How To Teach Grieg Watchman's Song
Today we’re talking about how to teach Watchman’s Song Op.12, No.3 by Edvard Grieg. This is an evocative piece from his larger set of Lyric Pieces.
Syllabus listings for difficulty level:
RCM Level 6
Illinois AIM Level 8
Jane Magrath Level 5
Skills and knowledge required to play the A section well:
Parallel keys of E major and E minor
Cut time at an andante tempo
Ability to count a somewhat complex rhythm in the B section, and yet also play with flexibility
Ability to play in 4-part chorale texture
Ability to analyze phrases and identify same-similar-different in order to consider the interesting composition of the A section
Legato pedaling
Imaginative engagement based on the title and sounds of this piece
There’s an interesting story behind this piece. At the top, Grieg wrote that he composed this piece after viewing a performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The irony is that Shakespeare’s watchman (or porter) is a drunken comic-relief character, not a pious man who might sing a hymn while faithfully standing his post outside Macbeth’s castle. While doing research for this post, I did find some helpful background.
It ends up that Grieg saw the German translation of Macbeth, which was not only translated but also somewhat adapted by the German poet Friedrich Schiller. Schiller actually changed the scene where Shakespeare’s porter has his moment to shine! You can read more about this at this blog post - be sure to read through the comments for more background, but one commenter did his own translation of Schiller’s lines. Here is the first segment:
The sombre night has vanished,
the lark is singing,
the sun appears in glory
rising into the sky.
While I’m not sure it’s entirely necessary to explain this entire background to students (particularly younger ones who might not have any experience with Shakespeare), I do think it’s vitally important that our students understand that this is a song and that they should shape the melody line like a good singer or choir might. To that end, it’s often helpful to have students write their own lyrics. Perhaps the lyrics above can help get them started on this process.
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