The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra gives a masterclass to students who learn to compose an original piece inspired by Monteverdi’s 'Toccata from Orfeo'.
The students learn to understand the capabilities of a range of instruments, especially strings.
They also learn about melodic writing, creating variations and instrumentation.
This short film is from the BBC series, Tips for Young Composers.
Teacher Notes
Students could be challenged to compose for an instrument that they are less familiar with.
They could use a theme from an existing piece of music as a composition starting point.
This could introduce compositional techniques such as inversion, augmentation, diminution and sequence.
They could work in groups to create a short piece of music with several instruments complementing each other.
Curriculum Notes
This clip will be relevant for teaching GCSE Music. This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC KS4/GCSE in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA National 4/5 and Higher in Scotland.
More from Tips for Young Composers:
Developing Melodic Writing - 'The Chairman Dances' by John Adams. video
A composition workshop on melody, harmony and thematic composition, inspired by 'The Chairman Dances' by John Adams.
Instrumentation - 'Fingal’s Cave' by Mendelssohn. video
A composition workshop based on creating a classical piece inspired by Mendelssohn's 'Fingal’s Cave' with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and composer Barry Russell.
Melody and Instrumentation - 'Petrushka' by Stravinsky. video
With the help of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, young music students undertake a musical masterclass in how to compose through an analysis of 'Petrushka' by Stravinsky.
Texture and Structure - Bach's 'Prelude in C Major' video
A composition workshop based on creating a classical piece inspired by Bach’s 'Prelude in C Major', focusing on texture, tone colour, development of musical ideas and structure.
