Mei-Ann Chenconductor

Shostakovich: Festive Overture

Rossini-Respighi: Waltz from The Fantastic Toyshop

Dvor̆ák: Slavonic Dance No. 1

Orff: Dance from Carmina Burana

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, 4th movement

Stravinsky: Infernal Dance of King Katschei from Firebird Suite

Higdon: Peachtree Street from City Scape

20 0 8 -20 0 9 Young Peop l e ’s Conce r t s

heartbeat of music

the

AtlantaSymphony Orchestra

1-21

heartbeat of music

the

Put your hand over your heart. Be still and quiet.

What do you feel?

2

Your heartbeat is always there. Most of the time, you are not aware that your heart is beating. While it beats on and on, you go about your daily routine. Think about your normal day. Most of us do certain things every single day, often at the same time every day. But every day is not the same – you have good days and bad days, happy days and sad days. Sometimes, something really exciting or unusual happens. Meanwhile, unnoticed, your heart beats on.

The same is true of music. While the rhythm holds our attention, underneath the rhythm, the beat just keeps on ticking. The beat, like your heartbeat, is the pulse – the very life – of music. Music happens in time the way your life happens in time. The steady beat sets the pace and divides time into little bits. Meanwhile, the rhythm may have a dull day or an exciting day, just like you, but – the beat goes on.

In music, beats are grouped together in 2’s or 3’s. This grouping of beats is called meter. When each section (measure) of a line of music contains 2 beats, we say the music is in duple meter. When there are three beats per measure, we call that triple meter. Duple and triple (and quadruple – 4 beat) meters are called simple meters.

The groups of twos and threes fit into measures on a page of music. When you look at a page of music, you will see a line that marks the end of a group of either two or three. We call the line a measure bar and the space between the bars a measure.

The first thing you do when you read a page of music is to check the time signature. The time signature looks like a fraction. The top number tells you how many beats are in the measures. That helps you figure out the meter. For instance, a 2/4 time signature tells you that there are two beats in each measure. That’s duple meter, of course.

The beat is a steady pulse. We say that beats are even. Each beat lasts the same amount of time as the beat before and after it. On the other hand, the rhythm is usually uneven. That means that rhythm is a combination of long and short musical tones. Sometimes the notes of the rhythm are on the beat. Sometimes they occur off the beat. Usually these long and short tones are combined into patterns.

At the ASO Young People’s Concert, you’ll hear music in many different meters and rhythms. Some will be simple, but some will be very complicated. You won’t believe how composers love to experiment with time in music!

Before the concert, listen to the Rhythm CD, watch the DVD, read your booklet and do the activities for each piece of music. Before long, you’ll be a meter and rhythm expert!

Meet the Instrument Families of the OrchestraString

The four major instruments in the string family, the violin, the viola, the cello and the double bass, are built the same way. The instruments are made of many pieces of wood, which are glued – never nailed – together. The body of the instrument is hollow, thus becoming a resonating box for the sound. Four strings (sometimes five on the double-bass) made of animal gut, nylon, or steel are wrapped around pegs at one end of the instrument and attached to a tailpiece at the other. They are stretched tightly across a bridge to produce their assigned pitches.

Woodwind

The three branches of the woodwind family have different sources of sound. Vibrations begin when air is blown across the top of an instrument, across a single reed, or across two reeds. Reeds are small pieces of cane. A single reed is clamped to a mouthpiece at the top of the instrument and vibrates against the mouthpiece when air is blown between the reed and the mouthpiece. Two reeds tied together are commonly known as a double reed. This double reed fits into a tube at the top of the instrument and vibrates when air is forced between the two reeds.

3

Trombones

Meet the Instrument Families of the Orchestra

Brass

Brass Family instruments produce their unique sound by the player buzzing his/her lips while blowing air through a cup- or funnel-shaped mouthpiece. To produce higher or lower pitches, the player adjusts the opening between his/her lips. The mouthpiece connects to a length of brass tubing ending in a bell. The shorter the tubing length, the smaller the instrument, and the higher the sound; and the longer the tubing length, the larger the instrument, and the lower the sound. The main instruments of the brass family include the trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba.

Percussion

With a name that means, “the hitting of one body against another,” instruments in the percussion family are played by being struck, shaken, or scraped. Percussion instruments are classified as tuned or untuned. Tuned instruments play specific pitches or notes, just like the woodwind, brass and string instruments. Untuned instruments produce a sound with an indefinite pitch, like the sound of a hand knocking on a door.

KeyboardKeyboard instruments are often classified as percussion instruments because they play a rhythmic role in some music. However, most keyboard instruments are not true members of the percussion family because their sound is not produced by the vibration of a membrane or solid material.

4

Shostakovich

5

Rhythm Spotlight on:• Duple Meter• Tempo• Triple Meter• Accent

Vocabulary Spotlight on:• Fanfare• Duple Meter• Tempo• Presto• Triple Meter• Accented

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Dmitri Shostakovich was born in 1906 in St. Petersburg, Russia. His mother taught him piano. He wrote his first symphony for his graduation from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1925. It was a great success and made him famous as a composer. Shostakovich wrote many different kinds of music, including operas, ballets, symphonies, and music for plays. Today, his music is known and played throughout the world.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

In 1954, Shostakovich was asked to write music for the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Russians celebrate the Revolution the same way we celebrate our Fourth of July. In Festive Overture, the rhythm patterns help the audience feel the excitement of the celebration. The beginning of Festive Overture is a fanfare. Fanfares are showy,

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Festive Overture

Shostakovich

6

Clap

time signature

>

Snap

1 2

outward displays that are designed to get your attention. The rest of Festive Overture is in duple meter (groups of two beats). You can tell when the duple-meter section is about to begin. The music slows down and you hear a loud chord. The Overture then continues at a very fast tempo in duple meter. The tempo is the speed of the music. Shostakovich placed the word presto at the beginning of this section. Presto is an Italian word that means “very fast.”

Activity #1: Try walking, running or marching to the beat. If it feels comfortable to step Left-Right-Left-Right, then you know the music is in duple meter (two feet = two beats). If it feels right to sway or think “1-2-3, 1-2-3,” then the music might be in triple meter (groups of three).

Most of Festive Overture is in duple meter (groups of two beats). It has a 2/4 time signature telling you that there are two beats in each measure. The groups of beats are easy to hear because the first beat is accented (louder).

You can create other 2-beat movements to go with Festive Overture. Create two different movements (for example clapping and snapping). Perform one move on beat one and the other on beat two. Try creating different 2-beat movements when you hear the music change. Next, try creating 3-beat movements to go with the fanfare section.

Activity #2:Conductors use a different conducting motion for each meter. The pattern for duple meter looks like this:

Lift your hand to chest height and trace this pattern in the air. It’s almost like drawing a fishhook in the air over and over. Play the recording of Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. Conduct a few minutes of the Presto section, using the duple meter pattern shown. Is your arm tired? Imagine conducting a two-hour concert. You can see why conductors have strong arms!

Rhythm Spotlight on:• Tempo• Triple Meter

Have you ever imagined that toys can come to life? That’s exactly what happens in this tale about a strange toyshop where dolls come to life and dance all kinds of dances. The story became a Russian ballet. One of the dances is a beautiful waltz.

ABOUT THE COMPOSERSWho wrote The Fantastic Toyshop – Rossini or Respighi? You will notice the names of two composers under the title. Actually, both composers contributed their talents!

Rossini wrote the melody of this waltz for piano. Nearly sixty years after he died, his piano pieces were used to create a new ballet, The Fantastic Toyshop. The head of the Russian Ballet asked the composer Respighi to take Rossini’s pieces, change them around and rewrite them for orchestra. The result became one of Respighi’s most popular works. The ballet was a great success.

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)Gioachino Rossini was born in 1792 in Italy. He had two very musical parents and started his musical training at the age of six, playing triangle in his father’s band. He learned to sing, play the piano and the French horn very well. Rossini’s music, such as the William Tell Overture, best known as the theme for the television series The Lone Ranger.

Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)Ottorino Respighi was born in 1879 in Italy. His father taught him violin and piano at a very young age. He played as a 1st violin player for the Russian Imperial Theatre where he met Rimsky-Korsakov, a composition teacher. Respighi studied composition and decided to make writing music his full-time career. He moved to Rome, Italy where he spent the rest of his life.

ABOUT THE BALLET

A ballet is a story told completely by music and dancing. The story the dancers tell takes place in a toyshop in Italy. Rich Russian and American tourists visit the shop to see the mechanical dolls. The shopkeeper shows the tourists how each pair of dolls performs their own special dance. The tourists love the two dolls that dance the

Rossini – RespighiWaltz from The Fantastic Toyshop

Rossini-Respighi 7

Vocabulary Spotlight on:• Ballet• Waltz• Pizzicato

can-can. The Russians buy the girl doll. The Americans buy the boy doll. They promise to come back the next day to pick them up. Overnight, the dolls come to life, dancing together. All the dolls are sad, because the can-can dolls are in love with each other and don’t want to be apart. The next day, when the tourists come back, no one can find the can-can dolls. The tourists become very angry. The dolls run them out of the shop. When they are gone, everyone dances.

ABOUT THE MUSIC One of the dances the dolls perform is a waltz. The waltz, a dance in ¾ time, was a very popular dance in the late 1800’s. The first waltz tune we know about is from Germany in 1670. It’s still an important dance in ballroom dancing contests. Over the years, composers have written many different kinds of waltzes. Some were even written in duple meter. At the very end of this waltz, you will hear the meter change from triple to duple. It’s easy to hear because the violins begin to play pizzicato. They pluck the strings instead of bowing.

Activity #1: Do you feel the “sway” in this ¾ music? You can’t help wanting to move to waltzes. We just have to dance!

Count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc. Clap the three beats as you count, repeating many times. Add a step on each beat one. You should be performing two things at the same time: clapping all three beats and stepping on the first beat. Perform this pattern while listening to the music. Create your own patterns to show groups of three. This is what the music looks like.

Using the diagram to the right, try dancing the waltz with a partner!

Activity #2:Now try conducting in ¾ time (triple meter). Follow the diagram to conduct a few minutes of the waltz from The Fantastic Toyshop. Conduct with small motions. Listen carefully! Sometimes the music slows down (tempo).

Rossini – RespighiWaltz from The Fantastic Toyshop

Rossini-Respighi 8

1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3> > > >

Dvo�rákAntonín Dvor̆ák (1841-1904)

Slavonic Dance No. 1 in C major, Op. 46

Rhythm Spotlight on:• Duple Meter• Triple Meter• Rhythm Pattern

Vocabulary Spotlight on:• Folk• Furient

Every culture around the world makes up its own stories, songs and dances. This is called folk culture. Folk means “from the people.” An example of an American folk dance is the square dance. The Slavonic Dance is a folk dance from the Slavic culture.

ABOUT THE COMPOSERAntonín Dvor̆ák, born in 1841, was the oldest of nine children. Antonín’s father wanted him to become a butcher like himself. Antonín was a talented violinist. He loved to play for his father’s customers in the family inn. He left school at the age of 12 to go to a neighboring town to learn more about music. At 17, he went to the city of Prague to become a professional musician.

Antonín Dvor̆ák loved his country. His music was inspired by the folk music and folk stories of his native Bohemia. Look at the map. Bohemia is now part of the Czech Republic.

ABOUT THE MUSIC When he was 33 years old, Dvor̆ák won a prize to help “young, poor and talented” musicians. Later, he won the prize two more times. One of the judges who awarded him the prize was the famous composer Johannes Brahms. Brahms introduced Dvor̆ák to his publisher. The publisher asked Dvor̆ák to write a set of

9

Dvo�rák

10

dances like Brahms’ Hungarian Dances. The Slavonic Dances were so popular they made Dvor̆ák famous all over Europe.

The Slavonic Dances are a set of eight short pieces. Slavonic Dance No. 1 is composed in the style of a furiant, a fun, exciting, Czech folk dance that changes back and forth between duple and triple meters. It contains a series of rhythm patterns.

Activity #1: Follow the listening guide below to listen to the whole piece of music.

Activity #2:The time signature in this piece is ¾ throughout. It feels like the meter changes from triple to duple and back again, because the accented beats (louder or heavier) change from section to section. Try this exercise:

Count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc. Tap your foot to the beat. Once the counting is steady, begin clapping on beats 1, 3 and then 2. These are the accented beats. Do this over and over. Though you are counting in three (triple meter), you are accenting three beats over two measures. Grouping the accents over two measures creates a feeling of a slower triple meter. This is what happens in the first section of this Slavonic Dance.

The accent pattern looks like this:

The rhythm pattern looks like this:

Now clap the first pattern four times, and then switch to the second pattern. Play it four times, and then continue to change back and forth between patterns. Keep the beat steady. There are four different rhythm patterns in this music.

Activity #3:Create some dance steps or motions to go with the music. You need four different patterns of steps – one for each section (A, B, C, D). You need three different patterns in duple meter and one in triple meter. Each time a section repeats, do the same steps or motions. Ask your teacher if you need help with ideas.

Rhythm Spotlight on:• Accent• Mixed Meter

Now you know that meter can be tricky. That means you are ready to hear a wonderful new piece of music. This music uses groups of 2 and 3 beats just like Slavonic Dance No.1. You might hear a group of four beats, followed by 3, followed by 2, then four two times – and on and on. To make things even more interesting, the beat doesn’t feel steady. Even though its meter is complicated, you’ll find that this dance is fun to listen to. Be careful if you try to dance to it, though. You might get tripped up!

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Born in Germany in 1895, Carl Orff loved music at an early age. He wrote puppet plays with music. He even had a composition published when he was just 16 years old. Carmina Burana made Orff ’s compositions famous. Before then, he was best

known in his native Germany as a music teacher. You might have heard of him and don’t even realize it. Your music teacher may use “Orff-Instruments”. These Orff-Instruments are xylophones,

11

Carl Orff (1895-1982)

Dance (Tanz) from Carmina Burana

HUNGARY

WALESE N G L A N D

F R A N C E

BELGIUM

NETHERLANDS

GERMANY

LUXEMBOURG

P O L A N D

RUSSIA

LITHUANIA

LATVIA

B E L A R U S

CZECH REP.SLOVAKIA

AUSTRIASWITZERLAND

SLOVENIA CROATIABOSNIA-

HERZEGOVINA

YUGOSLAVIA

R O M A N I A

BULGARIA

MACEDONIA

U K R A I N E

MOLDOVA

GEORGIA

R U S S I A

T U R K E YGREECE

ALBANIA

SYRIA

LEBANONCYPRUS

ISRAEL JORDAN

S A U D I A R A B I A

E G Y P TL I B Y A

TUNISIAMALTA

M O R O C C O

PORTUGAL

S P A I N

ANDORRA I T A L Y

D E N M A R K

SWEDEN

A L G E R I A

ESTONIA

NORWAY

FINLAND

ICELAND

GREENLAND

I R A N

I R A Q

T U R K M E N I S TA N

U Z B E K I S T A N

K A Z A K H S T A N

AZERBAIJAN

ARMENIA

KUWAIT

QATAR UNITEDARAB

EMIRATES

S C O T L A N D

W E S T E R N S A H A R A

M A U R I T A N I A

IRELAND

Don

Volga

DneprDnestr

Tigris

Ni le

Po

Loire

Ural

Sydaríya

Severnaya Dvina

Sukho

na

Volga

Obí

Obí

Irtysh

Irtysh

Tobol

RhÙ

ne

Donau

Duero

Tajo

Seine

E

uphra tes

Pripyat

Des

na

Prut

Crete

MADEIRA IS.

CANARY IS.

BALEARIC IS.

Corsica

Sicily

FAEROES

SHETLAND IS.

HEBRIDES

Sardinia

Ostrov Kolguyav

ORKNEY IS.

Denmark Strait

GREENLAND SEABARENTS SEA

Bay ofBiscay

A T L A N T I C

O C E A N

A R C T I C O C E A N

M E DI T

ER

RA

NE

AN

S E A

Strait of Gibraltar

NORTH

SEASkagerra

k

B L A C K S E A

A R A LS E A

CA

S

PI A N

S

EA

P e r s i a n G u l f

R E D S E A

B

AL

TI

CS

EA

Gu

l fo

fB

othn

ia

NORWEGIAN SEA

Gulf ofSirte

UR

AL

MO

UN

TA

IN

S

T O R O S D A G L A R

I

L.Van

L.Onega

L.Ladoga

C A U C A S U S

H A U T A T L A S A T L A S S A H A R I E N

CAR

PATHIA

NS

A

LP

S

ELBURZM

OU

NTA

IN

ZAGROS MOUNTAINS

WE

ST

SI

BE

RI

AN

PL

AI

N

K O L AP E N I N S U L A

MASSIFCENTRAL

Andorra la VellaMadrid

Lisbon

Rabat

Algiers

El Aaiun

Las Palmas

London

Dublin

Brussels

Paris

Athens

Ankara

TunisNicosia

Damascus

Amman

Baghdad

Cairo Abu Dhabi

Jerusalem

Beirut

Benghazi

Tripoli

Bucharest

Sofiya

Skopje

Tbilisi

Ashkhabad

Baku

Yerevan

Tehran

The Hague

Luxembourg

Berlin

Copenhagen

Riga

Vilnius

Tallinn

Warsaw

Prague

Moscow

Minsk

Kiev

KishinevBratislavaVienna

Budapest

Belgrade

Sarajevo

Ljubljana

San Marino

RomeTirane

Bern

Monaco

Oslo Stockholm

Helsinki

Reykjavik

Göteborg

Porto

Belfast

Cardiff

Edinburgh

Sankt-Peterburg

Bilbao

Casablanca

Sevilla

Malaga

Marrakech

Kazan

Samara

Magnitogorsk

Yekaterinburg

Gibraltar

Sevastopolí

Odessa

Istanbul

Izmir

Omsk

Arkhangelísk

Murmansk

Alexandria

Suez

Barcelona

Riyadh

Al Kuwayt

Al Basrah

0 500 1000 1500 Miles

0 500 1000 1500 2000 Kilometres

Orff

12

OrffA AA AB BIntro CodaC

metallophones and glockenspiels. Some of the instruments are large (bass), some medium (alto), and some small (soprano). Many music teachers in American schools use the Orff-method of teaching music. Carl Orff believed that all students should make music as a group. He believed all young people are musical. Ask your teacher if she uses the Orff music teaching method. You might be an “Orff-musician.”

ABOUT THE MUSIC

The Dance (Tanz, in German) from Carl Orff ’s Carmina Burana is a wild and crazy dance. You can just imagine people flinging themselves around with uncontrolled motions. In fact, this dance is set in a section of Carmina Burana called “On the Lawn.” That would be a good place to do this dance!

A chorus and soloists sing all the other parts (movements) of Carmina. This is the only movement just for orchestra. Tanz has no time signature. Written above the conductor’s score (the written music), there is simply a number (2, 3, 4, 6, 12) and the beat note. The beat note is the type of note that gets one beat. It is sometimes a quarter note and sometimes an eighth note. Eighth notes last half as long as quarter notes (1/4 divided by 2 = 1/8). Because the beat note keeps changing, the pulse (beat) is not always the same.

Activity #1: Tanz has several different sections. The A section (the first section) and the B section (the second section) are very rhythmic, loud and boisterous. Sometimes you hear a duple meter and sometimes you hear a triple meter (this is called mixed meter). The C section is very different. It is much quieter, slower and features a flute solo. Follow along with the listening map on page 19 as you listen to the music.

Bartok

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

Concerto for Orchestra, 4th movement

13

Rhythm Spotlight on:• Mixed Meter• Accent• Septuple Meter

Vocabulary Spotlight on:• Concerto• Mixed Meter

Like Carl Orff, Béla Bartók composed interesting and exciting music by using complex rhythms and mixed-meter.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Béla Bartók was born in Hungary in 1881. His parents were teachers and amateur musicians. Béla showed his talent at an early age. At four years old, he could play over 40 songs on the piano.

Béla was shy and not very healthy. His father died when Béla was only seven. His mother moved the family often, looking for jobs. She wanted Béla and his sister to have good a good education. Béla began writing music when he was only ten years old. He went to music school to become a piano soloist.

Later, Béla became very interested in the folk music of his country. He collected folk music by listening to the people around him. Bartók composed music that often times sounded like Hungarian folk music.

Bartok

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

Concerto for Orchestra, 4th movement

14

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra was the last music he wrote. Béla left Hungary when World War II began. The Nazis had taken over his country. He was living in New York and was very ill. Someone asked Bartók to write a piece for orchestra. The desire to write this music made him feel much better for a while. He wrote the Concerto in only seven weeks. He died nine months later.

In a concerto, a musician stands in front of the orchestra to play a solo part. This concerto is unusual because there is no “star” soloist. Bartók treats each of the regular orchestra musicians like soloists. This is a showpiece for the whole orchestra.

Activity #1: In this music, Bartók uses mixed-meter. That means the grouping of beats changes often. Mostly the meters switch between groups of 2 (with a quarter note beat) and groups of 5 (with an eighth note beat). You can probably hear the unstable sound of mixed-meter as you listen to the 4th movement from the Concerto for Orchestra.

Follow along with the rhythm of the first section of this piece (Section A - played by the oboe) by saying the words below the notes. After you are comfortable with that, try using the numbers underneath.

Activity #2: Bartók’s 4th movement has 3 sections that are easy to recognize. The A section is the mixed meter music you studied in Activity #1. Next is the B section that is also in mixed-meter, but has a different melody. The interruption is loud, fun march music in a steady meter of 2. Create your own 2-beat pattern by patting your legs, then clapping your hands to go along with this fun interruption.

This is the sequence of events in this piece:

A - B – A - C - INTERRUPTION - B - A

Can - you4 5

HearBar-tok’s1 2 &

Or-ches-tra Mu-sic1 2 3 4 5

HearBar-tok’s1 2 &

Or-ches-tra Mu-sic1 2 3 4 5

Hear Bar-tok’s1 2 &

Or - ches - tra Mu - sic1 2 3 4 5

Or - ches - tra Mu - sic1 2 3 4 5

Or - ches - tra1 2 3

15

Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Infernal Dance of King Katschei from Firebird Suite

Rhythm Spotlight on:• Accent• Syncopation• Mixed Meter

Vocabulary Spotlight on:• Syncopation

Do you know any fairy tales or myths? People in every part of the world have their own fairy tales and myths. Sometimes they are stories about creatures with magic powers. The story behind this music is a Russian fairy tale. ABOUT THE COMPOSERIgor Stravinsky was born in Russia in 1882. His father was an opera singer. Igor dreamed of becoming a composer, but his family wanted him to become a lawyer. At law school, he met the son of Rimsky-Korsakov, a famous Russian composer. After graduation from law school, Igor studied composition with his friend’s father.

The head of the Russian Ballet, Serge Diaghilev, liked Igor’s music. He hired Igor to write the music for a new ballet. The ballet is the story of a magic bird. The Firebird Suite made Stravinsky very famous. (Diaghilev was the person who also hired Respighi to write the music for The Fantastic Toyshop.)

Stravinsky also spoke four languages, loved going to see movies (he lived in Hollywood, California for much of his life) and found it relaxing to stand on his head. He also once said, “My music is best understood by children and animals.”

ABOUT THE STORY Firebird is the story of a Russian tsar’s son, Prince Ivan. One night, Ivan sees a magical golden bird taking golden apples from a tree. He tries to catch the bird. The bird gives him one of his golden feathers for Ivan to set him free. The feather is supposed to have the power to protect Ivan and to bring the firebird to his rescue.

16

Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Infernal Dance of King Katschei from Firebird Suite

Later, Ivan is in the courtyard of an enchanted castle. He sees a beautiful princess and twelve maidens. He falls in love with the princess. He wants her to go away with him. The princess tells Ivan that she and her friends are captives of the wicked magician King Katschei. If anyone tries to rescue them, they will be turned into stone.

Ivan goes into the castle to do battle with Katschei. Ivan waves the magic feather. The firebird returns. The bird makes Katschei’s servants do a mad dance that leaves them too tired to hurt Ivan. Ivan and the princess find the magic egg that is the source of Katschei’s powers. He smashes the egg and takes the princess away. Of course, they live happily ever after.

ABOUT THE MUSICThe Infernal Dance of Katschei’s servants is the music you will hear from Firebird. This music changes meters as Tanz did. Stravinsky uses both duple and triple meters to convey the idea of a wild and scary dance.

The most important part of this music is the rhythm. Stravinsky uses a type of rhythm called syncopation. In non-syncopated music, the heaviest beat (accent) is on the first beat of each measure. In a syncopated rhythm, notes are accented in unusual places. Sometimes there is no note on the beat. Instead, notes are played between the beats only. You’ll hear syncopation in most of The Infernal Dance of Katschei.

Activity #1: Try performing a syncopated rhythm: Count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc. After you are comfortable counting this way, add the word “and” in-between each number: 1 & 2 & 3 &, 1 & 2 & 3 etc. Add a clap on the numbers.

Now continue to count the same way (1 & 2 & 3 &, 1 & 2 & 3 etc), but clap on the “and” instead of the number.

Activity #2: After listening to all of The Infernal Dance of Katschei, try singing this tune. You will notice that it is the same syncopated rhythm and melody of the main theme of the music.

Activity #3: Try drawing or painting your own version of the Infernal Dance scene. Should you use curving lines or zigzag lines? Bright colors or pale colors? How will you make your decision?

In - fer - nalIn - fer - nal dan - cing tune, Dance in the - af - ter-noon

Now my bore - dom - is cured Dan-cing all day to Stra - win-sky’s Fi - re-bird!

In - fer - nalIn - fer - nal dan - cing tune, Dance in the - af - ter-noon

Now my bore - dom - is cured Dan-cing all day to Stra - win-sky’s Fi - re-bird!

17

HigdonJennifer Higdon (born 1962)

Peachtree Street from City Scape

Rhythm Spotlight on:• Accent• Mixed Meter• Syncopation

Vocabulary Spotlight on:• Rondo Form

This music is about your hometown. You can almost see the busy scenes on Peachtree Street, the “main street” of Atlanta.

ABOUT THE COMPOSERJennifer Higdon was born in 1962 in Brooklyn, New York. When she was one year old, her family moved to Atlanta. Her mother and father took Jennifer to hear the Atlanta Symphony for the first time when she was eight years old. She attended the ballet, museums, film festivals and even rock concerts in Piedmont Park. Her parents loved all of those things. They wanted Jennifer to see and hear it all.

Jennifer first learned to play percussion instruments. She taught herself to play the flute when she was a teenager. She kept that a secret at first. She tried out for the flute section in her high school band. She passed her audition. She practiced hard every day.

Jennifer became a very good flute player. She decided to study music in college. She also wanted to learn how to conduct an orchestra and write music. One of her teachers was Robert Spano. Mr. Spano is now the Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Jennifer makes her living writing music. She also teaches other people how to write music. You will hear that she writes special parts for her two favorites – flute and percussion.

18

HigdonJennifer Higdon (born 1962)

Peachtree Street from City Scape

ABOUT THE MUSIC“Peachtree Street” is the name of this music. It is the 3rd movement of a long piece called City Scape. When you come to hear the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, you will be on Peachtree Street.

Watch carefully as you ride down Peachtree Street. You will see lots of red lights. You will probably see lots of people and cars moving down the street. Peachtree is a busy street. This ”Peachtree Street” movement is Jennifer’s memory of the busy spots and the quiet spots on that long street.

The first two movements of City Scape are also about Atlanta. “Skyline” is the name of the first movement. The “River Sings a Song to the Trees” is the name of the second movement. Jennifer was thinking about her old hometown when she wrote this music.

This music has all of the elements you have learned about while studying for this concert: beat, rhythm, accents, duple, triple and changing meters, syncopation and triplets. You will hear how Ms. Higdon uses all of these exciting rhythms to create music that sounds like life on a busy street.

Activity #1: First, you should listen to all of “Peachtree Street.” Do you hear busy places and calm places?

There are FIVE different themes in “Peachtree Street. A letter of the alphabet labels each theme. Ms. Higdon wrote this piece in Rondo Form. That means that the A theme is repeated after every new theme (A-B-A-C-A-D-A-E-A-F-A). The F theme is a combination of all the other themes. Each section features a different section of the orchestra as well as different interesting rhythms. Use the listening map on page 20 to follow along with the different sections.

Activity #2: In the A theme of “Peachtree Street,” Higdon uses only a few rhythms, but combines them and rearranges them in different patterns. Each time the A theme returns, the rhythms are combined differently, but still create the same effect of a crowded Atlanta street filled with noisy cars.

Using the rhythms below, try making your own unique music: Copy down the rhythms in the order you want, then say, clap or play the music you created for your friends.

Carl OrffTanz (Dance) Carmina Burana

19

Form: A AA AB BIntro CodaC

A

A

B

Flute

D.S. al Coda

Violin

C

Coda

How to use this listening map:• Usingonefinger,toucheachshape,followingthemusic.• Startwiththetrumpetsatthetop.• IntheA,BandCodasections,whentouchingtheman,say“Dance”,whentouchingtheboyrakingsay“on-the-

lawn”,whentouchingthedot,say“dot• IntheCsection,followthewavylineoftheflutewhenyouhearthefluteplay.Thetimpaniplaysatthesametime.• Inthecoda,thelengthofthetrumpetsfitthelengthofnotesplayedbytheorchestra.• YouwillnoticerepeatsignsatbothendsoftheAandCsections.Thismeanstoperformeachsectiontwice.• D.S.alCodameanstogoupthesignattheAsectionandstartthemapagain.Afterthesecondtimethroughthe

second A section, go to the Coda.

Jennifer HigdonCity Scape, Peachtree Street

20

A A

A A A

ACB D

E F

Strings Woodwinds

Brass All

Percussion

Meet the ConductorMei-Ann Chen is the assistant conductor with the ASO this year. She will lead our Young People’s Concerts. The conductor is the person who stands in front of the orchestra and leads the music. The conductor’s instrument is the whole orchestra! The musicians follow the conductor’s arm movements in order to play together. The conductor reads from the score. The score helps the conductor see what each instrument should be playing at any moment. The conductor starts and stops the orchestra and sets the speed (tempo) of the music. She keeps the beat and shows the players how the music should be played. Below, Maestro Chen answers some questions to help you get to know her.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. My parents were both wonderful teachers. I wanted to be a teacher, too. An American youth orchestra came to Taiwan. I was offered a scholarship to study violin in America. So, I came to America when I was 16. My family is still in Taiwan.

How did you become interested in music?

My parents loved music. They didn’t have a chance to play an instrument. My sister and I started music lessons when we were very young. My sister was more interested in painting. I learned the piano and the violin. Music became a way to share what I couldn’t say with words. Now I can’t live without making music.

How did you learn to conduct?

I began playing in an orchestra when I was ten years old. I knew right away that I wanted to become a conductor. I would memorize my violin part so that I could watch the conductor. That’s how I first learned to conduct. I was very determined to become a conductor. I had my first real conducting lesson while I was a junior at the New England Conservatory.

What excites you about moving to Atlanta?

I played the violin in a conducting class at a summer music camp. Maestro Robert Spano taught there. He is the conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He’s a great teacher! Working with him as a conductor for the ASO is my dream come true. I love working with the world-class Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

A Note to Parents:We are delighted that your child will have an opportunity to visit Symphony Hall to hear the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. This student guide is part of the extensive preparation materials provided for educators to use in preparing young people for the concert. The teacher materials are available for your perusal on the Internet at www.atlantasymphony.org.

The theme of the 2008-2009 ASO Young People’s Concert is rhythm. Through The Heartbeat of Music, students will explore the element of rhythm in music – how it is created and how it conveys meaning. In subsequent years, students will learn about the other elements of music. We hope you will encourage your school leaders to take advantage of these future concerts.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra provides other opportunities for you to share the joy of music with your child. The Sunday afternoon Family Concert series is designed to be an entertaining learning experience for the whole family. Also on Sunday afternoons, you and your children may enjoy concerts performed by the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. This talented group of student musicians ranging in age from 13-18 performs three subscription concerts a year. Or you may want to attend the Spring Recital of our extraordinary Talent Development Program students. We hope you’ll take advantage of these and other concerts to instill in your child a love of orchestral music – a lifelong gift that your child will treasure.

21-22

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Learning Community Staff

Paul Hogle, Vice President/Institutional Advancement & Learning

Melanie Darby, Director of Education ProgrammingMariel Reynolds, ASO Community CatalystBeth Wilson, Director of Student Musician DevelopmentLindsay Fisher, Learning Community Specialist and Ensembles Coordinator

The 2008-2009 ASO YPC Study Guide was developed and written by Susan Merritt with updates and additions by Mary Leglar.

Sponsors/Funders

ASO Young People’s Concerts are sponsored by:

Kathy Griffin Memorial Endowment

Additional Education Funding is provided by:

Fulton County Arts Council Georgia Council for the Arts The Kendeda FundCity of Atlanta, Office of Cultural AffairsThe Zeist FoundationThe Coca-Cola CompanyThe Livingston FoundationThe Hellen Plummer Charitable FoundationVerizon WirelessUPS FoundationGE Energy

The Learning Community is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of Atlanta, Office of Cultural Affairs; and the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. Major funding is provided by the Fulton County Commission under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council.

n n n n n n n nn n n n n nn nn The ASO Family Concerts

presented by Delta Air Lines and Publix Supermarket Charities

October 26, 2008A Haunted Halloween Jere Flint, conductor Lee Harper & Dancers 1:30 & 3:30pm

February 15 2009Vivaldi’s Ring of MysteryJere Flint, conductor Classical Kids Live!, guest artist 1:30 & 3:30pm

April 19, 2009 Bach to the FutureAtlanta Symphony Youth OrchestraPlatypus Theatre, guest artist1:30 & 3:30pm

May 10, 2009 How the Gimquat Found Her SongJere Flint, conductor Platypus Theatre, guest artist1:30 & 3:30pm

Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra

presented by:

ASO Talent Development

Program

Fall ConcertSunday November 9, 2008, 3pmDvor̆ák: Symphony #8 in G major

Winter ConcertSunday March 15, 2009, 3pmTchaikovsky: Symphony #4

Spring ConcertSunday May 31, 2009, 3pmShostakovich: Symphony #5

TDP MusicaleNovember 1, 2008, 3pmRichard Rich AuditoriumWoodruff Arts Center

TDP Spring RecitalApril 18, 2009, 3pmRichard Rich AuditoriumWoodruff Arts Center