GCSE Music

Name: ___________________________________

Form Tutor: _______________________________

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KS4 Grade DescriptionsWhat grade are you aiming for?

A

Candidates explore the expressive potential of musical resources and conventions used in selected genres, and traditions.

They sing and/or play music with a sense of style, command of the resources used and making appropriate gradations of tempo, dynamics and balance.

They compose music which shows a coherent and imaginative development of musical ideas and consistency of style and fulfils a brief.

They make critical judgements about their own and others’ music using an accurate and extensive musical vocabulary.

C

Candidates sing and/or play music with control, making expressive use of phrase and dynamics appropriate to the style and mood of the music.

They compose music which shows ability to develop musical ideas, use conventions, explore the potential of musical structures and resources and fulfils a brief.

They make critical judgements about their own and others’ music using a musical vocabulary.

F

Candidates sing and/or play music with some fluency and control of the resources used.

They compose music which shows some ability to organise musical ideas and use appropriate resources in response to a brief.

They describe musical features using a simple musical vocabulary, make improvements to their own work and offer some justification of opinions expressed.

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My Targets for the Year

My Challenge Grade for GCSE Music is ______________.

In order to achieve this I need to:

1. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

7. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

8. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

9. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

10. _____________________________________________ ______________________________________________

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The Elements of MusicMuch of your GCSE Listening paper will require you to have a very good understanding of the following key areas. Complete the grid below with

musical vocabulary appropriate to each section.

Element of Music

Description

Rhythm

Melody

Harmony and Tonality

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Tempo

Structure

Dynamics

Texture

5

Timbre/Playing Techniques/Articulation

Instrumentation/Performing Forces

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Area of Study 1

The History of Western Classical

Music 1600-1899

Content coverage Learning outcomes

Introduction to the musical eras: Baroque, Classical and Romantic(AoS 1)Brief overview of the musical developments 1600-1899 including historical context. References will be made to elements of the notation to reinforce previous learning.

To develop an understanding of the chronological development of western classical music from 1600-1899 (Area of Study 1).

To understand the historical context of

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Content coverage Learning outcomes

Unit 1: Choose a solo performance piece to be recorded in the next 6-10 weeks.

Units 1,2 and 3: Staff notation

the music.

Area of Study 1 – Set Work 1

Handel:

And the Glory of the Lord

from

Messiah Course Content Learning Outcomes

Listen to the set work, placing it in context.Relevant musical vocabulary

To understand the context of the set work as part of one of the most well known and loved of all oratorios.

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including: oratorio, libretto, recitative, aria, chorus, perfect cadence, plagal cadence, pedal point, imitation, monophonic, homophonic, modulation, tonic and dominant.

Unit 1Record solo performance.

To understand the position and role of the set work in the overall oratorio.

To develop an understanding of the use of Baroque conventions within the set work.

To recognise and be able to use relevant musical vocabulary.

To recognise the forces used in the recording including SATB choir.

Handel – 1685-1759

Born in Germany Played the Violin, Harpsichord and Organ

Employed as court conductor for the Prince-Elector of Hanover in Germany Ambitious, devoted and very successful musician

Travelled to Italy and England Settled in England and continued to write music for the Prince-Elector who was now

King George I of Great Britain!

Homework: Visit the website DSOkids.com. List 4 other musical facts about Handel including the title of two other works composed by him:

1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Listen to La Rejouissance from Music for the Royal Firework Suite. Describe: The two instrumental families you can hear

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tonality__________________________________________________________

Time signature

BAROQUE MUSIC

Key Features1 Simple, mainly diatonic harmonies2 Terraced dynamics – clear contrasts between loud and soft, rather

than gradual changes3 Ornamentation - 4 Complex contrapuntal writing in some pieces5 Orchestras made up of largely string instruments6 Use of continuo – a group of instruments that provides a bass line and

harmonic accompaniment – usually a keyboard instrument (harpsichord or organ), with one or more bass instruments (cello, bassoon or double bass).

Important composers: Bach, Handel, Purcell and Vivaldi

Wurzburg Chapel

What is an Oratorio?

An Oratorio is a large-scale composition for solo singers, choir and orchestra. It is always based on a biblical story but intended for performance in concert halls and theatres rather

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than in churches. They were similar in musical style to Operas but without costumes, scenery or acting.

Messiah

Handel composed more than 20 oratorios, of which Messiah (1741) is his most famous. It took him just over three weeks to compose! The first performance was given in Dublin in 1742. This first performance was given by a small choir of no more than 16 singers and an orchestra of probably less than 10 though now it is performed with much larger forces. The orchestra would have been supported by a Baroque organ, harpsichord and a cello, this grouping of instruments is known as the continuo.

Harpsichord The harpsichord action

Listening

Compare and contrast two versions of Bach’s prelude in C major.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Within an Oratorio you will find arias, recitatives and choruses. Aria – a solo vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment which reflects a mood

or emotion. The music is more elaborate to display the vocal qualities and expertise of the singer to the full.

Recitative – a style used in operas, oratorios and cantatas in which the text is told in the rhythm of natural speech, these are used to narrate the story.

Chorus – a movement within the Oratorio in which the whole choir sings and sums up the action at that point in the drama.

Listen to this example of one of Handel’s most famous choruses,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVEChristmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus

Note that the words are in English and not Italian which tended to be the norm during the Baroque period.

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‘And the Glory of the Lord’ (1741)

Handel’s Messiah is in three parts and tells the story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Part 1 – the birth Part 2 - the death Part 3 - resurrection

‘And the Glory of the Lord’ is in part 1 and is the first chorus in Messiah. It consists of four different motifs. Listen to the motifs and answer the following questions:

Motif A

1. In pairs learn to play this motif.

2. What type of voices first sing this? ___________________________________________

3. Describe the rhythm in bar 2. _______________________________________________

4. The word setting in this motif is_____________________________________________

Motif B

This is first sung by the tenors in bar 17.

5. What melodic device is used on the words revealed?

_______________________________________________________________________

6. Describe the word setting in this motif. _______________________________________

Motif C

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7. What type of voice first sings this motif? ______________________________

8. What compositional device has been used in this motif?

_______________________________________________________________________

Motif D

9. Describe how motif D differs from the other 3.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

These four motifs are heard in different parts and in combined in different ways throughout the movement.

In section B of the listening exam you will be asked to write in detail about one of the set works. You are likely to have to put your work in context, for instance by giving its date and style, or by stating where you might expect to hear it performed. Most of the marks, however, are likely to be awarded for writing about how the elements of music, such as rhythm, melody and harmony, are used in the set work. We have already focused on the melody in this set work and will now therefore look at the other elements of music and how they are used in ‘And the Glory of the Lord’.

PERFORMING FORCES

The choir is made up of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses (SATB). They are accompanied by a string orchestra and continuo (cello, and harpsichord or organ). Notice that the orchestra often doubles the vocal lines.

STRUCTURE

Fill in the missing words:13

The work starts with an ________________ introduction, called a ritornello. Shortened versions of this ritornello return later in the work.

Indicate on the score where the instrumental ritornellos occur.

There is no formal structure to this movement; it’s based on different combinations of the ____________ motifs.

As the motifs repeat and imitate between the voices they are sequenced into different pitches e.g. bars 18-23.

RHYTHM, METRE AND TEMPO

The time signature is ________ throughout which means simple triple time. The tempo is allegro which means _________________.

In which bar does the tempo change? ___________________________. What happens on the three beats prior to the change? _____________________________________________

By changing the tempo and adding in the general pause this helps to emphasise the final words ‘hath spoken it’.

The first three motifs use mostly crotchets and quavers whereas the fourth motif is characterised by long (dotted minim) repeated notes. These notes serve to emphasise ‘the Lord hath spoken it’. To strengthen the statement further he doubles the part with the tenors and ______________.

Handel creates syncopation by using what is known as a hemiola. This is a rhythmic device, often used towards a cadence point, where the music feels as if it has 2 rather than 3 beats per bar. Give an example of where this first occurs:_______________________________.

TONALITY AND HARMONY

This piece is in the key of ________________. It modulates (changes key) to two related keys: the dominant (E major) and the supertonic (B major). The piece ends with a ______________cadence.

The harmony is diatonic. What does this mean? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TEXTURE14

Handel creates contrast within this piece by contrasting both homophonic and contrapuntal/polyphonic textures. Describe what is meant by homophonic and give an example where this texture can be heard.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is meant by the term contrapuntal/polyphonic and at which point does Handel first use this texture?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________There is a very short monophonic passage where the upper strings are in unison with the sopranos, can you find where this is and indicate the bar numbers below.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In order to create the contrapuntal texture Handel uses imitation, this is overlapping the music by immediately copying the same melody in another part. This first happens in bars 18-25.

To further add contrast Handel varies the number of parts being played, for example he may only have the altos singing or at times two or three parts together. Give an example within the score where you can hear one voice part singing: ________________________________

In which bars can we first hear the Tenors and Basses together? _______________________

What is the texture at this point in the score and why? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

WORD SETTING

There is a mixture between melismatic and syllabic word setting throughout. Which motif is mostly syllabic? _____________________________________________

Which motif is mostly melismatic? ___________________________________________

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LISTENING EXCERCISE

Listen to the following two excerpts and write down what you hear by the headings given:

Excerpt A For unto us a Child is Born

Excerpt 24th Movt. 40th Symphony

Tonality

Tempo

Texture

Harmony

Performing Forces

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Which excerpt is from the Baroque period and why?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Suggest a possible composer for both excerpts: ___________________________________

Area of Study 1 – Set Work 2

Mozart:

Symphony No. 40

in Gm17

First MovementContent coverage Learning outcomes

Listen to the set work, placing it in context.Relevant musical vocabulary including: symphony, sonata form, exposition, development, recapitulation, 1st and 2nd subject, bridge passage, orchestra (and sections thereof), sequence, dynamic markings, chromatic, major and minor.

Unit 2Melody writing and harmonisation

Unit 1: Choose ensemble performances to be rehearsed and recorded over the next 8-12 weeks.

To understand the context of the set work and its place in the canon as a sonata from 1st movement of a classical symphony.

To learn about the importance of structure within classical works and of the role played by tonality and key structure.

To learn about sonata form and its main elements as evidenced in the set work.

To be able to identify the elements that make this an archetypal piece of music from the classical era.

To recognise and be able to use relevant musical vocabulary.

To be able to recognise the sound of all the instruments in the classical orchestra.

Mozart – 1756-1791

Born in Austria A child prodigy (young person of exceptional talent)

Toured Europe giving performances to royalty from the age of 6 Lived in Salzburg, Paris and Vienna

Died a pauper at the age of 35 Left over 600 compositions!

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Homework: Visit the website DSOkids.com. List 4 other musical facts about Mozart including the title of two other works composed by him:

1. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Listen to Eine Klein Nachtmusik and describe the following: The texture in the first four bars.

__________________________________________________________

Tonality__________________________________________________________

Time signature

Performing Forces: __________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________CLASSICAL MUSIC

Key Features1 Simple, mainly diatonic harmonies 2 Expression markings given in scores including crescendos and

diminuendos3 Balanced, repetitive and clear-cut melodies that form questions and

answers 4 Often homophonic in texture5 Increased use of wind instruments, though the melody is still mainly

in the strings. The wind instruments tend to fill out the harmonies 678

Basso continuo replaced with alberti bassHarpsichord replaced by the piano and no longer used in the orchestraClarinet invented

Important composers: Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven

Look at the picture below and compare this with the Wurzburg Chapel on page 10, what do you notice?

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Bellevue Palace in Berlin

What is a Symphony?

A symphony is a large scale orchestral work that first became popular in the Classical period. It consists of four movements:

Fast Slow Minuet and Trio Fast

All three of the composers mentioned earlier wrote symphonies, Beethoven wrote 9 while Haydn wrote over 100! Mozart composed about 50 symphonies with many being commissioned by royalty or aristocrats. The most likely place to hear a symphony would be in a concert hall.

Symphony No. 40 (first movement) (1788)

Facts..........

Key of G minor4 movementsUse of sonata form for 1st, 2nd and 4th movements3rd movement is a minuet & trioEach movement has a different tempoThe first movement is molto allegro which means _________________________No trumpets or timpani – unusual for a Classical Symphony!

Looking at the melody below, this is heard at the beginning of the extract.Fill in the missing notes in bars 3 and 4.

N.B. You will more than likely get a question like this in the first part of your listening exam.

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Look at the following signs/abbreviations. List one place where you can find them in the score and write down what they mean:

‘div.’______________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

‘1’ _______________________________________________________________________

‘a 2’ ______________________________________________________________________

sf _______________________________________________________

tr ________________________________________________________________________

legato ____________________________________________________________________

staccato ___________________________________________________________________

crescendo __________________________________________________________________

Listen to the music and follow the score. You will notice that it is in 3 main sections, what happens in the final section? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What you have heard is a movement in Sonata Form – the most important large musical structure in the Classical period.

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STRUCTURE AND TONALITY

Complete the chart below by adding in the bar numbers:

Section Sub-section Description Key Bar

First subjectA melody characterised by

a falling motif.Played by strings first

Gm

Exposition Bridge passage

Full orchestra playing

Bb

Second A melody with descending Bb

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subject chromatic patterns, shared between strings and

woodwind

(relative major)

Codetta Reinforces the key centre Bb

DevelopmentBased on the first subject, which is developed and

fragmented

Moves through

various keys

First subject First subject is repeated with some variation

Gm

RecapitulationExtended

Bridge passage

Full orchestra playing Gm

Second subject

Second subject is repeated with some variation

Gm

CodaRepeated perfect

cadences to finish the piece.

Gm

MELODY

Most of the melodies are made up of 4 bar phrases that sound like questions and answers. Many of them are scalic. What does this mean? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HARMONY

This is a typical Classical symphony and therefore the harmony is ______________ throughout. There are however times when Mozart uses chromatic chords such as the diminished 7th and augmented 6th – mostly used in the development section where the tonality is more ambiguous.

What harmonic device does Mozart use in the opening bars? __________________________________________________________________________

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He also uses this in bars 17-20, but what is different this time?__________________________________________________________________________

A popular feature of Classical music was the use of the circle of 5ths as a chord progression. Mozart uses this in a number of places but most notably in bars 57-58 and bars 203-209. Its clever design is very helpful in composing and harmonizing melodies, building chords, and moving to different keys within a composition.

RHYTHM, METRE AND TEMPO

Describe the tempo and metre of this movement in two sentences:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The rhythms are fairly simple though there are some use of dotted rhythms and syncopation to help create momentum and interest. Can you find one example of each within the score?

Dotted rhythm __________________________________________________________________________

Syncopation __________________________________________________________________________

TEXTURE

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As with much music from the Classical period the main texture in this piece is homophonic. He does however use dialogue between instruments. Look at the second subject in bars 44-48 – first you hear the strings which is then answered by the WW. What does Mozart do to this Q&A phrase in bars 52-55?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

INSTRUMENTS

As well as the clarinet and piano being invented in the Classical period the horn was also another new arrival. The type of horn used at this time was called a natural horn. It had no valves and therefore relied on the musicians lips to create different notes. The notes were limited to their harmonic range. A horn in Bb would therefore only be able to play the notes Bb D F and C. A horn in G would be able to play G B D and F. In order to maximise the number of pitches Mozart had 2 horns – one in Bb and the other in G.

A natural horn with different sizes of crooks, the crooks did the job of transposing the instrument.

DYNAMICS

Complete the chart below by filling the general dynamics for each section:

Section Sub-section Dynamics

First subject

Exposition Bridge

Second subject

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Development

First subject

Recapitulation Bridge

Second subject

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Mozart 1 st Movement from Symphony No. 40 in G Minor Listen to extract A twice:

1. Which theme / subject is being played?

[1]

2. This theme is shared between two instrumental families. What are they?

[2]

3. What is the key of this theme?

[1]

Listen to extract B twice:

4. Describe one difference between this extract and extract A

[1]

5. Fill in these two statements using either Exposition, Development or Recapitulation

Extract A is from the

Extract B is from the [2]

Listen to extract C twice:

6. Explain how the Development Section manipulates and alters the ideas from the exposition

[3]

7. Which instruments play a dominant pedal note towards the end of the Development Section

[1]

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Area of Study 1 – Set Work 3

Chopin:

Prelude No. 15 in Db majorThe ‘Raindrop’ prelude

Content coverage Learning outcomes

Listen to the set work, placing it in context.Relevant musical vocabulary including: dynamic markings, key signatures, pedal point, sustain pedal (including score markings), sostenuto, legato, cantabile, acciaccatura and rubato.

Unit 1: Rehearse and record ensemble performances.Unit 2: Input harmonised melodies into a computer package and record as composing tasks.

To understand the context of the set work as part of the romantic piano repertoire.

To learn about the development of the piano and the virtuoso musician in the context of the romantic era.

To recognise the use of romantic conventions within the set work. To recognise and be able to use relevant musical vocabulary.

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Content coverage Learning outcomes

ROMANTIC MUSIC

Key Features1 Large orchestras (often including the full range of WW, brass,

percussion, strings and harp. 2 Increasing technical difficulty in some music leading to the rise of the

virtuoso3 Music is more expressive and emotional 4 More homophonic in texture5 Structures become longer 6 Pieces are given descriptive titles, programme music becomes more

commonImportant composers: Chopin, Liszt and Mendelssohn

In order to gain a better understanding of this period of Romanticism it is useful to visualise the movement through architecture, art and literature.

A castle built purely on Romantic fantasy in the late 19th century

John William Waterhouse, 1888, The Lady of Shalott,

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In terms of literature, the Grimm brothers were are among the best-known story tellers of European folk tales, and their work popularized such stories as Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Here is an example of one of their stories written in the Romantic period.

THE OLD MAN AND HIS GRANDSON – The Grimm brothersThere was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull of hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could hardly hold the spoon, and spilt the broth upon the table-cloth or let it run out of his mouth. His son and his son’s wife were disgusted at this, so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove, and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl, and not even enough of it. And he used to look towards the table with his eyes full of tears. Once, too, his trembling hands could not hold the bowl, and it fell to the ground and broke. The young wife scolded him, but he said nothing and only sighed. Then they brought him a wooden bowl for a few half-pence, out of which he had to eat.

They were once sitting thus when the little grandson of four years old began to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground. ‘What are you doing there?’ asked the father. ‘I am making a little trough,’ answered the child, ‘for father and mother to eat out of when I am big.’

The man and his wife looked at each other for a while, and presently began to cry. Then they took the old grandfather to the table, and henceforth always let him eat with them, and likewise said nothing if he did spill a little of anything.

Listen to the following to youtube clips. They will give you some idea of historical events that took place in the 19th century that influenced composers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV_q45Otdic&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJnTTlgjVso

Using the knowledge that you have gained listen to Chopin’s Prelude No. 15 and give three reasons as to why this is a composition from the Romantic period. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This prelude was given the nickname Raindrop why do you think this is?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PRACTICAL TASK

Using a keyboard and a key of your choice make up a short passage of music describing rain

Try using scalic movement and short repeated patterns Decide whether you want a short jumpy (STACCATO) sound or smooth gentle

rain like Chopin’s (LEGATO) Start and finish in your main key area Perform to the class

Chopin – 1810-1849

Born in Poland Composed nearly all of his music for piano

Spent most of his career in Paris Was a piano teacher, composer and performer

Performed ‘salons’: concerts given to small, select gatherings of people In 1838 he went to Majorca and ended up staying with his lover in a deserted

monastery in a place called Valldemossa.

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He composed this Prelude inspired by a heavy rainstorm that he could hear dripping on the roof of the monastery

HOMEWORK

Chopin wrote 24 preludes, one in each of the 12 major and minor keys. Although the term prelude suggests an introduction to something else Chopin composed these as short, self contained movements. Bach however followed his preludes with a contrapuntal movement called a fugue. All of Chopin’s preludes were written for piano, with some more difficult than others. Create a power point presentation to the class about the history of the piano including a listening example of one of Chopin’s other preludes.

Prelude No. 15 in Db Op.28 (1839)

MELODY

Look at the main themes below and learn them.

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Notice the repeating quavers in the third example. This can be found throughout section B. Chopin also uses this quaver pattern in section A thus creating a unifying feature.

The main theme is in the right hand and has a dotted rhythm which gives the melody a lighter feel than in section B. In the middle section the melody is in the left hand is made up of mostly crotchets and minims which help to create a darker more menacing mood.

STRUCTURE

This piece is in Ternary form (ABA). Complete the chart below:

Key Main features Bar numbers

A Db major Lyrical melody accompanied by quavers in the bass.

List three ways in which Chopin creates contrast in this section:

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B C# minor

A Db major The opening repeated but shorter.

Coda Db major Melody is now in the middle of the texture, finishes on a perfect cadence.

PERFORMANCE MARKINGS

Look at the following signs/abbreviations. List one place where you can find them in the score and write down what they mean:

Definition Bar

Ped.

*

Sotto voce

Smorzando

Slentando

Acciacatura

Sostenuto

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RHYTHM, METRE AND TEMPO

The time signature is called common time it is the same as _____________. This stays the same throughout the piece.

In bar 79 there is a dectuplet: ten notes of equal length fit into one single beat. What is a septuplet? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Find an example of this within Chopin’s prelude: __________________________________________________________________________

A key feature of solo music within the Romantic era is the use of rubato. This literally means ‘robbed time’; in essence it allows the performer to create a flexible tempo so that they can play expressively.

Key rhythmic features in the piece include the use of repeated quavers and dotted rhythms.TONALITY AND HARMONY

Section Key Relationship Final cadence

A

B

A

A dominant pedal can be heard throughout most of the piece.

TEXTURE

Section Texture Further textural features

A HomophonicMelody in the RH

Broken chords in the LH

B HomophonicMelody in the LH

Pedal in the RH doubled in octavesMore chordal than Section A

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A HomophonicMelody in the RH

Broken chords in the LH

Coda Monophonic for 2 bars then homophonic

Melody in the middle of the texture

Sustained chords in the R and LH

DYNAMICS

In contrast to the first two set works Chopin uses a wide range of dynamics but there are no sudden changes. He uses lots of crescendos and diminuendos throughout. Notice that Section A is quieter than Section B, which climaxes to ff twice.

Do remember to add any definitions to your................

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