The Orchestra
The Orchestra: Instruments used in Symphony Orchestras
-Four Families
-Fun Facts about the Orchestra:
-Review activities:
-Four Families
- Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass
- Woodwinds: Flute/Piccolo, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon
- Brass: Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba
- Percussion: Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Xylophone, Triangle, Piano, etc.
-Fun Facts about the Orchestra:
- The word orchestra is derived from Greek language, meaning ‘dancing place’
- The trombone was first used in the orchestra for Beethoven’s 5th Symphony (1808)
- The oldest orchestra in the world is the Royal Danish Orchestra, dating back to 1448!
-Review activities:
- A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra: Help to retrieve the instruments of the orchestra in this musical safari
Opera
Opera: A drama set to music for voices and orchestra, presented with costumes and sets
-Famous Operas:
-Famous Composers of Opera:
-Famous Opera Performers:
-Fun facts about Opera:
-Review activities:
-Famous Operas:
- The Magic Flute, Carmen, Aida, The Barber of Seville, Hansel and Gretel, William Tell, The Marriage of Figaro, Madama Butterfly, Lohengrin
-Famous Composers of Opera:
- Monteverdi, Orff, Rossini, Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner
-Famous Opera Performers:
-Fun facts about Opera:
- The first opera, Dafne by Jacopo Peri, was composed in 1597
- The word opera is Latin for ‘work’
- Opera composers Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and Wagner were all 5 feet tall or less!
- The world’s longest opera is Richard Wagner’s The Ring Cycle, lasting 14 hours, 18 hours if you include intermissions!
-Review activities:
- Mirror Mystery: Try to read the Mirror’s mind by guessing the mystery person from clues about each character