Stravinsky Soldier’s Tale, Airs by a Stream
Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale tells the story of a soldier encountering a stranger on the street and swapping his most prized possession, his violin, for the stranger’s most prized possession, a mysterious, magical book. What would you swap?
1. Listen to Airs by a Stream from Soldier’s Tale (above at 1’27) and as you listen decide what you would swap? It needs to be your most prized possession.
2. The stranger uses a rhyme to persuade the soldier make the swap. It goes like this:
Give me your fiddle
Swap it with me
I’ll give you this book for it
With this book, you’ll have wealth untold
It will bring you bank notes and gold
3. Re-write the verse so that it fits with your swap by filling in the blanks below. Can you make your words rhyme?
Give me your fiddle
Swap it with me
I’ll give you this for it
With this you’ll have
It will bring you and
4. When you have completed your verse, try saying it in time with the music. The Stranger is very strange indeed and does a little dance. Can you do a little dance to the music as you say your words?
Why not try this again with another item and another rhyming verse? The music lasts for nearly 3 minutes so you have time to fit in several. You could even write a whole poem about your most prized possessions, see below for my version.
As always, there’s no wrong answer!