CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

History/ Background of Work and Composer

Three lyric songs of Russia are presented in Russian Folk Fantasy, a work
composed/arranged in 1997 by Anne McGinty. The first song, Troika Rushing depicts a man
riding in town on a troika, which is a three-horse-drawn vehicle, riding along the Volga River. He
is pondering the sad truth of losing his love to another man. The second song, Down Along the
Mother Volga visualizes a great storm with a sailboat in the distance on the longest and largest
river in Russia. A quick transition song is used called the Song of the Volga Boatman which
again transitions quickly into Kalinka, which is about a boyfriend meeting his girlfriend at the
snowball bush. This song specifically is known to have been written in 1860 by the composer and
folklorist Ivan Larionov. The kalinka referred to in this songs text is a specific kind of berry.

Composing over 225 works for band, orchestra, flute, and flute ensemble, Anne McGinty
is a prolific composer and arranger for many instrumental settings along with this arrangement
of Russian Folk Fantasy. McGintys career has consisted of attendance at Ohio State, performing
with the Arizona Symphony Orchestra, and receiving her Bachelor in flute performance, music
theory, and composition at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. McGinty was the first
woman composer to ever be commissioned to compose for the United States Army Band, and
helped publish the first flute choir series through Hansen Publications in Miami Beach, Florida.

"Queenwood/Kjos Publications." Queenwood/Kjos Publications. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.

Edmondson, John. Queenwood Developing Band Book No. 7. San Diego: Queenwood/Kjos, n.d.
Print.
DMSWebs. Heres the Mail Troika Rushing. Leonid Kharitonov, 2009. Audio Recording. 13 Oct.
2016.

CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

Russian Folk Fantasy: Score Analysis
Troika Rushing:

Meter

2/4

Key

Cm:
i

Tempo

Allegro (112)

Duration

Mm. 1-2

V
(HC)

V-i-V-i

vii-i

vi4/3-V6/4-i
(PAC)
rit

Mm. 3-6

Mm. 7-10

Mm. 11-12

Mm. 13-16

Mm. 17-18

Mm. 19-22

Melody

-Flute
-Cornet/ Tpt
1
-Bells

-Flute
-Oboe
-Alto Sax
-Cornet/ Tpt
1
-F Horn
-Bells

-Oboe
-Clarinet 2
-Alto Sax
-Cornet/ Tpt
2
-F Horn

-Flute
-Clarinet 1
-Cornet/ Tpt
1
-Bells

-Oboe
-Flute
-Clarinet 1
-F Horn

-Flute
-Cornet/ Tpt
1
-Bells

Texture

ALL

All but bells

Style

-March-like

-Suspended/
Resting

-Faster
Harmonic
Rate

-separated
-trotting
Dynamics

mf

Down Along the Mother Volga:

Meter

4/4

Key

Cm
Ends with lead- in deceptive
cadence into Song of the
Volga Boatman

Tempo

Slowly (72)

Duration

Mm. 22-23

Melody

Texture

-Suspended cymbal
transition.

Style

-Heavier, like boat in water.

Dynamics

mf (warmer)

Mm. 24-27

Mm. 28-30

-Clarinet
-Alto Sax
-F Horn

-Cornet/ Tpt

-Melody supported by long

pulling lines in other
instruments, similar to ebb
and flow of river.

CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

Song of the Volga Boatman

Meter

4/4

Key

Cm
V

III-i

Tempo

rit

Duration

Mm. 30-32

Mm. 33-34

Melody

-Clarinet
-Alto Sax
-Bells

Texture

Thin texture, brass drops out and

woodwinds take melody.

Style

-Longing connected style.

-Foreshadowing future transition to Eb

Major

-Echoing on melody creates further

sense of longing.
Dynamics

Kalinka (Little Snowball Bush)

Meter

2/4

Key

Cm
V---i----V----i

Tempo

Slowly,
gradually
getting faster
(66-132)

Duration

Mm. 35-42

Melody

-Cornet/ Tpt
-Bells

Texture

EbM
I-------------V
(HC)

V/III

rit

Mm. 43-47

I-----------V/vi
Cm: V

-Emphasis on
the downbeat

Dynamics

mf

(PAC)

Slowly (66)

A little faster
(76)

Slowly,
gradually get
faster (66-152)

Mm. 48-55

Mm. 56-63

Mm. 64-79

Mm. 80-83

-Flute
-Oboe
-Cornet/ Tpt
-F Horn

-Flute
-Oboe
-Clarinet
-Alto Sax*
-Bells

-Flute
-Clarinet
-Alto Sax
-Cornet/ Tpt
-Bells

-Tambourine
first entrance.

Style

Cm
V4/2--------i
(repeats
multiple times)

Texture builds
after first
repeat, adding
in clarinet and
alto sax, and
removing bells.

mf>

p-mp..mf-f

CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

Lesson Plan #1

Content and Achievement Standards

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
7.1.1 Sing independently and in ensembles maintaining good breath control, pitch, diction, tone quality,
and posture.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied
repertoire of music.
7.2.1 Play melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns by rote and by reading.
Concepts
Tonality: Relative Minor
Objectives
Students will be able to
Define Relative Minor
Sing La based minor scale
Play La based minor scale
Play mm. 1-12 of Russian Folk Fantasy
Materials
Baton
Russian Folk Fantasy Score
Clarinet
Procedure
Question: Who is your favorite relative?
Teacher asks a few students who their favorite relative is, and talks about her favorite relative. Has
students remember that question for later.
Teacher has students echo chunks of concert Eb Major scale, singing and fingering
Do-Mi
Mi-So
So-Do
Do-Do
Lower instruments: Hold resting tone and 3rd
Everyone else plays concert Eb Major scale
Teacher holds resting tone with bass instruments.
Teacher brings students from Do (major) to La (minor)
Teacher has students sing resting pitch as Do
Teacher has students audiate down to La
Teacher has students sing La and see if they match teachers resting pitch
PROMPT: We are going to do a scale with the same notes, but starting on la
La-Do
Do-Mi
Mi-La
La-La
Lower instruments: Hold resting tone and 3rd
Everyone else plays new concert Eb Major scale
Teacher holds resting tone with bass instruments
QUESTION:
Are we using any different notes from our original key signature? (No)

CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

Does it sound different when we are playing? How? (Sad/ Dark/ Lonely)
Teacher explains Relative Minor:
When we take a major scale and use all of the same notes, but start on La we get what we can our
relative minor. We call it a relative minor because it is related to our major- it has all of the same keys.
We were talking earlier about how we have a favorite relative. We are related to them in some way, even
though we dont look or sound exactly the same. This is similar to our relative minor scale- intervals are
changing, making some notes lower, such as our 3rd note, 6th note, and 7th note. But the scales are made
of the same notes which makes them related.
Teacher has students open to #10: Russian Folk Fantasy
QUESTION:
What key signature are we looking at?
What would be the relative minor? (La)
Have students play up to la in concert Eb Major: C Minor
PROMPT: Lets find out what key we are in. the first chord shows us!
Teacher has students hold their first note, and teacher spells out the chord.
Concert C Minor! We are in the relative minor of concert Eb Major!
Teacher has students play through mm. 1-12 (MACRO)
Teacher breaks down which sections sound like they need attention. (ex: articulation/ notes)
Teacher has students play through mm. 1-12. (MACRO)
Teacher Reviews content:
QUESTION:
Was this in major or minor?
What type of minor?
What is it relative to?
How are they related?
Assessment
Formative: Teacher walks around the classroom, listening for note accuracy, intonation, and articulation
style. The teacher also plays notes on the clarinet after the students have audiated and sang to assure that
the note the students are singing/ playing is correct. Finally, the teacher asks questions to a variety of
students to assure they are understanding the relationship between a major scale, and its relative minor
scale.
Follow Up Lesson
The following lesson will focus on C minor again, as well as balance in Down the Mother Vulga.

Lesson Plan #2

Content and Achievement Standards

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
7.1.1 Sing independently and in ensembles maintaining good breath control, pitch, diction, tone quality,
and posture.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied
repertoire of music.
7.2.1 Play melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns by rote and by reading.

CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

Concepts
Balance
Objectives
Students will be able to
Define balance
Determine who has the melody
Balance low voices to support melody
Discuss musical elements in recording and performance in regard to balance
Materials
Baton
Russian Folk Fantasy Score
Clarinet
Recording of Russian Folk Fantasy
Procedure
Teacher has students assemble instruments/ soak reeds while they listen to a choral recording of Down
Along the Mother Volga
Prompt: I want you all to listen to this recording two times. The first time you will listen for the melody.
The 2nd time you will hum along with the melody if you think you have discovered it, and try and
determine what the story of this piece is, even if you dont understand the words.
Teacher has students sing the melody together on Pa syllable without recording.
Question: What do you think the story is for this song?
Teacher has 2 individual students explain what they thought the story could have been.
Teacher explains the actual history:
Down Along the Mother Volga visualizes a great storm with a sailboat in the distance. Let us all sing
the melody together again on Pa. I will be doing something different.
Teacher plays the resting tone while the students sing the melody.
Question: What was I doing while you sang the melody? (Singing the resting tone)
Teacher switches roles with students- students play resting tone, and teacher plays melody.
Question: Did that sound similar or different to the recording we listened to? How? (Different, melody
was covered up).
Question: How do we solve this issue? (resting tone plays softer).
Students repeat activity, playing resting tone softer while teacher plays melody.
Prompt: What we are working on is balance. Balance is how loud or soft instruments play in relation to
each other, depending on the role that their part plays.
Prompt: Lets work on balance with one of our most important melodies in music- our scales!
Eb Major
Work down (Do-Ti-La) to C minor.
C Minor
Teacher plays resting tone throughout, reemphasizing the focus on balance so the students dont overplay
an amount that they cant hear the resting tone.
Teacher has students open to page 10.
Discuss roadmap: key signature, time signature, confusing fingerings
Sight read measure 22-30
Question: Sing the melody we sang earlier- who has the melody in this section? (Clarinet, Alto Sax, F
Horn, Cornet/ Tpt)
Prompt: Lets try playing again and focus on hearing the melody.
Teacher works with students who do not play melody:
Question: If you do not play melody, what is your purpose? (support melody)

CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

Question: How did the singers in the recording support the melody? (intonation, balance within
harmonies and dynamics in bass).
Have students support themselves as the melody supporters by focusing on intonation, and playing like
the supporting singers in the recording.
Teacher works with students who play melody:
Question: Melody players, do you still need to listen to the players who support you? (Yes! They have
worked very hard to play in tune. You must also play in tune and balance to them!)
Have students who play melody listen to each other and play through their part one time.
Prompt: Now that we have balanced to our individual sections, lets balance the melody and the
supporting material together.
Teacher has the students play thinking about balance
Teacher has students play again, thinking about the recording and about the picture of a boat out in a
storm on the water.
Teacher addresses executive skills that may need adjustment such as feet on the floor, hand position,
breathing, and correct notes.
Students play through the whole section one last time.
Assessment
Students will be formatively assessed through participation in questioning and conversation. As well,
students will be assessed through the teacher walking and checking executive skills, intonation in smaller
instrumental sections, and overall balance within the ensemble.

Follow Up Lesson
The following lesson will focus on learning Kalinka and tempo changes within pieces.

Lesson Plan #3 (Comprehensive Musicianship)

Content and Achievement Standards
1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
7.1.1 Sing independently and in ensembles maintaining good breath control, pitch, diction, tone quality,
and posture.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied
repertoire of music.
7.2.1 Play melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns by rote and by reading.
Concepts
Accelerando
Objectives
Students will be able to...
Perform Kalinka mm. 56-83
Successfully accelerando through sections increasing speed
Explain history of Kalinka
Explain history of American Folk Song
Show accelerando applied to american folk song.
Materials
Baton

CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

Russian Folk Fantasy Score

Clarinet
Cell phones/ laptops
Procedure
Teacher has students echo on solfege:
Fa-Re-Mi-Fa-/Re-Mi-Fa-Mi-Re-Do (solfege to melody 64 to the end)
Increase speed with full phrase
Play key on piano and say key.
Question: What is our concert starting pitch? (key:concert Cm, starting pitch: concert F)
Teacher has students echo on instrument
Same process
Question: What are we doing to our tempo? (getting faster!)
When we gradually get faster in this way, we call it an accelerando.
Teacher has students change rhythm slightly.
Uses rhythms from mm. 64-79
Students play
Question: Was the first or 2nd phrase different? (2nd- dotted rhythm).
Students play
Teacher echos back and forth increasing speed.
Teacher has students play, increasing speed through conducting.
Question: How else can we increase the intensity of speeding up aside from tempo? (dynamics)
Teacher has students increase dynamic as they speed up their tempo.
Teacher explains Russian folk song:
Prompt: The musical idea we are playing here is from the Russian Folk Song, Kalinka. This folk song is
about a boy meeting his girlfriend at the snowball bush. Everyone put your hand on your heart. Do you
feel your heartbeat? Imagine you were going to see a friend you hadnt seen in a while and you got really
excited- your heart would slowly and then really quickly speed up its beat. That is similar to what this
piece is doing! What was the other word we used for speed up tempo in a piece? (accelerando).
Question: Can anyone name an American Folk song?
Twinkle twinkle little star
Mary had a little lamb
This Old Man
Prompt: In groups of 3, I want you to get together and choose one of these folk songs. Use your phone or
laptop to look up the history of this piece. As well, use the next 10 minutes to figure out where you want
the dynamics and speed to change, and why. Have a story like we had for Kalinka.
Teacher gives students 10 minutes to work within groups and walks around to check progress on
accelerando capability and stories.
Teacher has students each play their creation for the class.
Stories will not be read to conserve time, but each group will begin following class periods by presenting
their creation and the history of their folk song.
Teacher has students open to Russian Folk Fantasy, mm. 36.
Question: Where do we start our accelerando?
Question: Do our dynamics change?
Is there anything else we need to make sure we see besides dynamics and tempo? (key signature, repeat
signs)
Teacher has students play through 56-83
Executive skills are addressed, and teacher reminds students that they know the main melody from the
beginning of class. Students play through one more time.
Teacher collects notes and marked up sheets from group work.

CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

Assessment
A summative assessment is utilized through the collection and physical work demonstrated on the
handout. The item is analyzed for use of dynamic and accelerando markings/ decisions.
Formative assessments are provided through the teacher walking around during group work and assessing
knowledge of accelerando, and use of dynamics. As well the teacher regularly checks executive skills and
assures many students are participating in conversational questions.

Follow Up Lesson
One group will present their history and interpretation of their folk song, and the class will play
through all sections from beginning to end of Russian Folk Fantasy.

Assessment:
Through my lesson plans, I have addressed that students will be assessed both
formatively and summatively. Students will be consistently assessed through
observations of executive skills. When walking around the room, I would do my part to
assure feet are flat on the ground, backs are lifted from the back of chairs, and correct
posture is assumed by students when addressed. Further, I will always go about
assessing the intonation and participation of all students, making sure each student is
producing a sound and if so it is gaining proper intonation, endurance, and support.
Other key factors of formative assessment, such as note accuracy and tone production,
can be noted through listening to the ensemble and assuring that all notes sound slotted
and accurate for each specific piece.
When not focusing on executive skills in performance, I will also be formatively
assessing students through questions periodically throughout class. Some of these
questions will be open ended and invoke creative thought, and other questions will have
a clear answer. These questions will at times be directed at specific students, and at other
times open to the floor.

CMUP: Russian Folk Fantasy

For my summative assessment, I have chosen to have the students hand in an
edited copy of a folk song for lesson plan #3. This annotated folk song will act as a tool
for me to see if the students are grasping how to incorporate accelerando and proper
dynamic markings in their music, as well as discover the history of their folk song
through resources such as the internet. This assessment will allow me to have a visual
confirmation of student knowledge not only through discussion, but through application
and communication with others.