Young Audiences

1 Presented by discovering the osm INTRODUCTION GUIDE YOUNG AUDIENCES The Youth Concerts are presented by Fondation J.A. DeSève 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 OSM and Education 4 Concert Experience 7 The Orchestra 13 The Conductor 14 The Score 15 A little history 16 Learning Activities 3 The OSM: more than 80 musical seasons at the heart of the community Ever since its founding, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal has Zubin Mehta took over the reins of the OSM and heightened its prestige: been a leader in the orchestral life of Canada and Québec. A major cultural the OSM carried out its first tours and became the first Canadian orchestra ambassador for more than 80 seasons now, the OSM is recognized to travel to Europe. Succeeding Zubin Mehta were Franz-Paul Decker around the world for the quality of its many recordings and its tours. (1967-1975), Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (1975-1976) and Charles Dutoit (1977-2002), under whose direction the OSM assumed an important It was on November 16, 1934, that Athanase David, politician and music place on the international scene. lover, announced the creation of the Société des concerts symphoniques de Montréal (SCSM), predecessor of the Orchestre symphonique de Since 2006, Kent Nagano has occupied the position of music director. Montréal. A Montrealer by birth, Wilfrid Pelletier agreed to serve as its first Under his leadership, the Orchestra has carried on its rich tradition while music director – on condition that educational concerts for young audiences at the same time distinguishing itself through an innovative programming be included in the programming. that endeavors to update the orchestral repertoire and strengthen roots in the community, notably with the young. In September 2011, the OSM The first SCSM concert was presented on January 14, 1935, conducted and Maestro Nagano inaugurated Maison symphonique de Montréal, by Rosario Bourdon. It was not until April 11, at the SCSM’S fifth concert, the new home of the Orchestra. that Wilfrid Pelletier himself took to the podium for the first time. In 1940, Wilfrid Pelletier was succeeded by Belgian conductor Désiré Defauw. Over the decade that followed, renowned guest conductors like Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Monteux and Ernest Ansermet would contribute to the OSM’s development. In 1957, Igor Markevitch became artistic director: the Orchestra multiplied its activities and achieved full professional status. From 1961 to 1967, the young conductor The OSM and education Anchored in its community for more than 80 years now, the OSM has always placed education at the heart of its mission. Borne by the ideals of its first music director, Wilfrid Pelletier, the Orchestra continues to introduce thousands of youngsters to orchestral music every year by offering programs especially designed for them and aimed at demystifying a world that often, and wrongly, is thought to be reserved exclusively for “grownups.” Whether it be the OSM Youth Concerts (created in 1935), the OSM Manulife Competition – the 74th edition of which takes place in 2014 – the family series Children’s Corner, public rehearsals, pre-concert discussions, masterclasses offered to students or monitors and musicians in schools, the OSM makes every effort to develop a taste for music and to make music accessible, thereby investing in the next generation of music lovers. 4 Going To an OSM Concert Is... • Discovering the orchestra, its musicians and their instruments • Watching what the conductor does • Discovering the feelings the music arouses in you Going to a concert also involves experiencing the OSM's new home, which opened in 2011 ! The opening of Montreal’s Maison symphonique in September of 2011 was THE STAGE THE CHOIR LOFT the fulfillment of a dream that began many This is the area where the musicians perform. For some symphonic works, like the finale years earlier, the dream to provide the OSM The French traditionally designate the two of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (the “Ode to with a hall of international stature in which sides of the stage by the terms côté jardin Joy”), singers join the orchestral musicians. it could rehearse and perform. The hall’s (garden side – the left side as you face the They sing in the choir loft, which, when the amazing acoustics emphasize the OSM’s stage) and côté cour (yard side, the right). chorus is not needed, can be used for the special sound, and its warm visual When you are at the concert, make a point general audience to sit in. appearance creates an intimate relationship of watching from which side the conductor between the musicians and the audience. makes his entrance. BACKSTAGE, THE WINGS, THE AUDITORIUM AND THE DRESSING ROOMS In the Maison symphonique de Montréal, Behind the hall, the musicians get ready for This is where the audience sits. As you might three important factors explain the hall’s the concert and wait for the signal from the have noticed, because of the special layout sensational acoustic environment: personnel manager to go on stage. We call of the OSM’s hall, the audience can sit not this area “backstage,” or “the wings.” 1. The auditorium’s rectangular “shoebox” only out in front of the orchestra, but behind Also in this area are several small, private design, which resembles … well, it as well. rooms where some of the musicians can rest a shoebox! This is the best shape to or receive guests who want to meet them project sound. after the concert. 2. All surfaces of the auditorium are covered in wood, which in this case is a beautiful white beech particularly suited to sound resonance. 3. The hall meets noise criteria N1, at which the basic level of noise in the hall cannot be detected by the human ear. The hall is so well insulated from outside noise that, despite its location right in The conductor explains downtown Montreal, one can hear the proverbial pin drop. acoustics. Acoustics is the science of sound. The term “acoustics” comes from a Greek word meaning “to hear” or “to listen.” When they build a concert hall, acousticians try to find ways to increase the projection of the instruments’ sound out to the audience. Did you know that the orchestra’s new home can accommodate up to 2,100 people in the audience, plus 120 musicians on stage? 5 It is really important for you to be prepared for a ARRIVING AT When you arrive at the hall, you might notice that BEFORE concert. Get to know the works on the program THE CONCERT... some of the musicians have already taken their THE CONCERT... of the concert you will attend, and something seats on stage. What they are playing may not about the composers. Use this guide to learn sound very agreeable, but actually they are just more about the OSM, the instruments and what individually warming up. the conductor does. Shortly before the concert begins, the concert- For ideas on how to do this, see the section master walks onstage and all the musicians stop To Learn More on page 19 of this guide. playing to listen to the oboe sound the note A, so everyone can tune up. This ensures that when the concert begins, everyone is playing at exactly the same pitch as the oboe. While the music is playing, you listen carefully, but DURING you can also watch what the conductor and the After everyone has tuned, the conductor comes out. THE CONCERT musicians are doing. Here are some interesting The audience applauds (claps) to welcome him. things to look for: Let the concert begin! • Does the conductor use different motions when the orchestra plays softly or loudly, slowly or fast? • Are all the bows of the string instruments synchronized? (Do they all move in the same direction at the same time?) • Where do the woodwinds sit? The brass? CAN YOU KEEP QUIET? The percussion? The strings? When you enter the concert hall, all the lights are still on so you can easily find your seat. When the lights go down, that is the signal that the concert is about to begin, and that you must now keep quiet. You can practice doing this in class. Enjoy chatting with your classmates until a sign from the teacher indicates that the lights are about to go down. Remain quiet until the teacher turns the lights back on. See how long you can keep quiet and remain absolutely silent, without any laughing or talking. You can then have a competition with other classes to see which one can keep quiet the longest. Use this listening guide as an outline of things to listen for during the concert: Musical term What does it mean? Examples Questions to ask This is the musical line one can sing Frisky, lively, lyrical, repetitive, Can I remember a melody? MELODY smoothly connected, leaping Can I hum a melody I heard at the concert? This is the rhythmic aspect of the music, the Stable, variable, in binary or ternary Can I follow the beat by tapping my foot to THE BEAT, part we tap our feet to. Sometimes it suggests meter (a pulse of 2 or 3) the music? Does the beat change? OR METER the heart beating. This is the speed at which the music moves Adagio (very slow); Is the tempo slow or fast? Does the tempo along. In the score, the composer usually uses Andante (moderately slow); Allegro (fast); change in the course of a piece? TEMPO Italian terms to indicate the desired tempo. Presto (very fast) This is the pattern of long and short note values Fast notes: eighth and sixteenth notes Do the rhythmic patterns seem long or RHYTHM (eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, etc.) Slow notes: quarter, half and whole notes short? Are the patterns repeated? Dynamics are the different volume levels Pianissimo (pp, very soft); Piano (p, soft); Do the dynamics change gradually in music.

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