Music Composition - II

Using Common Opera Practices (Conventions) to Tell the Story Objectives: The students will learn that opera has certain elements (parts) that are common and necessary for it to truly be an “opera.” We call those parts, Opera Conventions. They are not only necessary; they help to tell the story and to make it fun and interesting. Students will understand Aria, Recitative, Chorus, and Repetition.

Explain to the students that there are several ways to sing in an opera and they are decided by the composer when they are writing the music. As the students are the composers, they need to make these choices.

Recit – sung as if spoken Aria – song for one voice Chorus, Duet, Trio – song for ore than one voice

The music may be sung as recitative, arias, duets, trios or choruses.

Explain that recitative is conversation set to music imitating natural speech without rhyme or repeated rhythm. The rhythm of recitative is more like the rhythm of normal conversation. Sometimes recitative is shortened to recit (pronounced rĕ’sit) Recit does not rhyme – just as we usually do not speak in rhyme to each other, and it should be kept as short as possible. Very short little phrases that move the action along and tell the story are all that are necessary. Remind the students that the words are not the only way that they will be telling their story. They have actions, sets, scenery, costumes and music to help them. While they are writing the music they should notice places where the melody, the rhythm, and the harmony can tell what is happening along with the actions they will do rather than using too many words that must be sung as recitative.

Edit out unnecessary dialogue to reduce the amount of recitative

Recit can become very dull and difficult to sing if it takes up too much of the opera. It is far better to have more songs. Therefore, during this phase of the opera experience, encourage the children to simplify and edit once again. They may choose to eliminate some unnecessary words

and phrases altogether. Or they may discover ways to turn some recit sections into songs by the use of rhythm, rhyme, and repetition -the “Three R’s of Good Song Writing.”

Three R’s: Rhythm, Repetition, and Rhyme

An aria is a song for one voice and a chorus is a song for an entire group. Duets are songs for two people; trios are for three. All the children need to do is to write songs and decide how many people or which characters are going to sing them. Songs must have rhythm and repetition, and they may have rhyme, but it is not required unless it just works out that way.

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If you, the teacher, are worried about words having to rhyme, you may become tempted to put too much of your own creativity into the work. Remember, this is the children’s creation, not ours. In Grand Opera tradition, numerous arias exist with no rhyme at all; whereas, rhythm and repetition are necessary.

Rhyme if it comes naturally to the students, but never force it to happen

Repetition is necessary, important, fun and easy! In fact, it is not too difficult to frequently take an unwieldy section of dialogue that is destined to turn into recitative and by the use of repetition, turn it into a song that is singable, fun, and could even be repeated in its entirety somewhere else in the opera. For instance, say that the children have written the following dialogue into their opera: Cow: We have to get out of this barn. I am tired of being all cooped up all day and need some fresh air. Let’s hurry and escape. Sheep: Look! The farmer left the barn door open. Maybe we could sneak out while he isn’t looking. Horse: Watch out for the chickens. If we make too much noise, they will start to squawk and wake up Farmer Brown. How can this be changed from recitative to aria (or trio, in this case.) There are many ways. Here is one: Suggest to the children that the cow should sing a little “escape” song. “Let’s make these words have more rhythm and repeat some of them, okay? Clap your hands to we have to get out of this barn. It has a nice rhythm, already, doesn’t it?” Ask the students: “How can the next line be changed just a little bit in order to make the rhythm match?” (repeating rhythm). Have the children say and clap the rhythm to “We have to get out of this barn” Follow that with “I am tired of being cooped up all day” Does it match rhythmically? It might if they say some words quickly. A student will probably suggest “I’m tired of being cooped all day” shortening I am to I’m and making it work with the first line. Now, ask them to figure out how to say the next two parts together in the same rhythm. Have them speak, rhythmically with the same pattern as at first, the words “and need some fresh air. Let’s hurry and escape.” Be prepared for anything. They may actually make those words work in the rhythm pattern. They may also choose to edit and cut a few words so it ends up something like “I need some fresh air; let’s escape”.... They have now created a three-line verse.

Use Repetition to Create Balance At this point explain that a song must have balance. In our western

culture and especially in the children’s world, three does not balance. You may make the suggestion to them that using repetition, one of the

Three R’s of song, they could just repeat the first line again, making a nicely balance 4-line stanza, or verse.

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That will give them: Cow: We have to get out of this barn!

I’m tired of being cooped up all day. I need some fresh air, let’s escape. We have to get out of this barn!

Continue with the lines that the other animals said, repeating the melody AND the rhythm of the first verse. This is a pretty natural exercise for children. Once they understand that the rhythm comes first, and the melody gets repeated, then with repetition again they can make it all balance, they are brilliant. They may not be able to explain to you what they did. But they do it all the time in their own worlds when they are at play. With a little encouragement, trust and patience, the students would probably end up with something like the following for the next two verses: Sheep: We have to get out of this barn! The farmer left open the door! Let’s sneak out while he isn’t looking. We have to get out of this barn! Horse: We have to get out of this barn! Watch out for the chickens; they might squawk And wake up Farmer Brown. We have to get out of this barn! By the use of rhythm and repetition, they now have a song that will be easy and fun to learn and to sing. Avoid the temptation to do this for them. They can do it. We have seen it happen over and over in hundreds of classrooms where the teacher has learned to use TRAG (see page 4) as part of the process of Opera by Children.

Remember: Rhythm, Repetition, Rhyme (if it happens), and Balance!

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