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Nándor Götz: Situational method in the instrumental music education

short description

As a spectator, I was enjoying the exam of Franz Liszt University of Music’s (Budapest) opera academic spacialisation in June 2009. These students have experienced how strong is the motivation to take active part in a theatrical production from the preparation to the opening night.

Let us take in consideration the motivator factors, one after the other, which may come up during the instrumental music education.

The student looks at his teacher and at other outstanding artists as an ideal.
Love of music helps him through the difficulties and inspires him for a diligent work.
Prepares for competitions and probably obtains appreciations.
(Unfortunately most of the time 80% of the students leave these competitions disappointed.)
He is successful in concerts.
The marking helps to judge his results in reality.

All of the above mentioned moments can be important helps in his studys. But what is missing after all? What is what disappears in a glance from the life of the children just stepping out of the childhood?

The game is. The game, which was the most important thing for them, and which was their principal learning manner theaching them the most efficiently for a positive social behaviour, to solve problems. It also helped them in the memorization and to resolve a lot of other important things.

But why we are resigned to the fact that this so? Why cannot we use games as the best way of learning after a while? We know several pieces of works dealing with instrumental adaptaion of opera arias. These are the most favourite and most well known ones for the audience and performers as well. In the case if the arias are not sung but are performed with musical instruments the opportunity opens to the instrumental students to appear on the stage as an actor of any piece of the beautiful opera literature.

Then, why it wouldn’t be possible to perform a whole opera on such a manner, keeping or creating the prosaic parts which help to follow the plot and the playful role of the situations?

Arriving to this conclusion, the following thoughts automatically joined to this theory.

Starting point of the situational method

For the first year the best choice would be a comic opera. It already offered itself for
adaptation several times. It is Rossini: The Barber of Seville.
We prepare the transcriptions together with the students − voluntarily joint to the program − for their instruments.
Let them get acquainted with this kind of creative work, or we use the existing transciptions by the situational method program.
The costumes and simple stage sets should be their common work as well.
The first part of the term is for the musical practice, the second half is for the theatrical
preparations.
The movements can be instrumental solos,solo with piano-accompaniments, quotations, recitative-like instrumental imitations, in which musical and prosaic parts follow one another, half playback solos performed to the sound recorded of the original work.
or chambermusic- adaptations (one of the students could conduct sometimes).
During the rehearsals, the tutor and the students can stray away from the original story
enlarged it with improvisational parts on the basis of the music and the plot.

The connection between text and music

The given situations provided by the prosaic parts can be formed, by the tutors and students, into musical sentences, later into complete movements. They step away from the original work, and even could create noted composed new parts.

They build their improvational movements starting from the mood, rhythm and structure, collecting and using the themes of the opera.

The connection between language and music is unambiguous. The accent of the Hungarian language rhymes on classical music. This contributes to the Hungarian people’s great affinity to music. At the same time, there is also a great possibility to musical examination of the original Italian text.

It is a difficult task of the music teacher to influence the tune formation of the students. We can efficiently facilitate the natural way of music interpretation, if we reveal its similarity to the speech.

In the function of the thechnical conditions

The video recordings and photos of the rehearsals could be used as a visual effect during the performance.
Recorded and existing sound effects (music or noises) can also help to create acoustic atmosphere of the performance. While these are made, students can practice the work in the studios.

The tasks of the tutor(s) of the program

To make the dramaturgical adaptation of the opera (or the teacher can use the already elaborated and descripted adaptation of the program).
If the teacher does not use the four comic operas, his task to make the adaptations of the solo musical movements together with the students.
(Naturally, the most ideal solution would be if the students who are not playing in the exact same scene compose the accompanying orchestra. This kind of task gives a hard work on the tutor. An easier solution is to use piano accompaniment.
To lead the reahearsals.
To teach the muscial parts.
To direct the play (with individuel conception or by the method already descripted in detail in the program).
To make the simple comstumes, sets and props together with the students.

The company

Students who participate in the program form a company, and besides their actual roles, they have to take an active part in the theatrical background work. Taking in consideration their affinity, they can become costume designers, make-up masters, assistant directors, hairdressers, props assistants, and they can also undertake other interesting tasks.

Other ideas to adapt an opera

The performance can be faithful both in the direction both in the musical interpretation.
It can be modern or without any reflections on the period of time.
The later versions give a possibility to soaring imagination. These time musical associations can also colour the performance, which stray away
from the original such as stylistic exercies, and find back to the original starting point.

Additional chapters of the present educational program:

How the situational method helps in the instrumental music learning

Assemble of the text book

Adaptation of dramas with musical interludes

Improvisational practices setting out of the topics of the given work

Points of law in connection with the adaptation

The teacher as a performer

The extension of the arrangement

Different age groups common teaching

Interactive possibilities

The spectator as a performer

The spectator as a partition accessory

Style faithfulness and parody

Sheet music enclosures

Assistants’ collaboration

The courses of the situational method’s teacher training (the detailed program the description of its text and its practical and illustrative presentation).

Introduction of the opera comics figuring in the program of − in ideal case − four years student training,

detailed instructions for their adaptation

The program’s first comic opera is Rossini: The Barber of Seville.

(Description in detail of the opera’s adaptation, text-book, sheet- music.)

The instrumentation possibilities by the situation method version

Role	Instrument
Rosina –Dr Bartolo’s ward	flute or oboe or sopr.sax or alto sax. or clarinet or violin
Doctor Bartolo-Rosina’s guardian	tenor sax or baritone sax or bass clarinet or bass flute or bassoon or trombone or tuba
Count Almaviva, a local nobleman	alto sax. or clarinet or horn or viola or trumpet
Figaro, a factotum,the Barber of Seville	alto sax.or tenor sax. or bassoon or bass flute or clarinet or trumpet or viola
Don Basilio, a music teacher	tenor sax. or baritone sax or bass clarinet or bassoon or trombone or tuba
Berta, a servant to Dr. Bartolo	flute or oboe or soprano sax. or alto sax. or clarinet or violin
a notary	spoken

The story follows a traditional Commedia dell’ arte structure, with many characters seemingly based on famous stock characters. The plot involves a Spanish count, called simply The Count although "Almaviva" appears as an additional name (whether it's a given name or a surname is not clear), who has fallen in love at first sight with a girl called Rosine. To ensure that she really loves him and not just his money, the Count disguises himself as a poor college student named Lindor, and attempts to woo her. His plans are foiled by Rosine's guardian Doctor Bartholo, who keeps her locked up in his house and intends to marry her himself. The Count's luck changes, however, after a chance reunion with an ex-servant of his, Figaro, who is currently working as a barber and therefore has access to the Doctor's home.

After being promised money, and afraid the Count will seek revenge on him if he refuses, Figaro devises a variety of ways for the Count and Rosine to meet and talk, first as Lindor, then as Alonzo, a fellow student of the same music master, Bazile. The story culminates in the marriage of the Count and Rosine.

The program’s second comic opera is Donizetti: Don Pasquale.

(Description in detail of the opera’s adaptation, text-book, sheet-music.)

Don Pasquale

The instrumentation possibilities by the situation method version

Role	Instrument
Don Pasquale, an elderly bachelor	tenor or bariton saxophone or bass clarinet or bass flute or bassoon or trombone or tuba
Dr Malatesta, his physician	alto or tenor saxophone or bassoon or bass flute or clarinet or trumpet or viola
Ernesto, Pasquale's nephew	Soprano or alto saxophone or clarinet or horn or viola or trumpet
Norina, a youthful widow, Ernesto's beloved	flute or oboe or soprano or alto saxophone or clarinet or violin
Carlino, Malatesta's cousin and a notary	tenor or bariton saxophone or bassclarinet or bassoon or trombone or tuba
Servants

"Don Pasquale" concerns an old man about to marry. He also is wealthy. Though determined himself to have a wife, on the other hand he is very angry with his nephew, Ernesto, for wishing to marry, and threatens to disinherit him. Ernesto is greatly disturbed by these threats. So is his lady-love, the sprightly young widow, Norina, when he reports them to her.
Pasquale’s friend, Dr. Malatesta, not being able to dissuade him from marriage, pretends to acquiesce in it. He proposes that his sister shall be the bride, and describes her as a timid, naïve, ingenious girl, brought up, he says, in a convent. She is, however, none other than Norina, the clever young widow, who is in no degree related to Malatesta. She quickly enters into the plot, which involves a mock marriage with Don Pasquale. An interview takes place. The modest graces of the supposed convent girl charm the old man. The marriage -- a mock ceremony, of course -- is hurriedly celebrated, so hurriedly that there is no time to inform the distracted Ernesto that the proceedings are bogus.

The program’s third comic opera is Verdi: Falstaff.

(Description in detail of the opera’s adaptation, text-book, sheet-music)

The instrumentation possibilities by the situation method version

Role	instrument
Sir John Falstaff, a fat night	alto or tenor saxophone or bassoon or bass flute or clarinet or trumpet or viola or horn
Ford, a wealthy man	alto or tenor saxophone or bassoon or bass flute or clarinet or trumpet or viola or horn
Alice Ford, his wife	flute or oboe or soprano or alto saxophone or clarinet or violin
Nannetta, their daughter	flute or oboe or soprano or alto saxophone or clarinet or violin
Meg Page	alto saxophone or clarinet or viola or horn
Mistress Quickly	alto or tenor saxophone or clarinet or viola or horn
Fenton, one of Nannetta's suitors	alto saxophone or clarinet or horn or trumpet or viola
Dr Caius	alto saxophone or clarinet or horn or trumpet or viola
Bardolfo, a follower of Falstaff	alto saxophone or clarinet or horn or trumpet or viola
Pistola a follower of Falstaff	tenor or bariton saxophone or bassclarinet or bassoon or trombone or tuba
Mine Host of the Garter Inn	silent
Robin, Falstaff's page	silent

At the Garter Inn Falstaff quarrels with Dr Caius over an earlier drunken episode. He sends his page with love- letters to Mrs Page and Mrs Ford, who, in the following scene, plan their revenge together, while Falstaff's follower Pistol tells Ford what is happening. Nannetta, daughter of the Fords, has a brief moment of love with Fenton. The plot against Falstaff is carried forward through Mistress Quickly, who makes an appointment for him with Mrs Ford. Ford himself appears at the inn, in disguise, offering a bribe, if Falstaff will pave the way for him by seducing Mrs Ford. Learning of the assignation already arranged, Ford is jealous.

In the following scene, at Ford's house, the women prepare a laundry- basket for the trick they will play on Falstaff, while Mrs Ford assures Nannetta of her opposition to her father's proposed match for her with Dr Caius. The arrival of the jealous Ford leads to Falstaff's concealment in the laundry-basket, covered with dirty linen, while attention is distracted by Nannetta and Fenton, behind a screen, and mistaken by Ford and his band for Falstaff. The scene ends with Falstaff tipped into the river, but, still believing in Mrs Ford's love for him, he is lured into a supposed assignation at midnight in Windsor Forest. There he is tormented by what he supposes to be fairies. In the end, while Fenton and Nannetta are united and Dr Caius frustrated, Falstaff accepts what has happened stoically.

The program’s fourth comic opera is Berlioz: Beatrice and Benedict.

(Descrption in detail of the opera’s adaptation, text-book, sheet-music.)

The instrumentation possibilites by the situation method version

Role	Instrument
Héro	flute or oboe or soprano or alto saxophone, or clarinet or violin
Béatrice	alto saxophone or clarinet or violin or viola or horn
Bénédict	alto saxophone or clarinet or horn or viola or trumpet
Don Pedro	tenor or bariton saxophone or bassclarinet or bassoon or trombone or tuba
Claudio	alto or tenor saxophone or bassoon or bass flute or clarinet or trumpet or viola
Somarone	tenor or bariton saxophone or bass clarinet or bass flute or bassoon or trombone or tuba
Ursule	alto or tenor saxophone or clarinet or viola or horn
Léonato	spoken
People of Sicily, Lords, Ladies, Musicians, Maids

The people of Messina gather to receive Don Pedro, Benedict, and Claudio, who have returned triumphant after a military victory. Leonato, the governor of Messina, arrives to greet the victors. He is accompanied by his daughter, Héro (Claudio’s fiancée), his niece, Béatrice. Héro and Claudio reunite happily while Béatrice and Bénédict trade witty insults. Bénédict swears publicly that he will never marry.

Later, at Léonato’s estate, Claudio and Don Pedro hatch a plan to trick Bénédict into marrying Béatrice. Aware that Bénédict is within earshot, Léonato tells the men that Béatrice is hopelessly in love with Bénédict. When Bénédict hears this, he resolves to pursue Béatrice. Meanwhile, Héro and her maid Ursule play a similar trick on Béatrice, making her believe that Bénédict is secretly in love with her.

In honor of Claudio and Héro’s impending wedding, Léonato hosts a masquerade party at his estate. Somarone, the local music tutor, leads the group in song and dance. Everyone is in good spirits except Béatrice, who realizes that she has fallen in love with Bénédict who is nowhere to be found. Just as she turns to leave the party, Benedict appears. The two awkwardly converse, attempting to conceal their love for each other. A notary arrives to marry Claudio and Héro and, as arranged by Léonato, asks if there might be a second couple in the crowd who would also like to be married. Bénédict declares his love for Béatrice, who finally reciprocates. The party guests celebrate a double wedding.