® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide
To Robert Mann, Who Opened My Musical Mind and Heart…
And for Little Aramis, Whose Eyes Truly Are a Musical Instrument for His Imagination
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Through the universal language of music and the arts, This guide is also dedicated to any and all who perceive value in: Sharing by teaching one another, Experiencing life as a perpetual opportunity to learn and grow, Seeking collaboration to sustain the wonder of our cultural development, Cultivating a common quest to find beauty within classical music, Nature, humanity, and our planet…
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUBJECT PAGE
Introduction 4 - 11 Brief Synopses of Each Tropical Sweets® Segment 11 - 19 Daybreak - Delius 20 - 32 Florida Daybreak: A Poem, Narration, and Writing Model 33 - 37 The Swan - Saint-Saëns 38 - 48 The Swan...A Read-Aloud Fairy Tale and Writing Model 49 - 52 The Swan - Play-along Arrangement (Rhythmic) 53 The Swan - Play-along Arrangement (Melodic) 54 Calm Sea - Mendelssohn 55 - 64 Calm Sea - Play-along Arrangement (Melodic) 65 Flight of the Bumblebee - Rimsky-Korsakov 66 - 75 Flight of the Bumblebee Play-along Arrangement (Rhythmic) 76 - 77 Flight of the Bumblebee Play-along Arrangement (Melodic) 78 The Dove - Respighi 79 - 88 Aquarium - Saint-Saëns 88 - 95 Aquarium Play-along Arrangement (Rhythmic) 96 Aquarium Play-along Arrangement (Melodic) 97 Sunset - Delius 98 - 108 Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven 108 - 127 Moonlight Sonata Play-along Arrangement (Melodic) 128 - 129 A Personal Note 130
© 2015 Taste of the Classics, Inc.
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INTRODUCTION
As the flagship of the Sweets® Classical Music Video Adventure series, the Tropical Sweets® Adventure is an immersive, variety-driven listening experience. Every visual image has been carefully sequenced in order to keep the music in the foreground, and this artistic process enables the music to inspire its own themes of the imagination as it generates all of the visual action. By anchoring one’s eyes on beautifully flowing Nature and space imagery while perpetually keeping the art of listening in the foreground, Tropical Sweets® ensures that each individual listener will experience infinitely repeatable, deeply relaxing, and educationally inspiring musical adventures.
In “a visual world” (Naisbitt, Mindset!), the listening-based Tropical Sweets® Adventure places the ears in a unique leadership role where they can provide sorely needed relief for the eyes. Essentially, the eyes become a musical instrument for one’s imagination by enabling the music and imagery to transform each listener into a unique “listening artist.” Each listening artist is empowered through “anchored listening” to explore and interweave the wonders of timeless classical music and Nature. One’s eyes, while fully engaged, will never quite experience the same thing twice as the ears enable the music to take charge and inspire fresh moments of deep relaxation, stress relief, peacefulness, learning, creativity, and rejuvenation.
When I first launched Tropical Sweets® twenty-five years ago, videocassette recorders (VCRs) were relatively new. Back then I knew that my musical vision could only come fully to life if each VCR were connected to a stereo system or headphones. However, since most of us didn’t even set the clocks on our VCRs back then, (which often meant that “12:00 A.M.” perpetually flashed), elaborate connections between VCRs and stereo systems were rare.
Fortunately, times have certainly changed and due in no small part to the
4 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide genius of innovators like the late Dr. Amar Gopal Bose and Steve Jobs, today’s audio-based technologies enable Tropical Sweets® to enrich each listener’s experiences virtually anywhere. A noisy aircraft can become a fully engaged listening environment (FELE) where Tropical Sweets®, combined with noise-cancelling headphones, can flow through a mobile device, a larger portable computer, or a portable DVD player enabling anyone to experience a fully-engaged listening environment that fills their world with amazingly intense, inspired, and immersive relaxation (“FELE the AIR”). On the ground, the same technologies can make any room or office into a Tropical Sweets® launch pad, and the DVD edition is equally at home in the classroom, the living room, or the media room. (Rooted in the age-old saying that “classical music puts me to sleep,” the Tropical Sweets® DVD also features a special Relaxation Loop for anyone seeking a more effective way to drift off to sleep in the bedroom; a great way to use your TV’s sleep timer.)
By drawing one’s eyes into the listening process, Tropical Sweets® provides more immersive access to the wonders inside classical music and Nature. As Joseph Campbell once stated in a radio interview, “People are not seeking the meaning of life, they are looking for an experience of life,” and it is in that ineffable spirit that Tropical Sweets® offers uniquely individualized access to the rich experiences deep inside a world filled with the timeless beauty of music and Nature.
The eight Tropical Sweets® videos visually reflect prominent structural and architectural elements of the music, setting the stage for ongoing exploration, discovery, and learning.
My intent was not to define or limit the experience of the music through the use of imagery, but simply to suggest compelling connections and relationships between what is heard and what is seen. Each listening artist will interweave the music and imagery into unique listening art creations as
5 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide he/she discovers a unique sense of aesthetic balance within an anchored listening experience.
Anchoring the eyes with the beauty of Nature, while the ears keep the music in the pilot’s seat, serves to silence the outside world and may open significant creative storehouses within each listening artist. (The eminent Harvard psychologist, John Weir Perry, coined the term “affect image” to describe these prospectively empowering human interactions with art.) Once the aesthetic bloodstream is open to personal creativity, writing prose or poetry, painting or drawing, dancing or moving, and a wealth of interdisciplinary insights should naturally flow from the hearts and spirits of listening artists of all ages.
About Me As a native of Michigan, amidst the snow and ice of my childhood winters our family would drive to Daytona Beach, Florida, for what seemed to be miraculous “summer” vacations. I think the essence of Flight of the Sandpipers, which was shot exclusively at Daytona Beach, may have originated when I first saw those tiny birds running amidst the surf.
In the fourth grade, I began studying the violin at McKinley Elementary School in Battle Creek, Michigan, “The Cereal City.” As a child I sang in several marvelous choirs, (Miss Dooley’s all-city elementary chorus was by far my favorite), and I played a variety of instruments, including the trombone, clarinet, drums, cornet, and euphonium. I had the great privilege of finishing high school (junior and senior years) at the Interlochen Arts Academy in northern Michigan, and I also completed my violin performance degrees at the University of Michigan, where I served as concertmaster of the University Symphony and Associate Concertmaster of the Toledo Symphony. After serving as a founding member of the DeVos String Quartet and concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony, I enjoyed over a decade as a concert and recording artist while serving as a founding member of the Naumburg Award-winning New World String Quartet. Our quartet was
6 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide granted to great privilege of serving as artists-in-residence at Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and I still enjoy my role as a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), which gives me the opportunity to vote for the Grammy Awards every year. Several years ago, I wrote the interdisciplinary Microsoft Composer Collection Companion Guide for Microsoft Press, and I have been honored to receive numerous awards for video production including “Best of Florida”, Telly, and Intercom Awards.
Diverse educational interests naturally drew me into the dynamic field of higher education instructional digital media production and faculty enrichment, where I spent the past twenty years in a progression of leadership roles at both the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando and the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa. In my most recent role as USF’s Senior Director for eLearning Innovations and Entrepreneurial Partnerships, I led my Media Innovation Team in a successful quest for over forty international design awards. In January of 2013, I resigned from USF in order to fully dedicate myself to launching the first-ever digital editions of the Tropical Sweets® Classical Music Video Adventure, and then to finally developing and launching the entire Sweets® Classical Music Video Adventure series.
My goal is to create and release the Alpine Sweets® Classical Music Video Adventure by October of 2016, and then to release at least two new Sweets® Adventures in every subsequent year.
Wish me luck!
Daily Experiences Very early every morning I play my violin and explore the world of Johann Sebastian Bach through the lens of his Unaccompanied Sonatas and Partitas. As a concert artist, I often started the day in a similar fashion followed by the intensive study of an array of musical scores. I would search for insights
7 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide into every nuance of each composition, constantly experimenting by singing phrases and playing musical sections with a deep desire to integrate my discoveries into the New World Quartet’s collaborative rehearsal process. If my ideas helped generate fresh musical interpretations for our group, then these discoveries would ultimately make their way into our concert performances.
My musical mentor, Robert Mann, founder of the famed Juilliard String Quartet, once characterized these musical explorations as an artistic quest for the “sweet waters” hidden deep within the notes and sounds of timeless classical music, (see page 73 for additional details).
With the Tropical Sweets® Classical Music Video Adventure I’ve simply extended my musical interpretations into visual realms. The eyes of each listener can now join forces with their ears to interweave unique listening creations and to travel deep inside the world of classical music and Nature.
As Emerson so eloquently writes in his first essay entitled, Self-Reliance, "The swallow over my window should interweave that thread or straw he carries in his bill into my web also."
Lifelong Listening and Learning Lifelong listening and learning is a vital and organic process that seeks no limits and is open to all. As a result, everyone is equipped to serve as a listening artist, a teacher, and a learner and it is completely natural to change roles as opportunities for meaningful collaboration emerge and shift.
By utilizing familiar imagery as a listening lens through which to explore the elements, moods, and spirit of the music, listeners and learners of all ages can form ever-deepening interdisciplinary connections between the music, the imagery, and one another.
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Interact and Enjoy The interactive rhythmic and melodic play-along arrangements for The Swan, Calm Sea, Flight of the Bumblebee, Aquarium, and Moonlight Sonata may further enhance the depth of your individual relationship with the music.
The Tropical Sweets® DVD also features a first-of-its-kind interactive music puzzle, which provides an opportunity for each listener to actually compose The Swan by placing four puzzle pieces per screen in their correct order. The entire puzzle consists of only twelve puzzle pieces and the assembly process should prove to be challenging, enjoyable, and rewarding. (Although there are nearly 1,000 possible combinations, don’t worry because there is also a “Hint” button.)
Variety In an effort to provide the broadest possible palette of listening experiences, the entire Sweets® Classical Music Video Adventure series will feature well- known selections by famous composers combined with lesser-known works whose merits clearly warrant greater public awareness. In addition to its musical variety, the evolving Sweets® Adventure series will also feature a diverse, multicultural menu of world-class ensembles and soloists. In this spirit, Tropical Sweets® features state-of-the-art, digitally mastered/re-mastered recordings of orchestras from Slovenia, Australia, and England, and the well-known British pianist, Bernard Roberts, as well as composers from Italy, Germany, Russia, France, and England.
Human Triumphs Wherever possible, the Sweets® Adventure series will also underscore, with awe, the Herculean achievements of composers whose seemingly insurmountable physical challenges informed their lives in remarkable ways. Frederick Delius, for example, was one of the most visually evocative composers of the Late Romantic Era (1870 – 1910), yet by the end of this time period he had been afflicted with both blindness and paralysis. Fortunately, “his mind and speech remained intact,” and in 1928, Eric Fenby
9 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide began working as his amanuensis, transcribing each note of every composition as Delius dictated. (The 2012 feature film, Cloud Atlas, showcases some intriguing examples of how an amanuensis works with a classical composer.)
The genius of Ludwig van Beethoven, perhaps the greatest classical composer of all time, led him to explore, expand, and exploit the minutest musical nuances, as well as the most explosive and grandiose sonorities. Tragically, he experienced signs of deafness in 1798, and he revealed his worsening condition to friends in two letters written in 1801. Despite seemingly unfathomable odds, neither Delius nor Beethoven allowed their physical disabilities to silence their creative artistry.
About Each Segment Prelude Since silence is, in fact, the canvas upon which all great music is created, a brief white-on-black slate emerges from total darkness between each complete Tropical Sweets® selection. These slates introduce the upcoming video title and feature related natural sounds. Daybreak, for example, features the sounds of the waking forest, while Flight of the Sandpipers showcases the actual high-pitched “peeps” of tiny sanderlings.
The Tropical Sweets® Adventure is designed to function as a complete eight- segment experience. Consequently, these musical pauses are directly analogous to the technique of dimming the theater or concert stage lighting to black in order to facilitate a critical scene change. The natural sounds may also stimulate reflective thinking about classical, folk, and multicultural instruments and their relationships with the sounds of Nature. These same sounds have often been the source of inspiration for composers, visual artists, writers, and all creative artists.
Each prologue is also surprisingly effective as a mnemonic device. The title text and natural sounds set the stage for the music and the supporting visual imagery, while empowering listeners to establish an indelible retention of
10 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide each composition’s title. (Due to the absence of song lyrics, the titles of classical instrumental compositions are often far-too-easily forgotten.)
A Few Additional Thoughts The Tropical Sweets® Adventure is intended to serve as an infinitely repeatable Information Age oasis…a music video voyage into deep relaxation, learning, stress relief, creativity, and rejuvenation fueled by the art of listening.
This guide is filled with listening and learning ideas suitable for exploration and discovery at home, on the go, or in the classroom. Each of the eight musical selections is prefaced by an overarching commentary, and then every scene is described in detail. As you learn more about each Tropical Sweets® scene, your creativity and enjoyment as a unique listening artist will inevitably grow.
SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE TROPICAL SWEETS® ADVENTURE A Synopsis
In addition to its geographical basis, Tropical Sweets® establishes a unifying time continuum. An infinitely repeatable musical day begins with the wonders of Daybreak, flows through the hours, dissolves into Sunset, and then concludes with the rich and mysterious perspectives of Moonlight.
I. DAYBREAK FROM FLORIDA SUITE (1887) FREDERICK DELIUS
ENGLAND (1862-1934)
Since his musical score bears the inscription, Dedicated to the People of
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Florida, it is clear that Delius loved his late 19th century experiences just south of Jacksonville, where he lived on the Solano Orange Grove.
Before filming Daybreak, I traveled to the actual site of Solano Grove, but since Delius believed that "the orange trees could take care of themselves," naturally, no citrus trees remained.
There was, however, a towering hundred-year-old oak tree, and imagining that Delius might have seen the sunrise through the branches of that same mighty oak, my concept for the opening Daybreak scene was born.
As the Sun rises through silhouetted branches, a dialogue forms between the images of land and sea. There is a slowly building momentum throughout Daybreak as the musical intensity gradually grows toward a dramatic conclusion. The imagery and visual pacing have been designed to ride the crest of this grand musical wave as it intensifies step-by-step, ultimately reaches the shore with a fortissimo climax, and then gracefully recedes.
Musical texture, contours, and instrumentation are the key visual design elements, and Daybreak also functions as a visual overture for the entire Tropical Sweets® Adventure by presenting swans, sandpipers, seagulls, the ocean, and myriad other Nature images, all of which will be more fully developed in the seven remaining Tropical Sweets® selections.
Regarding the soundtrack, more than any other conductor Sir Thomas Beecham championed the music of Frederick Delius, (not unlike Maestro Leonard Bernstein, who championed the music of the great 20th century American composer, Charles Ives). Consequently, I felt that it was essential to feature Maestro Beecham’s original, 1952, EMI recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
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As noted earlier, it is particularly poignant that during his later years Frederick Delius, a compositional genius so deeply inspired by all things visual and natural, was rendered completely blind due to illness. As a result, Eric Fenby, a dedicated English composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and teacher, became Delius’ amanuensis. From 1928 to 1934 Mr. Fenby wrote down every inspired note of Delius’ ever-emerging oeuvre.
II. THE SWAN FROM THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS (1886) CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS
FRANCE (1835-1921)
I envisioned The Swan as a visual voyage through the profoundly contrasting musical sonorities of Western music’s most fundamental harmonic polarity: The major and minor keys. Not unlike the visual world’s polar opposites, black and white, classical music’s entire spectrum of harmonic colors unfolds in the immense space between its major and minor keys.
The Swan begins with rippling piano arpeggios that introduce what I like to call, “the pond theme,” and then a white swan enters from stage right. This noble first appearance of the white swan personifies the major key in all of its affirming glory.
When the tonality shifts briefly from major to minor, a magnificent black swan enters from stage left amidst an air of elegant mystery. Contrasting musical dimensions unfold as the black and white swans flow forward, ultimately meet, and then part, separated by an angled cypress tree. The long arching neck and scroll of the solo cello is metaphorically referenced throughout The Swan, and many might agree that even the great ballerina, Anna Pavlova, could not have danced as gracefully as Nature's eponyms. (Visit YouTube to see Anna Pavlova perform her historic dance, “The Dying Swan,” to this same music.)
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Our musical foreground for The Swan is an exquisite performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, featuring Hephzibah Menuhin and Abbey Simon (pianos), and Ray Clark (solo cello). By way of a little history, the Swan began its musical life as a bit of an “ugly duckling,” since Carnival of the Animals was initially orchestrated for a small ensemble and explicitly intended for a single performance at a private gathering. This work is in many respects a parody and Saint-Saens was fearful that it might not be well received by the general public. As a result, he prohibited all subsequent performances until after his death.
Consequently, although this composition was completed in 1886, Carnival of the Animals did not receive its public premier for over three full decades, in February of 1922. Ironically, The Swan has since become one of the most recognized and popular compositions in the classical literature.
III. CALM SEA FROM CALM SEA AND PROSPEROUS VOYAGE OVERTURE (1828)
FELIX MENDELSSOHN GERMANY (1809-1847)
Written when Mendelssohn was only nineteen years old, this colorful overture was inspired by the same Goethe poem that also moved Beethoven and Schubert to write their own unique musical compositions.
My visual interpretation of Calm Sea is rooted in the awe-inspiring natural forces emanating from the seashore’s unique and ever-changing interface with the ocean.
This generally contemplative and peaceful listening experience is punctuated by an ominous middle section, in which I was inspired to introduce a storm sequence.
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The exceptionally low tonal rumblings of the double basses musically convey the profound depth of the ocean and Slovenia’s famous Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra delivers a magnificent, expansive, and majestic performance.
IV. FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE (1899-1900) NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
RUSSIA (1844-1908)
My visual interpretation entitled, Flight of the Sandpipers, captures the antics of scampering sanderlings to showcase musical elements of instrumentation, ensemble groups, major and minor contrast, rhythm, and rapid tempos.
The ensemble group focus takes a variety of forms; solo instruments introduce single sanderlings, duets and trios introduce corresponding teams of birds, and the full orchestra is reflected by an entire flock of tiny sanderlings.
The middle, villainous section, (in character with its brief modulation to the minor key), is a short chase scene in which the evil sea foam and surf try, unsuccessfully, to engulf these tiny birds. Laughter is heartily invited, and the performance delivered by Andre Previn and the London Symphony is refined, balanced, and invigorating.
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V. THE DOVE FROM THE BIRDS (1927) OTTORINO RESPIGHI
ITALY (1879-1936)
Since Respighi actually studied composition with Rimsky-Korsakov, it seemed particularly appropriate to follow Flight of the Sandpipers with The Dove.
The wings of seagulls carry the wonder of The Dove from the sand to the sea, and up into the sky, as Respighi’s ethereal music soars to life.
The second, “walking theme” in The Dove is visually portrayed by stately flamingos, and when the bass clarinet makes its entrance one can almost imagine the flamingos’ necks and beaks, (which closely resemble a bass clarinet’s neck and mouthpiece), producing the melancholy melody.
For the musical performance, we travel to Australia and experience a superb interpretation by the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
VI. AQUARIUM FROM CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS (1886) CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS
FRANCE (1835-1921)
Aquarium was filmed entirely underwater in the Florida Keys.
Shimmering sonorities, scales, keys, and even an "octave-pus" are part of the visual concept. Much of the musical motion is horizontal, back and forth, but when the scales mysteriously descend or buoyantly ascend each fish responds accordingly.
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Weightless, magical musical qualities make the orchestration sparkle with feelings of wonder, and the visual imagery also provides aquatic parallels to the sense of gravity-free floating that will be introduced by the Apollo astronauts during Moonlight, which brings the Tropical Sweets® Adventure to its conclusion.
Efrem Kurtz and the Philharmonia Orchestra present another truly enchanting performance featuring duo-pianists Hephzibah Menuhin and Abbey Simon.
VII. SUNSET FROM FLORIDA SUITE (1887) FREDERICK DELIUS
ENGLAND (1862-1934)
Sunset, also from the Delius’ Florida Suite, echoes the dialogue between land and sea. In contrast to Daybreak, though, this movement beautifully conveys the wistful mood of day's end.
Deep amber hues, birds departing, flowers closing, and daylight fading are but a few of the myriad visual messages this powerful music inspires.
Sunset draws the Tropical Sweets® musical day to its inevitable close as families of birds, plants, and animals prepare for nightfall.
Again, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Beecham, delivers a truly memorable performance.
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VIII. “MOONLIGHT” SONATA NO. 14 IN C-SHARP MINOR OPUS 27 NO. 2 (1801) ADAGIO SOSTENUTO
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN GERMANY (1770-1827)
In the Moonlight adventure, Beethoven's interpersonal voyage into the desolate realms of his hearing loss, and his decision to return from utter darkness to create the music that will forever enrich our world, is visually aligned with the perilous Apollo missions to the Moon and the astronauts’ safe return to the wonder and beauty of Earth.
The fusion-like force of Beethoven’s transformative artistic spirit serves as the aesthetic rocket fuel that lifts the enormous Saturn V rocket from Earth’s gravity, guides the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon, and then brings our astronauts safely home.
In the middle section, as the Lunar Module begins its descent to the Moon’s surface Beethoven’s long sequence of musical modulations and uncertain scale-like progressions creates a sense of profound suspense, which I have visually aligned with the ominous Apollo 11 landing sequence.
On July 20, 1969, as astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin guided the Lunar Lander toward its touchdown, live television coverage from the Lander gave each of us here on Earth a breathtakingly suspenseful experience. Would the astronauts safely land and walk on the same Moon whose reflective light was illuminating the night sky above us? Would they be able to travel all the way back home to Earth with their orbiting colleague, Michael Collins?
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Through the poetic wonderment of his timeless music, Beethoven joins the entire team of Apollo mission heroes by shedding new light on the extraordinary potential of humanity.
Life is Exceptional After we return to completely silent darkness, the Tropical Sweets® Classical Music Video Adventure serves as a reflective tribute to all great human achievements, to Nature, and in particular, to two classical music composers whose artistic energies triumphed over their profound physical disabilities.
As previously noted, due to the onset of total blindness later in life, Delius could not have seen Daybreak or Sunset, and due to his profound deafness Beethoven could never have heard Moonlight with its accompanying Apollo mission imagery.
Both artists are stellar models for all who may be called to answer life’s prospective physiological, psychological, or spiritual challenges with resoundingly affirmative courage, tenacity, and creativity.
Here's to the art of fully engaged listening,
~ Bill Patterson, 2015
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DAYBREAK FROM FLORIDA SUITE (1887) FREDERICK DELIUS
ENGLAND (1862-1934)
THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA SIR THOMAS BEECHAM, CONDUCTOR
As noted in the earlier synopsis, although he hailed from England, during the late1800s Frederick Delius was sent to Florida where he lived on the Solano Orange Grove just south of Jacksonville. He dedicated his entire Florida Suite "To the People of Florida."
Standing on the original site of his Florida home overlooking the St. John's River and gazing at the sights that Delius may have seen, I was inspired to create a visual dialogue between inland images and those of the water. (Delius’ actual house magically sits...a bit like a scene from the Wizard of Oz…amidst the modern buildings on the campus of Jacksonville University.)
I also noticed an enormous oak tree still standing near the river, and this oak served as my inspiration for the suspenseful opening scene of Daybreak.
As is so often the case at sunrise, there is a sense of mystery that precedes the dawn. This mood is ultimately followed by the beauty of the first appearance of the Sun, as a visual "crescendo" builds until suddenly one becomes aware of the Sun's full light and warmth.
Musically, Delius captures this natural building process with an overall pacing that perfectly depicts a sunrise, and I've reflected his music with the imagery of pre-dawn mystery, a veiled appearance of the Sun, an
20 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide awakening of the animals, birds, and flowers, and a final, explosive spectrum of active imagery in full-blown light.
Getting Started With each of the Tropical Sweets® selections, as a first step I recommend that you simply play the entire piece. After experiencing Daybreak, rewind (or scrub) back to the beginning to enjoy the scene-by-scene explorations below.
Opening Slate The natural sounds of the waking forest are featured under the Daybreak slate. These sounds provide an aural introduction that sets the stage for the music and reinforces the title of the composition. The sounds of Nature often form the ethos of inspiration that a composer may integrate into his/her palette of musical thoughts and choices. As a result, these Nature sounds make an excellent starting point for musical exploration. Describe the specific Nature sounds that you are hearing, and then contrasting these sounds with the instrumental choices Delius makes in his opening scenes.
Write down your ideas and use musically descriptive words and metaphors to describe these pre-dawn tones, (e.g., “the timpani (kettledrums) are the heartbeat of a new day,” or “the tremolo of the string section is a glistening bridge over which the voices of a new day may travel.”)
SCENE 1 Rising Shot of Sun through Oaks This scene has a mysterious sound and provides a great opportunity to explore musical texture, mood, and the conspicuous absence of melody.
Explore the "tremolo," or rapid bow movement of the string section by doing a quick motion exercise. Hold your right arm in the air at the level of your chest and rapidly move your forearm back and forth to introduce yourself to
21 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide the actual performance feeling of the string section. (You may find it helpful to search YouTube for an example of orchestral tremolo before you try your motion exercise.)
The timpani entrance midway through the scene punctuates the suspense. This would be a good time to Google a picture of the timpani or kettledrums. How might the kettledrums resemble the heartbeat of a new day?
SCENE 2 Sun The Sun is introduced and the second timpani entrance has a bit more finality by virtue of its repetition. The technique of musical repetition could be explored here. Think about the role of repetition in popular songs. How popular would any song be if it didn’t feature an abundance of repetition?
In a piece like Daybreak, what does the use of repetition accomplish? (Answer: It reinforces and augments the musical mood.)
SCENE 3 Wide Shot of Sandpipers in Surf This scene introduces life amidst quiet shores, wading birds, and surf. Here is a perfect time to explore the oboe, which plays the initial theme and is often utilized in program music to paint a picture of water birds and fowl, (e.g., the duck in Prokofiev’s famous Peter and the Wolf). Google “oboe,” to find pictures of this powerful and hypnotic double reed instrument.
SCENE 4 Pelican on Waves With a cooling chord from the French horns, (Google “French horn” to find pictures of this regal brass instrument), the imagery of the silhouetted pelican and swirling waves is introduced. The second statement of the French horns marks the takeoff of the pelican.
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SCENE 5 Pelican Ascends and Soars As the oboe melody continues, the silhouetted pelican ascends in closer proximity to the camera. Toward the end of this scene I recommend that you freeze frame/pause and imagine the long beak of the pelican and the long silhouette of an oboe.
Take another look at your Googled oboe images. In your mind, hold the oboe picture and tilt it to the same angle as the beak of the pelican in order to create an indelible memory of this scene's instrumentation. Can you imagine the pelican actually performing the oboe’s theme?
SCENE 6 Azaleas “Crescendo” Upward The first statement of the theme concludes with a chordal crescendo that is visually reflected by the rising azaleas. Here's a wonderful opportunity to think about crescendos (volume gets progressively louder) and dynamic changes (louds and softs). Explore how the upward visual motion and the concept of “up” in volume share both similarities and differences. For example, turning the audio volume up tends to generate greater intensity, while the upward motion of the azaleas does not necessarily affect greater intensity. Explore these higher order thinking skills (HOTS) concepts, and develop additional visual-versus-aural similarities and differences to enhance your learning. Keep a journal or use a mobile device to write down all of your emerging ideas.
SCENE 7 Solitary Squirrel To reflect the second statement of the melancholy initial oboe theme, you’ll find contrasting inland imagery of a solo, solitary squirrel.
This is a good time to think about the mood. Does the squirrel appear to be happy or sad? Why? (Answer: He could appear sad because he is alone,
23 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide foraging for food. Then again, squirrels may not have feelings of happiness or sadness.)
SCENE 8 Sun Brighter through the Oak Branches A return to the earlier French horn chords is visually reflected by a reminder of the ever-intensifying light and warmth of the Sun.
SCENE 9 Azaleas A downward motion of the camera over richly colored azaleas imitates the motion and color of the oboe's continuing, lilting melody.
SCENE 10 Black Bird Flies Away The black bird takes off in synchronization with the French horn chords. Take another look at your Googled pictures of the French horns in order to build a memory.
SCENE 11 Large, Richly Colored Green Leaves Moving Downward Toward Exotic White Flower This long, downward-moving camera shot through deep green leaves to a solo white flower is designed to emphasize the continuing line of the oboe theme as it descends. The open “bell end” of the black oboe is contrasted by the beautifully similar upward facing conical shape of the white flower.
SCENE 12 Pelicans Ascend through Sea Oats The mysterious return of the opening string tremolo is translated here into the long “strings” of sea oats, and the ascent of a pair of pelicans emphasizes and reflects the crescendo in the French horns as they finish this opening section.
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SCENE 13 Seagull “Swims” through Azure Sky The lyrical flute theme floats through the air, as does the solo seagull. Since the flute is often used to emulate/imitate birdsong, think about its tonal characteristics, and then explore the connections between the man-made flute and the birdsongs created by Nature. (Google a few flute images to see this fascinating instrument.)
SCENE 14 Wading Sandpiper The wading sandpiper is a reflection of the new, more strident oboe motif. Note that there are intermittent flute and piccolo entrances during this scene. (Google some images of the piccolo to get acquainted with this tiny flute.) Imagine the continuing flight of the seagull from the previous scene. Can you form visual layers in your imagination and connect the soaring seagull with the wading sandpiper?
SCENE 15 One, Then Two Seagulls over the Ocean A fragment of the flute melody that was initially introduced by the seagull (Scene 13) returns. Watch and listen carefully as a second seagull enters the screen from the left.
What instrument do you hear? (Answer: Clarinet. Google a few images of the clarinet.) Unlike the oboe, which is a double reed instrument, the long black clarinet is played with a single reed.
SCENE 16 Great Blue Heron I envisioned that the rocking motion in the strings actually painted a musical picture of rippling water, while the majestic call of the French horn fit perfectly with the metaphor of a great blue heron.
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Can you hear these two contrasting musical lines? How does the regal sound of the French horn align with the visual character of a great blue heron? Write down your ideas.
SCENE 17 Pelican A close-up of a single pelican reflects the bassoon's statement of the melodic fragment stated previously by the French horn in Scene 16. (Google some images of a bassoon.)
The bassoon, like the oboe, is also a member of the double reed family, and it is considerably larger than the oboe. This is a great time to think about non-verbal dialogue and imitation in music. What do you suppose the bassoon and the French horn might be saying to each other in Scene 17? Write down your ideas.
SCENE 18 Great Blue Heron Lands The continuation and resolution of the musical material initially introduced in Scene 16 completes this musical dialogue and brings the section to a graceful cadence (ending). The cadence corresponds to the delicate landing of the great blue heron.
SCENE 19 Swans New musical material is introduced, once again featuring the solo oboe. This is a very optimistic sounding segment, and the graceful swans amidst the shimmering water and foliage reflect the rippling musical motion in the strings, the cooling quality of the French horns, and the refreshingly lyrical characteristics of the solo oboe.
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SCENE 20 Strings of Flowering Azalea Branches New, highly textural musical material is introduced visually using the intertwining “strings” of azalea branches to reflect the tightly knit orchestral string writing. This metaphor lends itself to exploration of the orchestra’s stringed instrument shapes and features, which can be compared and contrasted with the azalea branches. How are the strings of branches and the strings of the instruments similar, and how are they different? What about the shapes of the instrument necks and the elegant “f-shaped” string instrument sound holes compared to the strings of branches? Google images of the violin, viola, cello, and string bass, and explore their shapes, strings, and general characteristics. Write down your observations and ideas.
SCENES 21 - 24 Foliage and Flowers with Glistening Water Background These scenes further develop the previous tightly knit string material. A dialogue unfolds between the violins and the cellos with new emphasis on the effervescent, brightly rolling accompaniment of the woodwinds.
Think about orchestration, texture, dialogue, and imitation. Also, this is a good time to consider pacing and dynamics, since the musical momentum has changed from that of a reflective mood with a "laid-back" overall attitude, (beginning of Daybreak), to one of a forward-driven, much more overtly positive mood.
This musical momentum is reflected in the faster pacing of each visual scene change and in the coloration, which has changed from the early morning orange hues to a much more vivid color palette.
SCENES 25 - 28 Red and Yellow Hibiscus "Fluted" hibiscus with rapid scene changes reflect the increasing intensity and faster musical pacing.
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SCENES 29 - 31 Palm Trees and Seagulls This is similar melodic material to Scenes 25 through 28, but as the pitch climbs we find the camera climbing a frond-lined palm tree. The peak of this musical section is reached in Scene 31, where the string trills are reflected by fluttering seagulls.
SCENE 32 Seagulls Descend Amidst Conch Shells As the melodic line quickly descends, focus very carefully on the descending seagulls. What instrument is playing at the exact moment when the two seagulls land? (Answer: Flute)
At the end of Scene 32 the seagulls fly away as a reflection of the rapid diminuendo. Here's a great time to concentrate on the concept of decrescendo/diminuendo (growing softer) in comparison with the previously building dynamics and pacing. Why does Delius introduce this contrast? (Answer: To create a space for another building section.)
SCENES 33 - 38 Seashell Collage at the Shore Visually speaking, the shell motif from Scene 32 is extended and developed, and this section serves as a musically ambivalent transition to a refreshingly upbeat sequence beginning in Scene 39.
SCENES 39 - 44 Shells and Surf Here's the beginning of a new and invigorating musical section in which the surf and seashells provide a visual focus. Musically speaking, the harp is introduced for the first time. Each harp chord coincides with a cleansing splash of the surf over the seashells.
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Watch and listen to this six-scene sequence a number of times and listen carefully to find the harp sounds that create each visual splash. Have you heard this instrument earlier in Daybreak? If so, then when? What are the special characteristics and associations one normally has for the harp? (Answer: The harp is often thought of as angelic, heavenly, pure, lighter than air, ethereal, etc.). How do these normal musical associations fit into this particular visual sequence? Write down a few ideas.
These six scenes (Scenes 39 through 41 and Scenes 42 through 44) are actually two musical phrases, each encompassing three scenes. Here's another opportunity to think about imitation and repetition as two of the composer's tools for musical expression. What changes visually? (Answer: The second sequence of three scenes is more visually intense. It includes more shells and more splashes in order to reflect the musical layering created through the use of repetition.)
Is there a harp chord in each scene? (Answer: Yes)
SCENES 45 - 51 Majestically Curling Waves and Surf The ocean's powerful beauty supports this penultimate transition of the musical phrase in sequence with Scenes 48 through 51. Listen to the way Delius adds an extra chord, visually conveyed in Scene 51, as a prelude to the ultimate musical climax in Scene 52.
Describe the volume level in musical terms. Is it forte (loud), fortissimo (very loud), or fortississimo (very, very loud)? What about the orchestration? Is it intense? What instruments do you hear? Write down your ideas and thoughts.
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SCENE 52 Golden Seagulls, Sun, Sea Oats, and Surf In this scene, which is the climax of Daybreak, the imagery depicts a triumphant Sun over the clouds, seagulls, sea oats, and surf.
Do you feel the mood of triumph and majesty in the music? Does the music sound beautiful and powerful? Is the full orchestra playing?
SCENE 53 Seagulls over White Surf The entrance of the timpani coincides with the beginning of this scene and heralds a quieter ending.
SCENE 54 Bright Orange Fireball Over Surf The brightness of the Sun over the surf reflects the brightly colored flute trill, which has been added to the timpani roll from the previous scene.
SCENE 55 Large, More Subdued Sun A melancholy entrance of the cellos alludes to the earlier moments of pre- dawn light. We see the Sun in a more subdued light that reflects the diminishing intensity of the music's mood.
SCENE 56 & 57 Two Pelicans, Sun, and Seagull The music reverts back to a lazier, pre-dawn mood as two pelicans remind us of the opening scenes. As they gracefully swim through the air, their wings are in perfect synchronization with the rhythm of the music.
Watch carefully, because early in Scene 56 a seagull enters from the left side of the screen and flies across.
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This same seagull ascends in Scene 57 to reflect the rising crescendo, and then exits as the music fades with an angelic and ethereal quality.
The word “angelic” could be used to describe the harp, which enters again during this final scene. Play the scene several times and listen carefully in order to identify the harp entrance.
After several viewings, I recommend that you think about the myriad parallels between what you’ve seen and what you’ve heard. You may initially wonder why something changed visually, and this early visual curiosity can serve as a portal and catalyst for developing a better sense of listening artistry. Play every questionable scene again, and then use the scene-by-scene guide to tune in to the musical characteristics. Can you hear how the imagery changes in order to reflect the music?
Another way to deepen your individual experience of Tropical Sweets® is to express your listening artistry through creative writing.
On pages 24-27, I have included a sample Poem, Narration, and Writing Model, which fuses together musical and visual terms from the Daybreak adventure.
Every scene of Daybreak is progressively referenced using specific words, and so your initial explorations should include simply marking each set of words with the corresponding scene numbers.
After you have marked the scene numbers, see if you can read the words of the poem out loud in a descriptive narration that aligns each word and line with the corresponding point in the video.
Your objective should be to integrate your spoken words as an additional
31 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide layer of expression. As a listening artist, work to integrate your voice, the music, and the imagery into a single cohesive whole.
If possible, as an additional form of learning and enjoyment you may want to work with some friends, family members, or fellow students and form an ensemble of readers. This cooperative approach to learning and expressing art is identical to performing in a musical ensemble (e.g., a duet, trio, quartet, quintet, or even an orchestra). Your ensemble goal would be to take turns reading expressively, but to always stay in the center of the musical and visual action.
After your exploratory readings, begin sketching out your own words, ideas, and sentences from which you can ultimately create a new poem, narration, or story based upon the imagery and the music.
Finally, see if you can narrate your new poem, narration, or story along with the video and music. (An alternative might be for you to illustrate your new words through pictures, or to descriptively read what you have written, but without coordinating the flow of your words with the visual or musical elements of Daybreak.)
No matter what expressive modality you choose, be sure to use as many musical terms as possible and as many multiple meanings and metaphors as possible. For example, a "piper" could be a woodwind player, a mystical character, or a wading bird. A "wave" could refer to sound, surf, heat, light, or even the hand sign for "good-bye." This exercise should underscore maximum creativity and individual expression.
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FLORIDA DAYBREAK A Poem, Narration, and Writing Model Connecting Every Scene
The suspense filled stillness of the waking forest quietly heralds a new Florida day...
Clarinets, French horns, bassoons, and timpani greet the Sun amidst string shaded oaks...
It is morning.
And along the beaches pipers wade in Sanibel surf, while pelican, too, enjoys the sunlit seas,
dancing upon the ocean top then feeling the sky with giant, fingered wings.
And the oboe plays on its reeds alive with radiant Sun while woodwinds, brasses, timpani, and azaleas emerge to greet the day.
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As solitary squirrel awakes and forages for hidden treasures, the Sun rises higher amidst the branches, its rays illuminating a bouquet of color. While black bird, ebony oboe and ivory lily sing further a Daybreak song of Florida.
And silhouetted sea oats mask the golden chorus of pelicans, brasses, kettledrums, winds, and sea.
A solo seagull swims through azure sky and sings the duet of Daybreak with flute and other wind blown friends, while majestic sandpiper proudly struts through amber waves of surf and sound.
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As airborne seagull prepares to land and greet a white-winged friend,
The great blue heron skims o'er rippling river on string-toned waves, while French horn beckons feathered sky-high friend, who echoes back the call and awaits his long-legged splashdown.
Oboe, swans, and glistening strings grace another sunlit morning on quiet pools of sparkling sound,
And azaleas cry out in joyous, Sun-filled hues through darkened strings of branches.
While glistening jewel-toned waves accompany the dialogue of violins and cellos.
Fluted hibiscus
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unite with ascending violins, and climb the melodious, frond-filled pathway toward sunlit sky.
As piccolo and seagull flutter, a long-legged wader happily hops, skips, and jumps, and other pipers rustle through sound and surf to shore.
Where seashells rest upon the sand and wait for cooling harp-filled waves.
And seas rush in and splash to life the shore of surf, and shell, and sound.
Amidst the forest trees the Daybreak symphony explodes with spectral color.
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A full-voiced floral fairyland of sound and sight.
And Sun bathed daylight caps this morning symphony.
As sea-topped timpani recalls the earlier tones of Daybreak, two pelicans on wings of song and Sun reflect the morning splendor.
And golden seagull amidst the glorious, sharp-lit seas ascends to touch the Daybreak sky once more...
~ Bill Patterson, 2015
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THE SWAN FROM CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS (1886) CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
FRANCE (1835-1921)
RAY CLARK-CELLO HEPHZIBAH MENUHIN-PIANO ABBEY SIMON-PIANO
I remember the very first time I heard a live performance of The Swan. I was a small child in Battle Creek, Michigan, and the local symphony was conducted by a talented cellist who stepped down from the podium to perform this piece. I instantly knew that this was a composition with which I would enjoy a very special relationship, since it spoke directly to my heart.
Camille Saint-Saëns was a musical genius, yet even considering these great gifts; his visual cleverness in writing Carnival of the Animals is nothing short of astounding.
Throughout the entire Carnival of the Animals visual metaphors are rife, and The Swan is a magnificent example.
As you learn about this piece it is especially important to study pictures of a cello and pictures of the other orchestral stringed instruments. Search the web for the following images: Cello, violin, viola, double bass, and piano.
Before playing The Swan adventure, concentrate on the images of the cello and focus on its long, gracefully crafted neck. Also, look at the necks and shapes of the violin, the viola, and the double bass. Out of the entire palette of orchestral instruments, why might Saint-Saëns have chosen the cello to
38 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide portray a swan? (Clues: The cello’s rich sound, the way it looks, and the way it is actually played.)
Search for “cello performances” on YouTube and watch a few videos to see how a cellist positions himself/herself during a performance.
Think about how a cellist sits down to play his/her instrument in the same manner that a swan gracefully “sits” and floats upon the water. Also, here’s an excellent opportunity to learn a little about the basic concept of using a cello bow to produce sounds on a cello.
Imagine that you are a cellist by sitting in a chair and pretending you are bowing and playing a cello. Your right arm moves the bow and your left arm controls the pitches of the notes, but both elbows actually point outward much like a swan’s wings. The French title for The Swan is “Le cygne.” Cygne begins with a “c” and has five letters, just like the word "cello."
I doubt that any of these visual parallels escaped Saint-Saëns, and there are many more visual similarities to discover. Go on a higher order thinking skills mission to uncover as many of these parallels, symbols, and metaphors as possible, and be sure to write them all down along the way.
The overarching moods of this magnificent piece include gracefulness, elegance, and peacefulness, and so be sure to get comfortable, lean back, and relax as you watch and listen in order to effortlessly tune in to these special musical feelings.
Getting Started As a next step I recommend that you simply select “Play” and enjoy the entire music video of The Swan. After experiencing The Swan, rewind (or scrub) back to the beginning to enjoy the scene-by-scene explorations below.
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How did the music and imagery make you feel? What about the black swan? Was the mood when he/she entered each scene happy, sad, melancholy, or was the feeling more complex?
Write down all of the descriptive words and terms that flow into your heart and mind. Keep these notes handy, since you will discover fresh nuances and feelings each time you experience The Swan adventure.
My basic visual concept emphasizes the fundamental harmonic contrast between the major and minor keys, the graceful elegance of the musical moods, and the colorful instrumental metaphors connecting the pianos with the pond and the solo cello with the swans.
Opening Slate Listen to the natural sounds of the pond under The Swan slate. What are some of the differences between these natural sounds and the composer’s musical sounds featured in Scene 1? First, write a description of the natural pond sounds, (e.g., "gurgling, bubbling," etc.), and then describe the musical pond sounds of Scene 1. Use words to compare and contrast what you hear.
SCENE 1 Pond The pianos introduce the pond theme as we gaze at a rippling, multi-colored pond. Do you notice the circular ripples coming from the right side of the screen?
Rewind and listen carefully to measure 2 where you will find a special “arpeggio.” Arpeggio is an Italian word based on the word "harp." We experienced the harp in Daybreak during the splashing shell sequence in Scenes 39 through 44. Watch and listen carefully and you will see a visual ripple in the pond that reflects the harp-like splashing sound of the music.
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SCENE 2 White Swan The solo cello enters in the form of a graceful white swan. Listen for the piano/pond theme as it continues under the cello/swan theme.
Note that the white swan is facing the left side of the screen. Later, when the black swan enters facing the right side of the screen, think about the contrast, which reflects the musical difference between the major and minor keys.
This opening statement has a sense of graceful innocence and peacefulness. What other descriptive words come to mind?
SCENE 3 White Swan Closer The cello line becomes much more intense in this second phrase of the theme. Consequently, the visuals draw the swan much closer to the camera. Watch the swan’s head, which turns ever-so-slightly at the top of the phrase.
SCENE 4 Black Swan The black swan makes its entrance from the left side of the screen as the music modulates temporarily to a minor key.
This is a perfect time to think about the differences in lighting and the black versus white contrast.
Does the music sound more intense, mysterious, darker, or sadder? What other descriptive words and terms come to mind? Write down your ideas.
SCENE 5 Black Swan Closer As the minor statement of the theme is stated with an even greater intensity of volume and tone color, the black swan glides much closer to the camera.
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Watch the water droplet on the swan's beak as it drops to match the high point of the phrase. Also, consider the magnificently graceful bow of the black swan’s neck and how it might compare with Anna Pavlova's famous ballet dance. (As noted earlier, visit the web to learn more about this famous ballet dancer and to view the video of her famous Dying Swan dance on YouTube.)
SCENE 6 Two White Swans Beside Cypress Tree This phrase brings us back to the happier sounds of the opening as two white swans glide together.
Does the mood feel more optimistic and harmonious?
SCENE 7 Black Swan Here again, the tone color of the cello turns much more melancholy. The black swan is alone in contrast to the previous phrase, which featured a mood of contentment, companionship, and harmony.
What is the cello saying musically? Is the music louder or softer? How would you describe your musical feelings in words? As an emerging listening artist, find your own uniquely creative ideas and write them down in words, sentences, and phrases.
SCENE 8 Black and White Swans Meet This scene marks the musical and visual turning point. Both swans meet, but they are separated by a cypress tree.
What do you hear and feel in the musical mood of this scene? Is it a happy or sad sound, or perhaps something in between? “Something in the middle" might be an excellent initial impression for this ambivalent musical moment.
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Add words and terms that shed additional light on the nuances of your feelings. Remember that you are a unique listening artist, and as an artist every creative thought and feeling is a valid part of your artistic journey.
Is this scene in a major or minor key? (Answer: minor)
SCENE 9 White Swan As the music’s tonality returns to major, the white swan glides beneath weeping willow trees. Toward the end of the scene there is a very slight accent in the cello. Look and listen to find the moment when the swan pushes up ever-so-slightly at that point in the scene. Here's a good time to think about nuances and phrasing, and to consider how the most minute details of listening art bring its beauty to life.
Use your eyes and ears to find that special “push” in the music, and then describe that musical and visual nuance with words. Is it a bit like a puff of air or a breath?
SCENE 10 White Swan in Shadow As we return to the opening theme the white swan is reintroduced. Focus on the harmonic beauty of the pianos as they paint a musical picture of the pond beneath the elegant gracefulness of the swan and cello.
What do you think connects everything musically and visually, and what distinguishes one thing from another? For example, the cello is a separate instrument from the pianos, and the swans could easily fly away from the pond.
However, the harmony of Nature and music connects all of these separate elements and forms an integrated, synergistic ecosystem of wonder, aesthetic beauty, and timelessness. Write down your thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
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SCENE 11 Black Swan Meets White Swans As the music comes close to its peak volume and intensity, the black and white swans meet amidst very intense, sparkling light. Here's an opportunity to think about dynamic contrasts (volume changes) and tone colors. Also, are you developing a sense of an emerging story line? How might the black swan be feeling, and what about the white swans? Write down your thoughts and ideas and focus on the intensity of what you see and hear.
SCENE 12 White Swan Close-up in Intense Light This is the high point of the entire piece and the lighting and proximity to the camera reflect the musical intensity.
Is there an almost painful struggle projected through the music in this phrase?
Write down a few descriptive ideas. Does the music bring any feelings from your own life experience to mind? As a listening artist, you will always draw your creative feelings and ideas from you own completely unique life experiences.
SCENE 13 Black Swan Far Away An air of melancholy returns with this musical phrase. The black swan is far away and alone. What do you feel, and is there a new dimension that you might want to add to your emerging sense of the music’s story?
SCENE 14 White Swan Beside Tree
SCENE 15 White Swan Closer
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SCENE 16 White Swan Arching Neck Does the swan look sad?
SCENE 17 White Swan Wings Close-up An angelic moment of repose...
In Scenes 14 through 17 your listening artistry is challenged by several different perspectives of the white swan. The musical phrases are actually short, profoundly poetic fragments of the melody.
This is a great opportunity to think about musical interpretation and the use of tempo (speed) to create or enhance a mood. Is the music moving slower or faster? Does Scene 17, which features the flowing angelic swan’s wings, seem to suspend time for a moment? Describe what you see and hear.
SCENE 18 White Swan in Shadow Beside Tree As The Swan draws to a close, the pond again becomes the focus as it was in the opening measures. Listen to the accelerando (progressively moving faster) and the ritard (gradually slowing down) of the pianists. Feel the freedom as the music organically flows and lives through the performing artists’ hearts and fingers.
This freedom within the flow and pulse of the music is called “rubato.” Rubato is an Italian term that literally means “robbed.” Isn’t it ironic and interesting that robbing the music of a predictable pulse liberates and elevates its beauty?
SCENE 19 Two Swans at a Distance As the final notes sound we find two swans together...one white and one
45 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide black. The contemplative grace and mystery of The Swan has come to a positive, enchanting, and transcendent resolution.
As a listening artist, you will grow with each repeated experience of The Swan, and your new insights will inform freshly creative thoughts and feelings. Simplicity is also an important starting and ending point.
On a simple level, is the ending happy or sad? How would you characterize the overall mood of the music and the mood of the ending, in particular? Was the cello playing in the final scenes? Did the piece end as it began? If so, what was the same? Pour out your thoughts through words.
Motion, Drawing, and Additional Modes of Creative Expression Why not use The Swan as a springboard for additional creative expression?
Motion and dance exercises for this piece could add graceful, flowing, and peaceful interactions to your experience of The Swan by placing physical emphasis on the elegant quality of the music and the angelic character of the video imagery.
As a starting point, perhaps you could include physical motion that imitates the rippling painted pond, the gliding swans, their graceful wings, a cellist playing, the arching neck of both the swans and the cello, or the motion of the right arm imitating a cello bow moving slowly across the strings.
In addition to exploring a full range of creative possibilities through physical movement, your more focused rhythmic exploration could include the use of rhythm sticks, finger cymbals, or other simple rhythmic sources (even tapping a spoon or pencil) to reinforce the beat and tempo of the music and to create a light, soothing, and steady pace for the movement of your hands.
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An ongoing focus on the imagery and the music will ensure that your physical expression finds its place inside the wonder of Nature and classical music.
These motion exercises could also be followed by a drawing exercise that includes sweeping and graceful gestures of a pencil, charcoal, or a brush on large (18”x24”) rough newsprint sheets of art paper. This paper is available from art supply stores and on the Internet, and Amazon.com sells pads of this special paper for less than $6.00.
Musical Interaction Musical interaction is another powerful form of prospective creative expression for your home, your classroom, music therapy sessions, and myriad other settings equipped with simple rhythm instruments or melodic instruments. Rhythmic and melodic play-along arrangements for The Swan can be found on pages 53 and 54.
In the rhythmic play-along arrangement, after two, three-beat measures of introduction, the finger cymbals enter. The orchestration utilizes a rich variety of standard rhythm instruments, and motion exercises may be done in tandem with the play-along arrangements.
As you worked through the earlier pages of The Swan, I encouraged you to explore a variety of pathways for activating your creativity and expressing your imagination. You wrote down thoughts, feelings, terms, and emerging story ideas, and perhaps you’ve already experimented with motion exercises, drawing or painting, and even the play-along arrangements.
Creative Writing Another way for your listening artistry to blossom is to use The Swan as a stimulus for creating a short story rooted in your impressions of the music and the imagery.
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Here is a short children’s story (Read-Aloud Fairy Tale) that I was inspired to write. You may wish to use this story as a model for your own creative writing, or you might want to write something completely different.
Start by choosing an assortment of words from the written notes that you have already made, and then add terms related to the music, the instruments (pianos and cello), and the Nature imagery. In my example, I’ve chosen the following words to integrate into my story:
Cello Piano Pond Swan Forest Frog
My story example integrates a point where the whole Swan video is played, and the entire process unfolds as follows:
The beginning of the story (Read-Aloud Fairy Tale) serves as a prelude to playing the video, and a cue for you to actually play The Swan video comes on page 36. To set the stage for a smooth segue between reading the beginning of the story and immediately playing the video, begin by cueing up the video to the beginning of the pond theme (just after the introductory water sounds). Press pause in order set the stage and maximize the overall dramatic impact of the story, which integrates a written beginning, the complete Swan video, a written ending, and a final epilogue.
Here we go…
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THE SWAN A Read-Aloud Fairy Tale And a Model for Creative Writing
Once upon a time long, long ago, there was a little prince sitting by a quiet pond in the middle of a magic forest.
More than anything else, the little prince loved to make music by singing and whistling, and so every morning he would stroll from his castle and enter the magic forest where he sat by his favorite pond whistling and singing along with the beautiful songbirds high in the branches above.
As he sang and whistled he felt as if he’d joined the songbirds to form a magnificent symphony, and that they were performing Nature’s wonderful wordless songs in a way that enriched the whole world that surrounded them.
Of course, the little prince knew that symphonies usually had musical instruments, too.
Although he loved making music with the songbirds, his favorite friend was a little green frog who would always sit quietly upon a lily pad listening and smiling as the little prince sang and whistled his tunes.
For some reason, you see, as hard as the little green frog tried he couldn't make a sound.
Not even a single "rivet."
One special day, as the little prince was sitting by the quiet pond making music for his friend the frog, a magical fairy princess suddenly appeared. She knew that the prince was a wonderful singer and whistler, and so she
49 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide wanted him to be able to explore the rich sounds of a symphonic instrument, as well.
She told him that she had been enjoying his music making for a very long time and that she wanted to give him a magic instrument to play.
The fairy princess explained that since the prince’s friend, the little green frog, had been such a good listener, she wanted to make him a very special part of the music, too.
Suddenly, the little green frog jumped into the prince's right hand, and with a wave of the fairy princess’ magic wand, the little frog magically turned into a long cello bow made from one of the tree branches above.
Naturally, the prince was startled, but before he could even catch his breath the fairy princess waved her magic wand again and one of the forest’s giant trees became a magical instrument made of wood and called a “cello.” (Cello is an Italian word that rhymes with “Jello,” and the “c,” since it’s Italian, is pronounced like a “ch.” In other words, just think of the word, “chuck,” and the word, “Jello,” and you can easily say, “Ch-ello.” (Cello))
Magic being what it is, the fairy princess used a bit of the same tree to create a beautiful wooden chair, and as you may have guessed, the prince suddenly found himself seated in this beautiful chair beside the pond.
The fairy princess explained that all the prince had to do was to hold his friend the frog, (who had already become a cello bow), in his right hand, and hold the magic cello in his left hand, and then something very special would happen.
Suddenly, in an instant, the fairy princess disappeared.
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As the little prince sat in his chair gazing at his new cello and holding his friend the frog, who had now become a cello bow, he began to slowly move the bow across the four strings of the cello.
The sounds that came out of this magical instrument were very beautiful, and as the little prince played he noticed that the long top part of the cello looked like the neck of an animal. This elegantly arching neck was much longer than a duck's, but shorter than a giraffe’s.
And as he played his new cello he closed his eyes and imagined the long necks of graceful white and black swans.
He played on and on, imagining that the fairy princess was at his side playing a magical black piano to which the pond's quietly glistening waves were moving in perfect harmony.
And as the little prince, the frog, and the fairy princess played their angelic music, here is what they saw with their hearts’ eyes:
1. At this point in the story, push the play button (since you have already cued up the video to just the right place) and play/watch The Swan video. (It’s only three minutes long.)
2. When The Swan video fades to black at the end, simply push the stop button.
3. After a peaceful and reflective pause, quietly finish reading the ending, and then add the epilogue that follows.
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Ending Then, when his song was finished, the little prince opened his eyes and he found that the quiet pond was beautifully glistening and the birds were singing above. There wasn’t a single swan on the pond and the fairy princess had vanished (from his mind, but not from his heart).
The little prince’s magic instrument and beautiful chair had once again become a tree, and his friend, the little green frog, was sitting back on his lily pad. But the magical music created by the prince, the frog, and the fairy princess still lingered in the air.
Epilogue And to this very day, in every symphony orchestra throughout the world the cellos are still made of magical sounding wood, and every cello has a long upper part called the neck. And as the cellists sit in their chairs, in their right hands they always hold a magic frog.
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53 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide
54 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide
CALM SEA FROM CALM SEA AND PROSPEROUS VOYAGE OVERTURE (1826) FELIX MENDELSSOHN
GERMANY (1809-1847)
PERFORMED BY THE LJUBLJANA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (SLOVENIA) ANTON NANUT, CONDUCTOR
Mendelssohn's youthful genius couldn't be more evident than in Calm Sea, for here we find maturity far beyond his meager nineteen years of age. As mentioned in the earlier synopsis, this composition is based upon a famous Goethe poem, which also inspired Beethoven and Schubert to create their own unique compositions.
As I studied the score, the concept of visually voyaging through the many sublime moods of the ocean, as seen from the shore, came to mind. When the music takes an ominous turn in the middle section, I've introduced a contrasting storm sequence. Of particular note is the exceptionally low pitch range of the double bass section, which I've translated visually into an almost reverent dreamlike view of the sea.
Before You Begin Since this profound musical selection focuses largely on the stringed instruments of the orchestra along with a few of the woodwinds, before you get started Google the following images: Violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, and flute. You may even want to visit Wikipedia in order to drill down deeper into the rich histories and sounds of these instruments.
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Getting Started Start by simply selecting “Play” and enjoying the entire piece. By way of a quick reminder, remember that as a listening artist you are actually using your eyes as a creative musical instrument for your imagination, and your ears are providing all of the musical leadership. This is exactly the same process that I experience whenever I pick up my violin and play it. My ears are always in control. Listening is powerful and the nuances and broad brushstrokes of timeless classical music are an inexhaustible source of aesthetic fuel. As a listening artist you can effortlessly create your own listening art by interweaving what you hear with what you see. Enjoy that amazing creative process!
After experiencing Calm Sea, rewind (or scrub) back to the beginning to enjoy the scene-by-scene explorations that follow.
Opening Slate In order to set the fundamental mood using the sound of the ocean’s waves as they roll onto the shore, select and play only Calm Sea’s natural sound introduction. Pause the video after the surf sounds recede and the screen fades to black. Repeat this natural sound listening experience several times and simply reflect upon the wonder of Nature's sounds.
How might you describe these Nature sounds? Write down a few descriptive words prior to experiencing Mendelssohn's musical orchestrations. Then, as you listen and watch Calm Sea, continue to add descriptive terms that interweave the music and imagery and help you create your own unique listening art.
SCENE 1 Birds, Ocean, Sun, and Clouds The opening scene presents a mood of total majesty and tranquility. Listen to the deeply expansive tones of the double bass melody. Everything is still, totally calm, and moving slowly.
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Think about the title. Does the sea look calm? Does the music sound calm? Compare the calmness that Mendelssohn’s music presents with the natural surf sounds that you heard earlier in the introduction. Which sounds do you find most calming? Why? Write down a few words that describe your initial impressions.
How is the music’s tempo (speed) used to convey a sense of calmness?
SCENE 2 Sea Oats and Sky The perspective of the ocean is shaped by the sky and sea oats. As the violins elevate the pitch of the introductory double bass theme, we look higher. This is a good time to think about the pitch differences between Scenes 1 and 2. What changed and what remained the same?
SCENES 3 - 6 Waves Rolling from Various Perspectives As this phrase picks up momentum, these four scenes function together to roll the melody forward through the use of curling waves.
SCENE 7 Sea Foam Rolls in As the musical phrase nears completion, its resolution is reflected by a wave reaching the shore, flowing further in, and then receding visually and musically in the subsequent scene.
SCENE 8 Sea Foam Recedes The wave that reached the shore in Scene 7 now recedes to reflect the ending of the musical phrase. Think about the musical pacing. How is Mendelssohn continuing to express the sea’s calmness through the use of tempo and dynamics? (Answer: He is using the slowly unfolding melody along with gradual crescendos and diminuendos.)
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SCENE 9 Close-up of Sand Stripes After the ocean recedes, the mysteriously undulating flutes create a moment of suspense. The imagery conveys this unusual sound by closely focusing on stripes that are left in the sand after the wave has completely receded. How do these images and sounds mix together? Write a few descriptive words and terms that bring your feelings into focus.
SCENE 10 Sun over Sea The clarinet introduces a hopeful sounding melodic fragment and the visuals suddenly become more colorful as the Sun, sky, and sea offer us a positive image. Does it seem as if the clarinet becomes the voice of the sea by calling out directly to you?
SCENE 11 Driftwood Claw The music returns to the mysterious sounds of Scene 9 and the suspenseful mood is now reflected by an unusual formation of driftwood.
SCENES 12 - 18 Silhouetted Seagulls and Various Surf Perspectives A large, progressively building phrase starts developing in Scene 12 when the cellos state the theme, and then the phrase grows in both tempo and dynamics all the way through to a sudden and complete drop in Scene 19.
Can you feel the flowing and building of the music through the ever-more- intense imagery of the waves in motion? Think about dynamics (loud versus soft volume levels) and how the composer creates musical tension through a progressive acceleration of the tempo that builds a sense of momentum.
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SCENE 19 Wide Perspective of Black and White Sea For a moment there is a total release of the tension built in Scenes 12 through 18. What technique does Mendelssohn use to create this effect? (Answer: A complete drop in dynamics and a temporary absence of melodic flow.)
Why do the images appear in black and white? Does the music temporarily loose its color? Write down your creative impressions.
SCENE 20 Pale Coloration, Wide Sea Perspective The double basses play very low pitches as the suspense of Scene 19 gradually diminishes.
SCENES 21 - 23 Three Warm Sea Perspectives Beginning with Sea Grass The mystery of the previous two scenes is now replaced with rich, warm and reassuring chords. The phrase finishes in a positive manner as the surf recedes from shore.
SCENE 24 Storm Moves in An ominous new mood emerges from the music and the scene turns toward the darkness of a storm.
SCENE 25 Pelican The second half of this musical phrase cries out passionately and positively as the pelican swoops in to gracefully finish the phrase.
SCENE 26 Storm Clouds We return to the thematic material of Scene 24 and the mood is suspenseful,
59 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide dark, gloomy, and foreboding. Write down a few words and sentences that describe the mood of this section. What are the perils of the sea and how does the music paint a picture of those prospective dangers? Envision yourself as the captain of a 19th century sailing ship and contemplate the challenges of a long ocean voyage.
SCENE 27 Seagull Again, the musical phrase finishes on a suspenseful, yet soothing note as the seagull glides through the scene.
SCENES 28 - 32 Sun Reappears, Orange-Hued Surf, Pelicans Finish Phrase In this sequence the Sun reappears and we return, through a series of punctuated, accented chords, to the flowing feeling of the opening section.
Visually, two gracefully turning pelicans dissolve into a single pelican and reflect the musical diminuendo, which brings the phrase to a peaceful close.
SCENES 33 & 34 Sun Glistening off Wide Wave Shot, Then Tight Wave Shot Notice how the violins take the previous phrase from its resolution through to a high-pitched, sustained note. As the pitch gets higher, the scenes become more intensely focused.
Think about the sustained high pitch in the violins and listen carefully for the end of this shrill sound. What emotions flow along with these sustained pitches? Write down your impressions and feelings.
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SCENES 35 & 36 Surf Under the high pitch in the violins, a churning and receding (up and back) motion is developed in the lower strings. Notice how the scenes change in pairs to reflect the energy of the ocean’s tides and surf.
SCENES 37 & 38 Surf Similar to Scenes 35 and 36, but more intense, the sea is rumbling, almost growling, and the music presents this prospectively angry and turbulent mood. Do you feel the immense power of these rumblings? Write down your feelings about what the music is saying.
What orchestral instruments create this mood? (Answer: Lower strings) Take a look at your web-based images and information about the double basses (also called the string basses). In addition to your feelings about the music, what do the double basses and 19th century sailing ships have in common? Write down a few creative ideas that interweave these images with the music.
SCENES 39 & 40 Surf In these two scenes the angry rumblings of Scenes 35 through 38 find their resolution. Once again Mendelssohn creates a warm and reassuring musical mood.
SCENES 41 & 43 Seagull Above White Surf In this section the music soars and delivers the riches of a truly transcendent quality. The seagull peacefully soars above the pristine white waves of sight and sound giving us the feeling that all is cleansed and well.
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What instruments does Mendelssohn use to paint his musical picture? Write down the instruments as you hear them.
SCENE 44 Sandpipers Sailing As the violins continue to sustain the high pitch that began in Scene 36, sandpipers glide in formation just above the waves.
SCENE 45 Sea Oats (Grass) and Wide Sea The violins' sustained high pitch finally resolves in a warm and reassuring manner. The visual scene is a richly colored, calm, and positive reflection of the music. This scene begins a sequence of short statements that reiterate the opening theme using a variety of instrumental groups. In order to fine tune your listening artistry, make a written inventory of the instruments as you hear them.
SCENE 46 Looking Up at the Sky through Sea Oats This scene alludes back to the opening perspective of the sky from the ocean's point of view (see Scene 2).
SCENE 47 - 49 Pelican, Silhouetted Birds, Then Wide Sea Perspective In these three scenes, which are knit together into one musical phrase, the melodic fragments are continually passed to lower and lower instruments beginning with the clarinets, and then the cellos. Take a moment to review the pictures of the clarinet and the cello that you found on the web.
SCENE 50 Glistening Sea, Tight Shot Can you hear the very low statement of the thematic material in the string basses? Think about the expansive depth of the ocean and how
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Mendelssohn uses these deep musical pitches to create this impression.
Isn’t it remarkable that the deepest parts of the Earth’s oceans still remain largely unexplored? From another intriguing perspective, I once listened to a radio interview with the late R. Buckminster Fuller in which he noted that, “Since the Earth is approximately 8,000 miles in diameter, if one were to simply breathe on an average sized metal globe of the Earth, the vapor from their breath would be about the same relative thickness as the Earth’s deepest oceans.”
SCENE 51 - 53 Surf Rolls into Shore Here we begin the ending sequence of chords and the musical sounds are reminiscent of Calm Sea’s natural sound introduction, which we explored earlier. Can you hear the breath between the chords in these scenes? As you watch Scenes 52 and 53, listen carefully to find the open musical spaces between the chords.
Reflect on you own trips to the ocean, or if you haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit the ocean shore, then simply focus on Nature’s imagery in these three scenes by muting the volume as you watch. The ocean’s waves seem to roll into the shore in similar surges. How does the ocean’s motion align with Mendelssohn's musical writing and with the imagery of Scenes 51 through 53?
SCENE 54 Final Scene, Wide Shot of Ocean with Seagull Gliding As the visuals dissolve back into imagery that reflects the opening scene, the music draws to a close on a peaceful, tranquil, and harmonious note.
Has Mendelssohn's music and the Calm Sea adventure broadened your perspective of the moods of the ocean? Why do you suppose that the sea is so fascinating, and what do you feel about Mendelssohn's ability to write
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Calm Sea when he was only nineteen years old? What popular young songwriters, whose music you enjoy, are currently writing amazing songs at a surprisingly similar age? If the spirit moves you, write a short story inspired by the feelings and ideas that the Calm Sea adventure has inspired. Consider weaving together some of the words and sentences that you may have already written down, and then add musically and visually descriptive words like waves, up and down dynamics, deep pitches, etc.
As prospective writing models, take a look back at the Florida Daybreak Poem and Narration and at The Swan Read-Aloud Fairy Tale. Alternatively, you may prefer to start completely fresh with a clear canvas and a clean sheet of paper (either in your hand or on your computer).
Each future Calm Sea adventure will inspire deeper insights and will enhance your listening artistry. Your emerging insights will also create fresh ideas that can organically flow directly out of your imagination and into your writing.
A melodic play-along arrangement follows on page 65.
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65 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide
FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE (1899-1900) NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Video Title: Flight of the Sandpipers
RUSSIA (1844-1908)
PERFORMED BY THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANDRE PREVIN, CONDUCTOR
After Rimsky-Korsakov completed his opera, Tsar Sultan, he added a special inscription at the beginning of the score that reads, "Out of the ocean flew a bumblebee and circled about the swan."
While we all know that bumblebees don't usually fly out of the ocean, tiny sandpipers do the next best thing as they fly, dart, and scamper about in the surf.
The two previous Tropical Sweets® adventures just happen to be "...about the swan" (The Swan), and "...out of the ocean...” (Calm Sea), and so perhaps Rimsky-Korsakov would have enjoyed this happy musical coincidence.
Since Flight of the Bumblebee is one of the most popular classical compositions about frenetic motion, I've chosen to focus on its flighty, light, and often humorous mood.
Also, the orchestral ensemble sizes are reflected in the visual sandpiper (sanderling) groupings. A solo sanderling reflects a solo musical instrument, a small group of sanderlings showcases a small musical ensemble group, and the full orchestra is reflected visually by an entire flock of sanderlings.
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The music’s overarching shape is visually punctuated through the use of a chase scene in the contrasting middle section. During these short segments, the surf and sea foam try, unsuccessfully, to capture these tiny birds. This villainous section corresponds with the temporary musical modulation into a minor key.
Motion and Interaction Rhythmic and melodic play-along arrangements are included on pages 76 through 78 for this animated and humorous piece, and I also recommend that you consider creating your own motion exercises, should the spirit of dancing capture and move you.
For listeners of all ages, as the musical motion and energy intensifies simply imagine rising with it and shuffling around the room, as a soloist or in a group, while you imitate the motion and spirit of the tiny legs of the sanderlings. In larger classroom or social settings, the rhythmic play-along arrangement could even be performed on the move by forming a “marching rhythm band.”
Getting Started Start by simply selecting “Play” and enjoying the entire piece. After experiencing Flight of the Sandpipers, rewind (or scrub) back to the beginning to enjoy the scene-by-scene explorations below.
Opening Slate To set the tone for the music that follows, I highly recommend listening to the high-pitched peeps of the tiny sanderlings under the opening title as it emerges from black. What instrument in the orchestra do these high-pitched peeps most closely resemble? (Answer: Piccolo)
The Italian word, “piccolo,” actually means, “small.” Do a quick web search using Google and Wikipedia to find pictures and information about the
67 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide piccolo, which is tiniest orchestral wind instrument. Also, be sure to visit YouTube and watch this particular piccolo video: “Daniel Dorff: TWEET for solo Piccolo flute.”
Here is another scene-by-scene exploration to help you fine-tune your skills as a creative listening artist.
SCENES 1 - 3 Sandpipers Flying, Then Preparing to Land Since the title of the music includes flight, it seemed appropriate to begin the video in the air. The surprisingly loud first chord is intended to be both amusing and startling. Think about the composer’s musical choices. Are they effective? Why or why not? Write down your thoughts and ideas.
As the birds begin to land, what happens in the music? (Answer: Diminuendo)
SCENE 4 Close-up of Four Sandpipers What has happened in the music? All of a sudden the instrumentation has changed from the full orchestra to mostly strings. The melody has been introduced quietly after the introduction in Scenes 1 through 3. What instruments are playing the melody? (Answer: Violins)
SCENE 5 Closer View of Group of Sandpipers Here's the second half of the phrase introduced in Scene 4. The imagery changes and accentuates the antecedent/consequent (question and answer) concept of musical phrasing. Think about phrasing (shaping the lines) in music. Musical phrases are often like sentences that help shape a storyline. Think about this analogy, and then write down a few thoughts and ideas.
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SCENE 6 One Sandpiper The solo flute is reflected visually by a solo sandpiper. Can you hear the flute? How has the instrumentation affected the dynamics? (Answer: The volume is much softer. The Italian musical term for a softer volume is "piano.")
Study the motion of this bird's tiny legs. Do you see how the sanderling bobs from side to side? Listen for the flute line as it creates a similar bobbing quality in the music.
What section of the orchestra is accompanying the flute? Look at each landing of these tiny legs and let your emerging sense of listening artistry help you identify the accompanying orchestral instruments. (Answer: The string players are plucking their instruments like a guitar. The Italian word for this type of string playing is “pizzicato.”)
SCENES 7 - 10 Sandpipers Being Chased by the “Evil Sea Foam Villain” Here is some new, sinister sounding musical material. Focus on the shift in mood. Can you hear how the music has changed? Imagine the surf trying to capture our tiny sandpiper heroes, and then write down a few words that describe this humorously sinister musical sequence.
Take a special look at Scene 10. The clarinet enters with a whimsical, almost dizzying character. Watch the sandpiper on the right of the screen. Are you able to see how this tiny runner lunges suddenly to match the clarinet?
Meanwhile, isn’t the surf and sea foam getting dangerously close? Do you feel the sense of tension in the music? Write down a few words that describe your listening art experience.
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SCENES 11 - 14 Sandpipers Being Chased by the “Evil Sea Foam Villain” Here's a second statement of the musical material used in Scenes 7 through 10.
Just like the Delius shell sequence (see Daybreak Scenes 39 through 44), this is a great opportunity to think about how composers effectively use the technique of repetition. What has Rimsky-Korsakov accomplished by repeating this musical material? (Answer: Added emphasis and drama contrasts the earlier musical flow and adds a suspenseful element. The listener wonders where the music may be going next.)
With regard to repetition in music, and most specifically in popular songs, isn’t it remarkable how the essence of nearly every popular song relies on the repetition of the rhythms, melodies, textures, lyrics, volume, and instrumentation in order to keep us engaged? Repetition is a powerful musical force! Write down a few thoughts about how the use of repetition in your favorite songs may be similar to the use of repetition in the instrumental music of Delius and Rimsky-Korsakov.
SCENE 15 Solo Sandpiper What is the featured instrument again? (Answer: Flute) Focus on the sandpipers’ tiny legs and imagine the flutist’s fingers scampering across the keys. Search YouTube for some examples of flutists performing. Look closely at how the flutists’ fingers rapidly control the keys that cover and open the pitch holes of their instruments. Pretend to play your own flute and see if your fingers can imitate the tiny legs of the rapidly running sandpipers.
SCENE 16 Sandpiper Duo Listen to the way the pizzicato (plucking) of the string section creates an almost “wooden-soldier-like” marching quality. Can you imagine these two
70 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide sandpipers as guards who are marching along to make sure that the evil sea foam villain does not return?
Perhaps you can begin to imagine an emerging storyline. Take a few moments to write down your ideas. Use words that describe your feelings about the music and creatively integrate the visual imagery. If the process of writing feels like fun, then you are completely on the right track!
SCENE 17 One Sandpiper Moving to Screen Left Here's a fragment of the solo flute melody, but what new instrument do you hear? (Answer: Clarinet) Search YouTube for videos of clarinetists playing their instruments, and then pretend that you are playing your own clarinet. Bend your arms inward at both elbows as you stretch them out just below your chin. As your fingers rapidly move to imitate a clarinetist, enjoy the way your imagination animates your own unique sense of listening artistry.
SCENE 18 Three Sandpipers The wooden-soldier-like sounds of Scene 16 are repeated here. Again, imagine these sandpiper guards patrolling and protecting their flock from the evil sea foam villain, and then continue to create your own images and ideas for a storyline that combines these sights and sounds.
SCENE 19 Single Sandpiper Here's the melodic fragment used in the previous scene, but what instruments do you hear this time? (Answer: Clarinet begins and flute ends) Can you distinguish each unique instrument? Listen to this section a few times so that your emerging sense of listening artistry can help you clearly hear the different instruments.
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SCENE 20 Large Group of Sandpipers The main musical theme returns and it is performed by the full orchestra. Notice the intensity level and think about the orchestration and the dynamics (volume). Visually, it's noteworthy that we see the group of sandpipers heading directly toward “the evil sea foam.” I've added this scene to underscore the mounting musical suspense.
SCENES 21 & 22 Small Groups of Sandpipers In this phrase the dynamics (loud versus soft volume) continue to rise along with the intensity level. Now the birds are dangerously close to the sea foam. Notice in Scene 21 how one sandpiper plunges his beak into the sand at exactly the same moment as the pizzicato on the 5th beat. (Naturally, it may take several listening sessions for you to hear and see this nuance, but growing into an ever-better listening artist is a completely joyful, nuance- based process.)
In Scene 22 the sandpipers’ direction changes as they finally decide to hurry away from the sea foam in direct synchronization with the second half of this two-scene musical phrase.
SCENE 23 Group of Sandpipers Very Close to Camera What has happened to the music’s volume level? How would you describe this change using musical terms? Is it piano (soft), forte (loud), fortissimo (very loud)? Write down your description.
Can you feel the musical intensity rising as the camera shot tightens? How do the images correspond with what you’re hearing? What do you think might happen next?
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SCENE 24 Solo Sandpiper The remarkable intensity of the previous scene is suddenly released. This sudden drop from loud to soft is called a “subito piano,” which is Italian for “suddenly soft.” What instrument is playing? (Answer: Flute) Why is there only one sandpiper? (Answer: To reflect the orchestration of a single solo instrument.) Again, consider where the music might logically move next.
SCENE 25 Group of Sandpipers Close to Camera We return to the very loud and intense melodic material of Scene 23. Was this “subito forte” (suddenly loud) musical material surprising? What instruments were featured? (Answer: Full orchestra)
SCENE 26 Solo Sandpiper This scene is almost a carbon copy of the musical material of Scene 24. Can your hear the similarity? What instrument is playing the melody? (Answer: Flute, again)
Isn’t it enjoyable to experience these familiar sounds? As we discussed earlier, repetition can be a highly effective musical building block.
Rewind this scene and play it again. In the second half of the phrase can you see how the sandpiper moves to his right, and then moves away from the camera in direct synchronization with the flute melody? Do these visual nuances help bring the spirit of the music to life?
SCENES 27 & 28 Full Group of Sandpipers, and Then Slightly Smaller Group As we near the end of this amazing composition, the full orchestra makes its final fortissimo statement. The large group of sandpipers in Scene 27 reflects the very loud volume, and then the slightly smaller group of sandpipers in
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Scene 28 corresponds with the immediate diminuendo and softer dynamics.
Think about dynamics and orchestration. Does it feel like the piece is about to end? If so, then what musical characteristics create this listening impression? (Answer-The music’s volume is fading and the orchestration is thinning out.) The direction of the birds reflects the direction of the music...both appear to be going away.
SCENE 29 Group of Sandpipers Coming Toward Camera Much to our surprise, the birds and the music are again coming toward us, instead of continuing to fade as we might have thought based upon the earlier material in Scenes 27 and 28.
SCENE 30 Solo Sandpiper Moves from Screen Left to Screen Right Listen carefully to hear the solo flute blended in with the orchestra in this musical phrase. Notice how the sandpiper turns and exits to the right at the exactly the halfway point of this short phrase.
SCENE 31 Single Sandpiper Runs Away Toward Screen Left This spiraling scale passage is conceptually similar to Scene 19 where the clarinet began the passage and the flute provided its ending. Do the two instruments enter in the same order? (Answer: Yes, the clarinet begins the scale and the flute ends it.)
SCENE 32 Solo Sandpiper Standing In this final scene pay special attention to the sandpiper's tiny head. When his head turns, what do you hear in the music? (Answer: He turns in synchronization with the final pizzicato chord played by the strings.)
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Rhythmic and melodic play-along arrangements for Flight of the Sandpipers follow on the next three pages.
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THE DOVE FROM THE BIRDS (1923) OTTORINO RESPIGHI
ITALY (1879-1936)
PERFORMED BY THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA CHRISTIAN LYNDON-GEE, CONDUCTOR
As a symbol of peace, the title of this composition suggests a musical adventure that is both peaceful and ethereal. It’s a happy coincidence that Respighi actually studied orchestration with Rimsky-Korsakov, and this student-teacher juxtaposition of The Dove with Flight of the Bumblebee adds a layer of collaborative intrigue and discovery to the listening art that you will create. While no two classical compositions could be more different in character, these two masters of orchestration were in their best form for both selections.
In keeping with the geographical setting of the Tropical Sweets® Adventure, I've chosen seagulls for the starring role and graceful flamingos for the contrasting “walking theme,” which unfolds in the middle section. Respighi’s suite, The Birds, is actually a series of movements based on several very early composers’ works. The Dove is based on a composition by the French composer, Jacques Gallot, (1625-1696). The overarching mood of The Dove could be characterized as tranquil, calm, and harmonious, and the melancholy tones of the oboe are again prominently featured (as they were in Daybreak).
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Getting Started Start by simply selecting “Play” and enjoying the entire piece. After experiencing The Dove, rewind (or scrub) back to the beginning to enjoy the scene-by-scene explorations below.
Opening Slate As a prelude to the composer’s sounds, listen to the sounds of Nature under the opening title. Do these Nature sounds set a peaceful mood? Write down a few words that describe your thoughts and feelings.
SCENE 1 Gliding Silhouetted Seagulls As the oboe introduces the initial phrase the strings play a very high-pitched fluttering sound.
I envisioned that this musical “fluttering motif” could shape and guide the wings of peacefully gliding birds. From the opening notes, the music conveys an immediate sense of purity, goodness, and tranquility.
SCENES 2 - 4 Gliding Seagulls Culminating in Ascending Single Seagull As the oboe sings out the second phrase, more seagulls gracefully soar. When the phrase reaches its peak in Scene 4, you'll see a single seagull ascending to match the rising oboe pitch and the growing musical intensity.
Does this music move you with feelings of deep relaxation, stress relief, and peacefulness? How does the visual imagery reflect the music’s character? What additional descriptive words and terms flow into your mind? Write down a few personally meaningful descriptions for the listening art that you are interweaving from the visual and musical elements.
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SCENE 5 Upside Down Seagulls and Sea Oats Phrase three of the music continues the floating, ethereal mood. Pay special attention to the motion of the birds’ wings as they hover.
Doesn't it seem as though the music’s melody is also hovering, weightless, and almost lighter than air? How do you suppose Respighi accomplishes this? Write down your ideas.
SCENE 6 Wide Shot of Ocean, Seagulls, and a Single Seagull Gliding through As the oboe presents its fourth phrase, the opening section of The Dove comes to a close and we can imagine the seagull landing as the oboe finishes its melody.
SCENE 7 Fluttering Seagulls Against Blue Sky This next oboe phrase has an even more angelic quality and the white seagulls soaring against a deep blue sky reflect the increasing richness of the musical mood.
SCENE 8 Seagulls Circle from Screen Right to Left Phrase six continues the oboe theme and brings it nearly to completion. Again, there is an airy, ethereal overall feeling, which one naturally associates with peacefulness.
The gentle motion of the seagulls visually reflects this beautiful musical moment.
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SCENE 9 Close-up of Seagull In this scene pay careful attention to the head of the seagull. The oboe will play a “mordent” (one cycle of a trill) and at that moment the head of the seagull will turn directly toward you. Here's an excellent opportunity to think about ornamentation in music. Think about other places and circumstances in life where ornaments are important. Are ornaments like decorations? Write a few thoughts about the general nature of ornaments and think about the meaning of the word, “ornamental,” even in the context of plants and landscaping.
Rewind and play this scene several times. Can you hear the ornamental mordent as the seagull’s head turns?
SCENE 10 Old Seagull Stands Alone The new material introduced in this oboe phrase has a melancholy and lonely quality, which I've visually reflected with a solitary seagull looking out to sea.
Listen for the flute entrance, which coincides with the seagull turning his head to the right. Perhaps the flute is reassuring the seagull that all is well. Can you hear the positive inflection in the flute’s musical phrase? Write down a few descriptive words, terms, or sentences.
SCENE 11 Seagull's Head Over Sand As in Scene 10, there is a plaintive quality in the music, and when the flute enters the seagull turns his head to acknowledge the flute’s delivery of a much-needed musical message of reassurance.
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SCENE 12 Seagull Descends This scene concludes the opening section on a very positive note. As the seagull descends, listen to the upper strings and watch the seagull’s head very carefully.
At the end of the phrase, can you hear the high-pitched violins and the flute performing in perfect synchronization with the seagull's head motion?
Rewind and play this passage several times in order to use the musical and visual nuances to create your own listening art in the space between the music and the imagery.
As noted on page 5, I like to think of this enhanced listening process as anchored listening, since your eyes and ears are focused completely on the music. I also enjoy the concept of “dissolving seams.” As your eyes and ears join forces and connect the music with the imagery, your immersive experiences will create seamless listening art.
SCENE 13 & 14 Flamingos The lower strings now introduce a two-phrase “walking theme” to which the elegant and stately flamingos move.
Listen for the continued fluttering in the upper strings. This ornamental fluttering sound alludes to birds in flight and contrasts with the melody in the lower strings.
Did you notice that during Scene 13 a seagull flew through and visually reflected the fluttering musical quality? Rewind and play this section several times in order to fine-tune your listening.
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SCENES 15 & 16 Flamingos and Seagulls As the walking theme becomes more legato (smooth) and elongated, the fluttering in the upper strings also becomes more prominent.
The seagulls and flamingos are shown together to reflect the music’s textural qualities.
SCENES 17 - 20 Seagulls, Flamingos, Seagulls, Flamingos Short melodic fragments knit this transitional segment together. I've chosen to alternate between the two visual subjects in an effort to underscore the different instrumental statements. Can you identify the solo instruments in each scene? (Answers: Scene 17-Oboe, Scene 18-Flute, Scene-19 Lower strings, Scene 20-Low woodwinds)
Search the web to find pictures, information, and perhaps a few videos of a bass clarinet. Pause Scene 20 and compare the neck and the mouthpiece of the bass clarinet to the curved necks and black beaks of the flamingos. Can you see the similarities between these unusual shapes? How would you characterize the sound of the bass clarinet, and then how might you knit together the sounds and shapes of this instrument with the feelings you are experiencing as you listen and watch?
Write down your creative ideas and words. As a listening artist, you are actually creating your own anchored listening experience in the vast space between what you hear and what you see, and so there is no limit to what you might create and translate into words. Your eyes are gradually becoming a musical instrument for your imagination!
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SCENE 21 Wide Shot of Seagulls What instruments are playing the melody? (Answer: Violins) How is this melodic statement different from the beginning? (Answer: In the beginning the oboe had the melody and the violins played the accompanying fluttering sounds.) What instruments are now producing the fluttering sounds? (Answer: Flutes)
SCENE 22 Single Seagull Upside Down The entrance of the oboe “obbligato” (a prominent countermelody) corresponds to the beginning of this scene. Can you hear the oboe?
SCENE 23 Flock of Seagulls The harp enters and adds it's angelic sounds to the musical mood. Can you hear the harp? Search the web for harp pictures and videos, and then write down some musically descriptive words. Why do you suppose that the harp is often featured in images of angels? Do a separate Google search for “harps and angels” and click on “Images.” What is it about the harp’s sound that seems angelic? Again, write down a few words and thoughts about this magical instrument and its unique sounds.
As a listening artist, how would you describe the way you are interweaving what you hear with what you see?
SCENE 24 Seagull Descends The violins finish the phrase as the seagull descends. Can you hear the violins?
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SCENE 25 Three Seagulls Very Close to Camera In this scene the solo violin creates a very tender and reflective mood. The visual imagery is designed to convey an intimate perspective of the grace of flight in order to enable your emerging listening artistry to give wings to the violin’s melody.
SCENE 26 Single Seagull Glides Away The solo violin finishes its phrase with a smooth diminuendo and a single gliding seagull helps reinforce this airy, floating feeling.
SCENE 27 Flamingos The clarinet’s musical phrase brings us back to earth and a seagull flies through the scene as a visual reference to the fluttering strings.
Here's another golden opportunity to think about the clarinet. Search the web again to find pictures of the clarinet and look for the striking similarity between the clarinet’s mouthpiece and the black ends of the flamingos’ beaks.
Can you imagine the flamingos actually playing the clarinet’s music? Might this be the kernel of an idea for a short story? Write down a few ideas that creatively connect the music, the instruments, and the imagery.
SCENE 28 Single Flamingo with Seagulls in Background As the clarinet finishes the phrase it began in Scene 27, a single flamingo stands still.
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SCENE 29 Two Flamingos Bow In this reverent sounding moment, the clarinet continues its melodic statement as two flamingos gracefully bow their heads.
SCENES 30 & 31 Two Flamingos Peer through Leaves, Followed by Wide Flamingo Shot As the musical fluttering continues, the clarinet concludes and crescendos to the top of its phrase. Two flamingos peer through the leaves, and as the phrase ends we experience a wider, much less intense visual scene that reflects the diminuendo of the clarinet.
SCENES 32 - 35 Flamingo Groups with Seagulls The solo violin and the clarinet return in this highly reflective segment. As The Dove begins to draw to a close, note that the fluttering sounds continue throughout, and that seagulls appear constantly to visually reinforce these fluttering wings of sound. In contrast, the flamingos reflect the longer melodic line of the solo violin and clarinet.
Can you hear the fluttering sounds? What instruments are featured? (Answer- The violin section continues to perform the trill-like ornamental fluttering figure under the melodic material played by the solo violin and the clarinet.)
SCENE 36 Seagulls Ascending Since the ornamental fluttering figure now takes center stage, the complete visual focus is on the motion of the seagulls’ wings as they ascend.
SCENE 37 Solo Seagull A mysterious moment occurs as the clarinet, the flute, the violins, and then the harp progressively enter. As the seagull hovers just after the harp’s
87 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide glissando, the musical motion momentarily finds itself in a completely suspended state.
As a creative listening artist, how would you describe your experience of this “musical hovering?” Write down a few descriptive words, terms, and sentences.
SCENE 38 Flamingo and Seagull As The Dove fades into silence, the final harp chords and muted string tones simply dissolve into nothingness. What might the descending seagull be reflecting in the music? (Answer: The diminuendo and the descending musical intensity)
AQUARIUM FROM CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS (1886) CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
FRANCE (1835-1921)
PERFORMED BY THE PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA EFREM KURTZ, CONDUCTOR
Through the lens of the Florida Keys’ colorful underwater seascapes, I wanted Aquarium to immerse each listening artist in the weightless, shimmering, and effervescent quality of Saint-Saëns' music. As a cleverly creative genius, Saint-Saëns may have used the motion of musical scales to humorously reflect the physical scales covering tropical fish.
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When the music begins there is a general sense of calmness illuminated by a glistening quality, but this sense of tranquility is soon punctuated by two mysteriously descending scale passages. In the first descending scale passage you will see a downward spiraling fish, and then later, during the second descending scale passage, an octopus will appear. (Since a musical scale has eight notes, its range is called an octave, and the octopus gets its name from having eight legs. In keeping with Saint-Saëns’ humor, perhaps the term “octave-pus” might apply.)
Near the end of Aquarium there are two musical sequences of rapidly ascending scales to which the fish respond in weightless elegance.
Getting Started Start by simply selecting “Play” and enjoying the entire piece. After experiencing Aquarium, rewind (or scrub) back to the beginning and prepare to enjoy the scene-by-scene explorations that follow.
Explore the use of words to creatively reflect the musical and visual qualities of Aquarium. Just for starters, these words might include keys, glistening glissandos, “pearly whites,” “octave-pus,” schools, and waves. The objective of your creative writing could be to knit together musical terms, instruments of the orchestra, and imagery from the video. (See the Daybreak Poem and Narration, and The Swan Read-Aloud Fairy Tale for ideas and examples.)
Opening Slate In order to convey a sense of underwater mystery and adventure, the bubbling natural sounds under the Aquarium title are nearly inaudible by design. Listen carefully for these opening sounds. What do you hear and how might these sounds be directly connected with the composition’s title?
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SCENE 1 Tropical Fish Clustered Around Rock This opening scene presents the shimmering, weightless musical theme of Aquarium. Although it appears that we are in an aquarium, the entire scene was actually shot underwater in the Florida Keys.
Listen for the bright sounding glockenspiel tone (original orchestration was for glass harmonica) near the end of the scene, which is reflected by two fish quickly crossing each other's path in the middle of the screen.
Once again, spend a few minutes searching the web for pictures and videos of a glockenspiel.
SCENE 2 School of Blue Fish As the piano “arpeggios” (notes of a chord played in succession, rather than as a single chord) continue, even more fish enter and the Sun glistens through the water. These arpeggios share the same harp-like quality that we experienced in earlier Tropical Sweets® selections.
Do you recall when the harp appeared in Daybreak and The Dove? Can you hear the pianos rolling their chords? What other instruments do you hear? (Answer-Glockenspiel and Strings)
SCENE 3 Two Angelfish Descend Beneath the Reef As the strings begin to descend with their melody, two angelfish lead us downward.
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SCENE 4 School of Orange and Yellow Fish As the phrase concludes, watch the orange school of fish. Toward the end of the phrase can you hear how they move at exactly the same moment as the bright glockenspiel chime?
SCENE 5 Fish Descending Near Reef Here's the first downward-spiraling scale passage, which introduces a distinctly contrasting air of mystery to the musical mood.
SCENE 6 Fish Continue a Downward Spiral As the music continues to spiral downward so do the fish. Do these descending sounds create a sense of mystery? Can you hear the pianos moving downward in sequence?
SCENE 7 Two Black and White Striped Fish Although the previous two scenes carried an air of mystery, the phrase finally ends on a lilting and whimsical note. Watch how the two little fish swim away and finish the phrase with their elegant tail motion. As a listening artist, what feelings come to life as you interweave the music with the imagery? Write down your thoughts.
SCENES 8 - 12 Blue Fish from Many Angles The initial theme returns and the glistening, shimmering quality is more abundantly evident. The constant motion of the piano arpeggios is reflected by the motion of schools of blue fish.
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SCENE 13 Octopus Here's the second statement of the mysterious downward-spiraling scale that we first heard in Scenes 5 and 6. The eerie octopus draws out a deeper sense of musical suspense as he moves down through the octaves of the scales. (As noted earlier, the eight legs of the octopus and the eight notes of a musical octave coincide perfectly.)
SCENE 14 Back and White Fish Descends As the scale passage in the pianos continues downward, another mysterious fish enters in a downward motion.
SCENE 15 Two White and Yellow Fish The long downward-spiraling phrase comes to the same lilting end as that of Scene 7. This time the visuals change to a pair of white and yellow fish, both of whom turn in perfect rhythm with the end of the phrase.
SCENE 16 Blue Fish As a theme fragment returns, this exotic blue fish swims toward the right side of the screen. Note that the musical phrase is much shorter than the opening, while the melodic material remains similar.
SCENE 17 Striped Fish This scene is the “consequent,” or musical answer to Scene 16. To finish the phrase visually, the fish is swimming horizontally toward the left of the screen.
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SCENE 18 Yellow Fish with One Blue Fish Watch the right side of the screen for the small blue fish who swims through vertically to match the ascending glockenspiel scale. Rewind and play this passage several times. Listen for the “glissando,” which is a rapid upward scale that creates a special musical effect. How does the small blue fish bring the musical character of the glissando to life? Write down your ideas.
SCENE 19 Blue Fish Ascends Here's a repeat of Scene 18, but with a new blue fish ascending in the middle of the screen to match the scale’s musical motion.
SCENE 20 View Over Coral For a moment the music moves forward horizontally as it presents an almost spiny quality. These sounds are visually reflected by a brief weightless voyage just above a coral formation.
SCENE 21 Striped Fish Ascends The music returns to an upward and more vertical scale motion similar to Scenes 18 and 19. A striped fish ascends to reflect the glockenspiel’s upward glissando.
SCENE 22 White Fish Nipped by Black Fish As the glockenspiel chimes, a black fish barely nips the white fish, which then swims away in perfect rhythm with the glockenspiel’s glissando.
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SCENE 23 Coral Formation Here the music returns for a moment to the spiny and suspenseful horizontal motion of Scene 20. The visual view is also similar.
SCENES 24 & 25 School of Fish Dart, Yellow Fish Turns The bell-like tone of the glockenspiel corresponds first with the sudden rapid movement of a school of fish in Scene 24, and then with the solo yellow fish in Scene 25.
Listen carefully for these cheerful, bright, and sharp-edged tones. Can you hear these pitches, and then can you interweave the music and imagery to create reflective listening art? Use words to describe the listening art that your eyes and ears are creating.
SCENE 26 Descending Pair of Angelfish As the pianos continue to descend, the visual focus is on their downward motion. Angelfish descend to reflect the pianos’ musical direction.
SCENE 27 Parrotfish Ascends and Circles As Aquarium draws to a close, the pianos finish their downward spiral with an elegant new musical shaping which corresponds to the circling parrotfish.
SCENE 28 School of Blue Fish As the pianos complete their final musical phrase, Saint-Saëns brings our listening artistry back to its original weightless state. The school of blue fish, which appears to be almost motionless, reflects the music’s shimmering magic.
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Rhythmic and melodic play-along arrangements for Aquarium follow on the pages 96 and 97.
The rhythmic play-along places significant emphasis on the shimmering quality of the orchestration, but the addition of the güiro also adds the distinctive humor of a frog-like sound.
The melodic play-along arrangement presents a number of shimmering sonorities, all of which are intended to place the performers in the middle of the underwater action.
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SUNSET FROM FLORIDA SUITE (1887) FREDERICK DELIUS
ENGLAND (1862-1934)
THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA SIR THOMAS BEECHAM, CONDUCTOR
After carefully studying the musical score and searching for material that might connect Delius’ Sunset and Daybreak, it appeared to me that Sunset was in many respects a sort of melancholy twin to Daybreak. Both musical selections suggested a dialogue between imagery of the land and the sea, but Sunset began with a brooding cello theme, which immediately painted a picture of wistful ambivalence and conveyed a sense of the inevitable struggle against the darkness of day's end.
In this adventure, my visual emphasis is on the mood of quiet resignation experienced at sunset in contrast with the sunrise spirit of ever-unfolding renewal and rejuvenation. In Sunset, the birds, animals, flowers, and even the Sun itself, are all fading, going away, and preparing for nightfall.
When the bass clarinet enters midway through Sunset, its unique nautical sound calls us back to the imagery of the ocean. A bit later, I've aligned the Sun's actual descent and disappearance with a loudly punctuated, wrestling sequence of chords and melodic fragments.
Finally, a variety of reflective musical moments and Nature scenes lead to the closing diminuendo where a formation of pelicans carries us into silent darkness.
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Getting Started Start by simply selecting “Play” and enjoying the entire piece. After experiencing Sunset, rewind (or scrub) back to the beginning to enjoy the scene-by-scene explorations below.
Opening Slate Listen carefully to the natural sound introduction as the Sunset title emerges from black. The sounds associated with a sunset are often amazingly colorful. What do you hear? Why are these uniquely beautiful Nature sounds usually heard only at sunset or at night?
Write down your thoughts and ideas. How might you compare these natural sounds with Delius’ orchestral sounds? Keep this question open as you listen to the music and make additional written notes.
SCENES 1 & 2 Sun, Then Oak Branches Four French horn chords introduce the spirit of sunset over the course of these two opening scenes. Visually, the orange hues paint a melancholy picture of the gradually setting Sun, which also resonates with the sunrise tones of Daybreak. A sense of resignation foreshadows the inevitable day’s end.
SCENE 3 Sun Descends through Clouds The cellos state the musical theme as the Sun begins its descent. A melancholy mood permeates the exceptionally rich and woody sound quality.
Here's another opportunity to think about the cello, which is made entirely of wood. Can you imagine the trees themselves singing out this opening theme?
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Isn’t it interesting to contemplate the simple fact that without trees there would be no symphonies? Think about the string section of the orchestra and write down a few thoughts and feelings related to how trees are reborn as great stringed instruments. Also, do a bit more research on the web and begin compiling a comprehensive list of all of the orchestral instruments that are made of wood. Your inquiry-based learning question is simple: Without trees, how many instruments would there be in a symphony orchestra, and what are the names of those instruments?
While you are out on the web, track down pictures (and perhaps some video clips) of cellos, French horns, woodwinds, and the bass clarinet. What do you find interesting about the shapes and sounds of these instruments? In the world of Nature, are there visual counterparts to the shapes and sounds of musical instruments? For example, the flute and the piccolo share many tonal characteristics with songbirds.
Take a look at the Daybreak Poem and Narration for a few examples. Think about line six, “amidst string shaded oaks…” The oak branches form strings and strands as the stringed instruments are playing. Also, the oaks are trees and the stringed instruments are made from wood.
By way of a quick reminder, while composers and musicians may create and perform music, you actually create your own unique listening art. As you anchor your eyes on the wonders of Nature, your ears can creatively open the doors of your mind and heart enabling your eyes to become a rare musical instrument for your imagination.
Every learning and listening step will serve to make you a more discerning and creative listening artist!
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SCENES 4 & 5 Oak Branches Followed by Wide Forest Scene The second part of the initial cello theme is visually aligned with oak branches alluding back to Daybreak, and then a full forest sunset panorama emerges.
SCENES 6 & 7 Enchanted Forest Followed by Azaleas and Oaks As the cellos state the opening theme for the second time, the camera moves back reflectively to view the forest in late afternoon light. The cadence (musical ending point) in Scene 7 has a very positive sound and we see a lush forest garden brimming with flowers.
SCENES 8 - 10 White Azalea, Red Azaleas, and Full Garden The cellos continue the second statement of the opening theme in a positive, yet reflective manner, as the camera captures several perspectives of the floral forest.
What is the mood of this section? The visual imagery takes us back to earlier moments of the day. Does the musical mood feel less melancholy than the beginning of Sunset, and is its character happier?
Write down a few descriptive words and phrases and keep your list open for fresh insights, which will flow from future Sunset adventures.
SCENE 11 The Solitary Squirrel from Daybreak Returns As the cellos share their thematic fragments, the solo squirrel from Daybreak makes a momentary appearance amidst a shaded visual canvas.
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SCENE 12 White Heron Departs As the cellos finish their thematic fragment the white heron flies away on the wings of the cellos’ musical diminuendo.
SCENE 13 Great Blue Heron Departs The cellos restate the musical material from Scenes 11 and 12 while the great blue heron from Daybreak returns, and then flies away as the cellos finish their phrase with another diminuendo.
SCENE 14 Hawk When the French horns enter, the music again suggests a majestic and regal quality. The hawk perched high and proud symbolizes this new musical mood.
As the French horns reach the top of their crescendo, the hawk turns his head to reflect the musical motion. Did you notice the changing dynamics (volume levels)? When have the French horns been heard earlier in this movement? (Answer: In the opening measures)
SCENE 15 Small Black Bird After the majestic entrance and crescendo of the French horns in the previous scene, there is a much weaker and more sensitive musical afterthought at the end of the phrase. A tiny bird precariously perched on a branch, alone and seemingly helpless, visually represents this more vulnerable musical moment.
Can you hear and feel this dramatic change in the musical mood? Play Scenes 14 and 15 several times in order to tune in to the contrasting musical qualities and characteristics. Use what you hear and see to create your own unique listening art. Write down a few descriptive words and ideas.
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SCENES 16 & 17 White Heron, Then Blue Heron In this transitional section the woodwinds present a rocking, bobbing musical figure that I often associate with rippling water. Watch how the wading birds turn their heads at exactly the midpoint of each measure.
SCENE 18 White Heron Lands The strings now take the rocking, bobbing figure from the woodwinds and the French horns present a regal sounding call. This is the ending of the opening section and the gliding white heron visually reflects the unwinding and diminishing musical phrase.
SCENES 19 & 20 Golden Sea with Seagulls Then Pelicans The clarinet introduces a fresh and cooling mood, which I immediately associated with the ocean. The imagery of the sea greets us after the long inland section comes to a close.
SCENES 21 - 24 Sandpipers, Receding Surf, Sandpipers Close-up, and Wave These four scenes feature a refreshing “surf-centric” dialogue between the English horn in Scenes 21 and 23, and the bass clarinet in Scenes 22 and 24.
Here’s another great opportunity to search the web and get acquainted with pictures of the English horn, which is one of the orchestra’s most beautiful and rarely heard instruments. Take a moment to find images of the bass clarinet, as well.
Pay particular attention to the forms and shapes of these unusual instruments, and listen to these four scenes several times in order to tune in to the remarkably rich nuances and tone colors of these two instruments.
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How are the English horn and the bass clarinet similar and how are they different? To shape your listening artistry, write down a few of your unique thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
SCENE 25 Seashells Here's another brief glance back toward Daybreak’s visual imagery. The oboe picks up the thematic material and is joined by the French horns at the end of the musical phrase. Do you hear how the pacing of the music is gradually speeding up with each repetition of this short thematic fragment?
SCENES 26 & 27 Pelican Facing Screen Left, and Then Wave Remember the glorious imagery of the ascending pelican in Scenes 4 and 5 of Daybreak? The pelican was flying toward screen right as the oboe played the Daybreak theme. The pelican now briefly returns and is heading home in the opposite direction. The rolling wave in Scene 27 completes the phrase and continues the momentum.
SCENE 28 Seagull The flute enters and immediately ascends in both pitch and volume. As the seagull ascends, the flute suddenly drops its volume and pitch, and so the seagull follows this musical direction, as well.
SCENE 29 Pelican Here's an additional iteration of the musical material from the previous scene, but the larger pelican serves as a new visual subject and underscores the impact of musical repetition. More woodwinds are also added and the pelican follows the music’s contours by rapidly descending.
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SCENE 30 Solitary Seagull Standing The bass clarinet makes its brief entrance with a plaintive quality as a lonely seagull stares out to sea.
SCENE 31 Pelicans Soaring The English horn makes a musical statement followed by the flutes. Watch and listen very carefully as the nuances of this scene unfold. While the musical instruments spread out from one another, the pelicans magnificently glide apart as the oboes diminuendo. Finally, the oboes glide into the end of their phrase in concert with a single remaining pelican.
SCENES 32 - 35 Wide Shot of Ocean and Sun, Two Seagulls, Large Waves Suddenly, the entire string section enters and a large, sweeping, wave-like motion emerges from the lower strings. The entire musical mood has changed and the imagery becomes much more intense as it rides the dynamics and textures of this more expansive, fully orchestrated musical section.
SCENES 36-41 Waves, Shells, Surf, and Fireball As the musical intensity continues to build toward its peak (in Scene 42), the Sun’s orange fireball descends ever closer to the ocean. This section is essentially an extension of the previous Scenes 32 through 35, but with greater volume and textural intensity.
SCENE 42 Fireball Touches the Water The timpani (kettledrums) rumble as the sudden, loud, and heavily punctuated orchestral chords paint a musical picture of the setting Sun. A
105 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide giant orange fireball seems to touch the ocean, and then appears to vanish beneath it in Scenes 43 and 44.
Is this a happy moment? How would you characterize the mood? To me, this powerful musical moment almost sounds agonizing, but as a listening artist you can create your own feelings and musical experiences.
Write down your descriptive thoughts, ideas, terms, feelings, and concepts in order to bring your listening to life.
SCENE 43 Sun Moves Lower The strings cry out in this scene, but to no avail, as the Sun sinks further into the horizon. Compare this scene with the previous one. What is musically different? (Answer: The strings expressively play more and faster notes in an impassioned style that almost suggests a sense of pleading.)
SCENE 44 Sun Disappears The mood finally resolves into a calm feeling of quiet resignation. After the musical struggle in the previous two scenes, a diminuendo brings peace as the Sun disappears for yet another day. What instruments do you hear at the end of the scene? Can you hear the cellos? What about the harp?
Make a short list that includes all of the instruments you hear. As your listening artistry grows, you may find yourself adding to this list over time. The music is full of nuances and you are destined to create more beautifully detailed listening art with each future adventure.
SCENE 45 Small Birds Fly Over the Ocean at Dusk The closing sequence begins here. Each progressive scene contains a swell to forte (loud volume), and then a release back into piano (soft volume). The
106 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide fading light produces colors of dusk and nightfall as the music continually recedes.
What instruments carry the musical theme and make the crescendos? (Answer: Violins)
SCENE 46 Sandpipers Depart As the sandpipers depart there is similar musical material to the previous scene, but what about the instrumentation?
What instruments now play the swells? (Answer: Flutes) What are the violins doing? (Answer: They're playing a shortened version of the opening theme.)
SCENE 47 Flock of White Herons Depart What instruments now carry the swell? (Answer: Violins have it again) What about the theme? (Answer: Woodwinds play a fragment of the theme.)
SCENE 48 Silhouetted Oaks The strings state a thematic musical fragment, which refers back to the opening of Sunset, as the visual imagery reflects the musical theme with pictures of the inland forest.
SCENE 49 Ocean with Dramatic Cloud Stripes The oboe states the theme and calls us back to the water. Can you hear the oboe theme?
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SCENE 50 Warm Sunset Scene Over Ocean The muted violins state the musical theme fragment and allude to earlier moments of the day.
SCENE 51 Pelicans Soar and Fade to Black As the flutes play their final dreamlike downward and upward scales, the violins quietly enter and a pelican formation leads us toward the end of the scene. As the imagery fades to black, the closing diminuendo draws us into utter silence.
"MOONLIGHT" SONATA IN C-SHARP MINOR, OPUS 27, NO. 2 (1801) ADAGIO SOSTENUTO LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
GERMANY (1770-1827)
PERFORMED BY BERNARD ROBERTS, PIANO (ENGLAND)
A number of years ago, I had the pleasure of reading a few new college- level music appreciation textbooks that described Beethoven’s Moonlight masterpiece as "extraterrestrial" and "extraordinary." You will see from my choices of imagery that I believe, quite literally, in these descriptions.
As a founding member of the New World String Quartet, I remember with infinite fondness our extraordinary week of transformative coaching sessions
108 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide with Robert Mann, the founder and first violinist of the inimitable Juilliard String Quartet.
During our sessions, Bob described "the sweet waters" that could be discovered and explored deep inside the notes and sounds of classical music. As we collaborated with Bob, (and even though his magnificent rare Stradivarius violin was always within arm’s reach), he simply sang each musical nuance using his own humble voice. The authenticity of every sound and musical idea that Bob shared vocally completely liberated my musical mind and heart.
It was as if my whole life had come full circle, and the magic that I had felt when I first played a public school violin back in the fourth grade was totally renewed and alive. I found myself ready to learn how to soar on the wings of new insights and ideas, and my musical “flight instructor” was the greatest classical music master I could have ever dreamed of knowing.
In fact, to refer back at a meta-level to my own little Swan Read-Aloud Fairy Tale (See pages 34-37), it was Bob Mann who proved that my violin truly was “a magical instrument made of wood.”
Robert Mann awakened my true sense of unique musical adventure and pure human wonderment, and his creative and intellectual inspiration has informed every subsequent moment of my life.
Recently, I was even led to the realization that we are all unlimited listening artists at heart. (Even the word, “heart,” can be seen as a fusion of hear and art.)
The art of listening informs every musical journey, and studying and performing Beethoven’s Late String Quartets gave me an opportunity to build the musical foundation upon which I have based my visual interpretation of
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Beethoven’s cosmic Moonlight Sonata. Although the Moonlight Sonata was written long before the Late Quartets, it is arguably one of Beethoven's most profound works. (Beethoven’s Late Quartet, Opus 131, shares the unusual key of C-sharp minor with his Moonlight Sonata.)
Beethoven did not actually label this composition "Moonlight," and so I find it particularly intriguing that this mood-based title has stayed in place over the years.
Your Moonlight adventure is powered by the force of Beethoven’s artistic spirit, which serves as the aesthetic rocket fuel that lifts the enormous Saturn V rocket from Earth’s gravity, guides the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon, and then brings our astronauts safely home.
During the time when Beethoven wrote this sonata he was in a state of profound despair due to his rapidly progressing hearing loss. As a result, he had even questioned the value of his life. Ultimately, it was his art that gave him the strength to live, to compose, to flourish, and to enrich all of our lives with the infinite wonder of his genius.
When I created the Moonlight adventure, I wanted it to serve as a metaphor and tribute for Beethoven's interpersonal voyage into the unknown, completely uncharted reaches of his mind, heart, and spirit. The bleak gray and black tones of the Moon, the uncertain musical patterns powering the descending Lunar Module, and finally, the strong and triumphant return to Earth are all fully aligned with Beethoven’s completely transcendent spiritual and artistic journey.
Getting Started Start by simply selecting “Play” and enjoying the entire piece. After experiencing Moonlight Sonata, rewind (or scrub) back to the beginning to enjoy the scene-by-scene explorations below.
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Opening Slate Beginning with the natural sounds of the surf under the Moonlight slate, close your eyes, listen, and imagine the Moon over the water. These are the types of images that may have inspired the music critic who gave Beethoven’s composition its familiar “Moonlight” title.
SCENE 1 Seagulls Ascend In near darkness, seagulls ascend over the ocean. Listen for the motion of the right hand of the piano and see if you can align the flow of the music with the gradually rising seagulls. Your creative listening artistry will enable you to fill the space between what you see and what you hear with your own unique sense of wonder.
SCENE 2 Half Moon Over Clouds The descending chord in the left hand introduces the Moon itself. Can you hear this chord as the Moon appears in the distance?
SCENE 3 Moon Over Water Here's a classic scene through which the title, "Moonlight," may have earned its name. The left hand, half-note chords in the piano combined with the constant momentum of the triplets played by the right hand are visually reflected by the dark hues and the motion of the water.
Can you hear the deep pitches in the left hand of the piano? Do they suggest the depth and coldness of the water? Are there musical similarities between Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea? Take a moment to write down your initial impressions. What is similar between these two compositions and what is dramatically different?
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Take a Moment to Consider Adding a New Learning Layer Just for fun, (you won’t need to know how to read music), visit http://bit.ly/ 1Qj2UYd to view, download, and print out your free copy of the sheet music for the Moonlight Sonata. The entire first movement of the Moonlight Sonata is only 5 pages long, and so only print pages 1 through 5.
Have colored pencils handy so that you can “connect the dots” of the musical notes and follow their musical paths. Also, consider coloring any “open” notes.
As Scenes 1 through 4 unfold, glance back and forth between the sheet music and the visual imagery. Can you see how the basic shapes of the music move forward on the printed page? You might enjoy opening two different windows on your computer so that you are able to listen to the music, watch the Moonlight video, and also glance over at the musical shapes on the printed page. If you are watching the DVD, then you could open the sheet music file using your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, or simply use the five printed pages to easily follow along. There are plenty of ways to enjoy this multi-layered learning approach, but only begin exploring the music’s shapes and graphical lines if this process seems appealing.
About the Sheet Music Measure Numbers If you choose to begin enjoying the shapes, notes, and lines of the sheet music, take a look at the upper left side of the beginning of each bracketed set of two musical lines. Do you see the number at the beginning of the line? On the first page, for example, if you look at the second two bracketed lines you’ll see the number “4” printed on the upper left side of the line, which simply means that this is measure 4. Each measure is delineated with a bold vertical line called the “bar line.”
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Piano music always includes two lines that are bracketed together to form a single line. The right hand of the piano plays the upper line while the left hand of the piano plays the lower line.
If you haven’t done so already, take a moment to print out the first 5 pages of the sheet music in order to be able to view it and to easily write down your ideas. As noted earlier, I’m pleased to report that you will only need 5 sheets of paper, since the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata takes us all the way to the Moon and back in the printed span of only 5 musical pages.
Using a pencil, take a few minutes to write a measure number above each measure so that it is easy for you to see where every measure lives on the printed page. Since there are only sixty-nine measures to number, this process of numbering each measure should be brief and enjoyable.
Over time you may find that the printed musical pages are becoming progressively more intriguing, but as you initially begin looking inside the 5 printed pages of the Moonlight Sonata, simply glance at the changing shapes of the notes and lines rather than struggling to read the music.
By the way, after you have downloaded and opened the sheet music file, you will notice that there are actually 23 pages of music. Although we will only be exploring the first 5 pages, the entire Moonlight Sonata encompasses 3 full movements and 23 printed pages!
SCENE 4 Full Moon and Clouds As the piano crescendos and diminuendos, a cloud formation adds mystery while it slowly moves in front of the distant Moon.
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SCENE 5 Rocket and Moon The moving line in the right hand of the piano reaches the low point of this opening section as the Saturn V rocket sits on the launch pad with its destination, the Moon, suspended in outer space.
SCENE 6 Night Launch A new “legato” (smooth) dotted-eighth and sixteenth note melody ignites a fireball beneath the rocket and propels it upward. Listen for this new melodic material. Can you the feel the energy of the music as it begins to lift the rocket? (To see how this new and powerful melodic material looks on the printed page, take a look at measures 5 and 6 by revisiting: http://bit.ly/ 1Qj2UYd or by using your downloaded version of this free file.)
SCENE 7 Flames Beneath Rocket The melodic figure from Scene 6 is repeated as we view an even more intense perspective of the Saturn V rocket's force building before liftoff.
SCENE 8 Close-up of Pre-Liftoff This scene coincides with the musical half note, as the music’s power grows beneath the rocket.
SCENE 9 Actual Liftoff This tight shot of the rocket engines is designed to reflect the incredible force of Beethoven’s music. Do you hear the resolution of tension as the musical phrase ends and the rocket begins to move upward?
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Think about the power and force it took to lift a Saturn V rocket from the constraints of Earth's gravity. The Saturn V rocket weighed 6.2 million pounds and it was sixty feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Can you feel the sense of focused and contained energy in the music?
Write down your thoughts and feelings. How do the deeply artistic forces of Beethoven’s music align with the rocket’s power?
SCENE 10 Wide Shot of Night Launch As the slow triplet figure in the right hand of the piano continues and the musical phrase reaches its end, the magnificence of the ascending rocket reflects the sense of awe and wonder within the music.
How do the images work in concert with the music to help shape your feelings? Write down a few ideas.
SCENE 11 Star-Like Rocket Flame As the legato dotted-eighth and sixteenth note theme is restated (see Scene 6), the rocket rises higher. Focus again on the constant motion of the right hand triplets of the piano as they power the ascending rocket.
SCENE 12 Rocket Flies Closer to Orbit The dotted-eighth and sixteenth note figure is stated again. As the rocket rises higher it also moves faster. The quarter notes in the left hand reinforce this increasing momentum as the rocket’s engines work to liberate the astronauts from the forces of Earth’s gravity. Can you hear the music (quarter notes) moving downward in the left hand?
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Since this remarkable Beethoven sonata features only the solo piano, the printed music is much clearer than a large orchestral score and I recommend that you simply enjoy the shapes of the musical lines and the intriguing graphical look of the notes and measures.
SCENE 13 & 14 Rocket Staging Scene 13 corresponds to the downbeat of the measure, and Scene 14 marks the middle of the bar (another word for measure). As the music unfolds and the rocket rises higher all unnecessary weight is released.
Near the end of Scene 14, watch for the explosion of the ejected stage of the rocket. Can you hear how this corresponds with an accent in the piano midway through the measure? As the phrase finishes with a diminuendo, the rocket stage falls toward Earth to reflect the diminishing musical volume.
SCENES 14 - 16 Earth from Orbit, Italy and Greece Moving Right, Egypt and the Middle East Moving Left As the Apollo spacecraft reaches orbit a new musical theme is introduced. This musical phrase is a dialogue beginning with the right hand, moving back to the left hand, and then finally finishing with the right hand again. Each visual scene change corresponds directly to this musical dialogue. Replay these three scenes several times in order to experience the wonder of this orbital material.
As the spacecraft soars over several cultural landmarks, think about the origins of Western classical music and the marvels of ancient civilization. Write down your thoughts and ideas.
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SCENES 17 & 18 Sunrise from Space, Then Side View of Rotating Earth Think back to Delius’ Daybreak. How is this orbital sunrise different? The melodic material from Scenes 14 through 16 is repeated here. The musical motion of the right hand of the piano is again prominent. Can you hear how the perpetual musical motion coincides with the Sun rising and our Earth rotating?
In Scene 17 there is a slight surge upward in the musical phrasing and dynamics as the music actually seems to encourage the Sun to rise. Listen carefully to find and enjoy these musical and visual nuances.
SCENE 19 Sunset from Space Again, here is a dramatic contrast to Delius’ Sunset imagery. As the phrase recedes the Sun quickly sets.
Contrast the Delius Sunset imagery with these images from space. What is similar and what is different? Write down your thoughts and feelings about the musical and visual contrasts. Can you imagine the astronauts’ sense of wonder as they experienced sunrises and sunsets while orbiting the Earth? How might those experiences have reshaped their feelings about sunrises and sunsets here on Earth? Write down your ideas.
SCENE 20 Apollo Spacecraft Blasts Off and Out of Earth Orbit As the musical phrase reaches a temporary low point of resolution, we begin our voyage from Earth orbit to the Moon. Watch the spacecraft as it moves further away. Do you hear how the quarter notes at the end of the phrase align with the spacecraft’s staging sequence? Listen to this section a few times.
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SCENE 21 Moon Beside Earth from Orbit As we see the Moon peeking around the Earth, the dotted-eight and sixteenth note figure returns (see Scenes 6, 11, and 12).
SCENE 22 Earth Fades into Distance The dotted-eighth and sixteenth note figure is heard again and extended. Toward the end of this musical phrase there is a genuine feeling of distance and separation. As a listening artist, are you able feel this sense of distance? Write down a few descriptive words and thoughts.
SCENE 23 Rotating Moon Close-up This concluding half of the musical phrase introduced in the previous scene has a feeling of resignation and arrival. The imagery of the Moon reflects that musical feeling as the astronauts reach their lunar orbit.
SCENE 24 Moonscape from Lunar Orbit As the Moon rotates a new musical figure enters (three quarter notes). There is a sudden sense of uncertainty and despair. Is the lunar landscape bleak? (Answer: Yes!) Think about Beethoven's feelings at the time of this composition. Since he was experiencing the depths of despair as a result of his progressive hearing loss, how might the Moon's pockmarked and cratered surface reflect Beethoven’s musical spirit and human emotions?
Write down your thoughts and ideas as you shape your listening through the wonder of words.
Use your eyes as a stereoscopic musical instrument for your imagination and create unique listening art every time you travel inside the music. Your creative listening process will ultimately flow through every scene of the
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Tropical Sweets® Adventure and your musical discoveries will always be brimming with unanticipated inspiration, joy, and innovation.
SCENES 25 & 26 Spacecraft from Lunar Orbit As the previous musical phrase is repeated, we see the small Apollo spacecraft in lunar orbit. Humanity’s fragile and vulnerable nature plays a large part in my visual choices for these scenes. Our Apollo astronauts are preparing for an unprecedented and perilous descent to the Moon’s surface, followed by an even more uncertain landing.
SCENES 27 - 30 Lunar Module (LM) Departs Four mysteriously ascending musical sequences (printed music measures 32-35) mark Neil Armstrong’s and Buzz Aldrin’s initial departure from the Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM), which would remain in lunar orbit piloted by their Apollo mission colleague, Michael Collins.
As Armstrong and Aldrin piloted the Lunar Module (LM) away from the CSM, they were moving in the perilous direction of their descent and prospective lunar landing.
On July 20, 1969, I remember sitting outside at night with a group of friends at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan as we watched the Moon landing sequence on live TV. Most of us didn’t know if the LM would land safely or if the Moon's surface was firm enough to support the spacecraft's weight.
While the music resonates, imagine Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata mindset as he contemplated the perils of his life, and the profound uncertainty of his progressive hearing loss. Does the music sound uncertain, yet heroic?
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Take a moment to compare Beethoven’s human emotions and musical expressions with the experiences of astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. To shape your listening artistry with words, write down both comparative and contrasting thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
SCENE 31 & 32 The LM’s Descent and Landing Here Beethoven gives us a long and mysterious musical passage (printed music measures 36-41) filled with unusual intervals and scales. The LM descends very slowly and finally lands, coinciding exactly with the music’s cadence (on the downbeat of printed music measure 42), which completes this courageous musical sequence.
Watch and listen to these scenes several times, and then write down what the music and imagery suggest to you about courage amidst uncertainty.
Set your listening artistry free by focusing on the expressive feelings of your own, completely unique descriptive words.
SCENES 33 & 34 Astronaut Descends Ladder Then Stands on the Moon The dotted-eighth and sixteenth note figure returns (at the end of measure 42) as the astronaut steps down the ladder toward the Moon’s surface, jumps onto the lunar dust, and then triumphantly stands at the base of the Lunar Module (at the end of measure 43 and the beginning of measure 44).
SCENE 35 The American Flag and Two Astronauts After the previous musical sense of uncertainty, there is momentary warmth in the music (measures 45 and 46) as we see two Apollo astronauts and the American flag.
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Can you feel this new sense of harmony and reassurance in the music? How does this fresh musical spirit compare with the earlier mysterious and ominous downward-spiraling mood? Does the more harmonious musical material sound like an arrival?
Describe your thoughts and feelings in words.
SCENE 36 & 37 Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) on the Moon, Then Close-up During the 1971-1972 Apollo missions, and less than 100 years after the gasoline powered automobile was invented, human beings actually drove a four-wheeled vehicle on the Moon. As we see the LRV, the dotted-eighth and sixteenth note musical figure repeats (at the end of measure 46) and sends the astronauts on their lunar drive.
This is a good time to revisit the constant motion in the right hand of the piano. How does the musical motion connect with the movement of the LRV on the surface of the Moon?
Toward the end of Scene 37, in the close-up shot from inside the LRV (half way through measure 49), watch and listen carefully as the low gravity of the Moon (only 17% of the Earth’s gravity) enables the LRV to briefly defy gravity by lifting off, flowing upward, and reaching toward the top note of the musical phrase.
SCENE 38 Astronaut Bounces Since the Moon’s gravity is 83% less than the Earth’s, this freely bouncing astronaut is able to flow forward in the exact rhythm of the musical half notes (in measures 50 and 51).
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SCENE 39 Astronaut Hammers Listen carefully to the music as the astronaut hammers out the quarter note pulses in measure 52. (This is the same thematic material that we heard earlier in Scenes 17 and 18: Sunrise from Space then Side View of Rotating Earth.) Jump back to those scenes for a moment and tune in to the musical material, and then return to Scene 39: Astronaut Hammers.
Since the hammers inside the modern piano strike the strings in a remarkably similar manner to that of the astronaut striking the rock on the Moon, take a moment to explore the inside of a modern piano. Watch this short descriptive piano hammer video on the web at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=XArz6uCsrA0
You may also want to search the web for additional pictures and videos using a simple question like, “How do piano hammers work?”
When the piano is included in a large symphony orchestra, it is a member of the percussion section. Along with all of the different drums and percussion instruments that must be struck (“hammered”) in order to produce sound, the piano’s internal hammers must also strike the piano’s strings in order to produce sound. (Since the piano has 264 strings, shouldn’t it be part of the symphony orchestra’s string section, instead of the percussion section?)
Take a moment to think about the technologies that enabled the astronauts to travel to the Moon, and then think about the technologies and mechanisms that bring the sounds of a grand piano to life. To add a dramatic contrast, also think only about hammers and how they are generally used to build or to destroy things.
How can you creatively connect the basic use of hammers with the cosmic forces of the Apollo missions and Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata? Write
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SCENE 40 Astronaut Prepares to Depart The musical phrase (measure 53) finishes with the astronaut preparing to leave the Moon.
SCENES 41 & 42 Blast Off, Then Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) Above the Moon The LEM’s blast off corresponds to the prominent downbeat of measure 54, as the melodic material from Scenes 39 and 40 is repeated.
While the musical phrase diminuendos to a close, the seemingly fragile LEM carries two Apollo astronauts progressively higher above the Moon's surface, and in measure 56, the music carries the LEM over an enormous and awe-inspiring lunar crater.
SCENE 43 LEM Accelerates Toward the Command and Service Module (CSM) A new sense of urgency flows from the quarter notes that begin at the end of measure 56 and continue through measure 57, as the LEM travels much faster toward the waiting CSM.
SCENES 44 - 48 Docking Sequence As the music flows through measures 58 and 59, the astronauts execute their elaborate and perilous LEM docking maneuvers. Finally, as the music reaches its cadence in measure 60, the LEM successfully docks with the CSM and all three Apollo astronauts are reunited.
Look back and listen often to this awe-inspiring docking imagery and music. Watch how the LEM spins in Scene 45. Musically, this scene unfolds
123 ® TROPICAL SWEETS CLASSICAL MUSIC VIDEO ADVENTURE | Lifelong Listening & Learning Guide halfway through measure 58. Listen for the twirling and spinning musical quality created by the triplets of the piano.
In Scenes 46 and 47, as the LEM comes closer and closer to its final docking, listen carefully to the music (of measure 59). You’ll find that the half notes and triplets correspond exactly with each scene change as the music moves toward a cadence (at the beginning of measure 59). This cadence triumphantly celebrates the astronauts’ amazingly precise docking maneuvers.
Enjoy this entire sequence frequently and think about the wonders of the Apollo missions as you guide your feelings and creativity ever-deeper into the art of listening. Write down your thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
Throughout this section I’ve dropped many “musical breadcrumbs” in the form of measure numbers, types of notes (half notes, quarter notes, triplets), and other musical details. These are purely intended as graphical listening art supplements.
Observe the graphical shapes of the musical lines, notes, and phrases. Unlike the horizontal lines of printed words, the graphical language of music actually rises and falls as the music’s shapes speak out through signs and symbols. As the music and imagery flow, simply follow the measure numbers and add this graphical learning layer to your ever-emerging sense of listening artistry.
SCENE 49 Distant Earth Over the Moon The dotted-eighth and sixteenth note figure is now stated for the first time in the deep registers of the left hand of the piano (at the end of measure 60). I've aligned this richly reflective melodic statement with a visual reference to the distant Earth.
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Take another inventory of the feelings that may be informing your listening artistry. Can you feel the music’s sounds of resignation (to the inevitable return to Earth) along with a deep sense of distance, loneliness, and isolation?
Write down your thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Is there a musical sense of prospective peril? Considering Beethoven’s progressive hearing loss, what might he be saying through these musical passages?
SCENE 50 Moon’s Surface At the end of measure 61 the dotted-eighth and sixteenth note figure is repeated in the left hand as the astronauts look back at the Moon's surface, from which they have successfully returned to the CSM. The optimism flowing from their safe return to the spacecraft is musically conveyed by the ascending triplet scale in the right hand of the piano in measure 62.
SCENE 51 Moon’s Surface Different Angle The scale passage that began in the previous scene (measure 62) now takes a downward direction and we view the Moon from a more ambivalent musical perspective in measure 63.
SCENE 52 Moon Fades into Distance As the previous phrase finishes, the deep left hand statement of the dotted- eighth and sixteenth note figure continues, and the right hand triplets become softer and more reflective over the course of measures 64 and 65. A progressive sense of resolution emerges from the music in anticipation of the inevitable challenges of the return to Earth, including the imminent dangers of the Apollo astronauts’ reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
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Might Beethoven’s deafness have made the Earth he loved so dearly feel more like the Moon to him? What else might the music be suggesting? Explore your ideas through writing.
Beethoven’s “aesthetic rocket fuel” can empower your creativity as a listening artist. Shape your thoughts with words and ideas that flow from the music, from Beethoven’s human experiences, and from the unprecedented challenges faced by the Apollo astronauts.
SCENE 53 Our Whole Earth Comes into View and Grows Closer On the downbeat of measure 66 the inimitable beauty of our blue planet appears and grows for a full half measure.
SCENES 54 Reentry and Splashdown Halfway through measure 66 the astronauts maneuver the spacecraft in order to prepare for reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. As the music flows through measures 66 and 67, the Apollo pilots heroically steer their spacecraft back through the atmosphere, and in the middle of measure 67 they briefly show us the red-hot flames of their reentry.
Soon after, and just as we enter measure 68, we gratefully see the spacecraft’s three fully deployed parachutes. Finally, at exactly the halfway point of measure 68 (the full half note chord on the third beat of the measure) the Apollo Command Module safely splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.
SCENE 55 Gazing up at the Moon from the Earth The final chord in measure 69 finds our eyes and hearts gazing up at a small portion of the distant Moon through palm fronds at the ocean’s shore. In the
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As clouds pass by our again-distant Moon, the sounds and sights of this simple closing scene enable us to reflect on the wonders of timeless music, Nature, outer space, human courage, and life. Finally, total darkness brings our Tropical Sweets® Adventure back into the silent stillness from which all great music emerges.
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ON A PERSONAL NOTE
This is Version 1.0 (Beta) of what I hope will become an ever-emerging Lifelong Listening and Learning Guide. As an impassioned listener, learner, and teacher, I heartily invite your input, feedback, and ideas so that I can dramatically improve and expand Version 1.1. I would like to integrate your ideas and make Version 1.1 available for free downloading as soon as possible.
Cultivating a community of connectedness and collaboration is one of the wonders of the Web, isn’t it? By working together we can create a whole global symphony of communication.
Please share your ideas, edits, and corrections with me at: [email protected]
Also, please visit TropicalSweets.com often and become a member of our symphony of communication!
Musically yours,
~ Bill Patterson
© 2015 Taste of the Classics, Inc.
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