TABLE OF CONTENTS Romeo and Juliet Fun & Games .......................6 Grades 6-8. 2 Fan Mail ...........................7 Meet the Awesome Orchestra! Youth Orchestra ....................8 Grades 3-5. 3 Children’s Chorus ...................8 See the Sounds. 4 Youth Chorus. .8 Conductor of the Orchestra ............5 Family Concerts ....................8 2018-19 Season Guide for Young Concert-goers Sensational Strings! Brilliant Historians think the first string instrument was developed from the Brass! caveman’s hunting bow and developed Brass instruments over time into early members of the have been around since ancient times. Horns string family including the zither, have been pictured on the walls of primitive lyre, dulcimer, and lute. Stringed dwellings and Egyptian tombs, and described instruments used today have on crumbling scrolls and clay tablets. They have changed little since the 1600s; been made of bone, cane, an animal’s horn, and (in fact, some violinists play metal. Brass instruments have played important instruments that were made roles throughout history from communicating way back then!). Members of messages over long distances, to announcing the the orchestral string family arrival of dignitaries and royalty, to war, hunting, include (from highest to and celebrations. The members of the brass family lowest) violin, viola, are (from highest to lowest) trumpet, French horn, cello, and double bass. trombone, and tuba. The harp is also a How brass instruments work: A player puts her member of the lips together and buzzes air through them into On December 11, 2018, string family. the metal mouthpiece. This starts the air vibrating The Cleveland Orchestra How string instruments work: Vibration of the through the hollow metal tube, which comes out of will be 100 years old! strings is the key to making sound. Plucking a the “bell” at the far end of the tubing, magnifying We’ve come a long way since string with your finger or pulling a bow across its sound! You play different notes on a brass those early days when the the string will start the string vibrating. The instrument by tightening and loosening your lips and by pressing down valves (or in the case of the orchestra was founded by bow is made of wood and horse hair. You trombone, by moving the slide in and out!). Adella Prentiss Hughes – yes, change pitch by playing a different string or by The Cleveland Orchestra placing your finger on a string to make it shorter (shorter=higher in pitch). was founded by a woman in Power-Packed Percussion! 1918! Today, The Cleveland The percussion family includes all of the Orchestra is considered one of instruments that are ‘struck’ in some way. We the top orchestras in the world. Wondrous Woodwinds! The first woodwind instruments may have no official records of when humans first used percussion instruments, but from ancient times, Our Orchestra is made up of have been made by blowing through an drums have been used for tribal dances and for approximately 100 musicians old animal bone! Flutes made of bone and decorated wood are found in the communications of all kinds. Today, there are more each of whom triumphed in instruments in the percussion family than in any very competitive auditions to history of many cultures. At first the holes were open and needed to be other. They can be grouped into two types: first, win a position in The Cleveland covered by fingers to change pitch. Later, those instruments that make one pitch (snare drum, Orchestra. They have mastered inventors put metal keys on woodwind bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, wood block, their instruments over many instruments that could cover more than gong, maracas, and castanets); and second, those years (some starting as early one hole at a time, making it possible to that can play different pitches, even a melody. as age 3!) through private play higher, lower, and faster. There are These include the kettle drums, the xylophone, lessons, group lessons, school three groups of woodwind instruments: the orchestra bells, the celesta, and the piano. ensembles, summer-long (1) those where you blow across an open How percussion instruments work: There are music programs, college hole (flute and piccolo); (2) those with a several ways to get a percussion instrument to level/conservatory study, and single wooden reed on the mouthpiece start vibrating. You can strike some percussion especially through countless (clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone); and instruments with a stick or mallet (snare drum, hours of daily, individual (3) those that use two small wooden bass drum, kettle drum, triangle, xylophone); or reeds tied together in a specific way practice. All of our musicians with your hand (tambourine). Other percussion (oboe, English horn, bassoon, and instruments are shaken (maracas, tambourine) or are passionate about music, contrabassoon). and about their instruments. scraped (guiro) or crashed together (cymbals)! How woodwind instruments work: The air inside Chimes are struck with a hammer, and the piano Do you have a passion hollow woodwind instruments must vibrate to makes its sound when for music? Do you play an make musical sounds. For a flute and piccolo, you the keys are played, instrument or are you curious blow across (not into!) the hole in the mouthpiece, activating tiny to try one? Check out the like blowing across the top of a Coke bottle (glass hammers inside the families of instruments below, bottles makes better sounds than plastic ones). For piano that learn how different instruments woodwinds with wooden reeds, the reeds begin to vibrate when you put them in your mouth, set your strike strings make sound, and think about and create the ways you would like to mouth just right, and blow. You change pitch by tightening or loosening your lips and by pressing vibrations that make music! down different combinations of keys. produce sound. “For never was a story of more woe/ Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” Romeo and Juliet, Act 5, Scene 3, Lines 308-309 This concert program combines drama (actors) and music (orchestra!) to tell the story of William Shakespeare’s famous work, Romeo and Juliet. The play features the feuding Montagues and Capulets, and the tragic love story of teenagers Romeo and Juliet. Many composers have been inspired to create musical and theatrical works based on Romeo and Juliet. October 9-11, 2018 About the Composers The Cleveland Orchestra On this concert you will be introduced to two About the Music musical interpretations of Romeo and Juliet, one by The music you will hear on this concert from Education Concerts Russian Composer Sergei Prokofiev, and the other by American composer Leonard Bernstein. Leonard Bernstein and Sergei Prokofiev tells for Grades 6-8 the story, without words, of Romeo and Juliet... Prokofiev was commissioned by Russia’s famous Kirov Vinay Parameswaran, conductor Bernstein’s ‘Prologue’ from West Side Story, Ballet to set this tragic love story to music. His ballet introduces the storyline on our concert. In West Severance Hall was initially rejected when he tried to write a happy Side story, Shakespeare’s “Montagues” and ending to the piece! Prokofiev’s music does depict “Capulets” are portrayed by two rival gangs – both the love story and its tragic ending, and reflects The Sharks and The Jets. And Shakespeare’s Bernstein Prologue on the feelings of the older and younger generations. Romeo and Juliet are depicted by the main Leonard Bernstein’s musical interpretation of the Prokofiev Young Juliet characters Tony and Maria. Similar to the feud Romeo and Juliet tale is set in 1950s New York City. between the Montagues and the Capulets, the The main characters, Tony and Maria, (a modern-day Prokofiev Montagues and Capulets love interests’ gangs are on opposite sides. Romeo and Juliet) quickly fall in love, but their friends Bernstein Cha-Cha/ Meeting Scene and families belong to two rival feuding gangs – the Prokofiev’s ‘Young Juliet’ introduces the Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet Jets and the Sharks (Montagues and Capulets). It audience to Juliet Capulet. In this piece, is a both a beautiful love story and a gritty, heart- the music describes Juliet being dressed in Prokofiev Death of Tybalt wrenching portrayal of what happens when people let her finest gown, and when she sees herself Bernstein Rumble the differences among them give way to hate. in the mirror she realizes she has become a Bernstein Somewhere very pretty young woman. LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918-1990) was born in Massachusetts, and died Prokofiev’s Montagues and Capulets, in in 1990, in New York. His parents which the music shifts to the sounds of emigrated from Russia, and made turmoil, describes the feud and strife between a living selling beauty products. His the families of the Montagues and Capulets. About Romeo & Juliet family was able to afford a piano Teenagers Romeo and Juliet first meet at when Bernstein was 10, who insisted Bernstein’s ‘Cha-Cha/Meeting Scene’ music a masked ball (guests wear elegant masks on taking piano lessons over the expresses the romance blossoming between to hide their identities) and instantly fall in objections of his father. By age 13 he Tony (the Romeo character) and Maria (the love. Romeo is the son of Lord Montague, played piano in a jazz group, and then went to Harvard at Juliet character) in West Side Story. This fun and Juliet is the daughter of Lord Capulet. 17 to study composition. When a well-known orchestra Latin piece of music allows the audience to The bad news is that the Montagues and conductor on a live radio program suddenly became hear and imagine the characters captivated the Capulets have been feuding for years. ill, Bernstein filled in for him and became famous with each other as they dance together for Because of the ongoing feud between their overnight.