LOOK AT THE ASSIGNMENT Some of you did the entire worksheets in
02bhomework.zip when you didnt have to. Im glad you did and
encourage all of you to do the entire thing if you can but the homework
assignment only requires those items I mention above not the
entire worksheet.
Note: Chapter 4 also covers
Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin and Zither. Time permitting, we will look
at these in class. You
are not responsible for these instruments on any exams or in any
assignments. Instead, we will use the time for a final review of the
string ensemble.
The first quiz is just around the
corner.... start thinking about what we have covered so far.....
Strings are THE most important single ensemble in the orchestra and you
will want to know all the "on the string" and "off the string" bowings
in Adler well enough to be able to identify and correctly notate the
technique upon seeing it performed live or in video. If I show
you a passage in a score with a given marking, you will want to know
what that marking means. As well you will want to make sure you
understand all technical aspects such as open strings, how to execute
harmonics, identify impossible double or triple stops etc. I may
write an unmarked passage on the board and then articulate it by
playing a synth sound. I may then ask you to put in the correct
phrase and articulation markings. Remember we have slurs,
accents, staccatos, wedges, hats. If I explain verbally that the
first half of the passage is to be played in a single bow you should
know what making indicates that fact. Dont forget the
material from the first week with the orchestra seating chart and the
construction parts of the string instruments. You will want to identify
every player in the orchestra and give me relative balances. If I
say we have 16 1st violins you should be able to tell me how many 2nds,
violas, celli and basses would be standard. If I tell you we have
3 flutes, you should be able to tell me how many of all brass and winds
we have. Any specific questions about the solo string instruments
will be derived from the video links on the HMU397_notes_03a.html webpage as
well as the ranges of each instrument. Remember my general
rule... the top note of each string instrument is 15ma (2 octaves)
higher than the highest open string on that instrument. You will
also need to know the correct clef for each string instrument including
the Alto Clef for Viola and you will need to explain which of the
string instruments is a "transposing" instrument and what that means.
Today we covered the harp. Again you need to know the
construction and parts. I will give you pedal diagrams without
the letter representations and you will need to tell me which notes are
sharp, flat or natural. Or I may give you the letter names and
ask you to write the pedal chart. We may have lots of fun
with examples that technically can not be played as written because of
enharmonic problems and you may be asked to solve the problems with the
fewest amount of pedal changes. Same video rules will
apply. If I show you a video of a bisbigliando or a pres de la
table or any other technique, you should be able to tell me what you
are seeing and hearing and give me the appropriate notation. You
will not be asked to identify any technique via audio alone.
Until Orchestration II next semester, you will have the visual
aid. There will also be a more creative section where I
might ask you to give me appropriate adjectives for the sound of
certian playing techniques. You need to start associating these
sounds and colors and textures with things you already know in your
mind so that you can call upon them in the future. This is a
great way to do that. I may ask something like "describe the
sound of Col Legno Battuto" I hope you tell me something closer
to wooden raindrops than to a hazy twilight. There may also be a
creative section of the quiz where you orchestrate a simple piano
passage for strings and/or harp. As long as its technically
possible to play your orchestration, you will get 100% in this
section. However, I will be much more critical of your creative
work in the quiz than in the homework as I try to open up your
creativity.
Orchestral Double Action Harp (Adler Audio: CD 1-81-82)
Movie: Xavier.mov
Adler Movie: Harp.mov
Made of wood and 47 steel and gut or nylon strings.Main body is called the "Base" or"boat" and the long downward sloping top of
the boat is called the "soundboard".The
top of the harp is called the" Neck" or"Harmonic
Curve".It has a brass plate that houses
the action of the harp.On the Harmonic
Curve, There are two "Disks"for each
string which, via "Forks" are capable of changing the length of the
strings and thus the pitch of the strings. Note:the
first two strings do not have discs and forks.The hollow "Pillar" contains 7 rods
which serve to rotate the discs and forks when the pedals are
manipulated.The pedals are housed
in the "Base" of the harp.
When the pedal is in the top position neither disk is touching the
string, and the whole length of the string vibrates and sounds in its
lowest pitch, or "flat". With the pedal in the middle position the top
disk is rotated, making the disk and its two posts turn to grasp the
string. Thus the vibrating length is shortened so that the string
produces a half-tone higher, or "natural" pitch. With the pedal in the
bottom position both the upper and lower disks are activated, the
string is made effectively shorter still, and it produces the "sharp"
pitch. Thus, by moving pedals with my feet, one can obtain any of three
different pitches (flat, natural, or sharp) from each of the strings on
the harp.Note the manipulation of the
pedal will affect all strings of that pitch category for the enire
range of the instrument.
From left
to right the pedals are arranged:DCB /
EFGA (do cats bark?
Even felines get angry)
Pedal Notation
In
most cases, it is important
to give the harpist pedal indications.The
two methods to notate harp pedalings are:
Letter representation:Db C# B / Eb F G A
Pedal Diagram (show
flat up, natural center, sharp down)
Note: It requires very little time to change pedals. Professional harpists can change pedals
in a split second.
Since
the pedal rotates the disc and fork of every corresponding string on
the instrument, it is impossible to have mixed accidentals across the
range of the harp.Thus one could not
write a D# and Db to sound simultaneously.However,
with that understanding, composers and orchestrators use enharmonics
respellings such as Eb and Db to allow such executions.
(Adler Audio: CD 1-80)
Range Range of harp is Cb 0 to G#6.(c3=mid)
It cover the entire modern piano except the bottom 3 notes and the top
4 notes.
Color
In the lowest two octaves the harp is
boldly somber, hollow and dark.As it gets
higher in pitch it gets lighter in character.The
middle two octaves are very rich and warm and the top two octaves are
crisp and clear.Towards thetop it can get a bit softer yet somewhat
brittle and does not sustain well.
Technique (Adler Movie: Harp Technique)
The player uses only 4 fingers on each
hand as the pinky is not employed.Although
the instrument reads on the same grand staff as the piano, the strings
are closer together than the keys of the piano enabling the player to
easily reach a 10th.Chords are
traditionally rolled unless marked by a bracket and composers can use
wavey arrows to designate direction of the roll.
About Harp Chords
(Adler
Audio: CD 1-83-84)
Harmonics
Harmonics produce a beautifully soft
ringing sound an octave above the designated string by touching a node
while plucking the string.It
is also possible to get the 2nd partial producing an octave
and a fifth but it is very risky and should be approved by the player.
The best range for the harmonic is
between A1 and F4 (c3=mid). There are left hand and right hand
harmonics and the player will decide which technique to use. It
is possible to play two harmonics simultaneously.
(Adler Movie: harp
harmonics.mov ) (Adler
Audio: CD 1-87-88-89)
Effects
Pres de la
table
Playing the string near the soundboard = harder sound
