Shakespeare Art Song Assignment for Guitar

Shakespeare art songs
SWBAT compose a written analysis of a Shakespeare text by finding the mood and meaning in the text and conveying this in strophic song form. The goal is to use modes and minor scales to create the mood of the Renaissance era and to memorize a Shakespeare Soliloquy or Sonnet.

• Please write in Strophic form (also called "verse-repeating" or chorus form) is the term applied to songs in which all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the same music.[1] The opposite of strophic form, with new music written for every stanza, is called through-composed.[1] (10 points)
• You need to have a clear verse musical setting and choose the most important words for the chorus. (10 points)
• For this project, I’d like for you to have a strong singer in your group. I’ll try to split up the singers in the class so that each group has one. However, everyone needs to sing together while you play. This way all of you memorize the text to Shakespeare. You will not be graded on how you sing just that you do it. (10 points)
• Please have an instrumental section that is 16 measures long, with a written melody at the beginning, middle, and end of the piece that you compose. (15 points)
• The rest of your piece can be written with just chords on top of the lyrics/text. However, the vocal line should be sung in the mode the goes with chords. (10 points)
• End with a Picardy Third ( in the final chord of the song, resolve on the Major chord version of the minor key that you are in; i.e end on E instead of Em) (5 points) (Listen to this example of Renaissance Music.
• Write a paragraph (use proper grammar and complete sentences) describing the 1)meaning of the text, 2) the reason you chose to play in the key you did and what scale/mode you based your song on, and 3)explain the choices you made in your melody (leapwise, stepwise, melodic sequence) (15 points)
• Your performance, as always, needs to show 1)professionalism, 2)beautiful tone from the guitar, 3)accurate pitches and consistent strumming patterns, 4)confidence, and 5)awareness of intonation (your guitar needs to be in tune). (25 points)

Due March 11-12 (days of the performance in class)

Total Points: 100 points

This will be one of your options for the performance on March 20.
Text Options:

Hamlet - To Be or Not To Be...

As You Like It - All the world’s a stage...

King Lear - Nothing will come of nothing

Romeo & Juliet - But soft! What ...

Twelfth Night - If music be the food of love...

Sonnet 18 - Shall I compare thee…

Julius Caesar - Cassius's speech to Brutus...

Macbeth - The raven himself is hoarse… (Lady Macbeth is speaking)

Hamlet - Quintessence of Man

Henry V - Nights of Sleep

Merchant of Venice - Mark the music

As You Like It - Men have died from time to time..