A composition workshop about creating a classical piece inspired by Bach's 'Prelude in C Major'.
This workshop helps students understand how to develop instruments and how to understand tone colour.
Structure is also shown, with a focus on ternary form.
This short film is from the BBC series, Tips for Young Composers.
Teacher Notes
This short film could be used to introduce or reinforce the idea of texture.
Students could revise the differences between monophonic, homophonic and polyphonic textures.
Ask your students to compose a series of melodic ideas based on a pentatonic scale which they could layer up to create an interesting texture.
Encourage students to think about the structure of their piece and suggest ternary form (ABA) as a starting point.
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be helpful for teaching GCSE music composition. This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC KS4/GCSE in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA National 4/5 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.
Instrumentation and Melodic Writing - Monteverdi’s 'Toccata from Orfeo' video
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra offers a masterclass to students who learn to compose an original piece of music inspired by Monteverdi’s 'Toccata from Orfeo' with a focus on melodic writing and variations.
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.
