Whimsical Woodwinds and Boisterous Brass Woodwinds and Brass    

Lesson 4: Flute - The Magic Flute, K. 620 - Overture (0:00-6:41)

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Performer: Musopen Symphony

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Listen to the music daily.
• Recite the composer and composition names.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the instrument or topic category.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

This lesson completes the study of the flute, a woodwind instrument. The musical composition for this lesson, 'The Magic Flute, K. 620 - Overture,' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, features the flute. As you enjoy the music (The Overture is between 0:00-6:41.), identify the sounds of the flute. 'The Magic Flute' is an opera in which three ladies rescue a prince from a dangerous serpent. If desired, review the sound of the lone solo flute playing in Lesson 1.

Vocabulary

Overture: An orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, suite, play, oratorio, or other extended composition.
Opera: A dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers and instrumentalists.

Category

1. Music lessons group musical instruments into five major categories: strings, keyboards, percussion, woodwinds, and brass.
2. Woodwind instruments in an orchestra typically include flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons.
3. Woodwind instruments produce sound when the musician blows across an opening or through a tube to vibrate air inside the instrument.
4. Most woodwind instruments incorporate a reed to produce their distinctive sounds. Study the two reeds.

5. Reeds are attached to the mouthpiece of instruments, where musicians blow to vibrate the reed and the air inside the instrument.

6. Woodwind instruments also have keys or open holes that musicians press to alter the sound. See the keys on the flute and both keys and holes on the clarinet.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Review the Parts of a Flute

Study the parts on the labeled picture of the flute.

Activity 2: Review How to Hold and Play a Flute

Examine the picture of the flutist and answer the following questions:

• How does the flutist use her right hand?
• How does the flutist use her left hand?
• What do the flutist's fingers press down?
• How does the flutist use her mouth and lips?
• How does the flutist change which sounds the flute plays?

Activity 3: Quiz Yourself: Identify Flute Parts

Quiz yourself, and identify the following parts from memory on the flute:

• Embouchure Hole
• Head Joint
• Middle Joint
• Foot Joint
• Keys

Activity 4: Can You Find It?

Study the image, 'Mozart Directing Imaginary Actors from the Operas Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute,' by Austrian painter Carl Joseph Geiger, and find the following:

• Mozart
• Woman Playing Flute
• Floating Actors and Actresses
• Books
• Piano
• Piano Bench
• Sheet Music
• Quill
• Clouds or Mist

Review

Question 1

What are the five major categories of instruments listed in the lesson?

1 / 6

Answer 1

The five major categories of instruments are strings, keyboards, percussion, brass, and woodwinds.

1 / 6

Question 2

Which instrument category does this lesson feature?

2 / 6

Answer 2

This lesson features the woodwind category.

2 / 6

Question 3

Which instrument does this lesson feature?

3 / 6

Answer 3

This lesson features the flute.

3 / 6

Question 4

What are the major parts of the flute?

4 / 6

Answer 4

Major parts of the flute include the embouchure hole, the head joint, the middle joint, the foot joint, and the keys.

4 / 6

Question 5

How do musicians create different sounds with woodwinds?

5 / 6

Answer 5

Musicians press woodwind keys or open holes to create different sounds. They also change how hard they blow to manipulate the volume.

5 / 6

Question 6

Is an overture at the beginning or end of an opera?

6 / 6

Answer 6

An overture is at the beginning of an opera.

6 / 6

❮ ❯

1. What are the five major categories of instruments listed in the lesson? The five major categories of instruments are strings, keyboards, percussion, brass, and woodwinds.
2. Which instrument category does this lesson feature? This lesson features the woodwind category.
3. Which instrument does this lesson feature? This lesson features the flute.
4. What are the major parts of the flute? Major parts of the flute include the embouchure hole, the head joint, the middle joint, the foot joint, and the keys.
5. How do musicians create different sounds with woodwinds? Musicians press woodwind keys or open holes to create different sounds. They also change how hard they blow to manipulate the volume.
6. Is an overture at the beginning or end of an opera? An overture is at the beginning of an opera.

References

'Woodwind instrument.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Flute.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.