MOVIE MASTERPIECES Program and Resources

10.30am, Wednesday 19 August, Townsville Civic Centre

The Program

WILLIAMS Star Wars Main Theme

SHORE The Lord of the Rings:

Fellowship of the Ring,

Symphonic Suite

MORRICONE Gabriel’s Oboe

from The Mission

WILLIAMS Schindler’s List, Three Pieces

Theme

CORIGLIANO Red Violin

The Pope’s Concert

WILLIAMS Harry Potter and the

Philosopher’s Stone

Harry’s Wondrous World

BADELT Pirates of the Caribbean

The Curse of the Black Pearl

WILLIAMS E.T. Suite

Adventures on Earth

Flying Theme

The Conductor

Guy Noble

Guy Noble is one of Australia’s most versatile conductors

and musical entertainers, conducting and presenting

concerts with all the major Australian orchestras and

performers such as The Beach Boys, Yvonne Kenny, David

Hobson, Ben Folds, Dianne Reeves, Randy Newman, and

Clive James.

He has cooked live on stage with Maggie Beer and Simon

Bryant (The Cook, The Chef and the Orchestra, Adelaide

Symphony) appeared as Darth Vader (The Music of John

Williams, Sydney Symphony) and might be the only person

to have ever sung the Ghostbusters theme live on stage

accompanied by The Whitlams (Queensland Symphony

Orchestra).

Guy is a regular guest presenter on ABC Classic FM,

conducted La Boheme throughout Queensland with (Opera

Queensland and Queensland Symphony), hosts and

accompanies Great Opera Hits (Opera Australia) writes a

column for Limelight Magazine, presents the inflight classical

channels on Qantas, Air China, China Airlines and Gulf Air,

and is delighted to conduct Queensland Symphony Orchestra

in Gladstone.

Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Queensland Symphony Orchestra is renowned for its high quality, breath-taking performances of both classical and modern compositions that engage audiences of all musical tastes, interests and ages. As the largest performing arts company in Queensland employing 88 full-time musicians and the state’s only professional symphony orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra plays a vital role in Queensland’s cultural community, giving over 145 live performances across 47 weeks each year to more than 700,000 people. Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s annual season attracts high-profile international and national artists featuring repertoire and special. Located principally in Brisbane, each year the Orchestra also undertakes a regional tour delivering a free community engagement program and conducts an extensive state-wide education program that connects with 30,000 students, from pre-school to university level. The Orchestra also presents innovative corporate workshops engaging the business sector to think outside of the box about leadership and team work. In addition to its own program, Queensland Symphony Orchestra performs for major arts festivals, direct broadcasts and recordings, and supports state and national opera and ballet companies..

The Orchestra

To discover the instrument families in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the musicians who play them, click here.

The importance of a Leitmotif in movie music

Themes run throughout movies and are an important compositional technique. Music in movies adds to the emotion and magic of the action on screen and great movie scores sometimes are not noticeable until you turn the sound down and realise what is missing. Imagine a chase in an Indiana Jones movie or how scary a horror movie would be without the music in the background. A Leitmotif is a theme or melody that is associated with a character, idea or event. Composers use leitmotifs or themes to introduce and identify characters in the movies, operas and musicals.

Think of the leitmotifs associated with your favourite characters. Think of the Imperial March that is played when Darth Vader appears in Star Wars! This is Darth Vader’s Leitmotif.

Sing the leitmotifs of these characters and then click on the link to see if you are correct: Harry Potter The shark in Jaws Superman Pink Panther

JOHN WILLIAMS

Star Wars,

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

John Williams

John Williams was born in New York. John started piano lessons aged seven. When the family moved to the West Coast, his father, who was a percussionist, found session work playing on film soundtracks and John started working as a freelance pianist. After many years working as a pianist, John Williams made the transition into composition. Among his early works as a composer were the television shows such as Lost in Space, Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. He then composed for a variety of films including The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. His first Academy Award was for the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof. Stephen Spielberg approached Williams to score his movies. This led to Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, E.T. , Indiana Jones, Empire of the Sun, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan. After a gap of a few years Williams has composed the music for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, War Horse and most recently Lincoln. Williams was conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, and he has written several classical concert pieces. He has also been commissioned to compose works for some big events such as the Olympics and the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty.

Listen and watch: You Tube featuring famous violinist Itzhak Perlman speaking about, and then playing, John Williams’ Schindler’s List Theme. John Williams is conducting the orchestra.

John Williams Star Wars

The main theme of Star Wars has become the easily recognised melody, theme or leitmotif associated with Luke Skywalker. This strong theme features the brass instruments and is a fanfare.

Fanfare A fanfare is a short melody, usually loud and played by trumpets or similar instruments, that is used for military or ceremonial purposes or in movies when the occasion is grand or to announce something.

Tie - the notes are

held for the value of all

notes tied together

Triplet - splits a portion of time, e.g.

two beats into three equal parts.

John Williams Star Wars

The second theme is a contrast to the opening fanfare. The dynamics change from ff to mf and the theme is flowing and more melodic.

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Star Wars with John Williams conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Triplet - splits a portion

of time, e.g. one beat

into three equal parts. Semi-quavers and

semi-quaver rests

John Williams Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling. The book and the movie were also published under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The book was first published in 1997 and the movie was made in 2001. The movie was nominated for many awards including the Academy Award for Best Original Score (music), Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. There have been seven sequel movies of Harry Potter.

LISTEN and WATCH There are many memorable themes composed by John Williams. Hedwig’s Theme, played by the Celeste, has been included in every Harry Potter movie.

Celeste

A celeste is a small keyboard instrument developed in the later 19th century. To create the sound, hammers strike metal bars to give a ringing tone. Tchaikovsky used a celeste, which at the time was a new instrument, in the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker Suite.

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy featuring the celeste.

Themes from Harry Potter - Nimbus 2000

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Nimbus 2000 theme featuring the woodwind section of the orchestra.

The Nimbus 2000 was Harry Potter’s broom stick and it has its own leitmotif. In the movie Harry Potter received a Nimbus 2000 from Minerva McGonagall when he joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Seeker.

Staccato

(stacc.)

means play

the notes

short and

detached.

Simile

(sim.)

means

continue in

the same

style.

Staccato is also

represented using a dot.

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Harry’s Wonderful World conducted by the composer John Williams.

Harry’s Wondrous World is the theme or leitmotif that represents Harry Potter.

It is also used during the closing credits of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry’s Wondrous World begins with a melody similar to Hedwig’s Theme

but moves on a lively and triumphant feel.

Time signature

changes.

6/8 is 6 quaver

beats to a bar.

9/8 Is 9 quaver

beats in a bar.

3/4 is 3 Crochet

beats in a bar.

9/8 and 3/4 are

both conducted

using a 3 beat

pattern.

Themes from Harry Potter - Harry’s Wondrous World

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: For the 20th Anniversary of E.T. the Extra - Terrestial, John Williams conducted the music live while the film was screened. This documentary shows the rehearsal process and set up for the event.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a sci-fi movie made in 1982 and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of Elliot Thomas, a lonely boy, who befriends an extra-terrestrial who is stranded on Earth. Elliot helps E.T. return home while keeping him hidden from his mother and the government. The movie surpassed Star Wars to become the highest earning film of all time and it held this honour for 10 years. The movie was re-released in 1985 and then again in 2002 to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Adventures on Earth, Farewell and Closing Fanfare are well known themes from the movie.

John Williams E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

KLAUS BADELT

Pirates of the Caribbean

The Curse of the Black Pearl

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Klaus Badelt was born in Germany in 1967. He began his musical career in Germany composing for both film and commercials. In 1998, Badelt was invited to Hollywood by Oscar winning film composer Hans Zimmer and has now worked on many movies including Gladiator, Mission Impossible 2, Pearl Harbour and The Time Machine. More information: www.klausbadelt.com

Composer – Klaus Badelt

Klaus Badelt composed the score for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003. In the same year he had an Australian connection writing the score to Ned Kelly (a YouTube video is on his website www.klausbadelt.com)

HOWARD SHORE

Lord of the Rings:

The Fellowship of the Ring

Symphonic Suite

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings trailer

The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy novel written by English author J.R.R. Tolkien. It was written between 1937 and 1949. It is the second best–selling novel ever written with over 150 million copies sold. It was such a large work that it was published in 3 volumes known as a trilogy – The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. The Lord of the Rings films were directed by Peter Jackson and filmed in New Zealand between 2001 and 2003. Peter Jackson was born in New Zealand in 1961.

Lord of the Rings – Howard Shore

Howard Shore composed, orchestrated and produced the music for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Like John Williams, Shore uses leitmotifs to represent the various characters and places. Almost all the music was recorded in the Abbey Road Studios, London, made famous as the home of the Beatles recordings. www.howardshore.com/works/lotrsymphony/

The opening theme is marked marcato which means that each note is played strongly and for the full value.

Lord of the Rings Opening Theme

Time signature is

3/4. Count 3 beats

in each bar

Accent >. Find the other two accented notes in the

music.

Dotted minim is worth 3

beats. The dot is worth half

the value of the note that it is

with.

Count 2 beats for the minim.

Tied note. Hold the sound for

the value of both notes.

Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit - leitmotif

Leggiero means lightly

Crescendo – gradually getting louder

Dynamic or volume:

Mezzo piano mp means moderately soft

Decrescendo – gradually getting softer

Isengard’s leitmotif: The timpani part at bar 136 features a rhythm of 5 beats per bar with accents on the 1st and 4th beats of the bar. Clap this pattern or play on tambour or drum.

Lord of the Rings. Isengard’s leitmotif

Accent – Play the accented notes louder

Time Signature is 5/4 .

Each bar has 5 beats.

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Solo for Timpani The Tragedy of a Young Soldier by Christopher Walker

Timpani, sometimes known as kettledrums, are a type of drum and are a member of the percussion family (instruments that are hit to make a sound).

A skin is stretched over large bowls traditionally made of copper and are played with a mallet (a drum stick with a woollen head). Timpani are made in different sizes and each can be tuned to a range of different notes using a pedal.

Percussion Family - Timpani

A timpanist (a musician who plays timpani) will play a group of between three and five timpani and they can play both rhythms and melodies on the drums.

Did you know?

Timpani is plural

Timpano is singular

The music features a vocal part (bar 221 – 230). When not sung the part is played by the flute. Sing the song.

Lord of the Rings vocal part

JOHN CORIGLIANO

Red Violin, The Pope’s Concert

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Red Violin solos in the movie are played by famous violinist Joshua Bell.

The Red Violin is a 1998 Canadian movie. It tells the story of a mysterious violin and its journey over five countries and 400 years as it was bought and sold, lost and found, buried and discovered by many owners. The story starts in 1681 when Nicolo Bussotti, a violin maker in Italy, makes a new violin to celebrate the birth of his child. Throughout the story the violin is donated to an orphanage, buried by monks, stolen by grave robbers, sold to an antiques dealer who after 30 years sells it to a young woman, hidden during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and finally appears in an auction in Montreal. This is where the movie starts.

The Red Violin - The movie

Did you Know?

The movie was

inspired by a

real Stradivari

violin called the

1721 Red

Mendelssohn

which features

a red strip on

the side of its

body. It is worth

$1.7 million.

The Red Violin won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for composer John Corigliano.

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto – Cadenza by Nicolas Koeckert . The orchestra stops playing and the soloist performs a cadenza showing the range of the instrument and his talent. To show he is finishing, the soloist performs a trill and then the orchestra begins again.

The Violin is a member of the orchestral string family. It is made of wood and has four strings. The violin can be played arco or with the bow drawn across the strings or by plucking the strings with the fingers pizzicato.

The strings vibrate to create and sound and the fingers press the strings to the finger board to shorten the strings to change the sound.

Violin Cadenza

A Cadenza is a passage of music, within another work, where the soloist improvises to create music that shows of his or her virtuosic ability (how talented they are). In more modern works the composer will write a cadenza to showcase the instrument or a soloist.

Concert Master – Warwick Adeney

Soloist – Warwick Adeney

Warwick Adeney was born into a large family of violinists and trained at the Queensland Conservatorium and was awarded the Gold Medal in 1984.

Warwick joined the Queensland Theatre Orchestra and was appointed Concert Master in 1989. In 2001 the Queensland Orchestras merged and Warwick continued his leadership of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Over the years Warwick has given many performances of solos works and continues to enjoy the privileged and challenging life of the orchestra.

Warwick is married to Michele, a fellow musician and is blessed with nine children, all of whom learn a variety of instruments.

The violin Warwick plays is a Venetian instrument from the mid-18th century, possibly by Pietro Guarnerius, a very famous violin maker.

WHAT IS A CONCERT MASTER The Concert Master is the leader of the orchestra and is also the leader of the violin section. The Concert Master makes all the decisions about bowing and other technical details and conveys this information to the orchestra for the conductor. The Concert Master leads the orchestra in the tuning of the instruments before a rehearsal and concerts.

ENNIO MORRICONE

Gabriel’s Oboe from

The Mission

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: Gabriel’s Oboe

Gabriel’s Oboe is the main theme of the 1986 film The Mission. The soundtrack for the movie was composed by Ennio Morricone and it nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

Gabriel’s Oboe – from the movie, The Mission

Ennio Morricone is a composer, conductor and trumpet player. He has composed music for more than 500 movies and television series, but also writes other music.

LISTEN and WATCH YouTube Video: London Philharmonia Orchestra . Timothy Rundle introduces the oboe. Beethoven Oboe Trio. There are two oboes and the bigger relative, the cor anglais in this trio.

The Oboe

Cor Anglais or English Horn is also a double reed instruments and larger than the oboe.

The oboe is made of wood, has a conical bore and a flared bell. Holes which are covered by metal keys are pressed with the fingers and this lengthens or shortens the instrument to change the sounds. The mouthpiece is a double reed and sound is made by blowing into the reed so that both pieces of reed are vibrating.

In the orchestra, the oboe is a member of the woodwind family.

Australian Curriculum – Music

Elements of Music

Foundation to Year 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Years 7 and 8

Years 9 and 10

Rhythm Beat and rhythm Fast/slow Long/short

Tempo changes ostinato

Compound metre

Time signature Rhythmic devices - anacrusis, syncopation, ties and pause

Regular and irregular time subdivision triplet, duplet motif, augmentation/ diminution

Pitch High/low Pitch direction Pitch matching Unison

Pentatonic patterns Melodic shape Intervals Treble clef and staff

Major scales Pitch sequences, arpeggio, riff, Bass clef

Minor scales Key and key signatures Major/minor chords Ledger lines

Tonal centres, Modulation Consonance/ dissonance

Chromaticism

Dynamics & Expression

Forte, piano Dynamic gradations pp to ff Legato & staccato

Staccato, legato accent

Dynamic gradations Articulations relevant to style

Rubato, vibrato, ornamentation,

Form and Structure

Introduction Same/different, echo patterns, repetition Verse, chorus, round

Question & answer Repeat signs Binary (AB) form Ternary (ABA) form

Theme, motif Phrase Rondo (ABACA) form ostinato

Repetition and contrast Theme and Variation Verse chorus, bridge

Motivic development Sonata form Interlude, cadenza Improvisation

Timbre How sound is produced Every voice and instrument has its own sound

Recognise orchestral instruments by sound In isolations and in combination

Acoustic and electronic sounds Voice and instrument types

Recognise instrumental groups

Identify instruments by name and sound production

Texture Melody Accompaniment Drone

Patterns occurring simultaneously

Contrast within layers of sound

Layers of sound and their role. Unison, homo/polyphonic

Horizontal/vertical layers Countermelody

Creating Creating sounds using voice and instruments

Performing Playing instruments in groups

Rhythms Playing and reading melodic and rhythmic excerpts

Sing and play in two or more parts

Responding Moving to beat and rhythms

Respond to the stories Historical context

Awareness of ensemble