Title: Sicilienne

Composer: Gabriel Faure

Arranger: Larry Clark
Musical Selection:
Why did I choose this?
This piece caught my attention because of its title, Sicilienne. I knew that a sicilienne is
specific musical style, which means that right off the bat there is a teachable item. The piece is an
arrangement for band of a piece originally composed by Faure for cello and piano but has been
rearranged for different instruments as well. The meter, 6/8, is my favorite meter and the lilting
style allows some freedom of expression. I am not usually a fan of slow pieces, but the meter
combined with the minor key makes for a beautiful piece. Because its in a minor key and there
are some interesting chord progressions, there are a fair amount of accidentals. Some of the
rhythms, both in the melody and the accompaniment, could also be tricky depending on the
students familiarity with compound meter.
Siciliennes are often found in larger Baroque including much of Bachs music. This
allows a good opportunity to study Baroque music, which is not quite so common in the band
setting. Because the style is dance-like, its easy to associate the music with movement which can
help students better understand the style.
Programming
Length: approx. 4:30
Analysis:
Broad Description
This piece is a sicilienne, which is a distinct style of music commonly used during the Baroque
era. It is usually in a compound meter, either 6/8 or 12/8, and frequently employs dotted rhythms.
Siciliennes are almost always in a minor key. The style is light and almost dance-like and the
texture is very thin, which requires some nuance and care on behalf of the ensemble. There is a
fair amount of repetition within the piece--the melody and accompaniment passes between
different instruments. There is also rhythmic repetition, even when the pitches change, which
makes sense since siciliennes have specific rhythms.
Elements of Music
Form:
ABA with transitional phrases
easily identifiable because of the key changes
Rhythm:

6/8 meter with dotted rhythms in the melody, similar to the rhythm above, which is a
basic sicilienne rhythm
some rhythms include ties, which are sometimes problematic for students because they
tend to either hold them too long or not long enough
accompaniment rhythms include off-beats, sixteenth-rests, dotted quarter notes, and
syncopation
Melody:
mostly stepwise (which is easy to play) or chordal outlines, which provides an
opportunity for students to identify different chords within the piece
contains accidentals that can help students identify the key (g minor)
passes between instruments, allowing students to focus on matching style and listening to
who has the melody

Harmony:
g melodic minor
accompaniment is mostly broken chords or chord roots
Timbre:
light and delicate, woodwinds often have the melody
Texture:
A sections have a thinner texture, only a few instruments playing at a time
B section has most of the instruments playing together
Expression:
the slow 6/8 allows for some rubato and dynamic expression
note values should be long enough for students to use vibrato (when applicable)
What is the heart of this piece?
There arent nearly as many piece composed in compound meter as simple meter. Both
students and audience members have heard plenty of pieces in 3/4 or 4/4. 6/8 meter often alludes
to movement and it provides a driving force for the piece, even though the tempo is slow. The
piece has a beautiful, Italian-esque melody that is a little bit different from the typical melodic
pieces for band.
Introduction Strategy
Because the sicilienne was a typical Baroque style, there are lots of different examples of
what a sicilienne can sound like even though they all follow similar criteria. After playing
through the piece in rehearsal, have students find examples of other siciliennes. During the next
rehearsal have students discuss their findings and try to draw comparisons between what they
found and the piece theyre performing.
Outcomes
Skill Outcome: Students will be able to play the correct rhythms in compound meter in the
correct light, dance-like style.
1. Practice rhythms out of context, either in warm-ups or as a supplemental exercise.
2. Have students compose a few measures using the rhythm on the previous page. Perform a few
of those rhythms in rehearsal.
3. Rehearse the rhythm multiple times, having students play the rhythm in a different style each
time (all staccato, tenuto, heavy, light, etc.)
Knowledge Outcome: Students will be able to understand and identify the characteristics of a
sicilienne.
1. Discuss the characteristics of a sicilienne. Have students look at examples of siciliennes and
compare and contrast.
2. Compare and contrast siciliennes with other styles of music in 6/8, such as in English- or Irishinfluenced music.
3. Rehearse the piece at different tempos. Have students discuss which tempo they liked best and
why (hopefully they will choose the most dance-able tempo; if not, discuss why a dance-able
tempo is important).
Affective Outcome: Students will be able to explain the aural differences between harmonic and
melodic minor (ie. how does the melodic minor feel different from the harmonic minor?; the idea
is to highlight the moments of major tonality when minor tonality is expected)
1. Have students play the melody with concert E-flats instead of E-naturals; discuss the
differences.

2. Have students come up with different adjectives/feelings to describe the effect of major tonality
within a minor context.
3. Warm-up with melodic minor scales and arpeggios.
Assessment
Skill Assessments:
1. Hand out another piece in 6/8 time; see if students play the correct rhythms in the correct style
out of context.
2. Write a rhythm in 6/8 on the board; have students volunteer to sing or play the rhythm as they
would in the context of the piece.
Knowledge Assessments:
1. Play recordings of pieces in compound meter and ask students to discuss if each example is a
sicilienne or not.
2. Have students compose an 8-measure phrase in the style of a sicilienne; check if it fulfills the
criteria.
Affective Assessments:
1. Play recording of pieces in harmonic and melodic minor tonalities; have students identify
which is which and explain how they know.
2. Have students play excerpts of well-known pieces; alter certain chords to be major or minor
and discuss how that changes the feel of the piece.