CMP Teaching Plan

Brooklynn Jones

Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal

Arranged by Alice Parker
Robert Shaw – 2:14 Minutes

Broad Description
● Originally a spiritual that was arranged by Alice Parker

● Repeated chorus

● Fun changing rhythms in altos & basses

● Wonderful grand ending

Contextual Information About the Composer (include a photo of the composer)

Alice Parker is a famous composer who has conducted, taught, and arranged for the past 70 years. She founded her own company
called Melodious Accord and she uses that foundation to show others the amazing benefits of music. She has more than 400 works
that include folksongs, spirituals cantatas and song cycles. She uses famous poems and texts and works with her former teacher Robert
Shaw.

Contextual Information About the Composition (curate information and ask WHY?)
To put it simply, Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal is a happy song about death. The text is related to the book of Revelations in the Bible.
In the song, the singer is approaching death, and they feel at rest and joyful because they now can enter heaven. Originally, the song
was written in shape notes and attributed to F.R. Warren. Then, Alice Parker made the well-known arrangement that is performed
today.

Instrumentation
A‘Capella

Elements of Music
Measure Meter and Form Melody Rhythm Harmony Timbre Texture
Tempo
Soprano: Starts and ends Some Alto, Tenor & Lots of March like
Pickup- 3/2
on Do, mostly outlines a syncopation, Bass: diction
Through Firmly A
major 1 chord, heavy very Brighter
2nd repeat Swinging
beats – tenuto repetitive,
Soprano & Tenor Starts with a Meant to have Sweet and Smooth legato
(Octaves): Outlines major pick-up, great bright in the in melody.
1 and 4 chords, fluid and Melody: dynamics, melody. Full Study and
8-16 Ditto B
floats some really moves rounded solid (with
syncopation the beat sound in the tenuto) in the
forward. harmonies. harmonies.
Melody: same as first A. I Syncopation Pushes the Melody: The harmony
would add altos to the in both melody Floats functions in
soprano line. voices forward with sweetly the same
lots of diction. above the capacity as the
17-24 Ditto A harmonies. last section.
Harmony:
Full
rounded
sounds
25-29 Ditto B Sopranos start first then Instead of The harmony Righteous Added
the tenors are a beat half and evolves into a full brighter rhythmic
behind in the round. IN whole notes more difficult sounds texture with
measure 28 sopranos syncopation rhythm from the
switch lines so that alto 1s is added to the previous B syncopation in
has melody and sopranos the harmony section. Also, the harmonies
has harmony. adds splits in as well as the

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 both the alto round created
and tenor. by the tenors.
All parts except for the Same as Alto 1 and Bass Ditto The separate
tenors have a split. Bass previous ones give their parts (and
1s take the melody in the section harmony to their
2nd measure Sopranos and switching)
tenors create a great
30-33 Ditto B
contrast to the
chord that all
of the voices
land end the
measure with.
Melody is transferred to Melody: Simple Descant The descant
Bass 1s as th soprano same as the stepwise solo: provides a
soloist sings the melody previous motion and warmer new more
from section B. sections whole notes than tenuto
Harmony: previous element to
whole notes sections but this section.
– much not dark.
33-40 Ditto A simpler than Melody:
the previous Warm but
syncopation not dark, full
sturdy
sound.
Harmony:
open hum
not nasal.
40-48 Ditto B All voices are in a round The same The Basses Righteous With all of the
with their corresponding rhythm as start the same full brighter parts in a
‘partner’ Tenors take the the previous harmony from sounds round, it
first chorus and the B section the last B creates this
soprano wait a measure to section and the cacophony of
start the same chorus. Altos wait two sound. Which

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 beats then they gives the piece
start their a feeling of
same harmony organized
from the chaos. Then
previous B peace is
section. restored when
all parts end
on the same
chord in the
final measure.
Both Sopranos and Tenors Ditto Both Altos and Ditto Though the
are back to singing at the Basses are texture is
same time back to singing simpler than
at the same the previous
time section,
having the
48-54 Ditto B
melody and
the harmony
being sung
together gives
it a sense of
strength.
Pick-up to Ritardando B Melody is in the soprano All parts Altos, Tenors Ditto With the parts
55-56 beginning at but the rhythm is changed have the and Basses singing
55 until the so there is no same sing in together is
end syncopation. rhythm rhythmic gives a sense
except for a unison with of stability
resolution in the Sopranos. and
the 1st bass. There is a cohesiveness.
slight variation
in the bass
harmony from
previous B

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 sections.

Why Teach This Piece?

Element Summaries:

Form
On a broader level this piece has two sections that make up the form of the piece. It is in AB form which repeats throughout the
entirety of this song. Within the A (Verse) and B (Chorus) sections are parallel periods. Both periods in the A section end on
tonic. However, the first part of the B section ends on a 6 chord and then the second period ends on tonic.

Rhythm
There is consistent syncopation throughout this entire piece. Ther is simple syncopation in the melody, and it gets more
complicated and advanced as the harmonic lines evolve during the piece.

Melody
The melody Almost always is in the soprano. The tenors also have the melody during most choruses. The basses get the
melody for a verse and the altos sing the melody for a couple bars. The melody represents the ascent into heaven which is a
beautiful text painting. As we talk about nearing heaven and its entrance we are in the lower part of the voices. Then, as we
sing hallelujah, they stay in the higher part of the voice’s registers.

Harmony
The harmony is one of the most interesting parts of this piece. As the piece progresses, the rhythm in the harmony evolves and
adds syncopation. We start out with half and whole notes. Then we add some syncopation with dotted quarter notes and eight
notes in the 2nd verse. Then, in the 2nd chorus we get the last form of the rhythm. Then we simplify it in the last two parts to
accentuate the last cadence.

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Timbre
Much of the piece stays in the same color. This piece really has a whole, righteous, full, resonant sound to it. There is also a
feeling of steady beats that is comparable to a marching sound. The first verse introduces the overall sound of the piece which
is the marching sounds. Then, the sopranos give the verse a sweet, soaring, floating sound. The baritones, however, give more
of a grounded less bright tone. Then the chorus feels full and grand and whole.

Texture
The texture of this piece is interesting in the sense of how they put different elements of the piece together. For example,
starting at measure 40, all of the parts sing in a round. It creates a sense of chaotic-ness as well as cacophony of sound. This
can represent all of the different people from around the world entering heaven. Then, they are all unified as they enter
heaven at the end of the section, at the cadence.

Text
The differentiation and contrast come with the verses of this piece because the chorus repeats. The verses talk about the
journey/ascension to heaven. The first verse talks about hearing harps and the music of heaven so, the speaker is not yet in
heaven. Crossing waters is another element of the text that is repeated. This can be a nod to Greek mythology and having the
cross the river Styx to go to the afterworld. However, this text comes from the bible and refers to the Christan God. There are
many references to Jesus and God. For example, the text uses the term lamb (Jesus), and Great I am (God.) The text also
describes sorrows fading and joy as the speaker enters heaven. The chorus praises God and Jesus with hallelujahs. At the end
of the piece, since the chorus has been repeated twice, the closing chorus could symbolize finally being in heaven.

The Heart Statement

The evolution of texture, and how creates a sense of tension and chaotic energy through a round, and the release, when all
voices land on the same chord, represents the chaotic energy of life and how, at the end of the day, we are all united in life.

Introducing the Piece

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Affective Outcome
Students will critique their performance, specifically how they sang each A & B section, and create goals that correlate to contrasting
colors and dynamics.

Strategies
1. Students will draw different shapes/lines with different colors that correlate to how they sounded when they performed the
piece

Assessment
Prompt: Please critique your own performance as well as the ensemble as a whole by describing a specific phrase/section of the piece.
In addition, create two goals for the next concert using the smart method. Then, create a graph to interpret the different colors we used
in a piece. Describe in detail which color represents what vocal color.
Rubric:
0 – The student did not write in their journal
1 – The student did not include two of the criteria (Review of performance, goals or color graph)
2 – The student did not include one of the criteria (Review of performance, goals or color graph)
3 – The student made a non-specific & non-descript comment about the whole piece (EX: it was good). The student create a
goal without using the smart method. They made a graph but did not include what color represented what vocal color.
4 – The student critiqued the performance but did not reference one phrase/section. They created one goal using the smart
method. They gave general descriptions of what color represented what vocal color they heard during a performance.
5 – The student critiqued their own performance as well as the ensemble and they specifically pointed out one phrase/section.
They created two goals using the smart method. The student thoroughly explained what color represented what vocal color they heard
during their performance.

Skill Outcome
Students will differentiate between the Christian and Greek religious references in the text.

Strategies
1. Students will move to the right side of the room if the reference is Christian and to the left if it is Greek.

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Assessment

Assessment: Multiple choice questions

1.) What religion is referenced in this line?
Glory to the great I am
Greek Mythology or Christianity
2.) What religion uses the river Styx cross over after death?
Greek Mythology or Christianity
3.) What religion is referenced in this line?
Ringing on the farther shore, As I near those swollen waters, With their deep and solemn roar.
Greek Mythology or Christianity
4.) What religion is referenced in this line?
Hallelujah praise the lamb
Greek Mythology or Christianity
5.) The deities of both religions use harps.
True or False

Knowledge Outcome
Students will apply their previous knowledge of dynamics in order to create different colors and dynamic contrast in the piece.

Strategies
1. Students will come up with different movements for the A & B section. Then, they will modify the move for each of the
repeats of each section.

Assessment

Assessment: In their small groups, they will sing for me a passage from our rep.

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Rubric:
0-5 Points: The students sang the correct words, notes & rhythms
0 – The student did not sing
1 – The student sang all of words, notes and rhythms incorrectly
2 – The student sang the majority of the piece incorrectly
3 – The student made 5 or more mistakes in their performance
4 – The student made one or two mistakes in their performance
5 - The student sang the correct words, notes & rhythms
0-5 Points: The students used dynamics in their performance to create contrast
0 – The student did not sing
1 – The student sang the entire piece at one dynamic level
2 – The student sang with little to no dynamic change
3 – The student sang with incorrect dynamics
4 – The student sang with dynamics however, there was not much contrast between the different sections.
5 - The student sang with great dynamic contrast and used the correct dynamics

Recommended Recordings (with URLs)

1.

References

Works for Winds

Glossary of Terms

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Sang through, studied, and marked parts (check off as completed)

Piccolo Cornets/Trumpets 1st Violins

Flutes Horns 2nd Violins
Oboes Trombones Violas
English Horn Euphoniums Celli
Bassoons Tubas String Bass
Eb Clarinet Harp
Clarinets Timpani
Alto Clarinets Snare Drum Sopranos
Bass Clarinets Mallet Percussion Altos
Contra Bass/Alto Clarinet Remaining Percussion Tenors
Saxophones Piano Basses

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