Artsource - Cello Man

Artsource

MUSIC ®

The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts

TRANSFORMATION

ENDURING VALUES

ARTISTIC PROCESSES

TRADITIONAL CLASSICAL

1. CREATING (Cr)

CONTEMPORARY

2. PERFORMING, PRESENTING, PRODUCING (Pr)

EXPERIMENTAL

3. RESPONDING (Re)

MULTI-MEDIA

4. CONNECTING (Cn)

FREEDOM & OPPRESSION

THE POWER OF NATURE

THE HUMAN FAMILY

Title of Work:

About the Artwork:

Cello Man

Cello Man is a solo performance by cellist Eugene

Co-Creators: EugeneFriesen, Composer/Performer

Friesen created in collaboration with Faustwork

Robert Faust, Director/Mask-Maker

Mask Theater. In a show designed to portray the

Background Information: Eugene Friesen has created a unique voice among the cellists of the world. Drawing on a childhood filled with the great masterworks of Western music, as well as the influences of hymn, ethnic and popular music, Eugene uses cello and voice to create new music which is accessible and personal. Eugene’s father, a choral conductor and voice teacher, chose the cello as an instrument for Eugene when he showed a high aptitude in music as a young boy. At age eight Eugene began playing the cello, pulling it in a little red wagon to school for orchestra practice. In high school and college, Eugene played in school and community orchestras and began experimenting in rock and blues styles on an amplified cello.

many facets of a serious artist and a soulful instrument, Eugene weaves a spellbinding fabric with stories, songs, masks and inventive techniques on cello and electric cello. Repertoire for Cello Man features Friesen’s original music in a variety of styles: blues, contemporary, folk, electronic and pop, and includes a duet with the recorded song of a humpback whale.

The use of masks designed and created by director Rob Faust adds a dramatic element to the performance. During segments of the show, Eugene transforms himself with masks and costumes, integrating the character with the music he is playing. The results, surprising and often comic, physically illuminate the humanity present in each piece of music.

A graduate of the Yale School of Music, Eugene takes the

Creative Process of the Artist or Culture:

cello out of its traditional classical realm, propelling it

Eugene Friesen and Robert Faust met in 1983 when

forward as an exciting instrument with immense powers

they collaborated on an off-Broadway theatre piece

of free expression. Mr. Friesen has been a member of the

by Martha Clark entitled Garden of Earthly Delights

acclaimed Paul Winter Consort since 1978 and with the

inspired by the painting of the same name by

Consort, he won a Grammy award in 1994. He has also

Hieronymous Bosch.They had

toured and recorded with Trio Globo and with such

always wanted to work together

diverse artists as Dave Brubeck, Betty Buckley and Toots

again and in 1995, had the

Theilmann. Distinguished cellist Yo-Yo Ma says of Mr.

opportunity. The two went into

Friesen, “The music is beautiful and so is the playing.”

Robert’s studio and began

Eugene tours internationally from a home base in Vermont where he lives with his family.

Photo: Craig Schwartz

improvising.

“Any musical instrument is a tool for expressing the personal values and many facets of a player’s personality.”

Eugene Friesen

Vermont

Discussion Questions: After the video has been viewed: • What character or musical segment of Cello Man did you find most memorable? Why? • What kinds of feelings did you experience as you watched the performance? Did certain parts make you feel joy? Sadness? Why? • What was Eugene trying to convey by having various mask characters play the cello?

• What does the term improvisation mean as it relates to playing a musical instrument?

• In what ways did Eugene allow himself to become transformed by the masked characters? How did the characters dramatically change the style of Eugene’s playing?

• If you could create a mask, what character would you choose to be?

Creative Process Continued: Eugene put on masks created by Robert and began playing his cello in the spirit of the characters represented in the masks. Each character seemed to have its own “cello song.” This artistic collaboration became the series of pieces which comprise Cello Man. Robert’s extensive experience working with young audiences through Faustwork Mask Theater was instrumental in creating and fine-tuning the script and partnering the two art forms.

Multidisciplinary Options: Eugene uses a recording of a humpback whale made by an underwater microphone called a hydrophone.

Sound travels well in water, and the oceans can be noisy places. Dolphins use whistles and clicks when hunting for food, male humpbacks sing to attract females, and large orca whales make sounds by slapping the ocean’s surface or breaching – leaping out of the water and coming down with a splash! The most sophisticated use of sound is in echolocation, a skill perfected by toothed whales and bats.

Have students select a species of whale and in cooperative groups, research and report on the whale’s life cycle, its skeleton and anatomical features, social life, mating, and the method by which it hunts or gathers food.

Suggested topics: blue whale, killer whale, humpback whale, dolphin, porpoise, or sperm whale.

Audio-Visual Materials: • Artsource® video excerpt of Cello Man. Courtesy of Earth Vision.

Additional References: • Tuchman, Maurice. Masquerade. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA: 1993.

Sample Experiences: Level I • Listen to music of diverse styles - classical, jazz, folk, rock, rap, world music, pop and new age. Choose one or two musical selections and have students paint a picture while listening, using the music as a source of inspiration for their artwork.

• Look at pictures of masks from cultures around the world. Have students select a country or culture and write a report illuminating the historical, psychological and artistic aspects of the mask tradition. * • Explore the concept of vibration in an exercise using an oven rack, string and a variety of strikers/mallets.

Level II * • In pairs, have students explore the concept of improvisation. First have each student create a sound pattern using body percussion: slaps, claps, stomps, clicks, etc.

Once their patterns or phrases are established, have them communicate back and forth, altering the rhythm and dynamics they ‘converse’ with sounds.

• Research specific string instruments found in Egypt, Greece, Israel, China, Japan, India, Brazil, Mali, South Africa, etc. noting the instruments’ commonalities.

Level III Make a wearable and expressive mask using a variety of materials. Study and analyze the mask you have made.

What kind of character might it be? What emotions seem to dominate the mask? Put the mask on. Select a posture, walk or movement that expresses its features. * • Write a story that has a musical instrument as a main character. The instrument characters may employ human traits and emotions, or they may appear as key elements in a story’s plot or action. Think about the materials used in making the instrument.

*

Indicates sample lessons

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NOTES ON THE CELLO String instruments, as a whole, produce sound when their strings are made to vibrate. By pressing down on the strings with one hand, the vibrating length of the string is altered producing a multitude of tones by either plucking or bowing. The strings are attached to each end of the instrument and stretched over an arched bridge which transfers the vibrations to the hollow, wooden instrument. There, the vibrations are amplified and colored by the unique combinations of instrument size, type of wood, shape and varnish. The strings themselves are made from a variety of materials: nylon, metal wire, animal gut or a combination of these.

String instruments are important in many of the world’s musical cultures. In ancient Egyptian, Greek and Hebrew cultures, plucked string instruments such as the lyre and the harp predicated the advent of the bow, which necessitated an arched bridge and allowed for greater musical expression. Ancient Oriental and Near Eastern cultures, however, enjoyed both bowed and plucked instruments. String keyboard instruments, such as the clavichord, harpsichord, and piano, technically members of the percussion family of musical instruments, evolved later in European history.

The cello is a member of the string ‘family.’ Other members of this family, the violin, viola and double bass, all share the same evolution from ancient, plucked instruments, like the harp and the lute. Other ‘ancestors’ of modern string instruments are viola da gambas, string instruments with a soft, earthy tone which are rested on the player’s legs (gamba is an Italian word meaning leg). The best quality string instruments are made primarily by hand as they have been for centuries. The wood most used is pine for the top face of the instrument, maple for the side and back and ebony for the fingerboard. The finest bows are usually made from pernambuco wood from the rainforests of South America. Though the shape of modern string instruments is excellent for its acoustical properties, the shape was originally chosen to honor the female form, revered for its life-giving abilities.

Eugene Friesen Photo: Craig Schwartz

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Eugene Friesen Photo Courtesy of Eugene Friesen

Musings on Masks: Historical and Cultural Perspective Masks have been an important aspect of the religious and social life in cultures all over the world. In Africa a mask is far more than a facial covering. It includes the costume and adornments worn on the body as a bond between a group of people and their ancestors. The tradition of using masks goes back to time immemorial, according to scholars, but since most masks were made of perishable materials, only those which were made of bronze and terra cotta date back several centuries. Within the Indian cultural sphere, Ceylonese masks represent demons of sickness. It is believed that by some mysterious means, the demons can be driven away once they have been made visible in the form of masks, and the illness is then cured. The American continents are also rich areas for masks. The Eskimo and the Indians of the Northwest coast of the United States made masks of extremely high artistic quality. Masks often take the form of animals, sometimes representing a totemic ancestor or the ‘spirit helper’ of a shaman (a type of medicine-man). In the ancient civilizations of Mexico and Peru, death-masks were fastened to the mummies of the dead. The gods, too, were often depicted as masked figures. As a device for theatre, masks evolved from religious practices of ancient Greece. The first masks were used to impersonate a god and were made primarily of animal skins. As these ceremonies became more theatrical, the masks became more elaborate.

The traditional masks depicting Tragedy and Comedy are derived from Greek theatrical traditions.

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MUSIC

VIBRATION EXPLORATION TRANSFORMATION

LEVEL I Sample Lesson INTRODUCTION: Musical instruments produce sound by vibrations which resonate in a sound box. The strings of the cello vibrate when they are plucked or bowed, resonating in the hollow body of the instrument producing the cello’s unique sound. This lesson uses everyday things from the kitchen to explore this sound sensation.

OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to: • Demonstrate and discuss the concept of vibration in an exercise using an oven rack, strings and a variety of kitchen utensils as strikers or mallets. (Performing & Connecting) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Responding & Performing) MATERIALS: • An oven rack, scissors, kite string, ruler.

• Strikers of different materials: wooden spoons, metal spoons, whisks of different sizes, plastic spatula, rubber knife, silver fork, etc.

PROGRESSION: • Have students pick a partner. Each pair should have one oven rack and four or five different kinds of strikers.

• Measure and cut two pieces of kite string two feet in length each. (For younger students the string can be pre-cut).

• Tie one end of each piece of string to two corners of the oven rack. Tie small loops to the other end of each piece of string.

• In pairs, have one child slip the loops of the two strings on his/her two index fingers so that the oven rack hangs. Next have them put their fingers into their ears. The other partner should gently strike the oven rack with different kitchen utensils. After a few minutes, the partners should switch roles.

• Try the exercise again, but this time have the child holding the oven rack close his/her eyes.

• Using descriptive words, have the partners exchange ideas expressing what they heard.

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EXTENSIONS: • Write a short poem or haiku capturing the essence of the sounds you heard.

• Bring in toys or household gadgets that illustrate the concept of vibration.

VOCABULARY: vibration, resonate ASSESSMENT: (Responding & Performing) DESCRIBE: This is done in the ‘Progression’ under the sixth bullet (•).

DISCUSS: Talk about what participants expected to hear, as opposed to what they actually did hear.

ANALYZE: Explain how the vibrations from the strikers created the sounds you heard. Did the different materials (wood, rubber, silver, etc.) produce different sound qualities?

CONNECT: Examine the string family of instruments - violin, viola, cello and double bass - and use what you have learned from the oven rack exercise to describe how sound travels from the instruments’ strings to the sound boxes. What role does the size of the instrument play in the range of pitch?

Emphasis on: Common Core - CA State Standards for Language - Reading; Writing; Listening; Speaking

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MUSIC

PERCUSSION IMPROVISATIONS TRANSFORMATION

LEVEL II Sample Lesson INTRODUCTION: Although Eugene Friesen was taught to play the cello by learning traditional classical music, he also enjoys making up his own music, or improvising. Improvising has a history as long as music itself. It has only been in the past 150 years that classically trained musicians in our culture have not been encouraged to develop this skill. Before that time, musicians were able to look at a rough sketch of a musical idea and improvise melodies and harmonies as modern jazz musicians do today.

OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to: • Improvise, creating sound patterns using body percussion.

(Creating & Performing) • Improvise with their patterns, communicating back and forth. (Creating & Performing) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Responding & Connecting) MATERIALS: • None.

PROGRESSION: • Introduce the concept of improvisation and discuss points in the Cello Man performance when Eugene Friesen made up his own music. Discuss ways that emotions or moods might affect musical dynamics and phrasing.

• Talk about how our bodies can be musical instruments of sorts by using body percussion: slaps, claps, stomps, clicks, etc. Have each student create a sound pattern using a combination of body percussion elements.

• Once their patterns or phrases are established, have them pick a partner and communicate back and forth. Encourage them to alter the rhythm, dynamics or percussion components as they ‘converse’ with sounds.

• Ask selected pairs to ‘play’ their improvisations for the class.

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EXTENSIONS: • Add voice as a musical element to the improvisation.

• Listen to recordings of scat singing and/or improvisation by jazz artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarret, Dexter Gordon or others.

VOCABULARY: improvisation, body percussion, scat singing ASSESSMENT: (Responding & Connecting) DESCRIBE: Describe the sound pattern you created noting the variety, pacing and dynamics of your musical phrase.

DISCUSS: Talk about the mood or feeling of the various improvisations.

ANALYZE: What did you need to do to successfully ‘converse’ back and forth and improvise with a partner? (listen carefully, focus, concentrate) CONNECT: List ways that we use the concept of improvisation in our daily life: cooking, the way we put our outfits together, talking, making a homemade card or gift, etc.

Emphasis on: Common Core - CA State Standards for Language - Reading; Writing; Listening; Speaking

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MUSIC

MUSICAL FICTION TRANSFORMATION

LEVEL III Sample Lesson INTRODUCTION: In Cello Man, Eugene Friesen creates some fanciful characters, such as a squirrel and a bear who play the cello. This creative writing exercise explores the idea that musical instruments can be characters in imaginative tales.

OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to: • Write an original story that has a musical instrument as a main character. (Creating & Presenting) • Illustrate their stories using a variety of media. (Creating & Presenting & Producing) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Responding & Connecting) MATERIALS: • Paper, pen, pencils, markers, crayons, water color, tempera paint, collage elements, etc.

PROGRESSION: • Introduce the term personification, the giving of human qualities to an inanimate object. Share some examples such as The Gingerbread Man, or the teapot, teacup and candlestick in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”.

• Brainstorm a list of musical instruments on the classroom blackboard.

Task: • Have students select a musical instrument to write about in an original story. Next have students complete the character analysis checklist, on page 11, filling it in for their selected instrument.

Suggested ways to complete the Task: • Students do some research on their musical instrument. From what materials is it mad? Is it made by hand or manufactured? From what culture does it originate? Bring in pictures or models.

• The instrument characters may be personified, employing human traits or emotions, or they may appear as key elements in a story’s plot or action.

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• Students can write their stories using any style: fairy tale, folktale, fantasy, fable, journey story, mystery, myth, science-fiction, personal history story, etc.

• Students illustrate their stories choosing a variety of media: markers, crayons, watercolor, tempera paint, collage, etc.

• Share their creative writing and illustrations in a classroom storytime.

• Act out the stories in story theatre style using a narrator and simple costumes and props.

EXTENSION: • Repeat the character analysis checklist, using another category such as tools, kitchen utensils, modes of transportation, etc.

• Compile the stories and publish them in a class book.

VOCABULARY: personification, character analysis, story theatre, pitch, timbre ASSESSMENT: (Responding & Connecting) DESCRIBE: Describe the instrument you chose in detail - color, shape, line, age, cultural aspects, pitch, timbre, etc.

DISCUSS: Talk about the kinds of characters developed in the stories. Do the characterizations seem to match the actual instruments? In what ways?

ANALYZE: Analyze the reasons why you made the choices you did for your particular instrument character.

CONNECT: Find published stories about musical instruments and read them to the class, such as The Voice of the Wood by Claude Clement (which is also the subject of an Artsource ® unit).

Emphasis on: Common Core - CA State Standards for Language - Reading; Writing; Listening; Speaking

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CHARACTER ANALYSIS CHECKLIST Instrument: _____________________________________ Character Name: _________________________________ Age: ______________ Environment (where it lives): __________________________ Special Quality or Ability: _____________________________ Best Friend: __________________________________________ My favorite thing in the world is ___________________________________________________ I am really afraid of _____________________________________________________________ The worst thing that ever happened to me was ________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ My secret ambition is ____________________________________________________________

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