CO-OP PRESS
Featuring the music of Sy Brandon
Pinocchio
Portraits (2002) An educational composition for narrator and
orchestra (3222,4331,2 perc., timp., strings) - Eleven short movements
that depict characters and
scenes from the Pinocchio story including Geppetto, Pinocchio,
Harlequin, The Fox and the Cat, The Fairy Godmother, Candlewick,
Toyland, and the Shark. There are two versions of the narrator part.
The longer version introduces the scenes and
describes how the orchestra is used to portray the story using excerpts
from the piece. The shorter version omits the demonstrations. Narration
for both versions are in the conductor's score and the parts can be
used for either version by including or omitting the excerpts. Duration
20:00/30:00 Grade 4 Score and parts $100.00
Narrator Part for 30:00 Version
Pinocchio Portraits
An Educational Composition for Narrator and
Orchestra
by Sy Brandon
Pinocchio is the story of a puppet who wants to become a real boy. Most
of you know that being a real boy is not always easy. Even though they
mean well, little children can get into a lot of trouble. However, if
your heart is pure, like Pinocchio’s, then true happiness will be
yours, even if you make some mistakes along the way.
The music of this composition describes some of the characters and
events in this marvelous story.
We begin with Geppetto the Puppet Maker. Geppetto is a proud man who
believes in hard work and a lonely man who longs for a child of his
own. His friend, Mr. Cherry, gives him a piece of wood that laughs and
cries like a child. He carves the puppet, Pinocchio, from this piece of
wood. Two parts of Geppetto’s personality are reflected in the music.
We hear Geppetto’s longing for a child, in sad and wistful music at the
beginning and the end. (Excerpt 1)
In the middle section of this movement, we hear a strong theme in
the cellos and basses that represents Geppetto’s strength of character.
(Excerpt 2)
Listen now to a portrait of “Geppetto, the Puppet Maker”. (Movement 1)
Throughout the story, Pinocchio alternates between trying to be a good
boy and getting into trouble. This movement depicts Pinocchio
getting into mischief, as children sometimes do. At the same time, it
hints at his true good nature. The second measure of Pinocchio’s theme
alternates between the happy sounding major chord that describes
Pinocchio as a good boy (Excerpt 3)
and the sad sounding minor chord representing Pinocchio the trouble
maker (Excerpt 4).
See if you can hear these two consecutive chords as the orchestra plays
Pinocchio’s theme (excerpt 5).
You will also hear part of a chromatic scale, which is a scale in half
steps (Excerpt 6).
The chromatic passage will get longer and longer each time you hear it
as it represents Pinocchio’s nose growing when he lies. Now the
orchestra will play “Pinocchio as a Scamp and Liar”. (Movement 2)
The third movement is “Geppetto, the Doting Father” and represents
Geppetto’s love for Pinocchio. The music is tender and expressive
and uses a variation of Geppetto’s longing theme from the first
movement. First, a reminder of Geppetto’s longing theme (Excerpt 7)
and now the variation (Excerpt 8).
We also hear a variation of Pinocchio’s theme as Pinocchio is the
object of Geppetto’s love (Excerpt 9).
Now listen to the entire movement. (Movement 3)
“Harlequin” is a traditional clown character that has been used in many
plays and appears as a puppet in the Pinocchio story. The music, with
its slightly unusual chord progressions and chromatic melody, depicts
Harlequin’s humorous character (Excerpt 10).
Pinocchio saves Harlequin’s life by offering himself to the
Fire-eater to use as firewood in place of Harlequin. This dramatic
moment is suggested by the music in the middle section of the piece
(Excerpt 11).
Here is the “Harlequin” movement in its entirety (Movement 4).
“The Fox and the Cat” appear in many forms throughout the story. At one
point they appear as assassins who plan to kill Pinocchio to rob him of
his money. The music has three themes that depict them first as
mysterious (Excerpt 12),
then persuasive (Excerpt 13),
and then friendly (Excerpt 14).
The movement is in arch form, which means that you hear the themes in
this order: mysterious, persuasive, friendly, persuasive, and
mysterious. (Movement 5)
Pinocchio’s Fairy Godmother appears as different characters in the
story; as the lovely girl with bright blue hair, as a dove, and as a
kindly little woman. Her caring, supportive and forgiving personality
and her magical qualities are depicted in the music. Her theme changes
key and is slightly varied to represent her different characters.
(Movement 6)
“Candlewick” is a friend of Pinocchio who lures him to Toyland.
Candlewick is lazy and unmotivated, therefore he is represented by
music that plods (Excerpt 15).
The lure of Toyland appears in the middle section with a magical theme
with rich harmony (Excerpt 16).
Listen now to the musical portrait of “Candlewick”. (Movement 7)
We continue the Pinocchio story with a portrait of “Toyland”. A short,
playful theme and syncopation represent this magical, yet sinister
place. It begins with a sinister theme built on an unsettled diminished
chord over a happier sounding outline of a major key (Excerpt 17).
Syncopated fragments of the Toyland theme from the previous movement
are heard alternating with the sinister theme (Example 18).
The syncopated fragment of the Toyland theme develops into a rollicking
theme of its own (Excerpt 19).
The sinister theme returns, but this time using only the unsettled
diminished chord, suggesting that Toyland isn’t all that it promised to
be (Excerpt 20).
Towards the end, we hear a short section of both Candlewick’s music
(Excerpt 21)
and Pinocchio’s music (Excerpt 22)
that get broken up into shorter pieces as their identity’s fade when
they change into donkeys. The final statement is a “hee-haw” from both
(Excerpt 23).
Listen now as the orchestra plays the entire portrait of “Toyland”.
(Movement 8)
“Pinocchio as a Donkey” begins with an unhappy version of Pinocchio’s
theme (Excerpt 24).
The woodwinds frequently insert the “hee-haw” sound of a donkey
(Excerpt 25).
When the tempo gets faster, it depicts Pinocchio, the donkey, at the
circus jumping through paper hoops, which is exciting to the audience,
but dangerous for Pinocchio (Excerpt 26).
At the end of this fast section, Pinocchio hurts his leg. We now hear
the unhappy transformation of Pinocchio’s theme again, this time with
an extra beat, depicting his lameness (Excerpt 27).
The movement ends with a slow descending passage in the double basses
and tuba, representing Pinocchio being thrown into the sea to drown, so
that his skin can be made into a drum (Excerpt 28).
See if you can picture this scene as the orchestra plays this movement.
(Movement 9)
While at the bottom of the sea, Pinocchio encounters a shark. The
hungry shark is depicted by a minor key and repeated ostinato
accompaniment (Excerpt 29).
When the music gets faster, we hear Geppetto’s theme in the low
instruments and Pinocchio’s theme in the high instruments because the
shark has swallowed both of them (Excerpt 30).
The orchestra will now play the portrait of “The Shark”. (Movement 10)
The final movement is a portrait of “Pinocchio as a Boy”. After all his
adventures, Pinocchio and Geppetto escape from the Shark’s stomach and
are reunited with the Fairy Godmother. This movement consists of a
restatement of themes from “Geppetto, The Doting Father” and “The Fairy
Godmother”, because Pinocchio would not have become a real boy without
their love and guidance. The movement concludes with a
restatement of Pinocchio’s music, but this time without the use of the
sad minor chord, as the happy Pinocchio has learned his lessons well.
(Movement 11)
