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Worksheet: Interdisciplinary access

Sheet 6: Wind in music lessons

Music sometimes presents sounds and tunes that are taken from normal life.
The running water over pebbles or a waterfall, hard beats which imitate factory work, and, of course, wind and storm in all varieties.

This type of music is called programme music, i.e. instrumental music with a non-musical content which is indicated by the title or programme.
The contents can be actions, situations, pictures or thoughts which influenced the composer and which should also lead the imagination of the listener.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741),

for example in his op. 8
chose the deep sound of the violin
and the speed of 1/16 notes
to represent the dark grumbling of thunder.
 

More composers of Programme music:

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), e.g. the song: Les Grands Vents Venus d' Outre-Mer

Claude Debussy (1862-1918), e.g. choir and orchestra: Le Printemps / Salut Printemps

Modest Petrowitsch Mussorgskij (1839-1881), e. g. Pictures at an exhibition, "Bilder einer Ausstellung"

In contrast, absolute music does not accept such allusions.

Follow these links to read more about this topic:

English: www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0019055.html
German: www.klassika.info/Begriffe/Programmmusik/

Exercise:

- Discuss which instruments you would select to imitate wind.

- What roles do the different instruments in a big orchestra play if you imitate a storm?

- Should music convey non-musical contents?

Click here to listen to a piece of music:

 http://www.classicalarchives.com/debussy.html


Please select from Debussy's works the following section:
*Preludes
*Preludes Book 1
and then listen to:
Le vent dans la plaine (D. Worrall)

Can you hear the wind?

Or choose this link:

 http://www.classicalarchives.com/artists/bachauer.html

and listen to No 7.
Ce Qu'a vu le vent d'ouest (What the West Wind Saw)
(play for free)

What different aspects can wind have?

What content can you hear?
How do you explain your associations?
Which traditional instrument do you play?
Can you make music also without traditional instruments?

About this page:

- Author: - G. Bauer, Dr. Schrettenbrunner - University of Nürnberg - Germany
- scientific reviewing:
- educational reviewing: Dr. Schleicher / J. Heres
- last update: 09.09.03