16 Intermediate/Senior 17 Study Guide
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Student Concerts are generously supported by Mrs. Gert Wharton and an anonymous donor. Table of Contents
Concert Overview Concert Preparation Program Notes
3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 21
Lesson Plans Artist Biographies Musical Terms Glossary 22 - 25 26 - 27 28 - 29
Instruments in Musicians Teacher & Student the Orchestra of the TSO Evaluation Forms 30 - 41 42 - 45 46 - 47
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges Doug Friesen for preparing the lesson plans included in this guide Concert Overview
Compose Your Own Concert Intermediate/Senior: Suitable for students in grades 7–12
Lucas Waldin, conductor Tiffany Yeung, violin (2016 TSYO Concerto Competition Winner) Maxime Goulet, soloist Each performance will be truly one of a kind as the audience decides what the program will include! The repertoire will be determined by YOUR vote—both in advance and in person during the performance. The chosen repertoire will be woven into a unique program to make this concert unforgettable! Check out the links on the next page to learn more about the music and how to vote. Make sure to cast your vote by October 6th!
Program to include excerpts from*
Maurice Ravel Boléro
Audience Choice Vote #1 A) Franz Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C minor B) Modest Mussorgsky "Promenade", "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks" & "The Great Gate of Kiev" from Pictures at an Exhibition C) Claude Debussy Claire de Lune from Suite Bergamesque
Mason Bates Mothership
Pablo de Saraste Carmen Fantasy on Themes of Bizet, Op. 25
Audience Choice Vote #2 A) George Gershwin An American in Paris Suite B) Giachino Rossini Overture to William Tell (Final Allegro) C) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov "The Sea & Sinbad's Ship" & "The Festival at Baghdad" from Scheherazade, Op. 35
Igor Stravinsky Infernal Dance from The Firebird
Maxime Goulet On Halloween Night
Audience Choice Vote #3 To be announced during the concert!
*Program subject to change
3 Concert Overview
How to Vote! Compose Your Own Concert is a unique opportunity to share your voice and help shape the concert program. The only concert this season where you decide what pieces will be performed.
There are two opportunities to vote. In each of the videos below, TSO Musicians go head to head, defending their favourite pieces of repertoire, trying to convince YOU which piece to vote for. Will they sway your vote or change your mind? Watch each video and have YOUR say. Be sure to leave feedback on why you voted and remember, voting closes October 6th. Will your favourite piece win? Find out at the concert when you hear the TSO perform live!
Audience Choice Vote #1
Music can take many different forms from solo piano to full orchestral symphonies. These three popular orchestral works were originally composed for solo piano. Check out our program notes to find out more information about the pieces and their composers. Listen to the links below and vote for your favourite!
vs vs
Franz Liszt Modest Mussorgky Claude Debussy Hungarian Rhapsody "Promenade", "Ballet of the Claire de Lune from No. 2 in C minor Unhatched Chicks" & Suite bergamesque "The Great Gate of Kiev" from Pictures at an Exhibition
4 Concert Overview
Audience Choice Vote #2
Music can take us on adventure to faraway lands. These three composers take us on ride to the busy boulevards of 1920's Paris, to life in the Swiss Alps, and finally to an adventure at Sea. Listen to the links below and vote for your favourite!
vs vs
George Gershwin Giaochino Rossini Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov An American in Overture to William Tell "The Sea & Sinbad's Ship" Paris Suite (Final Allegro) & "The Festival at Baghdad" from Scheherazade
Not sure who to vote for? Watch three TSO musicians debate which piece you should vote for in the video below.
Audience Choice Vote #3
Our final audience choice vote will be determined by applause! Stay tuned and clap for your favourite in this surprise showdown.
5 Concert Preparation
Let's Get Ready!
Your class is coming to Roy Thomson Hall to see and hear the Toronto Symphony Orchestra! Here are some suggestions of what to do before, during, and after the performance. Whether it’s your first symphony concert or you’re a seasoned audience member, there’s always something new to learn and experience!
Before Listen and Read
Listen to the pieces of music • Have you heard any of these pieces before? • Which one is your favourite and why? • Do you hear anything new or interesting? • Try out one of our listening journals and record your observations • Make sure to cast your vote by October 6th!
Read the biographies and program notes • Were there any composers you had never heard of before? • Did you learn anything new or interesting about one of the pieces, composers, instruments, or TSO musicians?
During Look and Listen
Look around the orchestra and the hall • Have you been to Roy Thomson Hall before? • Are there any instruments you haven’t seen before? • Do you notice anything interesting about the orchestra? • There will be a live vote for the 3rd audience choice—Which piece will be the winner?
Listen to the orchestra and conductor • Is it different listening to the live orchestra versus a recording? • Think about how the different pieces make you feel. • Is there a particular instrument or part of the piece that you like listening to the best?
6 Concert Preparation
After Discuss and Reflect
Discuss and reflect with your classmates • Was there anything that surprised you during the concert? • What was your favourite/least favourite piece and why? • Was your experience different from your classmates? • Fill out our Student Feedback form and let us know what you think!
Review Rules and Reminders
Review these rules and reminders with your classmates • No outside food or drink allowed inside Roy Thomson Hall • No flash photography or recordings • Please visit the bathroom before the concert—Audience members walking in and out during the concert can be distracting • We encourage you to applaud and show appreciation—The orchestra relies on your energy to perform • If you’re unsure when the piece of music is over, look to the conductor and performers on stage—The conductor will turn and face the audience once the piece of music is over
Have fun and enjoy your experience!
7 Concert Preparation
Listening Journals
Name: ______Date: ______
Name of the piece ______
Composer ______
1) What kind of instruments do you hear? What type of group or ensemble is playing?
2) What different dynamics do you hear? Do the dynamics change often or infrequently? (pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, crescendo, diminuendo, etc.)
3) What tempo marking would you give this piece? (ex. Largo, Adagio, Andante, Allegro, Presto, etc.)
4) What type of key is this piece in?
Major Minor Both Other
5) Which musical time period do you think this piece was written in? And why?
Baroque Classical Romantic 20th Century 21st Century
6) How does the music make you feel? What does the music make you think of?
7) What two words would you use to describe this piece of music? (Try to use complex descriptive words ex. serene, uneasy, contemplative, joyous, etc.)
8 Program Notes
Maurice Ravel Biography
Maurice Ravel was born in the Basque town of Ciboure, France. Ravel started his musical training from an early age and began his studies at the Paris Conservatory at the age of 14 under the mentorship of the famous French composer Gabriel Fauré. His early compositions, while not immediately popular because of their unconventionality, showed great potential and helped establish his career as a composer.
Ravel struggled to gain acceptance as leading composer at the Paris Conservatory. He failed three years in a row to receive the top composition prize, the Prix de Rome. Vewied as a failure, he was dismissed from Fauré’s class altogether. Despite his strained relationship with the music establishment of the day, Ravel continued on to be a prolific composer with his own unique contribution to French music. Some of Ravel’s most successful works included the orchestral work Rapsodie Espagnole, his opera L’heure Espagnole, and his ballet Daphnis et Chloé. Ravel also had success as an orchestrator, where he was particularly well-known for his orchestral arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
Boléro Quick Facts Ravel’s Boléro is one of the most recognizable orchestral works of the twentieth century. In 1928, dancer Ida Rubinstein commissioned Born Ravel to compose a new ballet score. Initially, she requested that he March 7, 1875 orchestrate six pieces from Albeniz’ Iberia but after some copyright issues, Ravel decided to go in a different direction. Drawing inspira- Died tion from his early piano pieces, he composed a simple insistent December 28, 1937 theme. After the successful premiere of the ballet, Boléro became increasingly popular in the concert hall. It begins pianissimo with an Nationality ostinato in the snare, the theme is then introduced several times by French different instruments and the entire orchestra slowly crescendos creating a powerful listening experience. Full Name Joseph-Maurice Ravel
Watch & Listen to the TSO
9 Audience Choice Vote #1
Franz Liszt Biography
A principal figure in the Romantic movement, Franz Liszt is most well known as a virtuoso pianist and prolific composer of more than 1000 works! He was born 1811 in Hungary and moved to Vienna, as a child where began to take piano and composition lessons from Czerny and Salieri. Inspired by the virtuoso violinist Paganini, Liszt was determined to become the Paganini of the piano.
He became immensely famous touring Europe performing piano recitals. He was the first pianist to host solo concerts—previously, performers were expected to the share the stage with others.
Later in life, Liszt began to focus on composition, creating a new musical term and composition form called the symphonic poem. Symphonic poems are orchestral pieces of music that illustrate a specific story, poem, landscape, or painting. This new form of composition is meant to inspire listeners to imagine different scenes, images, or moods rather than focus on the traditional musical structure. Regarded as the greatest pianist who has ever lived, he revolutionized solo performances and even coined the term "recital".
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C minor In the 1840s, Liszt started to become increasingly interested in popular Hungarian music. Attracted by the romantic elements, improvisations and ornamental figures, he composed a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C minor is the most popular of Liszt’s nineteen rhapsodies.
It has been arranged countless times for orchestra and solo instruments. Nearly all of his 19 rhapsodies follow the same two part movement pattern; a slow movement called a Lassan followed by a lively movement called a Friskan inspired by the Hungarian Czardas dance.
Did you know? Liszt was perhaps the first rock star, writer Heinrich Heine coined the term Lisztomania to describe the phenomenon of Liszt’s intense fandom. Liszt fans would throw themselves at him, collect his coffee grinds, tear bits Listen & Vote of his clothing, faint at his concerts, wear broken piano strings as bracelets or try to cut locks of his hair.
10 Audience Choice Vote #1
Modest Mussorgsky Biography
Modest Mussorgsky is most well known for his orchestral work Night on Bald Mountain (which appeared in the film Fantasia) and Pictures at an Exhibition, a collection of piano pieces depicting a set of 10 paintings. Mussorgsky was born in the Russian village of Karevo to a noble landowner family. He began taking piano lessons with his mother at the age of 6 and showed promise as a composer. At age 13, he continued the family tradition of military service by enrolling in the Cadet School of the Guards and went on to join the army. He began studying music with Russian composer Mily Balakirev and resigned his post to dedicate his life to music. He was part of a group of five Russian composers, known as “The Five”, who united to create music that was distinctly Russian.
Pictures at an Exhibition Listen & Vote Mussorgsky befriended Viktor Hartmann, a brilliant young artist and "Promenade" architect, in 1862. Following Hartmann’s death, a memorial exhibition in St. Petersburg displayed Hartmann’s paintings, costumes, architectural "Ballet of the designs, and sketches. Mussorgsky’s visit to the exhibit, combined with his Unhatched Chicks" desire to create a piece in his friend’s memory, inspired him to compose "The Great Gate of Kiev" Pictures at an Exhibition. Although Mussorgsky wrote the work for solo piano, Ravel’s orchestral version is the most well known arrangement. Comprised of 10 movements depicting different paintings, it opens with Quick Facts a majestic, recurring theme called “Promenade”, which links the different movements. Born March 21, 1839 The Ballet of Unhatched Chicks The fifth movement, The Ballet of Unhatched Chicks in their Shells, is Died inspired by Hartmann’s costume design for the children’s ballet Trilby. March 28, 1881 Try to imagine child dancers scampering around the stage dressed up as canaries. The Ballet is preceded by the recurring Promenade theme. Nationality Russian The Great Gate of Kiev The final movement is inspired by the gate Hartmann designed for Full Name Tsar Alexander II. Although his design won the national competition, Modest Petrovich the project was never executed. Try to imagine a majestic stone arch Mussorgsky built over a small chapel. 11 Audience Choice Vote #3
Claude Debussy Biography
Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862 in St. Germain-En-Laye, France. He started music lessons at a very early age and by age 10 he began studying piano and composition at the Paris Conservatory. During his studies, he decided on a career as a composer rather than a pianist, and went on to win the Grand Prix de Rome in 1884 for his composition L’Enfant Prodigue. Debussy’s musical style was often described as “impressionism” (a term Debussy disliked!). In his music, he liked to use dissonant chords, chromaticism, non-traditional harmonies, scales, and a lot of pedal in his piano music. His music helps create unique atmospheres, moods, and emotions rather than telling a specific story. Debussy composed a great deal of music for piano and voice as well as orchestra, ballet, and individual instruments.
Quick Facts
Born August 22, 1862 Claire de Lune Died from Suite Bergamesque March 25, 1918 Claire de Lune is the third movement from Debussy’s Suite Nationality Bergamesque. Originally composed for piano, is it one of Debussy’s most French popular pieces and has been arranged for orchestra and many other instruments. Bergamesque refers to an old dance from Bergamo, Italy. It Full Name is great example of Debussy’s unique musical style, with delicate floating Claude-Achille harmonies and dream-like melodies. Imagine the mysterious and silvery Debussy moonlight when you’re listening to this movement. What do you picture when you listen to this piece? What does it make you feel?
Did you know? The style of impressionism can also be found in visual arts. There are several artists such as Monet, Renoir, and Degas who are considered central figures in the impressionist art movement. Listen & Vote
12 Program Notes
Mason Bates Biography
Recently named the second most-performed living composer, Mason Bates currently serves as the first composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. His music fuses innovative orchestral writing, imaginative narrative forms, the harmonies of jazz and the rhythms of techno, and it has been the first symphonic music to receive widespread acceptance for its unique integration of electronic sounds. Leading conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Leonard Slatkin have championed his diverse catalogue. He is working with the Kennedy Center’s broad range of artistic constituents to launch a new music series, KC Jukebox, that will feature the immersive production and eclectic programming for which his curating projects have become known. As part of the San Francisco Symphony’s Beethoven & Bates Festival, three of his largest works — Alternative Energy, Liquid Interface, and The B-Sides — will be released later this season. A CD by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project includes some of his most-performed works. Currently he is composing an opera on the topic of Steve Jobs to be premiered at Santa Fe Opera in 2017. For more info, go to www.masonbates.com and www.mercurysoul.org. Mothership This energetic opener imagines the orchestra as a mothership that is ‘docked’ by several visiting soloists, who offer brief but virtuosic riffs on the work’s thematic material over action-packed electro-acoustic orchestral figuration.
The piece follows the form of a scherzo with double trio (as found in, for example, the Schumann Symphony No. 2). Symphonic scherzos historically play with dance rhythms in a high-energy and appealing manner, with the ‘trio’ sections exploring new rhythmic areas. Mothership shares a formal connection with the symphonic scherzo but is brought to life by thrilling sounds of the 21st Century — the rhythms of modern-day techno in place of waltz rhythms, for example.
Recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas, Mothership received its world premiere at the Sydney Opera House and the YouTube Symphony on March 20, 2011, and it was viewed by almost two million people live on YouTube. For more info, go to www.masonbates.com
Watch & Listen to the Youtube Symphony
13 Program Notes
Pablo de Sarasate Biography
Born in Pamplona, Spain, Pablo de Sarasate was one of many violin virtuosos of the 19th century. During the course of his career, he toured extensively in Europe, North America, and South America. He was known for impressive technique and for expanding the violin repertoire. He commissioned numerous works for violin from composers such as Bruch, Saints-Saens, and Dvorak. In addition to commissioning new works, Sarasate composed music for his own performances. Many were based off folk idioms, opera fantasies or transcriptions. His show pieces were incredibly difficult and were meant to highlight his technical skill. His two violin show pieces Carmen Fantasy and Zigeunerweisen remain staples in today’s violin repertoire.
Carmen Fantasy on
Themes of Bizet, Op.25 Watch & Listen Sarasate would often compose show pieces based on popular operas of the time. The Carmen Fantasy is based on some of the most popular tunes from Georges Bizet’s opera, Carmen. His piece contains the themes Quick Facts from the Aragonaise, Habanera, Seguidilla, and the Gypsy Dance. In addi- tion to including the popular theme, Sarasate wrote challenging variations of each theme to showcase his own virtuosic talent. Born March 10, 1844 The Toronto Symphony Orchestra will be joined by Tiffany Yeung on violin for this concert. Tiffany is the 2016 Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra Died Concerto Competition Winner. Click here for more information on September 20, 1908 the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Nationality Spanish Did you know? Full Name Sarasate’s popularity reached such great heights that Arthur Pablo Martín Conan Doyle included him in his short story, The Red-Headed Melitón de Sarasate League. In this short story, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John y Navascués Watson attend a concert by Sarasate.
14 Audience Choice Vote #2
George Gershwin Biography
Born to Russian-Jewish parents, Gershwin was a pianist and composer who grew up around New York’s Yiddish theatre scene. Gershwin spent much of his early working years churning out player piano rolls for the music publishers of New York’s Tin Pan Alley. He wrote his first piece for a Tin Pan Alley music publisher at the age of 17. Gershwin took the classical music scene by storm with his 1924 hit Rhapsody in Blue, which was written for piano and orchestra, and helped pioneer the cross-pollination of jazz and classical music. Gershwin’s fresh blend of these two genres caught the attention of conductor Walter Damrosch who commissioned Gershwin to write two works for orchestra: Piano Concerto in F and An American in Paris. Gershwin’s 1935 opera, Porgy and Bess, also became famous for its groundbreaking fusion of jazz elements with traditional operatic techniques in an innovative new style which Gershwin coined “American folk opera”. An American in Paris Suite Gershwin was heavily influenced by French composers such as Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. In the mid- 1920s, Gershwin travelled to Paris where he visited some of the greatest composers of the day such as Ravel, Poulenc, and Prokofiev. During his trip, he began writing an American in Paris, a symphonic poem inspired by his time in Paris. He returned to New York in 1928 with the piano version of American in Paris already finished. A few months later he completed the orchestration and his work was soon premiered at Carnegie Hall.
The piece starts with a catchy tune in the violins which is imitative of someone walking down a street. The hustle and bustle of the city picks up, as passing pedestrians mimic the fast sixteenth notes of the character’s walking tune. Gershwin passes this fragment down from the brass section to the low strings. The tourist soon finds himself helplessly trapped between two taxi cabs in the middle of a busy boulevard - watch and listen for the taxi horns played by the percussion section! Gershwin conjures up a nostalgic atmosphere of the charac- ter’s home in the USA, by using the American twelve-bar blues form.
Did you know?
Gershwin spent his teens earning a meager $15 per week on the street, Listen & Vote performing and promoting the hottest new sheet music for purchase.
15 Audience Choice Vote #2
Gioachino Rossini Biography Born on the Adriatic coast of Italy in the small town of Pesaro, Rossini was the son of a talented horn player and an amateur opera singer. Rossini was very musically inclined and learned to sing and play the piano. At age 15, he entered a music school in Bologna, Italy where he learned to compose music. Rossini composed his first opera in 1810 and averaged two a year every year after until he abruptly retired in 1829.
Throughout his career, Rossini was most well-known and acclaimed for his operas. He earned the nickname “Signor Crescendo” for his innovative use of crescendos in the overtures to his operas. Another innovation included writing out the decorative passages for his singers—previously, these decorative passages were improvised. His most well known operas are The Barber of Seville, La gazza ladra, and William Tell. At age 37, Rossini abruptly left writing operas and spent the rest of his life in leisured retirement. Although he has stopped writing operas, Rossini continued to compose dozens of piano miniatures and choral works. Overture to William Tell (Final Allegro) An overture is the opening music to an opera. It is purely instrumental with no singing and introduces the listener to all the main themes they Quick Facts will hear in the opera. It gets the listener excited about what’s to come, like a preview to a movie! The William Tell Overture is divided into four movements: Prelude, Storm, Ranz des Vaches and the Finale. Each movement Born is played right after the other without stopping. The final movement opens February 29, 1792 with a trumpet fanfare and features the full orchestra. Died William Tell, or Guillaume Tell in French, is one of Rossini’s most November 13, 1868 recognizable compositions. The story of William Tell is one seeped in legend and myth, both believed and doubted around the world. It is said Nationality that William Tell was a brave Swiss man that fought alongside his Italian countrymen for independence from the Austrian Empire. Today, excerpts from William Tell are used frequently in television and advertising. Full Name Gioachino Antonio Rossini Listen & Vote
16 Audience Choice Vote #2
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Biography
Born in Tikhivin, a small town in Russia, Rimsky-Korsakov showed musical promise from a very young age. Although first embarking on a career as a naval officer (following the traditions of his family), he later resigned and devoted himself to music. Rimsky-Korsakov soon joined a group of young Russian composers who later became known as “The Five”. “The Five” were a group of 19th century composers who strived to create a uniquely Russian musical identity. A skilled orchestrator, Rimsky-Korsakov often revised the works of his fellow composers such as Borodin’s opera Prince Igor and Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. Rimsky-Korsakov was known as one of the greatest music theorists alive and taught many famous Russian composers, including Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev.
Scheherazade, Op. 35 Scheherazade is an orchestral suite structured in four movements. Rimsky-Korsakov was inspired by the tales from One Thousand and One Nights, sometimes known as The Arabian Nights. In these tales, the young sultan’s wife, Scheherazade, tells tales to her husband each night in order to stall his plan to kill her. After one thousand and one nights, Scheherazade is successful and the sultan ultimately changes his mind. It is a prime example of program music because it evokes the characters and tales from One Thousand and One Nights.
The four movements are tied tougher through two recurring musical motifs which represent Scheherazade and the Sultan. Scheherazade’s motif features flowing phrases and is most often played by solo violin. The Sultan’s motif is powerful and is played by the low brasses, woodwinds, and is doubled by the strings.
The first movement, The Sea and Sinbad’s ship, introduces the Sultan’s descending theme in the brass and Scheherazade’s voice with the solo violin. The finale is an exciting whirlwind as it revisits many of the Listen & Vote themes from the earlier movements and introduces some new ones. "The Sea & Sinbad's Ship" A festival is depicted by an energetic dance accented by cymbals and tambourine. The music later rises and falls depicting a storm at sea. "The Festival at Baghdad" At the end, Scheherazade’s motif returns and gets the final say.
17 Program Notes
Igor Stravinsky Biography Igor Stravinsky was raised in St. Petersburg by his father, a bass singer, and his mother, a talented pianist. Encouraged to follow another career path, Stravinsky enrolled in law school at the University of St Petersburg. While in school, Stravinsky befriended his classmate Vladimir—whose father was the celebrated composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Stravinsky showed some of his early pieces to Nikolai and soon after became Nikolai’s private composition student until the composer's death in 1908. Through encouragement from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky pursued a career as a composer. In 1909, Stravinsky was introduced to Sergi Diaghilev, the founder of Ballet Russes, who invited him to orches- trate some piano works by Chopin for the ballet Les Sylphides. His early commissions of the ballets The Firebird (1910), Petrouchka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913) established his place as a leading composer of the early twentieth century.
Infernal Dance Watch & Listen from The Firebird The story of The Firebird is an epic journey. Ivan, the hero of the story, is on a hunting trip when he stumbles into a garden belonging to an evil monster called Kastchei. Quick Facts Kastchei—an evil ogre who has stolen magic power from the sun and so cannot be beaten. Born June 17, 1882 When a brilliantly coloured Firebird suddenly appears looking for a special tree with golden apples, Ivan shoots the Firebird and instantly regrets it. He tries to save the Died Firebird and promises that if she lives he will never shoot another living thing. The April 6, 1971 Firebird recovers and gives Ivan a magic feather.
Nationality The orchestra alerts us with a huge crash that a horde of horrible monsters have Russian arrived and threaten Ivan by surrounding him. When Kastchei appears, all the mon- sters turn and bow to him. Kastchei, always eager for more victims, reaches out Full Name with his terrible hands to grab Ivan. Ivan is terrified and doesn’t know how to save Igor Fyodorovich himself. Just as Kastchei prepares to turn Ivan to ice, Ivan waves the magic feather Stravinsky and Kastchei falls asleep. Ivan sees an Ice Palace that is filled with Kastchei's frozen victims. Ivan tries to use the feather to free the victims, but he accidentally drops the feather and then he too begins to turn to ice. Finally, the feather begins to glow like the sun and the Firebird appears. She helps to free Ivan and all the frozen victim. 18 Program Notes
Maxime Goulet Biography
Deeply fascinated and inspired by the connections between different forms of artistic expression, Maxime Goulet works within various realms of musical creation ranging from symphonic music to video games, with some chocolate adventures along the way. He scored more than 25 video games such as Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade, Roller Coaster Tycoon World, The Amazing Spider-Man, Dungeon Hunter-I, II, III, IV, Shrek Forever After, Brothers in arms 2: Global Front and Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War. His classi- cal music compositions have been performed across Canada, the United States, Europe and South America, by ensembles such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre métropolitain, Angèle Dubeau, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the National Art Center Orchestra.
Did you know?
Goulet's score for the video On Halloween Night game Dungeon Hunter IV was nominated for best original Commissioned by Yannick Nezet-Séguin and the Orchestre music at the Canadian Video métropolitain, On Halloween Night (French title: Pour un soir Game Awards. d'Halloween) is an orchestral suite in five short movements. Each movement evokes a fantastical creature traditionally associated with the celebration of Halloween. The work is freely inspired by children’s drawings of each creature, to better evoke, and even transcend them. We'll be playing the following movements at the concert: Watch & Listen I – Flight of the Witch to l'Orchestre IV – Ghosts of the Manor V – Attack of the Skeletons! métropolitain
19 Program Notes
Interview with Maxime Goulet Could you tell us a little about your composition process?
Most of the time when I compose classical music, it’s the idea that drives me. For a lot of my pieces, I start by finding a special idea or concept. For example, for my piece Symphonic Chocolates, I was inspired after visiting a chocolate shop and reading all about the different chocolate descriptions. The descriptions included infomation about the flavour, texture, contrast and mix of flavours of each individual chocolate. I figured that in music, we have that too! I got the idea of writing an orchestral suite in four short movements where each movement is inspired by a different flavour.
I have a notebook where I write down all of my ideas because most of them pop into my head in everyday life. When an opportunity to collaborate with another musician or orchestra presents itself, I’ll check my notebook for an idea that matches. Sometimes I’ll come up with a new idea just based off the collaboration but a lot of the time I use ideas from before. Basically, it’s as though I am composing the soundtrack for my idea.
For the Compose Your Own Concerts, you’ll be joining the TSO on stage to perform Mason Bates’ piece Mothership which involves technological elements. Do you think our access to technology has changed how we create or listen to music?
Composers in the 19th century were known to compose on the piano. They would play a reduced version first, and then write the orchestration down on paper, imagining how it would sound with real instruments. So, the most significant change for me is my composition process, because I compose with a computer. We’re fortunate these days that the computer can give a mock-up that is very close to the timbre of each instrument. Of course, it’s not as good as if it was played by live musicians but it gives you a good idea of how everything will sound and enables you to try a lot of different things quickly.
Technology is very helpful when you’re collaborating with other artists. They can listen to your mock-ups during the composition process. It also really helps with practicing because instead of using a lot of rehearsal time with the orchestra, a soloist can use the mock-up to listen to the orchestration and then practice. A lot of conductors will also use the mock-up, especially for brand new pieces where a recording doesn’t exist. It helps them get an idea of the harmonies and general idea of the piece before they start rehearsing.
You compose mostly for classical and video games, what are some of the key differences when you’re composing for the two?
I would say that the major difference between video games and classical music is that classical music is linear and video game music is non-linear. This means that each time you watch a film or hear a classical piece; it always starts the same way and always ends the same way. However in a video game, the story can take a different path depending on whether you turn right or turn left. The music evolves according to the character and their path in the game. We call it “interactive music” because you want to create a soundtrack that makes the player feels as though it’s composed for them each time they play the game. The player in the video game is almost in a way a composer because it's their performance that guides the shape of the music.
Creatively, the biggest difference between the two is the composition process. Due to the interactive nature Program Notes of video game music, I have to compose it in a very different mindset. It's like creating pieces of a puzzle that could be combined in a variety of ways depending on how the player performs in the game. When I compose classical music, the piece will start with measure 1 and is always followed by measure 2, 3, etc...I can plan ahead and prepare surprises and contrasts knowing that the progression of the piece will stay the same. I’m able to play with the expectation of the listener which is trickier in video games because you never know what the player will do next.
Another difference is that composing for video games is very much a team effort. I work alongside designers, animators, and producers. We work together as a team to combine our talents towards the same artistic vision. When I do classical composition, I work alone and follow my own artistic vision. It feels like you have a heavier weight on your shoulders because you’re responsible for everything. Sometimes it's fun not having the lead and to be part of the team, while other times you want to have the lead. That's why I'm happy to have both kinds of projects.
At the concert, the TSO will be performing your piece On Halloween Night. Could you tell us a little more about it?
The piece was commissioned by l'Orchestra metropolitan in Montreal. They called and asked if I would like to compose a piece for their Halloween themed concert. This was one the projects where I didn’t have any ideas in my notebook that would work. I brainstormed and decided to compose a five movement suite. Each move- ment is a different Halloween character, so we have the witch, the zombie, the werewolf, the ghost and the skeleton.
At the beginning of the composition process, I had school children draw the different characters and I drew inspiration from their drawings when I started composing. When I had the mock-up ready, the kids listened to it and drew new drawings, inspired by my music this time. At the concert, we had an exhibition in the concert hall of all the different drawings. It was a very interesting composition process because most pieces that are inspired by drawings such as Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition are a one-way process. Here we had kind of a ping-pong effect where I was inspired by the children’s drawings and the children were inspired back by my music. It was an interesting back and forth process.
Each movement is very unique and features a different sound effect which is lot of fun because it’s not some- thing you’re used to hearing at an orchestra concert. The TSO will be performing three movements at the concert– Flight of the Witch, Ghosts of the Manor and Attack of the Skeletons.
In Flight of the Witch, we have an instrument called the flexatone listen( to a demo here) which is a very rarely used percussion instrument but was used a lot of in old sci-fi and horror movies of the 1960’s. It has a very distinct sound and you can hear the pitch slide back and forth. In this movement, the flexatone is used to imitate the laughter of a witch.
In Ghost of the Manor, the musicians hum on stage and it sounds like a ghost whispering. It creates a great ef- fect because from the audience’s perspective, you can’t really tell where the sound is coming from because all the musician’s mouths are closed. It’s really haunting because it feels as though the sound is coming from the other side of the wall.
In Attack of the Skeletons, the xylophone is featured because it’s so often associated with skeletons. Just like in Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre. 21 Lesson Plans
How Composers Compose (some anyway)
Shaping a small group of motives by exploring rhythm, dynamics, repetition, form, orchestration, range, and tone. The timing of the following lessons will need to be shaped according to your school’s timetable and class length.
Lesson One Exploring the elements of music to tell a familiar story
Minds On • Listen to the following excerpt - Do not tell the students the title! Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells, Modest Mussorgsky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HPtSftZ3b0 • In pairs or threes, come up with a story to match what you just heard • Listen again, in the same groups try to count how many repeated motives are used in this excerpt. • How is repetition varied and contrasted? (Create an “expression/variation list” with students on the board or screen….dynamics, tone, instrumentation, orchestration, articulation, etc.). • Many composers use only a few themes, motives, riffs to compose large works for a large orchestra • (If time permits) Try adding to your “expression/variation list” by listening to the following excerpts: • An American in Paris Suite, George Gershwin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGt000iascg • Infernal Dance of the King Kastchei, Igor Stravinsky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfeZXeaFaAA
Action • In groups of 5-7 (on instrument • Pick a familiar fairy tale/story - Do not tell the rest of the class! or voice) • Create short motives (4 beats or 4 notes maximum if longer than 4 beats) for characters in your story. You may use a particular scale (major, minor, modes, alterations?) • In 3 minutes or less “tell” the story by playing the motives. • Explore how your motives sound on various instruments • Solos? Layer? Overlapping? • Use elements of your “expression/variation list” to create the mode and/or emotions of the storY • Be sure to generate ideas, try them, reflect, revise, edit, and rehearse (if possible post the creative process outlined in the Ontario Curriculum).
Consolidation • Perform your story for the rest of the class. Can they guess the story? • After each performance have a short discussion (whole class, or in small groups then whole class) on how the elements of music were used to shape the story.
22 Lesson Plans
Lesson Two Incorporating a solo instrument, extended techniques, and noise.
Minds On • Listen to the following excerpt: Carmen Fantasy on Themes of Bizet, Op. 25, Pablo De Sarasate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L44QmaY4_VA • In pairs or threes, come up with a story to match what you are hearing. How does the orchestra accompany the soloist? Can having a soloist add to your “expression/variation list”? • Listen to the following excerpt: Mothership, Mason Bates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFh7LAFel4w • In pairs or threes, list which sounds you hear that are not traditionally heard in an orchestra. How might adding non-traditionally orchestral sounds add to a composition? Can contrast, unfamiliarity, noisier sounds also be musical and/or help us focus in on what we think is musical?
Action • With instruments in hand run a quick version of your normal warm-up (on instrument (include a major scale ascending if you do not already do so). or voice) • Scale by Zen • Ask students to attempt to play up the scale with one person playing each notes • If two people play the same note they must start again at the root • They “win” by making it to the top of one octave (not everyone will get to play but resist making a plan; ears are the most important part!) • One sound once • Play a piece in which each person plays only one short sound once. The piece ends when everyone has played their one sound once. Try to make you sound when no one else is making theirs • Try again using noisier sounds or sounds you didn’t think your instrument could make. Take a few minutes to respectfully experiment if you would like. • Who liked which version better? • Get back into your groups from last lesson. Discuss the following: • How might you incorporate and accompany soloists in your piece/story? • How might you add noisier sounds through extended techniques (Remind students to always be respectful and careful with their instruments? • How might using technology (phones, tablets, and computers) to record and play sounds/soundscapes add to your piece? • Try adding the above elements to your piece/story. • Be sure to generate ideas, try them, reflect, revise, edit, and rehearse (if possible post the creative process outlined in the Ontario Curriculum).
______1 Pauline Oliveros’ One Sound Once can be found in her Anthology of Text Scores 23 Lesson Plans
Consolidation • Perform your story for the rest of the class. • After each performance have a short discussion (whole class, or in small groups then whole class) on how each group used solos and/or non-traditional sounds to add to the expression of their story. • If you were asked to perform/record your favourite version which one would it be (with or without solos, noise, technology, extended techniques)? • Listen again to any of the “Minds On” excerpts from either lesson. • How has the composer made use of the instruments and elements of music to tell a story, portray a mood or emotion? • Does other music you listen to make use of these same elements?
Assessment If you wish to evaluate this work (assessment “of”) it is suggested that you create success criteria along with the students. 1. Brainstorm 2. Sort and Categorize 3. Make and post a T-chart 4. Add, revise, refine2 Samples of Success Criteria (with rubrics) are given below for reference.
Curriculum Expectations Grade 8 C1.2 apply the elements of music when singing and/or playing, composing, and arranging music, using them for specific effects and clear purposes C1.3 create musical compositions in a variety of forms for specific purposes and audiences C1.4 use the tools and techniques of musicianship in musical performances C2.1 express analytical, personal responses to musical performances in a variety of ways C2.2 analyse, using musical terminology, ways in which the elements are used in the music that they perform, listen to, and create C3.2 analyse some historical, cultural, and technological influences on style, genre, and innovation in music Grades 9 and 10 A1.2 apply the creative process when composing and/or arranging music A2.3 apply the elements of music and related concepts appropriately when composing and/or arranging simple pieces of music A3.2 apply compositional techniques when composing and/or arranging simple pieces of music B1.1 listen to selections that represent a variety of musical styles and genres, and identify and reflect on their personal responses to them B1.2 identify and describe the use of elements and other components of music in a variety of selections, including their performance repertoire C1.1 demonstrate an understanding of the elements of music, particularly through practical application and aural recognition, and use appropriate terminology related to these elements Grades 11 and 12 A1.2 apply the creative process when composing and/or arranging music A2.3 apply the elements of music and related concepts appropriately when composing and/or arranging simple simple pieces of music A3.2 apply compositional techniques when composing and/or arranging simple pieces of music B1.2 listen in a purposeful way to selections from a wide variety of musical styles and genres, and analyse and reflect on their responses to and interpretation of them C1.1 extend their understanding of the elements and other components of music, particularly through practical application and aural recognition, and use appropriate terminology related to these elements C2.1 demonstrate an understanding of the development and function and/or theme of various musical forms and conventions
______2 From Gregory, K, Cameron, C., & Davis, A. (2011). Knowing What Counts: Setting and Using Criteria 24 Lesson Plans
Extensions • Students could create their own children’s story (connected to creative-writing/English) and perform these mini pieces/stories for elementary schools in the school community. • Students could experiment with composing their own pieces for the entire class using notation software (Finale, Notion, Sibelius) and/or sampling/recording software (GarageBand, Audacity, Logic). • Students could use paintings instead of stories noting the connection of the elements of music to the fundamental components of design (colour, form, line, shape, space, texture, value). Click here to see paintings that inspired Pictures at an Exhibition.
Glossary Motive - a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure,musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition Theme - melodic subject of a musical composition; "the theme is announced in the first measures"; "the accompanist picked up the idea and elaborated it" melodic theme, theme, idea Riff/Hook - A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, which is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock, R&B, hip hop, dance, and pop Extended Techniques - unconventional, unorthodox, or non-traditional methods of singing or of playing musical instruments employed to obtain unusual sounds or timbres
Sample Rubrics Sample Rubrics
Criteria for Group Performances 4 3 2 1 Application of Previous Musical Experience (accuracy of notes, rhythms, instrument role, tone) Ensemble (balanced, each featured, in tune, common articulations and groove) Creative and “Musical” (well chosen motives matched with an engaging and musical arrangement) Analysis (clear description of process, evidence of reflection and revision)
Criteria for Group Performance 4 3 2 1 Application of the creative process (evidence of generating ideas, reflection, revision, imagining, experimenting) Transfer of previous skills and knowledge (good use of instruments and well played as an ensemble ) Effective choice and use musical elements (well chosen motives matched with expressions in dynamics, texture, tone)
25 Artist Biographies
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Every year, over 33,000 young students experience the TSO in performance. In consultation with Music Coordinators from the Boards of Education, TSO staff design School Concerts to help teachers deliver the Ontario Music Curriculum at each level. The concerts are entertaining yet firmly based on educational con- cepts. Four different programs address the learning needs of Primary (Kindergarten to Grade 4), Junior/In- termediate (Grades 4 to 8), Intermediate/Senior (Grades 7 to 12), and French-language (Kindergarten to Grade 5) students. We’ve created free Study Guides and podcasts, available on our website, to help students prepare for the concert. Download these free resources here.
Founded in 1922, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada’s most important cultural institutions, recognized internationally. Peter Oundjian, now in his 12th season as the TSO’s Music Director, leads the Orchestra with a commitment to innovative programming and audience engagement through a broad range of performances that showcase the exceptional talents of the Orchestra along with a roster of distinguished guest artists and conductors. The TSO also serves the larger community with TSOUNDCHECK, the original under-35 ticket program; the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra; and music education programs that reach tens of thousands of students each year.
Lucas Waldin Conductor
Lucas Waldin is a dynamic and versatile conductor whose flare for audience engagement and passion for performance have delighted audiences across North America.
Lucas is currently the Artist-in-Residence and Community Ambassador of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Now in his seventh season with the ESO, he was first appointed as Resident Conductor in 2009 and has since appeared with the orchestra over 100 times. He has collaborated with some of North America’s finest musicians including Jens Lindemann, Angela Cheng and Sergei Babayan, and conducted in Carn- egie Hall during the ESO's participation in the 2012 Spring for Music festival. In recognition of his accomplishments, he was awarded the Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestral Conducting by the Canada Council for the Arts. (continued on the following page)
26 Artist Biographies
Lucas Waldin Continued
With the ability to slide easily between styles and genres, Lucas has worked with a range of artists including Ben Folds, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Chantal Kreviazuk, and the Barenaked Ladies, in addition to conducting presen- tations such as Disney in Concert, Blue Planet Live, and Cirque de la Symphony. As a guest conductor, he has worked with orchestras such as the Houston Symphony, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and has appeared with the Toronto Symphony for a variety of programs since his TSO debut in 2012. Lucas is a native of Toronto where he attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute before studying flute and conducting at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Tiffany YeungViolin Tiffany Yeung, age 13, is a student of Dr. Conrad Chow in The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Having studied the violin since the age of 4, Tiffany has received numer- ous scholarships and awards in various local, provincial, national, and international competitions. In 2014, Tiffany was the recipient of the Grade 10 Violin Royal Conservatory Gold Medal. As well, she completed her ARCT Violin Performance in 2015, earning First Class Honours with Distinction.
For 3 consecutive years, she was the first prize winner at the Canadian Music Competition, as well as the grand prize winner in 2011 & 2012. As a winner of the AADGT International Young Gifted Musicians Festival in 2013, she was invited to perform in the “Passion of Music” Concert in Steinway Hall, New York. Tiffany was a winner of the 2013 Toronto Sinfonietta Concerto Competition and performed with the Toronto Sinfonietta at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in 2014. She was also a winner of the Oakville Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition and was a featured soloist in the 2015/16 season with the OCO.
Tiffany was a member of the 2015/16 Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and was most recently the winner of the 2016 TSYO Concerto Competition. In the 2016/17 season, Tiffany will be performing with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, and the Milton Philharmonic Orchestra.
27 Musical Term Glossary
A cappella: music sung without instrumental accompaniment. In Italian, a cappella means “in the style of the chapel.” Accented Beats: these are the beats in a rhythm pattern that are stronger because they are emphasized or stressed. Accented notes are indicated using a “>” symbol which goes above or below the note to indicate that that note should be stressed or accented. Amplify: to make a sound stronger or louder. The hollow body of an instrument amplifies its sound. Arco: to play a stringed instrument using a bow. Bar: another name for a measure Bar line: a vertical line on a musical staff that divides the beats into small groups or bars. Baton: a small stick used by the conductor to beat time. A stick helps to make the motion more easily visible to the members of the orchestra. Beat: a beat is a regular pulsation. It is a basic unit of length in musical time. Clef: a sign at the beginning of the staff to fix the position of one note. The most common are the treble and bass clefs. Chord: a series of notes, usually three or more, that are sung or played together to create harmony. Col legno: Italian for “hit with the wood”, this is a bowing technique where players strike the string with the stick of the bow, rather than by drawing the hair of the bow across the strings. Concertmaster: the leader of the first violin section who tunes the orchestra and works closely with the conductor. Conductor: leader of the orchestra who makes decisions about how the music will be played with respect to tempo and dynamics, and keeps the musicians together during a performance. Crescendo: gradually increasing in loudness. Decrescendo: gradually decreasing in loudness Double-stop: a technique on string instruments in which two notes are played simulaneously. Triple stops and quadruple stops can also be played, in which three and four (respectively) notes are played simultaneously. Dynamics: the intensity, or loudness and softness, of music. Embouchure: the way the mouth is held to play a woodwind or brass instrument. Fingerboard: the strips of wood on a stringed instrument’s neck over which the strings are stretched and fingered to change the pitch. Harmony: the sound created when two or more notes are played at the same time. Improvise: to make up music as you go, without using scores or musical notation that is written down. Many jazz musicians incorporate improvisation into their performance. Legato: notes played smoothly and in a connected manner, without any noticeable break or articulation between them. Lietmotif: a phrase or melodic cell that signifies a character, place, plot element, mood, idea, relationship or other specific part of an opera of symphonic work. Measure: the notes and rests between two bar lines. Metre: a regular pulse made up of strong and weak beats.
28 Musical Term Glossary
Melody: a sequence of musical notes that make up a tune. Movement: a section of music which contains certain musical ideas, much like a chapter in a book. Notes: representation of musical tones using written symbols. Octave: the distance between one tone of a scale and the next higher or lower tone of the same pitch; for example, middle C and C above middle C are an octave apart. Pitch: the highness or lowness of a sound. Pizzicato: to play a stringed instrument by plucking the strings with the fingers. Pluck: to pull up or down on a string with your finger, thumb or a pick. Podium: the raised platform in front of the orchestra on which the conductor stands. Reed: a thin piece of cane or other material, attached to an instrument at one end and free to vibrate at the other. Found on oboes, clarinets, saxophones and bassoons. Resonator: the part of an instrument, usually the body, that amplifies the sound caused by vibrating strings or air column. Rests: a pause or interval of silence between two tones. Rhythm: patterns of sound and silence in a piece of music. Scale: music arranged in ascending or descending pitches. The C major scale consists of the notes c,d,e,f,g,a,b,c. Score: music in written form with all the parts set down in relation to each other. Sound Wave: when something vibrates, or moves quickly back and forth, it causes molecules in the air to move, creating sounds that move in waves in your ear. Spiccato: a bowing technique that uses a semi-off-the-string style to produce a light “bouncing” sound. Watching the musicians it looks like the bow is bouncing up off the string the second it makes contact. Spiccato is usually performed at the balance portion of the bow. The balance portion of the bow refers to the area of the bow where weight is distributed evenly on both sides, allowing for maximum control. Staff: five parallel horizontal lines, on which notes are written in the spaces, on the lines, or above and below the staff using ledger lines. Strum: to play long strokes across all the strings of a string instrument, one after another very quickly using your thumb, fingers or a pick. Symphony Orchestra: a large group of musicians, led by a conductor, who perform together on string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments. Tempo: the speed at which a piece of music is played. Time Signature: appears at the beginning of the staff. The lower figure shows the kind of notes taken as the unit of measure, while the upper figure shows the number of these notes that can fit in a measure. Tone: the tone is the quality of musical sound, such as rich, mellow, harsh, brilliant, etc. Tremolo: a rapidly repeated note. Unison: two or more instruments sounding the same note. Valves: the mechanisms on some brass instruments that make it possible for the musician to change pitches and play all the notes of the scale.
29 Instruments of the Orchestra
The String Family
Jonathan Crow Teng Li Joseph Johnson Jeffrey Beecher Heidi Van Concertmaster Principal Viola Principal Cello Principal Hoesen Gorton Double Bass Principal Harp
The string family is the largest family of instruments in the orchestra. The violin, viola, cello, and bass are made of carefully carved wood and have a set of four strings stretched across them. The strings themselves are made of nylon, steel and sometimes gut. The bow is made of wood and the strings of the bow are either synthetic or horsehair from actual horse tails! The harp is very different from the other string instruments and has a set of 47 strings. It is one of the oldest string instruments and is often considered part of the string family.
Sound is produced by plucking the strings or drawing the bow across them, causing them to vibrate. The bodies of string instruments are hollow inside to allow sound to vibrate within them. Players apply a substance called rosin to their bows to help the strings vibrate. Rosin is primarily made up of pine sap and helps the hairs on the bow grip the strings. The harp doesn't use a bow but sound is also produced by plucking or strumming the strings.
Players can tune the violin, viola, cello and bass strings using either tuning pegs or fine tuners. To change pitch, players use their left hand to press down their fingers on the fingerboard while their right hand moves the bow or plucks the strings. Players tune the harp using a tuning key to adjust the tuning pegs. The harp is played with both hands and feet! There are seven foot pedals that are used to add accidentals or sharps. The violin, viola, cello, double bass and the harp make up the large string family.
30 Instruments of the Orchestra
The String Family
Violin
The violin is the smallest member of the string family and has the highest voice. There are more violins in the orchestra than any other instrument (up to 30!). The four strings of the violin from the lowest to highest are G, D, A, and E. In an orchestra, the violins are divided into two groups: first violin and second violin. The first violins usually play the melody and the second violins support them by playing intricate harmonies and rhythms. They work together as a team to create complex inner voices and harmonies. The concertmaster is the leader of the first violins and sits to the left of the conductor. Viola
The viola looks like a slightly bigger violin. It has thicker strings and produces a lower and warmer sound. The four strings of the viola from the lowest to the highest are C, G, D, and A. The viola is a perfect fifth lower than the violin. Although the violin and viola share three strings (G, D, A), the tone and sound are very different. Music for viola is usually written in the alto clef (also known as the viola clef or C clef). In the alto clef, Middle C is on the third line of the staff. In an orchestra there are usually between ten and fourteen violas.
Cello
The cello looks like a very large violin or viola. It is around 4 feet long and has thicker strings than either the violin or viola. The four strings of the cello from the lowest to the highest are C, D, G and A—same as the viola! However the cello is tuned an octave below the viola. The cello is held between the knees instead of being held under the chin like the violin and viola. The cello rests on the ground and is supported by a metal peg called the end pin. The cello has the closest range to the human voice—which is why people find it so calming to listen to. In an orchestra, there are usually between eight and twelve cellos.
31 Instruments of the Orchestra
The String Family
Double Bass
The double bass is the largest and lowest voice of the string family. It is over 6 feet long and has the longest strings. The four strings of the double bass from lowest to the highest are E, A, D and G. To increase their range, bassists will occassionally add a fifth string or install a mechanical extension to help lower their bottom string to C. The double bass is the only string instrument tuned in fourths (though some players will tuned in fifths). The double bass is so big that a player must stand or sit on a high stool in order to play it. Like the cello, the double bass also has a metal spike (or end pin) at the bottom, which allows it to rest on the floor. In an orchestra, there are usually between six and eight double basses.
Harp
The harp is one of the oldest instruments. The concert harp stands about two metres tall and covers a range of over 6 ½ octaves. It has 47 strings and seven foot pedals, and is played by strumming or plucking the strings with both hands, and by pressing the pedals with your feet. The pedals are used to add accidentals (sharps and flats) so that the harp can play in different keys. The harp is usually considered part of the String Family because the strings create the sound. However, it is very different from all other stringed instruments and isn’t played with a bow, so it can sometimes be classified in a separate category all on its own.
32 Instruments of the Orchestra
The Woodwind Family
Julie Ranti Sarah Lewis Joaquin Valdepeñas Catherine Chen Associate Oboe Principal Clarinet Associate Principal Flute Principal Bassoon
Many of the earliest woodwind instruments were originally made of wood. Today’s modern woodwind instruments are made of variety of different materials such as wood, metal, and plastic. All woodwinds are played with mouthpieces and share a similar shape (a narrow cylinder or tube with holes). Sound is produced by blowing air through the instrument. The mouthpieces for some woodwinds, including the clarinet, oboe and bassoon, use a thin piece of wood called a reed, which vibrates when you blow across it. The clarinet uses a single reed made of one piece of wood, while the oboe and bassoon use a double reed made of two pieces of wood that are joined together.
The pitch is changed by opening or closing the holes with your fingers. Metal caps called keys cover the holes of most woodwind instruments. Similarly to string instruments, the smaller sized woodwinds play higher pitches and the longer and larger instruments play lower pitches. The flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon make up the woodwind family.
33 Instruments of the Orchestra
The Woodwind Family
Flute
The flute was originally made from wood, stone, clay or bamboo. Today’s modern flutes are made of silver, gold or platinum. The flute is held sideways and to the right of the musician’s mouth. Sound is produced by blowing across a hole in the mouthpiece of the flute which causes the air inside to vibrate. The smaller version of the flute, called the piccolo, is half the size of the flute and is one of the highest sounding instruments in the orchestra. In an orchestra, there are usually between two and four flutes.
Oboe
The oboe is the first instrument you hear at an orchestra concert. It plays a single note (an “A”), and all other instruments tune their instruments to the oboe’s pitch. Sound is produced by blowing air through a double reed at the top of the instrument. This double reed is made up of two very thin pieces of wood that are tied together and vibrate when air passes through them. In an orchestra, there are usually two to four oboes. It often plays important melodies because of its distinctive sound.
34 Instruments of the Orchestra
The Woodwind Family
Clarinet
The clarinet is very similar to the oboe in shape and size. Its mouthpiece however, uses a single reed instead of a double reed. The clarinet is made of wood or molded plastic and has a smooth, mellow tone. They can come in a variety of sizes from the small, e-flat clarinet to the large, bass clarinet. In an orchestra, there are usually between two and four clarinets.
Bassoon
Like the oboe, the bassoon is another woodwind instrument that uses a double reed. The modern bassoon can be made from wood or plastic. The bassoon is second the largest woodwind instrument followed by the contrabassoon, which has the lowest voice in the orchestra. If you took apart the bassoon and laid the different pieces from end to end, it would measure 2 ½ metres long and the contrabassoon would be 5 metres long! In an orchestra, there are usually between two and four bassoons and they have a similar range to the cello. Most woodwind instruments don’t require much use of the thumb; however, the bassoon is unique in that it has 13 keys which are only played by the thumb.
35 Instruments of the Orchestra
The Brass Family
Audrey Good Steven Woomert Gordon Wolfe Mark Tetreault French Horn Associate Principal Trombone Principal Tuba Principal Trumpet
Early ancestors of the brass family were made of materials such as animal horns, tusks, wood or even shells. Today’s modern brass instruments are made of brass, gold and silver. Brass instruments are made up of a very long pipe which has been curved and coiled into different shapes. This makes them easier to hold and play. Did you know that if you stretched out a French Horn is would measure more than 6 metres in length?
To make a sound, players buzz their lips together into the mouthpiece. The trumpet, french horn, and tuba have valves attached to their long pipes. To change the pitch, players can press down different combinations of valves, or change the pressure and shape of their lips. Brass players sometimes use a combination of these techniques to change the pitch. Instead of valves, the majority of trombone use a slide to change pitch by pushing the slide in or out. The trumpet, french horn, trombone, and tuba are most commonly used in an orchestra.
36 Instruments of the Orchestra
The Brass Family
French Horn
The very first horns were made from the horns of animals and were used to send signals to people beyond calling distance. The hunting horn is the French Horn’s ancestor and was designed so that the tubing wrapped around in a circle, making it easier to carry over the hunter’s shoulder. Valves were added to the instrument in the 1800s, increasing the range of the instruments. In an orchestra, there can be anywhere between two and eight French Horns at a time. The player uses their left hand to press the valves, and inserts their right hand into the bell of the instrument to change the quality of the sound.
Trumpet
Famous for sounding alarms, calls to war, or hunting, the trumpet as a musical instrument has had a long and rich history. Its ancestors were made of conch-shell, animal horn, wood or metal. The trum- pet is the smallest and highest pitched member of the brass family. Today’s modern trumpet has three attached valves which creates a wider range of notes than its ancestors. There are typically between two and to four trumpets in an orchestra.
37 Instruments of the Orchestra
Trombone
Invented in the 15th century, the trombone was first called a sackbut. It is the only instrument in the brass family to use a slide instead of valves to change pitch. Two U-shaped pipes are linked at opposite ends to form an “S”. One pipe slides into the other so you can extend or shorten the total length of the pipe. Players use their right hand to change pitch by pushing the slide in or out. In 1808, Beethoven helped popularize the trombone in orchestral music after writing a trombone part in the finale of his Fifth Symphony. The trombone family is made up of three trombones: alto, tenor and bass. In an orchestra, there are typically two tenor trombones and one bass trombone.
Tuba
The tuba is the biggest and lowest pitched instrument of the brass family. Invented in 1835, the tuba is the youngest member of the brass family! It has a very rich, deep sound and if you stretched the tuba out into one long piece, it would measure about 5 ½ metres. Typically, there is only one tuba in an orchestra and it usually plays harmony rarely the melody. The tuba is related to the euphonium (a smaller, high-pitched tuba) and the sousaphone (an instrument invented by John Philip Sousa, and used a lot in marching bands).
38 Instruments of the Orchestra
The Percussion Family
John Rudolph Patricia Krueger David Kent Principal Percussion Principal Keyboard Principal Timpani
The percussion family traditionally includes any instrument that produces sound when struck, shaken or scraped. Percussion instruments can be classified into different categories: pitched or unpitched. Pitched instruments, such as the xylophone, timpani, or piano, play specific pitches just like the other instrument families. Unpitched instruments, such as the bass drum, tambourine, or cymbals, produce no definite pitch. Percussionists will often play many different instruments in one piece of music. In the orchestra, the percussion section is one of the most versatile sections and provides a huge range of timbres, rhythms, unique sound effects and textures. The snare drum, bass drum, glockenspiel, xylophone, triangle, tambourine, cymbals, timpani, and piano are the most commonly used percussion instruments in an orchestra.
39 Instruments of the Orchestra
The Percussion Family
Timpani The timpani, sometimes called kettledrums, are made of a large copper bowl with a drumhead stretched across the top. These large, pitched drums are used frequently in orchestral music. The pitch of each timpani depends on the size of the bowl, as well as the tension of the drum head; the tighter the skin, the higher the note. The range of timpani is approximately two octaves. To change notes, players use a foot pedal located at the base of the timpani. Timpani were the first drums to be used in the orchestra, with most orchestras using three or four in their setup. Snare Drum The snare drum has a crisp, and bright sound. It has two heads stretched over a hollow metal or wood frame. The top head is struck with two wooden drum sticks. The bottom head has strings of wire or gut stretched across it called snares. The snare produces a rattling sound as it vibrates across the head. The snares are loosened for softer notes and tightened for a crisper or sharper tone.
Bass Drum The bass drum is the largest drum in the orchestra and has a low, deep sound. It is constructed like the snare drum but without snares. The bass drum is played on its side so that both sides can be played. The bass drum is played with a bass drum beater which is a large wooden stick with sheep’s wool or felt covering one end. Both the snare and bass drums were originally used in the military before they became members of the orchestra’s percussion section.
Tambourine A tambourine is a small frame drum with a calfskin or plastic head stretched across one side. Inside the frame, there are several small metal discs attached that jingle when moved. Sound is produced by shaking, rubbing, or striking the head.
40 Instruments of the Orchestra
The Percussion Family Triangle A triangle is a piece of metal bent into a triangle shape. It is commonly made out of steel and is suspended on a nylon loop. It is played by striking it with a metal beater. The triangle produces a shimmering, tinkling sound similar to a bell.
Cymbals Cymbals are two slightly curved brass plates, which are held with leather straps. When hit together they produce a resounding ring. Cymbals come in a variety of sizes and can produce a wide range of sound effects. A single cymbal can also be suspended from a stand and struck with drumstick or padded mallet. Piano The piano is a pitched keyboard instrument with 88 black and white keys. It has the largest range of any instrument in the orchestra. When a player presses the keys it causes a small hammer to strike the corresponding strings inside the instrument. The piano is often classified as a percussion instrument because sound is produced by hammers striking the strings.
Xylophone The xylophone is a pitched mallet instrument consisting of tuned wooden bars mounted on a metal frame. The wooden bars are usually made of rosewood but can also be made of synthetic materials. The bars are arranged in two rows similar to the keys of a piano. The xylophone produces a bright, sharp, short tone. Sound is produced by striking the bars with hard mallets. The xylophone sounds one octave higher than written. The origin of the xylophone is unclear, but similar instruments were known in Africa and Asia, dating back to the 14th century.
Glockenspiel The glockenspiel is a pitched mallet instrument and is often called "bells". It is made of tuned steel bars that are arranged in two rows like the keys on a piano. The glockenspiel has a very bright and piercing tone. The range is generally two and half octaves and it sounds two octaves higher than written. Sound is produced by striking the steel plates with hard mallets. 41 Members of the Orchestra
STRINGS Theresa Rudolph Keith Atkinson, TROMBONES ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Gordon Wolfe, VIOLINS Daniel Blackman Cary Ebli PRINCIPAL Jonathan Crow, Gary Labovitz Sarah Lewis Vanessa Fralick CONCERTMASTER Diane Leung ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Mark Skazinetsky, Charmain Louis ENGLISH HORN ASSOCIATE Mary Carol Nugent Cary Ebli BASS TROMBONE CONCERTMASTER Christopher Redfield Jeffrey Hall Marc-André Savoie, Kent Teeple CLARINETS ASSISTANT Joaquin Valdepeñas, TUBA CONCERTMASTER CELLOS PRINCIPAL Mark Tetreault, Etsuko Kimura, Joseph Johnson, YaoGuang Zhai, PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL CONCERTMASTER Emmanuelle Beaulieu Joseph Orlowski PERCUSSION Paul Meyer, Bergeron PRINCIPAL SECOND ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL E FLAT CLARINET TIMPANI VIOLINS Winona Zelenka, YaoGuang Zhai David Kent, Wendy Rose, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Igor Gefter BASS CLARINET SECOND VIOLINS Marie Gélinas Amy Zoloto PERCUSSION Eri Kosaka Roberta Janzen John Rudolph, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Britton Riley BASSOONS PRINCIPAL SECOND VIOLINS Kirk Worthington Michael Sweeney, Patricia Krueger Atis Bankas PRINCIPAL Sydney Chun DOUBLE BASSES Catherine Chen, Carol Lynn Fujino Jeffrey Beecher, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL KEYBOARD Amanda Goodburn PRINCIPAL Samuel Banks Patricia Krueger, Terry Holowach Theodore Chan Fraser Jackson PRINCIPAL Bridget Hunt Timothy Dawson Amalia Joanou-Canzoneri Charles Elliott CONTRABASSOON HARP Mi Hyon Kim David Longenecker Fraser Jackson Heidi Van Hoesen Gorton, Shane Kim Paul Rogers PRINCIPAL Leslie Dawn Knowles BRASS Sergei Nikonov WOODWINDS LIBRARIANS Hyung-Sun Paik HORNS Gary Corrin, Young-Dae Park FLUTES Neil Deland, PRINCIPAL Semyon Pertsovsky Nora Shulman, PRINCIPAL Kim Gilmore Peter Seminovs PRINCIPAL Christopher Gongos, Jennifer Thompson Julie Ranti, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL PERSONNEL Angelique Toews ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Audrey Good David Kent, James Wallenberg Leonie Wall Gabriel Radford PERSONNELMANAGER Virginia Chen Wells Camille Watts Arkady Yanivker TRUMPETS PICCOLO Andrew McCandless, VIOLAS Camille Watts PRINCIPAL Teng Li, Steven Woomert, PRINCIPAL OBOES ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Eric Nowlin, Sarah Jeffrey, James Gardiner ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL James Spragg
42 Members of the Orchestra
44 Members of the Orchestra
45 Student Evaluation Form
Date you attended: ______Name of school (optional): ______
1. What was your favourite part of the concert and why?
2. What was your least favourite part of the concert and why?
3. Describe how you felt during one of the pieces on the programme. Why do you think you felt that way?
4. Was there anything that surprised you during the concert?
5. Did you vote? What pieces did you select and why?
Any additional comments? Do you have a favourite piece that you would like the TSO to play? Tell us why!
PLEASE RETURN TO: MAIL: School Concerts - Toronto Symphony Orchestra, 212 King St W, 6th Floor, Toronto ON M5H 1K5 46 (Mail or Email) EMAIL: [email protected] Teacher Evaluation Form
Date you attended: ______Name of school (optional): ______
1. Please circle the appropriate rating:
Audience Response Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Educational Value Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Conductor’s Rapport with the Students Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Teachers’ Study Guide Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Vote Component (video) Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor
2. Was this the first time you brought a group to the TSO School Concerts ? Yes No If not, how long have you been bringing students to the TSO School Concerts ?
3. What did your students like most?
4. Did you use the Teachers’ Study Guide? Yes No If so, which section did you find most useful?
5. Did you use the podcast? Yes No If so, did you find it useful?
6. Did your students participate in the voting component ? Yes No
7. Is there anything you’d like to share with the generous donors who support the TSO School Concerts?
Any additional comments? We greatly value teacher feedback and would love to hear from you!
PLEASE RETURN TO: MAIL: School Concerts - Toronto Symphony Orchestra, 212 King St W, 6th Floor, Toronto ON M5H 1K5 (Mail or Email) EMAIL: [email protected] 47