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YOUTH & family CONCERTS 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