Music assessment 3 PDF

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Music assessment 3...

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Source: http://freebigpictures.com/river-pictures/

EDC-PAE161 PA2

Music: responding The Moldau (Die Moldau) by Smetana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3_EsIKarl8

Your name: Michael Comino

Note the four sections of this document to be completed 1. Response in another medium 2. Guided listening 3. Background research 4. Observations

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Information about The Moldau

The Moldau is the best-known of the six symphonic poems that constitute Má vlast ("My Country"), composed by Bedrich Smetana between 1874 and 1879. A 'symphonic poem' means that the music illustrates or evokes a poem/painting/story. In this case - the journey of a river is being evoked. It is the Vltava which runs through the heart of the present day Czech Republic, towards Prague. The music is also known as program music referring to the fact that the 'story' being conveyed in the music is outlined in the concert program for the audience to read. Knowing the ‘story’ adds to the appreciation of the music in such cases: Two springs gush forth in the shade of the Bohemian forest, the one warm and spouting, the other cool and tranquil. Their waves joyously rushing down over their rocky beds unite and glisten in the rays of the morning sun. The forest brook fast hurrying on becomes the river Vltava, which flowing ever on through Bohemia's valleys grows to be a mighty stream: it flows through thick woods in which the joyous noise of the hunter's horn are heard ever nearer and nearer; it flows through grass-grown pastures and lowlands, where a wedding feast is celebrated with song and dancing. At night the wood and water nymphs revel in its shining waves, in which many fortresses and castles are reflected as witnesses of the past glory of knighthood and the vanished warlike fame of bygone ages. At the St. John Rapids the stream rushes on, weaving through the cataracts, and with its foamy waves beats a path for itself through the rocky chasm into the broad river into which it vanishes in the far distance from the poet's gaze.(Source: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/? fuseaction=composition&composition_id=2102) For more background information, a place to start is here: http://flaglerlive.com/4540/smetana-fatherland-moldau/

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1. Response in another medium 1. Listen to The Moldau http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3_EsIKarl8 just allowing yourself to 'go with the flow'. When listening for the first time it is a good idea not to watch the video as it will be distracting. 2. On a piece of white paper and using your choice of drawing/painting media, create a visual response to the music while playing it again. You're not required to represent anything pictorially. The lines and colours are a response to the music in the moment. You can choose to represent the progression or a segment. 3. Insert a scanned picture of your drawn/painted response in the space below. 4. This activity is replicated as a group drawing response completed on Blackboard Collaborate with your study group. In the space below, insert a screen capture of the shared drawing you created (optional). I didn’t read the question properly at first so please see both my drawings.

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2. Guided listening

Assistance: 1. Instruments of the orchestra (great website for kids too!!) If you need assistance for questions 1 and 5 go to the San Francisco Symphony website for kids and go into the Sea of Symphonic Knowledge where you’ll find a section on instruments.

http://www.sfskids.org/ C

2. To answer a number of questions you need to refer to the video time code. This is found at the bottom left of the video. The time codes do not have to be precise but ‘in the zone’ for where the musical passage begins and where it ends. Record the time codes like this: 4 1:27 - 2:18

1. When the music begins we hear the sound of water bubbling up from springs and creating little rippling streams deep in the forest. The three main orchestral instruments creating this effect are: Flute, Clarinet and Violin 2. In the first 90 seconds of video you see the violins being played in two different ways. What are they and how does this change the sound? The musical term ‘pizzicato’ is relevant here. The two ways the violin is played during the first ninety seconds is by plucking (pizzicato) and also by bowing or drawing the bow across the strings (Arco) (Violin technique, 2017). Pizzicato or plucking is indicated on sheet music by a ‘+’ (plus sign) and usually played by plucking the string with the right-hand index finger, the violinist must continue playing pizzicato until indicated otherwise. This creates short, sharp and percussive pitched notes (Violin technique, 2017). This is different to Arco which is played by drawing the bow across the strings in a perpendicular fashion. This creates a continuous vibration in the resonating chamber concurrently while the left hand regulates which fingers are stopping the strings against the fingerboard and produces different notes: long, soft, loud, quick and slow (Violin technique, 2017). 3. The music captures the journey of the river. Write down the video time code for each of these stages of the journey identifying where the musical passage begins and where it ends. a. Two springs beginning in the forest and bubbling over rocks: 00:00 - 01:17 b. The streams have grown and become a gliding river: 01:18 - 03:39 c. The river passes through dark forests where hunters’ horns can be heard: 03:40 – 04:44 d. The river passes through pastures and lowlands where a wedding feast is being held: 04:45 – 06:14 e. Night falls and visions of castles and fortresses under the moonlight create a haunting reminder of past glories: 06:15 – 09:03 f. Day comes and the river continues on. Suddenly the river becomes turbulent it strikes the rapids and chasms. The turbulent passage of music: 09:04 – 11:46

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g. Past the turbulence, the river widens again and flows majestically through the city of Prague and on into the distance. The majestic river passage of music: 11:47 – 14:08 4. In musical compositions a theme is a recognisable melody on which the whole composition is based. The theme is repeated in various configurations several times throughout the composition. Listen to the passage of music you hear at 1:27 - 2:18 time code. At what time code/s does this occur again? 09:32 5. The French horn (an orchestral instrument) features prominently in one passage of the music. What is the time code? What do the French horns represent in the musical story? 03:40 – 4:40 The French horns represent the hunters’ horns sounding as they prepare for battle. The sound is loud and upbeat and signifies courage and victory. 6. Aim to identify how the composer has worked with the elements of music to create the effects that bring to life the changing nature of the river. The video will be helpful. For example, an increase in volume (musical element: dynamics) may help create the sense of the river widening and becoming mightier. (200 words approx.) Using the mentioned time codes, it becomes apparent that each segment of the music changes to depict vivid imagery of the river ‘Vltava’ and its journey through the Czech Republic towards Prague. The rhythm present within the piece is sporadic and with each slight change in tempo only reinforces the idea of an actual river flowing. In time code (a) the elements of music used to create the imagery are texture, timbre. The texture or layering of the instruments starts off thin and then grows to become a full feeling (Dinham, 2017, p.254). The timbre differs between each individual time code as the instruments gel to create the imagery of the journey. For example, in time codes (b and f) it’s easy to identify which instruments are playing, the unique imagery produced and quality of sound it creates: strings, percussion and woodwind. According to Dinham (2017, p.254), form refers to the underlying patterns and repetitions within the music that convey musical ideas or imagery and structure refers to how a piece of music is put together. This is important to note because there is repetition during time codes (b and f) and because this orchestral piece has an overarching theme however, does not contain a conventional pattern (Dinham, 2017, p.254).

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3. Background research Part of appreciating artworks and becoming knowledgeable about the world of art is to know something of the artist (composer), the artwork (musical composition) and the historical/cultural/social context of the artwork’s creation. Complete these sections by undertaking some on-line research. 1. Composer’s biographical information: Name: Bedrich Smetana Nationality: Czech, Austrian, Bohemian Born and died:2nd March 1824 – 12th May 1884 (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018). 2. Cultural context of the musical composition: We examined a selection of songs and their cultural significance in the last topic (BbC). Following on from that, what is the cultural significance of The Moldau? For example, what older forms of music have been used as inspiration for this composition? What is the political significance of The Moldau and why did the Nazis ban it? (300 words approx.) The Moldau, created by Bedrich Smentana is one of six symphonic poems that make up a larger work called ‘Ma vlast’ (My Country). When the piece is performed, the music brings the imagery to life through the combination of patriotic melodies, and the intention to evoke and depict the culturally rich bohemian region of Europe (Parker Syphony Orchestra, https://parkersymphony.org/smetana-the-moldau). Statelova (2014) notes the semantic signs of love for one’s country, nature and native history present within the piece ‘the Moldau’ and states how this became artistically offensive and a sound symbol of a politically defensive nationalism. In reprisal of the Nazis occupation of Czechoslovakia in nineteen thirty-nine, many Czech symphony orchestras decided to play ‘The Moldau’ as a sign of protest. Additionally, the Nazi party retaliated in an attempt to crush the spirit of resistance and independence among the people of Czechoslovakia, banning the performance of the symphonic poem indefinitely (Toher, 2014).

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According to Antiwar songs (https://www.antiwarsongs.org/canzone.php?lang=en&id=5159), ‘The Moldau’ was adapted into a song (The song of the Moldau) around nineteen ninety-one to nineteen ninety-four by Hanns Eisler and Bertolt Breht, two of the twentieth century’s greatest political musical partnerships. Both Eisler’s music and Breht’s poetry portrayed the perspective of lives of the working poor and were banned by the Nazi party, they both joined the cohort of anti-Nazi exiles. The banning of this song and the Original piece of music took place because of the strong revolutionary values amongst antiwar and anti-Nazi themes and lyrics stated, for example ‘who is big becomes small and the little grows’ (Robinson, 1967). It is truly incredible to witness how art forms like ‘the Moldau’ and the imagery of freedom it portrayed by the river Vltava had the ability to oppose the political portrayals of tyrants and the powerful.

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4. Observations Based on your personal experience - and in light of your readings and Blackboard Collaborate discussions - describe four valuable things you learned/observed from the experience of listening and responding to The Moldau. Reflect on what you have learned and then consider the implications for music education in educational settings. (400 words approx.) 1. Music almost always has a message and meaning behind it or depicts an imagery. The musical piece itself isn’t as straight forward as I first thought. If I was to listen to this piece of music without the background knowledge of it’s origin or the information that suggests “The Moldau” depicts a running river I would have just thought it was an intricate orchestra piece of music. It’s important for educators to understand that music is unifying and can change a student’s brain chemistry. According to RussellBowie (2012, p.60), research indicates that children who participate in the arts can express themselves in a variety of media, have shown an increase in academic achievement and developed the necessary life skills to become active citizens within their community. 2. After watching the video that discusses the children of Paraguay and how they have created instruments out of recycled materials with the help of director Louis Szaran’s program, I have realised that I may have taken my Australian musical education for granted. This is because in grade four we were given the opportunity to learn an instrument and because I am situated in upper middle class my parents could afford to buy me an instrument (Case, 2012). I believe it is a fair assumption to agree that many of the band members from the Chamber orchestra of Europe have had similar opportunities to myself in comparison to the children featured in Case’s (2012) video. Therefore, this is an important life lesson to pass on to students to ‘make do with what you have’. 3. Furthermore Child’s play music (2011), reiterates this through musical play-based learning. Many of the instruments present within the video have been created using items such as downpipe, thongs and balloons. Through simply modelling playing techniques and allowing students to experiment through purposeful exploration they can find their own rhythm and pattern which in turn permits students to create their own connections. Play-based learning in relation to the arts allows students to express their entire being through using different instruments to create different sounds.

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4. Before listening to ‘The Moldau’ I was unaware that the violin could be played differently for example: Pizzicato or Arco. It’s important to note that the two different ways a violin is played creates a different sound. I might be delving too deep here to make a connection however, the musician who had the idea to play pizzicato might have attended a play-based learning centre because they had created a new sound by finding an additional use for an existing instrument just like the students did in the Child’s play music (2011) video.

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Reference List Case, D. (2012, December 29). Landfill Harmonic Amazing and Inspirational. [video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJxxdQox7n0

Child’s Play Music. (2011, December 18). The Power of play-based learning. [video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuHXeCYs8Vc

Dinham, J. (2017). Delivering authentic arts education (3rd ed.). Melbourne: Cengage.

Russell-Bowie, D. E. (2012). Developing Preservice Primary Teachers’ Confidence and Competence in Arts Education using Principles of Authentic Learning. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37(1). Retrieved from: http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1608&context=ajte

Robinson, E. (1967). The Brecht-Eisler Song Book. E. Bentley (Ed.). Oak Publications. Retrieved from: https://www.royalroadproductions.com/docs/Release_CD_announcement.pdf

Statelova, R. (2014). The Contemporary Sorbian Choral Movement: Horizons of Meaning of Singing Sorbian Songs. Manifold Identities: Studies on Music and Minorities, 201-208. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=awgJ2Ltn U6oC&oi=fnd&pg=PA201&dq=Statelova,+R.+(2014). +The+Contemporary+Sorbian+Choral+Movement: +Horizons+of+Meaning+of+Singing+Sorbian+Songs.+Manifold+Identities: +Studies+on+Music+and+Minorities,+201208.&ots=OPjxGOoKND&sig=d3tRpj2ZzIIr5MrIVoJy_kCG_Rs#v=onepage&q&f=false

Toher, M. (2014). A Musical Painting of a Beloved Bohemian Landscape: “The Moldau” Lifts a Nation. Retrieved from http://pages.stolaf.edu/music242-spring2014/portfolio/1903/

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (Eds.). (2018). Encyclopædia Britannica, inc - Bedřich Smetana. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bedrich-Smetana

The Greatest Showman Ensemble – Topic. (2018, February 26). Come Alive (From "The Greatest Showman") (Instrumental). [video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=JCOZxl25IdA

Violin technique. (2017). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_technique

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