[speaker001:] each
[John:] If I can find it. Pages... forty six and forty seven please. And you'll er you'll need a piece of paper. Pages forty six and forty seven and you'll need a piece of paper to do the work on.
[speaker001:] Sir someone's got my book so I'm having this one if it's alright.
[John:] Good. Would you please bring your chairs and that table over here so that we're all together round this table thank you. It might be an idea actually if we moved out just a little bit Tracey.
[speaker001:] What?
[John:] Let everybody else in. Right your title should be Syrinx by Debussy. Copy it from the top of page forty six and we are then ready to proceed. You will also need to manage to perform this er task accurately a piece of manuscript paper. So while you're finishing heading your bits and pieces up would you like to pass some of them round. And I will find a little more from devious places for you. This' ll do there. Right. Another four here.... How many people still need manuscript paper? The intelligent amongst us have already been looking at the questions on page forty seven and realizing that despite the weirdness of the sound of this music there are some quite direct things that can be asked. There's a s a definite explanation of terms that you see in the music written at the top of page forty seven would you look at them please. Because Debussy being French the instructions here aren't written in the usual language which you come across which is Italian. Yes?
[speaker001:] Sir may I take a keyboard
[John:] Provided it is returned at the end yes please. Or even in German which is the second language of music we're looking at instructions in French. So tres modere is and as the explanation gives you at a very moderate speed. That means quite a slow speed in practice. Where you look please at the word retinue which is figure two it means ritardando a bit slower. Number three un peu movemente mais tres peu means a little faster but very little. So it only moves a bit faster there. Ceder that's in bar fifteen number four means slower. Rubato means not in strict time. That's a standard Italian word and it's been mixed in amongst all the French rubato. You've got au movement tres modere which means in French at the original speed very moderate again of course okay? En retenant jusque a la pas number seven there getting slower right up to the end very obviously. You've got marc underneath which means marcato give a little push at the beginning of the note if you have to. Don't forget this is a wind player playing a flautist. So if you're marking the sound you've got to give a little more air to it more wind. Tres retinue near the end there getting much slower. Okay as opposed to just the retinue [] which means a little slower. And finally peu de doci which is not French but is again Italian peu de doci means dying away. Peu de doci means quite literally getting lost. So if you want to get rid of somebody you can go and tell them to peu de doci which means getting lost. Okay I know we moved on to the next piece last week we will start again on that tomorrow. I want to complete our previous work first. So there are twelve questions here. You are going to hear the music several times. Look with me now at the twelve questions. Some of these you can answer directly because we've already the music. For instance for question one you could all answer it now. The answer would be?
[speaker001:] I can't Flute.
[John:] Flute thank you Darren. Look carefully at the music of the first two bars then write the music of bar three. Ah that means you've got to listen carefully to what happens. Do please remember that echoes are used repeats of things are used. It may be that some of it is a repeat. It asks you to [reading] draw five empty bars to represent the music for bars four to eight. Do not copy the notes but underneath the stave write marks to show where the music gets louder [] crescendo marks [reading] and softer [] diminuendo marks. Now you can do this if you wish of course on ordinary plain paper because all you need to do to create your five empty bars I would suggest is we'll assume that's your thing there. One two three four five. Okay and if say it crescendoed in bar two you would go like that Say it diminuendoed in bar four you would do that.
[speaker001:] Oh yeah.
[John:] So you don't even need to use music paper for this. You can just draw your bars. Question four is a very simple one [reading] what actually happens to the music at bar nine []. Question five asks you to fill in [reading] the rhythm of the music in bar ten []. Look at bar ten it's at the end of that statement un peu movemente mais tres peu You'll see you've got the note heads given. You have to fill in the rhythm. You will need to copy those note heads onto manuscript paper and put em in.... You don't have to complete bar nine even though bar nine is empty because that's the subject of question four what happens there. So you have to describe that in words. You have to listen carefully Oh sorry yes fill in the rhythm adding the phrase and dynamic parts for bar five for question five. Question six asks you to [reading] listen carefully to the music of bars fourteen to nineteen []. I will find those and play them several times. [reading] Where in the music does the player take a breath? [] Now then how are you gonna say where in the music the player takes a breath?
[speaker001:] Where there's like a little comma.
[John:] Well that could be the answer. You are gonna have to say though. You're gonna have to complete the music for bar fifteen. You can see there's a gap there under the word ceder. So I suggest you actually copy the first three notes of bar fifteen and then put the rest in correctly. In bar sixteen you have to name the intervals. Have we talked about naming intervals before?
[speaker001:] No.
[John:] In that case we will attempt to do this now and we'll talk about interval naming afterwards those of you who can please attempt it there will be questions here that some of us can't. Question nine is a listen. [reading] Listen to the music in the bars twenty three and twenty four. What do you thing the word trilla [] trill in English means. Okay [reading] describe briefly how the music ends. Which of these words do not describe the character of the music? [] And there they are vigorous, mysterious, majestic, haunting and. We will now be listening to the music would you please write what you need to would you complete as many of the questions as you can. If like one or two of us who are thinking about it you've already been thinking about it you've got two or three of these complete already. Here is the music for the first time today. [music 176] Okay. So we can all answer question one Leon?
[speaker003:] Yeah flute.
[John:] The answer to question one please.
[speaker003:] Flute.
[John:] Flute thank you Oh dear oh dear.
[speaker001:] I put a pipe. I put pipe.
[John:] You put what?
[speaker001:] Pipe.
[John:] A pipe. Well I suppose it is basically but no flute that's what we were looking for. Erm you were asked to look carefully at the music of the first two bars then write the music of bar three. Who has done this so far? Well let's think about it once more I know you've done the correct thing cos I've just looked. Okay.
[speaker001:] Mm. Mm thanks.
[John:] Thank you. Listen please to the first four bars of this music. Four or five bars and tell me what you notice about bar three. Follow bars one and two particularly carefully. [music 20] What did you notice about bar three by comparison with bar one. It's it is it is the same.
[speaker001:] Is it?
[John:] So what you should have copied down is bar one again. Okay? If you haven't done that yet do it now because the practice of writing it of actually copying it down is important.
[speaker001:] Why though?
[John:] Because the more you actually write the music notes Carl the better you will be able to do it when you eventually come to have to write them in exam. Practice is what it's all about. So at this juncture you should be making a copy of bar one and calling it bar three. What have we done with Mark today?
[speaker001:] We've killed him.
[John:] He's not in school. Who else have we got missing? Paul Sounds utterly brilliant thank you very much for that news Darren. Were you there?
[speaker001:] He was laying on the ground for about half an hour.
[John:] Well I expect he was hurt poor lad. When you've completed copying this which you should be now I think.
[speaker001:] No I don't think so.
[John:] Please don't take all day over it it's important that you don't.
[speaker001:] I'm never writing it again.
[John:] Mm? Why not? Ah I think you've got a bit of a mental block against it myself.
[speaker001:] I do. I don't care I hate it. I hate writing music
[John:] Right how did you do? You've got to put the clef at the beginning of it you really ought to. Okay and er... you know you you weren't you weren't actually high enough up there were you. I mean think about it. Yeah. that bit that was the bar. okay you got that bit right you certainly needed the accidentals you certainly needed those two. Okay it's very important that the whole things done accurately. Those two aren't high enough see that really need to be up there doesn't it. and you need more so really you needed to have done it on this line. So that you could do it like that. Okay. the accent over the top and all the rest of it. Yeah let's have a look over your shoulder. Oh beautiful. You've done what's wr what's wrong with it? You've done an accurate copy haven't except for this.... And you'd actually spotted it already which I thought was brilliant except we do need to have the
[speaker001:] I've got two I've got one it's
[John:] Yes you've got two but there are three.
[speaker001:] Oh okay then yeah.
[John:] As there are three there.
[speaker001:] I've got three there I've got one two three
[John:] Oh I see well you've got 'em you've that's why you put em diagonal you see so that they really do show up against the Oh yes yes everything's got to be there all the phrase marks the accidentals have got to be it. You know these things.
[speaker001:] Is this right sir?
[John:] Oh totally accurate well done I'm talking to
[speaker001:] Sir the end of your pencil's gone blunt. Pen I mean.
[John:] Thank you where? It's vitally important that when you're doing it I'll do it up here that you have the dots, you have the spacing, you have the correct number of lines underneath, you have the accidentals, you have the accents, you have the phrase mark and so on. Oh we're getting the piece actually whistled here well done. And so on yeah. Now compare that with what you've written underneath. Well it doesn't actually sort of bear witness does it. It's coming but you still need to have the accent over the top, you need to have the dot there, you need to have the two accidentals there, that's yes that's got what it needs dot there, the accent there, you need to have the two accidentals there don't you. Yeah and you need to have the flat in front of this one. Yeah? Right ladies and gentlemen.... It's important that if you are going to copy accurately... you do copy accurately. Question three asked you to draw five empty bars to represent the music of bars four to eight. There are five bars between four and eight think about it. Will you please on your piece of paper your blank piece of ordinary paper s s create those five bars now and would you please put in the appropriate signs either crescendo or diminuendo. Well we can't hear it at the moment I'm just about to run it again for you.
[speaker001:] I'm sorry you've lost me there.
[John:] Okay. Here comes the music what you've gotta decide from between bar four to bar eight.
[speaker001:] Twenty minutes. What? Is that how long it takes?
[John:] What's twenty minutes got to do with bar four and bar eight Carl? Or are you hungry already? I see.
[speaker001:] Aren't we all. Too many lessons in the morning I'm sorry.
[John:] If the music gets louder you put the crescendo mark in.
[speaker001:] What that mean?
[John:] If the music gets quieter you put the diminuendo mark in. Okay here's the piece. This is part one. [music in background 38] This is bar two of course. Here is bar three. Now here's bar four at which point we start putting crescendos in if we need to. And that was the end of bar eight. Would you like to hear that little bit again see if you can recall it.
[speaker001:] [music in background 38]
[John:] Here's bar three. There's bar four. Right can I have suggestions them? Anybody got anything in bar four?
[speaker001:] Yeah. One no I've got it in five whoops. Bar four and bar five.
[John:] Bar four and bar five what should happen? Crescendo?
[speaker001:] It goes crescendo the like that it goes.
[John:] Diminuendo.
[speaker001:] That's it.
[John:] Bars four and five I'm going to cheat and look this up in the instructions.
[speaker001:] ah.
[John:] Would you oh I see. Right ten nine eight here we are.
[speaker001:] Here we are yes.
[John:] It says and this is the books official ones. There is a crescendo at the end of bar and another during bar seven and a diminuendo in bar eight. Nothing in bar four. Crescendo in bar five, a crescendo in bar seven, and another one a diminuendo in bar eight.
[speaker001:] ...
[John:] Although I personally find that a very difficult thing to hear.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[John:] What happens to the music what sorry what happens in the music at bar nine. Okay? All brains in gear we're listening from the beginning. And we're listening from the beginning. Yes what happens in the [talking over music] music at bar nine. This is bar one. There's that crescendo they talked about. Here's the diminuendo. That's bar eight. Now what happens in this bar bar nine? [music 40] What goes lower?
[speaker001:] The noise.
[John:] You're right Craig it goes lower. The tune goes lower which tune? The first tune from the beginning bar one is repeated how much lower? Can anybody tell me?
[speaker001:] About an octave.
[John:] It's exactly an octave.
[speaker001:] Oh thank you.
[John:] Bar nine is bar one an octave lower.
[speaker001:] [music 24]
[John:] [talking over music] Here's the bit that's important this is bar nine an octave lower. [music ends] Okay now then will you please copy precisely what is there at bar ten. The music you need one bar of music line with those blobs which are the note heads in exactly the right places. Just copy what's in the book.
[speaker001:] Copy what? Bar ten.
[John:] Bar ten. Copy what's in the book at bar ten. Then all you've got to do is add the rhythm. Carl you haven't even started yet.
[speaker001:] What we doing?
[John:] Exactly.
[speaker001:] Gotta copy out bar ten.
[John:] Copy bar ten precisely as it's given in the book.
[speaker001:] Where's bar ten? Where's bar ten?
[John:] After bar nine and before bar eleven. If in doubt count from the beginning.
[speaker001:] One two three four five six seven Five six seven eight nine ten. eight nine
[John:] No you're counting lines Carl.
[speaker001:] I know I was.
[John:] You weren't counting bars. You'll find there are bar numbers given at the beginning of each line. Bar four starts the second line, bar eight starts the third line. So it out to be easy enough to work out where ten is since bar eleven starts the... fourth line. When you have copied precisely bar ten would you please now finish bar ten by putting the tails in the right places.
[speaker001:] The what?
[John:] The tails of the notes. That means the rhythm of the notes you may need to put dots in. You may need to... You may need to put dots in you may need to put semiquavers or even demisemiquavers in.
[speaker001:] [music 24]
[John:] [talking over music] This is bar nine followed by bar ten. Write in the rhythm pattern. [music ends] Liam I'm sure that was of no help whatsoever to your ability to write this down. It's becoming rather obvious that our concentration span is virtually finished. Now will you settle down please. Would you like to hear bars nine and ten again? There's got to be a reason why I'm playing you bar nine as well as bar ten. May I suggest you think about that.
[speaker001:] [music 16]
[John:] [talking over music] Here's bar nine. Here's bar ten. [music ends] Why was the why what was going on? Between bar nine and bar ten. It was the same rhythm pattern thank you very much. So which rhythm pattern are you going to put on those notes in bar ten? Same as bar nine which is blank but it's the same as bar one. But that's the point. And here you've had another example of the way normally these questions work. Carl? I'm not surprised you never know.
[speaker001:] Sorry.
[John:] Thank you. If there is to be a fairly detailed piece of note writing it very often is a fairly near or an exact copy of something that's already gone before. Of course you can't put the tails hanging down on bar ten can you. You have to put them up because the notes are on or below the middle line. Think think think. So you'll have to reverse the tails. Other than that Now we go on Oh we're still writing are we? Thought it had gone quiet for a s... Have you put your tails on there yet? They're the same tails as this lot except they're up the other way. Right? Well music is above the middle line the tails hang down. When music is below the middle line the tails stick up. That'll do well done Craig. Question six asked you to listen carefully to the music of bars fourteen to nineteen and say where the player takes a breath. Here we start at bar eleven. I'll tell you when we start on bar fourteen. You can think very hard where the player takes a breath. [talking over music] Twelve thirteen. Here's where you now have to start thinking. [music 30] So where did the player take a breath?
[speaker001:] All of them.
[John:] Was it at the end of every bar? Was it at the end of every two? It did in bar fourteen the player took a breath after the crotchet. It the player then took a breath at the end of bar fifteen just before you start the ceder bit. The player then took a breath where the comma is at the end of the line. That is a breath mark. Then took a breath at the end of bar eighteen. Listen to it again make sure you get it. Here it is. [music 30] [talking over music] This is bar fourteen breath after the crotchet. Breath on the bar line. Breath there. Here's the comma. [music ends] Now you were asked to complete the music of bar fifteen. What do you think you would have written? Look at bar fourteen and fifteen. Here they are again. [music 8] I'll run them again for you. [music 10] Right I'm just about to start bar fourteen.
[speaker001:] Sh.
[John:] Follow fourteen then think about fifteen and then see what you think you'd have written. Here it is fourteen. [music 8] That's the end of fifteen. Well thank you for that Darren nice of you to comment on it. Mm? What would you have written?
[speaker001:] The same as what's in bar fourteen.
[John:] The same as what's in bar fourteen. Who agrees with that? It is wrong but it's close. The middle No no there isn't a crotchet you see. Your first your first little group in bar fifteen which is the same as the first little group in bar fourteen, you would repeat. And then you've got to introduce a new little group which is halfway between that and what starts bar sixteen. It's in fact the most difficult question of the group. A very difficult question yeah. There are several other questions I'd like to think about. The word trill what do you think it meant?
[speaker001:] Well it's like erm an it's like it make it fancy and it goes
[John:] You do a wobble yes it the correct thing is a rapid alternation between the written note and the note above or between the two written notes. So trill is a rapid alternation between the two notes given okay. You were confusing it I think with shrill which is the word meaning high. Okay? Question ten is a very... involved question that I think we won't look at now. The music of course at the end just dies away to nothing. Which of these words do not describe the character of the music. Would you please say yes or no depending on whether you think it describes the character or not. First word vigorous.
[speaker001:] No. Yes. No. [LAUGHTER]
[John:] I do think you've made a mistake Carl.
[speaker001:] Ah you're good at this aren't you Carl. No.
[John:] Thank you. Second word mysterious.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[John:] Yes. Third word majestic.
[speaker001:] No.
[John:] Fourth word haunting.
[speaker001:] Yes.
[John:] Yeah. Fifth word angry.
[speaker001:] No.
[John:] Let's listen to the complete piece once more. At which point you can complete any other bits of the work that you feel you need to.
[speaker001:] ...
[John:] Yes I was very appreciative of that thank you. Miss said somebody did that for me who didn't want to do their ordinary work.
[speaker001:] [music 162]
[John:] While you're listening you could quietly and I mean quietly put your things away. Should you not wish to keep any of the papers that you've got there you can put them very carefully in the box. That box I don't know whether I'm allowed to say now thank heavens for that. [recording ends]