SECONDARY 10 PIECES PLUS! RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES by WAGNER TEACHER PAGES RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES BY WAGNER http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p034s31d CONTEXT The Valkyrie is a Music Drama performed in an opera house. The Ride of the Valkyries is the descriptive orchestral prelude which sets the scene for Act III. The scene takes place on a mountain top : the music describes the arrival of a group of female warriors riding on horseback – these are the Valkyries who carry the bodies of fallen heroes to Valhalla, the home of the Gods. Wagner wanted to create dramatic works in which each of the arts contributed equally, as in Ancient Greek theatre. Wagner rekindled this tradition by choosing themes from mythological Nordic sagas for his music dramas – ancient Viking tales that underpin German culture. MUSICAL INGREDIENTS Pitch Major and minor contrasts Leitmotif (mainly triadic) Motivic development Fanfare Dramatic, expectant trills and tremolando effects Timbre Full romantic orchestration including Wagner Tubas Prominent brass Rhythm Compound time Dotted compound ‘galloping’ rhythms Texture Thick homophonic texture LEARNING ACTIVITIES SUMMARY Active Listening challenge: ‘Thought Bubbles’ and ‘Musical Jigsaw’ Performing challenge: Round of the Valkyries Composing challenge 1: Composing a funeral march Composing challenge 2: Alternative creative approach 1 KEY LEARNING Knowledge of musical dimensions: major and minor contrasts Skills development: composing - motivic development RELATED LISTENING EXAMPLES ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ staged with voices: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aKAH_t0aXA ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ performed by the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8_rf_MzMJ0 ‘Siegfried’s Funeral March’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXonlYzpT-0 ‘Short ride in a fast machine’ by Adams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LoUm_r7It8 ‘Troika’ from Lt Kije Suite by Prokofiev: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GUzJ7fQBtg&list=RD7GUzJ7fQBtg#t=11 KS3 CURRICULUM LINKS Opera & Music Theatre Programme Music Film Music Romanticism Fanfare SUGGESTED LINKS WITH OTHER SUBJECTS Drama: Greek & Nordic Mythology Languages: German language and culture Art: Romanticism History: Hitler and the Nazis 2 LEARNING ACTIVITIES – TEACHER NOTES ACTIVE LISTENING CHALLENGE: THOUGHT BUBBLES and MUSICAL JIGSAW Pupil resources found in the pack: Ride of the Valkyries: Thought bubbles Ride of the Valkyries: Musical Jigsaw Task: To elicit an individual response of general thoughts and observations about the piece To structure group discussions focusing on the musical ingredients of the piece Suggested approach Using the ‘Thought Bubbles’ sheet, play the music and ask pupils to record their thoughts, observations and any imagined scenarios. Share individual responses, asking the class: What do they think the music expresses? Next, elicit a more detailed musical response using the ‘Musical Jigsaw’ approach i.e: Organise the class into groups of 5. Explain the Listening Challenge: that individual group members, guided by the Focus Sheet with its list of key musical dimensions, will each adopt a ‘specialist’ role. Pupils now reform into specialist ‘teams’ to discuss their particular focus in depth. Finally, reassemble into original groups so that ‘specialists’ can report back and help their group to build a ‘big picture’ of the musical ingredients (completing the Musical Jigsaw). Regroup the class into their original musical focus groups. Give each group the Listening Challenge: ‘Group Focus Sheet’ and allocate each member a specialist musical focus from the sheet. Each member reports back to the group, sharing outcomes of discussions in specialist teams, to build a big picture of the musical ingredients of the piece (completing the jigsaw). Extension: groups could make a record of their observations by creating a mind map of the piece. PERFORMING CHALLENGE - ROUND OF THE VALYKRIES Teacher Resource: Round of the Valkyries: Teacher Score - Instrumental and vocal and instrumental versions Midi file: Wagner – Round of the Valkyries (optional backing track) Pupil Resource found in the pack: Round of the Valkyries: Instrumental version Round of the Valkyries: Vocal & Instrumental version Suggested approach: This whole class ensemble piece is based on themes from The Ride of the Valkyries presented as two versions: (a) instruments in A minor (b) voices accompanied by instruments in E minor. Parts can be taught quickly by a combination of rote learning and individual practice time using the pupil worksheet as a prompt. NB: chord symbols have not been included. They are: A minor instrumental version: Am / / Am / / C / / C / / E minor instrumental and vocal version: Gm / / Gm / / C / / C / / Rehearse each part separately. Discuss whether keyboard or voices would be most appropriate for each of the parts. Perform the piece together as a class. 3 COMPOSING CHALLENGE 1 - COMPOSING A FUNERAL MARCH Pupil resources found in the pack: Who were the Valkyries? Information sheet Composing Challenge: Compose a Funeral March for Siegfried, the slain hero. There are two versions provided: A&B i.e. o a) containing Wagner’s original leitmotifs or o b) containing the melodic outlines of Wagner’s original leitmotifs) Task: Compose a funeral march for Siegfried, the slain hero (an event related later in the Nibelung Saga) Suggested approach: Decide which composing task to use i.e. A or B. Version A requires pupils to use Wagner’s original leitmotifs. Version B provides the melodic outlines of Wagner’s original leitmotifs only allowing more freedom to compose their own melodies. Read and discuss the summary of main events in opera: ‘The Ring of the Nibelung’, using the information sheet: Who were the Valkyries? (A simplified synopsis.) Introduce the Composing Challenge sheet (A or B) explaining that their task relates to a second highly dramatic episode from the Nibelung Saga. Outline some of key characteristics and conventions of a march that are not made explicit on the sheet. Discuss how these conventions would have to be modified for a funeral march. Explain that the sheet is a composer’s notepad with a series of sketches and notes from which pupils can select to develop their own compositions. Importantly they do not have to include every aspect, only those that they feel have potential for development. Explore together as a class the leitmotif melodies provided. NB: Version A contains three of Wagner’s actual leitmotifs representing different aspects of Siegfried i.e. his personal motif, his fanfare and his sword (Nothung). Version B provides the melodic outlines only. o Analyse these together. o Ask what pupils notice about the shape of each leitmotif? (triadic/fanfare like) o What do they tell us about the character of Siegfried? o Model different ways in which they could be developed for use in a funeral march. Allow pupils time to experiment with, and develop the leitmotifs. Remind pupils that they can decide to reject these and compose their own funeral melody - fit for a hero. As a class, consider other ideas on the notepad and model how each might be developed as an idea for a funeral march. Allow pupils to work individually, exploring and developing ideas from the notepad. Organise pupils into pairs or groups and ask them to develop each idea further and complete their piece Listen to Siegfried’s Funeral March from Act III of Götterdämerung, which contains the same leitmotifs. The same active listening approach, described above, could be used for pupils to appraise the piece, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXonlYzpT-0 4 COMPOSING CHALLENGE 2: ALTERNATIVE CREATIVE APPROACH In the BBC Ten pieces Secondary introduction to the Ride of the Valkyries, Christopher Eccleston describes the piece as: a musical stampede with flying galloping rhythms a hope versus evil, life versus death, ‘run for your life’ fanfare Pupil resources found in the pack: N/A Task Compose a piece that either has the same purpose and broad characteristics as The Ride of the Valkyries or explores a musical gesture taken from the piece Suggested approach Listen to and discuss The Ride of the Valkyries with pupils e.g. using the Listening Challenge outlined above. Ask students to identify (a) single musical idea, gesture or broad feature, or, (b) perhaps two or three, which really stand out for them e.g.: Expectant, thrilling opening with trills and tremolando Robust and heroic fanfare melody sweeping through orchestra String scales swooping up and down Galloping compound time rhythmic motifs Mixing major and minor modalities to create contrasting strong, ‘warlike’ effects Encourage pupils to experiment with an idea (or ideas) taken from the piece and adopt these to form the basis of their own piece. To support pupils in developing initial ideas, set them a series of short exploratory challenges to kick- start the composing process, for example: Consider: Playing ideas in different registers: what affect is achieved? Fragmenting their fanfare melody before playing it complete? Changing from the minor to the major: how does this alter the feeling of the melody/piece? Adopt a rhythm to be: (a) used as an ostinato (b) developed into a heroic melody, or (c) used as a rhythm for a simple chordal accompaniment? Support the fanfare melody with chords or ostinato? Pupils then develop ideas into a composition that has similar characteristics to the Ride of the Valkyries but reflects the intention, interests and style of the individual. 5 ROUND OF THE VALKYRIES TEACHER SCORE – INSTRUMENTAL VERSION 6 ROUND OF THE VALKYRIES TEACHER SCORE – VOCAL & INSTRUMENTAL VERSION 7 SECONDARY 10 PIECES PLUS! RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES by WAGNER PUPIL PAGES 8 ACTIVE LISTENING CHALLENGE: RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES THOUGHT BUBBLES 9 ACTIVE LISTENING CHALLENGE RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES – MUSICAL JIGSAW STRUCTURE DYNAMICS & TEMPO RHYTHM PITCH / MELODY TEXTURE 10 ROUND OF THE VALKYRIES INSTRUMENTAL VERSION 11 ROUND OF THE VALKYRIES VOCAL & INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLE VERSION 12 WHO WERE THE VALKYRIES? Richard Wagner was fascinated by Norse Mythology and composed a series of four operas called The Ring of the Nibelung, based on the Nordic Nibelung Saga.