Clara Schumann Short Bio:

LSO Animateur Rachel Leach and LSO musicians analyse and perform the first movement of Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17 – one of the set works on the new Edexcel A & AS Level syllabus.

Annotated score: LINK

Schumann-Wider-Listening

Schumann-Revision-Notes

Score: LINK

Lesson 3-4

Task 1: Answer the short questions on p.149

Task 2: Question 6 practice p.149

Exemplar essay: Schuman question-6-exemplar

Listening question paper 2019  section A:  8MU0_03_que_20190521 8MU0_03_rms_20190815:

Lesson 5-6

Starter Activity: Listen to Mozart`s  Piano Trio in G major Movement 1 (K564)

 Discuss the Similarities

• Written for piano, violin and cello
• Instruments share the melody
• Limited range of piano
• Exposition is repeated

and the Differences

• Bridge is shorter
• Fewer dynamic contrasts
• Set in three movements
• 2^nd subject modulates to dominant

Lesson 3: Schumann’s Piano Trio:

6. Discuss the emotional and thematic content in the first movement of Schumann’s Piano Trio. How does Schumann develop and vary musical ideas throughout the movement?

7. Analyze the use of texture and instrumentation in Schumann’s Piano Trio. How does he balance and integrate the piano, violin, and cello throughout the composition?

8. Compare the thematic development in Schumann’s Piano Trio to the use of sequences in Vivaldi’s Concerto in D minor. How do these techniques differ in the two compositions?

9. How does Schumann utilize the concept of ‘piano e forte’ in the Piano Trio? Provide specific examples and discuss their impact on the overall expressive quality of the piece.

10. Discuss any notable similarities or differences between the thematic structures and development techniques in Vivaldi’s Concerto in D minor and Schumann’s Piano Trio. How do the composers approach the organization of their respective compositions?

Lesson 7

LO: To revise  Clara Schumann`s Piano Trio and practise answering Section A questions.

Starter:

Music dictation:Questions N11 and 12

Activity 1:

Here’s the corrected version:

Listen to the trio while identifying the structure of the piece. Remember, in your exam, it can be played  from any place. You should be able to recognize the sections. Also, highlight in the score any repetitions or differences between the sections.

Plenery:

Homework:

Complete exercises:

Lesson 1:

Watch this documentary:

Task 1: Read this article and  discuss the main features: LINK

Symphony N5 

Task 2 : Beethoven 5th Symphony: Analysys by Gerard Schwarz

Task 3: Study the full analysis from this ARTICLE

Task 4: Score annotation LINK

Task 5: Timestamps SYMPHONY No5 1st movement Timestamps, SYMPHONY No5 2nd movment Timestamps

Homework: Watch all the videos from this page about Beethoven and write a short essay (200 words) about his life main work and symphonies.

LO 1-2: To explore the context of ‘Spectral Music’ and get familiar with Saariaho`s background and her style

Starter activity: Can you remember the names of 20-th century composers?

1. Wider listnewing composers: which ones are 3 Odd One Out?  Prepare to justify your answers

• Tristan Murail
• Gerard Grisey
• Varese
• Schumann
• Ligeti
• Debussy
• Ravel
• Messiaen
• Berio
• Bernstein

Core activity:

Answer the following questions/complete the tasks:

1. What is the cellist name, to whom S dedicated the piece?
2. What does ‘Indeterminate’ mean?
3. What is the structure of Petals?
4. What does she use instead of bar numbers?
5. Mark the score (p.282), annotate the main features
6. Make notes of the more ‘unusual’ or adventurous techniques used (p.283)
7. Complete the worksheet: Saariaho context questions

Homework:

Listen to the piece and answer to the following questions:

• Listen to the opening staves 1-7. Describe the use of dynamics and microtonality
• Describe the role of rhythm that plays in Petals
• Listen to the final Lento section (stave 27). Describe the electronic effects and playing techniques used
• Listen to further works from the 20th and 21st centuries which create new sound worlds. In the mid 1950s Karlheinz Stockhausen integrated electronic sounds with the human voice in his classic early electronic piece ‘Gesang der Junglinge’.

The work is often referred to as an early “masterpiece of electronic music”.  What is particularly significant is the synthesis of electronic/synthetic sounds with the human voice, i.e. with sung/natural sounds. It is therefore often seen as the first successful combination of the purely electronically produced music that was avant-garde in Germany at the time and the musique concrète that emerged in France . Sine and pulse generators and boys’ voices processed with tape technology are used to generate the sound .

LO3: To explore the musical devices used in Petals.

Starter activity:

• See the answers to the questions from Leson 2 Homework Petals answers and compare with your own version of it.

• List 6 general dynamics and articulation markings, which Saariaho uses in her composition.
• Explain what is harmonizer and reverb? 
• Describe the difference between sul tasto and sul ponticello.

Core activity:

Answer the following questions/complete the tasks:

1. Discuss in 2 sentences the overall usage of Dynamics.
2. Evaluate why it says the texture in monophonic
3. If we say there is a tonality in this piece of music which key do you think it might be?
4. Read  about the ‘Organisation of pitch and harmony’ p.285-287 and analyze the score?
5. Evaluate the overall Tempo and Rhythm of the piece. Circle in your score the shortest and the longest durations.
6. Do you know what is a tuplet?

Homework:

1. Copy the key words and useful expressions into your Music Vocabulary
2. Compare and evaluate which of the statements are technical details (AO3) and which ones are the musical expressions that imaginatively explains the effect created (AO4).

LO 4: To get familiar with the wider listening list and practise writing a context paragraph

Starter activity: 

List 10 Ao3 terminology words from the previous lesson.

Core activity: 

• Listen to 3 pieces from the list before Petals and after Petals LINK
• Spotify playlist HERE
• Describe  Saarahio`s Musical language: The use of spectralism, electronic and acoustic integration, the use of extended techniques, spatialization and surround sound, rich harmonic language, expressive and evocative imagery, interdisciplinary collaboration and exploration of time and temporality LINK

Useful links:

https://saariaho.org/ 

Composer of the week https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08vcmnf 

Homework:

Write 2 essays chosen from the list at the bottom of this page: LINK

String techniques:

Write the definitions: Vibrato, Pizzicato, Multiple Stops and Dynamics.

Writing String Quartet in the Classical Style:

Task 1:

Read and make analysis: pp.212-214 (start listening from 4.34 min)

String Quartet Heinemann 

Task 2:Read and make analysis pp.214-220 String Quartet Heinemann  (start listening from 8.48 min)

Task 3:

Listen to bars 1-16 and bars 92-100

These two extracts are taken from Beethoven`s early quartets and illustrate his characteristic development method of introducing a small motif unobtrusively un an opening which becomes the central core in the subsequent development section.

Complete 16 bars. Look at different textures of String ensemble, pick 2-3 examples  for your composition. Ensure you finish every 8 bars with a cadence.

String Quartet_Textures

Additional material: A level composition book

String Quartet exercises: String Quartet exercises