Martin's Monologe aus Jedermann What is a Song Cycle? What is a song cycle? Ask your students to think of songs that tell a story through many verses. [Frog He Went a Courtin’, Don Gato, etc.] A song cycle is a series of songs that tell a story or have a unifying theme. Frank Martin composed a song cycle based on Hugo von Hoffmannsthal’s play Jedermann (Everyman). The lyrics are all from monologues delivered by the main character. Martin chose six monologues which form a sort of summary of the play. Each of these were meant to stand on its own, yet still be part of a whole. In what ways could your students take a song that tells a story and break it up into several songs? [sing each verse more separately, make a new melody for each verse, make the music suit the mood of each new verse, etc.] Working from a literary source: how do we get started? Have your students select a familiar story, play, or epic style poem (i.e. The Arrival of Paddington, Casey at Bat). Quickly skim a portion of the text and make a list of some important, descriptive, or interesting sounding words. Ask your students to assign musical choices to each word or its association. For instance, what kinds of sounds might evoke “sticky”? Which instrument(s) might best represent Casey? Encourage your students to be as imaginative and detailed as possible. Can we create something? Using the selected literary source, quickly make a four to six panel storyboard with captions. Ask your students to create music for each storyboard panel individually. What sounds might best portray this segment’s character(s), mood, setting, and action? Will the caption words make a nice melody, be rhythmic and punctuated, whispered and scary? Perform these musical panels once in order and again shuffled. Do your students think each of their musical storyboard panels could be its own separate piece of music? Why or why not? Have your students record the process they used, the results produced, and their general impressions in journals. Listening to the broadcast Listen to the Time Warner Presents: The New York Philharmonic Live! radio broadcast of Frank Martin’s Sechs Monologe aus Jedermann and again via recording if possible. How did the activities enhance your students’ abilities to listen to sung text? Even though the text is in German were your students able to get a sense of the story through the music? What musical elements did your students find helpful in this way? None of these songs seem to contain a clear, memorable melody. Do your students think this is appropriate for the text? Why or why not? Writer: Catherine Beeson	Philharmonic On-The-Air AOL Time Warner Presents: The New York Philharmonic Live! Martin's Monologe aus Jedermann What is a Song Cycle?