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Program Notes and Resources for Lights, Camera, Action!
10.30am, 7 and 8 May 2015
The Courier-Mail Pizza, South Bank Parklands
Lights, Camera, Action! - The Program
WILLIAMS
Star Wars Main Theme
SCULTHORPE
Small Town
R. STRAUSS
Also Sprach Zarathustra Op.30
1. Introduction
WAGNER
Ride of the Valkyries
WILLIAMS
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s
LLOYD-WEBBER Phantom of the Opera
Music of the Night
Phantom of the Opera
Stone
Nimbus 2000
Harry’s Wondrous World
CORIGLIANO
Red Violin
The Pope’s Concert
WILLIAMS
E.T. Suite
Adventures on Earth
TV/Movie Tunes James Bond, Batman,
Superman, Inspector Gadget,
Sesame Street, Skippy, Adams
Family, Muppets
Farewell and Closing Fanfare
WHITING
Hooray for Hollywood
Conductor – Brett Kelly
Conductor – Brett Kelly
Brett Kelly is an Australian musician and
Conductor.
He held the position of Principal Trombone in
many orchestras including, currently, with
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and has
appeared as a soloist with Melbourne,
Sydney and Queensland Symphony
Orchestras.
Brett has conducted the orchestral scores of
movies such as Australia by Baz Luhrmann
and Happy Feet II.
Read Brett’s full Biography here.
JOHN WILLIAMS
Star Wars,
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
John Williams
John Williams was born in New York where his father Johnny Williams was a percussionist. The young John started
piano lessons from age seven. When the family moved to the West Coast, his father found session work playing on
film soundtracks and John started working as a freelance pianist.
After many years working as a session pianist, Williams made the transition into composition. Among his early work
as a composer were the television shows of Irwin Allen such as Lost in Space, Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. He
then composed for a variety of films including The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. His first Academy
Award was for the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof.
Stephen Spielberg approached Williams to score his movies. This led to Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third
Kind, Superman, E.T. , Indiana Jones, Empire of the Sun, Schindler's List,
Saving Private Ryan, Amistad, AI and Minority Report. After a gap of a few years
Williams has composed the music for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,
Tintin, War Horse and most recently Lincoln.
Williams was conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, and he has written several
classical concert pieces. He has also been commissioned to compose works for some
big events such as the Olympics and the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty.
Leitmotif
Leitmotif
A theme or melody that is associated with a character, idea
or event.
Leitmotifs are heard in operas, musicals and movie music
and is heard when the character arrives on stage or on the
screen.
Think of the Imperial March that is played when Darth
Vader appears in Star Wars!
John Williams Star Wars
The main theme of Star Wars has become the easily recognised melody, theme or leitmotif
which is associated with Luke Skywalker.
Tie - the notes are
This strong theme features the brass instruments and is a fanfare.
held for the value of all
notes tied together
Fanfare
A fanfare is a short melody, usually loud and played by
trumpets or similar instruments, used for military or
ceremonial purposes or in movies when the occasion is
grand or to announce something.
Triplet - splits a portion of time, e.g.
two beats into three equal parts.
John Williams Star Wars
The second theme is a contrast to the opening fanfare.
Triplet - splits a portion
of time, e.g. one beat
into three equal parts.
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Star Wars with John Williams conducting
the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Semi-quavers and
semi-quaver rests
John Williams Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter Series by J. K.
Rowling. The book and the movie were also published under the title Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone.
The book was first published in 1997 and the movie was made in 2001.
The movie was nominated for many awards including the Academy Award for Best Original
Score (music), Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.
There have been seven sequel movies of Harry Potter.
There are many memorable themes composed by John Williams.
Hedwig’s Theme, played by the Celeste has been included in every
Harry Potter movie.
Celeste
John Williams Nimbus 2000 Theme
The Nimbus 2000 was Harry Potter’s broom stick.
Harry Potter received one from Minerva McGonagall when he joined the Gryffindor
Quidditch team as a Seeker.
It is said that the Nimbus 2000 was produced by the Nimbus Racing Broom Company in
1991 and, at the time, was the fastest broomstick in production.
Staccato
(stacc.)
means play
the notes
short and
detached.
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Nimbus 2000 theme featuring the
woodwind section of an orchestra.
Simile
(sim.)
means
continue in
the same
style.
Staccato is also
represented using a dot.
John Williams Harry’s Wondrous World Theme
Harry’s Wondrous World is the theme or leitmotif that represents Harry Potter.
It is also used during the closing credits of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and the
Chamber of Secrets.
Harry’s Wondrous World begins with a melody similar to Hedwig’s Theme
but moves on a lively and triumphant feel.
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Harry’s Wonderful World conducted by the composer
John Williams
Time signature
changes.
6/8 is 6 quaver
beats to a bar.
9/8 Is 9 quaver
beats in a bar3/4
is 3 Crochet beats
in a bar.
9/8 and 3/4 are
both conducted
using a 3 beat
pattern.
John Williams E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a sci-fi movie made in 1982 and directed by Steven Spielberg.
It tells the story of Elliot Thomas, a lonely boy, who befriends an extra-terrestrial who is
stranded on Earth. Elliot helps it return home while keeping it hidden from his mother and
the government.
The movie passed Star Wars to become the highest earning film of all time and it held this
honour for 10 years. The movie was re-released in 1985 and then again in 2002 to celebrate
its 20th anniversary.
Adventures on Earth, Farewell and Closing Fanfare are two well known
themes from the movie.
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: For the 20th Anniversary of E.T. the Extra - Terrestial,
John Williams conducted the music live while the film was screened.
This documentary shows how it was done – the rehearsal process and
set up for the event.
RICHARD STRAUSS
Also Sprach Zarathustra Op.30
Composer - Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949) was a German composer of the late Romantic and early
modern eras.
Strauss was famous for his Tone Poems and Operas. Till Eulenspiegel ‘s Merry Pranks tells
the story of the adventures of a young boy named Till Eulenspiegel. A tone poem is usually
a one movement work that tells the story in music.
Famous operas of Strauss include The Merry Widow and Don Quixote.
The Strauss family are very famous in music. Franz Strauss was
Richard’s father and played Horn. Johann Strauss is known for
composing waltzes such as the famous On the Beautiful Blue
Danube.
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Till Eulenspiegel opens with a French Horn
fanfare. The varied orchestrations and melodies illustrate
the story.
Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
Also Sprach Zarathustra, composed in 1896 by Richard Strauss, is a tone poem. Strauss was
inspired by a novel by Fredrich Neitzsche called Also Sprach Zarathustra, which means “Also
Spoke Zarathustra”. It was used as the main theme of the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The piece begins very softly with double basses, contra bassoon, timpani and organ all
playing “C”, before the brass play a fanfare heralding dawn.
The opening of Also Sprach Zarathustra is a fanfare for brass
instruments and timpani. In the composer’s notes its title is
Sunrise. When you listen, imagine the sun rising over the ocean
or viewed from a distant planet.
Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
Dawn motif (theme) opens with three strong notes – tonic – fifth – tonic. C – G – C’
Loud accent
Timpani melody.
Trill is a musical ornament made by
rapidly alternating the note and the
note above.
Sehr Breit is
German for
very broadly
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Also Sprach Zarathustra opening by the
Berliner Philharmonika Orchestra.
Triplet - splits a
portion of time, e.g.
one beat into three
equal parts.
< Cresendo. Gradually
getting louder.
Start softly (piano) and
crescendo to very loud
(fortissimo).
Percussion Family - Timpani
Timpani, sometimes known as kettledrums, are a type of drum and are a member of the
percussion family (instruments that are hit to make a sound).
A skin is stretched over large bowls traditionally made of copper and are played with a
mallet (a drum stick with a woollen head). Timpani are made in different sizes and each can
be tuned to a range of different notes using a pedal.
A timpanist (a musician who
plays timpani) will play a
group of between three and
five timpani and they can
play both rhythms and
melodies on the drums.
Did you know?
Timpani is plural
Timpano is singular
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Solo for Timpani The Tragedy of a Young Soldier by Christopher Walker
JOHN CORIGLIANO
Red Violin, The Pope’s Concert
The Red Violin - The movie
The Red Violin is a 1998 Canadian movie. It tells the story of a mysterious violin and its
journey over five countries and 400 years as it was bought and sold, lost and found, buried
and discovered by many owners.
The story starts in 1681 when Nicolo Bussotti, a violin maker in Italy, makes a new violin to
celebrate the birth of his child. Throughout the story the violin is donated to an orphanage,
buried by monks, stolen by grave robbers, sold to an antiques dealer who after 30 years
sells it to a young woman, hidden during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and appears in
an auction in Montreal.
Did you Know?
The Red Violin won an Academy Award for Best Original
Score for composer John Corigliano.
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Red Violin solos in the movie are played
by famous violinist Joshua Bell.
The movie was
inspired by a
real Stradivari
violin called the
1721 Red
Mendelssohn
which features
a red strip on
the side of its
body. It is worth
$1.7 million.
Violin Cadenza
The Violin is a member of the orchestral string family. It is made of wood and has four
strings. The violin can be played arco or with the bow drawn across the strings or by
plucking the strings with the fingers pizzicato.
The strings vibrate to create and sound and the fingers press the strings
to the finger board to shorten the strings to change the sound.
A Cadenza is a passage of music, within another work,
where the soloist improvises to create music that
shows of his or her virtuosic ability (how talented they
are). In more modern works the composer will write a
cadenza to showcase the instrument or a soloist.
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto – Cadenza by Nicolas Koeckert . The orchestra
stops playing and the soloist performs a cadenza showing the range of the instrument and
his talent. To show he is finishing, the soloist performs a trill and then the orchestra begins
again.
Richard Wagner
Ride of the Valkyries
Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883) was a German composer in the Romantic era. He was most
famous for his operas.
Wagner’s works were known for complex textures, rich harmonies and orchestration and
he used leitmotifs to identify the characters in his operas.
Wagner lived towards the end of the Romantic era and with his experimentation in moving
tonal centres (changing keys) and chromaticism is described as starting the modern era of
music.
Did you know?
Opera is a drama/story/play where most or all of the
actors sing all the words. Operatic stories ranged from
comedies to tragedies. An aria is a song within an opera
usually sung by the main character.
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Richard Wagner composed the Bridal
March (at 3:30mins) as part of his opera Lohengrin.
Wagner’s
opera The Ring
Cycle has a
story very
similar to that
of the Lord of
the Rings.
The Ring Cycle
is over 18
hours in length.
Richard Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries
The Ride of the Valkyries is from the opera, Der Ring des Nibelungen, which is the second
opera in the The Ring Cycle. This music is the Prelude that begins act three of the opera.
The Valkyries are nine sisters. The Leitmotif is played by the brass, all the sisters meet to
transport their horses to Valhalla and sing their battle-cry (they are very fierce, strong
women!) .
Nine quaver beats in a bar
but conducted in three.
Prelude is a movement or section of a piece of music , a book or a play
that appears at the beginning or comes before the rest of the work.
LISTEN and WATCH
YouTube Video: Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
Conduct in a
three beat pattern
Australian Curriculum – Music
Elements of
Music
Foundation
to Year 2
Years
3 and 4
Years
5 and 6
Rhythm
Beat and rhythm
Fast/slow
Long/short
Tempo changes
ostinato
Compound metre
Pitch
High/low
Pitch direction
Pitch matching
Unison
Pentatonic patterns
Melodic shape
Intervals
Treble clef and staff
Dynamics &
Expression
Forte, piano
Form and
Structure
Timbre
Years
7 and 8
Years
9 and 10
Time signature
Rhythmic devices anacrusis,
syncopation, ties and
pause
Regular and irregular
time subdivision
triplet, duplet
motif, augmentation/
diminution
Major scales
Pitch sequences,
arpeggio, riff,
Bass clef
Minor scales
Key and key signatures
Major/minor chords
Ledger lines
Tonal centres,
Modulation
Dynamic gradations
pp to ff
Legato & staccato
Staccato, legato
accent
Dynamic gradations
Articulations relevant
to style
Rubato, vibrato,
ornamentation,
Introduction
Same/different, echo
patterns, repetition
Verse, chorus, round
Question & answer
Repeat signs
Binary (AB) form
Ternary (ABA) form
Theme, motif
Phrase
Rondo (ABACA) form
ostinato
Repetition and
contrast
Theme and Variation
Verse chorus, bridge
Motivic development
Sonata form
Interlude, cadenza
Improvisation,
How sound is produced
Every voice and
instrument has its own
sound
Recognise orchestral
instruments by sound
In isolations and in
combination
Acoustic and
electronic sounds
Voice and
instrument types
Texture
Melody
Accompaniment
Drone
Patterns occurring
simultaneously
Contrast within
layers of sound
Creating
Creating sounds using
voice and instruments
Performing
Playing instruments in
groups
Rhythms
Playing and reading
melodic and
rhythmic excerpts
Sing and play in two or
more parts
Responding
Moving to beat and
rhythms
Respond to the stories
Historical context
Awareness of
ensemble
Recognise
instrumental groups
Layers of sound and
their role. Unison,
homo/polyphonic
Consonance/ dissonance
Chromaticism
Identify instruments
by name and sound
production
Horizontal/vertical
layers
countermelody