SECONDARY 10 PIECES PLUS!

HABANERA and

TOREADOR SONG

from

CARMEN

by BIZET

TEACHER PAGES

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HABANERA AND TOREADOR SONG FROM ‘CARMEN’ BY GEORGES BIZET

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p034flfw

CONTEXT

Composed by a Frenchman in 1875 but set in Seville, southern Spain, Carmen is the catchiest of operas, with alternating songs and spoken dialogue in the ‘Opera Comique’ tradition, which predates the modern musical. When it first came to the stage it was not well received – the work was considered unconventional and controversial. Many earlier operas incorporated stylish and elegant settings where female leads were frail and shallow characters … but not Carmen…she is strong and sassy: a young woman who works in a cigarette factory, inhabiting a world where crime and immorality abound. Bizet, who died suddenly at the age of 36 during the initial run, would never know that this work would become the most performed opera in the world, composed on the cusp of an era in which composers would push the boundaries of form and ideas and produce works that were more audacious and controversial than ever before.

MUSICAL INGREDIENTS

Timbre

Full orchestra, instrumental ‘signatures’

Mezzo soprano & bass-baritone solo voices Texture

Clear melody and accompaniment

Ostinato Structure

Binary form / verse and chorus

Use of repetition for hypnotic effect Pitch/melody

Habanera: major / minor shifts contrasts

Habanera: descending chromatic melody

Toreador Song: lively, wide reaching and ‘whistleable’ beat based melody. Rhythm/tempo

Dotted Habanera dance rhythms – from the dance named after Havanna, Cuba

Ostinato: rhythm and melody

Brisk pace, use of the dotted rhythm; a stirring, military style in the Toreador Song.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES SUMMARY

Active listening Challenge: Making comparisons

Composing Challenge 1: Portrait of a mysterious character

Composing Challenge 2: Music for a grand entrance

Performing Challenge: Habanera and Toreador Song

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KEY LEARNING FROM THIS UNIT Knowledge of musical dimensions: rhythm: characteristic dotted and triplet habanera rhythms.

Skills development: composition, melodic construction (stepwise and wider

intervals, linking to rhythm and phrase)

SUGGESTED LINKS WITH OTHER SUBJECTS

Art/Design/Technology: Set/costume design for a production of Carmen

Drama/Dance: Making a grand entrance

Modern Languages: Spanish culture, French word setting and understanding libretto

English/writing/debate: Discuss: Is bullfighting glamorous? Examining character study.

FURTHER LISTENING EXAMPLES

‘Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’ from ‘Solomon’ by Handel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AwJr51UTQo

‘Rocky’: theme song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhlPAj38rHc

Star Wars: Episode IV ‘Princess Leia’s theme’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KBygZLzsbs

Star Wars: ‘The Imperial March’ (Darth Vader’s theme)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8

The Muppets: ‘Habanera’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXKUb5A1auM

‘Trust in Me’ from ‘The Jungle Book’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm_mUbeerrE

‘Colonel Hathi’s March’ from ‘The Jungle Book’

Colonel Hathi’s March from Jungle Book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9qfWvVfESA

KS3 CURRICULUM LINKS Example links:

The development of opera

Devices used by composers to develop characterisation

Spanish and Latin styles

Musical contrasts

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LEARNING ACTIVITIES – TEACHER NOTES

ACTIVE LISTENING CHALLENGE – MAKING COMPARISONS Pupil resource from the pack

Active Listening – Making Comparisons

Other required resources

YouTube clips (see Further Listening Examples above)

Task

Pupils explore Habanera and Toreador Song to discover how music reflects character

Suggested approach

Using the Active Listening musical characteristics template, ask pupils to listen to both arias

identifying and noting melodic features in each.

Pupils share findings and list them under the two character headings on the worksheet, including key

information such as ‘semitone steps’ or ‘dotted rhythm’.

Arrange pupils in pairs or groups to discuss how the music of each song describes character.

Listen to:

o Darth Vader’s theme and Princess Leia’s theme from the original Star Wars score

o ‘Trust in Me’ (Kaa’s song from ‘The Jungle Book’)

o ‘Colonel Hathi’s March’ (from ‘The Jungle Book’)

Talk about the similarities between these pieces and the two arias from Carmen?

Discuss and list similarities in the music and the characters, using appropriate musical terminology.

Write a ‘Music Recipe’ for the two types of character, including up to 6 ‘ingredients’ and a few

sentences of ‘Method’. This recipe will form the basis of a new composition.

Optional/additional/extension activity

Devise a dance or fitness routine for any of the excerpts above, using 32 beats of music for each

sequence.

Remind pupils that matching pulse to movement will support counting and understanding phrase

construction.

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COMPOSING CHALLENGE 1: PORTRAIT OF A MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER

Pupil resource N/A

Task

Compose a melody and accompaniment to represent a mysterious character: use the techniques and devices identified through listening to Habanera and Toreador

Suggested approach

Watch the clip of The Muppets performing Habanera. It may not be a serious performance but it

demonstrates very clearly how two parts interact effectively i.e. the melody over a repeating

accompaniment pattern

Organise pupils into pairs and ask them to compose a 4-beat accompaniment pattern with an

interesting rhythm

Secondly, ask each pair to compose a melody with two distinct phrases, using some of the devices

identified from listening to the examples. This melody should suggest a mysterious or hypnotic

character. Pupils should discuss ideas and compose together

In performance, one pupil plays the rhythm 8 times while the other plays the melody

If time permits, pupils could swap parts or compose an additional melody for another character

COMPOSING CHALLENGE 2: MUSIC FOR A GRAND ENTRANCE

Pupil resource from the pack:

Checklist for Composition Task 2: Music for a grand entrance

Task

Compose music for the grand entrance of a chosen character

Suggested approach

Play ‘Rocky’ and ‘The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’. Discuss similarities between these pieces and

the other examples heard earlier: Colonel Hathi, Darth Vader, Toreador Song

Play the Toreador Song again to remind pupils about ways in which the composer ‘portrays’ his

character in sound. Can they identify any musical devices used?

Ask pupils to recall a grand or dramatic entrace of a character/personality in a book, play, film, gig or

television advertisement.

Arrange pupils in small groups, commissioning each group to compose a 30-second piece for ‘A

Grand Entrance’, using their knowledge of the required style.

Ensure that pupils use the checklist for Composition Task 2 to make notes about their pieces.

Encourage pupils to practise their compositions, in order to achieve an appropriate grandeur for their

performances.

PERFORMING CHALLENGE – HABANERA AND TOREADOR SONG

Teacher resource

Performing challenge - Habanera and Toreador Song Teacher scores

Midi files: Bizet – Habanera and Bizet - Toreador Song (optional backing tracks)

Pupil resource found in the pack

Performing challenge - Habanera and Toreador song individual parts

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PERFORMING CHALLENGE

HABANERA AND TOREADOR SONG –TEACHER SCORE

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SECONDARY 10 PIECES PLUS!

HABANERA and

TOREADOR SONG

from

CARMEN by

BIZET

PUPIL PAGES

10

ACTIVE LISTENING CHALLENGE – MAKING COMPARISONS

HABANERA MELODY

TOREADOR MELODY

HABANERA

ACCOMPANIMENT

TOREADOR

ACCOMPANIMENT

Comment on the

characteristics of each

melody as you listen.

Choose where to insert the

words in the box opposite,

and add as many more as

you can.

Dotted rhythm, chromatic,

legato, pulse based, triplet,

phrase, staccato,

semitone, leap, repetition,

semitone, descending.

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CHECKLIST FOR COMPOSING TASK 2

MUSIC FOR A GRAND ENTRANCE

‘HAVE I USED?’ and ‘HOW AM I USING?’

Tick the box or make notes

Rhythm to create a mood?

Melodic devices like those in the songs?

Does my melody structure work in phrases which match the accompaniment and reflect the character expressively?

Have I chosen appropriate timbres to reflect my character?

Do I have enough the right number of layers in the texture?

Have I used tempo and dynamics to make my characterisation more effective? Was it best to keep them constant or vary them?

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PERFORMING CHALLENGE HABANERA AND TOREADOR SONG

Part 1

(optional)

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Part 2

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Part 3

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Part 4

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Part 5

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Part 1

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Part 2

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Part 3

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Part 4

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Part 5