Download William Tell

DISCOVER: WILLAM TELL
The Story:
William Tell is a figure from Swiss legend. He is said to have been a man of the folk – a peasant;
strong, clever, hard-working, and proud. He was renowned for his expert marksmanship, his
mountaineering skill, and his incredible strength. The story of William Tell is the story of the
long struggle for Swiss independence. It is a story of valor in the face of oppression, a universal
theme that resonates with all cultures.
Long ago, at a time when Switzerland was under the
control of the Austrian Empire, an unjust overlord named
Gessler arrived with his soldiers and guards in the town of
Altdorf. Gessler had been sent to make sure that the
villagers all obeyed the laws of their new Austrian rulers.
He raised a pole in the center of the town square, and
placed his hat on top of it. He declared that everyone who
passes by must bow down to the hat.
William Tell was travelling through Altdorf with his son, Walter, when they were stopped by
soldiers who demanded that they bow before the hat. Tell refused, and he and his son were
arrested and thrown in prison. Gessler had heard rumors of Tell’s famed marksmanship and he
devised a cruel punishment for Tell: he would release father and son if Tell was able to shoot an
apple off of Walter’s head with one shot of his crossbow. Tell drew two bolts from his quiver,
and easily shot the apple off his son’s head. When asked why he had drawn two bolts, Tell
responded defiantly that if he had missed, he would have sent the second bolt through Gessler’s
heart.
Enraged, Gessler had Tell bound and placed on a ship that would take him away to a dungeon. A
terrible storm came, and the soldiers on the ship were unable to control the ship. They released
Tell, hoping that with his great strength he could steer the ship. Tell steered the ship close to
shore, but leapt away, making his escape and leaving the soldiers to fend for themselves. Tell ran
through the mountains and forests to Gessler’s castle, to wait near the road in ambush for
Gessler’s return. As Gessler approached, Tell shot him with the second bolt, killing him and
sparking the Swiss rebellion against the Austrian Empire.
Listening to the Overture to William Tell
In an opera, the overture is the music that the orchestra plays before the curtain rises and the
story begins. Often the overture serves as a musical summary of the entire opera – this is exactly
what Rossini does with the overture to William Tell! You will hear the finale – or the end – of the
overture, representing the arrival of the Swiss army led by William Tell as they move against
their oppressors.
Listen to the trumpets: they announce the arrival of the Swiss soldiers.
Do you hear the rapid ta-ta-tum/ta-ta-tum rhythm? That is the galloping of the troop’s horses.
Giaochino Rossini (1792-1868)
Giaochino Rossini was a fun-loving Italian composer, fond of good
food and the company of his friends. He loved food so much that
when he retired from composing he moved to Paris and became a
chef!
Rossini was born in the coastal Italian town of Pesaro, on February
29, 1792. He would often jest about this, and jokingly attributed his
laziness and unserious attitude to having been born on a leap-day.
Rossini was born into a musical family; his mother was an opera
singer, and his father was a horn player. By the age of six, he was
playing the triangle in his father’s band, and he continued learning
to play other instruments including the cello and the horn. Rossini’s
music lessons also included instruction on the harpsichord; the
young composer was shameless, and would ridicule and play tricks
on his music teacher. By the age of ten he had already started composing, and was a fan of the
music of Haydn and Mozart.
Between the ages of 18 and 38, Rossini wrote some of the world’s best known operas, including
his masterpiece The Barber of Seville. William Tell was his last opera, and is also his longest – it
is over six hours long! William Tell is an extravagant production, featuring songs for a huge
chorus, grand ballet scenes, and processions. It is such a long and complex production that it is
rarely performed in its entirety. The overture to William Tell is extremely well-known in
America, appearing in television and movies as the theme for The Lone Ranger and having been
widely used in cartoons of the 20th century.
Who Makes an Opera?
At its simplest, an opera is a story that is set to live music and acted out on stage by performers
who sing their lines. Let’s explore some of the people who make an opera possible!
Vocalists – The actors in an opera all have to be exceptionally strong singers; they aren’t just
playing a character, they are also putting on a musical performance! They have to be able to
move around the stage, often with complicated stage directions and heavy costumes, while
singing their lines and projecting their voice – without a microphone! – out into the theatre.
Some vocalists are main characters, others are minor characters or chorus.
Orchestra – In an opera, the orchestra isn’t just background music. The music played by the
instrumentalists helps the singers by creating the appropriate mood or setting, or even by taking
on the role of another character!
Conductor – The conductor is responsible for keeping everyone together – actors, orchestra,
chorus, dancers; they all have to watch the conductor.
Stage crew – Like any theatrical production, the stage crew plays an important role in an opera. They are
responsible for coordinating scene changes, managing stage lights, and operating any special effects that
the production requires – sometimes this includes use of machinery or even live animals!
As the map above shows, the landscape of
Switzerland is full of tall mountains, broad elevated
plains called plateaus, and is dotted with lakes and
rivers. The Swiss Alps attract tourists from all over
and are renowned for their ski resorts and hiking
trails. Many Swiss cities still contain medieval
buildings and locales, such as the Zytglogge clock
tower in the capital city of Bern. While finance and
banking are Switzerland’s chief industries, Swiss
chocolate and watches are very popular throughout
the world. Switzerland is one of the leading countries
in telecommunications, and boasts one of the world’s
best health care systems.
A member of the United Nations since 2002, Switzerland maintained a
policy of strict neutrality in the two World Wars of the 20th century, and the
Swiss city of Geneva was the seat of the League of Nations and a number of
other international organizations. Every Swiss male is required to serve at
least 260 days in the Swiss armed forces. In the past, due to Switzerland’s
history of neutrality, Swiss soldiers were often employed as palace guards
or auxiliary troops for many European countries. Today, specially
appointed members of the Swiss armed forces serve as the vigilant
bodyguards for the Pope in Rome.
Symphony Spotlight: The Elements of Music
Rossini was nicknamed “Signor Crescendo” for his tendency to build long, drawn out, repeating
passages of music that gradually got louder and louder. When we talk about time, or patterns, or
volume in music, these are considered some of the elements of music.
The elements of music are all of the different ingredients that come together make music happen.
Think about these concepts and questions when you listen to music.
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Sound – How do you describe what you hear?
o Pitch – Does the music sound high or low?
o Dynamics – Is the music soft or loud?
o Timbre – the “tone color.” Does the music sound bright or dark?
Performing Media – What is making the sound? Is it an instrument, a voice, or a digital
sound created by a computer? Is it some combination of any or all of those?
Rhythm – the duration of notes, and the pulse of the beat
o Tempo – Is the music fast or slow?
o Meter – Do the rhythms seem to fit into a larger pattern? How can you count that
pattern?
Melody – Can you identify an important line in the music? How does it move?
o Range – how high or low does the melody go?
o Steps and leaps – are the notes of the melody close together or far apart? Is the
melody easy to sing?
Harmony – Do you hear more than one pitch at a time?
o Consonance – the combination of pitches is pleasing or comfortable.
o Dissonance – the combination of pitches is jarring or unexpected.
Texture – how many different voices or instruments do you hear?
o “Monophonic” means one sound, usually a solo instrument or voice.
o “Polyphonic” means many sounds at the same time.
o “Homophonic” means one main melody accompanied by chords. Many of the
songs that you know are homophonic.
Form – Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, and Texture all combine to create form. Listen for
contrast and repetition.
o Can you hear different phrases or sections in the music? Do you hear when one
section ends and another begins?
Try it on your Own:
Look over the list of the elements of music, then listen to the Overture from William Tell again.
What elements of music can you identify? Is it fast or slow? Loud or quiet? Can you hear any
contrasting sections in the music?
How would you use the elements of music to describe what you hear to a friend?