S15: E273 Celebrate Fall with Vivaldi’s Autumn: 1st Movement
The first day of fall is in just a few days on September 23 and what a more perfect lesson activity to use in your classroom than Vivaldi’s Autumn from The Four Seasons. In today’s episode, you’ll hear about five ways that you can use the first movement of Vivaldi’s Autumn for a variety of student lessons and I’ll give you links to all of the materials in the show notes and on my website.
Five ideas for Vivaldi’s Autumn Movement
LINKS TO LESSON RESOURCES:
What are the Four Seasons and who is Vivaldi?
Introducing your students to Vivaldi as a person and composer gives students context about who he was and the music he created. I’m linking two video options (both very short) that would work for either younger or older students. One is illustrated with narration while the other has pictures of Vivaldi and locations with narration. To give students context about The Four Seasons program music, I’m linking a TedEd video with Betsy Schwarm that has beautiful illustrations/animated videos that provide information about The Four Seasons and I love it! Your students will also.
Links to videos:
TedEd Video about The Four Seasons with Betsy Schwarm: beautiful illustrations and information about the narrative of the program music
2. Ritornello form
In many grade levels, musical form is a part of our curriculum. Rondo form is a common form to discuss and ritornello form is very similar. Rondo might be consolidated to something like ABACA while Ritornello (which means return) moves between a “returning” big group called Tutti - your students will love knowing that word - and a smaller one that is a solo. The form then for a ritornello would be Tutti - Solo - Tutti - Solo, etc…
The difference between rondo and ritornello is that ritornello form typically brings back the subject or main theme in a paraphrase of that theme through the use of fragments from previous musical passages and in different keys; whereas the rondo brings back its theme complete and in the same key. Ritornello was a focus of compositions in the Baroque Era and Vivaldi was the one that really created the standards for what this form looks like.
Other songs that use ritornello form:
J.S. Bach Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen
Handel’s Messiah: He is Despised and The Trumpet Shall Sound
Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto 4 in G: 1st Movement.
3. Rhythmic Dictation of the Ritornello Motif
Purchase rhythm dictation pages for your students using the links at the beginning of this post. Here is a breakdown of the process for using this piece for rhythm dictation:
Ask students to listen to the first motive of the piece (the rhythm does repeat, but an octave lower the second time).
Ask students to tap the beat and identify how many beats are in the phrase (12 beats total).
Provide students with the worksheet. Go to my website to access it.
Ask students to listen to you clap the entire pattern.
Then break it down by measure. Echo clap measure one: you clap the rhythm and students clap it.
Do this a second time: you clap, students clap.
Ask them to write the rhythm they hear in measure one.
Repeat this process for measure 2. Ask them to echo after you. Then write what they hear. Students may notice that the measures are the same!
For measure three, ask students to listen for what happens on the last beat. (a rest)
Ask students to add a quarter rest on beat four.
For measure three, ask students to listen for what is happening on beat three. (quarter note)
For measure three, ask students to listen for what is happening on beat two. (eighth note pair)
Finally, guide them in discovering what is happening on beat one. (eighth-sixteenth combo)
Ask students to share anything they notice about the rhythms. They’ll likely share that they notice ms. 1 and 2 are the same pattern. That there are a lot of quarter notes and eighth note pairs. That there is only one eighth-sixteenth note combo and one rest.
4. Melodic Variation using the Rhythm of Original Motif
What could students do in composing their own motif while using the Vivaldi’ Autumn motif as a guide? Provide students with the rhythms of the motif and allow them to write the pitch names underneath to create a new melody! You can purchase the student worksheets and materials in my store at www.jessicagrant.org.
Use the same rhythm of Vivaldi’s motif, but change the melody. Use a pentatonic scale (C,F or G). Students create new melodies for the rhythm. Encourage repetition!
5. Create a folk dance for students to perform.
The first motive is very short so I’ve created an mp3 file that repeats the motive five times and provides opportunities for movement repetition using the mp3 file. You’ll hear two clicks before the music so that students are better prepared for when the music starts. The mp3 file is free! See link at beginning of content for free lesson.
As we enter fall, I hope the weather begins to get cooler, the leaves begin to show their beautiful colors and that these activities help you celebrate autumn with your students.