Ten Pieces for Schools

[John H White]

The BBC is in the process of promoting a set of ten orchestral pieces to get school pupils interested in music. It would be interesting to find out which 10 pieces various members of this forum would choose. I would suggest that at least half of them should come from  unsung composers.

[Alan Howe]

Reasons essential, of course.

[giles.enders]

It depends on the age of the child:

1. Carnival of the Animals  -  Saint-Saens  ( Easily accessible with interesting orchestration)
2. Variations on a Theme  -  Dohnanyi  (It demonstrates what can be done with a simple tune which the children will know)
3. Sixth symphony 'Pastoral'  -  Beethoven  ( An accessible introduction to the symphony and Beethoven)
4. L'enfant et les Sortileges  -  Ravel  ( An accessible introduction to opera with characters children can identify with)
5. The Rite of Spring  -  Stravinsky  ( Interesting story and avant garde music which shouldn't  put children off from more challenging music)
6. Etudes   -  Chopin (Solo piano music which is tuneful and never dull) 
7. Partita in E flat major  Op.79 -  Krommer  ( An uplifting introduction to wind instruments and very accessible)
8. Song of the Flea  -  Mussorgssky  ( A fun song which is as far away as warbling about love as possible)
9. La Boheme  -  Puccini  ( An easily accessible opera for older children with a good romantic story)
10. Rhapsody in Blue  -  Gershwin  ( Introducing blues to classical music an as with Right of Spring demonstrating it need not be stuffy)

Five of my list are not orchestral but I feel give a more rounded approach.

11. Eleventh Symphony 'Ixion'   -  Laangaard  ( Short and fun by a rebel)
12. Fifth Symphony   - Sibelius  -  ( It is the symphony which really started my enthusiasm for symphonic works)
13. l'apres-midi d'un faun -  Debussy  ( Short piece with interesting poetic tale)
14. Piano Concerto  in C minor Op.55  -  Kullak  ( Frothy fun piece by an interesting composer who had a great many illustrious pupils)
15. 'Starlight Express'  - Elgar  (Now almost forgotten but full of accessible music with a story)

[Double-A]

The three following pieces were used by my primary school teacher to try and introduce us to classical music.  He built quite substantial lessons around them and made us listen to them more than once (in sections first and then the whole piece in on go to finish).  And I think he was quite successful (which is my reason:  These pieces have tested well in practice).  I'd add that we were about 10 - 11 years old at the time.

Paul Dukas:  "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (no use of Fantasia was made, but Goethe's wonderful poem was part of the lesson--I grew up German speaking).

Mussorgsky/Ravel:  "Pictures of an Exhibition" (where you can link optical and aural experiences).

Schubert:  "Erlkönig" (again, included the fabulous poem by Goethe).

I support most of the suggestions of giles.enders--especially "Carnaval des Animaux" and "Sacre du Printemps", but:
As to opera I'd think "Magic Flute" is about as suitable for children as anything:  Children are familiar with fairy tales and the "Singspiel" with its interruptions is better adapted to children's attention span than the through composed nature of operas like "La Bohème".
As to solo piano music:  Chopin to me is very much adult music; anyway I had no ear for it as a child.  But I'd suggest Bach's Well Tempered Clavier (a selection, not plodding through the whole set):  The C-Major prelude was one of the first pieces of music that made an impression on me.  And the fugue is a relatively easy to explain form (easier than sonata form by miles) and it is fun to follow the themes.  Again, relatively short pieces suited to children.
Chamber music is missing from the list (though "Carnaval" is borderline chamber music) and I am curious if anybody comes up with good selections.  All I can say is that one probably ought to avoid the more austere genres (string quartets and quintets) and select something with a piano or else with wind players in it, maybe something like Beethoven's quintet for piano and winds or else the Dumky trio, but I am not fully happy with either of them.

[eschiss1]

hrm. there was a time when a lesson-plan juxtaposing works by Borodin with music from "Kismet" might have done very well here- including, yes, music from both his string quartets (especially, of course, two well-known selections from his 2nd quartet); the "Fate" motive from his 2nd symphony (I think it's called that...) provides material for one song as does the finale main theme of his 1st. Now, though...
(Could use a new Wright&Forrest, I suppose, first.)
(Impressions from friends back when I was getting into classical music in a "serious" way, in the 1980s, if memory serves, suggested that they felt piano solo music, and maybe music with piano, was -harder-, not easier, to get into at first than string-only ensemble music. That's my recollection, anyway. De gustibus?)

[jerfilm]

I'm surprised that Peter and the Wolf was not on someone's list.  A good mixture of instrument introduction, with a chidlren's story and something of an introduction to  - I don't know how to say it.  I think of the grandfather theme in the bassoon or the cat in the clarinet.  Some unfamiliar leaps that Prokofiev loved to employ.

For years I wouldn't touch chamber music.  Until I heard the old Turnabout recording of Rachmaninoff's Cello Sonata.  No story, but some soaring melodies.

J

[MartinH]

Nowadays the new and improved(?) Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood on DG with Alice Cooper narrating might be more appropriate.

Assuming we're talking about young kids say 5-10 years of age, you need catchy, fast, tuneful music. Ketelby: Happy Hampstead

In the US, you would get in trouble with Sorcerer's Apprentice - the religious wackos will think you're teaching witchcraft and Satanism, which is also why Hansel and Gretel is out of the question. Same with Rite of Spring I imagine. And Danse Macabre. Hopefully in the UK people are more sensible and not so stupid.

[Mark Thomas]

"You might very well think that... I couldn't possibly comment."

[kolaboy]

I've never come across ANY example of "religious wackos" (of which I may be considered one) in "the states" objecting to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, or any other of the pieces mentioned. Broad brushes (sigh).

[Double-A]

I second this with caveats: 

I've never come across ANY example of "religious wackos" (of which I may be considered one) in "the states" objecting to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, or any other of the pieces mentioned. Broad brushes (sigh).

There is no degree of craziness you don't find somewhere in the US.  But as far as the target public for a list of this kind I don't see a problem either, especially with the Sorcerer's Apprentice:  Just make him look like Mickey Mouse (or don't people watch that movie any more? Rite of Spring is also in it.)

[eschiss1]

Judging from "67,038 users" giving Fantasia a rating so far on IMDb, it's still being watched by someone (though that's an international system, I think, and so I have no idea how many of those are in the USA.) (Edit: and imho deservedly so, I don't mean to imply otherwise.

In regards "Fantasia", the Italian "takeoff" "Allegro non troppo" is a delight-and-a-half. In my opinion. With the proviso that the sad parts are if anything sadder/more effective than I expected- the Sibelius Valse triste, accompanying a cat dejectedly searching through a community laid waste, looking for its (human, I suppose?) family, finding no one- is sad, indeed, and I don't remember ever having found it so before.)

(But such things increase my wish to recommend the film- not the opposite. Have to think about whether it's appropriate for students. ... Hrm. I forget.)

[Dr Gradus]

With Regard to Mr Enders' list, may I substitute a Rosetti/Roessler wind Parthia for Krommer? Arguably more unsung, and in my limited experience even better music.