Budding Composers 2015 Teacher’s Guide Dive into Atlantis with Michel-Georges Brégent an educational project presented by the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec SMCQ • 1 Budding Composers 2015 Document prepared by the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) as part of the project Budding Composers 2015. Dive into Atlantis with Michel-Georges Brégent Copy editor : Claire Cavanagh (SMCQ), in collaboration with Hélène Lévesque (CSDM music education consultant) English Translation : Peggy Niloff Layout : Noémie Pascal (template) Budding Composers 2015 Artistic Director : Walter Boudreau General Manager : Aïda Aoun © Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ), 2014 300, boul. de Maisonneuve East, Montréal (Québec), H2X 3X6 Telephone : 514-843-9305 | Fax : 514-843-3167 | [email protected] smcq.qc.ca The SMCQ wishes to thank : Avec la participation de: • Ministère de la Culture et des Communications • Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport 2 Table of contents Teacher’s Guide The Société de musique contemporaine du Québec and the Youth Sector p. 4 Budding Composers 2015 p. 4 Biography of composer Michel-Georges Brégent p. 5 Pedagogical activities p. 7 1 : Atlantide by composer Michel-Georges Brégent p. 8 INSPIRATION 2 : My composition plan p. 9 3 : Hunting for sounds p. 10 ELABORATION 4 : Making a sound mix p. 11 5 : Keeping records p. 12 IN PERSPECTIVE 6 : Rehearsing and presenting my work p. 12 Reproducibles Forms (RF) p. 13 FR 1 : Teacher’s sound/narration chart p. 14 FR 2 : My composition plan p. 15 FR 3 : Primary Level Music Vocabulary p. 16 FR 4 : Secondary Level Music Vocabulary p. 17 FR 5 : Keeping records (first draft) p. 18 FR 6 : Example of draft p. 19 FR 7 : Keeping records (final version) p. 20 FR 8 : Subscription Form for the Budding Composers Event p. 21 SMCQ • 3 Budding Composers 2015 Société de musique contemporaine du Québec Since 1966, the SMCQ has assumed the mandate to promote contemporary music from both this country and abroad. With its concerts, Homage Series, Montreal/New Music International Festival (MNM), youth sector, radio broadcasts, North American and European tours, a competition for composers, and more than twenty full-length recordings, the work of the SMCQ has resulted in a fertile breeding ground for new works of art, commissions, and masterful performances of contemporary music “classics”. Youth Sector Working in close collaboration with composers and music education specialists, our Youth Sector offers original educational activities that are adapted to the needs of teachers and students. Traditionally, music education was focused on performance, or playing an instrument. However, music creativity and composition are being more and more recognized as an important element of comprehensive music education at all levels, as well as the importance to diversify the styles of studies musics. Since resources on present-day composers and music creativity are sparse, the educational propositions of our Youth Sector satisfy a real need in schools. Budding Composers 2015 Primary and secondary school students are invited to discover Quebec’s composers and musical creations by participating in the Budding Composers project. This year’s offering is Michel - Georges Brégent’s Atlantide (1992), a fascinating, monumental work that will inspire you and your students to create your own mixed media compositions. You will be welcome to present your musical creations on the SMCQ web site and/or via live performance in April, 2015 at the Place des Arts. This guide presents a project outline, but feel free to enhance or adapt the steps to best suit your group. In preparation for this project, you are also invited to bring your students to a school rehearsal of Atlantide, presented by the SMCQ on February 26th, 2015 at the Salle Pierre-Mercure. A Youth Competition will also be held in conjunction with this concert. More info: smcq.qc.ca / youth List of Material - Recording devices, smartphones or tablets - Computer - Audacity (free) or other audio editing software OR - Sound objects AND - Your choice of musical instruments - Lots of imagination 4 Teacher’s Guide Michel-Georges Brégent: biography “My life’s ambition is to create a music which is perfectly balanced on the intellectual, emotional and spiritual planes: a music which has a reason for being.” Even before Michel-Georges Brégent entered the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal where he studied composition with Gilles Tremblay, the originality of his artistic temperament was already manifest in musical ventures of a striking new conception. For example, as early as 1965 he foresaw the realization of his master work to be completed by the year 2001, the grand biblical fresco Les testaments. His works, like their author, overflow with energy. For a long time, this vitality has permitted the composer, who does not believe in the separation of genres, to write and to perform rock music mixed with jazz and contemporary elements — a production which was labelled ‘classico-cosmic rock’ by the Montréal critics. Important accomplishments of this period are the group Brégent with his brother Jacques (1965-80), the duo Dionne-Brégent (1975-79) with percussionist Vincent Dionne, and the musical direction of the multimedia group L’écran humain. A prolific composer, Brégent was commissioned by renown ensembles and musicians such as the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, Duo contemporain (from The Netherlands), Arditti Quartet, Pentaèdre, Michael Laucke, Rivka Golani, the Orchestre des jeunes du Québec and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He has worked within numerous organizations, juries and committees, and has organized several events. He was composer in residence with the Canadian Opera Company (where he composed Realitillusion), principal guest at the Royal Conservatory of Gent, and received a First Mention and the Special Jury Prize for Atlantis at the Italia Prize. The Belgian musicologist Harry Halbreich has said that “Michel-Georges Brégent is the visionary mystic whom keen intelligence safely leads to undertake the wildest utopias. He is the man of complex structures, of instrumental virtuosity at the service of a generous and flamboyant expression.” [Sonart] SMCQ • 5 Teacher’s Guide Educational Activities SMCQ • 7 Budding Composers 2015 1. Atlantide by Michel-Georges Brégent Context For a start, familiarize yourself with Michel-Georges Brégent’s work. Ask Summary of the myth of Atlantis: Thousands of years ago Atlanteans your students if they already know lived in an archipelago where one of the islands was called Atlantis. It about the lost city of Atlantis. was a rich empire, with an abundance of plants, animals and metals. Not satisfied living off these natural resources, Atlanteans were also Then, explain to your students how accomplished merchants and seamen; they built a remarkable inspired by this story, composer port, located no more than five miles from the sea. Moreover they Michel-George Brégent decided to were also skilled architects and artisans. However, the Atlanteans compose a major work attempted to invade Greece. According to their priests, Poseidon, (29 minutes). god of the sea punished them for leaving their islands; he caused earthquakes and floods rise up and sink Atlantis and the other islands. Listen to the excerpt from the overture and ask your students to identify the Many scientists have searched and are still searching for instruments used in the composition. vestiges of this lost city which fascinates us to this very day. Sound excerpts: Further study: National Geographic Channel Documentary The creation of Atlantide National Geographic Channel Documentary electrocd.com/fr/cat/imso_9201/ Finding Atlantis We hear voices, various ensembles youtube.com/watch?v=8NjG-h2XiwE (string instruments), electroacoustic sounds and environmental sounds (water, wind, elephants, horses.) Suggest that your students compose their own musical version of Atlantide as Brégent did, using a mixed media style (a mix of sound tracks and acoustic instruments.) IMPORTANT : Decide if you will record sounds from your environment, imitate sounds with objects, or use excerpts from the original Atlantide’s electro-acoustic sound track. 8 Teacher’s Guide 2 : My composition plan Discussion Have your students present a four-part resume of the story of Atlantis. Next, discuss how each of these four parts step can be illustrated through music. Ask your students: - What would be the sound environment for each part of the story? - How can they represent these sounds? - Using the music vocabulary, what are the musical elements that are appropriate for this step? Example of content (see RF 1: Teacher’s sound-narration chart) : STORY SOUND ENVIRONMENT INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC Part of the story Description Sound environment How will I represent these Description of I imagine for each sounds? sound for each step step using the music vocabulary The luxurious Water, gentle Recorded sounds: Children Moderate rhythm, Atlantis island of Atlantis waves, city life, in scoolyard, barking dog, soft sounds, is a powerful and children playing, cars in the street happiness advanced empire, animals, ships, Acoustic sounds : music flowing with laughing people, box natural riches joyful music, etc. The power-hungry Rallying cries, Recorded or acoustic Fast rhythm, louder War in Greece Atlanteans battle machinery, sounds: human cries, sounds, confident attempt to invade war drums creaking chairs, pots and warriors Greece. pans Poseidon, god of Earthquakes, cries Recorded or acoustic Fast rhythm, anger, Sinking of the sea and the of the citizens, sounds: throwing pebbles fear Atlantis Greeks, is angered windstorms, in water bucket, shaking and causes smashed ships, the recycling bin, earthquakes and rocks crashing on screaming, lap tapping floods which sink the ground Atlantis forever... A vast Atlantis is sunk Water, waves Recorded sounds: wind in Very calm emptiness leaves, water running - Calm and Acoustic sounds: blowing desolation "wind" with mouth, sliding a piece of paper on a table Small group planning Have your students gather in groups of 3 or 4.