A listening activity based on Rainforest Tocatta by Wendy Hiscocks. Suitable for Australian music topics for stage 5 or above. Has score excerpts and focus questions but unfortunately no audio.
3.
1.
2.
3.
Piano solo with three
main sections
Tranquil
Light and running
toccata, a brilliant
show piece with a
free improvised
feeling
Tranquil similar to
first movement
Inspirations
Echoing, acoustic
and atmosphere of
the Devil’s Coach
House at the Jenolan
Caves in NSW
Sounds and scents of
Australian rainforests
Bellbirds on the
escarpments of NSW
central coast
4. Impressionism
Musicology
Colourful
Use
use of
piano
Sustain pedal to
blur sound
Use of
chromaticism and
modes
Use of tone clusters
Use of particular
dissonant intervals
to evoke an exotic
setting
of extremes of
registers
Basic rhythmic units
of this music run in
groups of 3 beats
Either ¾ or 3/8
Waltz meters
coexist with “out of
time” groups that
are sometimes
beamed across
bar lines
