Meeting the great composers - Brahms

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was born in Hamburg, Germany. He studied piano when he was seven and soon began to play well enough to get a job playing in restaurants and theatres. At age 19, he made his first concert tour and when he was 20, he was introduced to Robert Schumann, a famous composer of the time. Schumann gave Brahms a lot of help and encouragement. By the time Brahms was 35, he was a famous composer himself. He had a reputation as a "grump" but was also very loveable. When he went for his daily walks, he passed out candy to children. Brahms has been called one of the three great "B's" of German composers. Do you know who the other two are?

Brahms has composed music both vocal and instrumental music. You may have heard one of the famous piece by him when you were still a baby:

This version is sung by Celine Dion, a famous Canadian singer. The original version of the song is sung in German.

Another tune you may recognize by Brahms is the Hungarian Dance No.5, Let's listen to the tune played on a set of glass harp.

Many people see Brhams as the successor of Beethoven because his composition is brilliant. However, Brahms did not write symphony until later in his composing life because he was afraid that his work is not good enough. He ended up writing 4 symphonies as well as other orchestral piece for chamber music.

Let's travel in time to the 1890's Vienna, where Brhams lived! This adventure will tell you what chamber music was all about.

Click here to access "Brahms in 1890's Vienna"~~~

A Beautiful Advert bt John Lewis



From behind the scene...

 

Year 4 music: Sambalele (body percussion)

Year 4 music: how to make basic beatbox sound?

Paganini's violin concerto performed on face

Flashmob orchestra - Som Sabadell

The Black Key Song

Etude No.5 Opus 10 is a piano piece by Frédéric Chopin is also known as the "Black-Key". Why? The answer is obvious - most notes in this songs are located in the black keys on the piano. Let's look at how virtuoso pianist, Lang Lang plays it:

Oh, by the way, becuase of the nature of the song (most keys are black keys on the piano) he can also play it by using an orange!



Now, to further understand the complexity of this study (etude), let's look at how the keys move on the piano:

All-in-one: Nick Pitera

Children, watch this video and keep count of the number of characters in it.

Now, let's see how many people were behind the scence during the recording:

Irish music

This is a very typical Irish tune played by two instruments. What are they?



Do you think the tin whistle and the bodhran goes well together?

Next on the list of traditional Irish instrument is the fiddle. You may look at say, "Hey that's a violin!" Here this tune and can you tell me how fiddler plays differently from a violinist?



How about the Accordian?



And the Bagpipe

FULL LYRICS TO THE LITTLE BEGGARMAN

Year 4 Music: Cantonese Opera 2

"Bailan" (白欖) is a unique form of stage craft in Cantonese opera. It is easy for children to perform as it is similar to many traditional children rhymes. The basic structure invovles a 3-word / 5-word / 7-word phrase; rhyming is also an important criteria of writing a bailan.

白欖是粵劇元素“唸”中的一種。基本結構多為三﹑五或七字的押韻句子句。以下是粵劇“花田八喜”中的白欖選段。

“花田八喜”白欖選段 (4:10 起)

One can also find a modern version of bailan in TV shows. Click HERE for an example.

除了在粵劇的臺上﹐我們也能在現在的電視劇中看到白欖。你可以按此觀看劇集“師傅有禮”中蓋鳴暉示範的白欖。

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum has permenant exhibition on Cantonese opear. Click HERE to visit its website and know more about it.

Year 4 Music: Cantonese Opera

Cantonese Opera is a major type of traditional musical drama in China. History and origin of Cantonese opera remains controversial as there is little formal written record fround - this form of art relies heavily on an aural tradition. A typical Catonese opera performance is comprised with four major elements: singing, body movement, recitation and stage combat. Click HERE for a brief introduction of Cantonese opera. In 2009, the UNESCO declared Cantonese opera to be a form of world intangible heritage

粵劇﹐是中國傳統三百多種戲曲中的其中一種﹐流行於廣東一帶。粵劇歷史沒有正式的文獻記載﹐多從推測與口傳而得。粵劇主要有四大元素﹐包括唱﹑做﹑唸﹑打。於2009年﹐粵劇正式被聯合國教育﹑科學及文化組織列入世界非物質文化遺產。

For teacher, HERE is a link in Chinese as resource. Here are a few videos that invovles demonstration of the 4 elements of Cantonese opera.

1) Singing and recitation (唱與唸)



2) Body movement and stage combat (做與打)



Here is a video of a classic stage combat demonstration:

Degas and Dancers

Though I don't know much about Edgar Degas (1834-1917), I've always loved his series of paintings on (ballet) dancers. Apparently, he lived during the time when ballet was one of the most popular form of stage art in Paris; there's no wonder that he has developed such an obsession on this topic.

Here's a few from the series which I find very intriguing; they represent the road to become successful performers (ballerinas in this case).

They go to class and practice....

They continue to practice after class...

They prepare for exams...

Then they continue to practice in the dancing room...

and sometimes, they practice on stage before a performance...

After countless practice sessions and unmeasurable endurance,

a star is born!

Degas said, "people call me the painter of dancers, but i really want to capture movement itself." Perhaps this is the reason why Degas was more interested in painting in a practice room rather than on a stage - most natural movements happens in the practice room.

Here's a beautiful musical slideshow of more Degas' dancers.

The Metropolitan Museum has developed a series of interactive games for children to explore different artists. If you would like to learn more about Edgar Degas and his dancer paintings, please visit The Dancers and Degas.

You may visit the MEET THE GREAT ARTISTS page to find out about other artists!

Year 4 music: Sounds from the rainforest

The Baka are an ethnic group living in the southeastern rainforest of Cameroon, Africa. To them, the rainforest is not only a collection of tree but their home. As part of their long tradition, music plays an important part in the lives of rainforest inhabitant. The function of music/sound does not only serves as a mean of entertainment but a form of communication as well.

The Baka believe that when disaster strikes, the rainforest has gone to sleep. They use music to wake the forest back up. Baka music relies heavily on a capella singing, with improvised string instruments and "water drums." The sound of the water drum is created by slapping water in a stream or pond with the hands. Though their neighbors sometimes call the Baka loud, they have developed their sounds as a way to communicate amidst thick vegetation. The Mbuti, a rainforest people from Congo, share this trait. Like many rainforest people, both the Baka and the Mbuti have songs for almost every occasion, from a pre-hunt cry to welcome melodies for village visitors. (article source: PBS - Rainforest music)

Let's look as an example of one of the Baka's favorite "instruments" - the Water drum:

Discussion

Water drumming is usually performed by women in the rainforest tribe. Why do you think so? How was this "instrument" invented in the first place?

The Beer Bottle Orchestra

Year 4 Music: I's the By (A Newfoundland folk song)

I'S THE BY

I'se The B'y that builds the boat and
I'se The B'y that sails her and
I'se The B'y that catches the fish and
Brings 'em home to Liza

CHORUS:
Hip-yer-partner Sally Tibbo
Hip-yer-partner Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Morton's Harbour,
All around the circle
(Sods and rinds to cover your flake,
Cake and tea for supper
Cod fish in the spring of the year,
Fried in maggoty butter)

I don't want your maggoty fish
They're no good for winter
Well I can buy as good as that,
Way down in Bonavista!

I took Liza to a dance,
As fast as she can travel,
And every step that she could take,
Was up to her knees in gravel

Susan White she's outta sight,
Her petticoat wants a border,
Well old Sam Oliver in the dark,
He kissed her in the corner!

Year 4 music: 康定情歌 (Kangding Love song)

The Kangding Love Song (康定情歌) is one of the most famous Chinese love songs in history. It is a traditional folk songof Kangding (康定). The town is located in the western part of the sichuan province in China, within the Tibetan Plateau.

Do you like the melody? Do you think it's romantic?



Happy Valentine's Day! =)

Year 4 music: Why d-r-m-f-s-l-t-d'?

I designed 2 questions into my Year 4 classroom these two days so as to facilitate discussion around the topic of music notations; and they are:

1) We've always relied on a sol-fa system to learn music - but why do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do' not any other strings of non-sense syllables? In other words, where does this system originate?

2) The sol-fa system, by its alphabetical appearance, is cultured as only people who know alphabets can read. It can be argued that it's not a universal system. Can you, children, come up with a notation system that is can be used universally, freed from cultural boundaries?

It was a delightful discussion. Certainly, no one would know the origin of the sol-fa system unless you deliberately research for it (like I had to do for this lesson); the reasons generated through the discussion were quite creative:

1) The creator of music had 8 sons, and they were named Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do' respectively.

2) The creator of music decided to do a lucky draw and set each pitch to a syllables; and the winners are Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do'

3) Beethoven invented it

4) Once a upon a time, there is a village full of witches. When the withces perform witchcraft, they sing a strange spell; this has become a tradition. Many years later, tourists start visiting the village and heard this string of syllables and thought it sound good; so they decided to share it with the rest of the world.

5) It came from a mysterious murder. 8 presidents were killed and there was blood stain on their bodies. The blood stain reads Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do'.

This may give you some hint...

Giant Xylophone in the Forest

Last Year, I shared with a group of year 2 students the following video of virtual instrument. They were fascinated and kept asking me if it was real. I told them that I supposed it could be built with technology today but it would take a lot of manpower and resource.

This year, I am so happy to see this idea coming to live! A Japanese crew has constructed a giant xylophone in the forest playing Bach's Jesu Joy of Man's Desire

CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW THIS BECAME POSSIBLE

All art forms intertwine

Fashion, music, dance, architecture, painting...all different art forms in the world is undergoing a non-stop evolution since they first made their appearance around. Styles and preferences come and go; sometimes they make a return triumphantlyunder the hands of artists and creators.

I like this video a lot, it could've been inspired by the recently hit on youtube "100 years of history in 10 minute". This video is much more concise. The theme lies on how fashion has evolved through time (from 1911 till presence). The music and dance form that comes along with the video also represent different genres. These few different forms are inseparable! Enjoy!

Film Recommendation - Polar Express (2004)

The Polar Expressis originally an award-winning book written by Chris van Allsburg. It tells the story about a boy's journey to the North Pole on a train that has stopped by his bedroom on Christmas eve. In 2004, the movie version of the story was released and became one of children's favorite winter stories. I would highly recommend this film to children 9+; they just don't get enough of adventure stories like this one!

In the movie, there is a beautiful Christmas song sung by two children on the train. Here is the video for it, hope you enjoy it!