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SUDBURY VALLEY
NEW HORIZONS MUSIC

Learning: Gustav Holst
Second Suite in F for Military Band

As I send out emails about learning the Holst this year, I will post them here.
Below you will find:

Info about Mr. Holst
Info about each movement and its history
(including videos of the dances)
Lyrics for the orignial folk songs
Pracitice suggestions for each movement
Scale Refresher
Chords and Advanced Extra on Chords

GUSTAV HOLST

Ah, looking at his name, he looks a German composer, but he was born in Cheltenham, England, on September 21, 1874 and died in London on May 25, 1934. He was British through and through and spent much of his creative life writing music based on English folk songs, much like his good friend Ralph Vaughn Williams (a quick aside about Mr. Vaughn Williams. First, his last name is Vaughn Williams, not Williams. Second, his first name is pronounced "Rafe" with a long vowel sound on the "a".)

Mr. Holst was a trombonist, thus his interest in bands. His First and Second Suites for Military Band are really the beginning of serious music written for concert band. (Our modern day concert bands grew out of the military band - the current instrumentation is slightly different; for example, we use mostly trumpets, not cornets.) The two suites and Mr. Holst concert band work, Hammersmith, are the first pieces origianlly written for band and transcribe for orchestra (usually it went the other way around - John Philip Sousa transcribed many orchestral works for his band). Mr. Holst didn't just write for band, he was a very famous British composer and wrote many pieces for orchestra, 8 operas, many choral works and over 40 songs.

Holst, like many composers, recycled his melodies and arrangements. All four of the movements in the Second Suite have at least some of the sections included in his other works. There are links below to choral or string orchestra versions and it is interesting to listen to them and see how similar the arrangements are! The Second Suite in F for Military Band was composed in 1911, before the sections were used in other music.

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INFORMATION ABOUT EACH MOVEMENT

Knowing the songs from which Mr. Holst took his inspiration helps us to more accurately interpret our music and to more easily find the emotion in the arrangements of the tunes. Each of the movements in the Second Suite (and the First Suite) are based on British folk songs. If you know what the song is about, you can more easily put the emotion into your playing.

MARCH
SONG WITHOUT WORDS
SONG OF THE BLACKSMITH
FANTASIA ON THE "DARGASON"

MARCH

Mr. Holst uses four folk songs in this movement.

The opening of the first movement (“March”) of Holst’s Second Suite is the Morris Dance tune, Glorishears. Below is a link of Morris Dance group, Cyprus Morris, dancing to Glorishears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHYcH5I2-_Y

Blue Eyed Stranger is the second folk song used in the March (starts at Letter B); it too, is a Morris Dance.
The part of the tune Holst used starts at 0:41 in this YouTube video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQGJj-gkaO0

Swansea Town (starts at letter E). This song is what is called a "Riley Ballad". A Riley Ballad is a type of song/story where the man leaves town (to go to sea, war, adventuring), then returns in disguise to see if his sweetheart has remained faithful. The lady-love scorns him saying she will wait for her love and he reveals himself either by saying her name, or showing a broken token of which each has half, and of course they walk off into the sunset together and live happily ever after.

Holst also created a choral version of Swansea Town, which is included in his “6 Choral Folksongs, Op.36”, composed in 1916.

Click for Swansea Town lyrics

Claudy Banks This song is an Irish folk song, also known as Banks of the Claudy. There are several rivers of similar names and it is not known to which this song refers. The song is another Riley Ballad.

Click for Claudy Banks lyrics

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SONG WITHOUT WORDS (I'll Love My Love")

Odd that the movement is called "Song Without Words" when it is based on a song that HAS words! The song is sometimes called "I Love My Love" and is about a woman who ends up in Bedlam (insane asylum) because her love's parents sent him off to sea to separate the two of them. He finds her and they live happily ever after.

Holst also created a choral version of “I Love My Love”, which is included in his “6 Choral Folksongs, Op.36”, composed in 1916. Follow the link for a performance of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLTqb-fMHIA

Click for I Love My Love Lyrics

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SONG OF THE BLACKSMITH

Also known as “A Blacksmith Courted Me” this traditional English folksong, like others, has several sets of words and even different melodies.

Holst also created a choral version of “Song of the Blacksmith”, which is included in his “6 Choral Folksongs, Op.36”, composed in 1916. It is interesting the way he creates the sound of the blacksmith’s hammer clanking on the steel by using the same rhythm he used in the opening of the suite, but having the chorus sing the words, “Kang, Kang, Kang, ki ki kang kang…” Below is a link to the choral version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV5c77bbXQk
and, at a slower tempo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMxt--wsc8c

Click for Song of the Blacksmith Lyrics

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FANTASIA ON THE 'DARGASON'

A “Fantasia” is a piece of music that doesn’t follow a particular form and is more a “free flight of fancy”

Dargason is a late 1500s English country dance (also known by “Sedanny”, “Sedany” and other names), and was popular at the court of King Henry VII.
This tune is a “circular” melody, meaning that it has no stopping point. It ends on the dominant chord (chord built on the 5 of the scale), which makes our ears want to return to the tonic (chord built on the 1 of the scale), but there is no tonic chord except at the beginning of the piece, so it circles back to the beginning and never ends without a change.

Below are two links to watch the dance being performed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxk81ApKfd4
and/or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIQNP_ZhplM

If you are interested in folk dances, here is a link to the history and most common dance steps/form used for the Dargason: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/lod/vol2/dargason.html

GREENSLEEVES (or My Lady Greensleeves)

Greensleeves was a very popular Elizabethan Ballad during the time of Shakespeare and is first mentioned in 1580, although it may have been written earlier. It is a song of unrequited love — a dying man (rather well off) is expressing his sorrow that his love of “My Lady Greensleeves” has never been returned.

There are theories that Lady Greensleeves was a prostitute and also another that the song was written by Henry VIII about Anne Boleyn. Neither story really seems to fit with what historians know of the piece.

(Click here for the Greensleeves lyrics)

DARGASON + GREENSLEEVES
This is interesting juxtaposition of two melodies, which on first glance really do not go together.

Dargason has a feeling of two beats per measure with each beat divided into three parts, which is called compound duple meter. Compound means the beat divides into 3 equal parts and duple means that there are 2 beats per measure. In this case, it is two groups of 3 eighth notes - written in 6/8.

Greensleeves, on the other hand, is in simple triple meter. Simple means the beat divides into two equal parts and triple means that there are three beats in a measure. Greensleeves has three groups of 2 eighth notes because it is written in 3/4. (To answer the question some of you are asking in your heads, yes, Greensleeves is often written in 6/8, but Mr. Holst chose to do it in 3/4 here to make it work the way he wanted it to work; it would be a very different sound in 6/8 and actually wouldn't work harmonically with Dargason!)

The two pieces have two things in common (this gets a bit technical... skip it if you wish):

1- Both have 6 eighth notes per measure, so even though one has three beats in a measure and the other has two beats per measure, we can play them together if we all think only the downbeat of the measure and REALLY concentrate!!! This happens twice -- at letter C and letter G.

2- Both are based on the same chord progression, kind of…

Dargason is in F major and the whole tune can be played over just two chords, F and gm (F major and g minor), each for two measures.

Greensleeves is in D dorian (Huh?). It can mostly be played over two chords, gm and dm (g minor and d minor), each for two measures.

OK... those don't look similar, but Mr. Holst starts the Greensleeves melody on the 3rd measure of the Dargason, which happens to be a gm chord! Ah, but what about the F chord and the dm? They are related and can be substituted for each other. F major triad = F A C; d minor triad = D F A. Notice that two of the three notes are in both chords (F and A). So with some substitution chords, the two can work together. Substitution chords are quite common in all music as it adds variety to the harmonic structure.

To set up our ear for the addition of Greensleeves in both sections C and G, Mr. Holst uses the d minor chord (instead of the F major) to start the Dargason.

Holst also used this arrangement of the Dargason and Greensleeves as the fourth movement in his “St. Paul Suite” for String Orchestra, composed in 1912. Here is a recording of the string orchestra version; notice how similar it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3RcJ0-tQrE

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LYRICS

Swansea Town
Claudy Banks
I Love My Love
Song of the Blacksmith
Greensleeves

"Riley Ballad" is mentioned a few times below. A Riley Ballad is a type of song/story where the man leaves town (to go to sea, war, adventuring), then returns in disguise to see if his sweetheart has remained faithful. The lady-love scorns him saying she will wait for her love and he reveals himself either by saying her name, or showing a broken token of which each has half, and of course they walk off into the sunset together and live happily ever after.

SWANSEA TOWN

A Riley Ballad. Below are the lyrics that Mr. Holst used in his choral arrangement:

Oh farewell to you my Nancy, ten thousand times adieu;
I'm bound to cross the ocean, girl, once more to part from you.
Once more to part from you, fine girl, you're the girl that I adore.
But still I live in hopes to see old Swansea town once more.

(Chorus)
Old Swansea town once more, fine girl, you're the girl that I adore.
But still I live in hopes to see old Swansea town once more.

(Chorus)

Oh it's now that I am out at sea, and you are far behind;
Kind letters I will write to you of the secrets of my mind.
The secrets of my mind, fine girl, you're the girl that I adore.
But still I live in hopes to see old Swansea town once more.

(Chorus)

Oh now the storm is rising, I see it coming on;
The night so dark as anything, we cannot see the moon.
Our good old ship she is tossed aft, our rigging is all tore.
But still I live in hopes to see old Swansea town once more.

(Chorus)

Oh it’s now the storm is over and we are safe, are safe on shore.
We’ll drink strong drinks and brandies, too, to the girls that we adore.
To the girls that we adore, fine girls, we’ll make this tavern roar.
And when our money is all gone, we’l go to sea for more.

(Chorus)

Another set of lyrics for Swansea Song - interesting contrast:

It was down by Swansea barracks
one May morning I strayed
A-viewing of the soldier lads
I spied a comely maid,
It was o'er her red and rosy cheeks
the tears did dingle down,
I thought she was some goddess fair,
the lass of Swansea town.

I said, "Fair maid, what brought you here,
what brought you here to mourn?"
"Oh I'm in search of Willie dear,
my bonny young sailor boy,
Eight years ago he left me here
for Bermuda he was bound,
He said he would prove faithful to
the lass of Swansea town."

"If eight years ago he left you
it is useless for to mourn,
For perhaps he is in some battle slain,
or in the ocean drowned."
"Oh God forbid, young man," she said.
"By what token will he be known,
if he ever do return to the
lass of Swansea Town."

"On his left breast he wears a scar
where he received a wound"
"If by that token your Willie is known
it's him I know right well,
The cannon-ball which made him fall
gave him his deathly wound,
He told me to take care of you
the lass of Swansea town."

Soon as she heard him say these words
she fell in deep despair,
Wringing of her lily-white hands
and tearing of her hair,
Saying, "Take me to my Willie,
else give me my death wound,
For no other man will ever enjoy
the lass of Swansea town."

On coming to herself once more up
from the ground she rose,
His waistcoat it blew open and
the scar it did expose.
They walked till they reached his cottage
and there they settled down,
Young Willie of the royal blue and
the lass of Swansea town.

(Return to Swansea Town Info)

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CLAUDY BANKS
Another Riley Ballad type

'Twas on a pleasant morning all in the month of May
Down by the Banks of Claudy I carelessly did stray
I overheard a damsel most grievously complain
It is on the Banks of Claudy where my darling does remain.

I boldly stepped up to her, I took her by surprise
I own she did not know me, I being dressed in disguise
"Where are you going my fair one, my joy and heart's delight
Where are you going to wander this dark and stormy night?"

It's on the way to Claudy's banks if you will please to show
Take pity on a stranger, for there I want to go
It's seven long years or better since Johnny has left this shore
He's crossing the wide ocean where the foaming billows roar.

He's crossing the wide ocian for honor and for fame
His ship's been wrecked so I've been told down on the Spanish Main
It's on the banks of Claudy, fair maid whereon you stand
Now don't you believe young Johnny, for he's a false young man.

Now when she heard this dreadful news, she fell into despair
For the wringing of her tender hands and the tearing of her hair
"If Johnny he be drowned, no man alive I'll take
Through lonesome shades and valleys, I'll wander for his sake."

Now when he saw her loyalty, no longer could he stand
He fell into her arms saying, "Betsy, I'm your man"
Saying "Betsy, I'm the young man that caused you all your pain
And since we've met on Claudy's banks, we'll never part again.

(Return to Claudy Banks Info)

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I LOVE MY LOVE
(Below are the lyrics Mr. Holst used in his choral arrangement). This ballad is similar to a Riley Ballad, but does not have the lover in disguise.

Abroad as I was walking
One evening in the spring
I heard a maid in Bedlam
So sweetly for to sing;
Her chain she rattled with her hands
And thus replied she:

Chorus:
I love my love
Because I know
My love loves me

Oh cruel were his parents
Who sent my love to sea
And cruel was the ship
That bore my love from me:
Yet I love his parents
Since they’re his although
they’ve ruined me:
Chorus

Just as she there sat weeping
Her love he came on land
Then, hearing she was in Bedlam
He ran straight out of hand;
He flew into her snow-white arms
And thus replied he:
Chorus

She said: “My love don’t frighten me,
are you my love or no?”
“O yes, my dearest Nancy,
I am your love, also
I am returned to make amends
for all your injury.”
Chorus

So now these two are married,
And happy may they be like turtle
Doves together, in love and unity.
All pretty maids with patience wait
That have got loves at sea;
Chorus

(Return to I'll Love My Love info)

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THE SONG OF THE BLACKSMITH
A ballad of an unfaithful lover.
(In Mr. Holst’s choral arrangement, he uses only the first verse below)

For the blacksmith courted me, nine months and better;
And first he won my heart, till he wrote to me a letter.
With his hammer in his hand, for he strikes so mighty and clever,
He makes the sparks to fly all around his middle.

But where is my love gone
With his cheeks like roses
And his good black Billycock on
Decked around with primroses.
I fear the shining sun
May burn and scorch his beauty
And if I was with my love
I would do my duty.

Strange news is come to town
Strange news is carried
Strange news flies up and down
That my love is married.
I wish them both much joy
Though they can't hear me
And may God reward him well
For the slighting of me.

Don't you remember when
You lay beside me
And you said you'd marry me
And not deny me.
If I said I'd marry you
It was only for to try you
So bring your witness love
And I'll not deny you.

Oh, witness have I none
Save God Almighty
And may he reward you well
For the slighting of me.
Her lips grew pale and wan
It made a poor heart tremble
To think she loved a one
And he proved deceitful.

A blacksmith courted me
Nine months and better
He fairly won my heart
Wrote me a letter.
With his hammer in his hand
He looked so clever
And if I was with my love
I would live forever.

(Return to Song of the Blacksmith info)

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GREENSLEEVES
A long ballad of unrequited love. It is not necessary to read all of the things he did for her and gave to her, but do read the last three verses as he bids her farewell before he dies.

Alas, my love, ye do me wrong,
To cast me off discourteously:
And I have lovèd you so long,
Delighting in your company!
Greensleeves was all my joy,
Greensleeves was my delight;
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but Lady Greensleeves.

I have been ready at your hand,
To grant whatever you would crave;
I have both wagèd life and land,
Your love and good-will for to have.
Greensleeves was all my joy...

I bought thee kerchers to thy head,
That were wrought fine and gallantly;
I kept thee both at board and bed,
Which cost my purse well-favour'dly.
Greensleeves was all my joy...

I bought thee petticoats of the best,
The cloth so fine as might be;
I gave thee jewels for thy chest,
And all this cost I spent on thee.
Greensleeves was all my joy...

Thy smock of silk, both fair and white,
With gold embroider'd gorgeously;
Thy petticoat of sendal right,
And these I bought thee gladly.
Greensleeves was all my joy...

Thy girdle of the gold so red,
With pearls bedeckèd sumptuously,
The like no other lasses had:
And yet thou wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

Thy purse, and eke thy gay gilt knives,1
Thy pin-case,2 gallant to the eye;
No better wore the burgess' wives:
And yet thou wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

Thy crimson stockings, all of silk,
With gold all wrought above the knee;
Thy pumps, as white as was the milk:
And yet though wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

Thy gown was of the grassy green,
Thy sleeves of satin hanging by;
Which made thee be our harvest queen:
And yet thou wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

Thy garters fringèd with the gold,
And silver aglets 3 hanging by;
Which made thee blithe for to behold:
And yet thou wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

My gayest gelding thee I gave,
To ride wherever likèd thee;
No lady ever was so brave:
And yet thou wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

My men were clothèd all in green,
And they did ever wait on thee;
All this was gallant to be seen:
And yet thou wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

They set thee up, they took thee down,
They served thee with humility;
Thy foot might not once touch the ground:
And yet thou wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

For every morning, when thou rose,
I sent thee dainties, orderly,
To cheer thy stomach from all woes:
And yet thou wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
But still thou hadst it readily,
Thy music, still to play and sing:
And yet thou wouldst not love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

And who did pay for all this gear,
That thou didst spend when pleasèd thee?
Even I that am rejected here,
And thou disdainest to love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

Well! I will pray to God on high,
That thou my constancy mayst see,
And that, yet once before I die,
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

Greensleeves, now farewell! adieu!
God I pray to prosper thee!
For I am still thy lover true:
Come once again and love me!
Greensleeves was all my joy...

(Return to Greensleeves info)
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PRACTICING HINTS

Here are some hints to get you ready to REALLY PLAY the Holst. if you will truly follow my suggestions, you will find that most of it is pretty easy (at the tempo we will be taking it) and you will learn more about the music and understand it better. My number one suggestion is, KNOW THE SCALES involved. Most of the first movement is scalic (meaning it goes up and down the scales with very few leaps and no accidentals outside of the key).
I’m going to give you the details in advanced form first, with explanations afterwards. I am only doing the first movement here, as that is where the technical difficulties will be for fall session.

Without exception, EVERYONE should get a recording of the piece (download or purchase a CD) and listen to the whole thing MANY times (not just once or twice). Put it in your car and listen to it over and over to get it in your soul and aural memory. At least do the first two movements for now, as that is what we will be playing for fall.

“But I’ve played this before! I don’t need to do that!” No, but you’ll learn even more about the piece and have more fun playing it if you do!!! But sure, if you’ve played it before you can get away with just showing up at the first rehearsal with very little review. It is up to you, your timeframe and your goals for your learning and playing. But listening to it and getting to where you are really hearing the inner parts, harmonies and rhythmic expressions will increase your joy of playing this piece at least 10-fold! Listening to a piece is ALWAYS part of a pro’s practice, so if they need it, it will help us, too!

Links to the movements: Mvt 1 -- Mvt 2 -- Mvt 3 -- Mvt 4

MOVEMENT ONE (March)

1-What scales? Concert F major and Concert Bb minor.
--Learn them over the range of your instrument (or look at the music to see the range you will need) Follow the scales link for reminders of how to play your scales.

--The beginning of the piece is in cut time and I’d like to get to metronome marking 84, so practice your scales so that you can play four notes to a beat (8th notes in cut time) up to 84 or 88 (we will not try to get it totally up to the tempo you hear on the recordings).

--Harmonic structure of the 1st movement (please feel free to skip this part and jump to #2; this explanation is for our more musically advanced members skip this part):

Throughout, I am speaking in concert pitches (click here for transposition reminder).

The first two sections, "Morris Dance" (beginning to the first beat of the measure before E) and "Swansea Town" (pickup to E to H), are in F major and there is no straying from the key of F major. "Swansea Town" ends on a strong 1 chord and the tonic pitch, F (1st note of the scale, “do"), becomes the 5 (“sol”) of the Bb minor section (5 always leads our ear strongly to the 1). "Claudy Banks" (H to the DS at the end of the movement) starts with a strong statement of the new tonic chord, Bb minor, then a pickup on the 5 of the new key (which, remember is the 1 of the old key, or the F). " Claudy Banks" is in Bb natural minor all the way through. The section ends on the tonic chord, Bb minor, and guess what!? Bb is the 4 of the original key, so it makes sense to our ears when we go back to the F major in the jump back to the beginning! (Although you wouldn’t normally hear a minor chord as the 4 to a major key!).

Follow the link to download a copy of the condensed score if you'd like to see more about the piece.

practice hints: Mvt 1 -- Mvt 2 -- Mvt 3 -- Mvt 4
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MOVEMENT TWO (Song Without Words "I'll Love My Love")

1-What scales? Concert F minor

2-COUNTING is the most important thing in this movement. You must know where your part of the accompaniment starts. Ex: at the beginning, some instruments start on beat one of the measure, and some overlap starting on beat three. At letter A and all the way to the hold, there is an unbroken series of eighth notes, but the runs are passed back and forth among the instruments. Sooo... you MUST know what beat the band is on at any given moment, AND what beat you are supposed to be on! So work on the counting.

practice hints: Mvt 1 -- Mvt 2 -- Mvt 3 -- Mvt 4
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MOVEMENT THREE (Song of the Blacksmith)

1-What scales? F major

2-But this section isn't too difficult note-wise; the difficulty lies in the off-beats and some of the tricky rhythms (which we will go over in the first Monday afternoon rehearsal in case anyone is interested in coming).

It is really written in 7/4, but Mr. Holst has divided it up to be alternating measures of 4/4 & 3/4 which is easier to see and keep track of.

BRASS (and Bassoon, Bass Clarinet and Bari Sax off-beats later in the piece): DO NOT play the beginning until you have worked out the off-beat rhythm thing VERY SLOWLY. Speak the parts over and over while keeping the beat in your body. It is REALLY difficult to relearn things you've learned wrong, so do yourself a favor and practice the rhythm alone, keeping the beat, before trying to play it. Don't fool yourself - you can not accurately play the off-beats without tapping your foot, your toe, moving an elbow or somehow keeping the beat physically. Even the BSO players have to keep the beat to play this section accurately.

That said, go ahead and work on the notes in the off-beat section, but do not play them in rhythm, practice them as if they were all eighth notes. When you are solid on the off-beats, it will be easy to add the notes and put them in correctly.

BRASS: DO NOT TRY TO PLAY THE BEGINNING WITH THE RECORDING (unless you are working with SmartMusic and there is a count off click). Why? Because there is no downbeat played, so it ends up sounding like the opening melody begins on the beat, but it doesn’t -- it begins on the “and” of beat 1. However, you can play along when you get to letter A because at that point the upper reeds, saxes and horns have the song melody (pickup to A) and it is then easy to hear the beat. As well as I know this piece from playing it, conducting it and studying it, I find it near impossible to get my foot tapping correctly without at least 2 measures going by! You do not want to learn this feeling like the note comes on the beat, so be careful!

MELODY SECTIONS: First, see if you can find where the quarter note beats fall in each measure and make sure that you have identified the correct number of beats in each measure! If not, try recalculating! Watch out for the 32nd notes! Except for the 6th measure of the melody (where there is sometimes some syncopation), all of the notes are grouped by beat (but watch for the 8th rest - it goes with the pickup that follows it).

Once you have figured out where the beat is in each measure of the melody, listen to the recording (you should have purchased one by now! I really like the Edmonton Wind Ensemble version which is available by the movement on Amazon)

Anyway, with the recording, see if you can keep the beat and be able to follow along and keep your place at least measure by measure. (This is easier done if you get the Amazing Slow Downer and slow it down - a lot!)

Then, see if you can follow beat by beat and make sense of what you see and hear. Do that a whole bunch of times, and pretty soon your eyes will understand better than your brain! :-)

Also, listen to it a lot in the car or while exercising or in the house...

ENJOY!

practice hints: Mvt 1 -- Mvt 2 -- Mvt 3 -- Mvt 4
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MOVEMENT FOUR (Fantasia on the "Daragson")

1-What scales? Also the F major scale (after all, this piece is called, "Second Suite in F"!). By now, you should have the F scale nailed, so work on the arpeggios for the I, IV, V chords, then add the ii and the vi. (I can hear your, "Huh?". Read on about the chords.)

2-You may have the Dargason melody in more than one octave. Work on all presentations of it, but if you find that you can play it one octave, but not another, at rehearsals play it whichever way you can.

CHORDS: In music, chords (3 or more notes played together) can be built on any note of the scale. A chord built on the first note of the scale is called the "one chord" and indicated with an upper case Roman numeral "I" if it is a major chord, or lower case "i" if it is a minor chord. To build the "I" triad (chord with three notes) you start on the first note of the scale, skip the second, play the third, skip the fourth and play the fifth note - every other note. That is less confusing than it sounds; look at the example below:

F major scale (if you are a transposing instrument, this is not the scale you would play to practice the Concert F major scale; this is YOUR F major, but not concert F):

F G A Bb C D E F

  • F is the first note of the scale, so we start on F to play the I chord
  • Skip the next note (G) and play A
  • Skip the next note (Bb) and play C
  • The I chord in F major is F A C
  • You can add the repetition of the first note (octave higher) and make it F A C F.

Let's do the IV chord. Start on the fourth scale step (Bb in the key of F):

  • Bb is the first note of the IV chord
  • Skip the next note (C) and play D
  • Skip the next note (E) and play F
  • The IV chord in F major is Bb D F Bb

If you play the notes all at once (like you can do on piano, or like we do at the end of our scales in band), you have a chord. If you play all of the notes in succession, one after another, you are playing an ARPEGGIO. An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time. If you look at the Dargason melody, or the Greensleeves melody in movement 4, you will see a lot of back and forth between the scale and the arpeggio. Much of the accompaniment is also partial arpeggios, like at letter B and E where some instruments have only the 1 and the 5, or the 1 and the 3.

So the chords mentioned above are built by using the following scale steps, stacked on top of each other so that the next note is always higher than the one before. The formula for all instruments in any major scale is:

  • I = 1 3 5 1 (a major chord)
  • IV = 4 6 1 4 (a major chord)
  • V = 5 7 2 5 (a major chord)
  • ii = 2 4 6 2 (a minor chord)
  • vi = 6 1 3 6 (a minor chord)

Learn those arpeggios (over more than one octave is best!) for the scale that is your Concert F Scale

  • Clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet/cornet, tenor sax, baritone TC: your G major scale
  • Alto and bari sax, your D major scale
  • Horn, your C major scale
practice hints: Mvt 1 -- Mvt 2 -- Mvt 3 -- Mvt 4
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ADVANCED EXTRA ON CHORDS (Feel free to skip this section)

The chords for minor scales are built the same way (every other note), but have different results.

Major scales are built as follows: Root (first note of the scale - also called the tonic) whole step, whole step, half step, whole, whole, whole, half (which puts you on the root/tonic an octave above where you started).

F G A Bb C D E F

Let's look at the formulas for all seven chords (see below for some terminology if there are terms you don't know):

  • I = 1 3 5 1 (a major chord) In F major: F A C F
  • ii = 2 4 6 2 (a minor chord) In F major: G Bb D G
  • iii = 3 5 7 3 (a minor chord) In F major: A C E A
  • IV = 4 6 1 4 (a major chord) In F major: Bb D F Bb
  • V = 5 7 2 5 (a major chord) In F major: C E G C
  • vi = 6 1 3 6 (a minor chord) In F major: D F A D
  • viº = 7 2 4 7 (a diminshed chord) In F major: E G Bb E

Minor scales are built in 3 ways, but the natural minor form is: root, whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, so the relative minor scale for F major is:

d minor = D E F G A Bb C D (relative minor means the two scales (F major and its relative minor, d minor), share a key signature. Follow the link above to learn more about scales.)

d natural minor scale = D E F G A Bb C D
d harmonic minor scale = D E F G A Bb C# D (The key signature is still just "Bb". We do not add the C# as part of the key signature; it is part of the definition of the harmonic minor scale.)

So, with this different whole step/half step formula for the minor scales, the chords are still built the same way, but they have different qualities:

  • i = 1 3 5 1 (a minor chord) In d minor: D F A D
  • iiº = 2 4 6 2 (a diminished chord) In d minor: E G B E
  • III = 3 5 7 3 (a major chord) In d minor: F A C F (it is an augmented chord if using the harmonic minor scale: F A C# F)
  • iv - 4 6 1 4 (a minor chord) In d minor: G Bb D G
  • v = 5 7 2 5 (a minor chord) In d minor: A C E A (but a major chord if using the harmonic minor scale: A C# E A)
  • VI = 6 1 3 6 (a major chord) In d minor: Bb D F Bb
  • VII = 7 2 4 7 (a major chord) In d minor: C E G C (but a diminished if using the harmonic minor scale: C# E G C#)
practice hints: Mvt 1 -- Mvt 2 -- Mvt 3 -- Mvt 4

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Some terminology:

Chord - 3 or more notes played together

Triad - a chord made up of three notes

Arpeggio - the notes of a chord played in succession, one after another

Interval - Distance between two notes (a few intervals are below)

  • Major third - two whole steps between two notes (four half steps)
  • Minor third - one and a half steps between two notes (three half steps)

Chord Qualities - the combination of intervals and how that sounds to the ear

  • Major triad - made up of a major third with a minor third on top if it (C E G). Indicated with an upper case letter or Roman numeral: "C" or "V" (V in the key of F, but I if in the key of C, or VII if in the key of d minor, etc.)
  • Minor triad - minor third with a major third on top (C Eb G). Indicated with a lower case letter with a lowercase "m" after the letter, or Roman numeral: "cm" or "i"
  • Diminished triad - minor third with a minor third on top (C Eb Gb). Indicated with a lower case letter and "º" after the letter, or Roman numeral: "cº" or "iº"
  • Augmented triad - two major thirds (C E G#). Indicated with an upper case letter or Roman Numeral with a "+": "C+" or "I+" (but the "+" is indicated as a superscript)

Each scale degree (note of the scale) has a name, which is also used to refer to the chord built on that step. The most important to know are Tonic, Subdominant and Dominant

  • *Tonic (first note of the scale)
  • Supertonic (2nd note)
  • Mediant (3rd note)
  • *Subdominant (4th note)
  • *Dominant (5th note)
  • Submedian or Superdominant(6th note)
  • Subtonic or Leading Tone (7th note)

You can find more information on scales on the following two pages of my Bandnotes website:

Building Scales which includes major and minor (all three forms), chromatic, circle of 5ths/4th

More Scales which includes dorian, mixolydian and all of the other "church modes" or basic jazz scales.

practice hints: Mvt 1 -- Mvt 2 -- Mvt 3 -- Mvt 4
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SCALE REFRESHER

OK… now, for those of you thinking, “Huh??” to the scale stuff:

1-Scales needed in the first movement (F major is needed throughout) are Concert F major and concert Bb minor
Remember that to create a scale, you do three steps:
-- the scale starts on the name of the scale, so an F scale starts on an F
-- go up alphabetically, using each letter name only once, until you arrive at the tonic again (the tonic is the first note of the scale). For example, a C scale would be: C D E F G A B C
-- add the key signature. So if you were doing an F scale, it has a Bb in it, so you’d play: F G A Bb C D E F

The first two sections, the "Morris Dance" (beginning to the first beat of the measure before E) and "Swansea Town" (pickup to E to H), are both in concert F major and there is no straying from the key of F major. "Claudy Banks" (H to the DS at the end of the movement) is in concert Bb natural minor all the way through. Then it goes back to the beginning and we are in concert F major again.

The minor scales are major scales played by starting on the 6th step of the major scale, so Bb minor is built on a Db major scale:
Db Eb F G Ab Bb C Db. A Bb minor scale starts on the 6th scale step, so a Bb minor scale is: Bb C Db Eb F G Ab Bb

Transposition:
--Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Trumpet, Euphonium - you are all Bb instruments, so you transpose up one step, so your scales for the first movement would be G major (F#) and C minor (Bb, Eb, Ab)
-- Alto & Bari sax - you are Eb instruments, so you transpose up a sixth, so your scales for the first movement would be D major (F# C#) and G minor (Bb & Eb)
--Horn - you are an F instrument, so you transpose up a 5th (or down a 4th), so your scales for the first movement would be C major (no flats, no sharps) and F minor (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db)

Practice scales slowly to be sure you are accurate - not just one octave, but two or one and a half if two isn’t possible. When you get very accurate and you no longer need to think about it much, speed up a bit. Try it with a metronome — slowly at first and gradually setting the metronome faster and faster. Aim for eighth notes at 160 (or for the first rehearsal, 100). Ultimately, you’ll try to work for 16th notes at 84-88.

Return to practice hints: Mvt 1 -- Mvt 2 -- Mvt 3 -- Mvt 4

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Enjoy your practicing!
Diane

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Sudbury Valley New Horizons Music, Inc. at Wayland Middle School -- 201 Main Street, Wayland, MA