ComprehensiveMusicianshipthroughPerformance

LessonPlan
2015
Title
InVirtuteTua
Composer
GrzegorzG.Gorczycki

(ArrangerorEditor)
WilliamBausano
Instrumentation/Voicing
SATB2violins&organ
Publisher(andpublishernumber)
MarkFosterMusicCompanyMF2008

Analysis
BroadDescription
Type/Genre

BaroquestyleliturgicaltextwrittenforCatholicChurchEnsembleinCracowwhilehewas
workingastheconductorofthecathedralensemble

BackgroundInformation

Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki was in what isnow Polandeither in1665or 1667. Notmuchis
knownabout hislifeuntilhewenttostudentLiberalArtsandPhilosophyattheUniversityofPrague,and
then wenton tostudy theologyat the University of Vienna. HemovedCrakowsometimebetween1689
and 1690 whereheattendedseminaryandwasordainedonmarch22,1692. Hewasappointedtoteachat
theacademyformissionary priestsinChelmno,PomeraniabutreturnedtoCrakow2yearslaterwherehe
was appointed to curate the cathedral and conduct the orchestra at the Wawel Cathedral Chapter.
GorczyckistayedatthispostuntilhisdeathonApril30,1734.
Gorczyckiwaswellknownin Polandforhischaritableworks, aswellashismusic. Hewasvery
active in caring for the sick in thehospitalsand prisons, acted as aPenitentiary, and gave considerable
contributions during disasters and epidemics. Sweden invaded Poland during the Great Northern War
(17001721). Gorczyckibecamea hero tohispeople, continuing tocomposeandhelphispeopleduring
thewar.AfterSwedenlostthewar,GorczyckisworksbecamewildlypopularinPoland.

AdditionalChoral/InstrumentalInformation

Invirtutetua,Domine,
LaetabiturJustus:
Etsupersalutaretuum
Exsultabitvehementer.
Desideriumanimaeejus
Tribuistiei.

ElementsofMusic

Inthystrength,OLord,
Thejustmanshallrejoice:
AndinThysalvationheshall
Rejoiceexceedingly.
Thouhasgivenhimhis
Heartsdesire.(PS.20:23)


ComprehensiveMusicianshipthroughPerformance
LessonPlan
2015
Form
This vocal and instrumental piece was written in the concertate style, which has two very
contrasting sections.TheA sectioncan befurtherdividedintotwosections,distinguishable byachange
intext,tonality,andtexture.

Asection1(m.139)Invirtutetua,Domine.
Thefirst motifisclearlydefinedfirstbytheinstruments,andthenagainwhenthealtosenterwith
thetext. The sopranos joinforthesecondestablishment andornamentationof theopeningfigure.Itisnot
untilmeasure20thatthetenorsandbassesjointhemtocreatearichhomophonictexture.

Asection2(m.4071)Etsupersalutaretuumexsultabit
Thesecond motif isintroducedby the tenors,whopairwiththebassesforelaboration. Thealtos
and sopranos pair together to establish the same motif with anew tonalcenter. Thebasses andtenors
return,creatingafewmeasuresofpolyphonybeforereturningtotheirwellestablishedhomophony.

Bsection(m.72123)Desideriumanimaeeiustribuistiei
Thetimesignature, tempo, tonalcenter, and harmonicrhythm allchange asthesopranosdeliver
thefinalmotif. Thefugalbeginninggiveswayto allowthealtostodraw attentiontothesecondhalfof
thistext.Homophonyreturnsin3and4partsaswellasthepairingsofAlto/BassandSoprano/Tenor.

Rhythm
There arethree definitive rhythmic statements,eachoneappearingwithnewtext.Thefirstmotif
has 6eighth notes followed by adotted eighth/sixteenthrhythm and quarternote,emphasizingtheword
dominemeaningO Lord.Laetabiturisornamentedwithlightandplayfulsixteenthnotepassagesto
simulate Joy as the meaning of the word. This text painting is also used in the second motif on
exsultabit meaning rejoice. The B section of this song changes meter and rhythm,usinghalf notes,
dotted half notes, and whole notes to create contrastanddissonance.Thetextis further elongated with
slowmelismas,contributingtothecontrastoftheAsectionsshortphrasesanddrivingrhythms.

Melody
Themelodyis simpleandsung mostly intheinnervoices.ThemelodicmotivesintheAsection
areshort declarationsaboutjoy and rejoicingwhich are then repeated and developed tosignifythe
continued celebration ofsalvation. The melodiccontour ofthemainmotives start andendon the same
pitchandmoveinstepwisemotion,makingeachofthosedeclarationssoundcomplete.
Thefirst melodicmotifintheBsectionhasleapsof uptoafifthwithalotofdescendingmotion.
Theminormelodiesarepassedfrom partto part,allowingeachvoicetoexpresstheyearningofneeding
to know what Thou has given him Eventually the phrase is finished, and we understand thatthe
yearning is accompanied by sadness because thy hearts desire to be with his Lord when his lifeon
earth ends.However, theheartsdesiremotifcompletes amajorscale uptothesixthscaledegreebefore


ComprehensiveMusicianshipthroughPerformance
LessonPlan
2015
outlining a B minor arpeggio. Themajor scale showsamoreoptimistic outlookto the endofthework
whilestillholdingontothesadnesswehavefordeath.

Harmony
Each section in this work centersarounda differentkey. The firstpartoftheA sectionisinD
major butmoves tothe secondarydominant of Amajor atmeasure24. ThesecondhalfoftheAsection
continues in A major until measure64. Herethetonalcenters switchquickly, moving throughD major
from measures6364,Bminorfrommeasure6566,Dmajorfrommeasure6768,andgoesthroughthe
circleoffifthsinmeasures69and70untilfinallyrestingagaininDmajor.
The B section is in B minor from measures 72 102, where it returns to Dmajorfrom the A
section.Bminorreturnsforjust2measuresat99,andthelast13measuresendinDmajor.

Timbre
Thebeginningofthe Asectionsstart outinthemiddlerangeofthesinger. Newmelodicmaterial
isintroduced clearly becausethevoice is warm andrelaxed, but distinguished fromtheaccompaniment.
Therange expandsupwardas themelodicmaterialisdeveloped,creating abrightersound. TheBsection
starts out with contrasting timbres between the high soprano F# and the B in the bass part to
distinguish the new setting forthistext,but returnsto the comfortable warmmiddle ranges by measure
82.

Texture
Mostly homophonic texture. Section A has tenor/bass voice pairing at measure 40, and
soprano/alto voice pairing at measure 52. Section B hasvoice pairingsofsoprano/bassmeasure 7278.
Polyphony makesashortappearancefrommeasures7882, whenthevoicesreturntohomophonictexture
fortheremainderofthepiece.
Each sectionstartsoutwith athintexture ofonevoiceandinstruments,thenaddsvoicestocreate
athicktexture.

Expression
Thelight, playfulsixteenthnotepassages intheA sectionarecelebratory. Eachrepetitionofthe
phrases are shouts and whispers of excitement over rejoice. The B section plays with delayed
gratification by elongating the harmonic rhythm andmeter. Thereisa sadness of receivingthyhearts
desire because it signifies the end. Thedescendingmotif atthebeginning oftheB sectionfeels heavy
and sorrowfulbecause oftheemphasisonbeat1duetotextstress,elongatedrhythms,andthedescending
linesthatdigthroughbeat3.

AdditionalConsiderations/ReasonstoPerformThisComposition

TheHeartStatement


ComprehensiveMusicianshipthroughPerformance
LessonPlan
2015

The heart of In Virtute Tua is the contrasting speed of theharmonic rhythmbetweenformal

sections,whichexpressestheparadoxoffeelinggrief,joy,andpeacesimultaneously.

Takeoutthepiecethat:
IsbyaPolishComposer
IsfromtheBaroqueperiod
IsinCuttime
HasABform
IsinLatin

IntroducingthePiece(astrategy)

Skill Outcome:
Students will sing sixteenth noteandornamentalpassageslightly withrhythmic
precision.

A.

Strategies
1.Pantingwarmupwithjustair,onasinglepitch,andinascale.
2.Singpassagesandmovethejaweachtimethenotechanges,thenwithasteadyjaw.
Afterweek1singonlywithasteadyjaw.
Comebacktointentionaljawmovementatweek3andweek8.
Alsoreturnifthestudentsarehavingdifficultyrememberinghowitfeelstokeepasteady
jaw.

Studentsrecordthemselveswhentheyfirsttrytosingwiththejawmovementandsteadyjaw.
Studentwriteintheirjournalabouthowitfeelstosingeachone.
Howagileistheirvoice?Listentorecordingandreflecton
week1,recordandreflectinweek5,&recordandreflectinlastweek.
Howhasitchanged?Isiteasiertosingthanitwasonweek1?
Studentsreflectinjournalwhenwetransferthisknowledgetothemelismaticpassages.
3.Elephantsversusornaments:singandrunacrosstheroomwiththeweightofanelephant.
singandtiptoeacrosstheroomwiththeweightofadelicateglassornament

B.

Assessment
Have students take turns modeling a new melody with light sixteenth notesasthatdays
newwarmup.


ComprehensiveMusicianshipthroughPerformance
LessonPlan
2015
Have students take turns listening to a partner and giving helpful suggestions if
applicable. Studentsshouldalsocomparetheirobservationstotheirownsingingtoseeif
theycomeupwithanyideastoimprovethemselves.

Knowledge Outcome:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics that
makeuptheBaroquestyle.
A.

Strategies
1. Music which is melodius yet so constructed as to reflect the perfect order that
istheessenceofthebaroque
www.baroquemusic.org
a. Whatcouldthispossiblymean?
b. Listentohallelujahchorusandseeiftheycomeupwithanyideas.
2. Givedefinitionstoornamentation,polyphony,homophony,canon,fugue.
a. Different colored cards for polyphony, homophony. Hold them up when
youhearthem.
3. Warmupinacanon.
a. Discusswhatmakesitacanon.
b. Listen andwatchaMIDIvideoofaBachFugue.Howisitdifferentthana
canon?
4. Conductingthepiece
a. Identify these four elements by notating them in your copy of In Virtute
Tua.
b. Ifyouweretheconductor,howwouldyoushoweachoftheseelements?
i.
Each persons actions may be different, but how do they relate to
thesoundwearetryingtocreate?
c. Continuetorevisitthesephysicalmovementswiththesoundofyourvoice
i.
Doesthemovementmatchyourvoiceeachtime?
ii.
Is the movement and your voice truly an accurate depiction of the
meaningbehindtheword?
iii.
Does your voice match with others voices and physicalactionsto
create the right balance needed for accurate polyphony,
homophony,andfuguepassages?

B.

Assessment

Listen to Hallelujah Chorus and diagram tofromat in the Bsection,andexplainwhat

factors helped them come to this conclusion. This will also transition into learning the
HallelujahChorusfortheholidayconcert.


ComprehensiveMusicianshipthroughPerformance
LessonPlan
2015

Affective Outcome:
Students will explore the idea of paradoxical emotions that can be
associatedwithsignificantlifechanges.
A.

Strategies
1.Bringinasongthatremindsyouofasignificanttimeinyourlifeandsharesomeofthevarious
feelingyouhad.
2.Discussdifferentemotionstowardacurrentissuethathastodowithsignificantchange.
Doeseveryonefeelthesameway?
Canyouhaveconflictingemotions?
3.Composeashortmelody,about48measureslongwithaparticularmoodoremotioninmind.
Writedownotheremotionsormoodsthatconflictwithit.
Play with your composed melody to show one of these other emotions while keeping it
recognizable.Herearesomeideas
Changethemode
Useaccidentals
Changethetimesignature
Changetherhythm
Changethearticulation
Changethetempo

B.

Assessment

Journal entry each week. Have students take turns finding additionalinformationonthe
current issue and will share it with the class. See if that information affects their thoughts and
feelingsonthesubject.
Havethefeelingschangedwithmoreinformation?
Doyoufeelstrongerthanyoudidwhenthetopicwasoriginallybroughtup?
Areyouexperiencingmultipleemotionsatonetime?

MusicSelection
ThispieceisaccessibletointermediatelevelmixedchoirsandisagreatpiecetoteachABform.TheAsectionwill
workontheirabilitytosingquicklyandlightly,whiletheBsectionwillworkonsinginglongphrasesandmetering
thebreath.TheAsectionisgreatforteachingtheharmonicexpectationsofthemajormodewhiletheBsectioncan
beusedtofurtheremphasizetheimportanceofleadingtonesandintonation.TheLatinisagreatlanguagetoteach
pure,unifiedvowelsandthehomophonictexturemakestheimportanceofbalanceveryapparenttoyoungsingers.