Budding Composers 2015 Teacher’s Guide
Dive into Atlantis with Michel-Georges Brégent
an educational project presented by the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec
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Document prepared by the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) as part of the project Budding Composers 2015.
Dive into Atlantis with Michel-Georges Brégent Copy editor : Claire Cavanagh (SMCQ), in collaboration with Hélène Lévesque (CSDM music education consultant) English Translation : Peggy Niloff Layout : Noémie Pascal (template)
Budding Composers 2015 Artistic Director : Walter Boudreau General Manager : Aïda Aoun
© Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ), 2014
300, boul. de Maisonneuve East, Montréal (Québec), H2X 3X6 Telephone : 514-843-9305 | Fax : 514-843-3167 | [email protected] smcq.qc.ca
The SMCQ wishes to thank :
Avec la participation de: • Ministère de la Culture et des Communications • Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport
2 Table of contents Teacher’s Guide
The Société de musique contemporaine du Québec and the Youth Sector p. 4
Budding Composers 2015 p. 4
Biography of composer Michel-Georges Brégent p. 5
Pedagogical activities p. 7
1 : Atlantide by composer Michel-Georges Brégent p. 8
INSPIRATION
2 : My composition plan p. 9 3 : Hunting for sounds p. 10
ELABORATION
4 : Making a sound mix p. 11 5 : Keeping records p. 12
IN PERSPECTIVE
6 : Rehearsing and presenting my work p. 12
Reproducibles Forms (RF) p. 13
FR 1 : Teacher’s sound/narration chart p. 14
FR 2 : My composition plan p. 15
FR 3 : Primary Level Music Vocabulary p. 16
FR 4 : Secondary Level Music Vocabulary p. 17
FR 5 : Keeping records (first draft) p. 18
FR 6 : Example of draft p. 19
FR 7 : Keeping records (final version) p. 20
FR 8 : Subscription Form for the Budding Composers Event p. 21
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Société de musique contemporaine du Québec
Since 1966, the SMCQ has assumed the mandate to promote contemporary music from both this country and abroad. With its concerts, Homage Series, Montreal/New Music International Festival (MNM), youth sector, radio broadcasts, North American and European tours, a competition for composers, and more than twenty full-length recordings, the work of the SMCQ has resulted in a fertile breeding ground for new works of art, commissions, and masterful performances of contemporary music “classics”.
Youth Sector
Working in close collaboration with composers and music education specialists, our Youth Sector offers original educational activities that are adapted to the needs of teachers and students. Traditionally, music education was focused on performance, or playing an instrument. However, music creativity and composition are being more and more recognized as an important element of comprehensive music education at all levels, as well as the importance to diversify the styles of studies musics. Since resources on present-day composers and music creativity are sparse, the educational propositions of our Youth Sector satisfy a real need in schools.
Budding Composers 2015
Primary and secondary school students are invited to discover Quebec’s composers and musical creations by participating in the Budding Composers project. This year’s offering is Michel - Georges Brégent’s Atlantide (1992), a fascinating, monumental work that will inspire you and your students to create your own mixed media compositions. You will be welcome to present your musical creations on the SMCQ web site and/or via live performance in April, 2015 at the Place des Arts. This guide presents a project outline, but feel free to enhance or adapt the steps to best suit your group.
In preparation for this project, you are also invited to bring your students to a school rehearsal of Atlantide, presented by the SMCQ on February 26th, 2015 at the Salle Pierre-Mercure. A Youth Competition will also be held in conjunction with this concert. More info: smcq.qc.ca / youth
List of Material
- Recording devices, smartphones or tablets
- Computer
- Audacity (free) or other audio editing software
OR - Sound objects
AND - Your choice of musical instruments
- Lots of imagination
4 Teacher’s Guide
Michel-Georges Brégent: biography
“My life’s ambition is to create a music which is perfectly balanced on the intellectual, emotional and spiritual planes: a music which has a reason for being.”
Even before Michel-Georges Brégent entered the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal where he studied composition with Gilles Tremblay, the originality of his artistic temperament was already manifest in musical ventures of a striking new conception. For example, as early as 1965 he foresaw the realization of his master work to be completed by the year 2001, the grand biblical fresco Les testaments.
His works, like their author, overflow with energy. For a long time, this vitality has permitted the composer, who does not believe in the separation of genres, to write and to perform rock music mixed with jazz and contemporary elements — a production which was labelled ‘classico-cosmic rock’ by the Montréal critics. Important accomplishments of this period are the group Brégent with his brother Jacques (1965-80), the duo Dionne-Brégent (1975-79) with percussionist Vincent Dionne, and the musical direction of the multimedia group L’écran humain.
A prolific composer, Brégent was commissioned by renown ensembles and musicians such as the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, Duo contemporain (from The Netherlands), Arditti Quartet, Pentaèdre, Michael Laucke, Rivka Golani, the Orchestre des jeunes du Québec and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.
He has worked within numerous organizations, juries and committees, and has organized several events. He was composer in residence with the Canadian Opera Company (where he composed Realitillusion), principal guest at the Royal Conservatory of Gent, and received a First Mention and the Special Jury Prize for Atlantis at the Italia Prize.
The Belgian musicologist Harry Halbreich has said that “Michel-Georges Brégent is the visionary mystic whom keen intelligence safely leads to undertake the wildest utopias. He is the man of complex structures, of instrumental virtuosity at the service of a generous and flamboyant expression.”
[Sonart]
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Teacher’s Guide
Educational Activities
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1. Atlantide by Michel-Georges Brégent
Context
For a start, familiarize yourself with Michel-Georges Brégent’s work. Ask Summary of the myth of Atlantis: Thousands of years ago Atlanteans your students if they already know lived in an archipelago where one of the islands was called Atlantis. It about the lost city of Atlantis. was a rich empire, with an abundance of plants, animals and metals. Not satisfied living off these natural resources, Atlanteans were also Then, explain to your students how accomplished merchants and seamen; they built a remarkable inspired by this story, composer port, located no more than five miles from the sea. Moreover they Michel-George Brégent decided to were also skilled architects and artisans. However, the Atlanteans compose a major work attempted to invade Greece. According to their priests, Poseidon, (29 minutes). god of the sea punished them for leaving their islands; he caused earthquakes and floods rise up and sink Atlantis and the other islands. Listen to the excerpt from the overture and ask your students to identify the Many scientists have searched and are still searching for instruments used in the composition. vestiges of this lost city which fascinates us to this very day.
Sound excerpts: Further study: National Geographic Channel Documentary The creation of Atlantide National Geographic Channel Documentary electrocd.com/fr/cat/imso_9201/ Finding Atlantis
We hear voices, various ensembles youtube.com/watch?v=8NjG-h2XiwE (string instruments), electroacoustic sounds and environmental sounds (water, wind, elephants, horses.)
Suggest that your students compose their own musical version of Atlantide as Brégent did, using a mixed media style (a mix of sound tracks and acoustic instruments.)
IMPORTANT : Decide if you will record sounds from your environment, imitate sounds with objects, or use excerpts from the original Atlantide’s electro-acoustic sound track.
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2 : My composition plan
Discussion
Have your students present a four-part resume of the story of Atlantis.
Next, discuss how each of these four parts step can be illustrated through music. Ask your students:
- What would be the sound environment for each part of the story? - How can they represent these sounds? - Using the music vocabulary, what are the musical elements that are appropriate for this step?
Example of content (see RF 1: Teacher’s sound-narration chart) :
STORY SOUND ENVIRONMENT INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC Part of the story Description Sound environment How will I represent these Description of I imagine for each sounds? sound for each step step using the music vocabulary The luxurious Water, gentle Recorded sounds: Children Moderate rhythm, Atlantis island of Atlantis waves, city life, in scoolyard, barking dog, soft sounds, is a powerful and children playing, cars in the street happiness advanced empire, animals, ships, Acoustic sounds : music flowing with laughing people, box natural riches joyful music, etc. The power-hungry Rallying cries, Recorded or acoustic Fast rhythm, louder War in Greece Atlanteans battle machinery, sounds: human cries, sounds, confident attempt to invade war drums creaking chairs, pots and warriors Greece. pans
Poseidon, god of Earthquakes, cries Recorded or acoustic Fast rhythm, anger, Sinking of the sea and the of the citizens, sounds: throwing pebbles fear Atlantis Greeks, is angered windstorms, in water bucket, shaking and causes smashed ships, the recycling bin, earthquakes and rocks crashing on screaming, lap tapping floods which sink the ground Atlantis forever... A vast Atlantis is sunk Water, waves Recorded sounds: wind in Very calm emptiness leaves, water running - Calm and Acoustic sounds: blowing desolation "wind" with mouth, sliding a piece of paper on a table
Small group planning
Have your students gather in groups of 3 or 4. Assign each group one of the four parts of the story. Using form RF 2: My composition plan, have them illustrate their part through sound and music. Form RF 1: Teacher’s sound- narration chart provides examples with answers and RF 3 or 4 provide a list of music vocabulary.
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Note : to add creative variety you might want to assign a specific character to each group. For example, you might have them illustrate the story from the viewpoint of: - A young Atlantean boy or girl - A ship’s captain - The fish from the sea! - Poseidon himself - The Greeks - A bird
As needed, have your students bring one of the following to the next class (recording device, smartphone, tablet, etc.
3 : Hunting for sounds
Here are a few ways to gather sounds from the environment or sound objects. Choose a method of collecting sounds that best works for your group:
Recorded sounds :
1- Record different sounds around you (at home or at school, alone, in a team, or with the whole class)
2- Choose some sounds from Michel-George Brégent’s sound bank
Acoustic sounds :
3- Choose the sound objects that you will use as a musical instrument during your composition
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4 : Making a sound mix (electronic)
Now it’s time to combine the sounds and make a basic soundtrack. Students can use their own samples or the ones made with the group. Editing can be done with the teacher handling the editing software and guiding the group’s creation, or if they have computer access, by the students themselves.
In accordance with your composition objectives as summarized on the form RF 2: My composition plan, combine and superimpose your samples to create the soundtrack illustrating your part of the story.
The final mix must be 30 to 60 seconds long.
Note : we recommend using Audacity software (free) available at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Technical tips for using Audacity:
Ensure that your sound files are in .mp3 or .wav format. There are Internet sites which will convert your files for free.
Importing files: 1. Open a new Audacity document 2. Go to “file - import - audio” 2. Select the desired file
Note: you can import several files which will be superimposed
Copy/paste: 1. Using the cursor, select the desired excerpt 2. Go to “edit-copy” or “edit-cut” 3. Click on the place in the track where you want to place the excerpt 4. Go to “edit-paste”
Crescendo/decrescendo effects: 1. Select excerpt 2. Go to “Fade in” or “Fade out”
To hear the work in progress: 1. Click on the start of the track 2. Click on the green arrow
Save the soundtrack: 1. Go to “File-export” 2. Name the file and save as mp3 or wav format
SMCQ • 11 Budding Composers 2015 5 : Keeping records
Once the students have chosen their sounds, have them note their choices on the RF 5 : Keeping records. They can represent these sounds with drawings and symbols, see example RF 6: Example.
Then, they will compose a musical theme to accompany these sounds, following their planned composition process. When integrating recorded sounds, students can use a telephone or computer to play their audio excerpt and layer the instrumental music over it.
Integrate the instrumental part in the Keeping records sheet using conventional or symbolic notation.
6 : Rehearsing and presenting my work
Plan to allot some rehearsal time for your creations.
Then they can be broadcast:
1) via the SMCQ website. You can send us the recordings of your works as .mp3 ou .wav formats at [email protected]
2) live or pre-recorded from April 15th to April 17th at the Place des Arts.
Please fill out theRF 8 : Participation form and send it back to [email protected]
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Reproducible Forms
SMCQ • 13 Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC Musical theme and composition process * Moderate rhythm, soft sounds, happiness Fast rhythm, louder sounds, confident warriors Fast rhythm, anger, fear calm Very Description of sound for each step using the music vocabulary
Recorded sounds: Children in Children barking scoolyard, dog, cars in the street Acoustic sounds : music box Recorded or acoustic sounds: human cries, chairs, creaking pots and pans Recorded or acoustic sounds: pebbles throwing in water bucket, shaking the bin, recycling lap screaming, tapping Recorded sounds: wind in leaves, water running Acoustic sounds: blowing "wind" with mouth, sliding a piece of paper on a table How will I represent these sounds? SOUND ENVIRONMENT Water, gentle Water, waves, city life, playing, children animals, ships, laughing people, joyful music, etc. Rallying cries, battle machinery, war drums Earthquakes, cries of the citizens, windstorms, smashed ships, crashing on rocks the ground waves Water, Sound environment Sound I imagine for each step The luxurious island of Atlantis is a powerful and advanced empire, flowing with natural riches The power-hungry Atlanteans attempt to invade Greece. Poseidon, god of the sea and is angered Greeks, and causes earthquakes and floods which sink Atlantis forever... Atlantis is sunk Description STORY
War in Greece War Sinking of Atlantis vast A emptiness - Calm and desolation Part of the story Atlantis RF 1 : Teacher's sound-narration chart Planning steps and example of content Ostinato / / Collage / Repetition reproduction / Sound Contrast answer/ : Question, * Composition process
SMCQ SMCQ • 15 14 Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms RF 2 : My composition plan
The step of the story of Atlantis : ______
I draw what occurs in this step :
I describe in words what occurs in this step
Sound environment that I imagine for this step
How will I represent these sounds?
Description of sound for each step using the music vocabulary
Musical theme and chosen composition process*
* Composition process : Question, answer/ Contrast / Sound reproduction / Repetition / Collage / Ostinato
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RF 3 : Music vocabulary Primary Level
rd 3 cycle →
nd 2 cycle →
st 1 cycle → high-pitched ascending wood short half-note canon do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si crescendo singer soft descending musical theater loud decrescendo brass strike (percussion eighth notes folklore instruments) A-B form lento drawing a bow A-B-A form moderato low note forte popular music pitch glissando presto music instrument rough whole note percussion instrument scratch rondo invent perform slow string instruments long wind instruments quick / fast smooth resonant moderate dry medium (pitch) shake quarter note silence musical phrase blow piano very short rest very long tempo singing voice
Note: according to the Quebec Music program vocabulary
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RF 4 : Music Vocabulary Secondary level
Intensity and dynamics Pitch Tempo Crescendo Accidental signs A tempo Decrescendo Accidentals Ad libidum Diminuendo Chromatic Allegro Forte Diatonic Lento Forte piano Double sharps and flats Moderato Fortissimo Flat Ritenuto Fortississimo High, medium Tempo primo Mezzo forte and low register Mezzo piano Key signatures Rhythmic organization Pianissimo Natural Beat Pianississimo Octave higher or lower (8va) Compound metre Piano Sharp Duple metre Subito forte Rhythmic motif Subito piano Voice range Syncopation Alto Time signatures Duration Bass Triple metre Anacrusis Soprano Consecutive measures of Tenor Melodic organization silence Major scale Dotted notes and rests Articulation Minor scale Double dotted notes and Accent Intervals rests Appoggiatura Series of chromatic sounds Eighth note Mordent Series of diatonic sounds Eighth rest Legato Fermata Sforzando Harmonic organization Half note Staccato Chord Half rest Trill Clusters Quarter note Modulation Quarter rest Form Single sound Sixteenth note AB Tonality Sixteenth rest ABA Transposition Tie Al fine Triplet Canon Families of instruments Whole note Coda Name of instruments used Whole rest Da capo Dal segno First and second endings Note: according to the Quebec Repeat sign Music program vocabulary. Rondo Theme and variations
SMCQ • 17 Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms Composition process : My personal code :
RF 5 : Keeping records of my composition (first draft) Part of the story which I will represent : ______SMCQ SMCQ • 19 18 Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms
SMCQ RF 6 : Example of draft SMCQ • 19 18 Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms Composition process : My personal code :
RF 7 : Keeping records of my composition (final version) Part of the story which I will represent : ______SMCQ
20 Budding Composers 2015 • Reproducible Forms FR 8 : Participation Form Budding Composers 2015
The SMCQ invites all students to present their compositions inspired by Michel-Georges Brégent's Atlantide during the Budding Composers event. This activity will take place at Place des Arts on April 15, 16 and 17 2015.
The SMCQ and Place des Arts will offer the technical setting for the concert (programs, stage, chairs, microphones, sound system and sound man).
At the end of the concert, children will have the chance to meet Walter Boudreau, composer and artistic director / conductor for the Brégent's Atlantide concert in February 2015.
Those living outside of Montreal are invited to take part in this project by sending us recordings of your students' compositions at [email protected] . These recordings will be played during the event at Place des Arts. In this case, please fill out the following form and mention in the "Comments" section that this is how you choose to participate.
______
Please send us your completed form at : Société de musique contemporaine du Québec 300, Maisonneuve East, Montreal, Qc H2X 3X6 Fax : 514-514-843-3167 or Email : [email protected]
Teacher's name : ______
School or organization : ______
Address : ______
Telephone : ______
Email : ______
Number of participants : ______
Age/grade : ______
Desired date* (April 15, 16 or 17, 2015): ______
Desired time* : ______
Total time of presentation : ______
Comments : ______
______
I will provide transportation for my students and their music instruments.
______Teacher's signature
* First come, first served. If these dates and times are no longer available, we will contact you to arrange another time slot.
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