| CMP
Teaching Plan: Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina |
| Title: |
Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina |
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Composer: |
Il Padre Giovanni Baptisma Martini |
1. Analysis
Introduction
largo / Homophonic choral writing with orchestral
reitornello and solo entries in first half of the motet. A rather
extensive fugue ends the work.
Broad Description
Type/Genre Label - Motet
Practical Concerns
Difficult solo line for the alto. Decisions regarding piano reduction
or string accompaniment with continuo.
Are the technical challenges appropriate for the target age group
or level? This is appropriate for a good high school choir
Describe the quality of the transcription or arrangement. - The
arrangement published by Concordia can only be sung in Latin -
the English translation does not work.
Is text age-appropriate
yes
Background Questions:
About the composer: Giovanni Martini
was a brilliant writer about music and composer of music. But
most of all he was a teacher beyond compare. The 20 year-old Mozart
wrote to him: I never cease to grieve that I am far away from
that one person in the world whom I love, revere and esteem most
of all.’
Consummate teacher: combined warm personality
with great knowledge. Taught primarily counterpoint. Wrote over
1500 pieces that we can’t find now. One of the most famous figures
in 18th century music in Italy.
This work was written for the church probably in Bologna, Italy.
Excellent example of his work combining many common baroque techniques
in a powerful manner.
Additional Choral Questions to Consider
English translation is clumsy.
If the text is written by a famous poet or writer then research
the author and poem to determine its historical/cultural significance.
Biblical text What story or mood does the text tell or create?
calling for help or assistance from the Lord.
Is this edition historically accurate?
Can you check it against a more authentic version of the piece
in a collected edition? no
Translation: Lord, toward helping me,
make haste. Glory to the Father and Son and the Holy Spirit as
it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, and for ages
of ages. Amen
What story or mood does the text tell or create?
religious supplication
Elements of Music
Form - The piece is in a large binary
form with an introduction and several short sections with soloists
in the first half.
Rhythm - What are the prevalent patterns?
Dotted eighth followed by sixteenth / triumphant sixteenth note
pattern in the second half are important.
Melody - The melody is mainly step
wise in the first half of the piece and uses skips on important
ideas of subject and counter subject in the second half. It is
mainly in harmonic minor with sections in the relative major.
Harmony - The harmony changes nearly
always at the half bar. More harmonic movement as one approaches
the cadence. It stays in the minor with occasional movement to
the relative minor, dominant or mediant. Suspensions play an important
part in the opening introduction and at many phrase endings.
Timbre - What are the colors in the
piece? Even though it is in a minor key the mood is one of anticipation.
The homophonic sections are always important to the Is it primarily
bright or dark and what instrumentation or voicing creates the
colors? How does the timbre reflect the text, title, or mood?
Texture - Is this piece primarily
homophonic and polyphonic. The overall texture is varied from
a solo line to 4 part polyphony. He also uses the ritornello in
the orchestra in unusual ways by
changing the length of the returning idea.
Expression - Phrase length is always
changing in subtle ways by adding or subtracting a measure. The
fugal entries are clearly stated the first time, but each time
the subject or countersubject are changed ever so slightly.
The Heart
The heart of the piece is the interplay between voices and/or
voices and orchestra (piano). Sometimes this is stated by declaiming
the text in solo writing, sometimes in a homophonic fashion, other
times it is stated in a fugal manner.
2. Outcomes
Skill outcomes
Knowledge Outcomes: Homophony, polyphony,
suspension, stretto, contrapuntal techniques, ornamentation of
the solo writing of the Baroque, solo/ensemble treatment, understanding
subject, understanding counter subject, how melody and accompaniment
figures are explored, comparison of baroque architecture to the
intricacies of the music, understanding of real and tonal musical
answers, basso continuo functions,
Affective Outcomes - comparison of
baroque architecture to the intricacies of the music, understanding
of real and tonal musical answers and how communication changes
between people causing stress (stretto) when interrupted, yet
also causing action.
3. Strategies
LESSON 1
Show the opening text on little sheets -”Domine, ad adjuvandum
me festina’. Discuss briefly the meaning of the text-’Lord,
towards helping (encouraging, sustaining) me, make haste (hurry)’.
Then speak the text with the correct inflection and with hand
gestures-do this as a call and response until the text is second
nature. Then break up into groups of four (for no more than two
minutes) and speak the text in a creative manner with a steady
quarter note pulse....unison, in random manner, with different
dynamics, with one voice moving independently of the other voices
(20 seconds max). Always insist on the correct inflection of the
text as this propels the music. Finish this brief independent
work with mini performance of text inflection by each of the groups.
Talk about how Martini, a great 18th century Italian teacher and
composer, found these words captivating also and set them in many
different ways.
Domine ad adjuvandum me feSTIna
LESSON 2-beginning of class
Reminder of the text and meaning by setting up a game-sing the
Latin word-sing back the English word then the other way around
as a warm-up. Sing the opening measure without the music in hand-then
sing it in English. Continue the warm up with exercises using
suspensions. Use the soprano and bass parts on the opening page
to musically sense the tension and release. Have them physically
experience it as well with isometric pulling and pushing with
musical examples of bass and soprano parts from the first page.
Take out the music-sing the bass and soprano parts-no text, then
play the alto while they sing the soprano and bass-add the alto.
Do the same with the tenor-but only sing the bass-This time staccato
while playing the tenor. Add isometrics back in as soon as the
music is secure-memorize as quickly as possible/ practice with
different vowels on each part, different length of notes for each
part, have secure parts hum, reinforce weaker parts with piano
if needed. Finally add text. Leave them with the question about
what does this opening page do-what do you think is going to happen
musically, does it feel complete, where does it want to go?
LESSON 3-middle of class
Review the opening page-encourage memory, work on getting more
involvement of body, hands etc. Move to page 6-focus on the bass
part. Speak it first, have them circle the important syllables
and speak again with added emphasis and with a hand gesture as
well to further emphasize the line. Have them put a double circle
around the syllable that gets the most stress in the whole line.
Have them speak again with the part being played while they speak.
Tenors and sopranos speak the tenor part while the basses sing
theirs, tenor is played. The soprano part is played while tenors
and basses sing-sopranos and altos sing soprano in unison octaves.
The alto part is played while the sopranos and basses sing. Soprano
and basses hum while the alto part is sung in octaves by the altos
and tenors. Finally have them sing there own part. As soon as
this is solidified play the bottom of page 8-ask them what they
hear. Have them turn to page 8 bottom system. Ask them what they
see-how is it similar, what is different about this? Have the
sopranos sing the melody on p. 6-7 then the altos on page 8-9.
Compare the tenor from p. 6 to the soprano p. 8. Compare the bass
parts-basso continuo discussion. Sing both sections.
LESSON 4-middle of class
Review lessons 1, 2, and 3. Play a section of the piece and see
if they can identify where it is from. Play it again and have
them sing along mentally with the text-yell freeze and have them
sing the word or syllable for that moment in time. Play the section
again-yell ‘now’, they take over and finish the phrase.
They begin and then you come in with the answer-set this up at
the half phrase to make musical sense. Go back to the beginning
of the allegro-play the introduction and ask how this relates
to the piece. Sing through the first 8 pages-have those that are
adventuresome sing the solo lines.
LESSON 5-beginning of the class
Page 18-introduce the fugue subject. Start with the melody-sing
it for them with no text. Then have them pulse the quarter note.
Have them tap the rhythm of the melody. Have them walk the quarter
pulse. Have them walk the quarter pulse and tap the rhythm of
the subject (if they are not ready for this - do one or the other).
Finally have them stand in place and sing the subject, then sing
and tap the subject. Then moving to the subject without any singing.
Finally add text trying to keep the inflection-first half the
group on text (every other person), then finally all on text.
It is imperative through this that is always done with the sense
of line and real rhythm so that the vertical and horizontal nature
of the theme is felt.
LESSON 6-beginning of the class
Review lesson 5. Introduce the counter subject as well in a
similar manner as lesson 5. Add text to the counter subject in
a similar manner. Divide the group in half and have half on the
subject, half on the counter subject. Finally have them take their
music out and mark all of the subjects with S and counter subjects
with CS from page 18 to the end-have them work in groups if needed
so every individual score is marked.
LESSON 7-end of the class
Review lesson 5 and 6. Finally go the end of the piece and have
them experience the pedal point. Hold the F#-play the harmony
at the end of the piece and have them feel where and how the composer
uses the pedal point to build tension-state it in slow motion-see
if they can sense the suspension and how the pedal point moves
from bass to alto. Play up to the resolution-have them sing the
resolution. Have them discuss what they felt without the resolution.
How was the tension increased? Talk about dialogue vs. argument-differences..lead
into stretto (musical stress) of m. 110-interrupting each other.
Speak the alto, tenor and bass parts while they are played. Have
everyone sing the alto part-what’s different-why? Talk about
tonal vs. real subjects. Sing all three parts together up to m.
112. Look at the soprano and alto parts-m. 113-115-what’s
different about this stretto? Is this a bigger or lesser argument.
Look at m. 114-116-soprano, tenor and bass-countersubject-discuss
this counter subject stretto. Sing what you can from pick up to
m. 110-end.
LESSON 8
Return to p. 18-brief review of lesson 5-7. Learn and mark one
additional musical idea with a V-for variation on figures like
alto part m. 93-95 (have them experience it physically first,
then sing, then mark). Then have volunteers sing from p. 18 to
end, others tap the quarter pulse or the rhythm of their part
depending on their ability-they decide. Have them discuss what
are the problem spots within the section. Try it again with one
leader in the middle of each section keeping the rhythm and everyone
trying to sing it without text. Again go through the same procedure
of developing ownership for the piece by having the leaders briefly
discuss problems (1 minute). A sectional may be necessary, but
many problems will be solved.
LESSON 9-near the beginning of a lesson
Introduce measures 68-73. Have they heard this before? Where?
How many times have they seen this figure. m. 74-81. Now what’s
different-play it/ have them discuss it. Clap the rhythm-use dynamics-stand
up and sit down when it is louder, sit when it is softer. Experience
the new rhythmic figure and then mark all of the dotted eighth
sixteenth figures-’cipio’ (because they are confusing
in the score). Speak through while clapping the rhythm. Finally
sing the section and lead directly into the fugue.
LESSON 10-end of class
Review p. 6-7. Have them look at p. 12-compare and contrast.
Have them mark the new section with a star-have them work in small
groups. Teach the new part in pairs/ soprano and tenor, bass and
alto-m. 49-50. Then sing through the section on page 12-13. Review
what is done in each of the sections and how creative and interesting
each phrase is. Finally put all the pieces together (with group
solos as desired) and sing through the piece.
4. Assessment
Assessment of the Martini-Domine Ad Adjuvandum me occurs in
the following ways:
- Before-Initial discussion will focus on contrast and similarities
on how we say (sing) the same words.
- During-Discussion of compositional techniques, similarities
and differences in the subjects, basso continuo, subject and
counter subject, major and minor tonalities
- After-Following the performance or before the final performance,
play other contrapuntal works that develop the material in a
similar fashion. Ask the students to discuss the development
of the musical ideas in these other compositions. Discuss likenesses
and contrasts/ analyze a weaker composition-determine if the
ratio is off balance compared with the Martini.
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