Baraga Violin Class Fall 2015 lesson plans

9/20/15 • Choose instrument sizes • Listening Lab 1: Young Performers

1.Preludium and Allegro by Fritz Kreisler played by Nathan Meltzer, age 11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK4kMBc--Y8 (5 min. 57 sec.)

Fritz Kreisler was an Austrian violinist who lived from 1875 to 1962. He was known for playing the violin with a beautiful, sweet sound or tone. He wrote Preludium and Allegro in 1910 and originally published it as a piece written by Gaetano Pugnani, a famous Italian violinist who lived during the 1700s. Later on, once the piece was well received, Kreisler admitted that he was the real composer.

2. Introduction and Tarantelle by Pablo de Sarasate played by Elizabeth Aoki, age 9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZjFYjr7S5c (5 min. 8 sec.)

Pablo de Sarasate was a Spanish violinist and composer who lived from 1844 to 1908. He wrote lots of pieces to show off his fancy technique on the violin. Notice the slow, peaceful Introduction and then the fast Tarantella section. A tarantella is a folk dance from Italy. Legend says that people believed this dance would cure a person who had been bitten by a tarantula spider.

3. Caprice No. 5 by Nicolo Paganini played by Aubrey Oliverson, age 12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_edBHQl5IU (2 min. 48 sec.)

Nicolo Paganini was an Italian violinist and composer who was perhaps the greatest violinist of all time. He lived from 1782 to 1840 and was one of the first musicians to make a living as a concert violinist. Paganini’s compositions show off fancy techniques

on the violin and many of them are very difficult to play. Today you’ll hear Caprice No. 5, one of the 24 Caprices that are Paganini’s most famous compositions.

4. Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saens played by Daniel Lozakovitj, age 12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBbL5n2i7iU (9 min. 27 sec.)

Camille Saent-Saens was a French composer who lived from 1835 to 1921. Saint-Saens wrote Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso for Pablo de Sarasate. The slow Introduction comes before the lively Rondo Capriccioso. A rondo is a piece of music that has a returning theme, or melody, with contrasting sections of music in between. When this piece was written, it was popular for composers to write music in the Spanish style. Do you think this music sounds Spanish?

9/28/15 • p. 3-7 in book • Violin hold and plucking at high dot • Rest position and bow • Tightening bow hair • Quarter note; quarter rest; eighth note • Listening Lab 2: Violin Concertos

Introduction:

A concerto is a form of music that was developed in Italy in the late 1600s. A concerto consists of a soloist or group of soloists that play with orchestral accompaniment. Typically, a concerto has three separate parts, or movements, that make up the whole piece. The movements usually follow the pattern of fast-slow-fast—a fast first movement, slow second movement, and fast third movement. Although the style of music has changed, composers still write concertos today. We’ll listen to movement of concertos from several different periods in music history.

1. Johann Sebastian Bach Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins, Allegro (first movement) (4 min.)

**Play from the beginning until 3:49**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wapqrTbs-S8

This concerto for two violins was written around 1720 by the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers of all time. Music historians call music written between 1600 and 1750 Baroque music. Can you hear how the music is rather busy and sounds very much the same all the way through the movement? Baroque music doesn’t have much contrast inside of a single piece or movement. We’ll listen to just the first movement of this concerto. Notice that there is no conductor of the orchestra; the soloists lead. Also, notice how the orchestra plays with the soloists at the beginning. We call this a tutti section. Tutti is an Italian word meaning “all,” and so the orchestra is as important as the soloists here. Can you hear where the solo section begins and the two violins have the most important music? Tutti and solo sections alternate throughout this movement. Also, notice the harpsichord, the keyboard instrument that was used before the piano was invented.

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Concerto in G Major, Adagio (second movement) (8 min.)

**begin video at 9:40; end at 17:32**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0KeHs__CzA

Mozart, born in 1756, was another of the greatest composers of all time. He lived during the Classical era of music history. Notice how this music sounds much more like a song than the Bach concerto. You also won’t hear the harpsichord in this music. Mozart’s favorite kind of music to write was Opera. Opera is like a play where the actors sing instead of talking. Lots of Mozart’s instrumental music sounds like it could be a song in one of his operas. The slow second movements of his violin concertos are good examples of this song-like quality. The orchestra plays an introduction, and then the violin solo comes in with a beautiful melody. Notice the cadenza at the end where the soloist plays all by himself and uses some fancy techniques to embellish the melody. His trill tells the orchestra to get ready to finish the movement with him. Mozart wrote this concerto when he was 19 years old.

3. Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto, third movement (8 min.)

**Begin video at 33:36; end around 41:45**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ1xKctJpQM

Johannes Brahms was a composer during the Romantic Era of music history during the 1800s. Romantic music tends to be very emotional and have lots of contrast within a

piece or movement. Some composers at this time thought the concerto was an outdated form of music, but other composers, like Brahms, wrote some of the finest concertos of all time during the Romantic Era. Brahms used Hungarian gypsy music for the opening part, or theme, of this third movement of his concerto. The movement is in rondo form which means the opening theme will keep returning throughout the movement. Can you hear where it returns? Notice the orchestra has a conductor for this piece. It was normal for orchestras to have conductors by the Romantic Era.

4. Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, second movement (3.5 min.)

**Begin video at 9:03; end at 12:37**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPTuCIInTBI

During the 20th century, composers were actively looking for new sounds and techniques to use in their compositions. Some of their music is very difficult to listen to the first time and has to be heard several times before the listener starts to get used to and enjoy the music. The Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote music that is easier to listen to than some, but it’s still very different from Romantic music. Prokofiev wrote this violin concerto in 1917. Notice the different kinds of sounds he uses in the second movement of this concerto. Also notice that this second movement is very fast, unlike the normally slow second movements in concertos.

5. Mason Bates Violin Concerto, first movement (1.5 min. +)

**The first video is of the violinist and composer talking about the process of writing the concerto. Then play as much as you have time for of the second video.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy7l8Qujv0U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqxyOUp4fx4 (You might point out this is played with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.)

Here is an example of a 21st century violin concerto. The violinist Anne Akiko Meyers commissioned Mason Bates to write this violin concerto in 2012. Mr. Bates talks about using sound like a painter uses colors. He likes to include electronic music in his compositions, but he used only acoustic instruments in the violin concerto so that the

violin soloist could be heard easily. This concerto depicts a bird-like dinosaur called the Archeopteryx as it gets ready to fly.

10/5/15 • Bow hold • Rhythms (p. 8-9 in book)

o Write 6 two-animal rhythms to scrub in class o Pluch rhythms over high dot

• Listening Lab 3: Unaccompanied Violin Works

Introduction:

The violin is a very versatile instrument. For example, the violin can play as a soloist with orchestra, it can play in a group of violins as part of an orchestra; the violin can play with piano, wind and brass instruments and other string instruments; it can play complex classical music or simpler folk and fiddle music. Today we’re going to listen to works written for unaccompanied violin. Unaccompanied means that there are no other instruments playing—just the violin.

As you watch these videos, notice how the players hands work on the instrument. Do you think they are holding the bow correctly? What about their left hands? Do you notice how the players put their thumbs in the curvy spot when the notes go up high on the violin?

1. J. S. Bach: Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin in A Minor, movements 3 (Andante) and 4 (Allegro)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO8vZWDO1-M (6 min. 3 sec.)

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a famous collection of three sonatas and three partitas for unaccompanied violin. Just like concertos, sonatas and partitas have separate sections, or movements. These works are quite difficult to play because Bach often asks the violin to play more than one part at a time. In the slow third movement, you’ll hear a continuous accompaniment line that sounds like a heartbeat. Above the heartbeat, you’ll hear a beautiful melody. Doesn’t it sound like more than one violin is playing? The fourth movement is faster, and the violinist has to play lots of notes. The tricky thing about this movement is that not all the notes are equally important. Some are melody notes, and some are accompaniment notes.

2. Nicolo Paganini: Caprice no. 24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGVr7cfTh4Q (4 min. 42 sec.)

Paganini was a very famous violinist in the 1800s. He was perhaps the greatest violinist of all time. He wrote music to show off his fantastic skills on the violin, and he used techniques that had never been used before. He was such a good player, that some people believed he had sold his soul to the devil to have such skill. Of course, he actually had worked very hard and practiced a lot as a boy and young man so that he could play so well. This Caprice is a theme and variation. That means, it starts with a melody, and then the melody is repeated several times, but each time it is changed to show off a different kind of technique. You’ll hear double stops (more than one string played at a time), very fast notes, very high notes, places where the bow bounces on the string, etc. Another technique you’ll see is left hand pizzicato. That’s where the violinist plucks the strings with the left hand fingers. Do you hear how different this piece is from the Bach sonata?

3. Fritz Kreisler: Recitative and Scherzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkygGNCFffI (4 min. 42 sec.)

Fritz Kreisler was a very fine violinist who was known for his beautiful tone. He wrote quite a few pieces for violin. Recitative means the performer doesn’t have to play exactly the tempo as written; he or she can stretch notes or play them slightly faster. The second, faster part of this piece is called Scherzo. Scherzo means joke. Do you think it sounds like a joke? Do you hear how the Scherzo switches between happy sounding music and sad sounding music? Do you notice that the Scherzo has lots of parts where the bow bounces on the string. These bouncy strokes have names. This piece uses strokes called spiccato and ricochet.

4. Bela Bartok: Sonata for Solo Violin, movement 4. Presto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-wGhl8OSqI (5 min. 42 sec.)

Bela Bartok was a Hungarian composer who lived from 1881 to 1945. He is known for his work recording and writing down notes for Hungarian folk music. His compositions

often have similar sounds to the folk music. Notice the violinist has a small black thing on his violin bridge at the beginning. It’s a mute that dampens vibrations and makes the violin sound quieter. Do you notice how he takes it off while playing left hand pizzicato? He puts it on again the same way and takes it off once more. Presto is an Italian word that means very fast, and so of course you’ll hear some super fast notes in this piece. Do you think this piece is easy to listen to, or do you find it hard to follow the melody? Sometimes we have to listen to a piece of music more than once before we can begin to enjoy it.

5. Johann Sebastian Bach: Air arranged and played by Roman Kim (3 min. 50 sec.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgAw93L9gG0

This piece was originally written for string orchestra. Roman Kim is a fantastic violinist who re-wrote the music for solo violin. Do you hear three or four parts played all at once? Notice the left hand pizzicato.

If you want to hear the orchestral version, you can watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzlw6fUux4o

6. Rachel Barton Pine: Variations on a familiar tune

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvAxdJBabBM (5 min. 34 sec.)

This is one of my favorite pieces for unaccompanied violin. I got to hear it performed live once. Do you recognize the tune?

10/12/15 • Circle bows • Pinky push ups on bow • P. 10-11 in book • Listening Lab 4: Violin Sonatas

Introduction:

Today’s listening lab is focused on Sonatas. The word “Sonata” comes from the Italian verb sonar which means “to sound.” Sonatas are instrumental pieces. They usually have three or four movements (sections) that alternate between slow and fast. The earliest

sonatas were written in the 1600s, and composers are still writing sonatas today. Sonatas can be for an unaccompanied solo instrument, a solo instrument with accompaniment, or a small ensemble of instruments. Last week, we heard samples of a few unaccompanied sonatas. This week, we’ll listen to several movements of accompanied violin sonatas to hear how they have changed through the years.

1. Arcangelo Corelli Violin Sonata Op. 5 No. 3 in C Major, 1. Adagio and 2. Allegro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn_lekn0OdE (watch up to 4 min. 29 sec.)

Corelli was the first composer to make a living by composing only instrumental music and no vocal music. Corelli, who was a fantastic violinist himself, wrote this violin sonata shortly before the year 1700. We'll listen to the first two movements of the sonata—the first slow movement and the second fast movement. Corelli’s slow movements have very plain melodies because he expected performers to make the music more interesting by adding their own ornament notes to decorate the melody. Corelli’s sonatas can be performed by just the violinist and a keyboard instrument, but they often include a bass instrument like the cello as well. For this performance, the violinist has three other musicians to accompany him. The one in the middle is playing the cello. The instrument on the right side of the group is a big lute called a theorbo. Theorbos were popular accompaniment instruments during the 1700s

This performance imitates what the music might have sounded like when Corelli was living. The violin has changed since the 1700s. The violinist on this video is playing a Baroque violin. The keyboard instrument is a harpsichord instead of a piano. The theorbo was a popular instrument during Corelli’s lifetime. Here is an interesting video comparing the differences between modern and Baroque violins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhTqpmHu5yg (watch up to 6 min. 25 sec.)

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 378, 2. Andantino sostenuto e cantabile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqw-31pd1uE (5 min. 5 sec.)

Mozart wrote this sonata in 1779 during what we call the Classical era of music history. The Italian title of the second movement means “close to walking speed (andantino) while sustained (sostenuto) and singing (cantabile).” Here is another example of how Mozart used opera-style, singing music when he wrote instrumental music. If this were a song, what do you think the words would be about? The piano has the main melody at

the beginning while the violin plays a less important accompaniment part. Can you hear how the two instruments trade the melody back and forth throughout the movement?

3. Ludwig van Beethoven “Spring Sonata” Op. 24, 1. Allegro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOFCltUxuRc (watch up to 6 min. 11 sec.)

Beethoven wrote 10 violin sonatas. Some of his sonatas sound like they belong in the Classical era, and some of them sound like they belong in the Romantic era of music history. This one, no. 5, is more Classical in style and perhaps the most famous of Beethoven’s sonatas. Written around 1801, the “Spring Sonata” is a sunny, delightful piece. What kind of picture would you put with this music? Like Mozart’s sonata, the piece is a duet between piano and violin. Both instruments are equally important. Do you hear how the violin introduces the melody at the beginning and then plays an accompaniment part while the piano plays the melody? Notice how the two instruments trade the important melodies back and forth. You will be listening to the first movement up until the beginning melody comes back, but if you have time, try listening to the whole sonata.

4. Johannes Brahms Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, 3. Allegro molto moderato

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OuMbXuE-8w (start at 19 min. 41 sec. and watch up to 25 min. 25 sec.)

Johannes Brahms was one of the greatest German composers during the Romantic era. He wrote three sonatas for violin and piano. The first sonata, written in 1879, has three movements. We’ll listen to the last one. For this movement, Brahms used music from one of the songs that he wrote. In German, the songs are called Lieder. This song is entitled Regenlied which means “rain song.” Can you hear how the piano part at the beginning sounds steady like raindrops? If you have time, listen to the end of the movement.

Here is Regenlied, the song Brahms used in this violin sonata. Compare the song with the beginning of the violin sonata. Can you hear the similarities?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt91UV3bxlc (listen up to 1 min. 6 sec.)

5. Maurice Ravel Violin Sonata, 2. Blues: Moderato

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvadPqgZc2A (5 min. 39 sec.)

Maurice Ravel was a French composer. French composers during the late 1800s and early 1900s liked to experiment with different kinds of sounds in their music. Ravel wrote his only sonata for violin and piano between 1923 and 1927. At the time, European composers were fascinated with American styles like blues and jazz. The second movement of this sonata is called “Blues,” and you can hear that style very clearly. Ravel said he wanted to emphasize the many differences between violin and piano in this sonata. Do you think this piece sounds like the other sonatas we’ve listened to?

10/19/15 • Galloping Gazelles (p. 11)—practice for bow directions • Left-hand position: magic x; waterline; thumbside line • Left-hand finger taps on each string • Listening Lab 5: Chamber Music: the String Quartet

Introduction:

Today, we’ll be listening to string quartets. "Quartet" refers to a group of four, and “string" refers to instruments in the violin family. The string quartet is perhaps the perfect small-group ensemble. String quartets are typically made up of two violins, a viola, and a cello. These instruments are all members of the violin family and represent all four musical voices—soprano, the highest; alto and tenor, the middle voices; and bass, the lowest voice. The two violins play the soprano and alto parts, the viola plays the tenor part, and the cello plays the bass part. String quartets typically have four movements.

String quartets are a type of chamber music. Chamber music is written to be performed in smaller rooms, not large concert halls. Therefore, chamber music is usually written for smaller groups of musicians. When you watch a string quartet, you’ll see the two violinists sitting next to each other on the left side, and the violist and cellist sitting on the right side. Sometimes the violist sits on end, and sometimes the cellist is on the end.

1. Franz Joseph Haydn String Quartet Op. 33, No. 2 “The Joke,” Mvmt. 4 Presto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCYj_mnSDrA (Watch from 4 min. 48 sec. to the end)

The string quartet was developed during the Classical Era of music history (1750-1820). The Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn is called the "Father of the String Quartet" because he standardized the number and type of movements. Haydn had a great sense of humor, and people often gave fun names to his compositions. This string quartet is called

“The Joke” because the last movement, the one we’ll listen to, doesn’t have a very clear end. It sounds like it ends several times before it actually does. Notice the classical-style bows these players are using. Also, do you hear how the first violinist usually has the most important part?

2. Franz Joseph Haydn String Quartet Op. 76, No. 3 “Emperor,” Mvmt. 2 Poco adagio; cantabile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udPddgVKzLg

This is the slow movement from Haydn’s “Emperor” quartet. The tune Haydn used in this movement is “God Save Emperor Francis” (Francis was the emperor of Austria at the time). This tune is now the national anthem of Germany. One of Haydn’s contributions to the string quartet was writing the slow movements in theme and variations form. That means the composer would introduce a melody, and then he would repeat the melody but change it in different ways. Do you hear how the melody in this movement is first presented by the first violin? Then you’ll hear the melody in the second violin while the first violin plays an ornamental part. Next, the cello plays the melody. And finally, the viola has a turn playing the melody. Then the first violin plays the tune again, before the movement comes to an end.

3. Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 11 in F minor “Serioso,” Mvmt. 1 Allegro con brio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnY1H8MAqbE (Watch up to 4 min. 18 sec.)

Beethoven, who was a student of Haydn for a short time, further developed the string quartet. Before Beethoven, many string quartets were like a solo for the first violin with the other instruments playing mostly an accompaniment role. Beethoven helped to give each instrument equally important parts. Beethoven is famous for using the compositional technique of development. That means, he would take a theme, or motive, and use it over and over again in different forms throughout a piece or movement. This is sort of like theme and variation, but the theme is much shorter—sometimes only a few notes. Do you hear how the explosive opening music of this string quartet comes back over and over again throughout the movement? This makes the music sound much less like a song than Haydn’s music did.

4. Antonin Dvorak String Quartet Op. 96, No. 12 in F Major “American,” Mvmt. 4 Finale: vivace ma non troppo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV-kbAydcwk (watch from 19 min. to the end)

Antonin Dvorak was a Czech composer from Bohemia. He liked to write music that sounded like the folk music of his country. The “American” quartet was written while Dvorak was visiting America in 1893. At the time, Dvorak was staying in a small town in Iowa. He wanted to imitate the spirit of American music in this quartet. The title of this fourth movement means “Final movement: lively, but not too much.” Do you hear how the busy accompaniment part helps the beginning of this movement sound really energetic? Do you hear the slow, hymn-like section in the middle of the movement?

5. Claude Debussy String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10, Mvmt. 2 Assez viv et bien rythme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAMtEqwI7Zs (3 min. 53 sec.)

Claude Debussy wrote his string quartet in 1893, the same year Dvorak wrote his American quartet. Debussy was a French composer who wrote in the style of music that we call “impressionistic” because it sound the way impressionist paintings look. French composers liked more delicate, indirect melodies. They enjoyed experimenting with tone colors, the different sounds instruments could make. Debussy was fascinated by the exotic Javanese Gamelan music, and you can hear Gamelan-type music in this movement. Do you hear how the viola has the important part at the beginning? And notice how Debussy contrasts pizzicato (plucking the string) with arco (bowing the string). Do you also hear how Debussy uses trills, going quickly back and forth from one note to the other, in this movement? (The trills start at 1 min.)

You can watch this video of you want to hear a Javanese Gamelan ensemble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3HwqqiVxbE

6. Bela Bartok String Quartet No. 4 in C, Mvmt. 1 Allegro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQjM0WC3TCE (start at 26 sec.) (5 min. 57 sec.)

Bartok was the Hungarian composer who recorded Hungarian folk music which he then used in his own compositions. Bartok’s music is often difficult to listen to. You have to hear one of his pieces several times to begin to like it. This movement sounds very much like a conversation—or perhaps an argument—between four voices. Do you think it might be trolls arguing with each other? How would you describe this music? I don’t think we would call it pretty. Do you hear how the instruments finally all play together at the very end?

10/26/15 • Review: violin and bow parts; staff; treble clef; open strings • p. 12 and 14 (dynamics; B on the A string) • Challenge: learn Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by ear and play with correct

technique (i.e. bow tilt and bow staying between bridge and fingerboard) • Listening Lab 6: Symphonies

Introduction:

This week’s listening lab is on the Symphony. A Symphony is a piece of music written for orchestra. Symphonies usually have four movements. The first movement is typically fast, and the music is put together in a way that musicians call “sonata-allegro form.” The second movement is usually slow. The third movement is often a Minuet (a type of dance) or a fast Scherzo (Italian for “joke”). The fourth movement is usually a fast, rousing finale. Sometimes the fast and slow middle movements trade places.

Symphonies became popular during the classical era of music history (1750-1820). Do you remember that in our last listening lab we called Franz Joseph Haydn the “Father of the String Quartet”? Haydn can also be called the “Father of the Symphony” because his symphonies were important in standardizing the number and types of movements. Haydn wrote over one hundred symphonies!

We’ll listen to samples of symphonies from several periods in music history. The orchestra gradually grew larger, and more wind, brass, and percussion instruments were added. Some composers even used choirs or solo singers in their symphonies. The violin family of instruments is the backbone of the orchestra. Just like the string quartet, there are first violin, second violin, viola, and cello parts. But now many players are together on a part instead of just one player on each part. The orchestra also includes the string bass, woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments. The woodwinds and brass usually have only one player on each part, and there are often at least two parts for each of these instruments. And of course since we have so many people playing together at one time, it helps to have a leader called the conductor.

1. Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor, “Farewell,” Mvmt. 4 Finale: Presto-adagio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ligH6PCW0

Like many musicians of his day, Haydn was employed by a member of the nobility, Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy. Haydn was Prince Esterhazy’s Kapellmeister, or the person in charge of the other musicians who worked for the prince. Part of Haydn’s job was

writing symphonies and other music for the prince to listen to. During the summer, Prince Esterhazy would take his musicians with him while he vacationed in his summer palace in the country. Many of the musicians had to leave their wives and families back in the city.

One summer, the prince stayed at his summer palace longer than usual, and the musicians wanted to get back home to their families. They asked Haydn, whom they affectionately called “Papa Haydn,” if he could tell the prince that they wanted to go home. Haydn used the last movement of his Symphony No. 45 to send a message to Prince Esterhazy. Watch the video to find out what Haydn did. Apparently, when the prince heard the symphony, he understood what Haydn was trying to tell him, and the next day, he and his employees traveled back to the city. We have two words about speed, or tempo, in the title of this fourth movement. The first, presto, means fast. Adagio means slow. Do you think the tempo change in this movement helped to make Haydn’s message clear to the prince?

2. Ludwig Van Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Mvmt. 2 Scherzo: Molto vivace-Presto

http://youtu.be/X7UNh53GzVI (watch from 16 min. 54 sec. to 24 min. 5 sec.)

The great German composer Ludwig Van Beethoven expanded the symphony in length, emotional content, and size of the orchestra. Beethoven wrote a total of nine symphonies. His fifth and ninth symphonies are the most famous. We’re going to listen to part of the second movement of his Ninth Symphony. The title of this movement is Scherzo the Italian word for “joke." Beethoven was the first composer to use scherzos instead of minuets as one of the middle movements of his symphonies. By the time Beethoven wrote his Ninth Symphony, he was almost completely deaf. Can you imagine writing this music if you couldn’t hear anything? Notice the rhythm the violins and timpani drums play at the very beginning of the movement. Do you hear how Beethoven uses this rhythm over and over again throughout the movement? We call this motivic development. This is one of Beethoven’s symphonies where he expanded the orchestra by using trombones. The nickname of this symphony is “Choral” because Beethoven used solo singers and a choir in the last movement.

3. Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D Major, “Pastoral,” Mvmt. 4, Allegro con spirito

http://youtu.be/pssdTjkVGa4 (watch from 36 min. 43 sec. to the end)

During the Romantic Era of music history, there were two main views on music. One was that music should be combined with some other art form, such as a poem, book, or painting, so that it would tell a story the audience could connect with. Richard Wagner, one of the composers who thought this way, actually declared that the symphony was dead. The other view during this time was that music could speak to people on its own and didn’t need to be connected to a story or painting. Brahms was one of the composers who believed the second view, and he, along with other composers, continued to write symphonies. Brahms’s Symphony No. 2 is known as his “Pastoral Symphony” because of it’s beautiful, sunny melodies. The fourth movement is a fast, joyful finale. Do you think music should be connected with pictures or stories, or do you think music can affect listeners all by itself?

4. Dimitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in

http://youtu.be/PeJPmIbiqp4 (watch from 35 min. 55 sec to 47 min. 20 sec.)

Wagner was wrong; the symphony was not dead. The Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich wrote his Fifth Symphony in 1937, fifty years after Wagner died. Shostakovich lived during the communist Soviet regime. The government tried to regulate everything, even the kind of music composers wrote. Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony had been denounced as “muddle instead of music,” and the composer was actually in danger of being killed for not writing the “right” kind of music.

Shostakovich wrote his Fifth Symphony in such a way that made the government happy with his music again, but many people believe Shostakovich incorporated secret meaning into his Fifth Symphony to actually denounce the Soviet government. When the symphony was played for the first time, many people in the audience wept when they heard the achingly sorrowful third movement. The last movement contains parts that sound like military music, but it sounds pompous and proud rather than victorious, and the movement seems to make fun of the military music. You’ll also hear a slower, sad section that contrasts the up-beat military music. The end of the movement sounds joyful, but the violins play the same high note over and over. Many say this repeated note represents “forced rejoicing” where the government tells people “your business is rejoicing,” and the terrified people repeat to themselves over and over “our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing.”

Because symphonies can last an hour or more, we have only been able to listen to a small sample. There are many more famous symphonies we could listen to, and composers still continue to write symphonies. If you’re interested in hearing more, look up symphonies by Mozart (Nos. 40 and 41), Mendelssohn ("Italian" or “Scottish"), Dvorak (“New

World”), Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Berlioz (Symphonie Fantastique), Mahler, Prokofiev (Nos.1 and 5), Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Elliot Carter, etc.

11/2/15 • p. 14—polish the song of the Australian bee eater • p. 15—Hungry Penguins and ostinatos • p. 16-17—harmonics • Challenge piece: Harmonic Etude • Listening Lab 7: Great Performers—Who’s Who in Violin

The Concert Violinist:

Today, we’re going to watch videos of several famous concert violinists. These are violinists who play exceptionally well and have become famous through their solo recitals and concerts as soloists with top orchestras around the world. These are the superstars of the violin world.

1. The first famous performer we’ll look at is Niccolo Paganini, an Italian violinist and composer. He lived from 1782-1840, before people could make sound or video recordings. There are many descriptions of Paganini’s playing, however. No violinist had ever played like him before. He could do things on the violin that people thought were impossible. People made up all kinds of ridiculous stories about how Paganini was able to play so well. Many of the stories were influenced by his strange appearance: he was tall and thin, had a long nose, long dark hair, and dressed in black. Sometimes, Paganini purposely played with worn out strings so that one or two of them would break during a concert and he could impress his audience by continuing to play on the remaining strings. Paganini’s influence on the violin world and music in general is huge.

Since we can’t watch a video of Paganini himself, we’ll watch a video of a modern violinist playing Paganini’s Caprice No. 24. This piece is very famous, and other composers have used the tune in their own music. This performer sort of looks like Paganini because of his hairstyle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ307sM0t-0 (5 min. 10 sec)

Caricature of Paganini with broken strings:

!

2. The Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim is the next famous violinist we’ll look at. In addition to his violin playing, Joachim was known as a composer, conductor, and teacher. He lived from 1831-1907 and was one of the first violinists to have a sound recording made of his playing. Of course the recording quality isn’t what we’re used to today. Joachim was a good friend of the great composer Johannes Brahms. You can find recordings of Joachim playing Brahms’s music. Today, however, we’re going to listen to Joachim play Romanze in C, one of his own compositions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeVFYA0Duss (3 min. 33 sec.)

3. Jascha Heifetz was born in Russia in 1901, but he moved to the United States when he was a teenager. Heifetz's debut performance in Carnegie Hall, the most important performing hall in the United States, was a great success. According to the New York Times, Heifetz was “perhaps the greatest violinist of all time.” After hearing the young Heifetz play, the famous violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler said, “We might as well take our fiddles and smash them across our knees.” Heifetz was a violin teacher as well as a great performer. Here’s a video of Heifetz playing Polonaise No. 1 in D Major, Op. 4 by Wieniawski.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21dsRBeIy8A (4 min. 24 sec.)

4. The famous violinist Itzhak Perlman was born in Israel in 1945. He had the disease polio as a child. This disease sometimes affects a persons muscles, particularly the leg muscles. As a result, Perlman cannot walk without the aid of crutches, and he performs while sitting down. Perlman conducts and teaches violin in addition to his performing. Here is a video of Perlman performing Tempo di Minuetto in the Style of Pugnani by Fritz Kreisler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYpMlOV0wrI (The music starts at 2 min. 26 sec., but at the beginning of the video, Perlman describes what it was like playing for fundraisers as a 13-year-old boy.) (6 min. 9 sec.)

5. Joshua Bell was born in Bloomington Indiana in 1967. He began taking violin lessons when he was 5 years old. In addition to performing classical music, Bell also collaborates with musicians who play other styles of music. Bell is currently the music director of a renowned chamber orchestra called the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Here is a video of Joshua Bell performing the third movement Presto from Antonio Vivaldi’s violin concerto Summer, one concerto in a set of four called The Four Seasons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laGT9IB2bFo (2 min. 43 sec.)

6. Hilary Hahn, born in 1979, is another American violinist. She started performing with major orchestras when she was 12 years old. Like Joshua Bell, Hahn also plays other styles of music. She has commissioned multiple contemporary composers to write pieces for her. Here is a video of her playing the first movement of Mozart’s G Major Concerto, no. 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-mA9OMP3DE (Watch up to 10 min. 35 sec.)

There are many other professional performing violinists we could have listened to. Here is a list of some of them:

David Oistrakh Nathan Milstein Ivory Gitlis Yehudi Menuhin Fritz Kreisler Henryk Szeryng Isaac Stern Pinchas Zukerkman Gideon Kremer Gil Shaham James Ehnes Anne-Sophie Mutter Viktoria Mullova Sarah Chang Janine Jansen Julia Fischer Anne Akiko Meyers

11/9/15 • Hungry Penguins—polish for recital • p. 18—Maybe Abey Astronaut: harmonics and dynamics • p. 19—new rhythms • Bonus: p. 20-21 • Challenge piece: Rhythmic Study • Listening Lab 8: The Violin Family

Introduction:

Today, we’ll look in depth at the instruments in the violin family. Of course, you already know quite a bit about the violin and have watched lots of videos with violin playing from our other listening labs. The Philharmonia Orchestra in London has made some excellent videos introducing the instruments of the orchestra. Through those, we’ll get to learn more about the violin and also the viola, cello, and double bass. You’ll also be able to watch videos of solos for viola, cello, and double bass.

1. The Violin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgaQFLUdUL0&list=PLqR22EoucCyccs5J639SCefaM7mD9dMSz (watch up to 7 min. 58 sec)

You’ll learn about names for different kinds of bow strokes as well as other interesting sounds the violin can make. Since you’ve watched a lot of violin performances, we won’t take time to watch a specific violin piece today.

2. The Viola

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XierDLeUiYg&list=PLqR22EoucCyccs5J639SCefaM7mD9dMSz&index=2 (watch up to 6 min. 23 sec.)

The viola is the stringed instrument most similar to the violin, and the two instruments are played almost exactly the same way. Lots of violinists also play viola, and some violists also play violin. You’ll learn the names of more bow strokes that are also used on the violin. The viola is traditionally not used often as a solo instrument because it’s middle range isn’t loud enough to be heard over lots of other instruments. Size is also a problem for the viola. While the violin is the perfect size for the notes it can play, the viola should be lots bigger to properly resonate (vibrate) for the notes it can play. But if the viola were as big as it should be, it would be too big to play.

Here’s a video of a violist playing on one of the most valuable instruments in the world. The maker of this instrument, Antonio Stradivari, lived in the 1700s. Many of his instruments that are still around today have a beautiful sound and are highly sought after. Lots of top performers play on Stradivari (or “Strad”) instruments, especially violinists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwbZLx3hLws

3. The Cello

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcqzPoMza7c&index=3&list=PLqR22EoucCyccs5J639SCefaM7mD9dMSz

The cello strings have the same names as the viola, but they are an octave lower. The part this lady calls the “spike” is also known as the “end pin.”

We’ve listened to unaccompanied violin pieces by J. S. Bach. Cellists also have a great collection of unaccompanied music by Bach. These are known as the Six Cello Suites. Violists often play these pieces too, but an octave higher. Here’s the Gigue (a dance related to the English jig) from the 3rd Cello Suite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWbMxGmoj34

4. The Double Bass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUUVSxZ4ohI&list=PLqR22EoucCyccs5J639SCefaM7mD9dMSz&index=4

The double bass is a cross between the violin family and the older viol family. Notice it’s top shoulders are sloped, unlike the rounded violin shoulders. And the back is often flat whereas the violin back is curved. Also, the bass strings are tuned in the interval of a fourth, and violin strings are tuned in intervals of a 5th. Did you notice the strings are the same as the violin strings, but they’re backwards? (E is lowest; G is highest)

The double bass piece we’re going to listen to is from Camille Saint Saens piece called Carnival of the Animals. If you have time, listen to the whole piece. It’s lots of fun, especially with a narrator saying a short poem before each piece. Apparently Saint Saens meant the Carnival of the Animals as a joke and wrote it to play with some of his friends while he was on vacation. We still enjoy listening to it today. Here’s the Elephant on the double bass:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2fjsYurN5M (start at 8 min. 34 sec. and watch up to 10 min. 10 sec.)

If you have extra time and would like to listen to another double bass piece, check out this funny piece called “Failing: A Very Difficult Piece for Solo String Bass.” Have you ever noticed it’s very difficult to talk and play at the same time?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P8C6-XqaNs

11/16/15 • Hungry Penguins—polish for recital: long bows for long notes • p. 18—polish Maybe Abey Astronaut • p. 20-21—practice new rhythms from last week

• p. 22-23—new rhythms; first finger notes on all strings

11/30/15 • Hungry Penguins—polish and pick an ostinato for the recital • Gruesome Grub—p. 22-23—polish • Write your own piece to play on the recital: eight measures and four animal

names/measure • Study for quiz over p. 1-23 • Listening Lab 9: Character Pieces with Piano

Miniatures or Character Pieces

Introduction:

Today, we’re going to listen to short, stand-alone pieces written for violin. Most have piano accompaniment, while a few have orchestral accompaniment. Character pieces were usually written for piano, but these pieces for violin can also be called character pieces. These pieces can also be called “miniatures” because they are very short. Character pieces, or miniatures, express only one idea or mood unlike the multi-movement pieces we’ve looked at such as the concerto, sonata, string quartet, and symphony. These short pieces often had descriptive titles showing the mood the music expressed.

1. Fritz Kreisler: Liebesfreud

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUjkJ3_GkBY (3 min. 40 sec.)

Fritz Kreisler wrote many miniature pieces for violin and piano during the early 1900s. The title of this piece means “Love’s Joy.” You may remember from previous listening labs that Kreisler was a fantastic violinist who was known for his beautiful tone and lyrical (singing) style. Liebesfreud, and many others of Kreisler’s pieces, reflects this elegant style of playing.

2. Bela Bartok: Romanian Folk Dances

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EkUi8pXRYE (6 min. 7 sec.)

Bartok is another composer we’ve met in previous listening labs. He was a Hungarian composer who traveled around to small villages in Hungary and surrounding countries to record authentic folk music. Bartok used many of those folk tunes in his own

compositions. There are 6 dances in this collection which was originally written for piano. Here are the titles of the dances: Stick Dance, Sash Dance, Stamping Dance, Hornpipe Dance, Romanian Polka, Quick Dance.

3. Peter Tchaikovsky: Melodie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJr9who5AO8 (3 min. 45 sec.)

Tchaikovsky was a famous Russian composer. This Melodie is one of three pieces from a collection called "Memory of a Dear Place.” This collection contains the only three pieces Tchaikovsky wrote for violin and piano.

4. Antonin Dvorak: Humoresque

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBDmAxSFt6A (3 min. 44 sec.)

Dvorak, a Czech composer, wrote 8 short pieces for piano entitled Humoresques. He used musical melodies that he had gathered during his stay in the United States. The seventh of these pieces became very popular and is now known simply as “Humoresque.” Humoresque has been arranged for many different instruments. This arrangement for violin, cello, and orchestra features two world-famous musicians Itzhad Perlman (violin) and Yo Yo Ma (cello).

5. Edward Elgar: Salut d’Amour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXLOF-z5Zlk (3 min. 1 sec.)

The English composer Edward Elgar wrote Salut d’Amour in 1888. He originally called the piece Liebesgruss (Love’s Greeting) and gave it to Caroline Alice Roberts, who later became his wife, as an engagement present.

6. Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ddzG9M-BeI (3 min. 29 sec.)

The German composer Johannes Brahms wrote a collection of 21 Hungarian Dances for piano four-hands (two people playing on one piano). The Dances were all very popular, but the most famous is his Dance No. 5.

7. Jules Massenet: Meditation from Thais

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOO87LII6Bo (6 min. 25 sec.)

Meditation from Thais is not truly a miniature or character piece. It is from the French composer Jules Massenet’s opera Thais. Massenet wrote the piece for violin and orchestra to be played between two scenes in the opera. Today, the Meditation is famous as a stand alone piece for solo violin.

8. Antonio Bazzini: Dance of the Goblins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD_MCPsDGg0 (4 min. 48 sec.)

Bazzini’s Dance of the Goblins is one of my favorite short pieces for violin. The violinist uses a bouncing technique for the bow called ricochet for much of the piece. Bazzini was an Italian composer and violinist. He wrote his Dance of the Goblins (or La Ronde des Lutins) in 1852. Of the pieces we’ve listened to today, this piece is the most difficult to play.

12/7/15 • Quiz • Finish composing songs for the recital • Hungry Penguins—Fish and Chips for Supper ostinato • Listening Lab 10: Show Pieces

Show Pieces

Introduction:

Today, we’re going to look at a few of the show pieces written for the violin. These are pieces that are designed to show off the amazing technical skill of the player. For that reason, show pieces are some of the most difficult pieces in the repertoire.

1. Zigeunerweisen by Pablo de Sarasate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEvw9281hqM

We’ve talked about Pablo de Sarasate in previous listening labs. He was a very famous Spanish violinist who also composed pieces for the violin. His compositions reflect his amazing technical skill. Zigeunerweisen ("gypsy songs”) is perhaps Sarasota’s most famous piece. It is based on gypsy music. Zigeunerweisen is an international oddity because it has a German name and was written in England by a Spanish violinist who lived in France. The original piece has orchestral accompaniment. Like the gypsy czardas music, Zigeunerweisen contains slow and fast sections. The slow music reflected the nobility of the Roma people, and the fast sections were their dances.

The violinist on this video is Gil Shaham. He has a very pure, clean style of playing. Notice his excellent left-hand position—thumb side of fingers and straight wrist—and his relaxed, flexible, and natural-looking bow hand. This music includes virtuosic techniques such as very high notes, double stops, harmonics, left-hand pizzicato, ricochet bowing, and sautille.

2. I Brindisi by Roman Kim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5kzdf8kUeM

One common form for show pieces was theme and variation form. That means the composer would take a melody, the theme, and then come up with lots of fancy ways to play that melody, the variations. Sometimes the variations are so fancy it’s hard to hear the original melody. Roman Kim, the performer on this video, is an extremely skillful violinist who writes his own pieces. This one is very much in the style of pieces the famous 19th century violinist Paganini would write to show off his skill on the violin.

The theme of I Brindisi is “Libiamo e’ lieti calico” from the opera La Traviata by the 19th century Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. In the opera, this music is sung as a duet by two of the male characters. The tune begins around 3 min. 12 sec. after a long introduction. The difficult techniques in this piece include up-bow staccato, fast trills, double stop trills, harmonics, left-hand pizzicato, double stops, and extended passages in octaves and tenths. One technique Mr. Kim uses that I’ve never seen before is pizzicato with his teeth! I think that technique is in the category of “don’t try this at home”!

3. Carmen Fantasy by Pablo de Sarasate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L44QmaY4_VA

Here is another piece taken from an opera. Sarasate arranged the Fantasy using several pieces from Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen. The violinist on this video is Sarah Chang. I have a recording of her playing this piece when she was only nine years old!

This piece may be even more difficult than Zigeunerweisen. Around 2 min. 10 sec, you’ll hear the melody played with a technique called false harmonics. The end of the piece builds in excitement as the violinist plays faster and faster!