Teen Education Concert 2026

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Table of Contents

• Music and Culture
• Danzón No. 2: Arturo Marquéz
• The Three-Cornered Hat: Manuel de Falla

• Symphonie Espagnole: Édouard Lalo
• What to Expect at the Concert
• Get Two Free Tickets!

What elements of music can remind you of a certain place or culture?

Brainstorm a list of musical components: For example: Instruments (timbres) or rhythms

Melody

Singing Styles

Form

Harmony

Scales

Language

EUROPE

and Spanish Music

Due to a lack of money in the country and its isolated geographical location, Spain's music wasn't widely shared or celebrated in Europe until the 1800s. However, due to Spain's colonization into North and South America and the Caribbean islands, you could hear their musical influence much earlier.

Danzón No. 2

by Arturo Marquéz

Arturo Marquéz was born in 1950 in Alamos, a town in Sonora, Mexico. The music of his piece, Danzón No. 2 (1994), reflects the styles of the danzón, which originated in Cuba and is popular in Veracruz, Mexico.

What is a Danzón?

Origins

Music

Dance

Originating in Cuba in the 19th century, the danzón is a hybrid of Spanish, British and French dance forms.

The dance is very elegant with intricate footwork. It’s also a romantic dance, with couples dancing closely.

Danzón music is typically written for ensembles, featuring graceful melodies and syncopated rhythms. Danzón ensembles may include flute, clarinet, violin, and piano.

Clave Rhythm in Danzón No. 2

Danzón No. 2

Listen for a few minutes and tap the rhythm in time with what you hear. What other instruments beside the clave do you hear playing the rhythm?

Clave Rhythm:

The Three-Cornered Hat

by Manuel de Falla

Manuel de Falla was born in 1876 in Cadiz, Spain. His composition for the ballet, the Three-Cornered Hat, incorporates many Spanish elements, as does much of his music.

The Background

It was very common in the early 1900’s for artists and composers to be inspired by national identity and folklore. Leading up to this point, Spanish influence was minimal in Europe due to geographic isolation and economic factors. However, new technology, travel and artistic fascination with culture in music increased the presence of Spanish influence in European compositions. Manuel de Falla, a Spanish composer, incorporated Spanish literature and folk traditions in the score. Not only were Spanish elements present in the music and plot, but the costumes and set design as well, created by artist Pablo Picasso.

burlington.org.uk/archive/article/picasso-in-london-1919-the-premiere-of-the-three-cornered-hat

The Ballet

The Three-Cornered Hat, premiered in London in 1919, combines Spanish folk music and dance with ballet, an art form known for combining dance, music and story-telling. The plot features a miller, his wife, and a magistrate who tries to steal the miller’s wife—a story of love and jealousy.

burlington.org.uk/archive/article/picasso-in-london-1919-the-premiere-of-the-three-cornered-hat

Musical Elements: Fandango

Origins

Dance

Music

• Lively and rhythmic
• Intricate footwork and big gestures
• Occasional pauses in music when dancers stand still, then resume
• Dancers tease and challenge each other
• Sometimes a contest of skill by two men

• Originated in Spain in the 1800’s

• Eventually moved to parts of Latin America

• Popular through today in Spain, Portugal, southern France, and Latin America

• Lively and up-tempo, passionate

• Music and dance are equally important

• Rhythmic melodies and typically in a major key

• In 3/4 or 6/8 time

• Features call-and-response between music and dance

• Instruments: guitar, castanets (small percussion instruments), hand claps, finger snaps, feet stamps

• Sometimes begins slow, and gradually increases speed

Musical Elements: Fandango

Musical Elements: Seguidilla

Music

Origins

Dance

• Very similar to fandango throughout history, sometimes blending with it

• Lighter feeling than the seguirilla, which is associated with flamenco.

• Upbeat, lively, expressive and emotional

• Melodies contain repeated patterns

• Lively and rhythmic, in 3/4 or 3/8

• Instruments: guitar, percussion (including cajon, palmas (hand claps), and castanets)

• Sometimes includes flute
• Castanets create couterrhythms to dancers’ footwork
• While there are regional variants, typically there is an instrumental introduction followed by singing

In some variants, it’s common for dancers to stop at the end of phrases, beginning again after instrumental interludes.

Musical Elements: Seguidilla

example from the opera Carmen:

The Three-Cornered Hat

In each clip, listen for the musical elements and watch for dance characteristics outlined before:

Intricate rhythms and footwork

Body percussion (snaps, claps, stomps)

Harmonic minor scale

Castanets

Dramatic gestures in dance and music

The Story

The story, based on Andalusian (Spanish) folklore and the novella “El sombrero de tres picos” by Pedro Antonio de Alarcon, opens with an introduction of two of the three main characters: The Miller and his beautiful wife.

burlington.org.uk/archive/article/picasso-in-london-1919-the-premiere-of-the-three-cornered-hat

The Miller and His Wife

The Story

We're introduced to the third character: the local magistrate with the three-cornered hat He becomes enamored with the miller’s wife and tries to flirt with her

burlington.org.uk/archive/article/picasso-in-london-1919-the-premiere-of-the-three-cornered-hat

The Magistrate

The Miller's Dance

The Arrest

The second act of the ballet features the attempts of the Magistrate to have the miller arrested for an opportunity to take advantage of his wife.

burlington.org.uk/archive/article/picasso-in-london-1919-the-premiere-of-the-three-cornered-hat

The Miller's Wife Outsmarts the Magistrate

The Miller Mocks the Magistrate

The Magistrate is Carried Away

burlington.org.uk/archive/article/picasso-in-london-1919-the-premiere-of-the-three-cornered-hat

Symphonie Espagnole

by Édouard Lalo

Édouard Lalo, of Spanish descent, was born in France.Symphonie Espagnole contains Spanish elements, which inspired other composers in France to embrace the same.

Édouard Lalo

Symphonie Espagnole

Lalo (1823-1892) attended the Lille Conservatory and the Paris Conservatory, both in France, and was inspired by Spanish music. His composition Symphonie Espagnole (1875) contains Spanish motifs and is often considered a violin concerto rather than a symphony.

Musical Elements: Tango

Originated in 1800s in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as a result of many cultures’ influence on music. Combines styles, like the European minuet and African rhythms.

Musical Elements: Habanera

One of the most famous examples of habanera is in Bizet's opera, Carmen.

Highly recognizable rhythm:

Symphonie Espagnole

Listen for:

• A dramatic and very rhythmic first theme

• A more gentle and graceful second theme

Symphonie Espagnole

Listen for:

• A light pattern of 3, hinting at the intricate footwork of dancers in a seguidillo

• Interplay of rhythms

Symphonie Espagnole

Listen for:

• A habanera rhythm! Tap along to this rhythm once the violin soloist enters

Highly recognizable rhythm:

What to Expect at the Concert

Arriving

• When you arrive at Buddy Holly Hall, please follow your teachers'/ chaperones' instructions.
• Please be safe and aware of your surroundings in the parking lot.

• There will be metal detectors- please leave bags and any belongings at school or on the bus.
• Follow instructions to find your seats in the hall. Bathrooms are located in the lobby, as well as elevators. Volunteers will be present to guide you.

• Please give the maestro and orchestra your attention and respect during the performance, just as you would like the same if you were on stage!
• Please refrain from talking or making extra noises.
• Feel free to clap when cued and at the end of pieces! Have fun and enjoy.

Listening to the orchestra

Departure

• Be mindful of your surroundings to allow everyone to be safe while you exit. Listen up for your teachers' instructions and look out for traffic.

Typical Symphony Orchestra Layout

Except in this concert, our violas and cellos are switched!

Gary Lewis, Guest Conductor

Gary Lewis is the Director of Orchestras and Professor of Music at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is also the Music Director/Conductor of the West Texas Symphony Orchestra in Midland-Odessa, as well as the conductor of the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestras (GBYO) Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted symphonic and operatic music across the U.S. and internationally. He is passionate about mentoring young conductors, as well as youth orchestral education. He works with school orchestras and music education conferences; is the founding Artistic Director of the GBYO; and has conducted All-State Orchetras/Bands in over 25 states. He is also a strong proponent of new music, having been instrumental in developing and producing contemporary music festivals.

Featured Guest Artist

Chee-Yun, Violin

Chee-Yun is an award-winning violinist from Seoul, South Korea. She has performed all over the world (including with top symphonies), recorded albums, and taught violin as a professor at the university level. Her favorite performance was playing at the National Medal for the Arts concert in the White House for President Clinton. If she wasn't a professional musician, she would want to work as a manager/promoter/presenter for other musicians as music is her greatest passion.

Get Two Free Tickets!

Ask your teacher for the discount code to get two free tickets to the full performance of today's pieces. Visit lubbocksymphony.org for tickets and more information!

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Thank You!

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