Folk Music for Orchestra cover - Kutztown University of ...faculty.kutztown.edu/trolling/RSO_2008_YouthConEdMat.pdf · Folk Music for Orchestra, RSO 2008 8 The Trepak is a traditional

Folk Music for Orchestra Reading Symphony Orchestra

Youth Concert 2008

Educational Materials

Developed and compiled for the RSO by

Valerie Trollinger [email protected]

Folk Music for Orchestra, RSO 2008-- 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS TOPIC PAGE

Table of Contents 1 BACKGROUND

Introduction

2

Objectives

3

The RSO

4

6 Background of the Music (For Teachers)

4

Welcome to our Concert! (for Students)

11

LESSON MATERIALS

Kodály, Orff, and Movement based lesson suggestions

13

Listening Preparation Activities

USEFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES

16 17

Supplementary Materials

18

Folk Music for Orchestra, RSO 2008 2

INTRODUCTION Dear Teacher: We are so very pleased that you and your students will be joining us for a performance of “Folk Music for Orchestra.” We know you will find it entertaining, enjoyable, and educational. The following materials were created to help you prepare your students. We have kept these musically-based (which means no puzzles, word searches, or coloring projects) so they would fit in to your general music curriculum. What makes these different from most supplementary materials is that we have included some Kodály- and Orff-based lessons, if you are familiar with and use those methods. We also offer listening lessons that are also more geared toward music class, although a general classroom teacher may be able to use them. Above all, feel free to manipulate, modify, or tweak any of the lesson materials to meet your and your students’ needs. You should need to spend no more than three 30-minute music classes (or the equivalent) preparing your students for this concert, however, there are plenty of materials in here that can be used both before and after the concert. These materials are designed to work with PA Arts Education Standards and also the National Standards in Music Education, and will allow the students to be actively engaged in the music preparation rather than At the end of this packet is a resource page with links to other sites that can further your understanding of “Folk Music for Orchestra”. If you are interested in finding non-music activities and more information on composers for this concert, please check this link for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (http://www.dsokids.com/2001/rooms/musicroom.asp), as they have some excellent interactive materials that are of a more general nature. Because there is so much available on composers and their lives online, we won’t include that information here. Other websites will be listed in the Useful Links and Resources at the end of this pack. Have fun preparing your students, and we look forward to seeing you at our concert very soon!


OBJECTIVES Purpose of these materials are to:

• Provide music teachers relevant musical materials to help them prepare students to see and hear the concert.

• Provide materials that work within the structure of the general music class. • Familiarize students with the backgrounds and characteristics of the music. • Familiarize students with musical aspects of folk music. • Promote creative engagement with the music. • Provide materials consistent with the National Standards for Music Education and

the Pennsylvania Standard for Arts and Humanities. • Encourage the use of world music in the music classroom.

Before attending the performance, students should be able to:

• Aurally recognize the main melodic and rhythmic themes. • Perform the rhythmic themes and motives by clapping, patting, or on classroom

musical instruments. • Sing “The Birch Tree,” “Greensleeves, “Finland Hymn,” and “Simple Gifts.” • Be familiar with purpose of folk music • Be familiar with folk dance • Be familiar with concert behavior and etiquette.


The RSO—a brief history

It's easy to think of the Reading Symphony Orchestra as a perennial favorite, but there was a time when the organization was downright subversive! In 1913, a group of music-loving citizens, headed by Harry Fahrbach, banded together in a symphony organization. While that may not seem particularly subversive, the concert time was: Sunday afternoons. It was an era of rigid enforcement of Blue Laws - statutes preventing business or entertainments on the traditional Sabbath day. The early Reading Symphony organizers were brought before the Mayor, where they were chastised for their irreverent symphonic activities. It was only after the early members of the Reading Symphony invited the Mayor to a patriotic concert - and provided a generous collection of free passes for his entourage - that the group could proceed unencumbered by statute. Fahrbach was the Reading Symphony Orchestra's first music director, leading the group for ten years. He was succeeded by a number of eminent musicians, including Saul Caston, Alexander Hilsberg, and Hans Kindler, all alumni of the legendary Philadelphia Orchestra during Leopold Stokowski's reign. Louis Vyner followed preceding the remarkable thirty year tenure of Sidney Rothstein. A national search of nearly three hundred conductors brought the RSO Andrew Constantine now in his second year following an opening season that brought critical and box office acclaim.

Today the Reading Symphony Orchestra looks toward its ninety-sixth season as one of the longest continuously-operating symphonies in the United States. For a complete overview of the orchestra's performance history, visit the orchestra's archives at www.readingsymphony.org/archives.asp. (This information is from Reading Symphony Orchestra website: http://www.readingsymphony.org).

Background about the music (For Teachers) The music for this concert was selected by our conductor, Andrew Constantine, to illustrate how folk music that is often considered indicative of a particular culture can be used, manipulated, or even adapted for the traditional symphony orchestra. As music educators and musicians, it offers us an opportunity to delve into the sociological and philosophical issues, concerns, and sharing of music of different world cultures, which meet the National Standards in Music Education and also the Pennsylvania Standards for Arts and Humanities. This concert also gives us the opportunity to further investigate world musics and their respective cultures, and to compare and contrast them musically. The music for this concert involves folk music that is sung and folk music that is primarily dance-based. Several pieces feature attempts by the composers to adapt a perceived musical and dance style into a totally different culture. The concert includes:


• “Variations on a Shaker Melody” from Appalachian Spring, by Aaron Copland (USA).

• Excerpt from Finlandia that includes the Finland Hymn, by Jean Sibelius (Finland).

• The “Trepak” from the Nutcracker Ballet, by Piotr I. Tchaikovsky (Russian). • The “Chinese Dance” from the Nutcracker Ballet, also by Tchaikovsky (Russian) • Fantasia on Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughn Williams (English). • Dance music from Lord of the Dance by Ronan Hardiman (Irish). • “Farandole” from L’Arlesienne Suite #1, by Georges Bizet (French). • “Finale” from Symphony #4, by Tchaikovsky (Russian).

Suggestions for Lessons start on Page 13. Additional Background Information for teachers: Sibelius: Finlandia This piece was composed by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius in 1899, and was revised the next year. The part of the piece performed for the Youth Concert involves the Finnish Hymn, which was an original piece by Sibelius (not a Finnish folk song) and the words were later added in 1941. Like many hymns, the hymn is 4 lines in length. Phrase-wise, it is AABB. The melody (in the original orchestral key is here:

The translated words are: O, Finland, behold, your day is dawning, The threat of night has been banished away, And the lark of morning in the brightness sings,


As though the very firmament would sing. The powers of the night are vanquished by the morning light, Your day is dawning, O land of birth. O, rise, Finland, rise up high Your head, wreathed with great memories. O, rise, Finland, you showed to the world That you drove away the slavery, And that you did not bend under oppression, Your day is dawning, O land of birth. Copland: Variations on a Shaker Theme from “Appalachian Spring.” “Appalachian Spring” was originally a ballet composed by Aaron Copland in 1944 for the choreographer Martha Graham. The suite was extracted out of the ballet for concert performances without the dancers. The variations on the Shaker theme “ Simple Gifts” are included in both of the major music series (Silver Burdett & Ginn, and MacMillian) in lessons concerned with teaching the theme and variations form. If you have access to those lessons, this is a great place to use them. This piece is also special in this concert in that it is also used by the “Music from Lord of the Dance” by Ronan Hardiman. Comparing and contrasting these two pieces for similarities (they have the same melody, they both move in 2’s, they both use slow and fast tempos) and differences (they use different instruments) would be an excellent way to show how different composers can use the same piece of music in different ways. The Shakers are a Protestant religious denomination that originated in Manchester, England in 1747. Like most Protestant denominations, and primarily the Quakers, they believe that God is found within all of us rather than solely through the clergy, but they differ in that they can be more emotional and demonstrative in their worship than most of the mainline Protestant religions ( and of course there are variations among individual congregations). Actually, the name “Shakers” was derived from the term “Shaking Quakers” in that they were often more engaged in rituals of trembling, shaking, shouting and singing that one would not typically find in a staid Quaker congregation. Both the Shakers and the Quakers ended up in the USA. The song, Simple Gifts, has a background that is a bit shaky (pardon the bad pun) in that its roots have often simply been stated as a “Folk Song.” According to the American Music Preservation website (URL is provided later in these materials) the composer of Simple Gifts was Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr, who lived from 1797-1882 in Maine. Recent publications listed on this website about Shaker music and the origins of Simple Gift are worthy of investigation by music teachers. Like most music of this time period, it was


shared in an oral tradition rather than having congregations sing off music. The song follows below:

Tchaikovsky: Trepak and Chinese Dance from “The Nutcracker.” Both of these dances are familiar to most students in that they are played relentlessly during the winter holiday season. The use of these dances are interesting in that the Trepak is based on a traditional Russian dance, in keeping with Tchaikovsky’s background, but the Chinese Dance is an attempt by Tchaikovsky to write a piece of music that is influenced by Chinese styles, although there is nothing remotely about it that sounds Chinese. The trick for this piece is the way it is choreographed. Tchaikovksy’s desire to incorporate musical aspects of music that was not Russian was typical for his time. Many composers pulled in musical instruments or forms or melodies that were more often associated with a different culture, which would lend an exotic sound to the music. Although later composers, such as Debussey, Ravel, and the contemporary composers David Abel and John Bergamo, who write in traditional western classical style for western instruments and Gamelan, are more successful, Tchaikovksy makes a good attempt.


The Trepak is a traditional Ukrainian folk dance. It is in a brisk allegro in 2/4 time in a major key. Accompaniment is usually on two alternating chords; I and V. The Trepak differs from the better known Ukrainian Hopak dance in that the tempo gradually speeds up throughout the dance. Traditional early dance steps of the Trepak were also similar to the Hopak in that they emphasized great acrobatic skill and leaps (for the male dancers), unison movements for the female dancers and non-acrobatic dancers, and also for the males, a number of deep squats. These deep squats, along with the kicking that goes with it, are usually signatures of traditional Ukrainian dance. The current version of the Trepak dance is less exciting, however, in that it simply includes a simple walk with syncopated stamps.

The Chinese Dance is like the Trepak in that it also moves in duple meter at a fairly brisk pace, and that it also emphasizes simple I-V and I-IV progressions in the accompaniment. The dance, however, is very different. Chinese traditional dance emphasizes more controlled movements highlighting the elegance of the human body rather than the overt athleticism of the Ukrainian dances. Vaughn-Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves The folksong that is the basis for the Fantasia is the traditional English song “Greensleeves” but will be more recognizable to American children as the carol “What Child is This.” The piece starts with a brief flute introduction, followed by the melody introduced by the strings accompanied by a harp. Older students may also notice the countermelody played by the upper strings. A Fantasia is written to sound improvised in places, which happens here with the introduction of contrasting melodies, but with the main theme always coming back. Because the main theme is so well known, this piece would be an excellent example for studying same/different and basic form of ABA in music. The piece moves in two’s (6/8 at a moderate tempo). The history of Greensleeves is quite murky, with all sorts of connections leading the Henry VIII, Ireland, the use of green sleeves on Renaissance dresses, and even prostitutes. A quick search on the internet will reveal many of these stories, but according to the scholars, it isn’t known which is true….or not. On the next page is a version of Greensleeves in ¾ time, however, note that it is also notated in 6/8, and the Fantasia will sound far more duple than triple meter. The words here are the most common ones associated with it, other than the words to “What Child is This.” Please modify this as needed for your children.


Hardiman: Music from the “Lord of the Dance” This music relates directly to Copland’s Theme and Variations from “Appalachian Spring” in that it too uses the Simple Gifts melody. The music starts slowly, then gradually speeds up. It also moves in duple meter.


This piece has been used extensively in Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” tour which showcases traditional Irish step-dancing. Step-dancing is different from the folk dances of the Ukraine and China in that it requires the upper body to stay static while the feet work furiously. Tchaikovsky: Finale from Symphony #4 The theme to the Finale is a traditional Russian Folk song, The Birch Tree. The song, with only the first verse, follows:

This song sung in a round is quite fun, and it is a staple song in the Kodaly method repertoire. The entrances of the parts are numbered (2,3,4, and so on). This theme, like the other music in this concert, is also in duple meter. The theme itself is treated lovingly, as a childhood memory, and then it seems to become more war-like and eventually triumphant at the end. For younger children, using a metaphor of determination (I am going to get it done no matter what!) may help them understand the moody changes of the theme through the finale. Links to website information that deals directly with all of this music is listed in the Resources at the end of this packet.


Welcome to our Concert! The members of the Reading Symphony and our conductor, Mr. Andrew Constantine, look forward to your visit with us this year. Before you come to see us, we want to let you know more about the music you are going to hear, what you will see on the stage, and how to show us your best listening manners. Many of us who play in this orchestra once sat where you are going to sit for the concert, and for us, it helped us learn how much we love music. We hope that you will learn to love the music, too. The music that Mr. Constantine selected for you to hear is all based on folk music from around the world. Some of the songs are sung, and some of the songs are danced to, but you will not see the orchestra dancing or singing, because that is hard to do when we play our instruments. That would be silly! We have lots of folk songs in America, and some you may already know, like Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Michael Row Your Boat Ashore, and Mr. Rabbit. You won’t hear those songs in this concert, but you will hear folk songs from other countries. When you see the orchestra, you can look for some special things. You will that we wear black clothes. We don’t do this because all our other clothes are dirty and in the wash. We wear black because, like folk songs, it goes back hundreds of year and is our tradition in all orchestras. We don’t want you looking at our clothes. We want you to listen to the music. That is why we all wear black. You can also see where all the instrument families sit in the orchestra. The stringed instruments sit in the front, and the woodwinds, brass and drum family all sit in the back. You will also see us playing when you come into the theater. We do this to warm up our muscles. Playing a musical instrument is just like being in gym class. We need to stretch our finger, arm and breathing muscles just like you do when you will run around or play. If you watch and listen carefully, you will be able to see and hear who is playing. When we are ready to start the concert, then it’s time for you to make


sure you are very quiet. We need to have quiet when we play, because if you talk, we can hear you on the stage because we have very good hearing. Besides, we have very important musical stories to tell you, but if you are talking you may miss them! Two people are the last ones to come on to the stage. One is our concert master, who sits right at the front of the violin section. When he comes out on the stage, he will bow, and then you will see him turn around and quietly ask the oboe player to play a note, which we will tune our instruments to. After we are done tuning, the concert master will sit down. Finally, Mr. Constantine will come on the stage, and he will conduct us as we play the music. If you watch him carefully, you will see how he moves his arms. He doesn’t do this to be funny. He is talking to us with his hands (like you, he cannot talk when we are playing), and that helps us all play together so we tell our musical stories well. He uses special patterns to lead us. If you watch him carefully, you will able to see what they are. Your teacher may even show you these before the concert! After we finish a song, we like to hear you clap. That tells us that you liked the music. So please clap a lot for us!


Kodály, Orff, and Movement-Based Lesson Suggestions These lesson suggestions may be adjusted or changed as needed for you and your students’ needs. Rhythm: Since all the music in this concert is based on folk music with meter in 2, then a number of rhythm and meter games are possible. Many of the rhythms are simple, based on eight notes ( ti-ti) , quarter notes (tah) and half notes ( tah-ah), and dotted half notes ( tah-ah-ah) and dotted quarter-notes (tah-ah-ee). These suggested activities will help the children become familiar with the rhythmic and metric aspect so the themes. Several of the dominant rhythmic patterns follow, along with selections on how they can be turned into class activities: Piece: Pattern: Chinese Dance

e e e e (repeats as an ostinato: sol-do mostly)

Trepak q q e e e e q q e e e e (this is without the

embellished second quarter note: students can be made aware of that when they are familiar with the pattern)

Birch Tree

e e e e q e e q q

Simple Gifts

e e q e e e e e e q e e q (notice anacrusis)

Farandole (2 patterns)

e e e e (ostinato in B theme, played on a drum)

e e e e e e e e e e e e e xxxx e (B theme

melody, notice anacrusis). These patterns can comprise a class performance activity, perhaps with these steps:


1) If the students read music, then have them read the patterns, clapping for 8th notes, stamping for quarter notes (within reason), and patting 16th notes. The goal is for them to be familiar with all the patterns. They can also be transferred to specific instruments (this adds an Orff component to the lesson). If they don’t read music, pictorial representations of the rhythms work, too. 2) Next, have them listen to the patterns on the piano or on a drum. If the pattern has a melody associated with it, play that (these are in the early part of this material pack). 3). Next, have the students listen to the actual recordings of the music, raising their hands, circling on a paper, or indicating in other ways which pattern they hear. It will likely be necessary for you (the teacher) to provide excerpts where these happen rather than full pieces. The excerpts can be taken from the CD of the concert that was previous sent if you requested it, or it can be done using iTunes. If you want to know how to do that, please contact the author of these materials ( [email protected]). 4) Finally, have the students listen to the pieces and see if they can be detectives and hear (1) which patterns are in which pieces, (2) how many times they happen—you would need to help them with this, otherwise they may count each note rather than each pattern. 5) These patterns can also be overlapped or sequenced to work with form, for example, with certain groups of students playing particular patterns when the conductor ( at teacher or a student) points to the group. Several groups can play at the same time, or only a few, depending upon how the conductor puts the “piece” together. This also overlaps with Orff approaches. Melody: The strongest pieces to use for melody are: Simple Gifts The Birch Tree Greensleeves Finlandia Hymn The songs are included earlier in this pack. Simple Gifts—can be taught before or after the rhythmic aspects are taught, depending upon your students. It can be accompanied simply by pitched bells using G’s and D’s. Children do not need to know how to read music to accompany. In Orff, the teacher can lead with body percussion: patting the knees indicates low G, Clapping (softly) indicates D’s, and snapping indicates high G’s. Use whatever you can find, pitched and un-pitched, The un-pitched instruments can add musical punctuation marks where ever you wish to put them. You can also have students play a rhythmic interlude (see previous activities) in between singings of the song verses. While the song is difficult to sing in a


round ( it can be, with voices starting every two measures including the anacrusis) it can also be played as a rhythmic round using instruments to add more depth to the singing. You and your students are limited only by your imaginiation. Greensleeves: Because of the modal aspects, this song doesn’t work well with a melodic aspect on classroom instruments. The best way to work with this is to teach the song (with music, or by rote as you wish, with limited words if needed), and have children experiment with different ways to keep the beat of the song. Because this one can be in either a slow three or a fast 6/8, a movement activity, such as swaying or passing a green ball around a circle ( or several green balls) to the beat would work nicely. The Birch Tree: this song is THE perfect round, and your children will enjoy singing this piece and also performing it on rhythm instruments. Here is a suggestion on how to do this. If the children already know the important rhythms, that will help. They can be taught this song very simply by rote, and in the loo-li loo section ( the last two lines) they can move their arms from left to right to indicate the motion of the leaves (one left to right motion per line is fine). Once they know the whole song, have them start the song on their own and you, the teacher, come in as the second part ( where you see “2” indicated in the music earlier in this packet). If they can handle it without getting lost, then have them split into 2 groups. Follow the same procedure when going into 3 or 4 parts. This song is stunning when it is sung in a round, and also makes a great piece for a spring concert performance. You can have children also play the piece rhythmically on instruments, for example, after they finish singing their part the first time, they start again—staying in the round—playing it on classroom instruments (for example, everyone on part one “sings” their parts on woodblocks, everyone on part 2 “sings” their part on hand drums, etc) then when they finish that, they come back and sing the song one more time with their voices. Once you see the possibilities with this piece, you will have as much fun with it as my students did. You can also add ostinati if you wish—you are only limited by your imagination. Finlandia Hymn—this particular piece works better if it is taught simply as a song. However, it can be compared and contrasted to other National Hymns in tone and structure (simple repeated phrases or sections, for example). The simplest phrase structure of the Finalandia Hymn is AABB, or more simply, AB. You can, however, layer any of the rhythmic patterns presented earlier to create class accompaniments, with the emphasis on perhaps having them play slower, and with different instruments, to work with the style, tone, and reverence of a hymn. Movement Activities


Students may be interested in learning how to do simple versions of the Farandole, the Trepak, Irish Step-dancing, and Traditional Chinese Dance. Resources for these are at the end of this packet. Listening Preparation Activities When your students are familiarized with the main rhythms and music, then you can start familiarizing them with the actual music they will hear at the concert. Basically, they will need to be listening “detectives” to see if they can discover all the musical clues that tell a story. A simple worksheet, or visual cues (like popsicle sticks with colored shapes, figures, etc on them) can help greatly. If using a worksheet, the students can circle how many times they hear a pattern or a melody. If using the popsicle sticks, they can hold up—for example—the Birch Tree figure (pattern follows in this pack) every time they hear it. If students are very successful at this, then they can earn an “Outstanding Music Detective” certificate (included in this pack). Success for this kind of activity depends on how well you, the teacher, knows the music! If you didn’t request the accompanying CD, you can download all of this music (at 99 cents a pop) via iTunes ( http://www.itunes.com). Suggestions: Tchaikovsky 4th Finale: Listen for how many times the Birch Tree is played. To extend the activity, have the students hold up not only a birch tree figure ( on a popsicle stick) but also a green circle (calm), yellow (sad) angry (orange) very determined (red)—the most determined part is at the end when the brass really bash it out. Students will hear mostly the first line repeated closer to the end of the Finale. Fantasia on Greensleeves: students can listen simply for form: ABA. The B section is a totally different melody. They can identify this with non-verbal cues or a worksheet. Simple Gifts: Variations from Appalachian Spring vs Lord of the Dance: students can simply compare and contrast these two versions by instruments, tempi, meter, mood, and any other musical concepts they already know. This allows them to hear how the same song can be used in different ways. To extend this activity in later lessons, they can take a song they know and change tempo, meter, instruments, and etc to make up their own theme and variations. Farandole: Listening for the different themes, and then listening for them both together. Non-verbal or visual cues would work well for this. Trepak vs. Chinese Dance: Students can compare and contrast how these pieces are similar and different in terms of tempo, rhythm patterns uses, dynamics, and form. Finlandia: since students will only hear part of this entire, piece, they only need to be familiar with identifying where they hear it.


Extending the Lesson: Since the theme of this concert is Folk Music for Orchestra, students may be interested in investigating Folk Music that is particular to Berks County, especially songs that are sung in Pennsylvania Dutch. While no one has, as yet, written a symphonic piece based on the Schnitzelbank song, perhaps one of your students will be the first! Useful Links and Resources-Teachers and Students Background on Music: Jean Sibelius: http://www.sibelius.fi/english/index.htm , http://www.helsinki.fi/kasv/nokol/sibelius.html http://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/bio.asp?id=52 Piotr Tchaikovsky: http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/showview.asp?ID=17 Aaron Copland: http://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/bio.asp?id=14 Ralph Vaughn Williams: http://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/bio.asp?id=59 Georges Bizet: http://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/bio.asp?id=7 Dances: Farandole: http://mtcn.free.fr/mtcn-traditional-music-dance.php Trepak: http://www.barynya.com/barynya/Cossack's_Dance.htm This leads to to a website with video illustrations. Chinese Traditional Dance: http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/article.asp?parentid=23757 This takes you to UCLA’s website on the Lotus Dance. There are also many videos uploaded online that can be easily viewed. Irish Step Dance Steps: http://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/culture/music/dance/steps.shtm Cultural/Historical Links: The Shakers: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537839/Shakers Lord of the Dance Official Website: http://www.lordofthedance.com/ International Music Education Links: http://media.arts.usf.edu/fung/links/


Supplementary Materials Illustration to use:

Outstanding Music Detective

is hereby granted to: _________________

For excellence in finding folk song melodies

Reading Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert

October, 2008

Teacher Signature

Documents

Folk Music for Orchestra cover - Kutztown University of ...faculty.kutztown.edu/trolling/RSO_2008_YouthConEdMat.pdf · Folk Music for Orchestra, RSO 2008 8 The Trepak is a traditional