LangLangstudyguide2011_12

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SchoolTime Study Guide

Lang Lang Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 11 a.m.

Zellerbach Hall, University of California, Berkeley


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SchoolTime Lang Lang |

On Tuesday, November 1, at 11amin Cal Performances Zellerbach Hall, your class will a

end aperformance featuring virtuoso pianist Lang Lang, and Anna Larsen, a talented young scholar fromthe Lang Lang Foundaon.

A prodigy of the piano, the 29-year-old Lang Lang started his concert career at age five andhas since electrified audiences in every major city in the world. Students may remember hisperformance during Beijings opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games, viewed by millionsof people around the world. In addion to being an arst of uncommon depth and maturity, LangLangs commitment to fostering the talents of young musicians has strengthened his reputaon asa leading ambassador of music around the world.

Using This Study GuideYou can use these materials to engage your students and enrich their Cal Performances field trip.Before aending the performance, we encourage you to:

Copythe Student Resource Sheet on pages 2 & 3 and give it to your students several daysbefore the show.

Discussthe informaon on pages 4-7 About the Performance & Arsts with your students.

Readto your students from About the Piano on pages 8-11 and Featured Composers onpages 12-13.

Engageyour students in two or more Acvies on page 14.

Reflectwith your students by asking them Guiding Quesons, found on pages 2, 4, 8 and 12.

Immersestudents further into the subject maer and art form by using the AddionalResources and Glossary on pages 15-18.

At the performance:Your class can acvely parcipate during the performance by:

Listening carefully to the melodies, harmonies, tempo and rhythms of the music

Nocingthe mood or atmosphere created in each composers work

Thinking of quesons to ask Lang Lang

Marvelling at the technical skill of the musicians

Reflecng on the sounds, sights, and performance skills you experience at the theater.

We look forward to seeing you at SchoolTime!

Welcome to SchoolTime


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| SchoolTime Lang Lang

1. Theater Equee 1

2. Student Resource Sheet 2

3. About the Performance and Arsts 4

4. About the Piano 8

5. About the Featured Composers 12

6. Learning Acvies & Resources 14

7. Glossary 17

8. California State Standards 19

About SchoolTime 20

Table of Contents


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SchoolTime Lang Lang | 1

1Theater Etiquette

Be prepared and arrive early. Ideally you should arrive at the theater 30 to 45 minutesbefore the show. Allow for travelme and parking, and plan to be in your seats at least 15 minutesbefore the performance begins.

Be aware and remain quiet. The theater is a live spaceyou can hear the performerseasily, but they can also hear you, and you can hear other audience members, too! Even the smallestsounds, like rustling papers and whispering, can be heard throughout the theater, so its best to stayquiet so that everyone can enjoy the performance without distracons. The internaonal sign forQuiet Please is to silently raise your index finger to your lips.

Show appreciaon by applauding. Applause is the best way to show your enthusiasmand appreciaon. Performers return their appreciaon for your aenon by bowing to the audienceat the end of the show. It is always appropriate to applaud at the end of a performance, and it iscustomary to connue clapping unl the curtain comes down or the house lights come up.

Parcipate by responding to the acon onstage. Somemes during a performance,you may respond by laughing, crying or sighing. By all means, feel free to do so! Appreciaon can beshown in many different ways, depending upon the art form. For instance, an audience aending astring quartet performance will sit very quietly, while the audience at a gospel concert may be inspiredto parcipate by clapping and shoung.

Concentrate to help the performers. These arsts use concentraon to focus theirenergy while on stage. If the audience is focused while watching the performance, they feelsupported and are able to do their best work. They can feel that you are with them!

Please note: Backpacks and lunches are not permied in the theater. Bags will be providedfor lobby storage in the event that you bring these with you. There is absolutely no food or drink

permied in the seang areas. Recording devices of any kind, including cameras, cannot be used

during performances. Please remember to turn offyour cell phone.


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Quesons to Think About What are some of Lang Langs achievements?

How does the piano work?

What do the three featured composers have in common?

What You Will See & HearClassical pianist Lang Lang, and Anna Larsen,

a scholar of the Lang Lang Internaonal MusicFoundaon, will play the music of Franz Lizst, FrdricChopin and Claude Debussy three composers whowrote beauful music for solo piano.

About Lang LangLang Lang began playing the piano at the

age of three and by five he had won a pianocompeon in his home city of Shenyang in China.At 17, Lang Lang became an overnight sensaonwhen he performed as a last-minute substutewith the Chicago Symphony. His performance inthe opening ceremonies for the 2008 SummerOlympics in Beijing (an event seen by over fivebillion people) further boosted his internaonalfame. Now at age 29, Lang Lang has played

with nearly every major American and Europeanorchestra and is considered one of the finestpianists on the planet.

Lang Lang has movated over 40 million

Chinese children to learn to play classical piano.For almost 10 years, he has mentored youngpianists, brought together young musicians inconcert, and performed for children in remotecommunies and hospitals as well as forcharity events. Recently, he started the LangLang Internaonal Music Foundaon which iscommied to children and music educaon.The Foundaons goal is inspire young people tobelieve that music can make life beer.

About Anna LarsenAnna Larsen joined the Lang Lang

Foundaons Young Scholars Program in 2008.She is eleven years old and lives in Boston,Massachuses. Anna was singing songs in tunewhen she was one and a half, and began learning toplay the piano from her father at three. She startedformal lessons at four and began composing atfive. From a very young age, Anna could read musicand hear in her head how it would sound. She also

hears music this waywhen shes composing,and shes able to playit and write it downimmediately, as easilyas most people read orwrite words. Anna looksforward to growing as acomposer, recording arstand concert pianist for theLang Lang Foundaon.

2 Student Resource Sheet Lang Lang


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About the ComposersThe works you will hear performed by Lang

Lang and Anna Larsen are by composers who werefamous pianists themselves. They composed someof the most technically difficult pieces a concertpianist can play.

Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)In his me, the composer, conductor,

cric and teacher, Franz Liszt, was best knownas a pianist. He is credited with invenng thesolo recital, and he amazed audiences with hisincredible technique and showmanship.

Liszt primarily wrote music for the piano andcreated a new form the symphonic poem. Alsocalled a tone poem, a symphonic poem is a piece ofmusic that draws on a poem, story, painng, idea

or other non-musical subject. Liszt also wrote musiccricism and was known as a conductor and teacherwho trained many musicians and composers.

Frdric Chopin (1810 - 1849)Born near Warsaw, Poland in 1810, Chopin

began composing at the age of six and gave hisfirst concert at eight. Aer early fame in hisnave country, he went to Paris where he becamewell-known as a pianist and piano teacher. Chopindeveloped new forms of piano music and mostof his works are for solo piano. An instrument

of wide dynamic range, the piano was idealfor showcasing the expressiveness of his work.Chopins composions are considered of greatmusical and technical importance for their arstryand originality, and his music inspired many of thecomposers who came aer him.

Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)Claude Debussy was born in Paris, and

started studying at the Paris Conservatory whenhe was only ten. As a child, Debussy was fascinatedby visual art, and as he grew up, he loved the new

style called Impressionism. Instead of painngrealisc, lifelike painngs with hard outlines,Impressionists used dabs in many differentshades of color to create the impression ofwhat they wanted to depict. Debussy took thatidea and applied it to his composions, creangImpressionism in music.

About the PianoA piano is a large musical instrument made

up of a keyboardfixed to a wooden case thatcontains metal wires stretched across a frame. Thefirst piano was invented in Florence, Italy in 1700by Bartolomeo Cristofori. The word piano comesfrom the Italian wordpianoforte. The musical termspiano and forte mean quiet and loud,because the piano can make soor noisy soundsdepending on how hard a pianist touches the keys.

The piano is played by pressing the keys,each of which is aached to a small hammer thatstrikes one or more of the wires to sound a note.The piano has 36 black keys and 52 white keys a total of 88 keys. At the base of a piano arepedals, foot-operated levers, which change theinstruments sound in various ways. In its more

than 300-year history, composers have wrienmany pieces for the piano. Today pianists canchoose from a wide variety of styles includingclassical, jazz and all sorts of popular music.


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Guiding Quesons: Describe the Lang Lang effect.

What are the goals of the Lang Lang Internaonal Music Foundaon?

What does Anna Larsen hope to do as she grows up?

Which composers will the pianists play?

Circus Oz

The SchoolTimePerformance

Liszt and ChopinPerformed by Lang Lang

Mephisto Waltz # 1 by Franz LisztClair de Lune by Claude Debussy

Performed by Lang Lang Foundaon

scholar, Anna Larsen

Q&A with Lang Lang

Closing piece performed by Lang Lang

3About the Performance & Artists Lang Lang

About the ArstsLang Lang

Heralded as the hoest arst on theclassical music planet by the New York Times,29 year-old Lang Lang has played to full capacityaudiences in major cies worldwide. He is thefirst Chinese pianist to be engaged by the ViennaPhilharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic and all the topAmerican orchestras.

Early LifeLang Lang began playing piano at the age

of three. By the age of five he had won theShenyang Piano Compeon and had given hisfirst public recital. Entering Beijings Central MusicConservatory at age nine, he won first prize atthe Tchaikovsky Internaonal Young MusiciansCompeon and played the complete 24 Chopintudes at the Beijing Concert Hall at age 13.


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the World Economic Forum and received the 2010Crystal Award in Davos. In May 2011, Lang Langreceived Honorary Doctorate of Music from HisRoyal Highness The Prince of Wales at the RoyalCollege of Music.

Worldwide PopularityTens of thousands of people have enjoyed Lang

Langs performances in concerts in parks and venuesaround the globe, including guest appearances atthe World Cup Games and the Euro Cup finals.

Over five billion people viewed Lang Langsperformance in Beijings opening ceremony forthe Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008, wherehe was seen as a symbol of the youth and thefuture of China. This has inspired over 40 millionChinese children to learn to play classical piano a phenomenon coined by The Today Show asthe Lang Lang effect. In 2010, he was chosenas an official worldwide ambassador to the 2010Shanghai Expo.

Lang Lang has been featured on television

and in news and lifestyle magazines worldwide.Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the biggest, mostexcing keyboard talent encountered in manyyears, he has progressed from one triumphantappearance to the next. In 2009, he was includedin Timemagazines annual list of the 100 MostInfluenal People in the World.

Lang Lang became an instant star at 17, whenhe was called upon for a dramac, last-minutesubstuon at the Gala of the Century, wherehe played a Tchaikovsky concerto with the ChicagoSymphony. Following this acclaimed debut, heperformed successful concerts around the world.

Recordings & AwardsAll Lang Langs albums have entered the top

classical charts as well as many pop charts aroundthe globe. He appeared on BillboardsNew Arst

chart at the highest posion ever for a classicalarst. In 2007, he was the first Chinese arstever nominated for a Grammy Award as BestInstrumental Soloist. His album of the First andFourth Beethoven Piano concertos with LOrchestrede Paris and Maestro Christoph Eschenbachdebuted at #1 on the Classical Billboard Chart.

Lang Lang is the featured soloist on theGolden Globe winning score The Painted Veilcomposed by Alexandre Desplat. He recorded themovie soundtrack of the Japanese blockbuster film

Nodame Cantabileand Nuit De Mai with tenorPlacido Domingo; and performed the openingsequence for the video game Gran Turismo.

Lang Lang currently serves on the WeillMusic Instute Advisory Commiee at CarnegieHall and is the youngest member of CarnegieHalls Arsc Advisory Board. He has been addedas one of the 250 Young Global Leaders picked by

Lang Lang has played all over the world. This map shows a few of the cies where he has performed.


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Inspiring Young PeopleFor nearly a decade, Lang Lang has given

back to children: mentoring rising young talentedpianists; convening 100 piano students in concert;performing for sick children in hospitals; deliveringclassical music recitals in underserved and remote

communies; and donang his musical talents toraise awareness of other charitable causes.

The Lang Lang Internaonal Music Foundaonwas founded to inspire the next generaon ofclassical music lovers and performers by culvangtomorrows top pianists, championing musiceducaon at the forefront of technology, andbuilding a young audience through live musicexperiences. Lang Lang works with exceponalpartners to inspire young people to believe thatmusic can make life beer. In May 2009, Lang Lang

and three young scholars from the foundaon aged from 6 to 10years old performedtogether on The OprahWinfrey Showon OprahsSearch for the WorldsMost Smartest andMost Talented Kids.As he noted aer theFoundaon launch event,I have taken on a secondcareer!

Lang Lang gives master classes throughoutthe world at the invitaon of presgious musicinstuons, including the Curs Instute of Music,Juilliard School, Manhaan School of Music andHanover Conservatory, as well as conservatories inChina where he holds honorary professorships.

As first Ambassador of the YouTubeSymphony Orchestra, a groundbreaking projectcreated by YouTube and Google, Lang Langexpresses his devoon to building new audiences

and bringing classical music to young peopleworldwide.

Lang Langs biography,Journey of a ThousandMiles, published by Random House in elevenlanguages, was released to crical acclaim in 2009.He also released a version of his autobiographyspecifically for younger readers, entled Playingwith Flying Keys.

Musical AmbassadorLang Lang has become the face of

numerous global campaigns. Steinway createdfive versions of the Lang Lang Steinwaydesigned for early music educaon. He is also aglobal brand ambassador for Sony Electronics.

In 2007, Lang Lang was guest soloist atthe Nobel Prize concert in Stockholm, an eventaended by Nobel Laureates and members of theRoyal Family. He returned in 2009, when the Nobelrecipients included President Barack Obama.

In 2004, Lang Lang was appointedInternaonal Goodwill Ambassador to theUnited Naons Childrens Fund (UNICEF). LangLang has contributed and worked to raise fundsand awareness for earthquake relief efforts inChina and Hai.

Anna LarsenEleven-year old Anna Larsen is a nave

of Boston MA, and a sixth grader. She was bornwith innate perfect pitch, which is the ability toname any note or any combinaon of notes. Forher, there has always been an unusually strongconnecon between language arts and music.

Early TalentsFrom a very young age, Annas musical

intuion enabled her to read music andinternally experience how it would sound.Similarly, when composing, she hears the musicin her head and can immediately play it on thepiano or write it down on paper in much thesame way most people read and write.

Anna was singing songs in tune by theage of one and a half, and started on thepiano when she was three, learning from herfather. She began formal lessons at four at theSuzuki School of Newton, Massachuses. Shestarted composing when she was five, and now

composes regularly.

PerformingWhen Anna was eight, she moved to

the preparatory school at the New EnglandConservatory, studying first with Angel RamonRivera and now with Professor Hung Kuan Chenand Tema Blackstone. In 2008, she receiveda scholarship from the Lang Lang Foundaon

Lang Lang with Anna Larsen,one of his Young Scholars.


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together with Charlie Liu and Derek Wang. They have playedexcing collaborave works on the Oprah show, at Carnegie Hall inthe YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and in Mack Wilbergs CarmenFantasy at Carnegie Hall and Segerstrom Hall (2009). Anna lovesplaying in groups and making friends through music, and was thrilledto play in these renowned venues.

Anna has studied a wide repertoire and has always been drawnto challenging material, performing Chopins daunng Winter WindEtude in public when she was eight years old. In 2010, she recordedher first album featuring all 24 preludes and fugues from Bachs WellTempered Clavier, Book 1. Anna especially enjoys playing collaboravemusic with her friends, including the other Lang Lang scholars and herchamber group, as well as partnering with violin or cello for duets.

ComposingAnna has been recognized in several naonal compeons for

her original composions. In May 2011, she was one of the youngest

to receive the presgious ASCAP (American Society of Composers,Authors and Publishers) Foundaon Morton Gould Young ComposerAward for her first original symphony. She has been mentored incomposion by Alla Cohen at the New England Conservatory since2008. Influenced by the masters she has studied, she explores thecreave synthesis of form, structure, themac material, tonal plan,modulaon, development, color, mbre, and rhythm. She recentlycompleted a set of Symphonic Etudes, which she is orchestrang intoher first symphony. Annas second instrument is voice and she hassung in a few venues. The acve study of voice and breath amplifiesher creavity and interpretaon as an arst.

Anna hopes to leave behind many original, enduring, andinspiring master composions for both musicians and non-musiciansto enjoy in generaons to come. She enjoys the freedom ofcomposing original music and performing for audiences, and hopesher career will include composing and conducng symphonies and

concertos for herown outstandingorchestra. Anna looksforward to growingas a composer,recording arst,and concert pianist

of the Lang Langfoundaon. Outsideof music, Anna lovesswimming, skang,reading, wring anddrawing cartoons.

What I love about music:

Music has beena part of me foras long as I can

rememberandit is comforng,inspiring, and

fascinang. WhenI am not at the

piano or composing,there has almost

never been a mewhen music hasnot been playing

in my head. To me,music is much morepowerful than anylanguage, it is twovoices, Gods voice

and the musicians.

How it feels to playpiano with Lang Lang:

The best partof playing pianowith Lang Langis savoring andimitang the

enthusiasc charmof his performance.One of the things

I have learnedfrom him is to notbe afraid of being

passionate and

expressing howeveryou feel through

the piece, but alsonot playing tooindulgently...

-Anna LarsenAnna Larsen


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Circus Performance

Guiding Quesons: What kind of instrument is the piano?

How did the piano grow in popularity?

What styles of music are performed on the piano?

Piano BasicsAdapted from the website The Piano Educaon Page

What is a piano?A piano is a large musical instrument

consisng of a keyboard affixed to a wooden casecontaining metal wires stretched across a frame.It is played by pressing the keys, each of which isaached to a small hammer that strikes one ormore of the wires to sound a note. Almost everymodern piano has 36 black keys and 52 white keysfor a total of 88 keys. At the base of a piano arepedals foot-operated levers which change theinstruments sound in various ways.

Is the piano a string instrument or a

percussion instrument?The piano is really a hybrid--a combinaon

of two types. Its a string instrument because themusical tones originate in the strings; and its alsoa percussion instrument, because the strings areset into vibraon by being struck with hammers.To be historically correct, its classified as a keyedzither by musicologists.

What types of piano are there?There are two basic types: Grand pianos have

their strings and soundboard parallel to the floor,

and Ver

cals (or Uprights) have the strings andsoundboard turned upwards perpendicular tothe floor. Both types come in different sizes andstyles. Grand pianos range from four and a half tonine and a half feet long. Different upright stylescan be 52 or more inches high; 45 inches (studiouprights); 40-42 inches (consoles); and as lowas 36-38 inches (spinets).

4 About the Piano

Grand Piano

Vercal Piano


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Growth in PopularityAlthough sll expensive, pianos were made

smaller by the 1760s so that wealthy familiescould own them in their homes. WolfgangAmadeus Mozart (1756 1791), a pianist prodigy,was born into such a home. At four years old hebegan touring Europe, giving concerts alongsidehis musically talented family.

By 1770, the piano had reached America byway of German immigrant John Behrent, a pianomaker. Most American songs at that me relatedto the American Revoluon, involving livelymelodies to evoke the war and the colonistsfighng spirit.

During and aer Ludwig van Beethovensme (1770 1827), the piano grew to havemore keys, thus increasing its range of size andsound. To create more depth in its dynamics,piano makers began designing the instrument out

of iron for a louder effect. The piano was soonincorporated into orchestras, which very quicklybecame a popular source of entertainment,prompng larger concert halls to be built.

Famous PianistsMany pianists gained popularity paralleling

the rock stars of today, and their performancesoen induced audiences to weep and showerthe stage with flowers. The Hungarian pianist,Franz Liszt (1811 1886), was one such musician.Bucking the tradion of orchestral performances,

he introduced the solo piano performance andwrote more than 600 pieces. Polish pianistFrdric Chopin (1810 1849), was anotherfavorite performer who also gave private lessonsto the elite of Paris. In America, Louis MoreauGoschalk (1829 1869) of New Orleansbecame known internaonally for his tremolotechnique, which involves rapidly playing onenote or alternang quickly between two or more.

How does the piano create sound?When a key is pressed, a mechanism inside

(the acon) makes a hammer go up (in a grand)or forward (in an upright) to strike the strings. Thehammer is a round sck with a head on it (it lookssomething like a real hammer), and it is covered with

dense wool felt. The vibraon of the string makes amusical sound, which is amplified by its conneconto a large soundboard that makes the note muchlouder than the string could do by itself. When thekey is released, a felt pad called a damper dropsback onto the string and stops the sound. When theplayer presses the right pedal, all the dampers rise toallow the strings to keep sounding.

A Brief History of the PianoAdapted from the website Piano Notes

Invenon of the PianoThe first piano was invented in Florence,

Italy in 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655 1731), a crasman who repaired harpsichordsfor Italys royal court. Cristoforis invenon was asimple keyboard that he called a gravecembalocol piano et forte, keyboard instrument with soand loud, named for the strings that produceddifferent dynamic levels upon vibrang whenstruck by small wooden hammers covered withdeerskin. Cristofori experimented with the

instruments design throughout the years, andthe instrument grew popularity among the upperclass. By 1730 pianos were purchased and playedby the most elite Europeans.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Sheet music from The Star-Spangled Banner, wrien in 1814 byFrancis ScoKey and composed by John Stafford Smith in 1780.


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Women & the PianoIn the 19th century, women were oen

shunned for playing the piano in public, but therewere a few excepons. Parisian Marie Moke Pleyel

(1811 1875) performedin Europe and Russia and

her talent impressed bothLiszt and Chopin. ClaraWieck Schumann, whobegan playing piano atthe age of nine, madean even bigger name forherself upon marryingGerman composer RobertSchumann and performing

his works. Although public performances bywomen pianists were frowned upon, women

were s

ll expected to play the piano at home andteach their children how to play. As a result, manyAmerican women worked as piano instructors.In Germany and Australia, pianos were evenbuilt into sewing tables, allowing women toconveniently pracce both womanly tasks. Evoluon of the Piano

Handmade pianos had been craed indifferent shapes and sizes around the world toaccommodate a variety of middle-class homes andtastes; they were oen square-shaped in Americaand curvier in Germany and Austria. However,with the Industrial Revoluon came the birth

of piano factories, which eliminated handmadepianos and adopted a more standard design forthe instrument. Companies like Bechstein slloperate today, and Bostons Chickering & Sons,which was Americas leading piano maker in the1850s, connued making pianos unl the 1980s.Another manufacturer, Steinway & Sons, usedcreave techniques to prosper, such as sponsoringpiano tours, building concert halls and creanga town for its employees complete with homes,educaon and religious services.

Taking piano lessons was a popular pas

mein the late 1800s and early 20th century,especially among children. Serious students oenwent to study in Europe and acvely parcipatedin community recitals and church choirs. Pianoprices dropped so that most families could affordthe instrument, and piano and sheet music salesflourished through traveling salesmen and mailorder businesses.

Marie Moke Pleyel

Sewing machine with built in piano from Austria at the MusicInstrument Museum in Berlin.

Piano lessons were encouraged from a young age, and manywomen worked as piano instructors.


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Classical pianists usuallystart playing piano at a veryyoung age. Many well-knownclassical composers werevirtuoso pianists, including:

Ludwig van Beethoven

Johannes Brahms

Frdric Chopin

Claude Debussy

Franz Liszt

Felix Mendelssohn

Wolfgang AmadeusMozart

Sergei Prokofiev

Leonard Bernstein

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Dmitri Shostakovich

The Piano in the 20th Century & BeyondIn the 1900s, African-American musicians developed

new styles of playing the piano, first ragme and then jazz,music which also inspired new dances. Famous arsts suchas Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington and Mary Lou Williamsemerged to shape the new music movement. The pianowas also incorporated into gospel music to inspire religiousfeelings and encourage musical parcipaon.

A self-playing piano, called the player piano wasinvented in the early 1900s. These pianos playedautomacally when someone pumped the pedals,allowing families to sing along with piano tunes. Playerpianos actually outsold regular pianos unl the salesof both plummeted during the Great Depression of the

1930s. During that me, piano companies manufacturedgliders and coffins just to stay in business.

In the years to follow, Asia became the primarybuilder of pianos. Companies such as Yamaha in Japanbecame leading producers, offering electronic keyboardsand electric pianos. These days pianos have gonedigital with computer soware that aids in composing,transposing and performing music.

With over 300 years of history, the piano connues tothrive. An expressive, dynamic and nuanced instrument,the piano is used in most forms of Western music and

consequently, pianists have a wide variety of repertoireand styles to choose from, including jazz, and all sorts ofpopular music. Today, with gied pianists like Lang Langenchanng enthusiasc new audiences and inspiringyoung pianists and composers, the art forms popularityseems ensured for years to come.

Mary Lou Williams Duke Ellington Darmouth College Gospel Choir

Beethoven Brahms Mendelssohn


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Prlude laprs-midi dun faune (Prelude

to the Aernoon of a Faun) based on a workby symbolist poet Stphane Mallarm, and LaMer (The Sea), which evokes the sea and thedialogue between wind and waves.

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862 - 1918)Claude Debussy influenced generaons

of composers in his nave France and beyond.He was 10 when he began his training at theParis Conservatoire, where he decided on acareer as a composer rather than as a pianist.Debussy was fascinated with visual art even asa child and greatly admired the new painngstyle called Impressionism. Instead of painngrealisc, lifelike painngs with hard outlines,Impressionists used thousands of dabs, ormany different shades of color to create theimpression of what they wanted to depict.Debussy took that idea and applied it to hiscomposions, creang impressionism in music.

Debussy composed a great deal of pianomusic of which the Deux Arabesques andthe Suite bergamasque, with its popularClair de lune are probably the most well-known. His noted orchestral music includes the

FRDRIC CHOPIN (1810 - 1849)Born near Warsaw in 1810, Chopin begancomposing at the age of six and gave his firstconcert at the age of eight. Aer winning earlyfame in his nave country, he sought his fortunein Paris where he established himself as a pianistand piano teacher.

Chopin developed a number of newforms of piano music and the majority of hisworks are for solo piano. The piano was theideal instrument to showcase his poec andtechnically challenging pieces. His composionsulize the pianos ability to convey nuance,original harmonies and expressive depth. Hewrote waltzes, of which the Minute Waltz isprobably the most familiar. The Polish dance,the Polonaise, elevated from village to ball-room, was the basis of another characteriscform. Chopin wrote sixteen Polonaises between1817 (when he was seven years old) and 1846.He used another Polish dance form for his 62Mazurkas. Chopin wrote 26 Preludes and 27tudes, of which the Revoluonary Study is

perhaps the best known. His oeuvre (body ofwork) also includes four Scherzos, three Sonatas,four Impromptus and a number of other works.Chopins composions are considered of greatmusical and technical importance and his musicinspired many of the composers who came aerhim.

Claude Debussy


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6 Learning ActivitiesMusic Appreciaon / Literacy (Grades 2-12)Music-inspired WringSeveral composions by Liszt and Debussy allude to literature or other works of art. For example, DebussysClair de Lune (meaning moonlight) was inspired by Paul Verlaines poem of the same name. In this acvity,students will take inspiraon from music to create a poem or story.

Play Debussys Clair de Lune, Liszts Mephisto Waltz No. 1 or Chopins Nocturne 27 no. 2 for yourstudents. Videos of piano performances can be found on YouTube.

Play the piece again (students may close their eyes) and ask students to note any images, feelings oreven narraves that come to mind as they hear the melodies. Aer the piece is over, students shouldwrite down as many images, feelings, etc. as they remember.

Play the piece one more me and ask students to write down any descripve or acon words suggestedby the music.

Using as prompts the words and descripons they wrote in response to the music, ask students to writea poem, descripve passage or short story.

Music / Visual Art (Grades K-12)

Pictures to MusicDebussys La Mer (The Sea) suggests the oceans waves and the Aquarium secon of Camille Saint-SansCarnival of the Animals conjures up images of graceful and mysterious sea creatures.

Play either of the pieces noted above or another evocave classical music piece. As the music is playing, ask students to look at photos, painngs or other visual art work of the sea, riversor water. They should try to observe as much as they can, without comment, quesons or other talk.

Aer the music has stopped, ask students to describe what they observed in one of the pictures. Theyshould think about what they actually see with their eyes, not what they see in their minds eye. Writeobservaons on the board.

Next, ask students what they wonder about from the picture. (Let students be as wildly imaginave asthey like.) Write these wonderings down on the board.

Using paint, crayons or markers, ask students to create their own visual art work about the sea (or otherbody of water.)

In groups of four or five, ask students to choose one of their works. If you have instruments, give eachstudent an instrument, if not they can use their voices.

Ask the students to recreate elements of the picture through sounds. Depending upon what their soundis represenng, they should consider if their sound is loud or so, high or low, fast or slow.

Have students decide how their group wants to present their sounds, for example, one aer the other,in unison tapering offat the end, performed like a musical round, in call and response, as echoes, etc.

Ask groups to perform their soundscapes for one another. Aerwards, reflect together on what it waslike for the students to create, perform and experience the soundscapes.


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Local Organizaons Presenng Classical Piano/Music ConcertsCal Performances:hp://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/

University of California, Berkeley Department of Music:hp://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/music.html

Berkeley Symphony:hp://www.berkeleysymphony.org/

Oakland East Bay Symphony:hp://oebs.org/

San Francisco Symphony:hp://www.sfsymphony.org/

San Francisco Performances:hp://performances.org/

Piedmont Piano:hp://piedmontpiano.com/Webpages/11concertpage.html


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harpsichord a keyboard instrument that was anancestor of the piano, in common use from the16th to the 18th century, and revived in the 20th.When the keys are pressed, the strings are pluckedby leather or quill points connected with the keys.Because of this, it is nearly impossible to makechanges in dynamics playing the harpsichord.

impromptu a short piece of instrumentalmusic whose style gives an impression ofimprovisaon, a highly developed and popularform in the 19th century.

jazz American-born music that usessyncopaon, altered scales, specific harmonies,and improvisaon.

keyboard the levers on a piano or organ thatthe player pushes down to produce pitches.

mazurka a Polish dance in 3/4 me.

modulaon a transion from one key to another.

note a musical sound or the symbol used towrite it down.

oeuvre - the total output of a writer, composer,painter, etc.

orchestra a group of instrumentalists organizedto perform music together. The secons of themodern orchestra include instruments in thestring, brass, woodwind, and percussion families.

orchestrate to arrange a composion forperformance by an orchestra.

percussion instrument instruments that areplayed by being struck. Examples of percussioninstruments are drums, cymbals, maracas,xylophone, and even the piano.

7 Glossarychamber music Music wrien to be performedby a small group of players, each on an individualpart. Chamber music gets its name from the factthat it was originally meant to be played in asmaller space, like the music room of a palace, ora private home.

choir a group of singers who perform together.

compose to create and write a piece of music.

conductor leader of the orchestra or chorus whomakes sure that everyone is playing or singing theright thing, in the right way, at the right me. Theconductor stands in front of the group and directsthem throughout the performance.

concerto an instrumental composion wrienfor one or more solo performers accompanied byan orchestra.

conservatory a school of music or dramac art.

damper a device in stringed keyboardinstruments to deaden the vibraon of the strings.

tude French for study. A piece of music originallyintended to help one pracce an instrument.

fantasy a piece of music composed withoutfollowing a strict form.

fugue a composion with two or more voices orparts, in which the melody (called the subject), isplayed by one voice/part and then replayed andmodified by the other voices/parts. There areusually from two to five voices or parts.

gospel music a spiritual music based on African-American folk music, marked by strong rhythmsand elaborated refrains, and incorporangelements of spirituals, blues, and jazz.


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spinet a small upright piano.

stringed instrument a musical instrumenthaving strings as the medium of soundproducon, played with the fingers or with aplectrum or a bow. The guitar, the harp, and theviolin are stringed instruments.

symphonic poemdescripve music forsymphony orchestra: an extended piece of musicthat is based on a literary, arsc, or ideologicaltheme such as a folktale or landscape

mbre the characterisc quality or color ofsound that makes one voice or instrumentdifferent from another.

tonal relang to the quality, pitch, strength,duraon, etc. of a sound

transcripon an arrangement of a piece ofmusic for an instrument or voice other than theone for which it was originally wrien

transpose to write or perform a piece of musicin a key other than the one in which it is wrien

tremolo Italian for trembling; very fastrepeon of a note

virtuoso a performer who is a master of musicaltechnique and arstry

waltz the music for a ballroom dance in 3/4

me that became very popular in 19th centuryAustria.

zither a musical instrument, consisng of a flatsounding box with numerous strings stretchedover it, that is placed on a horizontal surface andplayed with a plectrum and the fingerps

pitch the highness or lowness of a musical tone.

polonaise a stately Polish dance in 3/4me,originally performed for court processions andceremonies.

prelude a musical introducon. Organ preludes

oen introduce church services; instrumentalpreludes can introduce operas or suites.

ragme American dance music with African-American roots, popular in the early 20th century.Ragme music is syncopated, the accents in themelody are shied away from the strong beats inthe bass line underneath.

recital a public performance, especially by asolo performer.

repertoire all the music a musician has pre-

pared to perform.rhapsody a free-form composion in whichdifferent melodies are strung together. Greek forsongs stched together.

rhythm the paerns of me and beats in music.

scherzo a fun, playful piece of music named forthe Italian word for joke.

solo a performance by a single singer orinstrumentalist.

sonata a piece of music wrien for asolo instrument, or a solo instrument withaccompaniment, having three or four movements,each complete in itself.

soundboard a thin plate of wood or a stretchedmembrane lying directly under the strings of astringed musical instrument. It vibrates in responseto the vibraons of the strings, amplifying the faintsound produced by the string alone.

Harpsichod Spinet Zither Studio Upright


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Music Grades K-12

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION

Processing, Analyzing, and Responding toSensory Informaon Through the Language andSkills Unique to Music

Students read, notate, listen to, analyze, anddescribe music and other aural informaon, usingthe terminology of music.

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Creang, Performing, and Parcipang in Music

Students apply vocal and instrumental musicalskills in performing a varied repertoire of music.They compose and arrange music and improvisemelodies, variaons, and accompaniments, usingdigital/electronic technology when appropriate.

3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

Understanding the Historical Contribuons andCultural Dimensions of Music

Students analyze the role of music in past andpresent cultures throughout the world, nongcultural diversity as it relates to music, musicians,and composers.

Role of Music

3.1 Describe the social funcons of a variety ofmusical forms from various cultures and meperiods (e.g., folk songs, dances).

Diversity of Music

3.2 Idenfy different or similar uses of musicalelement sin music from diverse cultures.

3.4 Describe the influence of various cultures andhistorical events on musical forms and styles.

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING

Responding to, Analyzing and Making Judgmentsabout Works of Music

Students crically asses and derive meaning fromworks of music and the performance of music, theelements of music, and original works according tothe elements of music.

8 California State Standards


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About Cal Performances andSchoolTime

The mission of Cal Performances is to inspire,

nurture and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the

performing arts. Cal Performances, the performing

arts presenter of the University of California, Berkeley,

fulfills this mission by presenting, producing and

commissioning outstanding artists, both renowned

and emerging, to serve the University and the broader

public through performances and education and

community programs. Cal Performances celebrates

over 100 years on the UC Berkeley Campus.

Our SchoolTime program cultivates an early

appreciation for and understanding of the performing

arts amongst our youngest audiences, with hour-long,

daytime performances by the same world-class artists

who perform as part of the main season. SchoolTimehas become an integral part of the academic year for

teachers and students throughout the Bay Area.

Cal Performances thanks the followingdonors for their gifts in support of ourEducation and Community Programs:

Anonymous

Bank of America

Jesse and Laren Brill

Richard Buxbaum and Catherine Hartshorn

Earl and June CheitNancy and Gordon Douglass

Deborah Duncan and Mr. Barnett Lipton

Karin Evans and Charles Mark Humbert

The Fremont Group Foundation

The Robert J. and Helen H. Glaser Family Foundation

Alex and Eva Glazer

Jane Gottesman and Geoffrey Biddle

Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

Beth Hurwich

Kaiser Permanente

Kennedy Center Partners in Education

Carol Nusinow Kurland and Duff Kurland

Ms. Germaine LaBerge

Sally Landis and Michael White

Susan Marinoff and Thomas Schrag

The Hare Family

Maris MeyersonRachel Morello-Frosch

Carol and Joe Neil

Eddie and Amy Orton

Kenneth and Frances Reid

Gail and Daniel Rubinfeld

Linda and Will Schieber

William A. Settles Fund for AileyCamp

Warren Sharp and Louise Laufersweiler

Barclay and Sharon Simpson

Markus and Barbara Trice

Carol Jackson Upshaw

Wells Fargo

Zellerbach Family Foundation

Lead Community Partner:

For information on supporting our

Education and Community Programs,

contact, Eric Stensvaag at 510.643.6705 or

email [email protected].


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This Cal Performances SchoolTime Study Guidewas wrien, edited and designed by Laura Abrams,Rica Anderson and Nicole Anthony.

Copyright 2011 Cal Performances

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