1 Resource Pack BrightSparks Concerts for KS1 Tuesday 16th October 2012 10:15am and 12:15pm Royal Festival Hall Stuart Stratford Conductor Lucy Forde Presenter September 2012 2 September 2012 3 The London Philharmonic Orchestra Education and Community Department The London Philharmonic Orchestra has a thriving Education and Community Department opening doors for everyone to all sorts of music-making. Each year primary and secondary school pupils enjoy workshops with visiting London Philharmonic Orchestra musicians and specialist workshop leaders. Thousands of children and adults experience live orchestral music for the first time at our BrightSparks Concerts for schools and FUNharmonics Family Concerts. For information on all these projects and much more, please visit the website: www.lpo.org.uk/education; or email: [email protected]; or call Anne Findlay on 020 7840 4202. The London Philharmonic Orchestra Education and Community Department would like to thank Deutsche Bank whose generosity has enabled all tickets for these concerts to be distributed free of charge to schools. September 2012 4 Contents Introduction: 4 Concert Programme: 5 The Orchestra: 6 The String Family: 7 The Woodwind Family: 8 The Brass Family: 9 The Percussion Family: 10 Other Instruments of the Orchestra: 12 Learn about the Orchestra: 13 Meet the Composers: 14 Glossary: 24 Flashcards: 25 London Philharmonic Orchestra History: 27 September 2012 5 Introduction The London Philharmonic orchestra is delighted your school is attending the BrightSparks concerts for Key Stage 1. For many children this concert will be their first experience of an orchestral concert. Many teachers have reported that the more familiar children are with the music before they attend a performance, the better experience they have at the concert. Playing the recordings of the music at as many opportunities as possible before the concert will enhance the children’s enjoyment of the event. For instance - as they arrive in the morning, snack time in the morning break, or at the end of the day after a story. The beauty of classical music is that you can discover new things in the music every time you listen. This resource includes descriptions of orchestral instruments and information about the composers and pieces. We hope you find it useful and informative. Lucy Forde, Presenter and Alexandra Clarke, Education Manager LPO The material in this Resource Pack was written by BrightSparks presenter Lucy Forde and LPO Education Manager Alexandra Clarke. The Pack was produced by the London Philharmonic Orchestra Education & Community Department, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP. Tel: 020 7840 4200. Fax: 020 7840 4201. Box Office: 020 7840 4242. Website: www.lpo.org.uk© September 2012 6 Concert Programme Carrington Fanfare Kabalevsky Gallop from The Comedians Mussorgsky The Hut on Fowl’s Legs Nott Wallace and Gromit theme Mozart Symphony No.29 Finale Saint-Saens The Swan Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto in C Anderson Bugler’s Holiday Sherman Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (audience song) Copland Hoe Down Recordings Our grateful thanks go to Naxos for providing access to the Naxos Music Library website where you can listen to recordings of some of the works to be performed at the concert. The playlist is ‘Bright Sparks 16 October 2012’, and can be found on our website here: http://www.lpo.co.uk/education/schools_resources.html To access the recordings enter the following username and password: Username: BS161012 Password: fanfare September 2012 7 The Orchestra There are 75 musicians in the London Philharmonic Orchestra and they play many different kinds of instruments. These instruments are split into four families, or sections, called strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. The sections of the orchestra combine in different ways to produce different sounds. The conductor stands in from of the orchestra, he/she holds a stick called a baton, and they direct the overall shape of the sound by controlling speed and volume. Composers are the people who write the music for the orchestra to play. September 2012 8 The String Family There are four instruments in the string family. They look similar but are different sizes. The sound is made by drawing the bow over the strings or plucking the string with a finger. A bow is a long stick of wood that has hair from a horse’s tail stretched tightly across it. The strings are the largest section of the orchestra; there are about 50 of them. The Violin The Violin is the smallest instrument in the string family. The violins are split into two sections called the first violins and the second violins. The violin is held horizontally under the chin. Since the violin is small it can play high and often plays the main tune. The Viola The viola looks like the violin but it is a little bigger, so it has a lower sound. It is held horizontally under the chin like the violin. The viola has a warm, mellow sound and usually plays the notes in the middle of the music to support the tune. The Cello The cello is bigger than the violin and viola and has a lower sound. To play the cello you sit on a chair and hold it between your legs. The cello is held up off the ground by a long metal spike. It sometimes plays the low notes in the orchestra but often it is given the tune because of its beautiful sound. It is a very versatile instrument. The Double Bass The double bass is the largest instrument in the string family and has a very low sound. It is very tall and to play it you have to sit on a stool or stand up. The double bass often plays the lowest notes in the VIOLIN orchestra - the bass notes. September 2012 9 The Woodwind Family All of the woodwind instruments are made of wood with metal keys apart from the flute which is usually made of metal, but used to be made of wood. Woodwind instruments look like long tubes with holes in them covered by keys. To make a sound on the woodwind instruments you must blow down them. Different notes are produced by holding different combinations of fingers over the holes/ keys. The more holes and keys the fingers cover the further the air has to travel down the tube which produces a lower pitch, releasing your fingers from the holes produces a higher pitch because the air does not travel as far. Flute The flute is held horizontally and to make the sound you must blow across the hole on the top part of the flute called the head joint. It has a beautiful, high sound and often has solos that you can hear over the orchestra. The flute has a smaller sister called the piccolo, which is very small and even higher than the flute. Oboe The oboe is called a “double reed” instrument because you make the sound by blowing between two pieces of wood or “reeds” that are tied together with string. It is very important in the orchestra because it plays the note “A” for all the other instruments to tune to before they perform. Oboe players often play the big brother of the oboe called the ‘Cor Anglais’ or ‘English Horn’ which is bigger than the oboe and so has a lower sound. Clarinet The clarinets sit behind the flutes in the orchestra. It is a “single reed” instrument because it has a single thin piece of wood or reed that vibrates against the mouth piece when you blow down it. The clarinet can play extremely quietly and extremely loudly. Clarinet players play all sorts of different clarinets from the small and shrill E Flat Clarinet to the large, slinky Bass Clarinet. Bassoon The bassoon is the largest instrument in the woodwind section and makes the lowest sound. Like the oboe the bassoon is also a “double reed” instrument because you blow through two thin pieces of wood tied together to make the sound. Sometimes the bassoon plays funny melodies that make people laugh. It has a big brother called the contra-bassoon that makes a very low sound. The contra-bassoon is so big the bassoonist has to rest it on the CLARINET floor. September 2012 10 The Brass Family Brass instruments are all made out of shiny brass. All brass instruments are long metal tubes that are curled up to make it easier to hold. To make the sound on a brass instrument you buzz your lips whilst blowing into a mouthpiece. The metal tubes flare out at the end and we call this the bell. Brass instruments are very loud and are often used outdoors in military bands. Brass instruments often play fanfares which are short pieces of music to announce important people like the Queen. The Trumpet The trumpet makes a high, triumphant sound. Different notes are made by changing the way you buzz into the mouthpiece and by pressing down keys called valves. There are 3 valves on the trumpet. The Horn The French Horn is made of a very, very long curled tube of brass with a big bell on the end. When you unwind a horn, the tubing is around 4 metres long. Different notes are made by the way you buzz into the mouthpiece and by pressing down keys called valves. The horn has three or four valves. The first horns were made from the horns of animals, such as rams’ horns, and were used during hunts to give directions to the hunters. The trombone The trombone has a slide that moves in and out to change the sound. When you move the slide smoothly you can make a sliding sound called a glissando.