Unit 11 The Cellist of Sarajevo

1. Unit 11 The Cellist of Sarajevo Activity One The Roses Against Bombs— ANTI-WAR MASTERPIECES Activity Two Cello & Famous Cellists

2. Anti-war Masterpieces • Folk Song: Where Have All The Flowers Gone • Classical Music: War Requiem • Novel: All Quiet on the Western Front

3. Anti-war Masterpieces: FOLK SONGWhere Have All The Flowers Gone? • Music & Lyrics by:Pete Seeger(b. 1919- )

4. Who is Pete Seeger? A Musician A Singer A Songwriter A Folklorist A labor activist The most important:Peace Advocate

5. This song was presented when the U.S. involved in the Vietnam War. With its proceeding, more and more Americans began to detest it. Many movies and folksongs were produced to echo people’s rage. Among them, “Where Have All The Flowers Gong?” was the most famous one.

6. The main idea of this folk song is accusing the pointless sacrifice. Numerous young life fell down in Vietnam. Their death, just like the flowers “gone with the wind”, was a matter of no consequence to those who called the war into action.

7. Hence, Seeger asked, “When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?”—When will the politicians learn? Possibly simple: THEY NEVER LEARN…

8. Let’s enjoy the song sung by The Kingston Trio… Where have all the flowers gone?Long time passing.Where have all the flowers gone?Long time ago.Where have all the flowers gone?Young girls picked them every one.When will they ever learn?When will they ever learn?

9. Where have all the young girls gone?Long time passing.Where have all the young girls gone?Long time ago.Where have all the young girls gone?Gone the young man, every one.When will they ever learn?When will they ever learn?

10. Where have all the young men gone?Long time passing.Where have all the young men gone?Long time ago.Where have all the young men gone?Gone for soldiers, every one.When will they ever learn?When will they ever learn?

11. Where have all the soldiers gone?Long time passing.Where have all the soldiers gone?Long time ago.Where have all the soldiers gone?Gone to graveyards, every one.When will they ever learn?When will they ever learn?

12. Where have all the graveyards gone?Long time passing.Where have all the graveyards gone?Long time ago.Where have all the graveyards gone?Gone to flowers, every one.When will they ever learn?When will they ever learn?

13. Where have all the flowers gone?Long time passing.Where have all the flowers gone?Long time ago.Where have all the flowers gone?Young girls picked them every one.When will they ever learn?When will they ever learn? Back

14. Anti-war Masterpieces: CLASSICAL MUSIC Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) WAR REQUIEM

15. WAR REQUIEM (Op. 66) A requiem with Latin Text from Missa pro defunctis & Nine Poems by WILFRED OWEN

16. World Premier May 30th, 1962 Coventry Cathedral, London

17. Britten is a man with anti-war convictions. During the war time, Japan Government entrusted him to write a new work to celebrate their Emperor’s enthronement. Britten should give them a very dark work entitled “Symphonia da Requiem!”

18. The reopen of the Coventry Cathedral symbolized the real ending of World War II. To warn the world the cruelty and inhuman of war, Britten decided to write “War Requiem.”

19. “War Requiem” is a special music pieces. Britten still adapted the Latin Text from the original Missa procedure. Meanwhile, he adapted nine poems from a World War I poet, Wilfred Owen.

20. WILFRED OWEN (1893-1918) A poet during the World War I, he originally was in favor of the war. However, after attending the war, he suddenly realized the cruelty of the front. With sympathy, he wrote down the poems mourning for those died in the battlefield.

21. WILFRED OWEN (1893-1918) “I am not concerned with poetry,” he said. “My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity. All a poet can do today is warn. That is why the true poets must be truthful.”

22. WILFRED OWEN (1893-1918) Owen was shot to death in one of the last vain battles of this war on November 4, 1918, seven days before the war ended. He was one of 9,000,000 million victims of World War I.

23. Britten adapted Owen’s poems into this Requiem. Actually, the central thought of the whole pieces lies among the nine poems instead of the Latin Text.

24. In this work, the orchestra, chorus and children’s chorus would accompany the soprano to present the Latin Text. In the meantime, the tenor and baritone would sing out Owen’s poems with the chamber orchestra by solo or duet.

25. The music you heard at the beginning of this section is the opening of “War Requiem.” Now, please listen to the first poem: Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen. (Sung by Peter Pears and conducted by Benjamin Britten with the Melos Ensemble. Kind permission: Decca Record Company Limited, London.)

26. Anthem for Doomed Youth What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle. Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries for them from prayers or bells, Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,-- The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

27. What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes. The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall; Their flowers the tenderness of silent minds, And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds. (Chorus after the poem) Kyrie eleison. (Lord, have mercy upon us.) Christe eleison. (Christ, have mercy upon us.) Kyrie eleison.

28. My Friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: “Sweet and fitting it is to die for one’s country.” --Wilfred Owen Back

29. Anti-war Masterpieces: NOVEL All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen Nichts Neues) (1929)

30. All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen nichts Neues) • Written by Erich Maria Remarque • Published in 1929 • A bestseller of the 20th Century • Critics praised it as— “The Great World War I Novel”

31. Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) German. He himself also experienced the reality of battlefield, just like Wilfred Owen. He began as a teacher after demobilizing, and his writing career began one year later. “All Quiet on the Western Front” is his most successful work.

32. Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) Because of criticizing German politicians, Nazi not only banned his books, but also deprived him of his citizenship, and even accused him of pacifism. In 1932, Remarque moved to Switzerland and then to the U.S. in 1939, where he became a citizen in 1947.

33. All Quiet on the Western Front Remarque published this book in 1929, but at first was rejected by one publisher. However, it sold 1.2 million copies in a year. This book is a contrast to patriotic rhetoric, exposing the myth of “Supremacy of the Nation” in a quite cool style.

34. The story is about... A 19-year-old young man, Paul Baumer, and his friends were encouraged to join the army. As a soldier, he learned the hard lessons of fighting on the front and even killed an enemy soldier in his hands...

35. For the first time, Paul killed a man. He cried... “Comrade, I did not want to kill you. . . Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?If we threw away these rifles and this uniform you could be my brother just like Kat ...”

36. From this incident, he realized... “After all, War is war.”

37. During this war, he saw and experienced all of the death, the wound, and destruction in his eyes. “I am so alone, and so without hope that I can confront them without fear. The life that has borne me through these years is still in my hands and my eyes.”

38. All of Paul's friends had been killed or dead. He gave in to the isolation. He died alone in the end. This is what the author intended to tell the readers... “This book...simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war.”

39. “He had fallen forward and lay on the earth as though sleeping. Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.” --End of “All Quiet on the Western Front”

40. May the war never come again. End of Activity One

41. ACTIVITY TWO CELLO & FAMOUS CELLISTS

42. Cello: brief introduction A String Instrument Whole Length: 48 inches Length of String: 27 inches Length of Bow: 28.25 inches

43. The Anatomy of Cello tuning pegs(琴軫) belly/front(面板) strings(弦) f-hole(f型孔) bridge(琴橋)

44. The left side is violin, and the right side cello. It’s clear to know the different size of these two popular string instrument. Of course, it’s impossible for a cello player to “put” cello on his shoulder.

45. The first cello appeared in the begging of 16th century with the name “Viole da Braccio.” At first, there was only three strings on cello. Later on, there were cellos with four, five and six strings. In 1710, the standard anatomy of cello was initially set up. The cello we see today showed in 18th century.

46. In the orchestra, oftentimes cello and its twin double bass play the basement melody of a music piece. However, due to its abundantly expressive ability, composers write many beautiful tunes for cello. Let’s listen to a short passage of cello:

47. The Famous CellistsPablo CasalsMstislav RostropovichJacquelin Du PréYo-yo Ma

48. A Fighter of Freedom and HumanityPABLO CASALS (Spain, 1876-1979)

49. Casals is not only famous for his contribution to music, but also for his behavior against the Spanish Civil war and Francisco Franco’s regime. He refused to perform in those countries recognized Franco’s Spanish government, and exiled himself in Prades for decades. He is the one that really unearths the value of Bach’s 6 Unaccompanied Cello Suites, which is acknowledged his greatest contribution to classical music.

50. His playing is full of expression and less rigid than that of his contemporaries. Briefly, his performance is full of emotion and unparalleled richness of color, sentiment and beauty. His approach to a piece is mostly “romantic,” especially his Bach repertoire. It’s easy to misunderstand that cello is easy to play through his performance, because he develops a simpler technique of cello playing.