Edexcel Music GCSE

Brandenburg Concerto

Bach,
1721,
Late Baroque,
Concerto Grosso, Group of Soloists.

Brandenburg Concerto Melody

Based on triadic and scalic ideas heard in the first few bars,
Start of B is A moved from D major to B minor,
Rippling quavers in B copied from bar 5,
Frequent use of sequences,
Trills e.g. 19,
Appoggiatura e.g. 149, mostly in B,
All instruments play melodic material.

Brandenburg Concerto Articluation

Suspensions e.g. 129-30,
Terraced dynamics.

Brandenburg Concerto Dynamics

Few dynamic markings,
Relies on texture changes,
Gradual Crescendos and diminuendos.

Brandenburg Concerto Tonality

Textures used to create contrast,
D major with modulation to A major in A,
B minor with modulations to A major and F# minor in B.

Brandenburg Concerto Structure

Ternary Form,
ABA,
A = 1-78 and 233-310,
Fugato,
Imitation,
B = 79-232,
Ritornello structure, episodes based on the first 4 notes.
De capo form.

Brandenburg Concerto Harmony

Simple diatonic chords,
Mainly triad root position or first inversion,
Dominant 7ths,
Frequent melodic decoration,
Tonic and dominant pedals in B e.g. 139,
Each section ends with a perfect cadence.

Brandenburg Concerto Instrumentation

Flute, violin and harpsichord are the solo instruments,
Harpsichord also plays the basso continuo, playing a figured bass, a bassline with harmonies shown as figures.
Basso also played by a bass instrument e.g. a cello.

Brandenburg Concerto Rhythm

Allegro (fast),
2/4 time (simple duple metre) but sounds like 6/8,
Triplets and dotted rhythms dominate,
Semiquavers in the harpsichord part.

Brandenburg Concerto Texture

Contrapuntal apart from bars 1 and 2,
Imitation in bar 64,
The double bass plays in unison with the cello,
Largely independent,
Flute and violin sometimes play in unison e.g. 33-34 or parallel 3rds e.g. 107-114.
A canon starts in 193.

Pathetique

Beethoven,
Piano solo in Sonata,
Classical,
Exposition then development then recapitulation,
Lots of repetition.

Pathetique Melody

Uses short motifs and edits it slightly, bar 1 is edited and used 10 times before bar 7,
Rapid descending chromatics scales e.g. bar 10,
5 Octave range,
Uses periodic phrasing (Sounds like a question and answer),
Repeats tiny melodic cells from bar 35,
Rising and falling semitones are augmented from bar 45 onwards,
Pitch descends from 45 onwards,
Complimentary cadences used often e.g. 51-55,
Acciaccaturas e.g. bar 53-54,
Mordents e.g. 57-58,
Trills e.g. bar 182, 184 and 186,
Lots of wide leaps e.g. 166.

Pathetique Articulation

Rapid contrasts of dynamics,
Uses both hands.

Pathetique Dynamics

Lots of dynamics,
Rapid contrasts,
Bars 5-7 p-ff-p-ff-p,
Gradual changes by crescendos and diminuendos,
Sudden accents on sfz e.g. bar 53.

Pathetique Tonality

C minor with modulations to Eflat and G minor,
167-187 are G,
C minor - Eflat - Eflat minor - Eflat major - repeat - 133 G minor - E minor - G - C minor - F minor - C minor.

Pathetique Structure

Intro to exposition to development to recapitulation,
Transition links the first and second subjects.

Pathetique Harmony

Very simple,
Complimentary cadences e.g. 51-55 makes an imperfect cadence,
Interupted cadence in bar 9,
Chromatic chords e.g. a diminished 7th in bars 2,3 and 4,
Augmented 6th on bars 30 and 34.

Pathetique Instruments

Early Pianos.

Pathetique Rhythm

Dotted rhytms,
Very short notes,
Syncopation on staccato crotchets e.g. bars 13, 19, 21,
Left hand creates an ostinato effect, harmonic pattern repeated,
Persistent quavers in both hands to drive the passage, e.g. Bars 89-112,
4/4 intro changes to 2/2.

Pathetique Texture

Homophonic,
Melody and accompaniment after the intro,
187-194 are monophonic,
Broken octaves in the left of the first subject.

Music for a While

Purcell,
1692,
Baroque,
Solo with accompaniment,
Music for a play.

Music for a While Melody

Stepwise movement with occasional leaps e.g. bar 37-38,
Frequent passing notes,
Range of a 9th,
Rests for effect,
Risings sequences e.g. wond'ring and falling sequences e.g. eas'd,
Mordents e.g. bar 11,
Appoggiaturas e.g. bar 5,
Grace notes e.g. bar 6,
Trills e.g. bar 13,
Arpeggiation e.g. bar 37,
Very short decoration notes,
Ground bass.

Music for a While Dynamics

No dynamic markings,
Performers decided how to play it.

Music for a While Word Painting

Melismas on wond'ring and eternal,
Repetitions of all to suggest lots,
Suspension for discord on pains,
Drop repeated to symbol snakes falling as they are cut.

Music for a While Tonality

A minor,
Sometimes modulates to E minor in A,
B section G - C - A minor.

Music for a While Structure

Ground bass,
3 bars based on a 4 note sequence,
Formed from rising 5ths and falling 6ths,
Climbs from A to E,
Ternary Form,
B 16 - 29.

Music for a While Harmony

Alternate root position triads,
First inversion triads,
Augmented C,
Diminished B,
False relations, left plays then it appears in the right e.g. Bar 1.

Music for a While Instrumentation

Voice,
Bass Viol and Harpsichord accompaniment.

Music for a While Rhythm

4/4,
Walking bass (quavers in the ground bass),
Syncopation in bars 23-25,
No tempo specified,
Counted in quavers.

Music for a While Texture

Homophonic,
Melody and Accompaniment,
Harpsichord sometimes creates counterpoint with the vocals e.g. Bar 9 and 11.

Killer Queen

Queen,
1974,
Rock,
No original notation.

Killer Queen Melody

Mostly step,
Leaps get wider as the piece continues,
Rising octave in bars 20-21,
Verses start with a 2 bar vocal phrase that goes from C to G,
Unusual bar lengths in the chorus,
Portamento on queen bar 15,
Chorus followed by a four bar bridge,
Word setting is almost all syllabic,
Backing use nonsense syllables,
2 octaves and a third range.

Killer Queen Articulation

Phaser effect on laser beam,
Vibrato e.g. bar 7,
Tremolo e.g. bar 28 drum rolls,
Slide e.g. bar 34,
Pitch bend e.g. bar 30,
Overdubbing to produce multiple guitars,
Distortion on the guitar solo.

Killer Queen Dynamics

No dynamic markings

Killer Queen Tonality

Eb Major,
Sometimes ambiguous,
Verses start on C minor,
Choruses start on Bb major,
Both modulate quickly,
Ends with a perfect cadence in Eb major.

Killer Queen Structure

Verse Chorus form,
Bar 2 Verse - Bar 14 Chorus - Bar 23 - Instrumental - Bar 27 Verse - Bar 38 - Chorus - Bar 51 Verse - Bar 69 - Chorus - Bar 79 Outro,
Guitar sole bars 44-61.

Killer Queen Harmony

Root position triads with occasional inversions and 7th chords,
Mainly diatonic with occasional chromatic chords e.g. bar 9,
Expressive Dissonance, e.g. bar 11,
Tonic Pedal at the start of each verse,
Dominant pedal after the first two choruses,
Parallel harmonies e.g. bar 15-17 from Multi tracked backing vocals,
Circle of 5ths in Bars 20-21,
bell chords in bar 55.

Killer Queen Instruments

Vocals and backing,
Piano,
Guitar,
Drums,
Bass.

Killer Queen Rhythm

12/8,
Moderatly fast,
Frequent syncopation e.g. bars 3, 7, and 8,
Each verse and chorus begins with anacrusis, one or more notes before the first strong beat of a bar.

Killer Queen Texture

Homophonic gradually increasing in density,
Guitar plays parallel 3rds after the first chorus,
Brief contrapuntal fragments in the accompaniment e.g. bar 62.

Defying Gravity

From Wicked, Act One finale,
Schwartz,
1995,
Duet sections with Glinda,
Underscore, Music under dialogue.

Defying Gravity Melody

Bars 1-31 sings recitative, ordinary speech but sung,
Violin tremolo in bars 34-39,
Use of leitmotifs e.g. unlimited,
Scalic Descent in bar 101,
Bars 71-79 are hexatonic, six notes per octave,
Long notes and wide leaps demonstrate confidence,
Crescendos from 161 to end,
Recitative from 99-102.

Defying Gravity Articulation

Chromatic stabs in bars 1-31 to show anger,
Electric guitar with overdrive in 11,40 and 45,
Drum fill bar 54.

Defying Gravity Dynamics

Slowly gets louder to show gaining confidence,
Verse 1 Mp,
Verse 2 F,
Final Chorus Ff.

Defying Gravity Tonality

Verses and choruses in D major,
G major bars 88-100,
115-131 has ambiguous tonality,
Chromatic writing at the start.

Defying Gravity Structure

Verse Chorus form,
Intro - 34 Verse - 50 Chorus - 63 Verse - 79 Chorus - 88 Bridge - 102 Chorus - 115 intro - 135 verse - 151 Chorus - 161 Coda.

Defying Gravity Harmony

Root poistion triads,
Sus chords e.g. bar 60 has a Gsus (G-A-D),
Inner Pedal in bars 162-167 on A,
Inverted Pedal on D in bar 168.

Defying Gravity Instrumentation

23 musicians,
Full band play in the Coda,
2 Guitars,
3 Keyboard synths,
Drums,
Timpani,
6 Brass.

Defying Gravity Rhythm

Speed dictated by the singers,
2/2 time till bar 88 where it becomes 4/4,
2/2 returns in bar 115,
Syllabic word setting,
Syncopation e.g. bars 50-51,
Elphaba has a triadic style line.

Defying Gravity Texture

Homophonic, Melody and Accompaniment,
Monophonic at the start,
Unison in bars 101-109,
Ostinato in bars 80-87 and 88-97 and 103-109 and 152-159, AKA a riff.

Star Wars

Main Theme,
John Williams,
1977,
Leitmotifs create a heroic sound with loud dynamics.

Star Wars Melody

Intervals of a 4th and a 7th,
Opening fanfare,
Triplet quaver rhythm,
Rising contour based on Bb and F,
B forms a contrast as violins play octaves and dynamics are less forceful,
More stepwise movement in B.

Star Wars Dynamics

Ff to start in A,
B is Mf but bars 18 to 20 which is Ff,
36-41 is p,
42-End is Ff.

Star Wars Tonality

1-29 Bb Major (easier for brass to play)
Tonic pedal on Bb in bars 1-6,
Dominant pedal on F in bars 11-14,
Phrases end with F for imperfect cadences,
Second half is atonal,
Dissonant chords,
Ab Minor clashes with Pedal C.

Star Wars Structure

ABA to bar 29,
B 11-20,
Second half sets the scene for the movie,
39-60 Leitmotif with sudden orchestral outburst.

Star Wars Harmony

Quartal Harmony in the first 7 bars,
Root poistion chords with added notes,
Some chromaticism,

Star Wars: Instrumentation

Large Scale Orchestra

Star Wars Rhythm

4/4 time for a military like mood,
Triplet figures are typical of fanfares,
Syncopated accompaniment in 4-6 and 21-24 adds to the excitement,
3/4 time after bar 44 and slows in bars 47-50,
Last 10 bars are faster.

Star Wars Texture

Mainly homophonic, melody and accompaniment,
Some imitation,
Ostinato in C from 51-end.

Samba Em Preludio

Bossa Nova - Fusion of Samba and Jazz
Sung in Portuguese
Slower quieter cousin on Samba
Esperanza Spalding, 2008

Samba Em Preludio Melody

Mostly Conjunct and Syllabic
Female Vocal Melody
Sequences within the vocal line are used, for example in bar 4 and 5.

Samba Em Preludio Articulation

Acoustic Bass uses Portamento (slides), Harmonics and Pizzacato
Acoustic Guitar uses Portamento??
Vocals use portamento i think

Samba Em Preludio Dynamics

Quieter Cousin of Samba
No notation of dynamics

Samba Em Preludio Texture

The start of the piece is monophonic but becomes contrapuntal once all the instruments have entered.
The bass moves between playing its own melody line and chords.
It can be argued the bass is an accompaniment and it is homophonic.

Samba Em Preludio Structure

Intro. - Bass Solo
Verse 1.
Break.
Verse 2.
Instrumental. - Guitar Solo
Verse 3.
Coda.
Structure similar to jazz (the head)

Samba Em Preludio Harmony

Chords have obvious jazzy roots (7ths, 11ths etc)
These chords create dissonance

Samba Em Preludio Instrumentation

Acoustic Bass Guitar
Acoustic Guitar
Female Vocals

Samba Em Preludio Rythm

The start has a free tempo and sounds improvised.
In bar 4 the piece settles in 4/4 time but the rhythm is syncopated.
There is use of rubato (robbed time).

Samba Em Preludio Tonality

B Minor

Release

1999,
Afro Celt Sound System,
Mix of Afro, Celt and Dance fused.

Release Melody

Verse 1: Only C-Eb-F-G-Bb,
Many similar two bar phrases that fall from G to C,
Intro voice similar to falling melody of verse 1,
Male Voice has a 13th range,
Vocal line is mostly conjunct with small third leaps,
Female has a 6th range,
G and C emphasised as the main notes.

Release Articulation

Sampling,
Reverb.

Release Dynamics

No Dynamic Markings

Release Tonality

Modal,
C minor without Bnatural.

Release Structure

Based on three verses,
An intro,
An outro,
Instrumental solos and a drum break,
Solos between Verse 2 and 3,
Build between Verse 3 and Outro,
Verse 1 and start of 3 and outro female vocals,
Verse 2 and end of 3 male vocals.

Release Harmony

Slow harmonic pace,
Mainly diatonic.

Release Instrumentation

Afro - Kora, Djembe, Taking drum,
Celt - Uilleann pipes, Fiddle, Accordion, Low whistle, Bodhran, Hurdy gurdy,
Dance - Male and Female vocals, Synths and samples, Piano, Drum machine, Shaker, Tambourine, Digital effects.

Release Rhythm

Intro in free time,
4/4 from the start of the loops,
Slightly swung,
Syncopation in the vocals,
Triplets feature in Celt instruments and rapid short notes,
Repeating loops create riffs.

Release Texture

Mainly homophonic,
Layered texture accompaniment from the loops.

Syncopation

Strong notes played off the beat.

What to ask about Melody?

Conjunct or Disjunct?
Ascending or Descending?
Continuous Phrases or is it separated by rests?
Refer to parts, don't give general cover.

What to ask about Articulation?

Staccato or legato?
Are accents used?

What to ask about Dynamics?

Loud or soft?
Gradual changes or sudden changes?

What to ask about Tonality?

Major, Minor or Modal?
Does it Modulate? Where?

What to ask about Structure?

Is a section repeated/similar?
Regular or irregular (Different length) phrases?

What to ask about Harmony?

Consonant or dissonant?
Any Cadences?

What to ask about Instrumentation?

Identify all instruments,
Is it playing Melody or Accompaniment?
Techniques for playing?

What to ask about Rhythm?

Syncopated or on the beat?
Long or short notes?

What to ask about Texture?

Say what is added or taken away,
Monophony, Single line of music,
Homophony, Same rhythm for each part but different notes,
Polyphony, Multiple melodies,
Antiphony, Call and Response.