I.

Teacher: Edelstein Class: Chamber Singers

Lesson:
“Ave maria,” by Anton Bruckner

Curriculum Objectives:
Provide music literacy; Sing alone and in groups music from all musical genres; Create
interdisciplinary relationships; Demonstrate appropriate stylistic expression

Learning Target(s) Objective/Essential Questions:

The singers will be able to sing the first page of the piece on a neutral syllable, with an
understanding of their role in the harmonic and antiphonal texture of the piece.

Lesson: Opening, Activities, Closing:

1. Warm-up singers, preparing them to sing in the Romantic style with large, round
singing – lots of space in the throat, raised soft palate; aw vowel; lyrical, expansive
exercises
2. Begin with the last few measures of the page, which are all simply inversions of an
A major chord, and all parts sing
a. Sing on “yaw” to embody the spirit of the thick, Romantic sound
3. Move to SSA opening on “loo,” working on pitches and rhythms, as well as
beauty of sound
4. After SSA, turn to TTBB transition, which is denser and may require a little more
attention since it requires more independence
a. If necessary, visit just tenors or just basses
5. Once upper voices and lower voices have a grasp on their respective sections,
continue thinking about the richness of sound by running the entire first page on
“yaw”
6. If they sing well on the neutral syllable, introduce the text and sing on text

Skill(s)/Technique(s)
1. Full sound with lots of air
2. Linear singing – thinking about the vocal line
3. Foreign language (Latin)

Materials/Resources Needed:
1. Sheet music
2. Piano

Assessments:
Are all pitches and rhythms correct?
What is the quality of the sound? Is it rich and warm, or is it shallow and bright?

Extensions/Homework:
Practice
Text translation

Vocabulary:
Soft palate
Romantic era

II.

Teacher: Edelstein Class: Chamber Singers

Lesson:
“Ave maria,” by Anton Bruckner

Curriculum Objectives:
Provide music literacy; Sing alone and in groups music from all musical genres; Create
interdisciplinary relationships; Demonstrate appropriate stylistic expression

Learning Target(s) Objective/Essential Questions:

The singers will be able to sing the second page of the piece on a neutral syllable, with an
understanding of their role in the harmonic and antiphonal texture of the piece.

Lesson: Opening, Activities, Closing:

1. Warm-up singers, reminding them to sing in the Romantic style with large, round
singing – lots of space in the throat, raised soft palate; aw vowel; lyrical, expansive
exercises
2. Again beginning with a section that uses all voices, start with measure m. 37 with
“nunc et in hora,” but on “yaw,” especially since they begin on a unison and
expand from there
3. From this section, move backward to m. 30 which requires more independence of
parts – start this section on “loo,” before moving to “yaw” on next section
a. Syllables parallel amount of space (but equal energy) used for piano section
and forte section (or at least, one with a crescendo)
4. Finally, move to the top of the page (m. 21), which requires the most part
independence as an antiphonal section; sing on “yaw” here as well
a. Gradually progressing the students from homophonic to polyphonic, as
well as moving from newer material to familiar material
b. If necessary, visit just upper voices or just lower voices
5. With all but the last 7 measures visited, review the ending and shape the “amen”
on text
a. Pitches are straight forward, so this is about pacing the crescendo and
descrescendo
6. If they sing well on the neutral syllable, introduce the text and sing on text

Skill(s)/Technique(s)
1. Full sound with lots of air
2. Linear singing – thinking about the vocal line
3. Foreign language (Latin)
Materials/Resources Needed:
1. Sheet music
2. Piano

Assessments:
Are all pitches and rhythms correct?
What is the quality of the sound? Is it rich and warm, or is it shallow and bright?

Extensions/Homework:
Practice
Text translation

Vocabulary:
Soft palate
Romantic era
Crescendo/diminuedo

III.

Teacher: Edelstein Class: Chamber Singers

Lesson:
“Ave maria,” by Anton Bruckner

Curriculum Objectives:
Provide music literacy; Sing alone and in groups music from all musical genres; Create
interdisciplinary relationships; Demonstrate appropriate stylistic expression

Learning Target(s) Objective/Essential Questions:

The singers will be able to properly pronounce the text, with attention to syllabic stress,
both speaking and singing.

Lesson: Opening, Activities, Closing:

1. Begin by reading the text and its translation, so they know the context of the
piece; demonstrate proper syllabic stress and Italianate Latin pronunciation
2. After a simple warm-up to get the body and voice prepared to sing, review the
piece on a neutral syllable of their choice, beginning at m. 21 to the end, which is
the more complex of the sections, and then returning to the opening measures
a. If there are any spots that need revisiting, now is the chance to do so before
adding text
3. Once secure in the sections, the students will sing on text
a. Particularly in the opening section with several consecutive quarter notes,
make sure the students are attentive to syllabic stress
i. Ask the students to underline the stressed syllables of each word
4. This syllabic stress often relates to Bruckner’s dynamics, so if they attend to the stressed syllables,
they will also be singing Bruckner’s dynamics
Skill(s)/Technique(s)
1. Full sound with lots of air
2. Linear singing – thinking about the vocal line
3. Foreign language (Latin)

Materials/Resources Needed:
1. Sheet music
2. Piano

Assessments:
Are all pitches and rhythms correct?
Is the pronunciation correct for Italianate Latin?
Are the students attentive to the syllabic stress?

Extensions/Homework:
Practice
Text translation

Vocabulary:
Soft palate
Romantic era
Italianate Latin

IV.
Teacher: Edelstein Class: Chamber Singers

Lesson:
“Ave maria,” by Anton Bruckner

Curriculum Objectives:
Provide music literacy; Sing alone and in groups music from all musical genres; Create
interdisciplinary relationships; Demonstrate appropriate stylistic expression

Learning Target(s) Objective/Essential Questions:

The singers will be able to perform the piece on text with adequate dynamic contrast and
expressivity of line and phrase.

Lesson: Opening, Activities, Closing:

1. Begin by reviewing pitches, rhythms and text as needed – begin with full choir, or
break down if necessary
2. Ask the students to form octets with S1, S2, A1, A2, etc.; hand out tights (one for
every 2 people in the group) and ask the students to tangle them in the middle
3. Following their individual parts and lines, ask the students to lean away from the
center, pulling their part of tight-tangle as they feel intensity in their part
a. Ideally, their singing will match the physical motions
 b. Ask them what they notice about the experience—other parts pulling at
different moments
4. Ask them to sing the same way, with the amount of resistance they have with their
tights, but without the physical reminder (still in circles)
5. Return to a mixed formation, so they have a sense of other parts in their ears

Skill(s)/Technique(s)
1. Full sound with lots of air
2. Linear singing – thinking about the vocal line of your part and others
3. Foreign language (Latin)

Materials/Resources Needed:
1. Sheet music
2. Piano
3. Tights/stockings/similar

Assessments:
Are all pitches and rhythms correct?
Is the pronunciation correct for Italianate Latin?
Are the students singing with proper expressive intuitions?

Extensions/Homework:
Practice
Text translation

Vocabulary:
Soft palate
Romantic era
Italianate Latin

V.
Teacher: Edelstein Class: Chamber Singers

Lesson:
“Ave maria,” by Anton Bruckner

Curriculum Objectives:
Provide music literacy; Sing alone and in groups music from all musical genres; Create
interdisciplinary relationships; Demonstrate appropriate stylistic expression

Learning Target(s) Objective/Essential Questions:

The singers will be able to perform the piece in full with attention to syllabic stress,
direction of vocal line, proper pronunciation, and stylistic appropriateness.

Lesson: Opening, Activities, Closing:

1. Remind the students of the tights activity and the interconnectedness of all parts,
singing in choir
 2. Review the piece entirely, with all elements thus far in place – text, vocal line,
syllabic stress
3. Return to singing on a neutral syllable (staccato “doo” if pitches are iffy, “yaw” if
pitches are not) to isolate vocal lines and make sure the students embody the style
of the piece
a. Romantic music is lush, rich and full of dynamic contrast—full, warm tone
for singers (“yaw” will help) and variety of musical gestures
4. Return to a mixed formation for a final run-through on text

Skill(s)/Technique(s)
1. Full sound with lots of air
2. Linear singing – thinking about the vocal line of your part and others
3. Foreign language (Latin)

Materials/Resources Needed:
1. Sheet music
2. Piano

Assessments:
Are all pitches and rhythms correct?
Is the pronunciation correct for Italianate Latin?
Are the students singing with proper expressive intuitions?
Is it stylistically appropriate?

Extensions/Homework:
Practice
Text translation

Vocabulary:
Soft palate
Romantic era
Italianate Latin