Symphony Soup

John DeMain | Conductor May 15, 2012

Overture Center for the Arts 10:15 A.M. | 12:15 P.M.

Madison Symphony Orchestra Proudly Presents

Concert Curriculum Guide

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Dear Teacher:

The Madison Symphony Orchestra welcomes you to the 2012 Symphony Soup Concerts! Symphony Soup is a special way for students in Kindergarten to third grade to learn about music through the experience of a live symphony concert. The idea of “soup” conveys the way ingredients, spices, and flavors combine in a delicious bowl of soup, just as musical instruments come together to create beautiful music that can lift and refresh the soul. It is possible to eat a single noodle from a bowl of soup, and so too can parts of music be separated out of the orchestra. However, to fully appreciate music (or a bowl of soup!) all the parts must be heard as one. The concert contains pieces that are between two and five minutes long, including music from a variety of styles, genres, and centuries. This guide includes basic background information about the songs, composers and orchestra, with the goal of enriching the concert experience in an age-appropriate way. Bon appétit!

Special Thanks to our Sponsors:

with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the

National Endowment for the Arts

The Wahlin Foundation on behalf of Stoughton Trailers

John and Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Herbert H. Kohl Charities, Inc.

Symphony Soup Madison Symphony Orchestra

John DeMain, Conductor May 15, 2012

10:15 A. M. | 12:15 P.M. Overture Hall

Overture to The Marriage of Figaro

The Four Seasons, Op. 8, “Spring”, I. Allegro

“Surprise” Symphony, II. Andante

Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, I. “Morning”

Carmen Suite No. 2, II. “Habanera”

“Fantasia on Greensleeves”

Serenade for Strings, Op. 48, IV. Finale

Tale of the Tsar Saltan, “Flight of the Bumblebee”

“Maple Leaf Rag”

W.A. Mozart

Antonio Vivaldi

Franz Joseph Haydn

Edvard Grieg

Georges Bizet

Ralph Vaughn-Williams

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Scott Joplin

Table of Contents: | Program:

Program......................................3

Meet the Symphony................4

Marriage of Figaro...................5

Spring…………………......................6

“Surprise” Symphony..............7

Morning Mood.…………….…......8

Habanera....................................9

Greensleeves............................10

Serenade for Strings...............11

Flight of the Bumblebee……..12

Maple Leaf Rag...............13

Activities..................................14

Orchestra Personnel……………15

Important Information……….16

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Meet the Madison Symphony Orchestra What is a “symphony”?

The word symphony has two different meanings. One meaning is related to a group of musicians—or a “musical ensemble”—that uses string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. In this case, you would say, “I am going to see the symphony.” The other meaning of “symphony” is a piece of music written for the orchestra. A symphony usually has four different sections, which are called movements. You could say, “The piece of music I am listening to is a symphony.”

A symphony orchestra is made up of musicians playing many different instruments. String Section (up to 50 musicians): Brass Section (12 musicians): Violin Horn Viola Trumpet Cello Trombone Bass Tuba Harp Percussion Section (5 musicians): Woodwind Section (12 musicians): Timpani Flute Triangle Piccolo Snare Drum Oboe Cymbals English Horn Glockenspiel Clarinet Bass Drum Bass Clarinet Xylophone Bassoon Piano Contrabassoon

So how do all of these musicians manage to play a piece of music together? They are led by the conductor. The Madison Symphony Orchestra is led by Maestro DeMain. His job is to choose the music that the orchestra will play, and then to stand at the front of the orchestra and lead the musicians through the music. You will see him using a baton to keep the beat, and cuing instruments to begin playing. He also uses hand signals to tell the orchestra how to play the music—loudly, softly, smoothly, and so on.

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Maestro DeMain

Overture to The Marriage of Figaro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Marriage of Figaro is an opera buffa, or Italian comedic opera. It is one of the most famous of all comedic operas and one of the most performed operas in the United States.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756. He is known as one of the greatest child prodigies of all time. His father Leopold Mozart was a professional violinist and composer. Leopold taught Wolfgang how to play the violin, piano, and compose music. As a child, Mozart traveled all over Europe performing for royalty. Mozart is considered by some to be the greatest composer who ever lived. While most composers specialize in certain kinds of pieces, Mozart created masterful works for almost every cate-gory of music including vocal music, concertos, chamber mu-sic, symphonies, sonatas, and opera.

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The Marriage of Figaro tells the story of a “crazy day” in the palace of Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Susanna and Figaro, servants of the Count and Countess, are going to be married. The only problem is, the Count wants Susanna for himself and does not want her to marry Figaro! This angers the other characters, especially the Countess who becomes jealous, and they spend the day playing tricks on the Count in order to embarrass him and expose his bad intentions. In the end, the characters come together and apologize for being deceitful. Figaro and Susanna have a happy wedding, and the Count and Countess forgive each other and fall back in love.

Mozart published his first score at the age of seven and wrote his first

opera at the age of twelve!

Digital Art by Joe Barsin

Seattle Opera photo by Rozarii Lynch.

Antonio Vivaldi began playing the violin as child, and often played duets with his father. He began his adult career as a priest, but he soon left the church and began teaching music at an orphanage for girls. His students quickly became well-known all over Europe. Vivaldi wrote much of his music for his students. He was even commissioned by the French king, Louis XI, to compose special music. However, Vivaldi’s music soon became unpopular, making him very poor. To make money, he sold many of his manuscripts at low prices, causing his music to be rarely heard until the 1900s. In 1740, Vivaldi moved to Vienna to work for Charles VI. Soon after Vivaldi arrived in Vienna, Charles died, leaving Vivaldi with no work. A year later, Vivaldi fell ill and died. Vivaldi was a busy composer, writing over 500 concertos, 46 op-eras, and 73 sonatas.

The Story of Springtime Vivaldi wrote a poem to go along with this concerto. The music tells us the story of what it feels like on the very first day of spring.      

 

Listen for the birds’ songs, the gentle murmuring of the wind and stream, and the thunder and lightning of the big storm. When the storm is over, listen for the return of the birds singing.

The Four Seasons, Op. 8, “Spring”, I. Allegro Antonio Vivaldi

“Spring has come and is rejoicing. The birds greet it with happy songs. The streams softly murmur to the wafting of gentle breezes. But the sky suddenly grows black; 

lighting and thunder speak out. Then they fade away to silence, and the birds sing once again in the  

peaceful spring day.” 

Signs that spring has come! Flowers bloom.

Birds sing. Snow melts.

Thunderstorms roar. Grass grows.

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“Surprise” Symphony, II. Andante Franz Joseph Haydn

Born in Austria in 1732, Franz Joseph Haydn was the son of a wheelwright who was also an amateur harpist. At the age of 5, Haydn went to school to study violin, voice, and music. When he was 8, he was brought to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna to sing; staying there until 1749. It was not until 1759 that he finally got his first job as an orchestra director in the house of a nobleman. After this orchestra disbanded, Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy offered Haydn a job at his estate. This job included composing, conducting, directing operas, and performing chamber music. It was during this time that Haydn wrote his first great symphonies, and his fame spread throughout Europe. Haydn was great friends with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and later taught Ludwig van Beethoven. He died in 1809 after finishing 104 symphonies, a number rarely matched.

Why is this symphony called “The Surprise Symphony”? The music is played softly for a long time, then suddenly it is played very

LOUDLY! The sudden change in dynamics makes this symphony surprising!

Dynamics means the level of volume or intensity of the music. It can be loud, soft, or in between.

Piano means the music is played softly. This little “p” is the symbol that tells the musicians to play piano.

Fortissimo [fohr-TEE-see-moh] means the music is played very loudly. The double “f” symbol signals the musicians to play fortissimo.

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Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, I. “Morning” Edvard Grieg

Edvard Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway on June 15, 1843. He was raised in a musical home and received his first piano lessons from his mother when he was only six years old. He continued his musical studies throughout his young adult years and enrolled in a music conservatory where he studied piano composition. Grieg was a hard worker, composing symphonies, concertos, vocal music and string quartets as a young man. In his later life, Grieg was very highly regarded in Norway and he enjoyed a great deal of fame. During this time, he also recorded many performances that are still listened to all over the world.

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Photo by Andrew E. Larson

“Morning” is part of the Peer Gynt Suite which was written by Grieg. Grieg wanted this music to illustrate one of the most magnificent parts of morning: the sunrise!

Describe a sunrise: ♦ What happens to the sky? ♦ What do the clouds look like? ♦ Where do you see shadows? ♦ What colors do you see?

How would you describe a sunrise with music? Would it be slow or fast? Loud or soft? Would you use high or low pitches? What kinds of instruments?

Grieg was very proud of his Norwegian heritage. Many of his compositions are based on Norwegian folk songs. He is often considered a nationalist composer because of this.

Carmen Suite No. 2, II. “Habanera” Georges Bizet Born into a musical family in France in 1838, Georges Bizet received good musical training from a very early age and was accepted to the Paris Conservatory at age nine. There, he became a skilled pianist and composer. When he was 17, he composed “Symphony in C,” though it was not heard until 1935. He turned down a position as a teacher at the Conservatory so that he could focus on composing. However, he was only moderately successful during his life. Later, he was forced to serve in the Franco-Prussian war and suffered from health problems. In 1875, he completed the opera “Carmen,” which turned out to be controversial and did not last long on the French stage. Less than three months later, on June 2, 1875, Bizet died of a heart attack. Five years later, “Carmen” returned to Paris after having great success elsewhere in Europe and remains one of the most well-known operas to this day.

A habanera is a kind of popular dance music that originated in Cuba. Bizet thought that he was using parts of a folk song for his “Habanera” in “Carmen.” He later discovered that the song had been written only ten years earlier, and so he made sure to give credit to the composer.

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Melody

Ostinato

Cuba

“Fantasia on Greensleeves” Ralph Vaughn-Williams

Ralph Vaughn-Williams was born in rural England in 1872. As a child, he played piano and violin. He went to Trinity College in Cambridge and later the Royal College of Music. He was one of the first to travel the British countryside, collecting folk songs and putting them to paper. He volunteered with the Field Ambulance Corps during World War I. In 1918 he was appointed Director of Music, First Army, which helped him transition back to music. After the war, he began to write a lot of music, including many of his most famous works. Though he declined a knighthood, he was appointed to the Order of Merit. He wrote all kinds of music, including symphonies, operas, choral music, and film scores—he even arranged a song for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II! He continued composing un-til his death in 1958, at age 82.

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“Fantasia on Greensleeves” is based on a popular folk tune that goes all the way back to the 1500s—that means it is close to 500 years old! Ralph Vaughn-Williams used the tune in one of his operas, called “Sir John in Love,” before he used it in “Fantasia on Greensleeves.”

The “Greensleeves” folk tune is often recognized as a popular Christmas carol. The composer

William Chatterton Dix used the tune to write the carol “What Child is This?” just after the

American Civil War. Can you hear that familiar song when you listen to Vaughn-Williams’

“Fantasia on Greensleeves”?

The word fantasia (or fantasy) can be used in several different ways. A fantasy is a daydream. In music, it means something different. A fantasia is a piece of music that does not follow a set form or pattern. It can also describe a song that is based on another musical work—like “Fantasia on Greensleeves” is based on the folk tune “Greensleeves.”

Serenade for Strings, Op. 48, IV. Finale Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in 1840, in a western province of Russia. He studied law in St. Petersburg and also took music classes at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1866, he became the teacher of harmony at the Moscow Conservatory. It was here that Tchaikovsky wrote his first operas, concertos, and symphonies. In 1876, he met Madame Nadezhda von Meck, who financially supported him for the next 14 years. During this time, Tchaikovsky wrote some of his most famous works, in-cluding “Swan Lake” and “Sleeping Beauty.” Between 1887 and 1891, he went on several very successful concert tours and was well-received in Europe and the United States. In 1891-92, he wrote “The Nutcracker” ballet and suite. In 1893, Tchaikovsky wrote Symphony #6 in B Minor (also known as “Pathetique”), but it was not well-received. Only 9 days later, he died of chol-era.

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Tchaikovsky wanted to write “Serenade for Strings” in the style of Mozart, whose work he greatly admired. He wrote in a letter to Madame von Meck that “this is a piece from the heart” and “I am violently in love with this work and cannot wait for it to be played.” Though in many ways different than Mozart’s style of music, “Serenade for Strings” was written as a tribute to the man who was Tchaikovsky’s musical role model.

Throughout “Serenade for Strings,” Tchaikovsky uses themes from Russian folk tunes, which were catalogued by his fellow composer Mily Balakirev. This gives the piece a dance-like feel. Tchaikovsky often used tunes from Russian folk dances in his music, perhaps most famously in “Trepak” from “The Nutcracker.”

Two of Tchaikovsky’s most famous

works are ballets. One is “Swan Lake,” and the other is “The Nutcracker.”

Both of these ballets are still produced by companies all over the world, and the music is easily recognized. The stories and music are even used in television and movies worldwide. Swan Lake The Nutcracker

“Flight of the Bumblebee” Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born in Russia on March 18, 1844, into an aristocratic family. Though he showed musical talent at an early age, he went to school at the Russian Imperial Naval College and then joined the Navy. It was only when he met composer Mily Balakirev that he began to think more seriously about music. Balakirev taught Rimsky-Korsakov about music and composing while he was not at sea. He wrote a symphony, an opera, and an orchestral piece before leaving the Navy. In 1871, Rimsky-Korsakov became a professor of music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1905, he was fired for political reasons, which caused other professors to quit their jobs in protest. Rimsky-Korsakov was soon reinstated. At the end of his life, Rimsky-Korsakov suffered heart disease, and he died in 1908.

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The sixteenth notes above are played very quickly. These fast notes in “Flight of the Bumblebee” sound like a buzzing, crazy bee flying around! Think about how a bee flies. It does not fly in a straight line but buzzes around and around, up and down! It is this erratic pattern of flight that Rimsky-Korsakov manages to recreate with his music. While listening to “The Flight of the Bumblebee,” imagine a busy bee flying around among the orchestra! That is the image that Rimsky-Korsakov wants the audience to imagine.

In the opera from which “Flight of the Bumblebee” comes, the song is played when a magical Swan turns the main character into an insect so that he can fly away to find his father. The opera is based on a poem by the poet Alexander Pushkin. Because of the very fast speed of the song, it is often used as a demonstration of a musician’s talent, many times played by violin soloists. It is a famous and easily-recognized song that has been adapted many times, even by popular bands and in television and movies.

Oliver Lewis holds the record for the fastest performance of “Flight of the Bumblebee”.

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“Maple Leaf Rag” Scott Joplin

Scott Joplin was born in Texas, sometime in late 1867; his exact birth date is unknown. By the time he was 7, Joplin could play banjo and was learning to play the piano. As a young man, he traveled the Midwest playing piano in bars and saloons until he settled in St. Louis in about 1890. It was here that Joplin began to study ragtime, a genre of music combining European and African American styles. In 1893, Joplin moved to Sedalia, Missouri, where he worked at the Maple Leaf Club, which was the inspiration for his most famous work, “Maple Leaf Rag.” In 1911, he moved to New York, where he wrote “Treemonisha,” the first opera written by an African American. It was unsuccessful at the time. In April 1917, Joplin died of syphilis. 59 years later, in 1976, “Treemonisha” won the Pulitzer Prize.

“Maple Leaf Rag” is a piece of ragtime music, which was a popular American style of music in the early 1900s. It is a modification of marches and jigs, which combine to make dance music. The popularity of ragtime music diminished as jazz music became more popular around 1917. Ragtime is often said to be the American version of dance music. The music is very upbeat and is usually played on the piano.

Ragtime music is characterized by syncopated beats. Syncopation means that the musical beats do not follow the regular measured rhythm. It is the interruption of the normal flow of rhythm. At the time when ragtime music was very popular, syncopation was being used in new and exciting ways.

Activities Learn to Conduct the Orchestra! A conductor moves his baton in special patterns, depending on the beat of the music. One of the simplest patterns is a repetition of four beats. Here is how to move the baton: Beat 1: Straight down Beat 2: Swoop up and to the left Beat 3: Straight across, left-to-right Beat 4: Swoop to the left and up Now you try! Use your pointer finger as your baton. Count slowly to four out loud, moving your hand in the conductor’s pattern. Once you have the pattern down, try it a little faster! At the Symphony Soup Concert, pay attention to how Maestro DeMain uses his baton!

Let’s feel the RHYTHM! Have you ever sat very still and felt your heart beat? Your heartbeat is similar to the beat or pulse in music. Sometimes fast or slow, it is very steady. Rhythm is how we divide up the beats in music; how long or short the notes are.

Let’s listen to the “Habanera” from Bizet’s Carmen and see if we can clap the rhythm played by the cellos (low string voices). We call this short rhythmic pattern an “Ostinato.” This Ostinato is repeated over and over again throughout the entire piece.

Learn to sing the Ostinato rhythm as a class, using ||:O-STI-NA-TO; O-STI-NA-TO:||

Now let’s focus on another part of the song. Listen to the Melody played by the violins (high string voices). As a class, learn to sing the higher melody using “la-la-la.”

When the class is very comfortable singing both the Ostinato and Melody parts, divide the class into two groups; an Ostinato group and a Melody group. Sing the two parts together as a class. Be sure to switch parts so that all children have the opportunity to sing both parts.

Cellos play the Ostinato

O - sti-na-to O - sti-na-to O - sti-na-to O - sti-na-to O - sti-na-to...

La-la la-la-la la-la la la-la la-la...

Violins play the Melody

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VIOLIN I Naha Greenholtz, Concertmaster Suzanne Beia, Co-Concertmaster Leanne Kelso League Huy Luu Olga Pomolova Alice Bartsch Eleanor Bartsch John Patek Olga Draguieva Deanndra Deblack Anne Hatmaker Jon Vriesacker Kathryn Taylor Laura Burns Tim Kamps Qi Cao Roy Meyer VIOLIN II Xavier Deblack, Principal Wendy Buehl Rachel Hauser Erica Sanders Rolf Wulfsberg Courtney Cmeron Juliette Cucunato Nathaniel Wolkstein Geri Toole Robin Ryan Matthew Dahm Wes Luke Michelle Kaebisch Mary Theodore VIOLA Christopher Dozoryst, Principal Katrin Talbot Diedre Buckley Renata Hornik Elisabeth Ellenwood Sharon Tenhundfeld

VIOLAS (continued) Janse Vincent Jennifer Paulson Marika Fischer Hoyt Micah Behr Cynthia Edwards Gwendolyn Miller Seal CELLO Karl Lavine, Principal Catherine Smith Karen Cornelius Andrea Kleesattel Jordan Allen Margaret Townsend Lisa Bressler Laurie Riss Becky Morgan Chris Peck BASS Fredrick Schrank, Principal Robert Rickman Carl Davick Zachary Betz Steve Kasprzak August Jirovec Brian Melk Michael Hennessy FLUTE Stephanie Jutt,. Principal Elizabeth Marshall Linda Pereksta PICCOLO Linda Pereksta OBOE Marc Fink, Principal Jennifer Morgan Andrea Gross Hixon ENGLISH HORN Jennifer Morgan

CLARINET Linda Bartley, Principal Nancy Mackenzie BASS CLARINET Gregory Smith BASSOON Cynthia Cameron-Fix, Principal Amanda Szczys CONTRABASSOON Carol Rosing HORN Linda Kimball, Principal Kristina Crago Michael Szczys William Muir Anne Aley TRUMPET John Aley, Principal Frank Hanson David Cooper TROMBONE Joyce Messer, Principal Benjamin Skroch BASS TROMBONE Michael Allsen TUBA Paul Haugan, Principal TIMPANI John Jutsum, Principal PERCUSSION Anthony DiSanza, Principal Richard Morgan Geoffrey Brady HARP Karen Beth Atz, Principal ORGAN Samuel Hutchison, Principal PIANO Daniel Lyons, Principal

STAFF Richard H. Mackie, Jr. Executive Director

Ann H. Bowen General Manager

Robin Garcia Director of Development

Henry Peters Director of Marketing

Michelle A. Kaebisch Director of Education & Community Engagement

Chris Salzwedel Patron Services Manager

Casey Oelkers Annual Giving Manager

Samuel C. Hutchison Overture Concert Organ Curator

Evelyn Dale Office Manager

Anna Bose Marketing Specialist

Rachel Hauser Development Associate

Kathryn Taylor Librarian

Alexis Carreon Personnel Manager

John Straughn Property Manager

Sarah Michael Marketing Project Assistant

Hannah Feick Education Intern

Diane Nixon Volunteer Associate

MADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

PERSONNEL

Written By: Michelle Kaebisch, Director of Education

Hannah Feick, Education Intern

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This teacher resource guide addresses the following Wisconsin State Model Academic Standards for Music:

D.4.4 Explore, in large group settings, compositional devices using sound effects

F.4.1 Identify phrases and sections of music that are the same, similar, and/or different

F.4.6 Respond through purposeful physical movement to selected prominent music characteristics or to specific music events while listening to music

F.4.8 Identify simple musical devices such as form, contrast and texture

I.4.1 Demonstrate audience behavior appropriate for the context and style of music performed

Join us for the 2012-2013 Youth Concerts!

Fall Youth Concerts

October 16, 2012 at 9:15 A.M. | 11:15A.M. | 1:00 P.M.

Spring Young People’s Concert

March 14, 2013 at 10 A.M.

Symphony Soup Concert

May 14, 2013 at 10 A.M.