THE HANDSTAND

FEBRUARY2007

125th Anniversary
of Kodály's Birth
16 July - 3 August, 2007



This was brought to mind on a Sunday morning recently in the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, where free music concerts are held Sundays for a short season. Kodaly's Sonata for solo cello Op8, written in 1915 during the first months of World War I, was played by Marc Coppey. It is difficult to collect my thoughts about it, for beyond praise was his performance. This is a piece of music that carries the entire burden of life, from joy to despair, - to play its incredible technical demands is talked about - but to witness such technical brilliance hand in hand with Coppey's performance as an interpreter of the burden of this piece, that could only be rendered by some sort of "complete knowledge" as it is phrased in Irish Literature, this performance was a miraculous experience. Thanks be to God the audience did not just applaud for more as is their normal conduct - they realised the experience as one rare treasure and they stood up with complete respect; gravity held their feet to the floor of reality. Jocelyn Braddell,editor

Kodaly's Approach to Music Education for Young Children

"A child's musical education must begin nine months before-not his own- but his mother's birth. Even those who feel that this is somewhat of an exaggeration must admit that the first impressions are the most abiding. What a child has heard in the first six years or life cannot be eradicated later. Thus it is too late to begin teaching at school, because a child stores a mass of musical impressions before school-age, and if what is bad predominates, then his fate, as far as music is concerned, has been sealed for a lifetime."; (Kodaly, 1951)

Zoltán Kodály (born December 16, 1882 in Kecskemét; died March 6, 1967 in Budapest) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, educator, linguist and philosopher.

After gaining his PhD in philosophy and linguistics, Kodály went to Paris where he studied with Charles Widor. There he discovered, and absorbed influences from, the music of Claude Debussy. He continued his folk music-collecting expeditions through World War I without interruption.

Kodály subsequently became very interested in the problems of music education, and wrote a good deal of educational music for schools, as well as books on the subject. Some commentators refer to his ideas as the "Kodály Method" See also: Kodály Hand Signs.

He continued to compose for professional ensembles also, with the Dances of Marosszék (1930, in versions for solo piano and for full orchestra), the Dances of Galanta (1933, for orchestra), the Peacock Variations (1939, commissioned by the Concertgebouw Orchestra to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary) and the Missa Brevis (1944, for soloists, chorus, orchestra and organ) among his better known works. The suite from his opera Háry János (1926) also became well known, though few productions of the opera itself take place. It was first performed in Budapest and conductors such as Toscanini, Mengelberg and Furtwangler have included this piece in their repertoires.

Kodály made a considerable contribution to chamber music also: notably a virtuosic sonata for unaccompanied cello, and a half-hour-long Duo for cello and violin.

In 1966, the year before Kodály's death, the Kodály Quartet, a string quartet named in Kodály's honour, formed.

Life

  • 1882 Born in Kecskemet, a town in central Hungary.
  • 1892 family moved to Nagyszombat, north-west part of Hungary where Kodály became proficient at the piano, violin, and cello without any help from formal teachers.
  • 1898 wrote an overture for school orchestra which received good notice - "a dynamic talent"; went to Budapest where he enrolled at the University of Philosophy, Hungarian and German language and literature, and the Academy of Music; received his Diploma in Composition.
  • 1900-04 attended Eotvos College where he perfected his knowledge of English, French, and German; composed a lot of music.
  • 1905 received his teacher's diploma; became life-long friends of Bartók; went on tour to collect Hungarian folk music; received his Ph.D. with his dissertation on "The Stanzaic Structure of Hungarian Folk Song."
  • 1907 appointed as teacher at the Academy of Music; composed a lot.
  • 1910 Kodály and Bartók put on joint concerts with young musicians, critics scorned it (now the dates of these concerts are celebrated as the birth of modern Hungarian music); married Emma Sandor, she was a gifted musician and translator approximately 20 years older than Kodály.
  • 1917-19 worked as a music critic, wrote many articles and composed much music.
  • Aug 1919 old guard came back to power after the short-lived revolution and Kodály was suspended from his position as Deputy Director of the National Academy of Music of Hungary; endured 12 hearings but eventually charges were dropped.
  • 1923 In honor of Budapest's celebration of its 50th anniversary Kodály writes the Psalmus Hungaricus which laments the fate that has befallen his country, it was the first time he received unanimous praise from critics; began to write much music for children: The Straw Guy, See, the Gypsy Munching Cheese ; renowned for being a wonderful teacher.
  • 1924 continued work on Háry János, his masterpiece; became an enormous success.
  • 1927 continued writing children's choral works, went on folk music collecting trips, and wrote many articles on folk music; developed friendship with Toscanini.
  • 1932-36 wrote much music: Spinning Room, Dances of Galanta, Te Deum of Budavar; conducted, lectured, founded a school of Hungarian folk music at the Academy.
  • 1940 involved in many educational activities; developed a periodical devoted to the promotion of musical education of the young.
  • 1942 National Federation of Choral Societies proclaimed this year as "Kodály year."
  • 1943 wrote Missa Brevis, dedicated to his wife; wrote many choral works.
  • 1945 received many honors, traveled, conducted, lectured, wrote articles.
  • 1958 his wife died.
  • 1959 married a 19-year-old student!
  • 1960 received an honorary degree from Oxford; kept composing mostly choral works until his death.
  • 1967 died as a national treasure to the Hungarian people. 

II. Pedagogy 

lIntroduction What is known now “Kodaly Method” was developed in Hungary in the 1940s and 1950s by Kodaly, his colleagues, and his students. It is not invented by Kodaly, but rather it evolved in the Hungarian schools under his inspiration and guidance. The goals, the philosophy, and the principles were Kodaly’s, but the pedagogy was not created by him.

None of the practices associated with Kodaly originated with him. Solfa was invented in Italy and tonic solfa came from England; rhythm syllables were the invention of Cheve in France, and many of the solfa techniques employed were taken from the work of Dalcroze; hand-singing was adapted from John Curwen’s approach in England and the teaching process was basically Pestalozzian.

The uniqueness of the Kodaly Method came in the way in which these previously separate techniques were combined into one unified approach, which itself supported a viable philosophy of music education.

In 1950 the first singing primary school was established in Kesckemet under the direction of his longtime friend. Here children received music instruction every day of the school week, and the method was further developed and refined. As a result of this school’s success, the next years saw a rapid rise in the development and dissemination of the method, from the nursery school level to the conservatories. Today the method has spread all over the world. Classes trained in the principles of Kodaly exist in everywhere.

lBasic philosophy

1.All people capable of lingual literacy are also capable of musical literacy

2.Singing is the best foundation for musicianship

3.Music education to be most effective must begin with the very young child

4.The folk songs of a child’s own linguistic heritage constitute a musical mother tongue and should therefore be the vehicle for all early instruction

5.Only music of the highest artistic value, both folk and composed, should be used in teaching

6.Music should be at the heart of the curriculum, a core subject used as a basis for education

lObjectives

1.Sing, play instruments and dance from memory, a large number of traditional singing games, chants, and folk songs, drawn first from the child’s own heritage of folk song material and later expanded to include music of other cultures and countries.

2.Perform, listen to, and analyze the great art music of the world.

3.Achieve mastery of musical skills, such as musical reading and writing, singing and part-singing.

4.Improvise and compose, using their known musical vocabulary at each developmental level.

lTools 

1.Tonic solfa

  • do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do do is considered to be the keynote or tonal center in all major keys

    la is considered to be the keynote or tonal center in all minor key

  • it focuses on the relationship among pitches. E.g. if you learn do to so in any key, you will know the sound of the perfect 5th. children are begun with relatively do, once they are secure in that easier way of singing, reading, and writing music, letter names for the notes are introduced and are then sung interchangeable with solfa until they are secure.

    benefit: songs and singing games of early childhood, the folk music, and much of the art music of the western world is tonal in character

    drawback: it is not useful for studying music that is not tonal in character (e.g. music of some non-western societies and some music of the 20th century.)

2.Hand signs

---solfa combined with a system of hand signs appears to make that tonal memory both more quickly accomplished and more secure.

2. Rhythmic duration syllables

---rhythm is taught by pattern and by relative duration over the beat expressed in a serious of syllables adapted from those invented by Cheve in the 1800s and still used in French conservatories.

lSequential Approach (child-developmental base)

The Kodaly method is highly structured and sequenced, with well-defined skill and concept hierarchies in every element of music. These sequences are closely related to child development—the way in which young children progress naturally in music. The major body of teaching material must lie within children’s capabilities. However, at all times some musical materials must be included that are designed to expand those capabilities. As the child develops physically, socially, emotionally aesthetically, and intellectually, they are also led to develop musically in the acquisition of increasingly complex skills and more involved concepts.

1.Melody--- 3-note songs and chants (la-so-mi), tetra-tonic (so- mi-re-do), and pentatonic (la-so-mi-re-do) songs comprise most of the earliest melodic teaching materials. As voices mature and musical abilities increase, musical materials are extended to include more songs in diatonic major and minor keys, modes, and altered scales.

2.Rhythm---the meter of young children’s movements (walking, running, skipping, swaying, bouncing) is duple, either simple or compound

3.Form, harmony, tempo, and dynamics are also sequenced into hierarchies so that the young children may experience all aspects of music at their own level.

4.Aural learning and then attach labels

5.Spiral learning. Each level builds upon the previous. Mastery is important before moving on to the next level.

6.It if important to introduce only one new concept at a time

The application at middle/high school level

By the time students enter this level in a Kodaly program they are able to

Sing at sight with ease

Sing fluently in movable-do solfa and in absolutes

Switching from one to the other at a given signal

Sing in two and three parts from score

Identify binary and ternary forms, both in songs and in larger works

Aurally identify the modes; aeolian, dorian, ionian, mixolydian, lydian, phrygian

Take melodic and rhythmic dictation from voice or piano

Perform two or three musical ideas simultaneously; singing a melody, tapping an ostinato, stepping a beat

Identify some art music by style and period

Improvise within known scales, meters, and rhythms

Compose in small forms within known musical vocabulary

Harmonize known melodies with I, IV, and V chords/ also inversions

Identify and sing intervals

III. Lesson Plans/Activities 

Sing scales (2 parts / 3 parts in major 3rd)—to warm up B.Sing Buy My Tortillas –to teach the intervals of 3rd, 4th, and 6th, and texture (unison and harmony)---sight reading  

Sing chords. (I and inversions, IV and inversions, and V and inversions; then sing I-IV-V-I)

Use I, IV, and V to accompany Oh, Susanna, ask them to analyze what form it is.

.Sing rounds Sumer is icumen in –introduce medieval polyphonic vocal music.
It is an ingenious composition. The independent character of its two melodies is apparent when one realizes that, in performance, no voice part forms parallel octaves or unisons with the lower voice the Pes. It is conjectured that the composition dates from c. 1250. Sumer is icumen in is the only known six-voice composition prior to the fifteen c. and the only known composition that combines rondellus (duple or triple voice exchange; i.e. phrase exchange) and rota (canon or round) techniques. The composition is a motet. It is polyphonic. It is based on liturgical chant and is bi-textual. It is one of those rare motets in which duplum and triplum texts are in different languages. This is a 4-voice rota, superimposed on a duplex Pes. The Pes is a 2-measure rondellus that is repeated until the piece concludes.

Selected compositions