Once upon a time, in a magical land of music, there lived a group of musical instruments who loved to play together. There was a grand piano named Giorgio, a violin named Vittorio, a cello named Carlo, and a flute named Frida. They all lived in a grand concert hall and loved to perform for the king and queen.

One day, the king announced a contest. The winner would have their music played in the grandest concert of all time, the Royal Music Festival. The instruments were determined to win, so they got to work writing the best piece of music they could.

Giorgio, being the bravest and most confident of the group, decided to write the libretto, or the story behind the music. He wrote a tale of adventure, where the instruments would go on a journey through the different moods and emotions of music.

The grand piano began the piece with a grave introduction, setting the mood for the adventure to come. But suddenly, Vittorio the violin burst in with an animato, lively tune, which picked up the pace and brought a smile to everyone's face. Carlo the cello and Frida the flute joined in, playing legato, smoothly connected notes, and together they embarked on their journey.

As they traveled through the different emotions, they played andante, a moderate pace that told the story of their journey. Then, they played allegro, a cheerful and fast-paced tune, to express their excitement and joy. But as they reached the climax of their journey, they slowed down and played adagio, a slow and tender melody that expressed their sadness.

Finally, they reached the end of their journey, and Giorgio played a grandioso, magnificent conclusion, that left everyone in awe. The king and queen were so impressed that they declared Giorgio and his friends the winners of the contest.

And so, the instruments played their music at the Royal Music Festival, with Giorgio playing espressivo, putting all his emotions into the music, and Frida playing largo, spreading her beautiful flute notes wide. They all played molto, very passionately, and the audience was transported to a magical world of music.

In the end, everyone danced to the moderato, moderate-paced music, and the instruments were hailed as the greatest musical performers in the land. And they all lived happily ever after, making beautiful music together.

Reflections

1. Who wrote the story behind the music in the contest?
2. What did the king and queen announce for the contest?
3. What did Giorgio play at the end of the journey?
4. How did the instruments express their excitement and joy during the journey?
5. What was the mood of the introduction of the piece?
6. Who were the other musical instruments that joined Giorgio in the journey?
7. How did the instruments express their sadness during the journey?
8. What was the final pace of the music at the Royal Music Festival?
9. What was the story about in the libretto?
10. Who declared Giorgio and his friends the winners of the contest?