20
08-
l
2 0 0 9 Yo u n g P e o p
e ’s
Concer ts
Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra
the
Mei-Ann Chen
conductor
heartbeat
of
music
Shostakovich: Festive Overture
Rossini-Respighi: Waltz from The Fantastic Toyshop
Dvor̆ák: Slavonic Dance No. 1
Orff: Dance from Carmina Burana
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, 4th movement
Stravinsky: Infernal Dance of King Katschei
from Firebird Suite
Higdon: Peachtree Street from City Scape
the
heartbeat
of
music
Put your hand over your heart.
Be still and quiet.
What do you feel?
1
1-2
Your heartbeat is always there. Most of the time, you are not aware that your heart is
beating. While it beats on and on, you go about your daily routine. Think about your normal
day. Most of us do certain things every single day, often at the same time every day. But
every day is not the same – you have good days and bad days, happy days and sad days.
Sometimes, something really exciting or unusual happens. Meanwhile, unnoticed, your heart
beats on.
The same is true of music. While the rhythm holds our attention, underneath the rhythm,
the beat just keeps on ticking. The beat, like your heartbeat, is the pulse – the very life – of
music. Music happens in time the way your life happens in time. The steady beat sets the
pace and divides time into little bits. Meanwhile, the rhythm may have a dull day or an
exciting day, just like you, but – the beat goes on.
In music, beats are grouped together in 2’s or 3’s. This grouping of beats is called meter.
When each section (measure) of a line of music contains 2 beats, we say the music is in
duple meter. When there are three beats per measure, we call that triple meter. Duple and
triple (and quadruple – 4 beat) meters are called simple meters.
The groups of twos and threes fit into measures on a page of music. When you look at a
page of music, you will see a line that marks the end of a group of either two or three. We
call the line a measure bar and the space between the bars a measure.
The first thing you do when
you read a page of music is
to check the time signature.
The time signature looks like
a fraction. The top number tells you how many beats are in the measures. That helps you
figure out the meter. For instance, a 2/4 time signature tells you that there are two beats in
each measure. That’s duple meter, of course.
The beat is a steady pulse. We say that beats are even. Each beat lasts the same amount of
time as the beat before and after it. On the other hand, the rhythm is usually uneven. That
means that rhythm is a combination of long and short musical tones. Sometimes the notes
of the rhythm are on the beat. Sometimes they occur off the beat. Usually these long and
short tones are combined into patterns.
At the ASO Young People’s Concert, you’ll hear music in many different meters and
rhythms. Some will be simple, but some will be very complicated. You won’t believe how
composers love to experiment with time in music!
Before the concert, listen to the Rhythm CD, watch the DVD, read your booklet and do
the activities for each piece of music. Before long, you’ll be a meter and rhythm expert!
2
Instrument
Families of the Orchestra
Meet the
3
String
Woodwind
The four major instruments in the string
family, the violin, the viola, the cello
and the double bass, are built the same
way. The instruments are made of
many pieces of wood, which are glued
– never nailed – together. The body of
the instrument is hollow, thus becoming
a resonating box for the sound. Four
strings (sometimes five on the doublebass) made of animal gut, nylon, or steel
are wrapped around pegs at one end
of the instrument and attached to a
tailpiece at the other. They are stretched
tightly across a bridge to produce their
assigned pitches.
The three branches of the woodwind family
have different sources of sound. Vibrations
begin when air is blown across the top of an
instrument, across a single reed, or across
two reeds. Reeds are small pieces of cane.
A single reed is clamped to a mouthpiece at
the top of the instrument and vibrates against
the mouthpiece when air is blown between
the reed and the mouthpiece. Two reeds tied
together are commonly known as a double
reed. This double reed fits into a tube at the
top of the instrument and vibrates when air is
forced between the two reeds.
Brass
Percussion
Brass Family instruments produce their
unique sound by the player buzzing his/
her lips while blowing air through a cupor funnel-shaped mouthpiece. To produce
higher or lower pitches, the player adjusts
the opening between his/her lips. The
mouthpiece connects to a length of brass
tubing ending in a bell. The shorter the
tubing length, the smaller the instrument,
and the higher the sound; and the
longer the tubing length, the larger the
instrument, and the lower the sound.
The main instruments of the brass family
include the trumpet, horn, trombone
and tuba.
With a name that means, “the hitting of one
body against another,” instruments in the
percussion family are played by being struck,
shaken, or scraped. Percussion instruments
are classified as tuned or untuned. Tuned
instruments play specific pitches or notes,
just like the woodwind, brass and string
instruments. Untuned instruments produce a
sound with an indefinite pitch, like the sound
of a hand knocking on a door.
Keyboard
Keyboard instruments are often classified as
percussion instruments because they play a
rhythmic role in some music. However, most
keyboard instruments are not true members
of the percussion family because their sound is
not produced by the vibration of a membrane
or solid material.
Trombones
4
Dmitri Shostakovich
(1906-1975)
Festive Overture
Rhythm Spotlight on:
• Duple Meter
• Tempo
• Triple Meter
• Accent
Shosta
Vocabulary Spotlight on:
• Fanfare
• Duple Meter
• Tempo
• Presto
• Triple Meter
• Accented
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Dmitri Shostakovich was born in 1906 in St. Petersburg, Russia. His mother
taught him piano. He wrote his first symphony for his graduation from the St.
Petersburg Conservatory in 1925. It was a great success and made him famous
as a composer. Shostakovich wrote many different kinds of music, including
operas, ballets, symphonies, and music for plays. Today, his music is known and
played throughout the world.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
In 1954, Shostakovich was asked
to write music for the anniversary
of the Russian Revolution. Russians
celebrate the Revolution the same
way we celebrate our Fourth of
July. In Festive Overture, the rhythm
patterns help the audience feel
the excitement of the celebration.
The beginning of Festive Overture
is a fanfare. Fanfares are showy,
5
outward displays that are designed to get your attention. The rest of Festive
Overture is in duple meter (groups of two beats). You can tell when the
duple-meter section is about to begin. The music slows down and you hear a
loud chord. The Overture then continues at a very fast tempo in duple meter.
The tempo is the speed of the music. Shostakovich placed the word presto at
the beginning of this section. Presto is an Italian word that means “very fast.”
Activity #1:
Try walking, running or marching to the beat. If it feels comfortable to step LeftRight-Left-Right, then you know the music is in duple meter (two feet = two
beats). If it feels right to sway
or think “1-2-3, 1-2-3,” then
time signature
the music might be in triple
meter (groups of three).
akovich
>
1
2
Most of Festive Overture is
Clap Snap
in duple meter (groups of
two beats). It has a 2/4 time
signature telling you that there are two beats in each measure. The groups of beats
are easy to hear because the first beat is accented (louder).
You can create other 2-beat movements to go with Festive Overture. Create two
different movements (for example clapping and snapping). Perform one move on
beat one and the other on beat two. Try creating different 2-beat movements
when you hear the music change. Next, try creating 3-beat movements to go with
the fanfare section.
Activity #2:
Conductors use a different conducting motion for each meter. The pattern for
duple meter looks like this:
Lift your hand to chest height and trace this pattern in the air.
It’s almost like drawing a fishhook in the air over and over. Play
the recording of Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. Conduct a few
minutes of the Presto section, using the duple meter pattern
shown. Is your arm tired? Imagine conducting a two-hour
concert. You can see why conductors have strong arms!
6
Rossini – Respighi
Waltz from The Fantastic Toyshop
Rhythm Spotlight on:
• Tempo
• Triple Meter
Vocabulary Spotlight on:
• Ballet
• Waltz
• Pizzicato
Have you ever imagined that toys can come to life? That’s exactly what happens in this
tale about a strange toyshop where dolls come to life and dance all kinds of dances.
The story became a Russian ballet. One of the dances is a beautiful waltz.
ABOUT THE COMPOSERS
Who wrote The Fantastic Toyshop – Rossini or Respighi? You will notice the names of
two composers under the title. Actually, both composers contributed their talents!
Rossini wrote the melody of this waltz for piano. Nearly sixty years after he died, his
piano pieces were used to create a new ballet, The Fantastic Toyshop. The head of
the Russian Ballet asked the composer Respighi to take Rossini’s pieces, change them
around and rewrite them for orchestra. The result became one of Respighi’s most
popular works. The ballet was a great success.
Rossini-R
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Gioachino Rossini was born in 1792 in Italy. He had two very musical parents and started
his musical training at the age of six, playing triangle in his father’s band. He learned to
sing, play the piano and the French horn very well. Rossini’s music, such as the William Tell
Overture, best known as the theme for the television series The Lone Ranger.
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Ottorino Respighi was born in 1879 in Italy. His father taught him violin and piano at a
very young age. He played as a 1st violin player for the Russian Imperial Theatre where
he met Rimsky-Korsakov, a composition teacher. Respighi studied composition and
decided to make writing music his full-time career. He moved to Rome, Italy where he
spent the rest of his life.
ABOUT THE BALLET
A ballet is a story told completely by music and dancing. The story the dancers tell
takes place in a toyshop in Italy. Rich Russian and American tourists visit the shop to
see the mechanical dolls. The shopkeeper shows the tourists how each pair of dolls
performs their own special dance. The tourists love the two dolls that dance the
7
can-can. The Russians buy the girl doll. The Americans buy the boy doll. They
promise to come back the next day to pick them up. Overnight, the dolls come to
life, dancing together. All the dolls are sad, because the can-can dolls are in love with
each other and don’t want to be apart. The next day, when the tourists come back,
no one can find the can-can dolls. The tourists become very angry. The dolls run
them out of the shop. When they are gone, everyone dances.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
One of the dances the dolls perform is a waltz. The waltz, a dance in ¾ time, was
a very popular dance in the late 1800’s. The first waltz tune we know about is from
Germany in 1670. It’s still an important dance in ballroom dancing contests. Over
the years, composers have written many different kinds of waltzes. Some were even
written in duple meter. At the very end of this waltz, you will hear the meter change
from triple to duple. It’s easy to hear because the violins begin to play pizzicato.
They pluck the strings instead of bowing.
Activity #1:
Do you feel the “sway” in this
¾ music? You can’t help wanting
to move to waltzes. We just
have to dance!
>
1
2
3
>
1
2
3
>
1
2
3
>
1
2
3
Count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc. Clap the three
beats as you count, repeating many
times. Add a step on each beat one.
You should be performing two things
at the same time: clapping all three
beats and stepping on the first beat.
Perform this pattern while listening to
the music. Create your own patterns
to show groups of three. This is what
the music looks like.
Respighi
Using the diagram to the right, try dancing the waltz with
a partner!
Activity #2:
Now try conducting in ¾ time (triple meter). Follow the
diagram to conduct a few minutes of the waltz from The
Fantastic Toyshop. Conduct with small motions. Listen carefully!
Sometimes the music slows down (tempo).
8
Antonín Dvor̆ák
(1841-1904)
Slavonic Dance No. 1 in C major, Op. 46
Rhythm Spotlight on:
• Duple Meter
• Triple Meter
• Rhythm Pattern
Vocabulary Spotlight on:
• Folk
• Furient
Every culture around the world makes up its
own stories, songs and dances. This is called
folk culture. Folk means “from the people.”
An example of an American folk dance is the
square dance. The Slavonic Dance is a folk
dance from the Slavic culture.
D
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Antonín Dvor̆ák, born in 1841, was the oldest of nine children. Antonín’s father
wanted him to become a butcher like himself. Antonín was a talented violinist. He
loved to play for his father’s customers in the family inn. He left school at the age
of 12 to go to a neighboring town to learn more about music. At 17, he went to
the city of Prague to become a professional musician.
Antonín Dvor̆ák loved his
country. His music was inspired
by the folk music and folk stories
of his native Bohemia. Look at
the map. Bohemia is now part
of the Czech Republic.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
When he was 33 years old, Dvor̆ák won a prize to help “young, poor and
talented” musicians. Later, he won the prize two more times. One of the judges
who awarded him the prize was the famous composer Johannes Brahms. Brahms
introduced Dvor̆ák to his publisher. The publisher asked Dvor̆ák to write a set of
9
dances like Brahms’ Hungarian Dances. The Slavonic Dances were so popular they
made Dvor̆ák famous all over Europe.
Dvo�rák
The Slavonic Dances are a set of eight short pieces. Slavonic Dance No. 1 is composed
in the style of a furiant, a fun, exciting, Czech folk dance that changes back and forth
between duple and triple meters. It contains a series of rhythm patterns.
Activity #1:
Follow the listening guide below to listen to the whole piece of music.
Activity #2:
The time signature in this piece is ¾ throughout. It feels like the meter changes
from triple to duple and back again, because the accented beats (louder or heavier)
change from section to section. Try this exercise:
Count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc. Tap your foot to the beat. Once the counting is steady, begin
clapping on beats 1, 3 and then 2. These are the accented beats. Do this over and
over. Though you are counting in three (triple meter), you are accenting three beats
over two measures. Grouping the accents over two measures creates a feeling of a
slower triple meter. This is what happens in the first section of this Slavonic Dance.
The accent pattern
looks like this:
The rhythm pattern
looks like this:
Now clap the first pattern four times, and then switch to the second pattern. Play
it four times, and then continue to change back and forth between patterns. Keep
the beat steady. There are four different rhythm patterns in this music.
Activity #3:
Create some dance steps or motions to go with the music. You need four different
patterns of steps – one for each section (A, B, C, D). You need three different
patterns in duple meter and one in triple meter. Each time a section repeats, do the
same steps or motions. Ask your teacher if you need help with ideas.
10
Carl Orff
(1895-1982)
Dance (Tanz) from Carmina Burana
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metallophones and glockenspiels. Some of the instruments are large (bass),
some medium (alto), and some small (soprano). Many music teachers in
American schools use the Orff-method of teaching music. Carl Orff believed
that all students should make music as a group. He believed all young people
are musical. Ask your teacher if she uses the Orff music teaching method. You
might be an “Orff-musician.”
Orff
ABOUT THE MUSIC
The Dance (Tanz, in German) from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is a wild and crazy
dance. You can just imagine people flinging themselves around with uncontrolled
motions. In fact, this dance is set in a section of Carmina Burana called “On the
Lawn.” That would be a good place to do this dance!
A chorus and soloists sing all the other parts (movements) of Carmina. This is the
only movement just for orchestra. Tanz has no time signature. Written above the
conductor’s score (the written music), there is simply a number (2, 3, 4, 6, 12) and
the beat note. The beat note is the type of note that gets one beat. It is sometimes a
quarter note and sometimes an eighth note. Eighth notes last half as long as quarter
notes (1/4 divided by 2 = 1/8). Because the beat note keeps changing, the pulse
(beat) is not always the same.
Activity #1:
Tanz has several different sections. The A section (the first section) and the B
section (the second section) are very rhythmic, loud and boisterous. Sometimes
you hear a duple meter and sometimes you hear a triple meter (this is called
mixed meter). The C section is very different. It is much quieter, slower and
features a flute solo. Follow along with the listening map on page 19 as you listen
to the music.
Intro
A
B
A
C
A
B
A
Coda
12
Béla Bartók
(1881-1945)
Concerto for Orchestra, 4th movement
Barto
Rhythm Spotlight on:
• Mixed Meter
• Accent
• Septuple Meter
Vocabulary Spotlight on:
• Concerto
• Mixed Meter
Like Carl Orff, Béla Bartók composed
interesting and exciting music by using
complex rhythms and mixed-meter.
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Béla Bartók was born in Hungary in 1881. His parents were teachers and amateur
musicians. Béla showed his talent at an early age. At four years old, he could play over
40 songs on the piano.
Béla was shy and not very healthy. His father died when Béla was only seven. His
mother moved the family often, looking for jobs. She wanted Béla and his sister to
have good a good education.
Béla began writing music when he was only ten
years old. He went to music school to become
a piano soloist.
Later, Béla became very interested in the folk
music of his country. He collected folk music
by listening to the people around him. Bartók
composed music that often times sounded like
Hungarian folk music.
13
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra was the last music he wrote. Béla left Hungary when
World War II began. The Nazis had taken over his country. He was living in New York
and was very ill. Someone asked Bartók to write a piece for orchestra. The desire to
write this music made him feel much better for a while. He wrote the Concerto in only
seven weeks. He died nine months later.
ok
In a concerto, a musician stands in front of the orchestra to play a solo part. This
concerto is unusual because there is no “star” soloist. Bartók treats each of the regular
orchestra musicians like soloists. This is a showpiece for the whole orchestra.
Activity #1:
In this music, Bartók uses mixed-meter. That means the grouping of beats
changes often. Mostly the meters switch between groups of 2 (with a quarter
note beat) and groups of 5 (with an eighth note beat). You can probably hear
the unstable sound of mixed-meter as you listen to the 4th movement from the
Concerto for Orchestra.
Follow along with the rhythm of the first section of this piece (Section A - played
by the oboe) by saying the words below the notes. After you are comfortable with
that, try using the numbers underneath.
Can - you
4
5
Hear Bar-tok’s
1
2 &
HearBar-tok’s Or-ches-tra Mu-sic
1 2 &
1 2 3 4 5
Or - ches - tra Mu - sic
1 2
3 4 5
HearBar-tok’s Or-ches-tra Mu-sic
1 2 &
1 2 3 4 5
Or - ches - tra Mu - sic
1 2 3 4 5
Or - ches - tra
1 2 3
Activity #2:
Bartók’s 4th movement has 3 sections that are easy to recognize. The A section is
the mixed meter music you studied in Activity #1. Next is the B section that is also
in mixed-meter, but has a different melody. The interruption is loud, fun march
music in a steady meter of 2. Create your own 2-beat pattern by patting your legs,
then clapping your hands to go along with this fun interruption.
This is the sequence of events in this piece:
A - B – A - C - INTERRUPTION - B - A
14
Igor Stravinsky
(1882-1971)
Infernal Dance of King Katschei from Firebird Suite
Rhythm Spotlight on:
• Accent
• Syncopation
• Mixed Meter
Stravins
Vocabulary Spotlight on:
• Syncopation
Do you know any fairy tales or myths? People in
every part of the world have their own fairy tales
and myths. Sometimes they are stories about
creatures with magic powers. The story behind this
music is a Russian fairy tale.
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Igor Stravinsky was born in Russia in 1882. His father was an opera singer. Igor
dreamed of becoming a composer, but his family wanted him to become a lawyer. At
law school, he met the son of Rimsky-Korsakov, a famous Russian composer. After
graduation from law school, Igor studied composition with his friend’s father.
The head of the Russian Ballet, Serge Diaghilev, liked Igor’s music. He hired Igor to
write the music for a new ballet. The ballet is the story of a magic bird. The Firebird
Suite made Stravinsky very famous. (Diaghilev was the person who also hired
Respighi to write the music for The Fantastic Toyshop.)
Stravinsky also spoke four languages, loved going to see movies (he lived in
Hollywood, California for much of his life) and found it relaxing to stand on his head.
He also once said, “My music is best understood by children and animals.”
ABOUT THE STORY
Firebird is the story of a Russian tsar’s son, Prince Ivan. One night, Ivan sees a magical
golden bird taking golden apples from a tree. He tries to catch the bird. The bird gives
him one of his golden feathers for Ivan to set him free. The feather is supposed to have
the power to protect Ivan and to bring the firebird to his rescue.
15
Later, Ivan is in the courtyard of an enchanted castle. He sees a beautiful princess and
twelve maidens. He falls in love with the princess. He wants her to go away with him.
The princess tells Ivan that she and her friends are captives of the wicked magician King
Katschei. If anyone tries to rescue them, they will be turned into stone.
Ivan goes into the castle to do battle with Katschei. Ivan waves the magic feather. The
firebird returns. The bird makes Katschei’s servants do a mad dance that leaves them
too tired to hurt Ivan. Ivan and the princess find the magic egg that is the source of
Katschei’s powers. He smashes the egg and takes the princess away. Of course, they live
happily ever after.
About the Music
The Infernal Dance of Katschei’s servants is the music you will hear from Firebird. This
music changes meters as Tanz did. Stravinsky uses both duple and triple meters to
convey the idea of a wild and scary dance.
sky
The most important part of this music is the rhythm. Stravinsky uses a type of rhythm
called syncopation. In non-syncopated music, the heaviest beat (accent) is on the first
beat of each measure. In a syncopated rhythm, notes are accented in unusual places.
Sometimes there is no note on the beat. Instead, notes are played between the beats only.
You’ll hear syncopation in most of The Infernal Dance of Katschei.
Activity #1: Try performing a syncopated rhythm:
Count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc. After you are comfortable counting this way, add the word “and”
in-between each number: 1 & 2 & 3 &, 1 & 2 & 3 etc. Add a clap on the numbers.
Now continue to count the same way (1 & 2 & 3 &, 1 & 2 & 3 etc), but clap on the
“and” instead of the number.
Activity #2:
After listening to all of The Infernal Dance of Katschei, try singing this tune. You will notice
that it is the same syncopated rhythm and melody of the main theme of the music.
In - fer - nal
Now my bore -
dan - cing tune,
dom - is cured
Dance in
the
-
af - ter-noon
Dan-cing all day to Stra - win-sky’s Fi - re-bird!
Activity #3:
Try drawing or painting your own version of the Infernal Dance scene. Should you
use curving lines or zigzag lines? Bright colors or pale colors? How will you make
your decision?
16
Hig
Jennifer Higdon
(born 1962)
Peachtree Street from City Scape
Rhythm Spotlight on:
• Accent
• Mixed Meter
• Syncopation
Vocabulary Spotlight on:
• Rondo Form
This music is about your hometown. You can
almost see the busy scenes on Peachtree Street,
the “main street” of Atlanta.
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Jennifer Higdon was born in 1962 in Brooklyn, New
York. When she was one year old, her family moved
to Atlanta. Her mother and father took Jennifer to
hear the Atlanta Symphony for the first time when
she was eight years old. She attended the ballet,
museums, film festivals and even rock concerts in
Piedmont Park. Her parents loved all of those things.
They wanted Jennifer to see and hear it all.
Jennifer first learned to play percussion instruments. She taught herself to play the flute
when she was a teenager. She kept that a secret at first. She tried out for the flute section
in her high school band. She passed her audition. She practiced hard every day.
Jennifer became a very good flute player. She decided to study music in college. She also
wanted to learn how to conduct an orchestra and write music. One of her teachers was
Robert Spano. Mr. Spano is now the Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Jennifer makes her living writing music. She also teaches other people how to write music. You
will hear that she writes special parts for her two favorites – flute and percussion.
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gdon
ABOUT THE MUSIC
“Peachtree Street” is the name of this music. It is the 3rd movement of a long piece called
City Scape. When you come to hear the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, you will be on
Peachtree Street.
Watch carefully as you ride down Peachtree Street. You will see lots of red lights. You will
probably see lots of people and cars moving down the street. Peachtree is a busy street.
This ”Peachtree Street” movement is Jennifer’s memory of the busy spots and the quiet
spots on that long street.
The first two movements of City Scape are also about Atlanta. “Skyline” is the name of
the first movement. The “River Sings a Song to the Trees” is the name of the second
movement. Jennifer was thinking about her old hometown when she wrote this music.
This music has all of the elements you have learned about while studying for this concert:
beat, rhythm, accents, duple, triple and changing meters, syncopation and triplets. You will
hear how Ms. Higdon uses all of these exciting rhythms to create music that sounds like
life on a busy street.
Activity #1:
First, you should listen to all of “Peachtree Street.” Do you hear busy places and
calm places?
There are FIVE different themes in “Peachtree Street. A letter of the alphabet labels
each theme. Ms. Higdon wrote this piece in Rondo Form. That means that the
A theme is repeated after every new theme (A-B-A-C-A-D-A-E-A-F-A). The F
theme is a combination of all the other themes. Each section features a different
section of the orchestra as well as different interesting rhythms. Use the listening map
on page 20 to follow along with the different sections.
Activity #2:
In the A theme of “Peachtree Street,” Higdon uses only a few rhythms, but combines
them and rearranges them in different patterns. Each time the A theme returns,
the rhythms are combined differently, but still create the same effect of a crowded
Atlanta street filled with noisy cars.
Using the rhythms below,
try making your own unique
music: Copy down the
rhythms in the order you
want, then say, clap or play
the music you created for
your friends.
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Carl Orff
Tanz (Dance) Carmina Burana
A
B
A
D.S. al Coda
Flute
C
Violin
Coda
How to use this listening map:
• Using one finger, touch each shape, following the music.
• Start with the trumpets at the top.
• In the A, B and Coda sections, when touching the man, say “Dance”, when touching the boy raking say “on-thelawn”, when touching the dot, say “dot
• In the C section, follow the wavy line of the flute when you hear the flute play. The timpani plays at the same time.
• In the coda, the length of the trumpets fit the length of notes played by the orchestra.
• You will notice repeat signs at both ends of the A and C sections. This means to perform each section twice.
• D.S. al Coda means to go up the sign at the A section and start the map again. After the second time through the
second A section, go to the Coda.
Form:
19
Intro
A
B
A
C
A
B
A
Coda
Jennifer Higdon
City Scape, Peachtree Street
Strings
A
Woodwinds
A
B
C
Brass
A
E
Percussion
D
A
All
A
F
A
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A Note to Parents:
We are delighted that your child
will have an opportunity to visit
Symphony Hall to hear the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra. This student
guide is part of the extensive
preparation materials provided
for educators to use in preparing
young people for the concert. The
teacher materials are available for
your perusal on the Internet at
www.atlantasymphony.org.
The theme of the 2008-2009 ASO
Young People’s Concert is rhythm.
Through The Heartbeat of Music,
students will explore the element of
rhythm in music – how it is created
and how it conveys meaning. In
subsequent years, students will learn
about the other elements of music.
We hope you will encourage your
school leaders to take advantage of
these future concerts.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
provides other opportunities for you
to share the joy of music with your
child. The Sunday afternoon Family
Concert series is designed to be an
entertaining learning experience for
the whole family. Also on Sunday
afternoons, you and your children
may enjoy concerts performed
by the Atlanta Symphony Youth
Orchestra. This talented group of
student musicians ranging in age from
13-18 performs three subscription
concerts a year. Or you may want
to attend the Spring Recital of our
extraordinary Talent Development
Program students. We hope you’ll
take advantage of these and other
concerts to instill in your child a love
of orchestral music – a lifelong gift
that your child will treasure.
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Meet the Conductor
Mei-Ann Chen is the assistant
conductor with the ASO this year.
She will lead our Young People’s
Concerts. The conductor is the person
who stands in front of the orchestra
and leads the music. The conductor’s
instrument is the whole orchestra!
The musicians follow the conductor’s
arm movements in order to play
together. The conductor reads from the score. The score helps
the conductor see what each instrument should be playing at any
moment. The conductor starts and stops the orchestra and sets
the speed (tempo) of the music. She keeps the beat and shows
the players how the music should be played.
Below, Maestro Chen answers some questions to help you get
to know her.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. My parents were both
wonderful teachers. I wanted to be a teacher, too. An American
youth orchestra came to Taiwan. I was offered a scholarship to
study violin in America. So, I came to America when I was 16.
My family is still in Taiwan.
How did you become interested in music?
My parents loved music. They didn’t have a chance to play an
instrument. My sister and I started music lessons when we were
very young. My sister was more interested in painting. I learned
the piano and the violin. Music became a way to share what I
couldn’t say with words. Now I can’t live without making music.
How did you learn to conduct?
I began playing in an orchestra when I was ten years old. I
knew right away that I wanted to become a conductor. I would
memorize my violin part so that I could watch the conductor.
That’s how I first learned to conduct. I was very determined to
become a conductor. I had my first real conducting lesson while
I was a junior at the New England Conservatory.
What excites you about moving to Atlanta?
I played the violin in a conducting class at a summer music camp.
Maestro Robert Spano taught there. He is the conductor of the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He’s a great teacher! Working
with him as a conductor for the ASO is my dream come true. I
love working with the world-class Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Learning Community Staff
Paul Hogle, Vice President/Institutional Advancement & Learning
Melanie Darby, Director of Education Programming
Mariel Reynolds, ASO Community Catalyst
Beth Wilson, Director of Student Musician Development
Lindsay Fisher, Learning Community Specialist and Ensembles Coordinator
The 2008-2009 ASO YPC Study Guide was developed and written by
Susan Merritt with updates and additions by Mary Leglar.
Sponsors/Funders
ASO Young People’s Concerts are sponsored by:
Kathy Griffin Memorial Endowment
Additional Education Funding is provided by:
Fulton County Arts Council
Georgia Council for the Arts
The Kendeda Fund
City of Atlanta, Office of Cultural Affairs
The Zeist Foundation
The Coca-Cola Company
The Livingston Foundation
The Hellen Plummer Charitable Foundation
Verizon Wireless
UPS Foundation
GE Energy
The Learning Community is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of
Atlanta, Office of Cultural Affairs; and the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) through the
appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner
agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. Major funding is provided by the Fulton
County Commission under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council.
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The ASO Family Concerts
presented by Delta Air Lines and Publix Supermarket Charities
October 26, 2008
April 19, 2009
A Haunted Halloween
Bach to the Future
Jere Flint, conductor
Lee Harper & Dancers
1:30 & 3:30pm
Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra
Platypus Theatre, guest artist
1:30 & 3:30pm
February 15 2009
May 10, 2009
Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery
Jere Flint, conductor
Classical Kids Live!, guest artist
1:30 & 3:30pm
Atlanta Symphony
Youth Orchestra
presented
by:
Fall Concert
Sunday November 9, 2008, 3pm
Dvor̆ák: Symphony #8 in G major
Winter Concert
Sunday March 15, 2009, 3pm
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #4
Spring Concert
Sunday May 31, 2009, 3pm
Shostakovich: Symphony #5
How the Gimquat
Found Her Song
Jere Flint, conductor
Platypus Theatre, guest artist
1:30 & 3:30pm
ASO Talent
Development
Program
TDP Musicale
November 1, 2008, 3pm
Richard Rich Auditorium
Woodruff Arts Center
TDP Spring Recital
April 18, 2009, 3pm
Richard Rich Auditorium
Woodruff Arts Center