Download Programme music is music where the composer

Programme music is music where the composer uses music to describe something ‘nonmusical’. For example, a composer might use the elements of music to depict a:
story
poem
painting
view
scene from nature
Reminder: In Year 7, you studied a piece of music by the French composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, which was actually a piece of programme music. It
described a procession of animals and it was called the Carnival Of The
Animals .
This year we have studied the Peer Gynt Suite, a piece of programme music by Grieg.
Your exam will contain excerpts from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas. Like Carnival
of The Animals, both these pieces were written in the Romantic Period, between 1820
and 1900. This was time when programme music was very popular. Other popular trends
in the Romantic Period:

Nationalistic trend, composers referred to their country of birth in their music

Nature trend, composers referred to nature in their music.

A fascination with the supernatural, reflected in the composer’s music.
The Peer Gynt Suite
Morning Mood
MORNING MOOD.mp3
Name the first and second solo instrument:
1 Flute 2. Oboe
Explain how the texture of the music changes to depict the sun rising: The texture of the
music gets fuller as more instruments come in depicting the sun spreading across the sky.
Describe how the tempo and rhythm are used to depict morning. Can you identify what
note value has been used most? The tempo is unhurried depicting a slow awakening. The
note values used most are crotchets.
The strings in this extract play arco which means using a bow.
In The Hall of The Mountain King
HALL OF MOUNTAIN KING.mp3
Name the first solo instrument and the second solo instrument:
1. Double bass 2. Bassoon
The strings in this extract are played pizzicato which means they
are plucked.
What happens to the 1. pitch and 2. tempo to depict Peer Gynt’s sense of panic as the
music progresses? Give the Italian terms for what is happening if you can. The pitch gets
higher and the tempo gets faster, reaching presto, to depict Peer Gynt’s sense of panic.
What note value has been used most? The note value used most is quavers.
Arabian Dance
ARABIAN DANCE.mp3
What 2 instruments do you hear first? 1. Bass drum
2. Triangle or cymbal
Name 2 other percussion instruments used to give the music an ‘Arabian’ sound.
1.tambourine 2. snare drum
What happens to the music between the flute solo and the section where a group of
woodwinds enter? Try to give the Italian term. It gets louder: ‘crescendo’
Tonality is another device that a composer can use to be descriptive. The composer
alters the tonality by altering the pitch of certain notes. Discuss with your teacher
whether you think Morning Mood is in a major key or a minor key. Then discuss
whether you think the opening of the Mountain King is in a major key or a minor key.
Arabian Dance uses a special leap between 2 notes, called an augmented second, to
make it sound Arabian. Think of it as the ‘Snake Charmer’ leap. It is easy to hear and
usually occurs in a minor key.
What element of music is used to make this movement sound dance - like? Explain how it is
used to make the music sound dance – like. The rhythm makes it sound dance like as there
is a strong beat to move in time to.
Anitra’s Dance
ANITRA'S DANCE.mp3
What image does the combined timbre of violins and triangle bring
to mind? There is no particular ‘right’ answer. One image that comes to
mind is Anitra waving a scarf.
What note values are used most for the melody? Quavers
A feminine sound is created by the predominantly high pitch that is used.
This movement is mainly in a minor key. Listen carefully and discuss with your teacher
where the music ‘flirts’ briefly with a major key. Do you think the composer does this on
purpose to depict the flirtatious nature of Anitra?
As well as moving between a major and minor key (or tonality) notice that the string
players move continuously between an arco and a pizzicato style of playing. Could this
be a further depiction of Anitra’s inconsistent personality?
The Return of Peer Gynt
RETURN OF P G.mp3
Listen to the opening. What instrument depicts the sound of the wind shrieking in the
ship’s sails? Flute
Solveig’s Song
SOLVEIG'S SONG.mp3
The introduction is in free time as there is no fixed pulse.
The first section is in 2 time.
The next section is in 3 time. This encourages us to imagine a spinning
wheel turning.
Some new words...
arco
a string player uses a bow to play
pizzicato
a string player plucks the strings using his finger
(guitar / harp = plucked)
tonality
the sound of the piece as created through the pitches
or scale that the piece is based on
major
music is based on a major scale creating a ‘happy’ mood
minor
music is based on a minor scale crating a ‘sad’ mood
augmented 2nd
notes, a tone apart, are stretched by adding a sharp to
the top note or a flat to the bottom note
free time
when there is no strict pulse or beat to the music
Some revision...
Italian Terms
Use when describing music
To describe the tempo:
To describe the dynamics:
adagio
=
slow
Forte
=
loud
allegro
=
fast
Piano
=
soft
moderato
=
a medium speed
Mezzo forte =
medium loud
accelerando =
getting gradually faster
Mezzo piano =
medium soft
rallentando
getting gradually slower
Crescendo
=
gradually getting louder
Diminuendo
=
gradually getting softer
=
The Elements of Music
Pitch
High and low
Duration
Dynamics
Beat (notes the same length)
and rhythm (notes different lengths)
Loud and soft
Tempo
Timbre
Texture
Fast and slow
Type of sound
Layers in the music
Revising note values


Name of note: _semibreve_____
Name of note: __minim____________________
Number of beats? ___4_____
Number of beats? __2_____
 


  
of note: ____crotchet_____________
Name

Name of note: ____quavers___________
Number of beats? ___1_____
Number of beats for a pair? ___1___
Name of note: __semiquaver________________

Number of beats for 4? __1__
Revising Bars, Bar lines and Time signatures and Repeats
Music is divided up into groups of beats. Beats are most often grouped in 2’s, 3’s or 4’s. These groups
of beats are called bars. Bars are divided by bar lines. The time signature at the beginning of the
piece tells you how many beats to expect in each bar. A double bar line shows that the piece has
ended. Two dots in front of a double bar line create a repeat sign.
Time signature
Bar
Bar line
Double bar line
Repeat sign
2
4
Revising pitch notation: letter names
Treble clef (remember, other clefs position letter names differently on the five lines)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
Pitches are named after the first 7 letters of the alphabet. We use rhymes to help us remember the
letter names of the notes. Fill in the correct notes below:
Space notes:
F
A
Line notes:
C
E
Elephants Go
Bald
During
February