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BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCH ESTR A
Dancing Music:
Shostakovich’s “Polka”and “Tahiti Trot” from The Golden Age
Background
The “Polka” and the “Tahiti Trot” are from a ballet called The Golden Age, which Shostakovich wrote
in 1940. The ballet is about a Soviet football team that travels to a western city, only to discover hostile
employees and corrupt government officials.
The “Polka” was the ballet’s most popular number, and was later used by entertainer Ernie Kovacs as
music for comedy sketches. It is a parody of the polish polka dance, and has frequent “wrong-notes”.
The “Tahiti Trot” is a fox-trot based on the Broadway hit Tea for Two. It was written in 1928. The
story is that the conductor Nikolai Malko bet Shostakovich that he could not orchestrate Tea for Two
in under an hour. Shostakovich finished in under 45 minutes and won the bet. The unexpected popularity of the piece led him to later include it in his ballet The Golden Age, where it was played as an encore.
Objectives
Students will listen for different instruments in the orchestra, and describe the different tone colors in
the orchestra (Part I). Students will also learn what a polka and a fox-trot are, and compare the two
pieces that Shostakovich wrote (Part II).
Materials
Recording of Shostakovich’s “Polka” and “Tahiti Trot” from the ballet The Golden Age
Activity
Part I:
1. Have students listen to each piece. Ask if anyone can name the instruments that they hear. Listen to
one or both pieces again and point out that the sections of the orchestra each have different parts
and play at different times.
2. Ask students to write down “character” words to describe as many of the following instruments as
they can (gruff, sqeaky, deep, smooth):
•
Brass: Trumpets, Trombones, French Horns, Tuba
•
Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass
•
Woodwinds: Oboe, Clarinet, Flute, Bassoon
Dmitri Shostakovich / BSO Curriculum Kit
•
Percussion
Part II:
1. Explain that the two pieces they have been listening to are different kinds of dances. A polka is a
dance that originated in Poland, and the fox-trot is an American dance. Both dances have specific
steps that you follow.
2. Explain to students how a polka is danced:
Begin with standing with your weight on your right foot.
Give a preliminary hop on the right foot, then step forward on your left foot. Close the right foot to
the left, putting weight on the right foot, and step again on the left foot.
Then hold for a beat, keeping weight on the left foot.
Repeat this series of steps again, this time using the left foot for the hop and the right foot as the
one that steps forward.
3. Explain that Shostakovich’s polka is a parody, which means that it makes fun of the polka dance. It
does this by having lots of notes that sound “wrong.”
Shostakovich parodied Western European dances in his ballet, because the Russian government
thought it was important for composers to highlight the superiority of Russian art.
4. Ask students to see if they can hear the “wrong-notes” in the polka. What else is funny about the
music? How else did Shostakovich make this piece sound silly? (instrumentation, timing)
5. Next explain to students how a fox-trot is danced (and try it if you can!):
The fox-trot is danced in a closed position (facing your partner, holding them close).
The walking steps are taken as “Slows” (2 beats per step) or “Quicks”(1 beat per step).
The most common Foxtrot rhythms are SQQ, SQQ or SSQQ, but ultimately the dancers may use
whatever rhythm fits the music.
6. “The Tahiti Trot” is also a light-hearted piece. What is funny about the music? How does
Shostakovich use instruments in interesting combinations?
7. Now have students make a chart comparing the “Polka” and the “Fox-trot.” What is similar about
these pieces? What is different? Think about the instruments (orchestration), sounds (tone color),
speed (tempo), volume (dynamics), and mood of each piece.
Dmitri Shostakovich / BSO Curriculum Kit
Listening worksheet for dances from The Counterplan,
by Dmitri Shostakovich
“Polka”
“Tahiti-Trot”
Orchestration
What instruments are
used?
Tone-colors
Describe the sound of this
piece.
Tempo
What is the speed of the
music? (Slow or fast.)
Does it stay the same?
Dynamics
Is the music soft or loud?
Does it change?
Mood
What is the mood of the
music?
Other observations:
Dmitri Shostakovich / BSO Curriculum Kit
Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Frameworks
This packet has been designed with the following organizational structure from the
Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Frameworks as a guide:
The Arts Discipline Strand: Music
The PreK-12 Standards for Music in this Strand:
5. Critical Response. Students will describe and analyze their own music and the music of others using
appropriate music vocabulary. When appropriate, students will connect their analysis to interpretation and evaluation.
Connections Strand:
6. Purposes and Meanings in the Arts. Students will describe the purposes for which works of dance,
music, theatre, visual arts, and architecture were and are created, and, when appropriate, interpret
their meanings.
8. Concepts of Style and, Stylistic Influence, and Stylistic Change. Students will demonstrate their un
derstanding of styles, stylistic influence, and stylistic change by identifying when and where art
works were created, and by analyzing characteristic features of art works from various historical
periods, cultures, and genres.
10. Interdisciplinary Connections. Students will apply their knowledge of the arts to the study of English language arts, foreign languages, health, history and social science, mathematics, and science
and technology/engineering.
Dmitri Shostakovich / BSO Curriculum Kit