Musician of the Term- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

31st October 2022Miss A Samuels

Mozart’s music was of a Classical style and he composed in
many different forms: opera, chamber music, symphony and solo
concertos. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was not only one of the greatest composers of the Classical period, but one of the greatest of all time. Mozart is said to have had a major influence on classical music, particularly after his death.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Biography, Music, The Magic Flute, & Facts | Britannica

Mozart’s Music:

  1. 1764- Symphony No 1 – Molto allegro- His first symphony written at just 8 years old
    and was composed while he was in London on tour.
  2. 1777- Oboe Concerto in C major- His only oboe concerto and one which is fairly
    fast moving.
  3. 1787- The Marriage of Figaro- A funny and lively opera with practical jokes
    and trickery, much like Mozart’s personality.
  4. 1790- The Magic Flute- One of his most famous operas about a prince,
    a serpent, and three ladies who produce an enchanted flute with the power to change men’s hearts.
  5. 1791- Requiem- Whilst composing this, he said he had ‘very strange thoughts’ and that it felt like he was writing it for his own death. It became an unfinished masterpiece as he died without ever completing it.

Interesting Facts!

  • Mozart enjoyed a game of billiards as well as dancing.
  • He also kept many pets such as a birds (he had a canary and a starling), a
    dog and even a horse which he would sometimes ride.
  • Reasons for Mozart’s early death are unknown but, after his death, a statue was created and placed in Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace.

Listen to Mozart’s Music!

 

 

Y2W – Music

21st October 2022A Dawson

On Monday afternoons this half term, Y2W have been enjoying music lessons playing the glockenspiel with Mr Bird. They have been learning about rhythm, while playing keys and chords.

Musician of the Term- Aretha Franklin

5th September 2022Miss A Samuels

Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She was known as the “Queen of Soul”. Aretha Franklin released 112 charted singles and is the most charted female artist in history. She has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the biggest-selling music artists of all time.

Aretha Franklin - Wikipedia

Aretha Franklin’s Music:

  1. 1967- I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You)- Her first ever single.
  2. 1967- (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman- Many of Aretha’s songs are about the suffering and unhappiness inside relationships but this one was all about rejoicing in the beauty of love.
  3. 1967- Respect- Originally written by Otis Reading in 1985, Aretha went on to make this her own and possibly her most recognised song.
  4. 1968- Say a Little Prayer- Cover version of the original which became one
    of her most famous songs. It is about a women’s concern for someone who has gone to the Vietnam War.
  5. 1968- Think- A song about female and ethnic empowerment.
  6. 1972- Amazing Grace- Aretha releases a live gospel album, selling over 2 million copies.

Interesting Facts about Aretha Franklin!

  • Aretha Franklin is not a fan of flying. After in-flight turbulence during one of her
    flights in 1982, she decided she’d stop flying altogether.
  • She was the first women to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  • She also received a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Listen to some of Aretha Franklin’s Music!

End of Year Celebration-Class of 2022

21st July 2022Ms A Emmerson

A huge thank you to all of our parents and carers for their support at our summer Stay and Play events! The children’s summer song performance was excellent and it was great fun to be able to celebrate your child’s success in Reception with you there. Class of 2022 you have been SUPERSTARS!

 

Musician of the Term- Sir Elton John

6th June 2022Miss A Samuels

This term’s Musician is Sir Elton John. With over 300 million records sold, Elton John is one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Elton John is an English singer, pianist and composer who is famously nicknamed ‘The Rocket Man’ after his 1972 hit single.

Elton John’s Music:

Elton John’s music stands out from many other artists of the time because he was a classically trained pianist who loved rock’n’roll. His piano parts are very difficult to play. Often they run counter to the vocal melodies, which go over the top, to allow for Elton’s famous flourishes, and this means that his melodies are very rarely doubled in the piano part.

Billy Elliot-

The musical “Billy Elliot” opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre. Elton John composed the music for this show. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2008 and continues to run on Broadway

The Lion King-

Elton John wrote the score to this famous Disney film which is now also one of London’s most famous musicals. The film was remade in 2019 with a brand-new song from Elton.

Elton John’s Famous Songs:

Your Song- 1970 (he wrote this song at 17)

Crocodile Rock- 1972

Rocket Man- 1972 (Not long after man landed on the moon, the song captured the excitement of the time)

Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me- 1974 (Was a major hit twice as he sang a live duet with George Michael which also topped the charts in 1991)

I’m Still Standing- 1983 (A song about resilience about surviving a tough private life and surviving a changing music scene)

The Circle of Life- 1994 (Elton’s soundtrack to The Lion King became the bestselling film score of all time)

Football Fact!

Having supported Watford since growing up locally, Elton John became the club’s chairman and director in 1976.

Listen to some of Elton John’s music!

Year 3 Drumming

13th May 2022Miss A Samuels

Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed their music session with Mr Winter this week. The children used the djembe drums to practise both the base tone and slap tone. We all worked extremely hard to keep in time to the rhythm- it sounded fantastic! Well done Year 3- we are looking forward to our upcoming music session next week!

Musician of the Term- Ethel Smyth

28th April 2022Miss A Samuels

This terms Musician of the Term is Ethel Smyth (born in 1858 and died in 1944).

Who was she?

Ethel Smyth’s music consisted of masterpieces for the violin, horn and orchestra and her opera ‘The Wreckers’ was considered the most important English opera of the time. However, it was not until her 75th birthday in 1934, that her work was celebrated at the Royal Albert Hall in front of the Queen. Heartbreakingly, at this moment of long-overdue recognition, Smyth was completely deaf could hear neither her own music, nor the cheering of the crowds.

Interesting Facts!

  • Ethel Smyth was caught throwing a brick through a politician’s window during the Suffragette movement, resulting in her being put in Holloway prison for two months.
  • While she was there, she was seen leaning through the bars, conducting her March of the Women with a toothbrush to the inmates!
  • As well as being a musician, Smyth was also a suffragette who devoted herself to the cause for women’s rights for two years, giving up her music in order to focus on it completely.
  • Ethel Smyth enjoyed tennis, golf and riding bikes which was seen as very ‘unladylike’ back then.

Famous Songs:

  1. Variations on an Original Theme (Of an Exceedingly Dismal Nature) in D flat
  2. String Quintet in E, Op. 1
  3. Serenade in D
  4. Mass in D
  5. The Wreckers
  6. March of the Women
  7. The Boatswain’s Mate
  8. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

Watch the videos linked below to listen to some of Ethel Smyth’s famous music pieces and find out more about who she was.

Musician of the Term- Nina Simone

28th February 2022Miss A Samuels

Our previous Musician of the Term was such a success! We all thoroughly enjoyed learning about ‘The Beatles’ and listening to some of their well-known songs. This term we will be focusing on the Musician ‘Nina Simone’.

Who was she?

Legendary performer Nina Simone was an American singer and songwriter who sang a mix of jazz, blues and folk music in the 1950s and 60s. Apart from creating original tracks, she also created cover versions of songs by famous musicians, such as Bob Dylan and our previous Musician of the Term ‘The Beatles.’ Her ability to make original songs sound completely different was unique to her style with many artists admitting they preferred her version of their own!

Fascinating Facts!

  • Nina was one of eight children, born into a poor family in North Carolina, USA.
  • After she was rejected from the Curtis Institute of Music, she gathered a job at Atlanta City, playing what her father called ‘The Devil’s Music’ and changed her name so that her parents would not find out.
  • She gathered a following of fans before receiving a record deal.
  • Nina Simone released over 40 albums during her decades-spanning career
  • Nina Simone never did get a number one selling single.

Famous Songs:

  1. I Loves You, Porgy 1959 – Originally written in 1935 by Anne Brown and Todd Duncan but she made her own successful version.
  2. My Baby Just Cares for Me, 1962 – Simone made financial mistakes in her early career, but this song featured on an advert in 1987 and her fortune was finally made.
  3. Mississippi Goddam, 1964 – This song was a cry for mercy, an angry voice of defiance and reason against the way black communities were being treated in America.
  4. Feeling Good, 1965 – This song used a big-band sound and is now one of her most famous.
  5. Why? (The King of Love is Dead), 1968 – Written by Simone’s bass player Gene Taylor and was about Martin Luther King and his death.
  6. I Ain’t Got No / I Got Life, 1968 – A joyous anthem which celebrated the things we all have and reached number 2 in the U.K. charts.
  7. I Put a Spell on You, 1969 – Originally written by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, this song was a huge success and sounded very different from the original.
  8. To Be Young, Gifted and Black, 1970 – Written by Simone, this uplifting gospel song continued linking her music to the civil rights movement.
  9. Baltimore, 1978 – The critics loved this song but she was not fond.

Listen to one of Nina Simone’s most famous songs ‘Feeling Good’ below:

You can listen more of her music on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Youtube.

Performance Poetry in Year 3

14th January 2022Miss A Samuels

In Literacy this week, Year 3 worked in small groups to write and perform our own individual poems to the music of ‘What a wonderful world’ by Louis Armstrong. Our poems consisted of wonderful things in our lives. We focused on the following topics for our verses: special people in our lives, important moments and memories, examples of kindness and the environment and animals. As a class, we picked our favourite verse and discussed what we liked most about them. We are all very proud of our performances and our poems!

Musician of the month – The Beatles

7th January 2022ajennings

We are starting musician of the month at Harton where we will focus on a musician each term. The children will find out all about the artist or band, listen to their songs and talk about whether they enjoy their music. The first band we are looking at is…

 

Who were they?

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They began by playing in bars and clubs in Liverpool but found international fame with their modern musical style. They mixed skiffle, beat and rock and roll and even included elements of classical music in some of their songs. The Beatles are the best-selling band in history, with estimated sales of over 800 million records worldwide. They changed pop music forever and had a huge influence on culture in the UK and America.

There were 4 members:

 

John Lennon – lead singer, guitarist, songwriter.
Paul McCartney – bass guitarist and singer, songwriter.
George Harrison – lead guitarist and singer
Ringo Starr – drummer

 

Fascinating facts

  • They were originally called Beatals then they changed their name to Silver Beetles and then finally to The Beatles.
  • The Beatles were also known by their nickname, ‘The Fab four’.
  • Their first hit was ‘Love me do’ in 1962
  • After their first hit there followed an intense fan frenzy which was called Beatlemania.
  • The Beatles have had more number-one albums on the British charts, and have sold more singles in the UK, than any other act.
  • In April 1964, the Beatles had songs at numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the charts.
  • There were several other members of the band over the years but these four are considered the real Beatles.
  • The Beatles played mostly in The Cavern Club in Liverpool until they reach international fame.
  • The Beatles recorded over 200 songs – these include:

Love me do
Help                                                  Yesterday
Twist and Shout                                Hey Jude
I wanna hold your hand                     Yellow Submarine
Octopus Garden                               Here comes the sun
Eleanor Rigby

  • The band split up in 1970 due to musical differences.
  • Only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are still alive.

Listen to one of the Beatles’ hits below, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (iTunes).

You can listen more of their music on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Youtube.