Winter Concert, March 1, 2008: Annual Concerto Competition Winner Concert

Pablo de Sarasatie Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs) (Leipzig 1878)

• For students to appreciate the evolution of the concerto form.
• To gain the necessary vocabulary to understand the elements of a concerto.

Note to teacher:
There will be many definitions of musical terms in this lesson. Try as much as possible to help students understand that learning the meanings of terms is going to help them appreciate music better. Make a game of word definition by using flash cards, for example, to help students learn the material.
1. Defining and understanding the vocabulary of a concerto.
Ask students if they know what a concerto is. If there is a music dictionary in the classroom, have students look up the definition of a concerto.

• Concerto: Concert, concerted performance. A work in which a solo instrument(s) is contrasted and blended with the orchestra.

The Oxford Dictionary of Music

• ‘ Concerto’ probably comes from the Latin concertare, which can mean both ‘to contend, dispute, debate’ and also ‘to work together with someone’.

Grove Music Online

What is a concerto?
The concerto has taken a variety of shapes over the course of time. Originally, the concerto was just a symphonic piece with many solo instruments blended together with the orchestra. Many instruments would have equal ability to individually stand out in the music. Over time, composers began to single out different instruments, designating special duets or solos which were accompanied by the orchestra.
These concertos were called “Concerto Grosso.”

• Concerto Grosso: great concerto. Early form of concerto at its zenith in the 17 th and 18 th centuries, though the term has also been used by 20 th century composers. The works were antiphonal, i.e. a small body of strings (concertino, concertato or concertante) was heard in alternation, contrast and combination with a larger group (ripieno).

The Oxford Dictionary of Music

• Concertino: solo instrument group in the concerto grosso.

The Oxford Dictionary of Music

 

• Ripieno: replenished, supplementary. The term is used in older music to make a distinction between passages to be played by the full body and others to be played by a group of soloists.

The Oxford Dictionary of Music

As composers became more creative with the concerto from, these solo instrumentalists became the center of the concerto, displaying virtuosic playing which not only delighted audiences, but also gave the soloist a chance to display their abilities on the instrument. The most virtuosic section in the concerto can be found in the cadenza.

 

• Cadenza: a flourish (properly, improvised) inserted into the final cadence of any section of a vocal aria or a solo instrument movement.

The Oxford Dictionary of Music

During the cadenza, the orchestra will stop playing and allow the soloist to play by his or her self. These cadenzas would often be improvised or made up by the solo instrumentalist allowing the soloist to display his or her knowledge of musical form and taste. Many cadenzas however, can also be found written in by the composer.

2. Listen to Music.
Encourage students to listen how the main instrument ‘debates’ or ‘works together’ with the orchestra.

Note to teacher:
It may be helpful to demonstrate the sound of these solo instruments before listening to the recordings. This will help students who are not as familiar with these instruments to understand the sound they create and listen for it. This demonstration may be done through listening to excerpts from recordings or by actually hearing these instruments played in the classroom if this is possible.

While listening to the music, help students identify different sections of the orchestra, pointing out the entering or exiting of the soloist or the beginning of a cadenza.  

Closure Questions
Have a debate among the students about the two different concertos and their structure. Here are some example questions you can ask to start a conversation:

Is the soloist dominating over the orchestra or does the orchestra and soloist share and weave around each other’s performance?
Is the virtuosity of the soloist dramatic or is it about equal in splendor with the orchestra?
Does it seem as if the soloist is having an intelligent conversation with the orchestra or is the orchestra just adding beautiful accompaniment to the soloist?

Extra Helpful Materials
If time allows, “What is a Concerto” from Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts is an excellent resource for introducing the concept and progress of a concerto. It is most likely appropriate for older students (ages 10-16). Most major libraries should have a copy that can be borrowed. It may be helpful for the instructor to watch in advance to prepare for this lesson as it gives helpful insight about the concerto and how things may be explained. The program is approximately 60 minutes in length.

Composer Biographies:

Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908)

Spanish violinist and composer. He was born Pablo Martín Melitón Sarasate y Navascuez in Pamplona. He studied music at the Paris Conservatoire. Sarasate devoted most of his career to concert tours in Europe, the Americas, and the Orient. Several works were composed for him, notably Introduction et rondo capriccioso (1870) by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns and Symphonie espagnole (performed 1875) by the French composer Édouard Lalo. Among Sarasate's own compositions is the popular Zigeunerweisen (Romani, or Gypsy, Melodies, 1863).

"Pablo de Sarasate," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

 

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

German-born composer, who worked primarily in England, considered one of the most important masters of the baroque period (from about 1600 to 1750). Handel and his German contemporary Johann Sebastian Bach are considered the greatest composers of the early 18th century. Their music represents the culmination of musical genres of the baroque era. Whereas Bach’s output consisted chiefly of instrumental and vocal works originally conceived for Lutheran church services, Handel’s most important works are his operas and oratorios, composed for the theater. The most famous of these is Messiah, which was first performed in 1742. Handel also made important contributions to instrumental music.

Bibliography:

"Pablo de Sarasate," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

 

"George Frideric Handel," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

 

Kennedy, Michael. The Oxford Dictionary of Music, second edition revised. Oxford University Press Inc., New York 2006

 

Arthur Hutchings/R 'Concerto, §1: Origins', Grove Music Online (Accessed 07 December 2007), http://www.grovemusic.com/shared/views/article.html?section=music.40737.1

 

Leonard Bernstein's Young people's concerts [videorecording] :

“What is a Concerto” with the New York Philharmonic / CBS Entertainment ; the Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc.West Long Branch, NJ : Kultur Video : Distributed by Kultur International Films, 2004

 

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• Students identify simple music forms when presented aurally
• Students demonstrate perceptual skills by moving, by answering questions about, and by describing aural examples of music of various styles representing diverse cultures
• Students use appropriate terminology in explaining music, music notation, music instruments and voices, and music performances
• Students identify the sounds of a variety of instruments, including many orchestra and band instruments, and instruments from various cultures, as well as children's voices and male and female adult voices
• Students respond through purposeful movement (e.g., swaying, skipping, dramatic play) to selected prominent music characteristics or to specific music events (e.g., meter changes, dynamic changes, same/different sections) while listening to music

• Students identify similarities and differences in the meanings of common terms (e.g., form, line, contrast) used in the various arts
• Students identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with those of music (e.g., foreign languages: singing songs in various languages; language arts: using the expressive elements of music in interpretive readings; mathematics: mathematical basis of values of notes, rests, and time signatures; science: vibration of strings, drum heads, or air columns generating sounds used in music; geography: songs associated with various countries or regions)

• Students identify by genre or style aural examples of music from various historical periods and cultures
• Students describe in simple terms how elements of music are used in music examples from various cultures of the world
• Students identify various uses of music in their daily experiences and describe characteristics that make certain music suitable for each use
• Students identify and describe roles of musicians (e.g., orchestra conductor, folksinger, church organist) in various music settings and cultures
• Students demonstrate audience behavior appropriate for the context and style of music performed

Content Standard	Benchmark 1	Benchmark 2
	Grade 3	Grade 5
Common Curriculum Goal: Understand the interrelationships among art forms.
Describe how essential elements and organizational principles from various arts disciplines can be integrated in a work of art and identify how they contribute to the aesthetic effect, overall idea and impact of the work.	Identify the disciplines used in an integrated work of art.	Describe how essential elements and organizational principles from various arts disciplines are used in an integrated work of art.

Common Curriculum Goal: Apply critical analysis to works of art.
Apply knowledge of essential elements, organizational principles and aesthetic criteria to the analysis of works of art, and identify how the elements and principles contribute to the aesthetic effect.	Recognize essential elements, organizational principles and aesthetic effects in works of art.	Identify essential elements, organizational principles and aesthetic criteria that can be used to analyze works of art.

Common Curriculum Goal: Respond to works of art and give reasons for preferences.
Respond to works of art, giving reasons for preferences and using terminology that conveys knowledge of the arts.	Identify and describe personal preferences connected with viewing or listening to a work of art using terminology that conveys knowledge of the arts.	Describe personal preferences and identify how essential elements and organizational principles in a work of art contribute to those preferences.