I have edited my script to change a few minor details and to add another piece for a larger variety of repertoire as there are three symphonies. The piece I have added is written by Luigi Boccherini (1743 – 1805) in 1771, Minuetto: The String Quintet in E major, Op. 11, No. 5 (G 275) .
Final Script:
Cover
One fine Saturday morning, Frankie and his sister Maddie decided to go out into the woods and do some exploring!
As they skipped through the woods, Maddie saw something shining in the distance. “Look over there Frankie! What is it? Come with me and let’s go have a look!” Maddie shouted to her brother.
As the two got closer and closer to the mysterious object, it appeared to be a magical time travel machine. “What do you think this does?” Frankie asked Maddie as he pointed to a red button.
“Let’s see!” Maddie replied as she pressed it.
There was a loud buzzing sound and the two children were instantly in the time machine and travelling back to another year.
In an instant, Frankie and Maddie had landed in the middle of a street in another city. Their clothing had also been changed. Maddie wore an elegant dress with a tight bodice whilst Frankie wore a green suit with a large frilled open collar.
They heard some lovely string music being played on the corner of the road and started to wander towards it.
Main Melody of Boccherini
There was a small string quintet concert taking place in someone’s home. The two decided to peek through the window as they were intrigued by the light texture and joyous mood being portrayed by the violins.
Full song of Boccherini
They listened in awe of the entire piece. Suddenly, there was a knocking at the window and the children looked up to a concerned aristocrat staring right back at them and so, the two fled away.
Frankie and Maddie ran into a large crowd who seemed to be entering some large concert hall. The two were intrigued by what was going on and decided to hide within the crowd and follow them.
As they entered the large and extravagant concert hall, the public seemed to be taking seats in which Maddie and Frankie didn’t have. “Come over here!” Frankie called out Maddie as he gestured her over towards a curtain.
The two children hid behind a curtain as a full orchestra appeared on stage in preparation for a concert. Some string instruments began to play some fast passages, much different from what they had previously heard.
Main Melody of Mozart
They listened intently as more instruments began to join and play; the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horns too!
Full melody of Mozart
There was a loud applause before the orchestra began to play another piece. Unlike the other two pieces, this was much slower and Frankie began to daydream before, BAM! He was startled by a loud chord played by the orchestra.
Melody of Haydn
The slow and light passages were met with instances of surprise here and there. Each sudden accent would make both the children jump in shock.
Full melody of Haydn
Suddenly, there was a strange hand tapping on Maddie’s shoulder. As she looked up, she saw a concerned face staring back at her so she quickly pulled her brother from behind the curtain and ran out the concert hall.
Once out on the street, they two strolled along taking in the sights around them. Frankie noticed a newspaper on the floor. “Look Maddie! We are in the year 1826 in Vienna, Austria!”
The two were shocked that they had travelled back nearly 200 years and landed in another country, kilometres away from home! But that shock quickly faded as they both heard a familiar melody.
Main Melody of Schubert
They walked towards where the music was coming from. Again, they were peeping through a window and saw a beautiful woman in a blush pink and gold gown singing with a piano accompaniment. “It’s the song that mother plays when we go to sleep! Except there is a woman singing the melody here. Except, the version that mother plays to us is just an instrumental!” Maddie told Frankie as he nodded in agreement.
Full Schubert
The two walked off after the piece had ended to avoid getting caught again. Tiny rain drops started to fall from the sky so the two children had to find some shelter. After a lot of walking, they ended up in another beautiful opera house as another concert was taking place in side.
They poked their heads in the door just in time for a very dramatic beginning of a new piece.
Main Melody of Beethoven
This piece was full of emotion, had more instruments than the children had seen previously and constantly changed moods, dynamics and texture. Both children were in complete amazement for the entire piece. They listened intently with their eyes wide open.
Full Beethoven
As piece ended, they quietly closed the door behind them. As they turned around, their time machine magically appeared. “It’s time to go home” Maddie told Frankie. He agreed and pressed the red button once more.
The time machine sent them back to the woods where they were earlier that morning.
The two siblings had had an extremely exciting day of musical adventures. However, they were exhausted and were ready to return back home.
Frankie and Maddie couldn’t wait to tell all to their parents about what happened today and to also learn more about the pieces they heard. But first, they needed some rest to dream about all their musical time travels.
The End.
Additional Resources
Background Information:
I will need to do some research on the culture and musical context of the Classical Period in Europe to make this storybook seem more authentic. Some information that I will need to gather includes:
Fashion/Clothing
Architecture e.g. Concert Halls, Opera Houses
Instruments
Musical Scene