SECONDARY 10 PIECES PLUS! THE LARK ASCENDING by VAUGHAN WILLIAMS TEACHER PAGES THE LARK ASCENDING BY RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3l2p7df6Yhg8dRp20Hp85VG/ten-pieces-secondary CONTEXT The Lark Ascending – A Romance for Violin and Orchestra - was originally composed in 1914 for violin and piano and then orchestrated in 1921. It was inspired by an eponymous poem by George Meredith (1881) and evokes the vision of a lark floating freely in the sky on a peaceful summer’s day. These lines are inscribed in the score: He rises and begins to round, He drops the silver chain of sound Of many links without a break, In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake... For singing till his heaven fills, ’Tis love of earth that he instils, And ever winging up and up, Our valley is his golden cup, And he the wine which overflows To lift us with him as he goes... Till lost on his aërial rings In light, and then the fancy sings. The music is gentle and lyrical, reflecting an idyllic and calm scene in the English countryside in the period just before war broke out in Europe. The ‘sweet’ and reassuring mood is typical of much of Vaughan William’s ‘pastoral’ style which grew out of his interest in traditional music and reflected his national roots: this resonated with a movement pioneered by Cecil Sharp, who collected folk songs and established an archive of indigenous English music. The scales and modes present in folk songs shaped Vaughan Williams’ melodies and harmonies, giving his music the characteristic sound which pervades The Lark Ascending. Vaughan Williams was a prolific composer who contributed many orchestral works to the English repertoire and established a new musical language which broke the mould of nineteenth century European styles. He was influenced by earlier English composers, Tallis and Purcell, and also by a strong sense of character and place e.g. Norfolk Rhapsody; London Symphony; Hugh the Drover – opera that reflected English life. He believed classical music was the each person’s birthright and to this end, as a passionate community musician, he edited books of hymns and carols, created many folk song arrangements and composed choral works to make music accessible to choral societies and community groups. The Lark Ascending has captured people’s imagination in recent years and has been played at many reflective and poignant occasions such as the tenth anniversary of 9/11 in New York and similar commemorations. Read the full poem at http://www.bartleby.com/246/680.html Discover more about Vaughan Williams at http://www.rvwsociety.com 1 MUSICAL INGREDIENTS Tonality Mixolydian mode (created by playing the white notes only on a keyboard from G to G). Beginning on E as the root, this becomes: E F# G A B C# D E). Harmony The modal harmony is centred on E, but not always clearly in one key. Triads have added notes (e.g. the main chord at the opening is E-G-B-F#) which produce a richer and more luscious harmonic sound, making it expressive and ‘romantic’. Chords shift up and down the scale in parallel motion, making the music ‘float’ and feel ‘seamless’, without a strong direction. Juxtaposition of two different chords at the same time (e.g. C major and D major). Melody Based on a pentatonic scale. The main theme uses D E F# A B. The melody repeats short phrases and also ‘floats’ across the instrumental range. Use of extremely high solo violin writing creates a strong visual image. Short and faster rhythm patterns suggest bird song (see Related Listening). The middle section changes character – a more energetic pulse and a stronger folk-like melody. Tempo and rhythm The outer sections are mainly in 6/8 which creates the flowing lilt to rhythm. Lengthy cadenza passages marked ‘flessibile’ (rhythmically free-flowing melody over sustained chords). Orchestration Wind and brass instruments echo elements of the violin solo. Dynamics The whole piece is very quiet – mostly ppp to p and never loud. Changes in ‘dynamic’ are created by texture – thicker chords or several instruments moving independently. LEARNING ACTIVITIES SUMMARY Active Listening Challenge: Creating Graphic Scores Performing Challenge: Two songs (with instruments) – Free Bird and The Lark’s Song Composing Challenge 1: To create ambient music for a Spa and Wellbeing Centre Composing Challenge 2: Setting a text to music – four poems using birds as metaphor KEY LEARNING Knowledge of modes and modalities Contemporary musical styles Developing singing skills, including part-singing 2 KS3 MUSIC CURRICULUM LINKS Folk music: adapting and arranging Single movement descriptive pieces for orchestra or solo instruments: o Nocturnes (piano): Chopin, Debussy, Billy Joel (1971) o Rhapsody: Single-movement pieces based on popular or folk tunes:Liszt, Brahms, Paganini, Delius, Gershwin o Romance: Short gentle pieces e.g. Mozart, Schumann, Elgar The violin: its history and use as a classical, folk and popular instrument: o Pictures of a Stradivarius http://www.classicfm.com/discover/fast-and-friendly-guides/stradivarius-violin-history-facts- pictures/habeneck/ o ‘Winter’ from The Four Seasons (1725) – Vivaldi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKfuhLCVldg o Concerto No. 1 (1867) – Max Bruch played by Nicola Benedetti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK3_K1C2lYc o Gipsy Csárdás (1904) – Vittorio Monti played by Nigel Kennedy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkeWj9ykXPw o Sweet Georgia Brown – Stefan Grappelli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJw-tCHDDqQ o Celtic duelling violins from Hyde Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywMPtwM8avs o Bryson Andres performing Secrets One Republic (street busking) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czkJYLqylzs SUGGESTED LINKS WITH OTHER SUBJECTS English WW1 poetry Birds in literature, symbolism (death – hope – resurrection) Poems about birds (see texts for Composing Challenge 2) https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/thirteen-ways-looking-poems-about-birds Poems about larks https://nosleepingdogs.wordpress.com/poems-in-which-skylarks-appear/ Humanities Bird habitats, migration and conservation of natural habitats RMS/Philosophy Birds as omens, symbols and signs Spiritual journey; life and death Hope: overcoming adversity Art Representation of birds through the ages and in different cultures Symbolism and metaphor Graphic scores; visual representations of sound, mood and feeling Drama: Greek plays – The Birds by Aristophanes 414 BC Dance Movement and ballet – Swan Lake Representations of birds through mime, action and costume Science Evolution of birds from dinosaurs Habitats and Birdwatch surveys 3 LEARNING ACTIVITIES – TEACHER NOTES ACTIVE LISTENING CHALLENGE: CREATE A PIECE OF ART WORK BASED ON GRAPHIC SCORES Teacher resources Graphic scores v traditional notation – ‘Thought’ sheet – for and against YouTube references: o 21 graphic scores – a selection of graphic and pictorial representations of music http://www.classicfm.com/discover/music/graphic-scores-art-music-pictures/ o Year 7 Graphic Score of Wirrkul Girl by Aboriginal group Yothu Yindi, from N Australia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKWoY8qjUiM o Spem in Alium – Motet for 40 voices by Thomas Tallis (1570) represented graphically https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3FJxDsa-5k o Queen of the Night – Aria from opera The Magic Flute by Mozart (1791) represented graphically https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLSzKrr-O-4 Pupil resource found in the pack Active Listening Challenge – The Lark Ascending – creating a graphic score (to be copied onto A3 paper) Tasks Investigate, discuss and understand the term ‘graphic score’, explore examples and recognise the use of this scoring style for composers. Listen to the extract of The Lark Ascending and create original graphic score extracts. Present these scores collectively as a piece of art. Additional creative task - interpreting the graphic scores. Suggested approach Introduce the concept of Graphic Notation - representing music in alternative forms that differ greatly from traditional notation: using visual symbols, graphics, pictures and other images. Show the YouTube examples above and discuss what pupils see and hear: identify techniques used. The Wirrkul Girl extract is particularly clear and informative. Discuss how graphic notation compares with traditional staff notation and list the advantages/disadvantages of these contrasting styles for composers. Could Nicola Benedetti have played The Lark Ascending if Vaughan Williams had written it as a graphic score?! Agree on a whole-group definition of ‘graphic notation’ and write it for all to see. Organise pupils into groups of 4. Listen to the BBC extract of The Lark Ascending (only 6 minutes). The listening task is divided into four sections (boxes), with a timeline for each one. Pupils should interpret what they hear, graphically, in any chosen way, following the examples explored in discussion. Encourage the use of colour. Repeat the exercise if necessary and when complete, allow three minutes for each group to compare and discuss their results. Whole-class comparison and discussion could follow, exploring common patterns and themes emerging from their work. Presentation: Cut out the squares and group each of the sections on the wall to create one large score. Listen to the work again, following the collective score. Extension activities: Create one graphic score from the collected ideas Set a composing/performing task – to interpret the giant graphic score as a class Create a dance or movement piece in response to the music using a similar approach 4 PERFORMING CHALLENGE: TWO SONGS Teacher resource FREE BIRD and THE LARK’S SONG full scores Midi files: Vaughan Williams – Free Bird and Vaughan Williams – Larks Song (optional backing tracks) Pupil resource found in the pack FREE BIRD and THE LARK’S SONG vocal and instrumental parts FREE BIRD This song is aimed at younger voices with accessible instrumental parts which can work in a variety of combinations. It is intended to be a gentle ‘rock song’ in the style of artists such Ed Sheeran.