Dali Quartet: La Cumparsita

As part of my fieldwork presentation, I have been listening to recordings of the Oscuro Quintet, a tango ensemble that resides in Philadelphia. Along the way, I found some other recordings of tango music that I really enjoyed. One that I particularly enjoy is this arrangement of "La Cumparsita" performed by the Dali Quartet. This piece was originally composed by Uruguayan composer Gerardo Matos Rodriguez and was arranged for quartet by Javier Montiel. This string quartet performance features Luigi Mazzochi and Carlos Rubio on violin, Adriana Linares on viola, and Jesus Morales on cello. 




Several arrangements of "La Cumparsita" already exist for various ensembles and playing levels which make this piece particularly accessible for students. According to Campbell (2004), re-creating music through performance is an excellent outcome of learning through listening, but creating music allows for an even deeper internalization of the sonic structures of a piece of music. Improvisation and composition can be incorporated into lessons on "La Cumparsita" in several ways. Here are a few ideas I have for activities that are inspired by some of the strategies in Campbell's (2004) chapter.

1. Extending: Campbell (2004) suggests extension of a piece as a strategy for engaging students in creating music without having to completely compose a new piece. This recording of "La Cumparsita" follows an ABACA form in which the A section melody returns but in different ways (by a different person, with a different articulation). As an activity, students may be instructed to brainstorm and rehearse a different way to perform the A section and make creative decisions on who should have the melody, who should have the rhythmic accompaniment, and how these two elements should be performed (with the bow, with pizzicato, etc).

2. Composition: At 0:30, the first violinist plays the main A melody while the second violinist plays a legato counter melody using the notes D, F#, G, E-flat, D for 8 bars and then B-flat, E-flat, G for 4 bars. These simple note patterns follow the chord progression. One suggestion Campbell (2004) has in one of the sample activities for composition and improvisation is using basic chords as a guide. In "La Cumparsita", students may be instructed to use the basic notes to create a different countermelody or to practice improvising using those notes during the main melody, while still following the legato, simple character of the original.

3. Percussive Improvisation: A third idea for creating music with "La Cumparsita" is to have students experiment with different tango string techniques such as "chicharra" or "strapata" at different moments in the piece. (Pearsall, 2016). Different variations of technique usage is present in the Dali Quartet recording. Students may want to listen carefully and analyze how the use of these techniques create "rhythm patterns" in the piece and then create their own patterns using the techniques. This activity is also useful in having students engage in some of the authentic ways to perform tango music on string instruments.

References:
Campbell, P. S. (2004). Teaching music globally. New York, NY: Oxford University Press

Pearsall, C. (2016). "12 tango music techniques for string players". Retrieved from https://www.thestrad.com/12-tango-music-techniques-for-string-players/34.article

Comments

  1. Matthew SpinksNovember 18, 2017 at 5:11 PM

    Hi Kristine,
    Thank you for sharing your thoughts this week. This is a really great recording you chose! As a violinist myself, and an orchestra teacher, I can see the affordances of the various strategies you had mentioned. Improvisation is so important in a music classroom and ways to implement this creative process are always varied based on the teacher. I like the example you provided where students can work on a countermelody by using those specific notes, as well as keeping the legato feel. DO you personally have any improvisational strategies that you use on a daily basis or in your classroom throughout the year? You mentioned under Extending that giving the students the opportunity to decide which section should have the melody or if they should use arco or pizzicato. I think giving students the opportunity to make decisions is extremely useful in a music program. For example, I always allow my orchestra to vote on a piece of music for a concert during the year. Additionally, when it comes time for NYSSMA solo's, I have the students decide which solo they want to learn for their performance. Making them feel like they are in charge helps them take ownership of their craft and in turn, provides for more meaningful musical experiences in their lives.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japanese Hand Clapping Game: Omochio Tsukimasho

Image
In thinking about how children play with music and through music, I was reminded of a fun chanting and clapping game I taught to a second grade general music class to align with their Japan unit. This chant is called "Omochio Tsukimasho" and involves chanting the words while carrying out a clapping pattern to specific rhythms guided by the beat in the lyrics. If you watch, it takes a bit of coordination as well as rhythm to carry out this song successfully!  At first glance, this chant appears to be a simple children's game. However, it is implications for musical, cognitive, physical and social development. According to Lew & Campbell (2005, p. 58), "Play is an important medium for learning in young children's lives-wherever they may be. It assists them in their development of language and reasoning skills, and it fosters social competence and peer-group interaction".  Musically, it challenges the players to keep a steady beat and to clap and m...
Read more

Music from Peru: "La LLuvia"

Image
Hi everybody, For my first post, I am sharing a song titled "La Lluvia" which translates to "the rain". It is an example of music from the Andes and is performed by a group named Alpamayo, who performs and records music from Peru and Ecuador. In the recording, you hear a combination of instruments that create the unique sound of the piece. The percussion section establishes a lively rhythm pattern. This main instrument used is probably the cajon. It produces a strong beat, like a bass drum, but can also adjust its percussive timbre. String instruments such as the charango, the national instrument of Peru, and the violin are used. Wind instruments such as Peruvian panpipes and flutes play the main melody. Finally, vocals are heard on the recording through exclamation and trills. I really enjoyed this piece because of its joyous melodies and rhythms. For me, this piece was aesthetically pleasing because it sounded so happy. These are my perceptions as someone ...
Read more

Han Tien Lei (Thunder During Drought)

Image
This week I will be comparing two videos as part of this week's theme of authenticity. Both recordings are a performance of the Chinese classical song Han Tien Lei (Thunder During Drought) composed by Yan Lao-Lie.  The first recording is an arrangement of the song for string quartet (2 violins, viola, and cello). This recording is performed by the Shanghai Women String Quartet.  The second recording is a performance by the Hanshin Chinese Folk and Dance Ensemble. This recording features traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu, pipa, guzheng, dizu, and yangqin.  If we are to consider the second recording as the more "authentic" performance, several comments on authenticity can be made in comparing the two performances. Considering Palmer's definition of authenticity as a continuum (Koops, 2010), the string quartet performance cannot be absolutely authentic because the music was not originally written for that arrangement. However, it is not far off ...
Read more