Supplies Needed:

1. Computer with speakers

2. Copies of the stories behind excerpts of the Vivaldi Four Seasons suite (click this link to download).  The files have bulleted versions of the stories and images created by three movements of the Four Seasons (Movement 1 of Spring and Summer, and Movement 3 of Autumn).

 

Reading through the Stories

Hand out the sheets and read through them once aloud with the audience.  Then play each of the movements in question.  After playing a particular movement through once, go through it again, pausing it at the different parts of the story and asking them what part of the story is depicted in the segment they just heard.  Ask them how they could identify it – was it a pattern of notes, the tempo, the specific instrument used, etc.?

 

Listening to the Pieces and Identifying Components

Click here for the link to the recording.  Here are the timestamps for the different movements:

(0:00 = Spring Mvt. 1, 10:31 = Summer Mvt. 1, 29:07 = Autumn Mvt. 3)

This is an “answer key” of sorts – it lists which bullet in each story is depicted in a particular segment.

​

Spring:

• Animals greeting the spring = theme with whole orchestra (fast pace = happy sound)

• Birds = high pitched violin sound “chirping”

• Brooks unfreezing = lower violin/viola sound

• Storm = Tremolo alternating with high pitched violin sound

• Subdued tone after storm = key change/solo violin (sounds sad)

• Storm is over and animals return to rejoicing = return to theme

​​

Summer:

• People tired in hot summer = beginning slow part (draw attention to how speed of piece relates to mood)

• Forest fire and storm is looming = fast part starts

• West wind calmly blows, soothing nature = return to slow part (slow and major = calm, happy sound)

• Birds warning of storm coming = high pitched trills/slowly speeding up

• Storm from North Wind threatens = suddenly gets faster/louder again (fast, loud and minor = angry)

• Shepherd afraid of impending storm = slow descending line (sounds like he is sighing in apprehension)

• Storm finally arrives = fast part returns

 

Autumn

• Hunting party = triumphant/proud theme in the beginning

• Animal scared = violin double stops – whining sound

• Hunters follow on animal’s heels = return to proud theme

• Animal continues to flee = violin, high-pitched sound call and response with hunters

• Animal fleeing in vain = descending then ascending violin line

• Hunters catching up with animal = fast, low violin tremolo

• Animal is caught = slow part

• Hunters rejoice at their success = return to theme

 

Wrap Up

Here are some sample questions to wrap up the lesson:

• Could you hear the different roles of the different “characters?”

• What impressions did the different pieces make on you?

• How do you think the different instruments Vivaldi used to orchestrate the piece contributed to the way we could hear a story?

• What did you learn in this session that you will take with you for the rest of the program?