Sonnet Seasoning
Categories: Composing Activities for Classes, Music Activities for schools, Vivaldi's Four Seasons Project
Activities inspired by the sonnets which in turn inspired Vivaldi when he composed “The Four Seasons”.
What’s the meaning?
- To organise data and information so that problems can be solved by a computer
- A broadcast on radio or television
- A list of events at a concert
- A type of music which tells a story
- A schedule of events
- Computer software
- Any other?
- Each concerto in The Four Seasons has a poem to go with it. Vivaldi clearly intended the music and the poem to go together as he placed large letters next to different lines of the poem with corresponding letters in the music score.
Winter Match-Ups
- Here are nine musical examples (click on them to see a bigger version!) and nine images from the poems.
- Listen to Winter and try to decide which music goes with which image.
- In which order do the musical examples appear in the score?
- Do you think the music goes well with the poem?
- Why?
- Why not?
- The winds rage in a battle
- A terrible wind
- Sitting by the fire while it rains outside
- Frozen and trembling in the frosty snow
- To run, stamping your feet
- The ice cracks open
- Teeth chattering in the cold
- Sliding and falling
- Walking on the ice with careful steps
Here comes happy spring. The birds sing a joyful welcome, and the brooks flow and quietly murmur in the gentle breeze (zephyr). The sky is filled with dark clouds heralded by thunder and lightening. When they stop the birds return with their songs.
In the flowery meadow the young goat-herd sleeps with his faithful dog by his side among the gently waving leaves.
Nymphs and shepherds dance to the merry sound of the rustic bagpipes when spring’s brilliance comes along.
- Compose your own music to go with this poem.
- Compare your music with that of Vivaldi.
- Were you thinking along the same lines?
Autumn Drama
- Listen to Autumn.
- Make up your own story or poem to go with the music.
- You could create a series of visual images or a drama or a video if you prefer.
- In addition to the lines of the poems placed through the score, there are other descriptive score indications for different players.
- One example is in the slow movement of Spring where the solo violin melody is the slumbering goat-herd, the orchestral violins are the gently rippling leaves and the viola is assigned the role of the dog barking.
- Have a look and listen for some more of these little bonus descriptions.
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