Lockdown Listening #2 - Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Hello again. I hope you found last week’s post useful - so here’s another! I’ve decided to group the questions into Bronze, Silver and Gold categories, as it really does depend on a lot of things and not just age. Feel free as ever to move onto a harder set of questions if you feel like you can do the ones you started on, and again do share this around!
This week’s piece is ‘The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’ by Benjamin Britten. It starts with the entire orchestra playing a melody together (composed by Purcell, but arranged and made into this piece by Britten) before taking us on a journey through the different instruments and families of the orchestra, showing some examples of what each instrument can do in the process. We then finish with a grand finale of all the instruments playing together and interacting in new ways. I hope you enjoy it!
BRONZE
Which instruments can you spot playing in their own sections of the piece? Make a list and write down something about each one, such as they types of sound they make and how they are played.
Pick three of your favourite instruments and listen again to their sections in the music. If each of the instruments could speak, what do you think they would be saying?
Put each instrument into the following categories: Woodwind, Brass, Strings, Percussion. If you aren’t sure what these mean, look at the way they are played for clues - or do some research on the internet.
Pick your favourite instrument from the orchestra in this piece and draw it as if it were a character or a person - what sort of characteristics would they have? How would they behave?
When a certain instrument is taking ‘centre-stage’, why do you think some other instruments play at the same time, rather than just letting the instrument with the most important part play on their own? What would it sound like without these other instruments?
SILVER
Make a list of some of the instrumental techniques that Britten uses that are unique to the instrument/family using them in the piece.
How is Britten’s choice of accompanying parts significant in each section of the piece? Look at a few different sections and see if you notice a pattern in the way that they are used and how the interact with the ‘main’ instrument.
If you play an instrument, compose a short piece for it that you think shows off some of its unique qualities.
Listen again and make a mental note of the opening theme - then try to follow each section to see if you can spot aspects of the main theme in each one - there will be something there, even if it doesn’t seem immediately obvious!
Write out a graphic score of the whole piece. Think about how you will represent each instrument, the melodies they play, the dynamics and textures of the piece and the emotional journey these things produce.
GOLD
Listen to another piece by Benjamin Britten (suggestions: Sinfonia da Requiem, Four Sea Interludes, Symphonic Suite from ‘Gloriana’) - how does this piece differ from it? Now listen to Britten’s ‘Simple Symphony’ - do you notice any similarities? Think about the voice/style of the composer.
How far do you agree that the purpose of this piece is to be solely educational?
Make a comprehensive list of everything that you think is unexpected about this piece. Why do you think Britten has included these aspects?
Listen very closely to the final fugue section. How does Britten reincorporate the elements he has introduced during each section of the piece here, and what effect does it have? Think about melody, but also texture, rhythm, tonality/harmony and structure.
Compose a short theme and variation style piece in the spirit of Britten on your instrument. Pick a simple theme, such as a nursery rhyme, and write at least 5 variations and a finale (each section doesn’t have to be long). Remember that to create a variation, every parameter of music is at your disposal to play with. Try to think outside the box.
Again, responses are more than welcome via email, message, or in lessons!