Canterbury Chorale

By: Jan Van der Roost

Grade: 4

The goals for this teaching unit are:

- To have the students be able to identify simple chord progressions, such as I-V-IV-I, in classical and pop musical literature by singing and listening to example of music. (Standards 1, 6, and 7)

- To have the students be able to improvise and compose simple melodies based on the chord progressions they have learned. (Standards 2, 3, 4, and 5)

- To be able to associate music with art and architecture and be able to identify relationships between art, architecture, and the music presented here. (Standards 7, 8, and 9)

- To learn better musicianship by performing, understanding, and listening to Canterbury Chorale

The Time Period:

The 20^th century has seen a dramatic change in the way music is interpreted, composed, and written. Whereas pervious centuries and time periods have always followed strict rules regarding how compositions should be, the 20^th century has been that of no rules in music. Composers are freer than ever to do what they wish and only provide enough information to the performer so that the composer’s wishes can be understood. Currently with music, the composer is free to take such extreme lengths as John Cage’s 4:33 or can take a more traditional approach and follow what has already been established such as those works of Prokofiev and others. Many composers may choose to revisit previous styles of music with a 20^th century interpretation as is the case with this piece. Canterbury Chorale is written in a neo-baroque style which takes elements of Baroque music and infuses it with new harmonic paths, as well as modern textures and instruments. Even in the more traditional style of composing new horizons are constantly explored. The 20^th century period of music, which encompasses 1900 to the present day is that of complete compositional freedom and exploration.

The Composer:

Jan Van der Roost was born in Duffel, Belgium in 1956. His instrument is the trombone and he went on to study Music History and Music Education at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven, Belgium. Van der Roost received degrees in conducting and composition at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent in Antwerp, Belgium and currently teaches at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven and is also a guest professor at the Shobi Institute of Music in Tokyo, Japan and at the Nagoya University of Art in Nagoya, Japan. He is currently an abjudicator, clinician, guest lecturer, and most importantly a composer. There are numerous CD recordings of his works, and he strives to compose in a wide variety of styles. Some examples of his compositions include two oratorios, a symphony, numerous concerti, a cycle of Lieder, string works, chamber works, and many others. Jan Van der Roost exclusively composes commissioned works coming from all over the world.

A few of his band works include the following:

4 Old Dances, A Higland Rhapsody, Amazonia, Arsenal, Avalon, Balkanya, Brasiliana, Canterbury Chorale, Castellum, Centennial Prelude, Ceremonial March, Christmas Time,

Concerto Grosso, Condacum, Conzensus, Credentium, Dynamica, Et in Terra Pax, Finnish Folksong Suite, Firework, Flashing Winds, Helios, Homage, Humanos, Hymnus Antverpia

Jubilus, Manhattan Pictures, Mercury, Metalla, Minerva, Nemu-Susato, Olympica, Orion

Poeme Montagnard, Ponte Romano, Prima Luce, Puszta, Rhapsody for Horn, Rikudim

Sayonara, Signature, Sinfonia Hungarica, Sinfonietta, Singapura Suite, Slavia, Spartacus

Spirit of Independence, St.Martin's Suite, Suite Provencale, Toccata Festiva, and Volcano.

For a complete list of Jan Van der Roosts compositions, visit: www.janvanderroost.com

The Composition:

A chorale is defined as a hymn of the Lutheran Church which is usually written in four voice harmony. Some five hundred chorales were written by JS Bach during his time as the choral director at Wiemar and Cothen. Chorales are marked by their rich harmonies, slow moving passages, and polyphonic nature. This work achieves exactly that same richness through various instrumentation and scoring. The work is filled with slow moving passages and is often written with in a polyphonic style. The composer originally wrote it for brass band as a commission. The inspiration behind the composition of the work was a visit to the cathedral in the English city of Canterbury. Jan Van der Roost rescored this commission for full symphonic wind band, exploring the richness of colors available to him. There are solo phrases, small ensemble sections, and massive tutti passages making the wind orchestra reminiscent of a majestic organ.

The Rhythm:

The piece opens with the main melodic statement found in the clarinets and are cued in the saxophones and double reeds. The low brass and low woodwinds provide the chordal accompaniment and help fill out the sound. The opening melody is repeated with the flutes joining in the second time to give the music a brighter sound. The music is slow moving with nothing more than a quarter note being played at any time with the exception of measure 6 where we find one dotted-quarter eighth rhythm. It will be important that students don’t rush this rhythm otherwise its effect as a point of tension will be lost.

Once we reach letter A the music tends to flow more and we find that and increasing number of instruments have moving eighth note lines. This is especially true when we reach the second melody at the fourth bar after A. The baritones are moving in constant eighth notes giving the music a more moving quality. These eighth notes need to be as connected as possible to not disturb the style of the piece.

At letter B we begin a woodwind choir that contains many melodies and countermelodies. It will be important to make sure that everything lines up correctly otherwise the overall effect of the piece as a chorale will be lost. At measure 29 we have a repeat of the B melody, this time in the clarinets and alto saxes. It will be important to make sure that this is performed with the same connected style as it was heard previously.

At letter C we open with a trombone choir playing melody A, joined four bars later by the introduction of the trumpets and the rest of the band. When we reach this point the entire band is playing quarter notes with the exception of one of the trumpets. It alternates between trumpet 1 and trumpet 2. It will be important to make sure that this rhythmic difference is audible against the full band.

At letter D, for six measures, we see the rhythms progressively getting shorter and shorter and see the first introduction of sixteenth notes in this piece. Measures 58 and 59 are the only two bars in which they are found and due to the slow nature of the piece it is important to make sure that they are legato and not rushed. This flurry of sixteenth notes is followed by an immediate reduction in rhythmic pulse as six bars of half notes follow making the piece feel as if it moving twice as slow.

This is followed by a variant of the first four bars of the A melody which then moves to slow, two measure long chords, found in the low brass to bring the piece to a close. Here we see the term morendo marked in the score which means, “to perform in a manner that dies away”. Here, the composer is intending the music to die away into nothing.

Rhythm and art:

Most of the rhythms in this piece are slow moving a lyrical. Occasionally we find rhythms like those mentioned above that propel the piece along. Look at the painting below titled: Flower Beds in Holland. As your eyes scan over the picture try to find how the painting represents the relaxed, slow-moving rhythms found throughout the piece. Is the piece calm and serene or is it bold and exciting? How does the art shown below represent this?

The Melody:

The melody is first heard in the alto saxes and clarinets being supported by the low brass. With this scoring Van der Roost strives to achieve the warmest sound possible out of the ensemble. The initial melody is repeated twice with a four bar coda-like extension the second time through. Flutes join in the melody the second time giving the piece a little bit brighter tone. Measure 13 is the entrance of what we could call the B melody found in the horns and the baritones.

After a solo passage of the original melody in the baritone, a woodwind choir takes over and plays a modified version of the B theme. Measure 29 marks the arrival of the original B theme this time found in the alto saxes and the clarinets. The second time the B theme returns there is a two bar extension played by the full band with the exception of the horns and the trumpets which leads us back in the A theme played by a trombone choir.

Measure 39 marks the first entrance of the trumpets playing a variant of the A theme which serves as an introduction to the next major theme in this work which comes at measure 47. Measure 47 is an arrival point for the entire work because it is scored for the entire ensemble and is also the most massive point in the whole piece following a monumental crescendo in the preceding bar. This new theme employs numerous suspensions to achieve its massive nature.

In measure 51 this statement has died away and a new drive takes over beginning in the woodwinds and slowly layering on more instruments throughout the ensemble. It is interesting to note that at this point in the work, Van der Roost employs diminuition in the rhythm to drive the piece to its second climax at 60 where immediately the music slows to the speed of a half note and we progress through a very rich chord progression to hear a restatement of four bars of the A theme in the flute and oboe.

As the piece draws to a close, voices die away until just the bass lines are left with sustained pitches.

The Melody and the art of Vincent Van Gogh:

Post-Impressionism sought to portray the world with blended, but vibrant colors as the impressionists often did. Post-impression led the way to expressionism where artists such as Edvard Munch flourished. Often, leisure activities or landscape would be portrayed as found in Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings. Take a look at the picture below titled: Wheat Field with Rising Sun. Draw connections with the melodic shape and the scene portrayed. Also, how does the texture of the music represent the texture of the painting?

The Harmony:

The overall harmony of this work follows an example of what a church hymn might like. Although there are many cadences in this work, the major ones outline the chord progression I->V->IV->I. The IV->I progression is especially significant because it is considered traditionally as the “amen” progression commonly found at the end of many church hymns.

The piece itself is written in Db major which may be an unfriendly key for many bands. It is important that the scale of Db is practiced before attempting this piece as it demands melodic precision because of its incredibly tonal nature. The first major cadence is found at measure 12-13 where the coda of the A melody ends in V/V, or Eb Major, leading to the dominant of Db, Ab Major. The next major cadence does the same thing moving from V/V to V in measures 33-34.The next major cadence is a move from V to IV, or Gb Major in measure 47 where the loudest section of the piece is found. Often times, in rock music, the movement from V to IV is called the “power chord” and here the composer uses it to that effect. This FF statement ends in Ab Major to bring us back to the tonic, Db Major where the piece remains until it ends.

The Form:

The form of this work can be described very generally as having two sections, an A and a B, with a coda. The A section consists of the woodwinds and low brass, and the B section adds the trumpets and contains the final drive to the climaxes of this work. For a complete analysis please see attached.

The Terminology:

There are only three musical instructions besides dynamic markings that the conductor needs to know. The first is the tempo marking at the top of the page, “Ben tenuto e espressivo (quasi legato sempre)” A translation of this means, “With sustain and expression (somewhat connected always)”. This is a very clear instruction as to how the piece should sound. Another musical term is the term “sonore” found at the trombones entrance of the melody in measure 35. Sonore means to play with sound and here the composer is indicating a well-balanced and big sound. Morendo is the final term found in the tail end of the piece at measure 76. It means to perform in a manner that dies away, and here the composer is intending the music to die away into nothing.

Activities for learning:

Activity 1:

As should be discussed in class, Canterbury Chorale has an overall harmonic progression of I->V->IV-> I. Find a piece of modern music that has this same chord progression to share with the class. Make sure that the music is appropriate for a school setting.

Suggestions:

Examples of popular music containing this chord progression should be played in class so that students have an idea of what they are listening for. It is important to make sure that students are well able to recognize this chord progression for them to be able to find a piece of music with the progression in it.

As the students play through Canterbury Chorale, or perhaps listen to a recording, see if they are able to identify the moment the music moves from V to IV. Simple progressions may also be made on the piano to illustrate this relationship.

Grading should be based on the following:

Is the music school appropriate? (5pts)

Does the music follow the chord progression discussed in class? (5pts)

Is the student able to clearly recognize the beginning and end of the progression or do they have troubles, or are they guessing? (10pts)

Is the student able to clearly present his or her ideas? (5pts)

Total point value for this assignment: 25pts

Activity 2:

Have the students research different art styles such as impressionism, baroque, renaissance, expressionism, etc. and come up with their own conclusions as to which style best represents this music. A short presentation may be made to share ideas with the rest of the class.

Suggestions:

Students can learn about different styles of art in an art class they may have, or may also learn about them through various websites on the internet. The school or local library may also be used as a resource to get students familiar with the different styles of art needed to make this project a success.

Students should be allowed to work in pairs to promote discussion and collaboration and also to help students feel less intimidated by the pressure of this assignment. Depending on your grade level this is a rather difficult assignment for students to finish.

Suggested Procedure:

Students should come up with at least on example of each style from the following:

Baroque, Renaissance, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Expressionism, Modern

Students should then choose which example best fits this piece of music by writing a one page explanation as to why they chose this work. Students are then encouraged to share their findings with the class.

Grading should be based on the following:

Were the students able to come up with examples from each style? (5pts)

Were the students able to adequately draw connections to Canterbury Chorale from a specific style? (5pts)

Were the students able to adequately rationalize their decision? (5pts)

Were the students able to present their ideas to the class in a clear manner? (5pts)

Did the students work well in a group or were they consistently off task? (5pts)

Total for this assignment: 25pts

Activity 3:

Do the webquest found at www.bsu.edu/web/cmomeni/webquest.html

Warm-up/Practice Exercises:

Because of the slow and legato nature of this work warm-ups will be an important part of making sure that students are performing with good sound and style. A few suggestions for warm-ups are as follows:

- Begin by playing long tones on any single pitch

Listen for good sound quality, proper balance, and good blend throughout the ensemble.

- Continue by increasing the rhythmic complexity at a slow tempo while maintaining a legato sound.

As the piece continues, the rhythms in the piece become smaller and smaller. Doing this will help the students get used to the feel of the rhythms. An example:

- While doing this listen for clarity of the rhythms, proper articulation, good tone quality in varying note values, etc.

Any variation of the above may be used and the incorporation of dotted rhythms will help students as well.

Resources:

www.janvanderroost.com

www.classialstudio.com

www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary

www.ibiblio.org/wm