Music Repertoire Project

Roberta Scherzando

Music 3824

Dr. Priest

October 7, 2002

The pieces selected for this project were chosen to best represent a wide variety in genre, style, timbres, and countries of origin.

1. TITLE: SWEDISH LULLABY

COMPOSER: Traditional Swedish Lullaby

LENGTH: 3:07

This piece from Sweden illustrates how universal the genre of lullabies is. It is a single voice (female) and very beautiful. I think children would really enjoy listening to this very soothing piece.

2. TITLE: HALLOT-KISERO (Funeral Piece)

COMPOSER: Musicians of the Mezoseg Region

LENGTH: 2:06

This instrumental piece from Romania is interesting because it is intended for a funeral but it is not what you might expect to hear at a funeral. I think children would enjoy listening to this example of Gypsy musical culture.

3. TITLE: NO 5 IN G FLAT MAJOR "BLACK KEYS"

COMPOSER: Frederic Chopin

LENGTH: 1:56

I included this rather traditional type of music because I think it is really fun. It is a playful little piano piece that I believe children will really enjoy. It is also a very good example of what the art style of music is.

4. TITLE: THE BLACK HORSE

COMPOSER: J. Ord Hume

LENGTH: 2:44

This piece is a great example of the march music genre. The steady beat would be ideal for children to create movement. It got the very full sound of a very large band. It has many timbres that could be identified for children, so as they listen they might be able to identify some of the sounds.

5. TITLE: MORCHANG AND DHOLAK (Jew's Harp and Drum) PERFORMANCE

COMPOSER: Folk Music of India

LENGTH: 1: 32

This instrumental piece from India has a very unique sound produced by the timbres of Jew's Harp and drum. It differs very much from some of the previously chosen pieces (e.g. the march). It does have a nice steady rhythm and would be really fun for students to move with.

6. TITLE: CARAMBA

COMPOSER: Tierra Caliente

LENGTH: 2:59

This instrumental piece originates from Ecuador. This piece illustrates the marimba musical style. It is a lot of fun to listen to. It has a variety of timbres, including a car horn during the middle of the piece and again because of its steady rhythm it would be a great piece to allow children to show movement.

7. TITLE: BURY ME BENEATH THE WILLOWS

COMPOSER: Woody Guthrie

LENGTH: 2:44

This piece is a great example of what an American folksong sounds like. I really like the banjos and the harmonica. The lyrics tell an interesting story of a man how has lost his girl because she has gone to seek someone else. This piece is very catchy and I think children could really relate to this familiar sound. Also it is just fun.

8. TITLE: PINASA SI DUNGDUNDON

COMPOSER: Folk Music of Indonesia

LENGTH: 1:53

This piece originates from Indonesia. It is very fun and interesting to listen to because of it fast moving pace or rhythm. It also has some unique timbres, including, an aerophone, lutes, and a bottle being struck with a beater. I know children would enjoy this fast little piece of music; it might also be something that would work well for movement.

9. TITLE: LILOMBOLA SONG

COMPOSER: Women's call-and-response song

LENGTH: 2:04

This song from Zambia is really fun to listen to. The women's voices are the only timbres in this call-and-response song. It is very rhythmic and really enjoyable to listen to. I think children would enjoy listen to how we can make such diverse music with our voices.

10. TITLE: LAST DANCE

COMPOSER: Sarah McLachlan

LENGTH: 2:33

This piece is a very recent work of an artist who is part of the pop music culture of the United States. The reason I included this instrumental piece is because it is so very different than the music they are playing on the radio right now. It has very unique timbres including a very old piano, the bass, and a saw. I think children might be very interested in hearing what a saw would sound like.

As I was selecting pieces for this musical repertoire project, I tried to keep in

mind the criteria found in the text. The first was to find music that is appropriate for the age and interests of the learners. My pieces are all about 3 minutes or less, which should help students not get bored with the selections and to be able to stay focused on what I would like them to notice. I also avoided any pieces that I felt might be considered babyish, in fact I think that none of my pieces were written especially for children.

The second criterion was to find musical examples that include a variety of genres. As I was looking for pieces, I tried to include a variety of genres that is why I included the lullaby, the march, and the band music. It was very interesting to see how different cultures and countries adapt these universal genres and make them their own. I think that the funeral piece is a good example of this. It is very different from the funeral music that you might hear in another country.

The third criterion was to find musical examples that reflect all musical styles. In my collection I have included several different musical styles. I included the Chopin piece, which is an art piece, the Guthrie song, which is a folk piece, and the McLachlan piece, which could be listed in the contemporary style. The music from many of the countries are good examples of various folk style music.

The fourth and final criterion was to find musical examples that are "music of value." All the pieces I chose are very enjoyable for me to listen to, so I believe it stands "the test of [current] time." I have listened to them over and over and am still finding new every time. It is kind of difficult to judge the value especially pertaining to the balance between repetition and contrast of some of the music produced by such different and unique cultures, but I feel as if my selections seem to have a good balance between repetition and contrast. I'm fairly sure that I have chosen "music of value."