Hallelujah!

Chorus from Messiah Music by George Frederic HANDEL (1685-1759)

Read the questions through first. The pieces will be played 2-3 times. You have extra times after the music has been played to answer the questions. Please ask if you have any questions about the music terms and they will be explained to you. 1. What kinds of instruments are playing at the very beginning of the piece? (Choose 2 from below) Percussion String Brass Woodwind

2. How would you describe the orchestra and choir texture of this piece after the short instrumental introduction? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 3. This piece is divided into 5 sections. The beginning of each section are identified below, arrange them in order in which they are performed? (Number 1-5) ( )The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom ( )Hallelujah ( )And he shall reign forever and ever ( )For the lord god omnipotent ( )Kings of kings and lords of lords 4. In the section kings of kings.., there is a brass instrument prominent in the background. Can you name that instrument ? ________________________________________________________ 5. How would you best describe the time signature? 3/4 4/4 6/8

6. Which word best describes the mood of the choir? Nervous Sincere Angry

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Hallelujah! Chorus from Messiah Music by George Frederic HANDEL (1685-1759)

7. How would you describe the tonality of this piece? Choose 2 below that best describe. Minor (sounds sad) Major (sounds happy) Consonant (feels stable) Dissonant (feels unstable)

8. Would you say the melody is mostly (choose one) Syllabic- one note to a syllable Melismatic- multiple notes to a syllable

Did you know It is a widely accepted practice for the audience to stand for the Hallelujah chorus. History books noted that, as the first notes of the Hallelujah chorus sang, King George II rose to his feet. Since the royal protocol demanded that whenever the monarch stands, so does everyone in the monarchs presence, the tradition where the entire audience stood too has since lasted for more than two centuries. *Can you think of two functions or events where you have heard, or imagined the Hallelujah chorus can be performed? ______________________________________________________________

Handels portrait

One of the original manuscript from the Messiah 2

Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Hallelujah! Chorus from Messiah Music by George Frederic HANDEL (1685-1759)

About Handels Messiah The Hallejulah chorus is perhaps the most widely recognized music by Handel in the current. The excerpt is chosen from Handels most famous oratorio (a large musical composition including an orchestra, choir and soloists.) Messiah is set to words written by Charles Jennens. Composed in 1741, the work was premiered in Dublin on 13 April 1742. Initial sceptics were quickly replaced by the longevity of its popularity. Follow up for students Find out the difference between an opera and an oratorio. Can you also give some examples of oratorios written around the same time as Handels Messiah? What languages are they written in? An important music device that is used frequently in oratorios is called word-painting. What does it mean? Can you find some examples from the Hallelujah chorus to demonstrate the effects of word painting?

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Christus factus est a Responsorium Graduale from In Passione et Morte Domini (Gregorian Chant for Good Friday) Music by ANONYMOUS
1. From the words provided below, choose some of the key words/phrases that describes the qualities of this piece of music Chant disjointed gospel a capella orchestral monophonic accompaniment accent flowing

2. Using graphic notation such as line drawings to describe the pitch/melodic movement in the 3 sections given below: a. In the beginning of the piece (group singing), b. The middle (male solo), and c. The re-entrance of the group singing.

3. How many phrases can you hear in each of the sections (hint: phrases end when choir would pause to take a breath) a. In the beginning of the piece (group singing)_______________ b. The middle (male solo), and ___________________________ c. The re-entrance of the group singing.____________________ 4. The music during this period was unmetered, meaning no barlines used in the score. Stress occurs only through the emphasis on particular syllables in important words. Do you think putting the barlines in the music will make the music sound different? Explain your answer. ________________________________________________________ 4
Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Christus factus est a Responsorium Graduale from In Passione et Morte Domini (Gregorian Chant for Good Friday) Music by ANONYMOUS
5. The choirs way of singing in the beginning of the piece is termed as monody. Describing the musical texture in the beginning, try and explain how monody is performed. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 6. The melody of the piece can be best described as Syllabic every syllable of the text corresponds to a sound Melismatic a syllable several sounds correspond Mixture of syllabic and melismatic Did you know This is a piece of modal music which is very different from the modern choral we are used to hearing. It is hard to categorize the emotion of the piece because, in a piece of modal music, several emotions are represented: such as withdrawal, happiness, sadness and serenity. Gregorian chant is the oldest music known, as it is the first repertory to have been adequately notated in the 10th century. In general, the chants were learnt by ear, and scores are used only as notated brief reminders. *As mentioned above, this piece of music is written by someone who we do not have a record of his name. Taking considerations of the performances and styles of this music, can you make a good guess of the background or lifestyles this composer has led? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

This is an example of the Sacred choral music, as it was notated back in the Medieval times until the early Renaissance period. 5
Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Christus factus est a Responsorium Graduale from In Passione et Morte Domini (Gregorian Chant for Good Friday) Music by ANONYMOUS

About Christus factus est Gregorian chants were developed in western and central Europe during the 12th and 113th centuries. It is the central tradition to western sacred music, performed in conjunction with the celebration of Mass and other ritual services. Good Friday occupies a central position in the celebrations of the Christian calendar. Therefore, the music written for Good Friday is unlike that of other days in which distinctive patterns of chants are performed throughout the specific times of the day. The composer has taken extreme care to suit the music to the text, for example the long melismatic phrase underlining the central words of the verse, exaltavit illum raised him up. (You can hear this in the beginning sections of the soloist entry) Follow up for students An all-male choir performs this recording. Is this the common practice for an all-male choir to perform the Gregorian chant during the Medieval times? Gregorian chants are very similar to some other styles of music outside the western tradition. Can you find some songs that demonstrate very similar sound qualities to Gregorian chant, but were written by composers from a non-western countries?

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

4th Movement - Finale from Symphony No.9 Choral (0.00- 2.20min) Music by Ludwig von Beethoven (1770 -1827)
1. What is the first instrument you hear? ________________________________________________________ 2. How would you describe the mood of the orchestra the beginning of the piece? Sunny Rainy Stormy Cloudy 3. The following parts have sung the main melodic idea. Listen carefully to the music and arrange them in the order 1 to 4 as they enter the music. ( )Group soloists ( )Choir ( )Male soloist ( )Choir 4. What is the type of instrument is playing after the male soloist enters? Brass Woodwind Percussion Strings

5. Describe two sections where the volume build up occurred, and how Beethoven used the the orchestra, soloist and choirs instrument and sound to build up the grandeur of the piece ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 6. Out of each of the two choices, circle the one that best describes the musical qualities of the chorus section. Lively or sombre Improvisation or play as written 4/4 or 3/4 Monophonic or homophonic Simple and balanced or complex and syncopated 7. The main melodic idea is sung in the choir and by the soloists. Can you hear the orchestra or an instrument playing the main melodic idea? Name the section or the instrument. ________________________________________________________ 7
Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

4th Movement - Finale from Symphony No.9 Choral (0.00- 2.20min) Music by Ludwig von Beethoven (1770 -1827)
Did you know Beethovens Symphony No.9 held many milestones for the development of western music and technology. It is the first example of a major composer using the human voice on the same level with the instruments in a symphony. Also, it was the dominant influence on the development of the compact disc. Sony executive Norio Ohga insisted in 1979 that the CD be able to contain a complete performance of this Symphony, thus expanding the previous CD diameter of 10cm to 12cm to accommodate such request. *Can you think of another piece of symphonic composition that incorporates a large choral force? Alternatively, can you think of a modern pop song that involves prominent choral sounds?

________________________________________________________

A historical sketch of Beethoven conducting his Symphony No.9

A modern day performance of finale of the Finale of Symphony No.9

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

4th Movement - Finale from Symphony No.9 Choral (0.00- 2.20min) Music by Ludwig von Beethoven (1770 -1827)
About the Finale from Symphony No.9 Symphony No.9 is the last complete symphony composed by Beethoven. Like Handels Hallelujah chorus, the choral Ninth symphony is one of the best-known works in the Western repertoire. The words of the choirs were from Friedrich Schillers poem Ode to Joy written in 1785. The entire symphony was completed in 1824, with performance in the same year in Vienna. In comparison with the typical late 18 th century symphonies, Beethovens Symphony No.9 is of a grand scope that set tone for the coming Romantic period in early 19 th century. Follow up for students What effects does dividing the melodic idea to different choir/orchestral parts create? Do you think the effect will be the same if you give the melodic idea to just single one choir/orchestral part? Listen to the entire symphony, using scores borrowed from the library. Can you identify some of the musical ideas heard from the first three movements appearing in the last, Finale movement? Locate them on the score or list the timings in when they appear.

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Joyful, joyful from the movie Sister Act 2-Back in the Habit Adapted from Beethovens Ode to Joy and arranged by Roger EMERSON
1. There are many musical styles used in this performance. Can you name at least 2 of them? ________________________________________________________ 2. What are some of accompaniment instruments that are dominant in the background? Name at least 3. ________________________________________________________ 3. The short but important melodic idea that is repeated several times throughout this piece is the phrase ________________________________________________________ 4. Describe the vocal textures progressed throughout the piece. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 5. Compare this piece with the previous listening exercise (Beethoven Symphony No.9). Can you give one melodic examples of how they are similar, and one rhythmic material of how they are different? Similarity: ________________________________________________ Difference:________________________________________________ 6. At the end of the rap section, the rappers sang you down with God followed by the chorus yeah, you know me. How would you best describe this compositional device? Imitation Call and response Repetition Improvisation

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Joyful, joyful from the movie Sister Act 2-Back in the Habit Adapted from Beethovens Ode to Joy and arranged by Roger EMERSON
Did you know Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee is a poem written by Henry van Dyke in 1907 with the intention of musically setting it to the famous Ode to Joy melody of the final movement of Beethovens Symphony No.9. A lot of the modern choral compositions are drawn heavily upon Classical masterpieces written centuries back. Rearrangement of a song by changing or modifying musical presentation to suit the current trend of musical taste and appeal across a wider range of audience. *Can you think of one rearrangement (not restricted to choral music) of an older song that has been heard recently on radio/TV/internet? And what musical devices have been used to update the song in attempt to repopularize this song? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Performance photo taken from the movie Sisters Act 2: Back in the Habit.

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Joyful, joyful from the movie Sister Act 2-Back in the Habit Adapted from Beethovens Ode to Joy and arranged by Roger EMERSON
About Joyful, joyful The popularity of Sister Act movies in the early 90s have popularised the gospel and Christian choral repertoires for a good many years. While there are many compositions that borrow the melodic ideas from the Ode to Joy chorus in Beethovens Symphony No.9, the arrangement performed in Sister Act brings many different styles of performance, as well as showing the strength of a well-trained choir. Follow up for students Find out about gospel choral music. Compare the musical qualities of gospel choral music with the earlier periods (Medieval, Baroque, Classical) of Christian/sacred/religious choral music. Thinking in terms of the surrounding times and influences upon when these compositions are written, do you think the modern gospel choral music will be popular if it was performed to audiences during the times of Handel or Beethoven? Why is that?

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Minoi, Minoi A Samoan folksong arranged by Christopher MARSHALL

1. How would you best describe the tempo of this piece? Andante (walking speed) Vivace (very fast) Allegretto (lively)

2. The piece starts off softly with the full chorus. There is a change in volume after the end of the first chorus phrases where the girls begin the Au-e lauu lu-pe lupe. How would you best describe this volume change? Gradually softer until the male vocals enter Gradually louder until the male vocals enter No volume change at all during the sections mentioned

3. This piece is performed without accompaniment (a capella). If you can choose a type of instruments, ie strings, percussion, brass, to accompany the choir, what would you choose, and why? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 4. Towards the end of the piece, composer used 2 compositional devices, can you identify them from the below option provided? Gradually slower Sudden accents Long pauses at the end Getting quieter

5. Which 2 parts are left singing in the last few bars? Soprano Alto Tenor Bass

6. If this piece is to be included in one of the following event, which one would be best suited? Wedding Social gathering Funeral Athletic championship

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Minoi, Minoi A Samoan folksong arranged by Christopher MARSHALL

Did you know Christopher Marshalls arrangement of Minoi, Minoi has proven to be a worldwide hit, with performances by various choir groups throughout New Zealand Australia, America, Europe and South Africa. As given on the performance direction it is foreign to the Samoan spirit to allow the pursuit of a completely authentic performance to stand in the way of the shared enjoyment of singing. *If you were the conductor/musical director, what body movement and facial expression would you want the choir to perform in front of the Samoan International Cultural Festival? Use the text translation provided below to aid your performance design. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
Minoi, Minoi Minoi, minoi, minoi pei o se loi A sivasiva 'ua gaoioi, Lololo fa'ape'epe'e 'ua loiloi, Suiti suamalie pei o se poi. Aue! La'u lupe, lupe, Tagitagi aue! O lo'o loto lea, tauina fa'apea, Tauina fa'apelepele, Minoi, minoi e! Minoi, minoi ane, Minoia la'u pele. Move, Move Move, move, move like an ant Swaying when you dance, Dipping into rich coconut cream, As sweet as banana pudding. Ah, my pigeon, (my dearest) Crying out to me! I hope we can keep on like this, Keep on being sweethearts, So move, move! Move, move, Move my darling.

Traditional Samoan dancers swinging through a delightful tune.

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Minoi, Minoi A Samoan folksong arranged by Christopher MARSHALL

About Minoi, Minoi This composition is from a collection called Songs of Samoa , consisting of arrangements of traditional Samoan songs for a capella choir. Minoi, Minoi is of dance origin, with the words describing the movements of the dance. As seen on the translations provided in the previous page, there is plenty of food/love imagery. The New Zealand Youth Choir have performed this piece as part of their Choir of the World winning repertoire in 1999. Follow up for students Find out about the different dances performed in Samoa tradition. Which one do you think, is most suitable for a performance with Minoi, Minoi ? If this piece is to be re-arranged as a symphonic choral genre, to be performed in a big concert hall, in which ways would you change the musical devices used in this current arrangement to make it more suitable for an orchestral with choral performance?

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Im a Train Music by Albert Hammond/Mike Hazelwood, arranged by Peter KNIGHT

1. Which choir parts are singing in the beginning few bars? Choose two from below: Soprano Alto Tenor Bass 2. Here is the lyric for this piece. Listen to the music while following the words on the page, and identify the following: Put a S underneath one section where you hear a slowing down of the speed Put a P underneath one section where you hear a pause to the speed Put a < underneath one section where you hear the volume is getting louder. Put a > underneath one section where you hear the volume is getting quieter. Look at me, Im a train on a track, Im a train, Im a train, Im a chooka train, yeah. Look at me, gotta load on my back, Im a train Look at me, Im going somewhere, Im a train Been a hard day, yes it had. Im a train Been a life thats long and hard, Im a train Going down to the breakers yard, Im a train Been a hard day, yes it has. 16
Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Im a train, Im a chooka train.

Im a Train Music by Albert Hammond/Mike Hazelwood, arranged by Peter KNIGHT

3. Repeated melodic or rhythmic patterns are a central feature of this piece. Identify one melodic and one rhythmic pattern that reoccur throughout the music. Melodic pattern:____________________________________________ Rhythmic pattern:__________________________________________ 4. Describe two of the vocal technique or devices used to make this piece sound interesting. 1) ___________________________________________________ 2) ___________________________________________________

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

Did you know Albert Hammond, the singer-songwriter for this piece, is one of the more successful pop/rock songwriters to come out of England during the 1960s and 1970s. His son, Albert Hammond Junior, is the guitarist for the American rock band The Strokes.

*Can you think of another piece of choral music or vocal music that uses the human voice to create a rhythmic pattern that describes the movement of machines or animals?

The original CD cover for Albert Hammond when the song was first released.

Im a Train Music by Albert Hammond/Mike Hazelwood, arranged by Peter KNIGHT

About Im a Train Albert Hammond wrote this piece in 1965-66. The idea of the music, not surprisingly, is due to his long term transportation at the time-catching trains all the time, which have inspired him to write this song about the train. The Kings Singers, in appropriately train-like movement style, were the first to have sung this particular choral arrangement. Although rhythmic or melodic imitation of machine sounds by vocals were not a new technique, it has certainly provided a fresh take and upbeat feel in comparison to the original version. Follow up for students 18
Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire

In groups of 4, come up with a machine or animal sound, which your voices can imitate, and create a rhythmic pattern that describes the movement of the machines or animal. Try to add some words to describe the movement of the machine or animal you are voicing. Do you think you have successfully captured the movement and noise of the item you are describing?

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Classroom Listening Activity (9-10)

Voices through Ages The Choral Repertoire