Smetana, The Moldau, and The Patriotic Program

Lesson Title: Smetana, the Moldau, and the Patriotic Program
Grade Level
9 12 Orchestra
Objectives
Students will
effectively participate in group discussion, small and large
read about music
connect their repertoire to historical and literary contexts
use content vocabulary relevant to their repertoire
actively listen to recorded music
solve technical and expressive issues within the piece
evaluate a short musical performance
play with expression based on their knowledge of the composer, the musical elements in
the piece, and the historical context of the piece
set musical goals based on their independent needs and the needs of the group
write clearly and coherently about music
Materials
Copies of article The Moldau by Betsy Schwarm
Copies of article Nationalism in Music by Frederick Starr
Musical parts
Cued recording of the excerpt of the river theme from The Moldau
concept map outlines
note cards for paired response
sheets of paper for conversation roundtable
recording device for playing checkpoints
Day One Procedure
Tune
Warm-up with a two-octave scale in the key of the piece
Thought provoking question [SL.9-10.1, MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia]
o How can music without words tell a story?
Relate musical theme to theme in literature.
Read The Moldau article from Encyclopedia Britannica [L.9-10.4a, L.9-10.6,
MU:Cn10.0.H.5a, MU:Cn11.0.T.5a]
o Discuss the meaning of vocabulary terms symphonic poem / program.
o Identify the themes in the piece according to the article.
Connect them to the type of music/instruments that play them.
Concept map plus listening activity [R.9-10.2, MU:Re8.1.E.5a, MU:Pr4.2.E.5a]
o Listen to an excerpt of the river theme from a recording of the original Moldau.
o Of the themes listed in the article (the springs, the river, the hunters, the wedding, the
water nymphs, the St. Johns Rapids, the ancient castle in Prague), which is this
theme likely to be?
How can you tell?

What instruments do you hear?
What is the rhythmic motion?
What are the dynamic changes?
What is the shape of the musical line?
One of the other themes starts at rehearsal E in our arrangement. What theme
could this be? How can you tell?
Woodshedding, rehearse the piece from da capo to the coda [MU:Re8.1.E.8a,
MU:Re7.2.E.8a]
o Is the orchestra capturing the essence of the river?
Emphasize the dynamic swells.
Celli and violas make sure the ripple patterns are legato with a lilt.
Propel the river forward.
Ritardando and diminuendo at the end.
The river becomes a trickle.
Paired response cards [SL.9-10.1, SL.9-10.4, MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia, MU:Pr5.3.E.8a,
MU:Pr4.3.E.5a]
o With your stand partner, analyze your part from pickups to B through two bars before
D (measures 11 through 24) and identify ways your part creates the river theme.
What technical (bowings, articulations, fingerings, etc.) and expressive
(dynamics, phrasings, directions) markings are you realizing when you play
this passage?
Write your answers on the response card and leave it in your folder.
A-Z charts [L.9-10.4, MU:Pr4.3.E.5a]
o Fill out the chart with any vocabulary we used today
can be vocabulary you know, or vocabulary that is new to you
new terms from the reading
musical terms/symbols in your part
o Keep this in your folder to be used throughout the lessons so you can keep track of
the vocabulary you are learning,
Day Two Procedure

Tune
Warm-up with two-octave scale in the key of the piece. Use recurring rhythmic patterns on
each pitch of the scale.
Walking Review [L.9-10.4, L.9-10.2, L.9-10.1, MU:Pr5.3.E.8a, MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia,
MU:Pr6.1.E.5b, MU:Pr4.2.E.5a]
o Find one person in your section who is not your stand partner and compare answers
from yesterdays paired response card activity.
Are your solutions the same, or different?
Are they both effective?
Make changes to yours if you find something you like better!
o Find one person who is not in your section and explain your solution from yesterdays
paired response card activity. Then, perform the passage for them to have an
objective listener evaluate your solution.
For the judges:
Was the passage played comfortably?

Did the performer use good tone and intonation?
Did the performer effectively express the river theme?
Thought-provoking question [SL.9-10.1, MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia]
o What does it mean to be patriotic?
Read aloud of Nationalism in Music with Frederick Starr [L.9-10.4a, L.9-10.6,
MU:Cn10.0.H.5a, MU:Cn11.0.T.5a]
o Students will have their own copies to follow along as volunteers from each section
read a paragraph out loud.
o The teacher will lead a short discussion to clarify what nationalism is in music, with
an emphasis on Smetanas work
Folk song was an important and celebrated part of musical nationalism.
Smetana uses this when he incorporates the polka music for the wedding
theme in The Moldau.
3 2 1 protocol [R.9-10.6, MU:Cn11.0.T.Ia, MU:Pr4.2.E.5a]
o During the reading, fill out your 3 2 1 protocol sheet.
What are three things you notice?
What are two questions you still have?
What is one thing that you can connect to something else?
o Turn this in at the end of the class period.
Woodshedding, rehearse the piece from rehearsal E to da capo [MU:Re8.1.E.8a,
MU:Re7.2.E.8a]
o articulations
make sure the staccato notes are short, but not too short
more of a pesante style than anything
always do the accents
these help establish the dancelike, polka pattern we want to achieve
o dynamics
This theme is made of many repetitions of a short motive, so whenever it
starts to repeat, we have to change something to make it interesting.
The dynamics move suddenly between piano and forte and in between, and
there are some small swells.
These create the exciting mood of a country wedding, which is the program
for this section of the piece.
Exit slip/Roundtable Prep [W.9-10.4, W.9-10.9, MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia]
o Fold a piece of paper into four quadrants. In one quadrant, respond to the following
questions:
What if Smetana had not had such pride and love toward his country? How
might have this work sounded differently? How would it change the way you
play your part?
o Use evidence from the readings, your part, or the listening to explain your answers.
o Pack up when you have finished responding.
o Leave your slip your folder
Day Three Procedure

Tune
Warm-up with a two-octave scale in the key of the piece.

Conversation Roundtable [SL.9-10.1, MU:Re8.1.E.8a, MU:Re7.2.E.8a MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia,
MU:Cn10.0.H.5a]
o Finish up your thoughts in your own quadrant from yesterday, if necessary.
o Refer to the board to find your assigned quartet; meet with them in a designated spot
in the room.
o Fill out the remaining quadrants with your quartet members responses.
o Add to or revise your original response as needed.
o Return to your seats.
Playing Checkpoints [MU:Pr6.1.E.5a, MU:Pr6.1.E.5b]
o Throughout the period, students will individually go to a practice room where a
recording device will be set up. Passages from the two themes will be chosen by the
teacher for each instrument, but students may choose which theme they want to
record.
o These playing checks will be compared with student written and spoken responses
from class activities to assess the students ability to transfer knowledge and play
expressively.
Woodshedding [MU:Re8.1.E.8a, MU:Re7.2.E.8a]
o from pickups to rehearsal B through two bars before D
Have the technical and expressive issues in this passage been ironed out in all
sections?
Are we effectively executing all musical directives in our parts?
o from rehearsal F to rehearsal I
How are the dynamic shifts coming?
Are the articulations portraying the pesante dance feel of this section?
o from pickup to rehearsal D to rehearsal G (no repeats)
rehearse the metric modulation from 6/8 time to 2/4 time
polish the fade out and fade in around rehearsal E
Run-Through [MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia, MU:Pr6.1.E.5b]
o This will be the first run-through since the initial sight-reading of the piece at the
beginning of the new concert cycle.
o It is a chance for the students to piece the parts together.
o Formatively assess how instruction has improved the ensembles performance.
o Formative assessment:
students give thumbs up for feeling great about the ensembles progress
students give thumbs to the side for feeling okay about the ensembles
progress
students give thumbs down for feeling poorly about the ensembles progress
Goal Setting [L.9-10.2, W.9-10.4, MU:Pr5.3.E.IIa, MU:Pr5.3.E.5a, MU:Pr5.3.E.8a,
MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia]
o Following todays rehearsal and playing checks, what goals will you set for yourself
for the concert?
Identify how much time you will spend practicing your part individually.
Identify what musical concepts and skills you will develop during your
practice.
What technical or expressive things are you having the most trouble
with?
Identify sections of the piece that you will practice.
Sign up for a lesson for extra help along the way.

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Lesson Title: Smetana, the Moldau, and the Patriotic Program

How can you tell?

Day Two Procedure

Was the passage played comfortably?

Day Three Procedure

Warm-up with a two-octave scale in the key of the piece.

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