Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by
Throughout the ages, composers have celebrated the accomplishments of famous heroes through music. What does a hero “sound” like?
Get
ready to
find out!
National Symphony OrchestraYoung People’s ConcertAnkush Kumar Bahl, Conductor
David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.
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Who Is a Hero?Everyday heroes come from the real world. A hero can be an ordinary person who does something great and who is admired for brave deeds or remarkable ability. Sometimes, a nation comes together to honor its heroes. Other times, you choose a personal hero all for yourself.
Honoring our HeroesMany heroes are people who made history by their accomplishments including artists, leaders, athletes, and
explorers. One example is Abraham Lincoln (1809–
1865), the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln led the nation through the Civil War, ended slavery, and worked to gain equality for all Americans. You’ll hear a selection from A Lincoln Portrait, a musical work written by American composer Aaron Copland (pronounced COPE-land) to honor Lincoln’s memory.
t this concert, you’ll learn what it takes to be a hero—and how to know a hero when you see (and hear) one.
A
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Up in the Sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…
Superheroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman live in our imagination and are often ordinary people who are gifted with extraordinary abilities. They reflect our best values like justice, fairness, and decency, and
inspire us to do good in the world. During the concert, you’ll hear a selection from composer
John Williams’ musical score for the movie Superman. Listen carefully and you’ll hear a superhero in flight!
Look Around!There are everyday heroes all around us. These are people who are willing to put the common good and needs of others before their own comfort. They could be soldiers, doctors, firefighters, teachers—even members of your family. At the concert, you’ll hear another work by Aaron Copland called “Fanfare for the Common Man.” (“Common man” is an expression for someone you might see every day.) When you hear Copland’s fanfare, you might be reminded of someone you know.
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BEETHOVEN
Composers are artists who write or “compose” music. At the concert, you’ll meet some musical heroes and learn more about the ways composers bring the idea of heroism to life.
“Hey, it’s Beethoven.
He wrote the famous Fifth
Symphony. Da-da-da-
dum!”
“John Williams?
Didn’t he write the music for Star Wars? ”
“George Theophilus
Walker was the first
African-American composer to win a Pulitzer Prize for classical
music!”“Right! And remember how he kept writing music even after he
lost his hearing?”
“And I’m going to
be the second!”
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Composers are artists who write or “compose” music. At the concert, you’ll meet some musical heroes and learn more about the ways composers bring the idea of heroism to life.
“John Williams?
Didn’t he write the music for Star Wars? ”
“And for harry
potter and the olympics! ”
“I think it’s all the horns and
drums.”
“And Superman! ”
“His music
sounds patriotic to me.”
“Wait, he was
Russian, but Scheherazade comes from The Arabian
Nights.”
“Composers can be inspired by
things all over the world!”
What Makes an Orchestra? There are four sections, or families of instruments, that make up an orchestra. Each section has different qualities that composers use to give their music its heroic sound.
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omposers use an orchestra to make big-sounding music—the kind that is perfect for heroes.C
The percussion section is home to drums, chimes, gongs, cymbals, and whistles. These instruments are used to provide pounding rhythms, booming drum rolls, and driving energy.
The brass section includes horns, trumpets, trombones, and tuba. Brass instruments are important in the loud, exciting parts of the music. They also can be used to create epic swells and sudden bursts of sound.
The string section is made up of violins, violas, cellos, and basses. Strings can sound soft and sweet, or soaring and majestic.
The woodwind section gathers the flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons. Woodwinds can carry the melody over the quietest and the loudest parts of a piece. Some think they come closer to the human singing voice than any of the other instruments.
What Makes a Hero?There are many characteristics that heroes have in common. These are just a few:
Courage– bravery or a strong heart
Compassion– the ability to care
Power– the ability to cause change and make things better
Humanity– an understanding of the human connection we all share
In addition to instruments, every composer uses the same basic tools to write music.
One tool is pitch which refers to the high notes and low notes. When composers work with pitch, they have many notes to choose from—the high notes, low notes, and all the notes in between. To travel from one note to another, composers might take small steps or giant leaps. They might even climb, crawl, fly, or drop to get from one note to another.
Another tool is rhythm or the timing of the notes against the steady beat of the music. Composers figure out the rhythm of their melodies by choosing between long notes and short notes. Once you mix pitch and rhythm, you’ve written a melody!
Other tools the composer has include tempo, major and minor keys, and dynamics.
n The tempo refers to the speed of the music. Some songs are fast, some are slow.
n Composers might decide to change the tone of their tune by switching it
from a major key to a minor key. The difference helps determine the mood of the music.
n Dynamics refers to the volume of the music—how loud or soft the music sounds.
Through the Listening Activities and at the concert, you’ll learn more about these tools and how different composers used them to honor their heroes.
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The Composer’s ToolsRHYTHM
PITCH
MELO
DY
TEMPO
KEYS
DYNAMICS
omposers use an orchestra to make big-sounding music—the kind that is perfect for heroes.
Sounds Like a HeroThink of a hero. It can be someone from history, a movie or story, or someone from your life. Which musical instrument or section of the orchestra would you use to announce your hero? Would you use a blaring trumpet? Create a powerful drumbeat? Or does your particular hero call for violins? What quality did the hero have that made you choose each instrument? Would you put two or more instruments together? Which ones, and why?
MUSICAL HEROICSHeroes are recognized for their courage, power, humanity, and compassion. How can music describe those things? It’s all in the instruments!
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David M. RubensteinChairman
Michael M. KaiserPresident
Darrell M. AyersVice President, Education
Christoph EschenbachMusic Director National Symphony Orchestra
Young People’s Concerts are made possible in part by the generous support of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education.
Additional support for Performances for Young Audiences is provided in part by The Clark Charitable Foundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Macy*s Foundation; The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; an endowment from the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation; U.S. Department of Education; Verizon Foundation; Washington Gas; and by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas.
Major support for the Kennedy Center’s educational programs is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center.
Before the concert, your teacher will share musical selections from the program. Listen to the music and do the listening activities. You’ll enjoy the concert more if you’re familiar with the music.
For more about Summon the Heroes, go online at: http://goo.gl/R9rDc
Things to Know about a Concert
n An orchestra is a group of musicians who play different instruments. There are over 100 members of the National Symphony Orchestra. Many of them will be playing at the concert!
n The conductor is a person who leads the orchestra. Conductors use their right hand to tell the orchestra the tempo (speed) to play, and use their left hand to indicate the dynamics (loud or soft). Some use a slender white stick called a baton (buh-TAHN) as they conduct. At the concert, watch how the conductor communicates with the musicians.
n After an orchestra is seated, the leader of the violins, known as the “first violinist” or “concertmaster,” bows to applause and takes his or her
seat. This person then asks the principal oboist to sound an “A” note, to which the entire orchestra tunes. Watch for the first violinist at the beginning of the performance and clap to welcome him or her to the stage.
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© 2012 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
