Download MakingMUSIC Concert guide - The Louisville Orchestra

MakingMUSIC CONCERTS
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Featuring the Association of the Louisville Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition Guest Soloists
Strauss
Opening to Also sprach Zarathustra
Mozart
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
Wagner
Ride of the Valkyries
ALO’s Young Artist Competition Guest Soloists
..........One of these will be selected for each performance
..............................................
Elgar
Concerto for Cello in E minor (Mvt. 1)
..............................................
Caroline Saltzman, cello (3/1 & 3/2)
Tchaikovsky
Variations on Rococo Theme for Cello, Op. 33
Miriam Smith, cello (3/14, 3/15 & 3/16)
Williams
Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Sousa
Semper Fidelis with Teddy’s Kids Conductors
Hancock
Arr. Abrams
Chameleon with Landfill Orchestra
Ronson
Arr. Abrams
Uptown Funk
What does a composer do when confronted by the heroic past, while managing the
expectations of the present and still keeping an eye to the future? This is the overarching
question that we are examining throughout this season. But this question doesn’t just apply to
composers – it can just as easily be asked of any artist, writer, director, or even you.
Ultimately, this question leads us to ask how you find your own unique voice. All of the
composers in the 2016/17 season had to struggle with being compared to composers who
came before them. Some also struggled with political situations or expectations that affected
their ability to be creative. All of them had to find their own unique compositional style or
“voice” while also staying relevant and looking to the future of their craft. And in finding their
own compositional voice, they each brought something new to the world of music making their
mark in very distinctive ways. This is why Sousa sounds like Sousa, Mozart sounds like Mozart and
why each composer’s music sounds different; much in the same way that writers have unique
styles that are easily identifiable from Dr. Seuss to Langston Hughes to J.K. Rowling.
Modern day composers have all found their unique compositional voices through study and
practice as well as embracing elements of the past while still looking to the future.
As you listen to the works of the composers on this program, ask yourself how each composer
has taken musical forms as well as the traditions of the orchestra and made it uniquely theirs.
How do they utilize the timbres (colors) of the instruments of the orchestra? How have they
manipulated the musical form to express themselves? Can you tell if they were inspired by a
particular composer, musical style, or musical form and how? Or have they created something
so unique and new that they are exploring the future of music?
You can ask these same types of questions when you are reading a book, admiring a painting,
watching a play and/or movie, etc. You can also ask these questions of yourself. How are you
finding your own voice and what does that mean? What is your voice?
*Disclaimer – please be sure to review all video clips associated with the composers as well as
any commentary prior to playing for students (especially on Youtube). We do our utmost to
provide links that will not only best highlight the composer and the representative pieces but
also maintain a level of appropriateness. The clips that are included below have been vetted for
appropriateness however as the comments can change, please be sure to review before
playing for students.
Timeline
1752 -
Ben Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment
1756 -
Mozart born in Salzburg, Austria
1775 -
Daniel Boone blazed the trail through the Cumberland Gap
1775-83
American Revolutionary War
1778 -
City of Louisville founded by George Rogers Clark
1786 -
The Marriage of Figaro opera premiered in Vienna, Austria
1788 -
Kentucky became the 15th state
1791 -
Mozart died in Vienna, Austria
1803 -
Louisiana Purchase
1804-06
Lewis and Clark expedition
1812 -
Grimms’ Fairy Tales
1813 -
Wagner born in Leipzig, Germany
1835 -
Hans Christian Anderson’s Fairy Tales
1837 -
Queen Victoria crowned in England
1840 -
Tchaikovsky born in Votkinsk, Russia
1851 -
Isaac Singer invented the sewing machine
1853 -
Stephen Foster’s My Old Kentucky Home was published
1854 -
Sousa born in Washington, D.C.
1857 -
Elgar born in Broadheath, UK
1861-65
American Civil War
1864 -
Strauss born in Munich, Germany
1865 -
Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
1868 -
The first professional baseball team (Cincinnati Red Stockings)
1870 -
Die Walküre opera premiered in Munich, Germany
1875 -
First running of the Kentucky Derby
1876 -
Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
1877 -
Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty
1883 -
Wagner died in Venice, Italy
1883 -
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island
1888 -
Sousa composed Semper Fidelis
1892 -
Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker
1893 -
Humperdinck’s opera Hänsel und Gretel
1893 -
Tchaikovsky died in St. Petersburg, Russia
1894 -
Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book
1896 -
Also sprach Zarathustra premiered in Frankfurt, Germany
1900 -
L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
1911 -
Frances Hodgsen Burnett’s The Secret Garden
1912 -
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes
1926 -
A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh
1928 -
My Old Kentucky Home became the official song of Kentucky
1932 -
Sousa died in Reading, PA
1932 -
John Williams born in Floral Park, NY
1934 -
Elgar died in Worcester, UK
1940 -
Hancock born in Chicago, IL
1942 -
Fanfare for the Common Man premiered in Cincinnati, OH
1949 -
Strauss died in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1960 -
Jane Goodall began her behavioral study of chimpanzees in Tanganyika
1967 -
The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
1973 -
Chameleon was released on Hancock’s Head Hunters
1975 -
Richard Adams’ Watership Down
1975 -
Mark Ronson born in London, UK
1981 -
Music Television (MTV) launched
1990 -
Hubble telescope launched into space
1994 -
Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa
2001 -
Apple introduced the iPod
2004 -
Completion of the Human Genome Project
2015 -
Ronson released Uptown Special featuring Bruno Mars
Learn More about the Music
Richard Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra
You may recognize the first minute of Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra as it has been used many
times in movies, television and commercials (it gained wide popularity thanks to Stanley
Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey as it was used in the opening credits). But there is
much more to this piece than the first minute – in fact, the work in its entirety runs about 33
minutes. Based loosely on German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s book of the same title, the
piece can be divided into nine sections with the opening to the first section being the most
familiar. The first section (Introduction – Sunrise) opens with the low C in the double basses,
contrabassoon and organ seguing into the three note brass fanfare (C-G-C) or Nature motif
followed by timpani and the rest of the orchestra. Strauss was a master of the tone poem or
program music meaning the music followed a theme or story told through the musical score.
Strauss often used “leitmotifs” or themes for characters, places or events. This practice is still used
by composers today especially in movie scores – composer John Williams has utilized leitmotif in
many of his film scores including Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones series and Harry Potter (movies 13 and theme in the remaining films).
According to Strauss “I did not intend to write philosophical music or to portray in music
Nietzsche’s great work. I wished to convey by means of music an idea of the development of
the human race from its origin, through the various phases of its development, religious and
scientific, up to Nietzsche’s idea of the superman. The whole symphonic poem is intended as
homage to Nietzsche’s genius, which found its greatest expression in his book Thus Spake
Zarathustra.”
Wolfgang Mozart Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
Very few composers have the honor of changing the musical landscape to the extent that
nothing would be the same after a singular work. Mozart and his opera The Marriage of Figaro sit
comfortably within that exclusive category that includes Ludwig van Beethoven and his Third
Symphony “Eroica” and Stravinsky with his groundbreaking ballet The Rite of Spring. Composed
in 1786, The Marriage of Figaro was the first of the three opera collaboration between Mozart
and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte (the other two operas were Don Giovanni in 1787 and Così fan
tutte in 1790). Based on the Pierre Beaumarchais Figaro plays (Le Barbier de Séville, Le Mariage
de Figaro, and La Mère coupable), the Mozart/Da Ponte opera premiered in Vienna to a
relatively enthusiastic audience. The overture has taken on a life of its own as a separate
orchestral work as well as being utilized in pop culture; in the 1983 Eddie Murphy/ Dan Aykroyd
movie Trading Places and in 2011’s The King’s Speech. The frenetic feeling carried throughout
the overture perfectly captures the “one crazy day” that encompasses the entire opera.
The opera itself had fans among composers including Joseph Haydn who wanted to mount a
production in 1790 with his company Eszterháza (his patron Nikolaus Esterházy died before this
could happen) and Johannes Brahms who said “In my opinion, each number in Figaro is a
miracle; it is totally beyond me how anyone could create anything so perfect; nothing like it was
ever done again, not even by Beethoven”. The Marriage of Figaro is in the top 10 of most
performed operas around the world (you will also see it listed with its original Italian title Le Nozze
di Figaro). Figaro had an operatic life outside of Mozart that included the popular Rossini The
Barber of Seville (1816) as well as a contemporary adaptation in John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of
Versailles (1991). Even Bugs Bunny utilized the comic genius inherent in the character of Figaro in
the cartoon Rabbit of Seville.
Richard Wagner The Ride of the Valkyries
Like the Strauss and Mozart pieces, Wagner’s The Ride of the Valkyries has a life outside of the
opera for which it was conceived. And like Strauss and Mozart, Wagner was a “game changer”
in the world of opera. A firm believer in the marriage of story and music (he wrote a whole book
about it in 1851 called Opera and Drama), Wagner’s operas changed the scale and the scope
that many had thought not possible. Wagner’s middle “romantic period” operas (Lohengrin, The
Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser) set the stage for what would become his opus four opera cycle
The Ring (Der Ring des Nibelungen) as well as his later operas Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger
von Nürnberg and Parsifal.
The Ride of the Valkyries is from Wagner’s second opera in The Ring cycle Die Walküre (The
Valkyrie). Wagner drew heavily on Norse mythology for The Ring cycle and for Die Walküre, the
focus is on the goddess/warrior women who choose who lives and dies in battle and amongst
the dead, they choose who will join them in Valhalla. First mentioned in the ancient Norse poem
collection known as the Poetic Edda (also a source of inspiration for writers like J.R.R. Tolkien), the
image of the Valkyrie with her horned helmet and brass breastplate have become synonymous
with not only Norse mythology, but the Wagnerian female opera singer. The Ride of the
Valkyries takes place in the first scene of Act III as the Valkyries ride into battle to collect the
dead. It is perhaps one of the most recognizable works in classical music so it’s not surprising that
pop culture has taken notice. Again, we look to Bugs Bunny and What’s Opera, Doc? – a mashup of Wagner operas and most notably the theme in The Ride of the Valkyries became “kill the
wabbit”. Director Francis Ford Coppola used The Ride of the Valkyries in the helicopter attack
scene in his 1979 film Apocalypse Now (one of the most iconic scenes in movie history).
Edward Elgar Concerto for Cello in E minor (Mvt. 1)
British composer Sir Edward Elgar had humble origins although music was always a part of his
young life. He was a self-taught composer who was more influenced by continental Europe than
England, yet his musical style came be associated with Victorian and early 20 th century British
classical music. He gained some fame with the Enigma Variations (1899) and his six Pomp and
Circumstances Marches (1901 – 1930; it should be noted that his sixth march only existed in
sketches). March No. 1 is most familiar as the “graduation march” – the section entitled Land of
Hope and Glory is used at virtually every high school and college graduation.
Composed in 1919, the Concerto for Cello in E minor was one of Elgar’s final works and though it
had a rather disastrous premiere due inadequate rehearsal time, it has since become a staple
within the cello repertoire. This was thanks in part to cellist Jacqueline du Pré whose 1965
recording of the work with Sir John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra gained her
international fame and catapulted the work into popularity where it has remained. The first
movement begins slowly (Adagio) with a recitative for the solo cello with responses from the
winds before moving into the Moderato section and introducing the main theme. As this was
Elgar’s final notable work, the piece at times seems more retrospective and thoughtful as
perhaps Elgar recognized his time was short.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Variations on Rococo Theme for Cello, Op. 33
Tchaikovsky composed the Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello following his tone poem
Francesca di Rimini between December 1876 and March 1877. Modeled after the Mozart style
(a style that Tchaikovsky greatly admired), Tchaikovsky collaborated with German cellist Wilhelm
Fitzenhagen (who also taught at the Moscow Conservatory) to create the theme and seven
variations. Fitzenhagen premiered the piece in Moscow in November 1877 with Nikolai
Rubenstein conducting.
Surprisingly, Fitzenhagen and Tchaikovsky disagreed on the order of the variations. In fact, when
the work was getting ready to be published in 1889, Tchaikovsky realized that Fitzenhagen had
deliberately altered the order of the variations. While Tchaikovsky was not happy with the
situation, he did not intervene. The order of the variations remained that way until the mid-20th
century when the original version was available. Unlike the tempestuous Francesca di Rimini, the
Variations on a Rococo Theme is much more relaxed and in keeping with the homage to
Mozart, the accompanying orchestra is “Mozartian” in size. And though the inspiration is Mozart,
the Theme and subsequent variations are no imitation but rather Tchaikovsky allowing himself
free rein in devising each variation the opportunity to expand upon the original theme.
John Williams Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Little did British author J.K. Rowling know that when her debut novel Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone (in the U.S. we know it as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) was released
in 1997, that it would launch a worldwide phenomenon that would include another six books,
seven films, and a play. In 1999, Rowling sold the rights to the first four books to Warner Brothers
Pictures but retained some creative control, and as for a director, Warner Brothers gave the nod
to Chris Columbus who’d had success with the children’s themed movies Home Alone and Mrs.
Doubtfire. As Columbus had worked with Williams for Home Alone, he felt that Williams was the
perfect composer to capture the magical world of Harry Potter. But before he was hired,
Williams had already broken one of his cardinal rules of film score composition – he read the
book. In an interview with The Times of London, Williams said “I have grandchildren who read
them (the Harry Potter books) and love them. I have children who read them and love them. In
my family, there are three generations of American people enjoying Rowling.” He went on to
say that the score needed to be "theatrical, magical and to capture a child's sense of wonder in
the world."
Having already seen the rough cut in autumn 2000, by November Williams had composed music
for the full-length trailer release. This music became known as Hedwig’s Theme and would
eventually become the iconic theme of the franchise. Williams finished composing the entire
score in the spring and summer of 2001 and the film was released in November 2001 to critical
and box office acclaim. Hedwig’s Theme opens with the celesta (the same instrument
Tchaikovsky used for the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker) and a tinge of
melancholy, combining the magical world with the darkness that surrounds Harry’s life. In a 2001
interview for USA Today, John said of his Harry Potter score that "I wanted to capture the world of
weightlessness and flight and sleight of hand and happy surprise. This caused the music to be a
little more theatrical than most film scores would be. It sounds like music that you would hear in
the theater rather than the film."
John Philip Sousa Semper Fidelis
The name John Philp Sousa has become synonymous with American marches and he rightly
earned the nickname “The American March King”. The son of immigrants (his heritage included
Portuguese, Spanish and German/Hessian) Sousa became affiliated with the United States
Marine Corps Band (his father was a trombonist in the band) and this connection would come to
shape his future compositions and career.
During his presidency, Chester Arthur wanted different Presidential musical options other than
Hail to the Chief (apparently he wasn’t a fan of the piece). Sousa responded with two pieces;
Presidential Polonaise (1886) and Semper Fidelis (1888). Neither would replace Hail to the Chief
and unfortunately, both were composed after Arthur had died. But Semper Fidelis became the
official march of the United States Marine Corps with the title stemming from the Corps’ motto
(also shortened to Semper Fi meaning “always faithful”). Sousa believed it was one of his finest
marches. Written in 6/8 time, Semper Fidelis (along with Stars and Stripes Forever and The
Washington Post) is one of Sousa’s most recognized and performed marches. The famous trio
section features the trumpets and percussion that Sousa expanded from an earlier piece he
composed in 1886.
Herbie Hancock Chameleon
Jazz musician and composer Herbie Hancock has forged his own path in jazz and came to
redefine jazz rhythm and many of his works became inspirations for future jazz, funk, dance and
hip hop artists. A child prodigy on piano, Hancock’s early life was focused on the classics but in
high school he was introduced to jazz through the great jazz pianists like Oscar Peterson and Bill
Evans. In college, Herbie was fascinated by electronics and science, hence the double major at
Grinnell College in music and electrical engineering. After stints as a session musician and as a
member of the Miles Davis Quintet, Herbie began a successful solo career.
In 1973, he formed a group called The Headhunters that included Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson,
Bill Summers and Harvey Mason. That same year, they released the album Head Hunters that
became a major crossover hit (it became the first jazz album to go platinum). Chameleon
would be the break out hit that featured a distinctive bass line and funk beat. The song would
inspire other interpretations from drummer Buddy Rich, trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, and even
Lenny Kravitz in a jam session.
Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars Uptown Funk
When English musician, songwriter and DJ Mark Ronson collaborated with Bruno Mars for Mars’
album Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), the pairing produced huge hits including Locked out of
Heaven and won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. So it seemed logical to collaborate
again for a track on Ronson’s fourth album Uptown Special (2015). The process began in Bruno
Mars’ basement and while the initial instrumental track and first few lines of what would become
Uptown Funk came easily, creating the rest of the song was a much more labored process. In an
NPR interview, Ronson noted that after the initial session, the energy wasn’t the same; "You can
never get that spirit back," Ronson says. "You try to write another verse, and it seems forced,
because the first one was so natural." He even wondered “maybe this song wasn't meant to be."
But he kept fighting for it "I'd wait maybe a month until everyone's nerves cooled down and be
like, 'Hey, can we get back in and try to work on that song again?'" he says. "Eventually, we did
get it."
Inspired by the late 1980s funk sound coming out of Minneapolis (*Prince and the Revolution,
and Morris Day and The Time in particular), Uptown Funk has gone on to become one of the
best-selling singles of all time. *Please note that lyrics and videos for these may not be suitable for
younger children. They are hyperlinked as a teacher resource but please be sure to review
before showing to your elementary school students.
How to use the MakingMUSIC concert experience in your classroom
Each of the composers on this program has used various musical elements to make their
compositions unique. Some of them utilized already existing story lines to inspire their work, some
used pre-existing melodies or themes to create completely new musical landscapes while others
built on existing musical foundations and expanded to create something completely new.
Writers utilize language in much the same way as composers. They create worlds with their words
sometimes using existing story lines like myths and legends to inspire them, some use historical
people or events to build their literary worlds while others create completely new worlds for us to
explore.
Below are some suggestions, utilizing the pieces in the MakingMUSIC concert program, to
expand on ELA curriculum and even a little math!
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Strauss)
With just five notes, you instantly recognize this piece. Are there similar examples in literature that
from the first sentence, you know the book or the author?


Make a game out of opening book sentences from current reading to see if students
can recognize the book or the author from the opening sentence.
Utilize famous opening sentences from books that students may not have read and have
the students create a short story (or poem) based on the opening line. While books like
Moby Dick may not be age appropriate reading for 4th and 5th grade students, the
opening line “Call me Ishmael” could be turned into a new story or poem project for
students. Who is Ishmael? What is he doing? Why is he telling us to call him by his name?
What’s his story?
Other famous opening sentences (or partial sentences) that could be used including some from
famous children’s books:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .” A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Charles Dickens
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." 1984 (1949), George
Orwell
"All children, except one, grow up." Peter Pan (1911), J.M. Barrie
"The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home." The Wind
in the Willows (1908), Kenneth Graeme
"These two very old people are the father and mother of Mr. Bucket." Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory (1964), Raold Dahl
"It was Mrs. May who first told me about them." The Borrowers (1952), Mary Norton
"Once upon a time there was a pair of pants." The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2003), Ann
Brashares
RL.4.6: Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated,
including the difference between first- and third-person narrations

Write the opening sentence story as first- and third-person narrations. Does your story
change depending on the narration style?
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
Opera is a unique blend of music and words that composers use to tell a story.
RL.5.6: Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.


Using the story you created for the opening sentences, what kind of music would you use
to help tell the story? What is the mood you want to set? Would your music change if the
story went from first-person to third-person narration? If so, why? If not, why?
Listen to the Overture to The Marriage of Figaro. Based on just the music, what type of
story do you think the overture might be describing? Is it a comedy or a drama? Create
your own story of what happens next using the overture as your inspiration.
The Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner)
Based on Norse mythology, Wagner’s Ring cycle explored gods and heroes, mortals and giants,
Rhinemaidens and dwarves (and a big dragon!) to weave 17 hours of operatic drama.
RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific
details in the text (e.g., character’s thoughts, words, or actions)

Watch the video of The Ride of the Valkyries from The Metropolitan Opera. From this
video, write a character description of the Valkyries. Who are they? What do you think
they do? Where you do you think they live? Are they human? Create a short story about
them.
RL.5.7: Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty
of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem)

What elements did the director use to contribute to the story of the Valkyries? How did
these elements inform you about the characters? What else could have been added to
help tell the story?
Concerto for Cello in E minor (Mvt. 1) (Elgar)
Elgar also wrote a Violin Concerto (1910) during the peak of his compositional career with the
Cello Concerto (1919) near the end of his life. This is an opportunity to analyze music from
different times in a composer’s life and can be similarly used to compare authors’ writings from
different times in their lives.


Compare the Violin Concerto and the Cello Concerto.
Elgar also set text to music including adding words to his Pomp and Circumstance March
No. 1 “Land of Hope and Glory” in 1901. In 1916, at the height of World War I, Lord
Charles Beresford requested Elgar create songs from a 1915 Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle
Book, Gunga Din, Mandalay) booklet called Fringes of the Fleet. Like the Cello Concerto,
The Fringes of the Fleet was one of Elgar’s final compositions. Compare Land of Hope
and Glory and The Fringes of the Fleet.
Variations on Rococo Theme for Cello, Op. 33 (Tchaikovsky)
“Variations on a theme” is common in music and in literature.
RL.4.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the
text.
 Listen to the Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme. How many variations do you
hear? What makes them different from the theme? Using this music as an inspiration,
create a short story with a specific theme. Take your short story and create a new one
using a variation on the theme.
RL.4.9: Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g. opposition of
good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature
from different cultures.
 Listen to Charles Ives’ Variations on America, Wolfgang Mozart’s Variations on Twinkle,
Twinkle Little Star, and Antonio Salieri’s Twenty six variations on La Folia de Spagna.
Compare these theme and variations; are there similarities? Differences? Does each of
these pieces follow a pattern? If so, what is the pattern? One hundred and ten years
separates the Ives and Mozart pieces as well as one is an American composer and the
other is Austrian; compare and contrast the similarities and differences you hear and are
these unique to the time period of composition or country of origin? How?
RL.5.9: Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories)
on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
 Only thirty-four years separate the Mozart and Salieri pieces listed above (they were also
colleagues). Listen to the Mozart and Salieri pieces and apply the same questions as
above.
Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Williams)
John Williams’ Hedwig’s Theme has become synonymous with the brand of Harry Potter.
RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific
details in the text (e.g., character’s thoughts, words, or actions).





Read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Describe Harry and Hedwig based on
specific details in the book.
Identify the different instruments that express the melody in Hedwig’s Theme
How does each instrument lend itself to expressing the melody? Do you think the choice
of instruments was important? Why?
Does John Williams effectively describe the characters in this melody? How?
If you were to create a melody for Harry and Hedwig, what would you do? What
instruments would you choose? Would the melody be happy (major key), sad (minor
key) or a little of both?
RL.5.7: Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty
of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).


Watch and listen to the score of the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. How
does the score enhance various scenes in the movie/book?
Examples: Wizard’s Chess scene, Harry’s first visit to Hogwarts, Harry’s Hogwarts letter,
Harry’s wand
Semper Fidelis (Sousa)
As many marches were composed for military usage (marching), many of them are in 4/4 or
common time meaning 4 beats per measure (quarter note = 1 beat). For Semper Fidelis, Sousa
used a different meter in 6/8 meaning 6 beats per measure (eighth note = 1 beat).


Listen to a recording of Semper Fidelis and follow along for the first half of the melody in
the attached piccolo part. Listen again and mark where the strong beats are – how
many of them are in a measure? Does this lend itself to marching? Why?
Using the attached part, make a fraction sentence out of each measure. In 6/8 time,
one eighth note or rest = 1 beat with a total of 6 beats per measure. For example, the first
measure would be 1/8 (note) + 1/8 (rest) + 1/8 (rest) + 1/4 (quarter note = 2 eighth notes)
+ 2/16 = 6 beats or 1 whole measure
Chameleon (Hancock)
Jazz and funk lend themselves to improvisation, meaning making up the music as it goes along.
 Listen to a recording of Chameleon and see if you can make up different rhythms that
add to the music.
 Make up some new dance moves that fit the style of the music and add those to your
improvised rhythms.
Uptown Funk (Ronson)
Uptown Funk was inspired by the late 1980s funk sound coming out of Minneapolis that included
Prince and the Revolution, and Morris Day and The Time.
 Listen to Uptown Funk, *Prince’s 1999 and Morris Day and the Time’s Jungle Love. How
did Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars interpret the styles of Prince and Morris Day into Uptown
Funk? *Please note that lyrics and videos for these may not be suitable for younger
children. They are hyperlinked as a teacher resource but please be sure to review before
showing to your elementary school students.
 How would you update an older musical style into today’s style? What music/era would
you choose? How would you change it?
Meet the Composers!
Richard Strauss (Rih-kard strouss)
Richard Strauss was born in Munich, Germany in 1864 and began composing at the age of six.
Working as both a composer and conductor, he’s best known for his cutting edge operas and
creating the tone poem. He and Gustav Mahler are considered the generation of German
composers to connect the modern era with the great heritage of German Romantic composers
like Beethoven, Liszt, and Brahms.
Strauss’ most famous operas include Salome (1905), a controversial version of the Oscar Wilde
play, Elektra (1909) where Strauss furthered his use of dissonance (tension and/or clash of
harmonies between notes) to create a more intense and dramatic setting of the Greek
Mythology story. In Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose - 1911), Strauss returned to a Mozart
inspired style of storytelling using humor to make social commentary. His tone poems (a musical
composition for orchestra inspired by an idea, story, or “program”) include Don Juan (1888), Till
Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks (1895), and Also Sprach Zarathustra (1896). His tone poems or
“symphonic poems” used musical motifs (also known as “leitmotifs” in Wagner works) to
represent characters, situations and/or settings. Strauss died on September 8, 1949 at the age of
88.
Learn more about Richard Strauss at the BBC Proms
Wolfgang Mozart (WOLF-gang ah-muh-DAY-uhs Moe-tsart)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756. By the age of five, it became
apparent that Wolfgang was a composition and keyboard prodigy and his father Leopold
became his full time teacher, cultivating and displaying his talents. During early public
performances, Wolfgang would not only perform prepared pieces but he would also sight read
and improvise, astonishing audiences with his talents for one so young. By age eleven, Wolfgang
had written his first set of minuets and by twelve, his first opera. Mozart’s compositions were
highly influenced by J.S. Bach and Franz Joseph Haydn, particularly in structure and complexity.
From 1774-1781, he lived in Salzburg and worked in the court of the Prince-Archbishop and
continued honing his compositional skills. Mozart moved to Vienna, then the cultural capital of
Europe, and enjoyed a brief span of celebrity as a freelance performer and composer.
Two of Mozart’s most important operas are The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni (both were
written and premiered between 1786 and 1787). Mozart’s operas were extremely advanced for
their time, developing characters and using humor in a way unexplored by earlier operatic
compositions. Some of Mozart’s other notable operas include Cosi Fan Tutte, Die Zauberflöte
(The Magic Flute), and The Abduction from the Seraglio. Among Mozart’s many orchestral works,
Symphony No. 40 in G minor and Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter” in C Major are his most
recognizable symphonies. Mozart’s final piece (completed after his death by his student, Franz
Xaver Süssmayr) was his Requiem. Mozart died in 1791 from illness at the age of 35.
Learn more about Wolfgang Mozart
Richard Wagner (Rih-kard VAHG-nur)
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a German composer whose expressive and intense music
dominated German music culture in the 19th century and beyond. As a young boy, Wagner was
fascinated with poetry and literature. This fascination later enabled him to revolutionize the
music and drama industries through his operas. He studied conducting, composing and writing
in Dresden, Germany. After Dresden, Wagner was appointed as a conductor at the Court
Theatre in Riga and also began his professional composing career. Rienzi, written between1838-
1840, was Wagner’s first successfully staged opera and he followed up in 1843 with Der fliegende
Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), an opera based Heinrich Heine’s novel as well as his own
experiences with a difficult sea voyage in 1839. In Der fliegende Holländer, Wagner began to
experiment with leitmotif’s (musical character themes) to help tell the character’s story. After
writing the essay Oper und Drama (1851), Wagner began his magnum opus with Das Rheingold
(The Rhinegold) and Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) in 1854. They were later premiered as part of the
four opera series known as ‘The Ring Cycle’ in the state-of-the art Bayreuth Festspielhaus in 1878.
Wagner also aided in designing the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, an opera house in Bayreuth,
Germany and the first of its kind. Wagner believed the audience should be fully immersed in the
staging and story, lowering the orchestra down below the floor level, building a tall space
behind the stage for the backdrops, ‘stadium’ seating, and the ability to darken the theater for
the performance (so when the lights go down in the movie theatre, you can thank Wagner!).
These practices are still used in theater design as part of Wagner’s vision for drama and
performance. Wagner died of a heart attack on February 13, 1883 at the age of 69.
Learn more about Richard Wagner
Edward Elgar (ELL-gawr)
British composer Edward Elgar was born in Lower Broadheath, England in 1857. His father worked
as a piano tuner in the nearby town of Worcester. Elgar grew up working with the music in his
father’s shop. He was mainly self-taught, but drew inspiration from other composers like Dvořák,
Handel, Sibelius, Brahms, and Wagner. This informal training led Elgar to create genuine and
creative works, fashioning a unique voice for British composers during the late romantic/early
20th century eras.
Through the 1880’s and 90’s, Elgar composed and conducted local music organizations. Even
though he struggled to find his rightful fame, Elgar eventually emerged as a national hero after
substantial praise from other European composers and leaders. It was during this time that Elgar
composed some of his most popular works including Enigma Variations (1899) and Pomp and
Circumstance March No. 1 (1901). He was knighted by King Edward VII in 1904. Elgar’s Cello
Concerto was written in 1919 and is considered one of the top cello concertos in the repertoire.
He was appointed as the Master of the King’s Music in 1924 and heavily decorated thereafter.
Elgar died in 1934, and is remembered as one of Britain’s most important cultural figures.
Learn more about Edward Elgar
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (PYO-tur chy-KAWF-skee)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840 in Votkinsk, Russia, the second son of Ilya and
Alexandra. Ilya was a mine inspector and both parents had interests in the arts. By age five,
Tchaikovsky was taking piano lessons and in 1848, Ilya retired but still needed to work so the
family moved between Moscow and St. Petersburg before settling in Alapayevsk (300 miles east
of Votkinsk. After the family settled, Tchaikovsky and his mother returned to St. Petersburg where
he was enrolled in the preparatory class of the Imperial School of Jurisprudence. In 1854
Tchaikovsky’s mother contracted cholera and died, leaving Tchaikovsky distraught. Young
Tchaikovsky graduated in 1859 with a degree in civil service and gained employment at the
Ministry of Justice. In 1862, Tchaikovsky enrolled in the newly founded St. Petersburg
Conservatory where he studied harmony, counterpoint, composition and instrumentation.
Nikolay Rubinstein offered Tchaikovsky a position as a Professor of theory and harmony at the
new Moscow Conservatory. Tchaikovsky struggled with the process of composition and also had
difficulties with the criticism that he received at the hands of other Russian composers,
particularly a group of young St. Petersburg composers that became known as “The Five” (Mily
Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin). A
majority of The Five attacked Tchaikovsky’s unaffected manner and compositional style with the
exception of Rimsky-Korsakov.
Tchaikovsky’s first compositional success came in 1869 with Romeo and Juliet, an OvertureFantasy based on the Shakespeare play. Over the next ten years, Tchaikovsky composed
concertos (piano and violin), symphonies (2-4), ballet (Swan Lake), opera (Eugene Onegin) and
orchestral works (Francesca de Rimini, Marche slave, 1812 Overture). His personal life was
problematic with the exception of the wealthy widow Nadezhda von Meck; the stipend she
provided allowed Tchaikovsky to leave his teaching position and devote himself to composing.
By 1880, Tchaikovsky seemed in a more stable position and began simultaneously composing
the 1812 Overture and the Serenade for Strings. In 1884 Tchaikovsky was granted the Order of St.
Vladimir by Tsar Alexander III, his works were being produced at the Bolshoi and he became the
premiere court composer. In 1889, Tchaikovsky began to compose his second ballet The
Sleeping Beauty after the fairy tale. With Marius Petipa, the ballet master of the Imperial Ballet, as
choreographer, the ballet received a favorable response but was not the overwhelming success
Tchaikovsky had hoped for. Neither was their second collaboration The Nutcracker (1892).
In 1893, Tchaikovsky completed his final symphony; Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique.” That same
year, he drank an unfiltered (unboiled) glass of water, contracted cholera and died on
November 5, 1893. Eight thousand mourners attended his funeral and Tchaikovsky was buried at
St. Petersburg’s Alexander Nevsky Monastery.
Learn more about Pyotr Tchaikovsky
John Williams
John Williams is a prolific American composer who championed dramatic and exciting film
scores. Such movies include Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer’s Stone. He composes in a style most would consider to be ‘neo-romantic’ or
reminiscent of composers like Tchaikovsky, Holst, Stravinsky, Copland, and Strauss (especially for
his use of leitmotifs or character themes). Born in Queens, New York in 1932, he came from a
family of jazz and classical musicians, composers, and conductors in his father and two brothers.
He attended UCLA, studying Composition and Jazz Piano before being drafted by the Air Force
in 1952.
After his service in the Air Force, he attended the Julliard School in New York, studying piano. He
then worked as a jazz pianist in New York, playing clubs and studios. It’s there he began working
with composer Henry Mancini and played the famous piano part on the original Peter Gunn
theme song. He composed the soundtracks to a number of TV programs, including Lost in
Space, and a few B-list movies before receiving an Oscar nomination for his work on the 1967
film Valley of the Dolls. During the 70’s and 80’s, Williams composed the scores to many
successful blockbusters such as The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, and the Cowboys.
His collaborated with producer Steven Spielberg many times in his career with high acclaim
coming from one of their first projects, Jaws, which won three Academy Awards including Best
Original Dramatic Score. Williams has won Five Academy Awards for his work on Fiddler on the
Roof (Score Adaptation), Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., and Schindler’s List. He served as the principal
conductor for the famed Boston Pops from 1980-1993. He continues to conduct and compose
as a permanent fixture in American music history and film scoring.
Learn more about John Williams
John Philip Sousa (SUE-zah)
John Philip Sousa was an American composer with the well-earned title of “The American March
King.” Born in 1854 in Washington D.C. to immigrant parents, Sousa’s father served in the United
States Marines where he played the trombone. As a result, from a very early age, Sousa grew up
around military music. Sousa studied voice, music theory, and many instruments as a boy and, at
the age of thirteen, he apprenticed with the United States Marine Corps Band also known as
“The President’s Own”. Sousa went on to become the conductor/leader of the band from 18801892 and led in the development of the sousaphone. Sousa served in the Navy during World War
I and continued composing and conducting. He toured with his band after the war and made
several appearances as guest conductor until his death in 1932.
John Philip Sousa was a prolific composer, writing 137 marches as well as numerous other works.
His most famous marches are Semper Fidelis (1888), The Thunderer (1889), and Stars and Stripes
Forever (1896) as well as many other marches that are still performed today.
Learn more about John Philip Sousa
Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock is a Grammy Award winning American pianist, keyboardist, and composer who
performs funk, jazz, and fusion music. Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1940, he was a prodigy on piano
and performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age eleven. He studied with Chris
Anderson at Grinnell College before attending Roosevelt University followed by the Manhattan
School of Music. He recorded his first album Takin’ Off with Blue Note Records in 1962 (which
included his popular track Watermelon Man).
Hancock performed with the Miles Davis Quintet from 1963-68, recorded another successful solo
album Maiden Voyage in 1965, left Blue Note for Warner Brothers, and performed with various
other jazz fusion groups until forming Head Hunters in 1973. It’s with this group that he composed
and performed one of his most famous hits Chameleon. He enjoyed collaborative success
through the 70’s and 80’s including his 1983 hit Rockit. Maintaining the pioneering nature of
fusion jazz, Hancock began to integrate popular music into his creative process, as heard in
Rockit and particularly so in Dis Is Da Drum (1994). Moving through to the 21st century, and
continuing to integrate the popular music styles, he saw the success of his collaborative efforts
on the album Future 2 Future in 2001. Re-touching his classic jazz roots, Hancock produced River:
The Joni Letters in 2007 to much acclaim. In 2013, Hancock was inducted into the Kennedy
Center Honors.
Learn more about Herbie Hancock
Mark Ronson
Grammy-winning producer and musician Mark Ronson was born in London on September 4,
1975. His parents divorced when he was quite young, and his mother eventually remarried
Foreigner’s guitarist Mick Jones. When Ronson was eight, the family moved to New York City. He
attended Vassar College and New York University. While at NYU, Ronson began to DJ and made
himself a name as the “go to” DJ (his sister Samantha is also a DJ). It wasn’t a far leap from DJ to
record producer and Ronson also released his first album Here Comes the Fuzz in 2003. As a
producer, Ronson has worked with artists Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, The Smiths, Robbie
Williams, Adele, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.
In 2015, Ronson released his fourth album Uptown Special and the single Uptown Funk featuring
Bruno Mars reached number one on both the US and UK charts. To date, the video on Youtube
has more than 1 billion views and reached the top ten in nearly every country it charted. That
same year, Ronson starred in a documentary about his late friend and collaborator, Amy
Winehouse. The film Amy won the Academy Award and British Academy Award for Best
Documentary.
On his inspirations, Ronson said “The people that inspire me are people like David Bowie, Stevie
Wonder, and some of the great producers like Rick Rubin, Nigel Godrich, Quincy Jones and
George Martin. I think you can find inspiration in anything, anything you hear that you like.”
Ronson married French singer/actress Joséphine de La Baume in 2011 and divides his time
between London and New York.
Learn more about Mark Ronson