Proms at ±«Óătv
Aaron Copland’s Quiet City
Welcome to Proms at ±«Óătv!
Open your ears, unlock your imagination and enjoy a musical adventure!
This week, as part of Proms at ±«Óătv, we’re going to take a walk through some empty, silent streets as we explore Quiet City, a beautiful piece of music by Aaron Copland.
Quiet City
The title of this week’s piece contains two words you don’t normally see together:
‘Quiet’ and ‘City’
We don’t usually think of cities as being quiet places, do we? They’re often noisy, crowded and busy – but not quiet.
American composer Aaron Copland knew all about city life – he was born in 1900 in the very big and bustling American city of New York.
But in his piece Quiet City the only sound left on the streets is music.
That music is made – at first – by the cor anglais, a woodwind instrument that looks a little bit like an oboe. The cor anglais plays a slow, gentle melody.
Watch this clip of the ±«Óătv Symphony Orchestra performing the opening of Quiet City at the 2003 Proms. The cor anglais discovers that another instrument is also out in the city. Can you spot which instrument it is?
Now listen to the clip again with your eyes closed and imagine yourself moving through the quiet city streets.
Is the weather warm or cold? Is it day or night?
How does the music of the cor anglais make you feel about the city?
(Images: Alec Favale/Christopher Ott)
Listen Out ...
Do you know the name of the instrument that called out to the cor anglais? It is the trumpet.
The trumpet loves showing off! It can play fast, happy notes. It can lead a spectacular parade and get everyone dancing.
But in Quiet City the trumpet is in a different mood. It plays lots of long, soft notes, like big sighs echoing around the streets.
What kinds of places and events does the trumpet’s music in Quiet City remind you of?
Where Next?
- If you fancy visiting another musical city – but this time one full of activity – then join the exciting procession of people and music at ‘The Great Gate of Kiev’, the final part of Modest Mussorgsky’s piece Pictures at an Exhibition.
You can watch it being performed at the Proms in 2018. Listen out for the wonderful sound of the city’s bells ringing out at the end of the piece:
- Cities, towns and villages are the places where most of us live – they are our homes. Kerry Andrew’s brilliant piece No Place Like is all about the sounds and music of home – and it was written especially for young people to sing.
You can watch a fantastic performance of Kerry Andrew’s piece by the Ten Pieces Children’s Choir in this Ten Pieces film:
Your Turn
- This year the streets of our cities, towns and villages have been unusually quiet and still, as people have stayed indoors to keep themselves safe and to protect others from the Covid-19 virus.
Can you make a list of sounds that you’ve noticed during this quiet time? Perhaps you’ve heard a bird calling out, a cat meowing or your neighbour singing in the bath? - In this video Ellie Griffiths from the theatre company Oily Cart shows you how to make a fantastical sensory den at home.
The den is made of blankets, cushions and sheets. You’ll be using sounds, lights, smells, wind and water to create a cosy place where you can listen to Copland’s Quiet City.
Proms at ±«Óătv notes by Andrew McCaldon
For more activities throughout the summer, visit the Proms at ±«Óătv website.
