SEQUENCE TWO (15 - 20 lessons)
SEQUENCE TWO (15 - 20 lessons)
|Focusing Question |
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|How do we share ideas with others about music, interpreting language and expressive symbols, in a way that uses our creative, critical and |
|meta-cognitive processes, to make sense of ephemeral ideas? |
|Learning Outcomes |
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|Students will: |
|View and share ideas about the artworks that influenced the composition of Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky. (UC, PK) |
|Listen to, study and discuss the original piano version and a selection of orchestral and non-orchestral arrangements of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an|
|Exhibition. (UC, PK) |
|Generate an instrumentation using around 32 bars of Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky as the source material. (Level 2 |
|students) (DI) |
|Create an arrangement for an instrumental ensemble of at least three instruments, of The City Gates from Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky. |
|(Level 3 students) (DI) |
|Activity |
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|Information: |
|The first musician to arrange Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition for orchestra was the little-known Russian composer and conductor Mikhail |
|Tushmalov (1861–1896). However, his version (first performed in 1891 and possibly produced as early as 1886 when he was a student of |
|Rimsky-Korsakov) does not include the entire suite: Only seven of the ten “pictures” are present, leaving out Gnomus, Tuileries, and Bydło, and all |
|the Promenades are omitted except for the last one, which is used in place of the first. |
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|The next orchestration was that undertaken by the British conductor Henry Wood in 1915. Wood withdrew his version when Ravel's was published but it |
|has been recorded (by the London Philharmonic under Nicholas Braithwaite) and issued on the Lyrita label, revealing not only the omission of all but|
|the first of the Promenades but extensive re-composition elsewhere. |
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|The first person to orchestrate the piece in its entirety was the Slovenian-born conductor and violinist Leo Funtek, who finished his version in |
|1922 while living and working in Finland. |
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|The version by Maurice Ravel (also produced in 1922, to a commission by Serge Koussevitzky) is a virtuoso effort by a master colourist, and has |
|proved the most popular in the concert hall and on record. Ravel does, however, omit the Promenade between “Samuel” Goldenberg und “Schmuÿle” and |
|Limoges. Koussevitzky held sole conducting rights in his commission for several years and not only published Ravel's score himself, but in 1930 made|
|its first recording with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. |
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|This exclusivity occasioned the appearance of other contemporary versions, such as the publication of an orchestral arrangement by Leonidas |
|Leonardi, an orchestration student of Ravel himself, whose score requires even larger forces than Ravel's. Leonardi conducted the premiere of his |
|transcription in Paris in 1924. Another arrangement appeared when Eugene Ormandy took over the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1936 following Stokowski's |
|decision to resign the conductorship. He wanted a version of Pictures he could call his own so he commissioned Lucien Cailliet (the Philadelphia |
|Orchestra's 'house arranger' and a member of the woodwind section) to produce one, and this was premiered and recorded by Ormandy in 1937. Walter |
|Goehr, on the other hand, published a version in 1942 for smaller forces than Ravel but curiously dropped 'Gnomus' altogether and made 'Limoges' the|
|first 'Picture'! |
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|It should be noted that although Ravel's version has been much recorded, a number of conductors have made their own changes to the scoring, |
|including Arturo Toscanini, Nikolai Golovanov and Djong Victorin Yu. The conductor Leonard Slatkin has also made several of his own 'compendium' |
|versions, in which each Promenade and Picture is by a different orchestral arranger. Also, conductor and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy alleged that |
|Ravel not only made his version using a corrupt edition of the piano version but also added his own amendments in notation and dynamics while |
|incorporating all the misprints. This plus what he considered Ravel's inauthentic orchestral coloration prompted him to make his own arrangement of |
|Pictures. |
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|The conductor Leopold Stokowski had introduced Ravel’s version to Philadelphia audiences in November 1929; he produced his own very free |
|orchestration (incorporating much re-composition) ten years later, aiming for what he called a more 'Slavic' orchestral sound, feeling that Ravel's |
|was too 'Gallic'. Stokowski revised his version over the years, and made three recordings of it (1939, 1941 and 1965). The score was not printed |
|until 1971 and has since been recorded by several other conductors, including Matthias Bamert, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Oliver Knussen and Jose |
|Serebrier. |
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|Many other orchestrations and arrangements have been created, and the original piano composition is also frequently performed and recorded. A brass |
|ensemble arrangement was made by Elgar Howarth for the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble in the 1970s. There is even an adaptation for solo classical |
|guitar by Kazuhito Yamashita. Excerpts have also been recorded, including a 78rpm disc of The Old Castle and Catacombs orchestrated by Sir Granville|
|Bantock, and a spectacular version of The Great Gate of Kiev scored by Douglas Gamley for full symphony orchestra, male voice choir and organ. |
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|There have also been several very different non-classical interpretations: one incorporating progressive rock, jazz and folk music elements by the |
|British trio, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, in their 1971 album Pictures at an Exhibition, and an electronic music adaptation by Isao Tomita in 1975. A |
|heavy metal arrangement of the entire suite was released by German band, Mekong Delta. Another metal band, Armored Saint, use the "Great Gate of |
|Kiev's” main theme as the introduction to the track "March of the Saint". In 2002, electronic musician-composer Amon Tobin paraphrased Gnomus for |
|the track Back From Space on his album Out from Out Where. In 2003, guitarist-composer Trevor Rabin released his electric guitar adaptation of |
|"Promenade," once intended for the Yes album Big Generator, later included in his demo album 90124. |
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|A very basic analysis of the work can be found at |
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|A listing of some orchestral arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition: |
|* Henry Wood (1915; four Promenades omitted) |
|* Leo Funtek (1922; all Promenades included) |
|* Maurice Ravel (1922; the fifth Promenade omitted) |
|* Giuseppe Becce (1922; for “salon-orchestra”) |
|* Leonidas Leonardi (1924) |
|* Lucien Cailliet (1937) |
|* Walter Goehr (1942; Gnomus omitted; includes a subsidiary part for piano) |
|* Sergei Gorchakov (1954) |
|* Daniel Walter (1959) |
|* Helmut Brandenburg (ca. 1970) |
|* Emile Naoumoff (ca. 1974, for piano and orchestra) |
|* Lawrence Leonard (1977; in concerto style for piano and orchestra) |
|* Mekong Delta (1997; for group and orchestra) |
|* Carl Simpson (1997) |
|* Julian Yu (2002; for chamber orchestra) |
|* Michael Allen (2007) |
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|Non-orchestral arrangements |
|A listing of some non-orchestral arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition: |
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|* Giuseppe Becce (1930; for piano trio) |
|* Duke Ellington (date unknown; for big band) |
|* Rudolf Wurthner (ca. 1954; for accordion orchestra; abridged version) |
|* Ralph Burns (1957; for jazz orchestra) |
|* Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1971; rock group) |
|* Harry van Hoof (ca. 1972; brass ensemble; The Bogatyr Gates only) |
|* Isao Tomita (1975; for synthesizer) |
|* Oskar Gottlieb Blarr (1976; for organ) |
|* Elgar Howarth (ca. 1977; for brass ensemble) |
|* Arthur Willis (1970s; for organ) |
|* Dr. Keith Chapman (1970s; for the Wanamaker organ) |
|* Kazuhito Yamashita (1980; for classical guitar) |
|* Elgar Howarth (1981; for brass band) |
|* Reginald Haché (1982; for two pianos) |
|* Henk de Vlieger (1984; for 14 percussion players, celesta and harp) |
|* James Curnow (1985; for concert band; abridged version) |
|* Jan Hala (ca. 1988; for guitar and pop orchestra; Baba-Yaga only) |
|* Jean Guillou (ca. 1988; for organ) |
|* Heinz Wallisch (ca. 1989; for two guitars) |
|* Yuri Chernov (ca. 1991; for Russian folk instrument orchestra; The Bogatyr Gates only) |
|* Gert van Keulen (1992; for band) |
|* Hans Wilhelm Plate (1993; for 44 grand pianos and one prepared piano) |
|* Jim Prime & Thom Hannum (ca. 1994; for brass quintet and band; abridged version) |
|* Tangerine Dream (1994) |
|* Mekong Delta (1997; for metal band) |
|* Joachim Linckelmann (ca. 1999 for wind quintet) |
|* Massimo Gabba (2006; for organ) |
|* Mauricio Romero (2007; complete transcription for double bass alone) |
|* Tony Matthews (2007; complete transcription for Brass Quintet) |
|* Slav de Hren (2008; for a punk-jazz band and vocal ensemble. Some of the pieces are |
|complete transcriptions, others are improvisations on the original theme) |
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|Note: Many of these titles can be searched on – you are then able to hear sound samples and/or purchase and download mp3s. |
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|Discussion 1: |
|Get students to listen to, follow the score/s and discuss and/or analyse the original piano version of a movement or two of Pictures at an |
|Exhibition. The whole score can be downloaded from The first |
|Promenade can be viewed on You Tube at |
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|Pictures at an Exhibition is an imaginary musical tour through a collection of Viktor Hartmann's drawings and watercolours (see below). The |
|structure of the suite showcases Mussorgsky at his most innovative, composing the album as if it was an actual walk through the exhibition. Each |
|Promenade (leisurely walk) between pictures takes on a different form and emotion, creating a natural flow between pictures. Each of the 10 pieces |
|represented by Mussorgsky takes on their own unique form, ranging from the mysterious, to the patriotic and even to haunting darkness. Some of the |
|artworks portrayed have been lost or destroyed, yet Mussorgsky's musical representations clearly portray what the paintings may have looked like. |
|For such a subjective art form, Mussorgsky's music focuses in on the essence of each painting, capturing their spirit into 30 minutes of musical |
|brilliance. With each note, Mussorgsky recreates a stroke of the brush, every note falling into place to paint each striking picture. |
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|Discussion 2: |
|View and talk about the works by Hartmann (see and below) that can be shown with any |
|certainty to have been used by Mussorgsky in composing his suite: |
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|[pic] |
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|Discussion 3: |
|Listen to the whole work by Mussorgsky and discuss with the students how these art works may have been interpreted by Mussorgsky in Pictures at an |
|Exhibition. Consider links between the form, mood and emotion of the pictures compared with the music. In groups, write a series of open, guided, |
|closed, analytical and judicial questions to ask each other in order to further deepen understanding between the music and the art works. View |
|Wikipedia site for further information: . |
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|Discussion 4: |
|Listen to a selection of orchestral and non-orchestral arrangements of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, including Henry Wood’s and Maurice |
|Ravel’s. Information on how to purchase these scores and/or recordings can be downloaded from |
|(Mussorgsky,_Modest_Petrovich). Ravel’s version of The Great Gate of Kiev (and other related videos)|
|can be viewed on You Tube at . Discuss how the orchestrations are effective in |
|communicating the mood and expressive intent of the original. |
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|Information on Ravel’s Orchestration of Pictures At An Exhibition: |
|In the orchestral scoring of each Promenade, Ravel outlines the different variations on the opening cell by using a variety of different |
|orchestrations. |
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|The first piece of the set, entitled Gnomus (Gnome), depicts "a little gnome clumsily running with crooked legs.” In the original piano score, |
|Mussorgsky represents the awkwardness of the gnome's movement using sudden, stark dynamic contrasts, hemiolas, and juxtapositions of extreme |
|registers. In place of motivic development, Mussorgsky resorts to something reminiscent of block technique (best-known from Stravinsky's The Rite of|
|Spring), which also serves to enhance the image of the subject's sporadic motion. All of these elements are retained in Ravel's orchestration, as |
|they are inherent in the musical fabric itself; however, he exploits the superior diversity of the orchestra to further intensify the sense of |
|fragmentation and unevenness achieved by Mussorgsky. |
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|Tuileries, the third picture represented in Mussorgsky's work, is described as "an avenue in the garden of the Tuileries, with a swarm of children |
|and nurses." The most obvious thing to note in Ravel's orchestration of this movement is that the brass section is omitted. The heavy sound that |
|characterises this excluded section would not have suited the subjects envisioned by Mussorgsky; children and Nurses (the feminine element) are |
|traditionally characterized by gentleness, and nurturing. At the beginning, Ravel scores the music for woodwinds alone, with the flutes and oboes |
|playing the running sixteenth-notes. It is only at bar 14 that the other orchestral force, the strings, come in alone. In the original, Mussorgsky |
|attempts to differentiate these two sections (one representing the children and the other the nurses) with a change in register, and rhythmic |
|augmentation. Although this proves effective, Ravel's use of two different orchestral sections expands this two dimensional differentiation |
|(register, diminution) to one of three dimensions (contrast in colour). Moreover, the distinction between the two sets of characters in the |
|orchestral version is clarified significantly in comparison to the original at bar 15. Here, Ravel is again able to use the different colours of the|
|orchestra to distinguish the melodic antecedent from the detached consequent, whereas Mussorgsky is limited to staccato versus legato articulation |
|to illustrate the same division. |
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|Ballet des poussins dans leurs coques weighs heavily in favour of Ravel's orchestration. Besides the simple fact that a flute is much more capable |
|of sounding like a bird, the colouristic variation offered by the different timbres of the woodwind section affirms the inferiority of the piano as |
|a medium for this piece. In the orchestration, Ravel is able to separate the top voice (played by the flutes) from the chords (played by the oboes, |
|clarinets, and harp), thus emancipate the chirping of the chicks from the supporting harmonies. At the same time, he doubles the melody (grace note |
|omitted) in the first oboe and the harp. This variety of colours gives the impression that there are several chicks chirping, and not just one as |
|the piano version implies. Furthermore, in the trio section, the trills (played by the first violins) do not overpower the continuous chirping of |
|the chicks (played by the flutes) as they do in the piano version. Ravel also uses the greater possibilities of the orchestral medium to ensure the |
|effectiveness of this hierarchy. By maintaining the flute as the principle 'chirping' instrument, Ravel forces one to associate this instrument with|
|the sound of the chicks. The effect is drastically different from that produced by Mussorgsky's version, which draws the ear exclusively to the |
|trills. |
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|Goldenberg und Schmuyle does not appear in Paul Lamm's authoritative edition of Mussorgsky's works, nor is it justified by anything in the catalogue|
|of Hartmann's works. In fact, reading from the manuscripts, one will find that this is the only movement without a title given by the composer. |
|Stassov's describes this piece as "two Polish Jews, one rich, and the other poor". Ravel's clever choice of instrumentation in this movement |
|intensifies the drastic difference in class and stature between the two Jews represented. A full body of strings is used to depict the wealthy one |
|of the two characters. The strength of this sound alone could never be reproduced on the piano; however, Ravel chooses to further intensify it by |
|notating sul sol in the violin part. The G-string on the violin is the thickest and most sonorous of the four strings. By adding an English horn, |
|two clarinets, a bass clarinet, and two bassoons to the string section, Ravel rounds off the symbol of strength with a colouristic richness that is |
|never equalled by the instrumentation representing the poor Jew. The trumpet, marked con sordino, represents the pleading of the poorer of the two |
|characters. With the addition of two oboes, it can be said that Ravel consciously introduced the two new instruments (not used in the opening) to |
|differentiate between the characters. As the poor Jew's pleading intensifies, the instruments used in the opening successively re-enter (perhaps |
|symbolising the poor character's rising affluence). Although Mussorgsky successfully represents this contrast in social class by extremities in |
|register and dynamics, Ravel's orchestration has the benefit of associating specific instruments with certain characters. It is no coincidence that |
|an entire section is devoted to the rich Jew, whereas a single instrument serves the poor one. It may also be mentioned that the repeated triplet |
|patterns in the Andantino section are not particularly idiomatic for the piano. |
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|The happenings of the seventh picture of the set, entitled Limoges. Le marché (la grande nouvelle) are more accurately portrayed in Ravel's |
|orchestration. The concept of this movement is quite similar to that put forth in Tuileries. Both movements represent conversations; one being |
|physical (Tuileries) and the other verbal (Limoges). Intended to depict "Frenchwomen furiously disputing in the marketplace", Mussorgsky's version |
|seems almost contradictory, namely because the voices almost always move together, and the respective register of the right and left hand are always|
|in close proximity to one another. In other words, no sense of conversation (disputing) is achieved. The opening measures of Ravel's orchestration |
|of Limoges provide a prime example of how he uses the variety of the orchestra to enhance the realism desired by Mussorgsky. In the orchestral |
|arrangement, the different sections of the melody (defined by different articulations in the original) are given, not only to different instruments,|
|but also to different instrumental families. The opening bar is presented by the horns, and followed by the first violin in the second bar, which is|
|then joined by the flutes half way through. |
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|The penultimate movement of the piece, The Hut on Fowls' Legs (Baba-Yaga), is modelled after "Hartmann's drawing depicting a clock in the form of |
|Baba-Yaga's hut on fowls' legs." Stassov also notes that, "Mussorgsky added Baba-yaga's flight in a mortar. "Baba-Yaga”, the fearsome witch with |
|iron teeth, is a legacy of Russian folklore. She lives deep in the forest, in a hut that can move about on its extra-large chicken legs. When moving|
|through the forest, the hut constantly spins around emitting blood-chilling screams until a secret incantation is uttered, and the hut becomes |
|eerily still. Whenever Baba-Yaga herself appears, a ferocious wind begins to blow, and the whole of nature becomes disturbed. |
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|Musically, the problem is similar to that of the poor Jew's motive; the writing is simply not idiomatic for the piano. Not much needs to be said |
|about how Ravel's orchestration of Pictures achieves a greater sense of realism in this movement. The orchestral forces are far more suitable to |
|create an atmosphere of chaos, as is presented in the A and A' sections of Baba-Yaga. In the B section, marked Andante mosso, Ravel maintains the |
|sense of stillness (this is the hut at rest) in two ways. Firstly, he restricts himself to three different instruments (flute, bassoon, and |
|contrabass) for the first seven bars. When the tension builds again, beginning in the eighth bar of the Andante mosso section, Ravel slowly |
|introduces more forces, but maintains the soft dynamic. Secondly, by separating the accompaniment from the melody, Ravel eliminates the inherent |
|tension of the original that results from the piano having to play both elements. |
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|The grand finale of the suite, The Great Gate of Kiev, is the only movement based on one of Hartmann's architectural sketches. "Hartmann's sketch |
|was his design for city gates at Kiev in the ancient Russian massive style with a cupola shaped like a Slavonic helmet." The movement is dominated |
|by the brass section, which achieves a sound more grand and clear than any piano ever could. For example, in the section marked energico, beginning |
|at bar 47, the scales played by the strings do not intrude upon the grandiose theme, as they do when played in octaves on the piano. Furthermore, |
|the contrast between the forte brass sections, and the senza expressione sections (marked piano) played by the clarinets and bassoons is several |
|times more effective than the contrast achieved on the piano. Lastly, in the meno mosso, sempre maestoso section, Ravel changes the original meter |
|from 2/2 to 3/2. Also, he sustains the melody in the woodwinds and brass, while the strings play the repeated chords. In Mussorgsky's version, the |
|triplets seem to obscure the melody unnecessarily. In all, Ravel attains a much broader sound, and an unprecedented clarity; both, essential |
|elements to depict the grandeur of the gate. |
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|Stassov described Il Vecchio Castello as, "a medieval castle before which a troubadour sings a song." Ravel begins by giving the espressivo melody |
|to the bassoons. At bar 8, a saxophone responds to the opening melody with one of its own. Throughout the movement, there is a constant dialogue |
|between these two instruments, and eventually the violins (bar 30), oboes (bar 36), flutes (bar 39), clarinets (bar 42), and the English horn (bar |
|52). Although Ravel's orchestration is very clever, it works against the sense of realism; the dialogue suggests that more than one person is |
|singing. |
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|The movement entitled Byldo (Polish for ‘cattle’) depicts "a Polish cart on enormous wheels, drawn by oxen." This movement, in its original form, |
|begins with alternating chords in the low register of the piano that lack clarity as a result. Ravel's orchestration gives these chords to the low |
|strings (‘cello and contrabasso), and notates a portato articulation, which causes for a much clearer sound than that produced in the low range of |
|the piano. Seemingly problematic at first, this muddy piano sonority comes as a blessing in disguise. As Laurence Davies points out, "since the |
|music is intended to depict the lumbering up and eventual disappearance of a Polish oxcart, all this undifferentiated sound serves to strengthen the|
|massive, tuneless grinding of the cart's wheels and the ultimate substitution of silence for noise." |
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|Catacombae is a depiction of "Hartmann himself examining the Paris catacombs by the light of a lantern." The numerous fermatas in combination with |
|the subject of this movement, proves to be perfectly suited to the piano. The natural decay that occurs on this instrument, immediately after a |
|pitch is sounded, embodies the very sound of a crypt. Moreover, the resonation of the sound proves analogous to the echoes that characterise the |
|stereotypical perception of being in a tomb. |
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|The answer to the question of whether or not Mussorgsky would have approved of an orchestral version of Pictures at an Exhibition will never be |
|known for sure. Nonetheless, something can be said concerning one particular orchestration of the Russian composer's most famous work. The |
|orchestral version completed by Maurice Ravel enhances Mussorgsky's most fundamental philosophy concerning music; that of realism. Of the ten |
|pictures that constitute the piece, seven benefit significantly from the French composer's orchestration in terms of the compositional philosophy at|
|hand. Even so, what is perhaps most important of all, is that no analysis of any kind can place one version of the piece above the other with |
|absolute certainty. This will remain, as always, a matter of taste. What can be confidently stated, however, is that Mussorgsky's original creation,|
|with its unique harmonies and fascinating program, will continue to excite the minds of scholars for years to come. |
|© 2008 Andrew Schartmann () |
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|Discussion 5: |
|Discuss whether Ravel’s painting of Pictures At An Exhibition is actually an arrangement or an instrumentation or an orchestration (ore even a |
|transcription!). Having scores would be very helpful here. What is the difference? Find definitions for each. When listening to the selection of |
|instrumentations/orchestrations/arrangements, discuss the effectiveness of the music in maintaining or heightening the mood through examining: |
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|The ensemble chosen for the instrumentation/orchestration/arrangement; |
|How the ‘arranger’ has allocated the various instrumental/vocal lines of the music to different instruments/voices from the original; |
|How the ‘arranger’ may have added new parts; |
|How the arranger has changed or created an idiomatic accompaniment figure for selected instrument(s). |
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|Also, consider how the ‘instrumentator’/orchestrator/arranger has shown their knowledge of: |
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|Instrumental ranges/registers of instruments chosen; |
|Playing techniques of instruments chosen; |
|Effective instrumental/vocal combinations and ensemble writing; |
|Idiomatic writing for instruments chosen; |
|Variety in textural density; |
|and skill in adding an accompaniment, or a counter melody, or descant, harmonic feature, introduction, coda or other modification/addition to, the |
|original form – combining it with the existing material in a manner that shows original musical contribution; |
|combining and structuring musical ideas. |
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|Teaching and Learning - Instrumentation |
|Online information about instruments, instrumental combinations, playing techniques, harmony etc. can be found on The Principles of Orchestration – |
|Online (Rimsky-Korsakov) at , Extracts from Berlioz’ Treatise on Orchestration at |
| and An Orchestration Tutorial by Alan Belkin at |
|. Students should be familiar with sounds of instruments, alone and in combination; instrumental |
|registers, playing techniques, tonal qualities and effects, colour, texture and harmony. Students may use these websites to become familiar with |
|instrumental sounds and instrumentation / orchestration principles. |
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|Teaching and Learning – Arranging Music |
|Online information about jazz arranging can be found on the Jazz Arranging Tutorial by Doug Bristol at |
| Other websites where useful information can be viewed are: |
|, , Arranging Songs - |
|, Arranging for Voices - |
|, . Students may use |
|these websites to become familiar with music arranging principles. |
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|Assessment Activity |
|Provide tasks (pp 30-34) for students to generate an instrumentation of Promenade (Level 2) or create an arrangement of The City Gates from Pictures|
|at an Exhibition by Moussorgsky (Level 3, pp35-40). Provide class time for students to work on this task, providing feedback (teacher and peer) and |
|allowing for workshopping, where students share work in progress. |
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|Encourage students to develop a process for the generation of their instrumentation – |
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|Select the 32 bars from the source material that will be used for the instrumentation; |
|Select the instrumental ensemble, considering appropriate instrumental combinations, instrumental ranges, tonal blend and variation. Consider the |
|advantages of using a standard conventional ensemble, such as a wind quintet, versus an unconventional ensemble – e.g. vibraphone, soprano |
|saxophone, synthesizer, bass guityar, guiro; |
|Map out on the source material what instruments will play what parts – considering the ranges of the instruments being used, idiomatic writing for |
|the instruments, blend and balance; |
|Select a passage or two that will definitely have a thinner texture and a passage or two where the whole ensemble will play. Consider the dyanmic |
|markings of the original to assist you with this; |
|Consider any passages that you may wish to highlight through doubling the parts or transposing the original up or down an octave; |
|What instrumemental techniques might you use to communicate the character of the music? Include these; |
|Include all details of tempo, techniques and expression in your representation of the instrumentation. |
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|Encourage students to develop a process for the creation of their arrangement – |
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|Work out the chords that are indicated above the melody line of the lead sheet – try and play the lead sheet with chords on either the guitar or |
|keyboard so that you get a feel for the music. You may even want to write in the note names for the chords above the stave – e.g. Cm7b5: C, Eb, Gb, |
|Bb; |
|Decide on the musical style for your arrangement. A list of musical styles and their characteristics can be foiund on Wikipedia at |
|; |
|Ensure that you know the function or role of the instruments in the style that you have selected. For example, if you choose to arrange the |
|Mussorgsky piece in a funk style, you will need to create an intense groove by using strong bass guitar riffs and bass lines. Funk songs use bass |
|lines as the centerpiece. Slap bass, which is a mixture of thumb-slapped low notes and finger "popped" high notes, are characteristic of the style |
|and allow the bass to have a drum-like rhythmic role, which became a distinctive element of funk. Funk uses the same extended chords found in bebop |
|jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths. However, unlike bebop jazz, with its |
|complex, rapid-fire chord changes, funk virtually abandoned chord changes, creating static single chord vamps with little harmonic movement, but |
|with a complex and driving rhythmic feel. The chords used in funk songs typically imply a dorian or mixolydian mode, as opposed to the major or |
|natural minor tonalities of most popular music. Melodic content was derived by mixing these modes with the blues scale. In funk bands, guitarists |
|typically play in a percussive style, often using the wah-wah sound effect and muting the notes in their riffs to create a percussive sound; |
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|Ensure you know what each instrumental part may sound and look like in notation. It is useful to study a notated score or a MIDI file for this, |
|observing the instrtumental range and registers, techniques, phrasing, rhythmic / melodic figurations, ensemble writing and texture. For example, if|
|you were doing your arrangement in a funk style, you may consider downloading a classic funk tune such as Play That Funky Music (White Boy) by Wild|
|Cherry. () Then you can open it up in a notation software package |
|such as Sibelius to study. You may consider adapting the drum pattern and some figurations to achieve an authentic style; |
|Ensure you know the appropriate or conventional instrumentation for the style that you select. This will make your arrangement convincing; |
|Consider altering the melodic or harmonic material if you feel this would better suit the musical style that you have selected; |
|Consider the structure for your arrangement – ideally the structure should align with structures / forms commonly found in the style you have |
|selected. Consider adding an introduction or lead-in, and a coda or lead-out at the very least. Would the original be enhanced with counterpoint by |
|adding another melody against the main tune somewhere, or could you give the original a ‘lift’ somewhere by transposing it up a key? |
|Make sure you have textural interest in the arrangement – this might be often linked to key sections in the form. |
|Assessment Approach |
| |
|Relating to Others (Discussions 1 – 4) |
|In these activities you have been discussing and sharing ideas about Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. During these activities you are |
|challenged to relate to others and interact effectively by listening actively, recognising others’ points of view and negotiating solutions or |
|coming to a general agreement. By sharing ideas, you will be open to learning new approaches, ideas and ways of thinking. Relating to, and |
|communicating with others is an essential skill in friendships, family affairs, and relationships. Are you a dynamic people person that can |
|understand others and get your message across loud and clear? Find out your own level of interpersonal communication skills with a Communication |
|Skills Test: |
| |
|Talking is easy - communication, which means an exchange or communion with another, requires greater skill. An exchange that is a communion demands |
|that we listen and speak skillfully, not just talk mindlessly. Interacting with fearful, angry, or frustrated people can be even more difficult, |
|because we're less skillful when caught up in such emotions. Good communicators can be honed as well as born. Here are a few tips to get you |
|started. |
| |
|Understand that people want to feel heard more than they care about whether you agree with them; |
|Remember that what someone says and what we hear can be amazingly different! Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort |
|what we hear. Repeat back or summarize to ensure that you understand; |
|Improve your listening skill. Most people think they listen well, but the truth is that most of people don't listen at all - they just speak and |
|then think about what they're going to say next. Goal for each individual needs to be to listen to what is being said. That way both people are |
|heard! |
|Respond don't react. Monitor your self as you attempt to communicate. Focus on understanding what is being said and clarifying if you heard |
|correctly. This allows you time to process any reactions and address them in a healthy way. |
| |
| |
| |
|Interpersonal Communication is Contextual - Communication does not happen in Isolation. |
| |
|There is a: |
|Psychological context - who you are and what you bring to the interaction. Your needs, desires, values, personality, etc., all form the |
|psychological context. ("You" here refers to both participants in the interaction.) |
|Relational context - your reactions to the other person - the "mix." |
|Situational context - the psycho-social "where" you are communicating. An interaction that takes place in a classroom will be very different from |
|one that takes place in the common room. |
|Environmental context - the physical "where" you are communicating. Furniture, location, noise level, temperature, season, time of day - all are |
|examples of factors in the environmental context. |
|Cultural context - all the learned behaviours and rules that affect the interaction. If you come from a culture (foreign or within your own country)|
|where it is considered rude to make long, direct eye contact, you will out of politeness avoid eye contact. If the other person comes from a culture|
|where long, direct eye contact signals trustworthiness, then we have in the cultural context a basis for misunderstanding. |
|(From: ) |
| |
|If you find it difficult to be assertive when sharing ideas, consider the following. The following are suggestions regarding the language of |
|assertiveness: |
|"I" statements: I think..., I feel..., I want... |
|Statements of Personal Reference and Personal Meaning: "This is the way I see it", "In my opinion...", "This is how I feel", "This is what it means |
|to me" |
|Statements of Request: "I" want..., "I" need... |
|Statements offering compromise: "I" would like this…, "I" think...What do you think? "What would be an acceptable compromise? "Can we work this out?|
|What time is agreeable to you?" |
|Asking for time: "I'd like to discuss this in an hour" Taking time to think, know what you want to be different, thinking of compromise, etc. |
|Asking for clarification instead of ASSUMING. |
|AVOID demanding and blaming statements: You make me..., You think..., You should /shouldn't..., It's your fault..., Don't you think..., If only you |
|would... |
| |
|Specific Verbal Skills |
|"I" think statements |
|Broken record - repeating what you want, persistence |
|Acknowledge what the other is saying, then repeat your view, opinion, need, etc. |
|Provide feedback - respond to what other person is saying |
| |
|Language Formula |
|I feel - state your feeling |
|When (describe behaviour) |
|Because (concrete effect or consequence on your situation) |
|I'd prefer (offer compromise) |
| |
|Assertiveness is the ability to express yourself and your rights without violating the rights of others. It is appropriately direct, open, and |
|honest communication, which is self-enhancing and expressive. Acting assertively will allow you to feel self-confident and will generally gain you |
|the respect of your peers and friends. It can increase your chances for honest relationships, and help you to feel better about yourself and your |
|self-control in everyday situations. This, in turn, will improve your decision-making ability and possibly your chances of getting what you really |
|want from life. |
| |
|However, before you can comfortably express your needs, you must believe you have a legitimate right to have those needs. You have the right: |
| |
|To decide how to lead your life. This includes pursuing your own goals and dreams and establishing your own priorities. |
|To your own values, beliefs, opinions, and emotions and the right to respect yourself for them, no matter the opinion of others. |
|Not to justify or explain your actions or feelings to others. |
|To tell others how you wish to be treated. |
|To express yourself and to say “No,” “I don't know,” or “I don't understand.” You have the right to take the time you need to formulate your ideas |
|before expressing them. |
|To ask for information or help without having negative feelings about your needs. |
|To change your mind, to make mistakes, and to sometimes act illogically with full understanding and acceptance of the consequences. |
| |
|When you don't believe you have these rights you may react very passively to circumstances and events in your life. When you allow the needs, |
|opinions, and judgments of others to become more important than your own, you are likely to feel hurt, anxious, and even angry. This kind of passive|
|or nonassertive behavior is often indirect, emotionally dishonest and self-denying. |
| |
|Many people feel that attending to their legitimate needs and asserting their rights translates to being selfish. Selfishness means being concerned |
|about only your rights, with little or no regard for others. Implicit in your rights is the fact that you are concerned about the legitimate rights |
|of others as well. |
| |
|(From ) |
| |
|The Effectiveness of Music in Expressing Mood (Discussion 5): |
|Instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments |
|individually. In an instrumentation, the original parts/lines in a score, usually a piano score, are assigned to new instruments. Writing for any |
|instrument requires a composer or arranger to know the instrument's properties, such as: |
|The instrument's particular timbre, or range of timbres; |
|The range of pitches available on the instrument, as well as its dynamic range; |
|The constraints of playing technique, such as length of breath, possible fingerings, or the average player's stamina; |
|The relative difficulty of particular music on that instrument (e.g. repeated notes are much easier to play on the violin than on the piano; while |
|trills are relatively easy on the flute, but extremely difficult on the trombone); |
|The availability of special effects or extended techniques, such as col legno playing, flutter-tongue, or glissando; |
|The notation conventions for the instrument. |
| |
|An arrangement is either a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as |
|a lead sheet. If a musical adaptation does not include new material, it is more accurately termed a transcription. The American Federation of |
|Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. |
|An arrangement may include re-harmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents the melodic, harmonic, |
|and rhythmic structure.” Orchestration differs in that it is only adapting music for an orchestra or musical ensemble while arranging "involves |
|adding compositional techniques, such as new thematic material for introductions, transitions, or modulations, and endings ... Arranging is the art |
|of giving an existing melody musical variety.” |
| |
| |
|A satisfactory musical arrangement will most likely: |
|Provide contrast between high and low sounds; |
|Avoid heavily doubled parts with an emphasis on solo sections; |
|Be sufficiently transparent to allow the musical lines to be clearly heard, and; |
|Not have all the instruments playing throughout. |
| |
|When listening to the selection of instrumentations/orchestrations/arrangements, discuss the effectiveness of the music in maintaining or |
|heightening the mood through examining: |
| |
|The ensemble chosen for the instrumentation/orchestration/arrangement – what instrumentals / instrumental characteristics heighten the mood of the |
|original? Why/How? |
|How the ‘arranger’ has allocated the various instrumental/vocal lines of the music to different instruments/voices from the original – what musical |
|material has been allocated to which instruments and why? Is transposition involved – why? How has blend or the combination of instruments been |
|considered? |
|How the ‘arranger’ may have added new parts – how does this add to the original? What has been done and where? How has this altered the structure of|
|the original? |
|How the arranger has changed or created an idiomatic accompaniment figure for selected instrument(s). What does the accompaniment figure look and |
|sound like? Why is it idiomatic? Why was the figure created – would it sound as effective without it? |
| |
|Also, consider how the ‘instrumentator’/orchestrator/arranger has shown their knowledge of: |
| |
|Instrumental ranges/registers of instruments chosen – examine the lowest and highest note played by each instrument. Are particular registers of |
|instruments used for effect or to foreground/background the musical texture? |
|Playing techniques of instruments chosen – what techniques are used? How do these contribute to the character of the music? |
|Effective instrumental/vocal combinations and ensemble writing – what combinations are used? Why are they effective? How would you describe the |
|ensemble writing? |
|Idiomatic writing for instruments chosen – what is ‘idiomatic’ for the instruments used? Are there passages where the writing is not idiomatic? |
|Variety in textural density – what textures are used? Where are there changes? What is the effect of having changes in texture? |
|Skill in adding an accompaniment, or a counter melody, or descant, harmonic feature, introduction, coda or other modification/addition to, the |
|original form – combining it with the existing material in a manner that shows original musical contribution. What has been added that is different |
|from the original? Are therre new sections (eg introduction, coda)? Has the harmonic structure of the original remained intact? Have there been |
|alerations to the tonality, melody or rhythm? Have such alterations enhanced the original? |
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