Unit 3 – From the Audience’s Perspective MUSIC APPRECIATION Unit 3 – From the Audience’s Perspective

PERCEPTIVE LISTENING Four Levels of Listening Oblivious (Subconscious)– Music as background noise Emotional (Conscious)– React to the emotion of the music Perceptive (Analytical)– Listening to answer the question – “What is going on in the music right now?” Peak (Revelatory)– Combines Perceptive and Emotional – ultimate response to music (“goose bump” feeling) Each level is valuable for different reasons

LISTEN PERCEPTIVELY Listen to John Williams’ “Liberty Fanfare” which celebrated the 100 anniversary of the Statue of Liberty How does the composer command our attention? Write your thoughts in your notebook – Be prepared to discuss your answer Listen again and answer 1. Does awareness of what is going on in the music help you to get more out of it? 2. What is the function of this music? 3. Who is the intended audience? 4. Does knowing this help increase your response?

BEING AN AUDIENCE MEMBER Listening to music in public requires personal attentiveness Reaction to music should be based on type of music performed, where it is played and how it is being used Football game Dance Orchestra Concert Rock Concert The music of any style can be listened to with a serious or a light-hearted mood

CATEGORIES OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Aerophones Instruments that produce sound by a vibrating column of air Usually these consist of a pipe made out of wood, metal or plastic with a reed attached Examples Flute Oboe Clarinet Sax Bassoon Also includes brass instruments as well Trumpets, Trombones and Tubas are aerophones

CATEGORIES OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Idiophones Simple, solid instruments that produce sound when struck, scraped or shaken Examples Gongs Cymbals Rattles Xylophone

CATEGORIES OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Membranophones Instruments that make sound when a stretched out skin is struck Examples Snare drum Bongos Tympani

CATEGORIES OF INSTRUMENTS Chordophones Instruments that create sound when a string is struck, plucked or bowed Examples Violin Cello Guitar Piano

CATEGORIES OF INSTRUMENTS Electrophones Instruments that generate sound from electricity Examples Electric Guitar Electric Bass Synthesizer

A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Composed in 1946 by English composer Benjamin Britten Purpose to introduce instruments of the orchestra to students Theme is based on a melody composed by Englishmen Henry Purcell (lived in 1600s) Theme is first presented by entire orchestra

A Young Persons…cont. Next, each section presents the theme Woodwind Section Brass Section String Section Percussion Section Full Orchestra

A Young Person’s …cont. Next, there are several variations played by instruments Variations change the melody in terms of rhythm, mood, dynamics, etc. Woodwinds are first Var. 1Flute and piccolo Var. 2 Oboe Var. 3 Clarinet Var. 4 Bassoon

A Young Person’s …cont. Next set of variations feature the strings Var. 5 Violins Var. 6 Violas Var. 7 Cellos Var. 8 Double basses Var. 9 Harp

A Young Person’s …cont. The brasses are featured next Var. 10 French horns Var. 11 Trumpets Var. 12 Trombones and Tubas

A Young Person’s …cont. Percussion is featured in Vat. 13 Tympani, bass drum, snare drum Tambourine, triangle, wood block Xylophone Castanets and gong Whip Entire ensemble

A Young Person’s…cont. A new tune is played by piccolo The other instruments enter, each playing the same tune After woodwinds, strings, brass and percussion have their turns, the theme returns in the brass and the piece concludes Composer Benjamin Britten

UNIT 3 PROJECT Create a 5 slide power point presentation on the instrument of your choosing You may work with a partner Be sure to include at least four different pictures of your instrument Your slides should contain 1. Range of the instrument 2. Brief history of the instrument 3. Uses of the instrument 4. Classification of the instrument 5. How the instrument is played

IDENTIFY INSTRUMENTS Directions: Listen to the following musical excerpts and identify all the timbres and instruments producing the sound you hear. Then, classify the instruments according to the appropriate category(ies). (All five are represented) 1. Bluegrass band Bill Monroe 2. Sextet: woodwind Fancis Poulenc and the Philadelphia Quintet 3. Blues Band B.B. King 4. Brass quintet Canadian Brass 5. String Quartet Budapest Quartet/Hayden 6. Motown group The Temptations 7. Double Reed soloist Thomas Stacy

COMPARE PERFORMANCES Listen to two versions of Bach’s Toccata in D Minor and determine which you like best Determine which category fits each version. Write each description and place an “O” if it describes the organ version or “S” if it describes the symphony version 1. Obvious contrast of dynamics (loud and soft) 2. Use of crescendo/decrescendo 3. Tempo (beat) is steady 4. Variations in tempo (ritardando) 5. Smooth almost sluggish articulation 6. Crisp articulation 7. Limited dynamic range 8. Expansive dynamic range 9. Limited tone color 10. Expansive range of tone color

COMPARE PERFORMACES II Answer the following questions in your notebook 1. Bach might have performed his Toccata on the organ of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. This long, narrow and high building had a reverberation (echo) of 3.5 seconds. How does Stakowski take that phenomenon into consideration in his orchestral transcription? 2. Bach, who was acknowledged as the greatest improviser of his day, probably created this brilliant Toccata on the spot as a prelude or recessional to the religious service. How does Stakowski’s transcription, which was intended for the concert hall, take away from or add to the sacred and mystical character of the composition?