Transcript Ensemble Timbres Lesson – Music Appreciation

Ensembles
Ensemble
A musical ensemble (or music group) is a group of
people who perform instrumental or vocal music,
typically known by a distinct name based on the
ensemble’s composition or number of musicians.
Some ensembles are: Orchestra, Band, Chorus/Choir, and
Jazz Band.
Ensembles can also be based on the number of people.
2 = duet
3 = trio
4 = quartet
5 = quintet
Orchestra
What instrument families are in the orchestra?
Listen to Presentation of Pairs, by Bela Bartók
Béla Bartók
(1881-1945) He was a
composer, folk song collector,
and pianist. He traveled
through Hungary, Romania,
Slovakia, Turkey, and North
Africa recording on a
phonograph and collecting
thousands of songs.
Listen again to
Presentation of Pairs.
In his own compositions, Bartók
often used the folk music he
had collected – especially that
of his native country, Hungary.
Band
Which
instrument
family is
missing?
Listen to Lord Melbourne, by Percy Grainger
Identify which instrument families play.
Which family played first? Second? Last?
How were the first and last sections similar?
How was the middle different?
Percy Grainger
(1882-1961) He was born in Australia and
educated in Germany and England. As a
young man, he performed as a concert
pianist. Grainger also spent time collecting
folk songs on wax cylinders, a precursor to
the vinyl record disc. Part of his collection is
now in the US Library of Congress. IN 1914,
Grainger moved to the US, where he
continued to compose and teach. He also
helped create the Grainger Museum in
Melbourne, Australia.
Grainger used folk melodies in many of his compositions, and he
often made several versions of the same piece. His compositions
for wind ensembles are some of his most popular works in the
high school and college band repertoire today.
Chorus
or
Choir
Listen to a chorus perform
Nox Aurumque by Eric Whitacre.
Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre is one of
the most widelyperformed and popular
composers of our time,
a distinguished
conductor, innovator,
broadcaster and
charismatic public
speaker.
He is currently
Composer in Residence
at Cambridge
University (Sidney
Sussex College, UK).
His ground-breaking
Virtual Choir, “Lux
Aurumque”, received
over a million views on
YouTube in just 2
months (now over 4
million) and features
185 singers from 12
different countries.
He has also worked with
film composer, Hans
Zimmer, co-writing the
“Mermaid Theme” for
Pirates of the Caribbean:
On Stranger Tides.
Jazz – The Marsalis Family
Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, and Ellis Marsalis
are members of a very musical family.
Branford plays saxophone, Wynton plays
trumpet, Delfeayo trombone, and Ellis (the
father of the three brothers) plays piano.
When playing together, they make a jazz
combo. As solo performers, Branford and
Wynton have won several awards. They
have even performed on several television
shows, such as the Tonight Show.
Jazz – The Marsalis Family
Listen to Little
Birdie, by the
Marsalis Jazz Trio.
Ellis
Wynton
Delfeayo
Branford
Listen for who is
playing the melody.
Wynton Marsalis
Think of descriptive words for these pieces.
Knozz-Moe-King
Allegro
The Franz Family
Do you know any
musical families?
My Family
Review
What ensembles did we learn about today?
Do they have different timbres?
What instruments are in each ensemble?
Listen to some ensemble excerpts.
What are some of the responsibilities of an
ensemble member?