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MUSIC TRADITIONAL ARTISTIC PERCEPTION (AP) ® CLASSICAL CREATIVE EXPRESSION (CE) Artsource CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT (H/C) The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts EXPERIMENTAL AESTHETIC VALUING (AV) MULTI-MEDIA CONNECT, RELATE & APPLY (CRA) ENDURING FREEDOM & THE POWER THE HUMAN TRANSFORMATION VALUES OPPRESSION OF NATURE FAMILY Title of Work: Renaissance. Many recordings are being made of It Was a Lover and His Lass, Thomas Morley, composer songs which were once only in manuscript form; for words by William Shakespeare from his play, “As You Like It” instance, Come Again was used in the film, “Sense Come Again by John Dowland Vergene Bella, by Guillaume Dufay and Gioto al Canto Mio, and Sensibility.” The lyrics to It Was a Lover and His Lass from the opera Euridice were written by William Shakespeare and the song Creator: continues to be performed in his play, “As You Like Artist: Diana Zaslove, lyric soprano It.” Background Information: Creative Process: Diana was born into an artistic family. Her mother, During the Renaissance composers began to trained as a concert pianist, taught piano in their home emphasize the expressiveness of the human voice as and her father was a professor of visual art at the Otis Art a solo instrument. Poetry and music were Institute. He eventually became a producer/director for combined for the purpose of expressing a variety of animated films. Diana’s home was filled with patrons emotions, especially aspects of love. The lute, and students of the arts. She considers herself fortunate similar to the guitar, was the most popular to have studied both piano and dance with very talented instrument of this period and was often used to teachers who inspired and supported her blossoming accompany singers. The lute and the voice worked artistic gift. These teachers were inspirations, encouraging together as a duet. Composers began to write music her to develop her vocal gifts. Choir and madrigal classes for more than one solo voice, sometimes up to four became Diana’s school haven. Her first paid position was or five voices in harmony. When only a lute and one at the age of 21 as a soprano soloist in an Episcopalian voice performed, the vocalist sang the melody while Church. Supporting herself as a piano teacher and the lute player was responsible for part-time secretary, Diana auditioned for the Los Angeles playing the parts of all the other Master Chorale and the Los Angeles Music Center Opera voices. The vocal quality of the Company, where she performed for many years. She has singer was largely dictated by the been a featured soloist with many early music ensembles sound of the Renaissance specializing in Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music instruments. Optimally, singers and enjoys oratorio and recital work. As a trained singer, aspired to sound like a “When you discover your recorder - clear and melodic. Diana sings for television commercials, animated films, own personal gift, embrace it! movie sound tracks and dance concerts. It is your responsibility to About the Work: develop it so that you may shine your special light on the Over the last ten years there has been a resurgence of world, illuminating and interest in the music of the Baroque, Renaissance and elevating the human experience for others.” California Medieval periods. Thomas Morley and John Dowland Diana Zaslove were two of the most famous songwriters of the Discussion Questions: Additional References: After listening to the audio recording: • McDonald, Margaret Read. Rounds Kids Love to Sing. • Compare the two featured songs, which are both August House Publishing, 2006. about love. Describe how love is expressed Sample Experiences: differently in terms of tempo, dynamics and mood. LEVEL I (First piece is youthful love, perhaps energetic and * • Perform a simple circle dance to It Was a Lover and His lively and carefree described in the quick tempo and Lass using skipping, walking and turning. bounciness of the melody; the second is more mature LEVEL II love because the tempo is slower and the vocal line is * • The modern day version of the recorder is the more sustained - legato.) Tonette, which is used by school children. It is made of • In the second piece, the “give and take” between the plastic rather than wood. Learn to play a simple soloist and lutenist can be heard, followed by a coming Renaissance melody on a recorder or Tonette. If you together musically. Identify where the “give and take” don’t have access to a recorder, learn to hum the melody. is most prominent and when the two parts come • Puppet shows were a part of the entertainment for together again. ‘common people’ during the Renaissance. Research • Describe what you see in your mind when you hear some of the characters of these puppets, which were the musical interplay between the voice and lute. called Commedia del arte. They include Pirot, with a • Listen to Gioto al Canto Mio. It was written at the mask and diamonds on his costume. He was in love very end of the Italian Renaissance in 1600. In the with love. The woman of his dreams was Colombine. opera, Eurdice, the words told the story of the Greek There was also Pollone, the old man and his wife, myth, Orpheus. Orpheus returns to the Underworld to bring his lost love, Eurdice, back to earth. When he Franceschina, who was big and overbearing - always joyfully sings the aria, Gioto al Canto Mio, he doesn’t hitting Pollone with a rolling pin. They can be made realize that he will once again lose her. Although written out of anything from paper bags to papier mâché. for a man, a woman sings it. Middle School Multidisciplinary Options: • Watch the film, “Much Ado About Nothing,” starring • Locate the words to the song, It Was a Lover and His Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branaugh. Pay Lass in William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” Find specific attention to the song, It Was a Lover and His the scene in which it appears. Listen to the song again Lass and describe the theatrical context in which it was after you read the words in the context of the play. sung. • Being rhythmical, one can dance to the song * • Become acquainted with a Shakespearean sonnet and It Was a Lover and His Lass. Research dances of perform it as a choral reading. the Renaissance and see if you can learn one and • Instrumental music and dance of this period were perform it to this song. intimately connected. Research some of these dance • The musical Renaissance started in the Netherlands, forms: galliard, pavane, ronde and bergerette. Make a but the composers and poets were so popular that they comparison between these and other popular folk dance were enticed to perform their music in Spain, forms such as the jig and reels. Bohemia, Austria, Germany and the cities of northern High School Italy. Note the differences in language, rhythm, vocal * • Write a poem in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet quality and instrumentation. (iambic pentameter). Set it to music and perform it for • Look up the words sacred, secular and Renaissance. your class. Audio-Visual Materials: • Discuss the impact of the Renaissance on personal ® • Artsource audio recording of It was a Lover and His freedom of expression today. , and Lass, Come Again Vergene Bella Gioto al Canto All Levels Mio. Courtesy of Diana Zaslove. * • Listen to two Italian Renaissance songs, then explore • Additional musicians: Michael Eagan, lute (It was a the human voice as an expressive instrument. Lover and his Lass, Come Again); Maurita Phillips, 2 soprano, and William Rutherford, harpisichord (Vergene Bella and Gioto al Canto Mio). * Indicates sample lessons MUSIC DANCE TO A SONG ENDURING VALUES Level I Sample lesson INTRODUCTION: Much of the music of the Renaissance was danceable because of the strong rhythms. Today both music and dancing are often an important aspect of parties and celebrations. This was also true during the Renaissance. All of the upper class men and women were taught to perform all the popular court dances and to know the rules of etiquette. The common people often danced more lively versions and, in fact, their steps often were the inspiration for the court dances. OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes) Students will be able to: • Identify and discuss basic information about the Renaissance. (Historical and Cultural Context) • Recognize the basic beat of the song, It Was a Lover and His Lass, and be able to clap the steady, underlying beat. (Artistic Perception) • Move in time with the underlying beat of the song. (Artistic Perception and Creative Expression) • Create a simple circle dance. (Creative Expression) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Aesthetic Valuing) MATERIALS: • Photos of Renaissance dancers or musicians. (optional) • Artsource® audio recording of It Was a Lover and His Lass. PROGRESSION: (May be conducted over two or more periods.) • Present some background on the Renaissance to give a historical and cultural context for the dance. Show pictures of Renaissance dancers if you have them. • Play the song, It Was a Lover and His Lass, from the Artsource® audio recording. Clap the steady, basic beat of the song. • Have the students stand and walk in place to the steady beat. 3 • Have the students walk in a circle holding hands. Move first to the right and then to the left. Have them be aware of the space between them and those next to them. Also, remind them to not squeeze people’s hands too tightly. • Ask them for other suggestions of how to move.

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