Kate Bush: 'Under Ice'

Revision questions based on Kate Bush's 'Under Ice' from 'Hounds of Love' (1985)

Structure:

How can the song’s overall structure be described?

Through-composed but based on repetition of ideas

Structure:

What is the structure defined by?

Accompaniment figures and changes of time signature/rhythm

Structure:

Name all the sections of the song.

Intro - Verse 1 - Refrain - Verse 2 - Refrain - Verse 3 - Refrain - Verse 4 - Refrain - Outro

Tonality:

Describe the overall key.

A minor aeolian mode

Tonality:

Are there any developments in tonality?

No key changes

Tonality:

How is the tonality sometimes blurred?

Chromaticism

Harmony:

Describe the movement of the repeated chord sequence in this song.

Movement by 3rds

Harmony:

Name the chords of the repeated sequence.

Fmaj7(#4) - Dm9 - A(sus2) - Am/C

Harmony:

What scale are the chords taken from? (and name the exception)

A natural minor (apart from occasional D major chord)

Harmony:

Describe the harmonic feature in the first four bars of the song.

Articulated tonic pedal

Harmony:

What chord brings the song to an inconclusive close?

Ambiguous A(sus2) chord

Melody/Sonority:

Describe the overall overall melodic range and how it changes towards the end.

Restricted range of a perfect 5th, higher in last phrase

Melody:

Describe the vocal ideas in this song. (3)

Short, staccato, refrain-like ideas

Melody:

Describe the melodic shapes in the more lyrical melodic sections.

Quasi-pentatonic shapes

Melody/Sonority:

Give three ways word-painting (a sinking effect) is created in the final vocal phrase.

Descending phrase, portamento effect, melisma

Texture:

How can the overall texture be described?

Melody-dominated homophony

Texture:

Describe the textures that appear throughout the song.

Articulated bass pedal textures

Texture:

Describe the ostinato texture frequently used over the bass.

Ostinato open 5th textures

Texture:

Describe the texture between the lead and backing vocals in the coda.

Dialogue

Texture:

Describe the texture of the vocal parts in the refrain.

Homorhythmic

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:

Describe the tempo and how it develops.

Starts crotchet = 65, accelerates to crotchet = 100, then to crotchet = 108

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:

Describe the change in tempo at the end of the song.

Rit.

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:

Describe the rhythm in the bass.

Obsessive crotchet pulse

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:

Describe the repetitive 10-bar metre pattern that appears in this song.

4/4 (2x), 3/4 (5x), 4/4 (3x)

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:

What rhythm do the accompaniment ostinato and vocal refrain use?

Two quaver crotchet rhythm

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:

How does the repeated rhythmic pattern in this song create rhythmic displacement?

Creates a 3+3+2 crossrhythm across 2 bars of 4/4

Sonority:

How is synthesised and sampled accompaniment provided in this song?

Fairlight CMI

Sonority:
Describe the vocals throughout.

Low tessitura

Sonority:

What is the last sound heard in this song?

Sustained vocal sample with a moving frequency filter