adapted by John Urquhart and
Rita Grossberg
Louis Gervais The Emperor
Reba Short The Servant
Cheryl Reynolds The Nightingale/2nd
God
Catherine Wallace Death/1st God
Christopher Fitze Musician
Director John
Urquhart
Costumes Pamela
DiPasquale
Set Design John Urquhart
Participation
The Nightingale is a participatory play. Cast members will seat the children and establish rapport from the moment the children set foot in the performance area. Children will be seated on the floor of the staging area to facilitate their participation. It will be almost like the play is being performed in each child’s living room. The children are expected and encouraged to help tell the story when they are asked by the characters. The audience’s biggest task will be to become the Imperial Orchestra. The servant will talk with the students to identify instruments that could be included and then assign different sections of the audience to play the various instruments in an effort to please the Emperor. Later in the play, it will not be unusual for members of the audience to speak to the Emperor and encourage him to follow the Nightingale’s advice to find happiness. When this happens, we know we have succeeded in capturing the imagination of our audience. Finally, as People of China, the audience will help the Emperor call the Nightingale back from banishment.
Today, we accept imaginative, anarchic stories as
the basis of all good children’s books, from Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland . . . to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But when Anderson wrote his first fairy
tales, children’s books were not expected to be about enjoyment. (Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a
Storyteller by Jackie Wullschlager)
Children’s books were designed to teach and uplift. Other authors such as The Brothers Grimm and
Charles Perrault collected fairy tales from oral tradition. Anderson created his own. If you are aware of the details of Hans Christian
Anderson’s life, you will see that many of these details are incorporated into
his stories. Shoemakers. The contrasting lives of the very rich and
the very poor. The ugly duckling.
Anderson was born in the slums of Odense, Denmark, on April 2, 1805. His father was a poor, but literate, shoemaker who believed he was of aristocratic origin. Anderson’s mother, who worked as a washerwoman, was uneducated and superstitious but did introduce her son to the world of folklore. For a time, Anderson’s half sister worked as a prostitute. Anderson received little education, and as a child was highly emotional. He suffered all kinds of fears and humiliations because of his great height and effeminate interests. Anderson had hysterical attacks of cramps that were falsely diagnosed as epileptic fits. Encouraged by his parents, he composed his own fairy tales and arranged puppet shows. His father loved literature and often took Anderson to the playhouse.
In 1816, Anderson’s father died and he was forced to
go to work. He apprenticed to a weaver
and tailor for a short while and also worked at a tobacco factory. Once, his trousers were pulled down when
other workers suspected that he was a girl.
At 14, Anderson moved to Copenhagen to capitalize on his beautiful
soprano voice and start a career as a singer, dancer or actor. It took three years but he found supporters
who helped him become part of the Royal Theater. He soon had to leave, though, when his voice began to
change. When someone casually referred
to him as a poet, it changed his plans.
“It went through me, body and soul, and tears filled my eyes. I knew that, from this very moment, my mind
was awake to writing and poetry.” He
then began to write plays, all of which were rejected by local theaters and
publishers. (www.kirjasto.sci.fi/hcanders.htm)
One of the directors of the Royal Theatre gave Anderson a grant to enter grammar school. He lived in the home of the headmaster who was annoyed at the oversensitive student and tried to harden his character. The other pupils were much younger, usually eleven years old as compared to Anderson’s seventeen. His appearance also drew unwanted attention. He was very tall, had a long nose and close set eyes. But Anderson persevered and was admitted to Copenhagen University.
After completing his education, he began to write and succeeded in having travel sketches, poems and plays published and produced. He soon was financially able to travel widely in Europe. He remained a passionate traveler all his life although he returned to Denmark frequently to write. When not traveling, he lived with his brother and his family. Anderson never married but had many unrequited romantic attachments.
His Fairy Tales and Stories, written between 1835
and 1872 established Anderson’s fame.
His first stories appeared in a small booklet in 1835. In these stories, Anderson returned to the
folk stories he heard as a child and gradually began to create his own. Among his best known tales are The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New
Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, The Tinderbox, The Princess and the Pea, The
Steadfast Soldier, and The
Nightingale. The Nightingale was
inspired by his unfulfilled love for Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind, also
known as the Swedish Nightingale.
Anderson was not the first to write for children, nor the first to introduce the child into literature. He was, however, one of the first writers to retain the imagination of a child, even as an adult. The work for which he is best known is nothing more nor less than an artistic creation of the world of children. In his honor, the International Board on Books for Young People periodically presents Hans Christian Andersen Awards to an author and an illustrator, living at the time of the nomination, whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature. The award is recognized as the highest international honor given to authors and illustrators of children’s books. American award recipients include Scott O’Dell, Virginia Hamilton, Katherine Paterson and Maurice Sendak.
The Emperor of China owns the most beautiful palace in the world surrounded by the most beautiful gardens. Even though the Chinese people are made to work day and night to please him, he still wants more: more exquisite flowers; more beautiful robes; more treasures to delight his visitors. The gods see his greed and send a great wind and fire to change his heart by destroying some of his treasures. The Emperor is devastated, of course, but immediately seeks new and grander treasures. A helpful servant makes several suggestions, all of which are too simple for the Emperor’s tastes. Trying to comfort the Emperor, the court musician plays a simple song that the Emperor likes. As a result, the Emperor orders the Imperial Orchestra to perform the song but, even with all the people of China performing in the orchestra, the music is not grand enough. In one last attempt to save the Emperor, the gods send a nightingale, a plain bird, to help him hear the song in his own heart. After a long search in the countryside, the Emperor finally finds the nightingale and captures her. Later, when she is ordered to sing for the Emperor’s pleasure, the nightingale cannot and is banished from the court. The gods finally lose patience and send Death to the Emperor as punishment for his selfishness. At long last, the Emperor remembers the words of the nightingale and is able to listen to and share the love in his heart. Death departs. When the nightingale returns, she is granted the freedom to sing of the happiness of the people and the Emperor rules with a joyous heart for a very long time.
A multidisciplinary unit on ancient China designed
for Grade 2 can be found at www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/01_2_ConfuciusSay.pdf
. The focus of the unit is the study of Ancient China
as stated in the Core Knowledge Sequence for second grade. The unit introduces the students to the
Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, the invention of paper, the importance of silk, the
teachings of Confucius, the Great Wall, and the Chinese New Year. It utilizes a variety of auditory, visual
and kinesthetic activities to explore the geographical, historical and cultural
aspects of Ancient China.
Your classroom can also receive additional information about Chinese festivals, calligraphy, paper cutting, painting and the story of Confucius by requesting them in a post card addressed to:
Chinese Information
Service
159 Lexington Ave.,
New York, NY 10016
Students can get an idea of how their names might be
written in Chinese by going to www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html.
In addition, details of the experiences of an
American family that has recently lived in China can be found at www.mondovista.com/china33.html
.
Manners
The characters in this play have very different social positions. In Ancient China, bowing was an appropriate social custom. A servant would bow deeply to a master or the Emperor out of respect. Individuals of more equal social standing would bow in greeting. Students can practice the art of bowing. To bow in greeting to an equal, a person would stop with feet together and bend from the waist until the forehead was parallel to the floor. A man’s right hand would be held against his chest. The person’s eyes would remain downcast, staring at his feet. After a count of three, the person would resume an upright position.
Today, in China, people are not greeted with a bow but with a nod of the head. What are some of the current customs in the United States? Do people of different ages groups greet each other differently? How do children greet each other? How do teens? Do adults of different ages greet each other differently? This can also be a perfect opportunity to remind students about the rules of etiquette as used in the school and to engage in role-playing to reinforce those rules. It is also an opportunity to discuss how different cultures today have different rules of etiquette.
Shortly after inventing paper, the people in
northern China began cutting the paper into beautiful designs. Men and women, young and old, mastered the
art. At one time, young women were required to learn paper cutting as a
prerequisite to marriage. Today, the Chinese use paper cuttings for
celebrations, festivals, and home decorations.
Often, paper cuttings are used to bring luck. Lucky paper cuttings are made on red paper, for red is thought to
be a lucky color. Beautiful examples of
Chinese paper cuts can be found at http://www.isaacnet.com/culture/papercut.htm
.
Anderson was also a talented paper cutter. Examples of his work can be found in The Amazing Paper Cuttings of Hans Christian Andersen by Beth Brust, with illustrations by Hans Christian
Anderson (2003).
Paper cutting can be as simple as the
traditional snowflakes made out of folded paper. A more complex form of paper cutting called kirigami has recently
gained popularity. While this refers to
Japanese paper cutting, the same principles can apply to the Chinese art. A simple lesson plan can be found at www.education-world.com/a_lesson/03/lp309-03.shtml. In this plan, paper is folded in half. Then, one side of a basic tree silhouette is
sketched and then from the paper. The
folded paper is then opened and details such as branches and roots are
cut. The same technique can be applied
to any object with a line of symmetry.
Tangrams represent a variation of decorative paper cutting. A square of paper is cut into a specified set of shapes (tangrams) to create puzzles. The invention of the tangram puzzle is unrecorded in history. The earliest known Chinese book is dated 1813 but the puzzle was very old by then. One reason for this could be that in China, its country of origin, it was considered a game for women and children. This would have made it unworthy of "serious" study and an unlikely topic for writers.
Commercial sets of tangram
shapes in durable materials can be found in most teacher supply stores. The object of working with tangrams is to
arrange the pieces so as to reconstruct the original square or to create a
figure or shape. The rules are
simple. Classic rules require that all
seven tans be used. They must lie flat
and must touch but none may overlap.
Recently, tangram enthusiasts have modified these rules as necessary in
the creative spirit of constructing new figures. Cards with puzzles and their solutions are available
commercially. Some puzzles and
solutions can be found on-line at http://tangrams.ca/tanpage.htm and http://tangrams.ca/tanpages.htm.
The Emperor in The Nightingale had many beautiful robes. The rank of a member of the court was apparent by the number of dragons that were on his robe. The Emperor’s robe contained the most magnificent dragon of all, in keeping with his position. The following web site provides information about and examples of the twelve symbols that were generally found on the Emperor’s robes:
http://mrkellysclass.net/asian_studies_6th_grade%20folder/ancient_chinese_symbolism.htm . The robe that is pictured can also provide a pattern for each student to use to design or decorate a robe.
The Imperial Orchestra
Becoming a member of the Imperial Orchestra is often a highlight for members of our audience. If students are not familiar with the various instruments in an orchestra, this might be the time to introduce them. Books such as Meet the Orchestra, by Ann Hayes and illustrated by Karmen Thompson, and Zin Zin Zin a Violin, by Lloyd Moss, are memorable books for early elementary students. In addition, the following web site provides suggestions for making nine simple musical instruments: http://www.thefamilycorner.com/family/kids/crafts/9_musical_instruments.shtml
But were the instruments in the Imperial Orchestra in ancient China the same instruments that we know today? Pictures and information about traditional Chinese musical instruments can be found at http://www.chcp.org/music/Vmusic.html. A surprising number are very similar to instruments with which we are familiar.
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Regardless of the
instruments used, the music of ancient China did not sound like the music
with which we are familiar because it is based on the pentatonic scale. A pentatonic scale is made up of a series
of five notes, not the eight tones we commonly use today. Depending on the
choice of starting note, a pentatonic scale is always made up of the 1st,
2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th note of any familiar 8-note scale. In fact, on any
keyboard instrument, the black notes are arranged in pentatonic groups! Many musical instruments designed for
young children are based on the pentatonic scale. Because the notes of the
pentatonic scale all harmonize with one another, there are no wrong
notes. Instant success! Perhaps there are instruments based on the
pentatonic scale available in your school or school district. With almost no practice, these instruments
can be played together to create a small band in which there will be no
musical discord. You can add drums and other percussion instruments, and
enjoy making music together. |
In the play, the musician plays a simple little melody entitled “The Song of the Ascending Spirit”. In context, “ascending” can be defined “hopeful” or “happy”. Can your students use pentatonic instruments or other musical instruments to compose their version of ‘The Song of Ascending Spirit” or “The Song of My Heart” to which the nightingale refers? These songs have no words in the play. Perhaps your students can create simple poems that can be set to the music. In some cases, the music might suggest specific words. In others, chosen words may suggest a specific melody.
Movement
Within the play, the actors that play the gods become wind and fire to destroy some of the Emperors possessions and punish the Emperor for his greed. How does the wind move? Perhaps, students can observe the wind and how trees around the school move. Perhaps, they can remember how the flames of a campfire or backyard barbecue. How can your students move their bodies in ways to represent the wind? Would they use different body parts if it was only a gentle breeze as opposed to a hurricane gale? Would they use different body parts to represent the wind as opposed to fire? Can they begin their representation of a fire as an ember, grow steadily from a single flame to a roaring fire and then gradually diminish as all the fuel is consumed by the fire? How can they use their bodies to create a roaring fire that is doused and extinguished by a steady stream of water?