1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5. Reading and notating music.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Score Analysis:

Composer Information

Greg Gilpin

4805 Melbourne Road

Indianapolis, IN 46228

317-297-0603 Phone and Fax

Originally from the “Show-Me” state of Missouri, Greg now resides in Indianapolis, IN.

He is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Music Education, K-12.

Greg is a well-known choral composer and arranger with hundreds of publications to his credit. He does numerous commissions throughout the year and special arranging projects for recorded works. He is also in demand as a conductor, working with choral festivals and events, all-district and all-state choirs. Greg attends many music educator conventions throughout the year presenting clinics on subjects ranging from movement and choreography to classical literature and sacred music.

Greg is currently Creative Director of School Music Publications for Shawnee Press, Inc.

At home in Indianapolis, Greg is busy as a studio musician and producer in the recording industry. These projects include commercial jingles, album projects, Broadway and Disney. He has performed or toured with several gospel and inspirational greats which include Ray Boltz, Bill and Gloria Gaither and Sandy Patty. Most recently, Greg can be heard on the new Johnny Mathis holiday C.D. release "The Christmas Album".

***Rather than include an incomplete list of Gilpin’s compositions I have included the link below to his website. . On Gilpin’s website there is a current list of compositions The website includes the name of each piece, the vocal arrangement (2-part, SSA, SATB, etc.) and the publisher. Gilpin has been published by the following publishers:

· Alfred Publishing

· BriLee Music

· Carl Fischer

· Colla Voce Music

· Hal Leonard Corporation

· Lorenz Publishing

· McPheeters Music Publishing

· Shawnee Press

· Warner Brothers

Composition:

Pie Jesu or “Merciful Jesus” is part of the “Sequence” of the Requiem Mass, celebrated upon the death or burial of a Christian, or the anniversary of that day.

Lyrics

Pie Jesu,

qui tolis peccata mundi,

dona eis requiem.

Agnus Dei,

dona eis requiem.

Merciful Jesus,

who takes away the sins of the world,

grant them rest.

Lamb of God,

Grant them rest.

Historical Perspective:

The Requiem, or Requiem Mass, is a liturgical service of the Roman Catholic Church. The liturgy is a repertoire of ideas or phrases prescribed for public worship. The theme of The Requiem Mass is a prayer for the salvation of the souls of the departed, and it is used both at services immediately preceding a burial, and on occasions of more general remembrance.

The regular texts found in Roman Catholic Liturgy:

· Introit

· Kyrie eleison

· Gradual

· Tract

· Sequence

· Offertory

· Sanctus

· Agnus Dei

· Communion

Originally the Requiem was meant to be performed in a liturgical service, with monophonic chant. Monophonic means having a single unaccompanied melody, like a Gregorian chant. Eventually the dramatic character began to appeal to composers to an extent that made the requiem a genre of its own.

This use of the word requiem comes from the opening words of the Introit: Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. (Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them.) The Requiem Mass differs from the ordinary mass in omitting certain joyful passages such as the Gloria, Credo, and Alleluia, and by the addition of the sequence Dies Iræ.

Dies Iræ, or "Day of Wrath" is a famous 13th-century Latin hymn thought to be written by Thomas of Celano. The poem describes the Day of Judgment, the last trumpet summoning souls before the throne of God, where the good will be delivered and the evil cast into eternal flames. The hymn was used as a sequence in the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass until the 1970 revision of the Roman Missal. The motet Pie Jesu derives part of its lyrics from the last stanza:

Lacrimosa dies illa,

qua resurget ex favilla

judicandus homo reus.

Huic ergo parce, Deus:

pie Jesu Domine,

dona eis requiem. Amen.

Tearful that day,

on which will rise from ashes

guilty man for judgement.

So have mercy, O God, on this person.

Compassionate Lord Jesus,

grant them rest. Amen.

Some settings of the Mass contain additional texts, such as the devotional motet Pie Iesu (in the settings of Dvořák, Fauré, Duruflé, and Lloyd Webber – Fauré set it as a soprano solo in the center). The Pie Jesu combines paraphrases of the final verse of the Dies Iræ and the Agnus Dei.

Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem. Dona eis requiem sempiternam.

O sweet Lord Jesus, grant them rest; grant them everlasting rest.

Agnus Dei, or “Lamb of God,” is part of the mass, whose text is not allowed to change.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem,

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

grant them rest,

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

grant them rest,

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

grant them rest, eternal.

I would suggest playing an Agnus Dei from the Faure or Durufle Requiem (I would suggest the Faure if you have it) to allow the students to be introduced to another arrangement of the piece used to compile the lyrics to this piece.

Melodic Content:

The melodic content of this piece is rather simple allowing the ensemble to focus on other aspects of the piece rather than notes. The piece begins with one melodic thought with the three parts, SSA, in unison. It is not until measure 9 that the three parts divide harmonically. Measures 13-15 contain two-part writing with the melody in the soprano 1. The following two measures, 15-17, the piece switches back to three-part writing with the melody in the soprano 1 part. The soprano 2s and the altos have a new rhythm, which is melodically different than the Soprano 1 part. Then they return to unison until the beginning theme is introduced again but this time in three-part writing. This time the theme is in a different key and the altos have different rhythms. The composition finishes up with a coda featuring a delayed entrance by the altos on the same pitch and then resolving in the opposite direction, resulting in a two-part harmony. The last vocal phrase is three part writing in which the only unordinary movement comes from a leading tone in the alto section, but it is supported by the piano part as well. Throughout the composition the melody remains in the soprano section. The piece has a few leaps but they remain the same leaps throughout the composition. Otherwise the piece is primarily conjunct with rather simple melodic texture.

Rhythmic Content:

The rhythmic content is level three primarily because there is some variety between each part. The piece is in 4/4 time and is asked to be ‘Moderato, with feeling.’ The piece primarily has three different rhythmic patterns, which should be addressed. Beginning in unison, the rhythm in measures 5-6 is repeated throughout the piece. The combination of a dotted-quarter-note and an eighth-note combine to form a large part of the rhythmic content. Another rhythmic texture to pay attention to is found in measures 15-16 because there is a separate rhythm going on between the three sections. The Soprano 1s have the rhythm we discussed above and the Soprano 2s and the Altos have a quarter note followed by a dotted-half-note. The rhythm isn’t too complicated but it is doing two different rhythms, which can be tricky. This occurs one other time in the composition, which should be noted as well, in measure 19. The third beat of the Alto section should be emphasized because it is the only movement, which takes place at that time. The same rhythm reoccurs in measures 28, 30 & 34. Other than these three rhythms the rhythmic content of this piece is composed primarily of the combination of multiple quarter-notes, half-notes and dotted-half-notes.

Harmonic Content, Form and Structure:

The form of Pie Jesu is not completely independent of the rhythmic content or the melodic differences found in the composition. Below are the measures that correspond with and what key the piece is in at that time.

Form Section: Measures: Key:

Intro (piano) 1-4 c

A 5-12 c, Eb

B 10-18 Eb

A’ 19-27 C

Coda 28-35(end) C

On first glance at the piece there are clearly three different sections of music, however the third set of melodic content is more of a restatement of the initial theme. This form is called rounded binary, represented as ABA’. A piece in binary form is characterized by two complementary, related sections of roughly equal duration. The first section will start in a certain key, and will usually modulate to a related key. Compositions in minor keys will typically modulate to the relative major, the major key centered on the third scale degree above the tonic. This is exactly what happens in this piece moving gradually from c – Eb in measures 7-8, finally landing in Eb. The piece then remains in Eb throughout the second section until measure 19. Occasionally, the B section will end with a "return" of the opening material from the A section. This is referred to as rounded binary, and is labeled as ABA'. This does take place in this piece and is found in measures 19 through the end of the piece.

Gilpin has used secondary dominant chords well in this piece and has used modulations carefully, yet has surprised us through the use of neighboring tones and the leading tone. The use of secondary dominant chords has allowed smooth transitions into each different key; 7-8 (vii^o/V - V/III – III (I in new key). The leading tone was significant in two specific sections in which the alto section stands alone rhythmically. This dissonance between the leading tone and tonic allows for a clash to be heard easily as well as a desired resolution to be found in the following note; measures 28 & 33.

Content Map:

Score Markings
Measure	1	5	13	19	28
Phrases	Intro	ab	a'b'	ab	a'
Form	Intro (piano)	ab	B	A'	coda
Melodic Material	(piano)	Primarily conjunct	Dissonance between Sop 1 and Alto	Repeated melodic material in major key	Repeated material
Rhythmic Content		Dotted-half-note, Dotted-quarter-note	Contrary motion in measure 15-16: Sop 2 and Altos	Contrary motion in measures 19-22: Altos	Alto's delayed entrance: measures 28, 30
Harmonic Content	c minor	c-minor to Eb Major	Eb Major	C Major	C Major
Texture		5-7 monophonic 8-12 homophonic	13-14 homophonic 15-16 polyphonic 17-18 monophonic	homphonic	28-32 polyphonic 33-end homophonic
Timbre	Piano	SSA and rhythmically supportive piano	SSA and contrary motion in Piano	SSA and contrary motion in Piano	SSA and rhythmically supportive piano
Dynamic Shape	ff
	ff			X
	mf	X
	mp	X	X	X
	p X ----X		X		X
	pp				X

Textural and Timbral Content:

The voicing in this ensemble has been asked by the composer to remain a blend of the three parts at equal dynamic levels. However, when sections rhythmically stand alone, they should aurally stand out as well. The melody is always in the Soprano 1 section but the harmonies of the other sections compliment and should create a unified sound. Here is a guide of the texture of the piece.

Measures Voicing Texture

5-7 unison monophonic

8-14 3pt homophonic

15-16 2pt polyphonic

17-18 3pt monophonic

19-27 3pt homophonic

28-32 2pt polyphonic

33-end 3pt homophonic

The timbre this piece is written for is piano. The piano rhythmically supports the ensemble and musical content in the A section. It does not follow the rhythms directly but its base movement supports the structure of the opening theme. The second section of the piece, the B section, contains a piano part, which plays contrary to the movement of the ensemble playing while the ensemble has little or no movement (measures 13-16). The piece rounds out with another statement of the A theme redone with the piano continuing to play contrary to the structure of the rhythmic content of the ensemble. Leading up to the coda, in measure 27, the piano gets back to rhythmically supporting the ensemble.

Stylistic and Expressive Content:

The style of this piece offers many opportunities to teach students phrasing and the importance of dynamics. Stylistically the Pie Jesu began as a chant and its basic sound remains and should resemble a chant. The phrase movement throughout the piece should represent a series of chants resulting in a thorough representation of each melodic statement. The words should speak for themselves yet the piece is often used for a more somber time, namely death. Following the proper phrases indicated, as well as the dynamics asked for, will result in the expressive element intended by Gilpin. The dynamic markings teamed with the melodic content and chordal structure will cause the style intended.

Lessons:

Warm-up Exercises:

1. Continue to learn the major scale and arpeggio using solfege. Introduce the minor arpeggio using solfege. Talk about the different spellings of a minor scale arpeggio in solfege. Do-me-so = la-do-mi = re-fa-la (etc.)

2. Dynamic shaping must be covered in the warm-ups for this piece. Crescendos and decrescendos are constant throughout the piece. Have a student come to the font and have the choir sing on a chord, simple major/minor chord. In the front of the room have the dynamics written on a poster-board. Have the student in front gradually point from one dynamic to the next, no jumps, and have the choir follow the student. (Composition)

3. Diction exercise: Have a student select a consonant and then attach the vowel to it emphasizing the attack of the consonants. Using a major scale continue up doing this about five times up and then back down.

Activity #1

Melody Exercises:

Conjunct movement is where the melody moves in intervals of a Major or minor 2^nd. This is also called stepwise motion.

Disjunct movement is where the melody moves in intervals greater than a Major 2^nd. This is also called leaps.

Look at measure 8 and 9 at any voice part.

Which measure has leaps in it? ________________

Which measure moves in stepwise motion? ________________

Can you find two more measures filled with disjunct movement? #_________ & ________

Can you find two more measures filled with conjunct movement? #________ & ________

Activity #2

Form Section: Measures: Key:

Intro (piano) 1-4 c

A 5-12 c, Eb

B 10-18 Eb

A’ 19-27 C

Coda 28-35(end) C

A piece in binary form is characterized by two complementary, related sections of roughly equal duration. Occasionally, the B section will end with a "return" of the opening material from the A section. This is referred to as rounded binary, and is labeled as ABA'. This “return” does take place in this piece and is found in measures 19 through the end of the piece. This is where I would watch the video Pie Jesu Form to show the students what you are talking about.

Check the following page for this assignment.

***Go to the computer and look in the folder My Videos. The following answers will come from each video found there. I will give you the form and in the blanks provided write the color the screen is when that section begins. The colors will change randomly so please listen closely. Just because the color changes doesn’t mean the section has. This section is focusing on the vocal form so the first blank is the color when the first voice is heard, yes that’s giving you answers!

Select two of the three to do. Each correct answer is worth

· Avril Lavigne – Sk8er Boi

o A _______red__________

o B________blue_________

o A________green________

o B________purple________

o C______yellow/blue______

o A’________green________

(this one can be tricky, it sounds different)

o B_________purple_______

· Yellow Card – Ocean Avenue

o A_______ purple____

o B_______purple_________

o A________yellow________

o B________green________

o C_________blue_________

o B________blue__________

A New Found Glory - So Happy Together

A________yellow_______

B________purple/(red)___

A_______yellow________

B________blue__________

A________purple________

B________yellow________

A________green_________

Coda______Purple/red____

Cross Movement – It’s Time

A_______green__________

B________yellow________

A________red__________

B_________blue________

A’________red_________

(sounds different)

B_________blue________

A________purple________

This assignment will be graded on correct answers. Each song is worth 10 points. You are required to do three of the four and you may do the other for extra credit towards this assignment. However, you can not get better than 100%. Total points possible: 30.

Rhythm Exercises:

For Pie Jesu the rhythmic content is not too diversified yet the three instances when they are somewhat complicated primarily deals with entrances. Count-singing is something invaluable to know how to do. Look at the following example and count-sing the first two numbers. Fill in the count-singing for part three and we will sing it together in class. It is attached on the next page.

Fill in the correct beats that you will stay still on with a pencil. With a marker that will be provided by your teacher, fill in the correct beats that you will move on. Parts one and two were give for you as examples.

*** Please fill out the rhythm for part three of the rhythm exercises.

A rubric is not needed for this example. If the student correctly Identifies the moving notes then they receive full credit.

Activity #3

Pie Jesu Writing Assignment

Part One

Now that you have listened to the song, Pie Jesu by Gilpin, reflect on how the music affected you. Did you feel happy, sad, heavy, depressed, joyous, or enthused? Did the song cause you to feel relaxed, anxious, peaceful, irritated, on edge, calmed, etc.? The song will be played a second time during the brainstorm time if you need a second impression.

Step One: Brainstorm your reaction and the reasons why. Write the emotion or feeling the music gave you, and then write a list of the aspects of the song that caused that emotion. You will turn this brainstorm list in with the essay.

Step Two: Write an essay explaining your reaction to the song. Make clear what emotions you experienced while listening to the music, and also explain what about the song evoked those emotions. Be sure to consider the melodic and harmonic content, as well as the rhythmic patterns in addition to the actual words of the song.

Requirements: The essay must be ¾ of a page long with proper grammar and punctuation. Refer to the rubric for guidelines in how your essay will be graded.

Pie Jesu Writing Assignment

Part Two (On Your Own)

You have now watched a video of images coinciding with the song, Pie Jesu by Gilpin. Reflect on the relationship between the images and the song, and choose one of the following options to write about:

Option One: Write about the connection of the images to the meaning of the words in the song. How is the song’s lyrical meaning portrayed through the paintings and pictures?

Option Two: Write about the connection of the sequence of images to the melodic structure of the song. Is there any presence of the rounded binary represented in the pictures?

At the end of your essay: Include a couple of sentences explaining how the images in the video reinforced or contradicted the emotion you felt and wrote about in your first essay.

Requirements: The essay must be one page long with proper grammar and punctuation. The essay must include an introduction and a conclusion. Refer to the rubric for guidelines in how your essay will be graded.

Have the class watch the video on their own time. Check the rubric for grading procedures.

Pie Jesu Part Two Rubric

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Focus on Topic (Content)	There is one clear, well-focused topic. The chosen emotion stands out and is supported by specific detailed information from the song.	The chosen emotion is clear but the supporting information from the song is general.	The chosen emotion is somewhat clear but there is a need for more specific supporting information from the song.	The chosen emotion is not clear. There is a seemingly random collection of information or no support from the song.
Support for Topic (Content)	Relevant, telling, quality details from the song give the reader important information that goes beyond the obvious or predictable.	Supporting details and information are relevant, but need more specific connections from the song.	Supporting details and information are relevant, but little evidence from the song is used.	Supporting details and information are typically unclear or not related to the topic.
Introduction (Organization)	The introduction is inviting, states the main topic and previews the structure of the paper.	The introduction clearly states the main topic and previews the structure of the paper, but is not particularly inviting to the reader.	The introduction states the main topic, but does not adequately preview the structure of the paper nor is it particularly inviting to the reader.	There is no clear introduction of the main topic or structure of the paper.
Flow & Rhythm (Sentence Fluency)	All sentences sound natural and are easy-on-the-ear when read aloud. Each sentence is clear and has an obvious emphasis.	Almost all sentences sound natural and are easy-on-the-ear when read aloud, but 1 or 2 are stiff and awkward or difficult to understand.	Most sentences sound natural and are easy-on-the-ear when read aloud, but several are stiff and awkward or are difficult to understand.	The sentences are difficult to read aloud because they sound awkward, are distractingly repetitive, or difficult to understand.
Conclusion (Organization)	The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader with a feeling that they understand what the writer is "getting at."	The conclusion is recognizable and ties up almost all the loose ends.	The conclusion is recognizable, but does not tie up several loose ends.	There is no clear conclusion, the paper just ends.
Grammar & Spelling (Conventions)	Writer makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Writer makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Writer makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Writer makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.