Abstract
The study reported on in this chapter discusses some aspects of the research and teaching workshop which was undertaken for a group of six pupils from 9 to 12 years, all at the beginners stage in both listening and piano training. The workshop was carried out by means of a four part learning activity which combines listening, creative use of musical language, performance and use of gesture strictly related to it. The workshop began with a listening activity on a famous piano variation set by Mozart (12 Variations on Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman KV. 300e (265)—composed in Vienna between 1781 and 1782; published 1785), in order to identify, analyze and comprehend with the young students some notable features of the concept of variation in the Western music tradition. The aims were: 1. to bring students to comprehend the main features of the French popular air (theme ) and the structure of the variations set which is based on it; 2. to give to them the means to facilitate and perform a set of variations of their own composition , starting from the theme used by Mozart ; 3. to encourage students to write their own music correctly; 4. to set a gestural plan in order to underline best musical features during performance. This learning activity demonstrates an integrated, spiral approach to learning through dynamic music listening , creating and performing based on both knowledge building and imagination to establish a relation with our cultural tradition in order to understand and to love music.
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Notes
- 1.
Ornaments are those conventional formulae of embellishment, often indicated by symbols, which proliferated from the Baroque period. The general understanding of SIGNS, symbols, terms and contemporary performing styles of ornamentation has varied greatly across time and place.
- 2.
A modern example of the same procedure is given in Exercises de style by Raymond Queneau (Paris, Gallimard, 1976).
- 3.
Diminution is a term used to describe a melodic figure that replaces a long note with notes of shorter values; it decorates the transition from one note of a melody to the next passage-work, giving scope to virtuoso display. The term is close to the English division, the Italian passaggio, and the French double.
- 4.
The Italian term coloratura indicates a florid figuration or ornamentation. The root of the Italian term is that to “colour”, and it probably relates to its use of diminution.
- 5.
A vocal or instrumental technique of variation in which the notes of a theme are divided into shorter ones, usually not of the same pitch, moving usually by step, and chosen with regard to the rules of musical composition. In Baroque music the term may also refer to ornamentation in general, such as diminution.
- 6.
The musical examples are taken from Petrucci Music Library, an online free source music catalogue.
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Sintoni, C. (2016). Music Listening, Composition, and Performance: An Experience of Creativity for Education. In: Corazza, G., Agnoli, S. (eds) Multidisciplinary Contributions to the Science of Creative Thinking. Creativity in the Twenty First Century. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-618-8_17
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