The Amazing Tale of Gibson
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Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Teacher Resource Booklet Teaching ideas designed around repertoire from the Education Concert THE AMAZING TALE OF GIBSON Story by Jenny Compton Prepared by Sharee Bahr, Carolyn Cross and Dianne O’Toole ©2016 Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Pty CONTENTS Page The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra 1 The Amazing Tale of Gibson 2 Teaching Ideas 4 A What’s an Orchestra 4 B Emotion in Music 6 C Texture in Music 12 D Patterns from the Program 26 E Cross-Curricular Possibilities 30 TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Marko Letonja Chief Conductor and Artistic Director The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has been at the forefront of concert life in Tasmania for more than six decades. Established in 1948 and declared a Tasmanian Icon in 1998, the TSO gives nearly 80 concerts annually including seasons in Hobart and Launceston, and appearances in Tasmanian regional centres. Additionally, the TSO collaborates with other Tasmanian arts organisations, including highly successful projects with the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Resident in Hobart’s purpose-built Federation Concert Hall, the TSO has a full complement of 47 musicians. Marko Letonja is the orchestra’s Chief Conductor and Artistic Director. For works that require choral forces, the TSO is joined by the TSO Chorus. With approximately 80 CDs in its catalogue, including 21 titles in the Australian Composer Series on ABC Classics and 14 in the Romantic Piano Concerto Series on the British label Hyperion, the TSO is known and heard nationally and internationally. In December 2016- January 2017 the TSO gave a highly successful tour of China, performing nine concerts in seven cities, including Shanghai and Nanjing. 1 The Amazing Tale of Gibson This concert traces the story of an amazing violin, one that survived theft and neglect before finding glory in the hands of one of the world’s most famous violinists. A LITTLE OF THE HISTORY BEHIND THE STORY OF “THE AMAZING TALE OF GIBSON” The narration that you will hear during the performance of The Amazing Tale of Gibson was written by Jenny Compton and is loosely based on the history of the Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius. The following links provide more information: Orchestra of Exiles http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1906443/ - This is a documentary about Huberman who owned the Gibson Stradivarius and Jenny makes reference to Huberman playing for Brahms when Huberman was a boy and also the famous night when the Gibson Stradivarius was stolen. The Gibson Stradivarius is now owned by Joshua Bell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Stradivarius - a concise history of the Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius https://rhapsodyinwords.com/2015/08/24/the-astonishing-300-year-history-of-the-gibson-ex- huberman-stradivarius/ - this is an in-depth look at the 300 year history of the Gibson ex- Huberman Stradivarius https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5aLHuk0PUU Joshua Bell the renowned concert violinist has owned his pride and joy, a Stradivarius violin for over a decade, it is over 300 years old. The story of the theft, return, and subsequent acquisition by Bell is told in the 2013 documentary The Return of the Violin, directed by Haim Hecht. Bell's first recording made with the Gibson ex Huberman was Romance of the Violin (for Sony Classical Records) in 2003. A FURTHER LINK TO JOSHUA BELL AND HIS VIOLIN … SO WHAT’S GIBSON DOING NOW? In a 2007, violinist Joshua Bell went busking in an experiment to see if the public would recognise one of the finest talents in the classical world. It did not work out like that. http://www.classicfm.com/artists/joshua-bell/guides/busking-subway/#f3SIwmaVeQdq5xPV.97 In September, 2013 The Man With the Violin by Kathy Stinson illustrated by Dušan Petričić from Annick Press was published. It tells the story of the Washington Press’s experiment where they asked Joshua Bell to play in the subway incognito. This link provides https://vimeo.com/65555503 information about the book. CONCERT REPERTOIRE Please note: a) Most of these pieces are either extracts or abridged versions, omitting repeats, to keep the durations in the 2.00 – 3.00 minutes range. 2 b) Most are readily available on YouTube and/or iTunes/Spotify. The YouTube clip links have been included in this resource booklet. Composer/ Title Country Year Written Duration HUANG Saibei Dance from Saibei Suite No 2, Op 21 China 1975 4’00 TRAD ARR. SHAWCROSS Australia 2015 1’00 Ai Hai Yo CORELLI Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op 6, No 8 Christmas Concerto Italy 1690 2'00 II Allegro; III Adagio VIVALDI Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) Op 8 Italy 1723 3'00 No 2 in G Minor L’estate (Summer) III Presto BACH Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 Germany 1717 –1723 1'15 II Largo MOZART Serenade No 13 in G Major, KV 525 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Austria 1787 3'00 IV Rondo BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 61 Germany 1806 3'00 I Allegro ma non troppo MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 4 in A Major, Op 90 Italian Germany 1833 2'30 I Allegro vivace SAINT- SAËNS Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor, Op 28 France 1863 3'30 LALO Symphonie espagnole in D Minor, Op 21 France 1874 2'20 I Allegro non troppo TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 35 Russia 1878 4'20 I Allegro moderato; III Finale: Allegro vivacissimo BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 27 Germany 1878 2'00 II Adagio BRUCH Violin Concerto No 1 in G Minor, Op 26 Germany 1866 0'30 I Vorspiel: Allegro moderato; II Adagio HOLST St. Paul’s Suite Op 29, No 2 England 1912 1'45 III Intermezzo MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op 64 Germany 1838 - 1844 2'00 III Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace 3 TEACHING IDEAS A WHAT’S AN ORCHESTRA? Having the opportunity to listen to and see an orchestra playing is an incredibly special and memorable event for children. While it is really important for the students to be familiar with all or at least some of the pieces the TSO will play it is equally important for them to have an understanding of what an orchestra is. Please take the time to familiarise your students with the four sections of the orchestra and the instruments in them. Look at a clip of an orchestra playing a familiar piece, use the colouring page, watch the YouTube clip ‘George meets the Orchestra’ or look at the many interactive on-line websites. 1 Listening to an orchestra Play a piece that the students are familiar with being performed by an orchestra. Playing the students a piece that they are familiar with allows them to connect immediately with the music and they are very excited because they know the piece and it can conjure up images in their mind and stir up memories. Once this connection has been created you can move on and focus on the sections of the Orchestra and the instruments in them. A good starting point would be Pirates of the Caribbean. Here is a link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zTc2hD2npA to a performance by the Auckland Symphony Orchestra. 2 Colouring page Ask the students to colour in the 4 sections of the orchestra using the colours that the players will be wearing in the concert: Woodwind = dark blue Brass = green Percussion = light blue Strings = red Use this link: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/475692779367242089/ OR http://www.myriad- online.com/cgi-bin/workshop/YaBB.pl?board=request;action=display;num=1305290627 for a free orchestra layout chart. 3 George meets the orchestra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Jc4sP0BEE George is going to meet an orchestra for the first time! He wants to learn an instrument – but which one? Follow George as he chats with players of the Sydney Youth Orchestra and learns all about the four families of the orchestra – strings, brass, woodwind and percussion. A perfect introduction to orchestral music for Prep – Grade 2 students. 4 4 Instruments of the orchestra https://www.thinglink.com/scene/374799720679211009 Instruments of an Orchestra – Roger Gunn. Thinglink – each image has a clip linked to it to enable the viewer to see and hear each of the instruments from the orchestra playing. Find out about the conductor’s role as well. There are many interactive online websites. For example: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra: http://www.sfskids.org/classic/templates/instorchframe.asp?pageid=3 Philharmonia Orchestra: http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/explore/instruments MSO Learn app: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/mso-learn/id441422027?mt=8 Composition Lab: http://www.compositionlab.co.uk 5 Create your own “Stand-up Symphony” http://colorinmypiano.com/2012/09/20/instruments-of-the-orchestra-study-free-orchestra-stage-pieces/ There are 20 cut out figures for students to colour in and cut out and put in place on a stage plan. It’s a hands on way of reviewing the instruments as well as learning where the orchestra members sit. 6 A monster collection of links from Katie Wardrobe Katie Wardrobe is a music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music teachers. This link will take you to an amazing collection of free resources online that she has collated to help introduce or expand upon the topic of Instruments of the Orchestra. http://www.midnightmusic.com.au/2014/12/instruments-of-the-orchestra-a-monster-collection-of- links-for-music-teachers/ 7 The violin The featured instrument in this program is the violin. Use the following links to introduce the violin to your classes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgaQFLUdUL0 Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay from the Philharmonia Orchestra (London U.K.) introduces his instrument, the violin.