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The History of the Development of Public School Music in Taylor County, Texas
The first of any formal education in music that can be found from the records or from the memories of those who were present at the time was the singing school. One ranch in the Blair community has files in which records were found of all import ant events of the school and community life. These files relate the coming of the singing school regularly every summer. Shaped notes were taught front hymn books. At the end of the course, a certificate was given to those who graduated. The teacher of the school then moved on to the next engagement.
Planning a Sound High School Testing Program
A major consideration in this study has been given to the establishment of the criteria by which the soundness of a testing program could be evaluated as its role in the secondary school. This problem was limited to the planning and administering of a progressive and comprehensive long-range testing program designed to meet the needs and problems common to most school administrators within the economic limits of a small high school. It was not the purpose of this study to anticipate the problems peculiar to particular teachers, high schools, or localities. However, the testing program if properly directed will result in the formation of subsidiary testing programs undertaken by particular teachers or groups of teachers for the purpose of throwing light on the specific problems raised by a large general testing program.
A Study of Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin
Ravel' s "Tombeau de Couperin," a suite for piano, was published in 1918 by Durand. Its first performance was in the Salle Gaveau in Paris in April, 1919. Shortly afterwards Ravel scored four of the six movements of the piano suite for small orchestra, composed of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horns in pairs, English horn, trumpet, harp, and strings, The new version was introduced in America in 1920. The four orchestrated movements, Prelude, Forlane, Menuet, and Rigaudon, have no programmatic content and the titles identify the forms used. "Le Tombeau de Couperin" is a souvenir of World War I. Each movement is dedicated to the memory of a French soldier fallen in battle. The "Tombeau" form dates from the seventeenth century and is a musical "homage" to Francois Couperin, clavecinist of Louis XIV, and one of the great names of French music. "The separate movements, cast in eighteenth century dance forms often used by Qouperin have been described as "tonal wreaths," not too somber nor too profuse, laid with tenderness on an unforgotten tomb." This piece represents Ravel's extreme effort to express himself in the simplest possible manner. The music is subtly archaic; form, line and texture artfully suggest eighteenth century, but the harmony suggests twentieth century. "A transparent serenity full of color and feeling pervades this piece of classic purity written in tribute to Ravel's fallen comrades." A study of the piano suite has been made. The pieces are charmingly and precisely orchestrated. They have been used for a ballet which will not be dealt with.
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