Musik, Serious Gaming und Konzentrationsfähigkeit – mit der App entdecken die Kinder die Magie der klassischen Musik mit interaktiven Spielen.
Activity 1
Act
In groups
20 min.
Divide the class into 4 groups.
Teacher:
“Composers of the Baroque period were very good at expressing feelings and passions through music in order to move their listeners. To do this they used a range of musical techniques. What emotions do you experience when you listen to music? How does it make you feel? I'm going to play different musical excerpts. In your group, listen to the music first. Then decide what emotion fits the music best and try to create a still image representing that emotion. Imagine you are actors and create big gestures and poses so that the other groups can recognise the emotion you have chosen. One after the other, each group will present their still image and the other groups will share their thoughts on what they think the still image represents.”
Joy / Cheer
Vivaldi's 'Spring' from 'The Four Seasons' expresses joy and liveliness. With the use of animated melodies and rhythms, Vivaldi describes the awakening of nature and the cheerful spring mood.
Sadness / Melancholy
Corelli used slow and solemn melodies at the beginning of 'La Folia'. This reinforces the feeling of sadness. The adagio tempo and the minor key give this section a melancholic and serious feel.
Optional
If there's still time, a third musical excerpt can be played.
Admiration / Delight
The 'Water Music' was composed by Handel in 1717 to accompany King George I on a celebratory river cruise along the Thames. The music was there to entertain the royal party and provide musical accompaniment to the celebrations on the water. The powerful rhythms and brilliant instrumentation full of trumpets and horns give the music a magnificent and celebratory atmosphere. It evokes admiration and delight.
Activity 2
Music history
In pairs
20 min.
M4 Printout
Info
The Baroque period was a golden age for opera. This musical genre became very popular and was a form of musical entertainment and artistic expression. Opera was strongly influenced by the ideals of the time, with an emphasis on splendor, drama and emotionality. During the Baroque period, opera plots were often inspired by mythology, history or the bible. Stories featured complex characters, emotional conflicts, and dramatic twists which were enhanced by the music.
Teacher:
“During the Baroque period, the distribution of roles in an opera was slightly different to what we see today. You'll soon find out what was so special about it. In pairs, I will ask you to read a short text carefully and to make some notes about the key points you've learned. There's space to write at the bottom of the sheet. Once everyone is done, we will form groups made of pairs who looked different texts. You will then be able to share your findings."
M4: Baroque opera texts (hand out one excerpt to each pair)
Group 1 - Women on stage
In the past, women were often prohibited from performing on theatre and opera stages. Therefore, female roles were generally played by men. This often led to strange comments and jokes. The ban on women performing publicly on stages meant that their reputations were often ruined if they decided to perform in front of an audience. Girls' choirs, such as the one Vivaldi directed in Venice, also often sang hidden or veiled. The female voice and presence were considered so seductive that it felt better to avoid showing them in public. Today, these restrictions have pretty much disappeared in the West, but there was a time when actresses were teased for appearing in public.
Group 2 - Castrati
In the past, there were special singers known as castrati. These singers could sing extremely high, and that was something very special. But they also had difficult lives. As children, they underwent surgery to keep their voices high. It was dangerous and many of them died during the operation. Those who survived had to cope with some difficulties. They often looked different. As a result of the operation, their body didn't grow in a normal way. They became very tall, had excessively long legs and arms, and no beard. Nevertheless, some castrati became famous for their extraordinary voices and musical abilities. Despite their high voices, they usually played male characters in operas.
Group 3 - Trouser roles
From the 18th century, there were women singing and playing male roles on the opera stage. These roles were called trouser roles. This happened for a variety of reasons, including the difficulty of finding young male actors who could believably portray these roles. Women took on these male characters and protrayed their romances, stories and adventures. Women who played these roles had to learn to talk, walk and behave like men in order to make their portrayals convincing.
If there's still time...
... children can discover where music was performed during the Baroque period.
M5 Printout
M5: Baroque period performance locations picture cards (display around the room)
Teacher:
“The Baroque period took place between 1600 and 1750 AD. During this time, famous composers wrote important pieces of music. You might already know compositions by Bach, Handel or Vivaldi. On the pictures on display around the room you can see places where music was performed during the Baroque period.”
Introduce the different performance locations.
Salon - Church - Outdoors - Opera house
Teacher:
“I’m going to play different pieces of music. Listen to the music for a while, then walk to the picture which represents the place where you think the music was performed. When everyone has moved to a picture, I will stop the music and ask students to tell me why they've chosen a specific location. I will then give you the answer and some information about the piece of music.”
Church
This music was from Handel's 'Messiah'. One of the most famous and popular part this piece is the Hallelujah chorus we just heard. It has been performed in large, magnificent churches because it tells the story of the life of Jesus Christ from the bible. In the Hallelujah, the chorus praises God.
Opera house
'L'orfeo' by Monteverdi is one of the first opera ever written. An opera is pretty similar to a play. One difference, however, is that all the dialogues are sung instead of spoken. It's a bit like a musical.
Outdoors
This piece was first performed on the river Thames in London in 1717 to entertain King George I during a boat trip. It was composed specifically for an outdoor royal event. In order for the piece to be heard, Handel used many loud brass instruments.
Salon
Salons were places where nobles received their guests at the royal court. Music performances provided a pleasant and entertaining atmosphere for the guests during their meetings. Since there was only limited space in the rooms, small ensembles featuring a small number of instruments played together. This is what is called chamber music. The piece 'La Follia' by Corelli, which we just heard, was also performed by a small group of instrumentalists.
Skills learned in this lesson:
Students...
... develop an understanding of how music can evoke different emotions in the listener. They practice recognising and interpreting emotions in music.
... work in groups to physically represent different emotions in a still image.
... learn about role distributions in Baroque opera: women, castrati and trouser roles on stage.