West Highlands Sojourn

by Robert Sheldon

Student Guide

by Chris Johnson
About the Composition

Robert Sheldon was commissioned to compose West Highlands Sojourn in 1993 by the Cobb Middle School Band in Tallahassee, Florida. The movement titles are taken from historic English destinations:

Stow-on-the-Wold is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, known for its trading fairs.

Bradford, a borough located in West Yorkshire, England, is an industrious city, known for its part in the industrial revolution and its wool production.

Derwentwater is a scenic body of water in England’s Northern Lake District National Park.

About the Composer

Robert Sheldon earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Miami, and the Master of Fine Arts in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Florida. He has taught in both the Florida and Illinois public schools, and has been a member of the faculty of Florida State University as a conductor and professor. Sheldon is a well-respected clinician and has conducted honor bands both within the U.S., and outside its borders. He has received numerous awards from the American School Band Director's Association, Phi Beta Mu, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Sheldon is currently the conductor of the Prairie Wind Ensemble in East Peoria, Illinois, and serves as the Concert Band Editor for the Alfred Publishing Company.

Instructional Goals

Standards addressed in this unit: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8

1. To teach applied differences in mixed articulation markings including: marcato, staccato, accent, and tenuto.
2. To teach the elements of canon through musical analysis and performance.
3. To teach the musical concept of harmonic suspensions through analysis and performance.
4. To teach the musical concept of ostinato through musical analysis and performance.
5. To teach the elements of musical form through analysis and performance.

Rhythm: That’s not the same….

The first movement contains rhythms that may appear to be the same at first, but are actually quite different. Take a look at the following rhythms.

One way to help you tell the rhythms apart is to draw “hash marks” under the notes. Each sixteenth note gets one hash, each eighth note gets two, etc. If we draw hash marks under these rhythms they will look like this:

Here are more rhythms taken from the third movement. Can you draw the hash marks under these rhythms? Be careful! These are in 6/8 time!

Articulations

The first movement of West Highlands Sojourn uses several different articulation markings. Each has it’s own distinct character. Can you match each articulation marking with it’s symbol?

_______ _______ _______ _______

A) Tenuto

B) Staccato

C) Marcato

D) Accent

What do each of these articulation markings mean to do? In your own words, describe each marking and what it means to the music. Feel free to use non-musical expressions to help illustrate your ideas.

Tenuto

Marcato

Staccato

Accent

Canon

No, not a cannon, we’re talking about canon, which is when a melodic line is played by two sets of instruments at the same time, but is “offset” by a certain number of measures. West Highlands Sojourn uses canon in the first movement at measure 59. The flute, oboe, and trumpet start the melodic line, and the clarinets and saxophones begin one measure later. A round, such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is a type of canon. Can you think of any other songs that are canons?

Canon is one type of imitative counterpoint. These may seem like big words, but they are actually very easy to explain: Counterpoint is when a secondary melodic line is played at the same time as a primary melodic line. The secondary melodic line is called a counter-melody and must be carefully composed so that it “fits” with the main melody. Imitative counterpoint simply means that the counter-melody “imitates” the main melody. In this case it is exactly the same. Here is a diagram to help. Each rectangle represents a separate measure.

The orange squares represent the first instrument. After this instrument has played one measure of the melodic line, the second instrument, shown in yellow begins playing the melodic line from the beginning. The instrument shown in pink joins in last.

Listening Activity: Lincolnshire Posy: IV. The Brisk Young Sailor

One of Percy Grainger’s most famous compositions, Lincolnshire Posy, also uses canon in the fourth movement. Listen to this movement and try to find where the canon begins. Listen again. What instruments start the canon? Which ones continue it? Listen a few more times then answer the following questions.

1. Which instruments begin the canon?

2. Which instruments start one measure later?

Suspensions

The second movement of West Highland Sojourn, Bradford Ballade,” contains several examples of suspensions. A suspension happens when one note of a chord is held over when the other notes of a chord change. The “suspended” note eventually moves downward, by step, to fit the new chord. Look at these examples:

Here is an example of a chord resolving normally. Assuming this is treble clef, the F and A resolve down to E and G.

Now take a look: the first and last chords are the same as the previous example. The middle chord contains the suspension. The A resolves down to the G, but the F stays put for a bit, creating tension.

Exploration

You will need to have access to a piano for the following activity. Play the following major chords on the piano. Once you’ve become familiar with the chords, try playing around with the chords to create suspension of your own. Keep a journal of your findings.

Ostinato

The third movement of West Highland Sojourn, On Derwentwater, uses an ostinato pattern throughout. An ostinato pattern is a pattern that repeats throughout a piece, or section of a piece. The ostinato pattern in this movement looks like this:

This ostinato pattern is passed between many instruments. Listen closely during your next rehearsal and answer the following questions:

1. What instruments play the pattern at the very beginning of the piece?

2. At what measure does the entire band play this pattern?

3. What wind instrument plays the pattern at measure 187? What percussion instrument plays with this instrument?

4. Find the pattern in your own part. In which measures do you play the pattern?

5. Ostinato patterns, such as the one in this piece, can be used as both foreground and background material. During most of this piece the pattern is in the background. Can you find any measures where it is in the foreground? Write at least one measure where this happens.

Examining Form

Most compositions are composed with a specific form in mind. The form of the piece is like the road map. Some terms that may be used to describe specific elements of form are:

Theme: A theme is a single melodic idea. A theme is usually several measures long, and is usually repeated at least once. Sometimes variations of a theme appear later in a piece.

Introduction: An introduction is self-explanatory; it is used at the beginning of piece or movement to introduce elements. The intro is usually related to the rest of the piece in some way, but may not use any of the other themes in the piece. Not every piece has an introduction.

Transition: This is a melodic idea that is composed specifically to move from one idea to another. It may contain elements of another theme, but does not have to. Sometimes a transition is referred to as a bridge.

Coda: A coda is used at the end of a piece, and often is composed to tie all of the other themes together. Codas are often used to surprise the audience when they think that another theme is going to repeat again. Codas may be very short, or very long.

More on Form

Below are diagrams that show the form of the first two movements of the piece. The different sections are listed with their measure numbers. Take out your music and it to these diagrams. Write reminders in your music to let you know where each new section begins.

Movement 1 – Stow-on-the-Wold

Movement 2 – Bradford Ballade

Examining the road map…

Below you will find a form diagram for the third movement. On this diagram the measure numbers are missing. As you play through this movement find the measure that sound like new sections and mark them in your music. Write the measure numbers that you find below this form diagram to complete it.

Movement 3 – On Derwentwater

________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ___________ _______

Assess Yourself

How has this student guide affected your performance of the piece? Think about your performance, and how you have applied each activity in the student guide. Rate your individual performance of the piece, and the performance of the ensemble as a whole. Use the following rubric:

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Style Markings	All style marking were played well and accurately. Made music more than notes and rhythm.	Most style markings were played well and accurately. May have missed one or two, but did not distract from overall style.	Failed to play several style markings accurately. Style of piece was barely recognizable.	Little or no attention was given to style markings. Style of piece was not recognizable.
Articulation	Secure attacks. Markings (staccato, legato, slur, accents, etc.) are executed accurately as directed by the score and/or the conductor.	Attacks are usually secure, though there might be an isolated error. Markings are executed accurately as directed by the score and/or the conductor.	Attacks are rarely secure, but markings are often executed accurately as directed by the score and/or the conductor.	Few secure attacks. Markings are typically not executed accurately.
Rhythm	The beat is secure and the rhythms are accurate for the style of music being played.	The beat is secure and the rhythms are mostly accurate. There are a few duration errors, but these do not detract from the overall performance.	The beat is somewhat erratic. Some rhythms are accurate. Frequent or repeated duration errors. Rhythm problems occasionally detract from the overall performance.	The beat is usually erratic and rhythms are seldom accurate detracting significantly from the overall performance.
Expression	Performs with a creative nuance and style in response to the score and limited coaching.	Typically performs with nuance and style that is indicated in the score or which is suggested by instructor or peer.	Sometimes performs with nuance and style that is indicated in the score or which is suggested by instructor or peer.	Rarely demonstrates expression and style. Just plays the notes.

Glossary of Terms Used

Canon - A type of imitative counterpoint that uses a single theme, played by two sets of instruments at the same time, and “offset” by a certain number of measures.

Suspension - A chord tone that changes one or more beats later than the rest of the chord tones, and resolves down by step.

Ostinato - A pattern that repeats throughout a piece, or section of a piece.

Theme: A theme is a single melodic idea. A theme is usually several measures long, and is usually repeated at least once. Sometimes variations of a theme appear later in a piece.

Introduction: An introduction is self-explanatory; it is used at the beginning of piece or movement to introduce elements. The intro is usually related to the rest of the piece in some way, but may not use any of the other themes in the piece. Not every piece has an introduction.

Transition: This is a melodic idea that is composed specifically to move from one idea to another. It may contain elements of another theme, but does not have to. Sometimes a transition is referred to as a bridge.

Coda: A coda is used at the end of a piece, and often is composed to tie all of the other themes together. Codas are often used to surprise the audience when they think that another theme is going to repeat again. Codas may be very short, or very long.