1. Peter and the Wolf
by Sergei Prokofiev

2. Who is Sergei Prokofiev?

3. Sergei Prokofiev was born in Sontsovka, Russia on 23 April 1891.
If he were still alive today, he would be 123 years old!
When he died on 5 March 1953, he was living in Moscow, Russia.
How old was he when he died?

4. Can you find Moscow on the map? What other countries are nearby?
The red balloon shows the approximate location of Sontsovka, where Prokofiev was born.
Can you find Moscow on the map?
What other countries are nearby?

5. Prokofiev was a pianist and a composer.
He traveled many places to study and write music, such as:
Russia at the St. Petersburg Conservatory
London, England
United States
France
Moscow, Russia

6. He composed operas, ballets, film scores, orchestral music, chamber music, piano music and vocal music.
"Peter and the Wolf" is orchestral music. This means it is played by an orchestra.

7. Lesson 1 - The instruments of the orchestra
EQ: How can you compare the instruments of the orchestra?

8. Why did Prokofiev write "Peter and the Wolf?"
The director at the Moscow Children's Musical Theater invited Prokofiev to write something. Here's what he said about it in his diary:

9. "In the spring of 1936, I started a symphonic tale for children titled 'Peter and the Wolf,' Op. 67, to a text of my own. Every character in the story had its own motif played each time by the same instrument ... Before each performance, the instruments were shown to the children and the themes played for them; during the performance, the children heard the themes repeated several times and learned to recognize the timbres of the different instruments. The text was read during the pauses in the music ... for me, the story was important only as a means of inducing the children to listen to the music."

10. Definition break!
opus (Op.) = when followed by a number, it identifies the chronology of the composition
motif = recurring succession of notes used to construct a theme
timbre = characteristics of sound that help you identify different instruments playing the same note

11. Let's listen to the themes for each character we will meet in Peter and the Wolf and see the instruments that play them.

12. The flute as the bird.
The flute is a member of the woodwind family of instruments.
Woodwind instruments, by definition, are made of wood and sounded by air.

13. Does it look like the flute is made of wood?

14. The oboe as the duck.
The oboe is also a member of the 
woodwind family of instruments.
It is played with a double reed.

16. The clarinet as the cat.
The clarinet is a member of the woodwind 
family of instruments.
It is played with a single reed.

20. The bassoon as the grandfather.
The bassoon is a member of the woodwind 
family of instruments.
Let's look and see if it is a single or double 
reed instrument!

22. The French horns as the wolf.
The french horn is a member of the brass 
family of instruments.

23. Brass instruments are made of a brass or a 
silver tube that flares into a bell at the end. 
They have cupped mouthpieces and usually 
have valves or slides.

24. Can you name all of the instruments?
Can you identify the bell on each instrument?
Which one has a slide instead of valves?

25. bell
The
French
horn
mouthpiece
keys

26. The string quartet as Peter.
There are four instruments in a string 
quartet and they are part of the string 
family.

27. String instruments produce sound by means 
of vibrating strings.
The string instruments in the orchestra can 
include: violin, viola, cello, double bass, 
harp and the piano.

28. smallest (highest sounding) to the largest (lowest sounding):
The String Family
smallest (highest sounding) to 
the largest (lowest sounding):
violin
viola
cello
double bass

29. piano
harp

30. A string quartet usually consists of two 
violins, a viola and a cello.
Which instrument of the string family is 
left out?
Is that instrument the highest or the lowest 
sounding?

31. The timpani and bass drum as the rifle 
shots.
The timpani and bass drum are both 
percussion instruments.

32. Percussion instruments are sounded by 
striking, shaking, plucking or scraping.
Some percussion instruments produce a 
definite pitch and others do not.
Let's listen to the sound of the timpani 
and bass drum.

34. Other percussion instruments in the orchestra
Pitched
chimes
glockenspiel
marimba
steel drums
xylophone
Not Pitched
cymbals
snare drum
gong
Other
finger 
cymbals
ratchet
tambourine
triangle
wood block

35. Let's answer the Essential Question:
How can you compare the instruments of 
the orchestra?

36. The End