute, but with slightly more clarity.
To watch an ocarina demonstration, you can either ask
Andreas nicely or head over to this link:
M U S I C M A T T E R S
Published by St. John’s Prep. School © 2013 Jonathan Ang
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