What is the opening dynamic?
Fortissimo (ff)
What key is the opening introduction in?
Bb Major
What is the metre at the opening of the piece?
4/4
Name six instruments that play the opening chord
Trumpets, Tronbones, Violins, Cymbal, Timpani and Triangle
What style of music is the opening introduction?
A fanfare
What is the texture of the introduction?
Polyphonic
What two chords are used for the introduction?
The tonic chord (Bb major) and quartal harmony based on F (the dominant note of Bb) which acts as a substitute for the dominant chord.
Why does Williams use quartal harmony?
It creates a wide, spacious and open sound which is perfect for implying the vastness of space.
What family of instruments plays the main melodies of the introduction?
Brass.
Which members of the brass family are used in the introduction?
Trumpets, French Horns, Trombones and Tubas.
How does Williams create a heroic mood right from the start?
Fortissimo dynamics, brass instruments (associated with military and war), use of accents and triplet rhythms.
What notes make up the whole of the instruction?
The notes of the Bb Major chord (Bb, D, F) plus the Eb and Ab of the F quartal harmony (F, Bb, Eb, Ab).
What is quartal harmony?
A chord built up of perfect 4ths.
What note ends the introduction?
F (there is a triplet on the note F) which is the dominant note of Bb Major which helps propel the music into the main theme by creating a 5-1 (perfect cadence) with the opening Bb Major chord of the theme.
What harmonic feature is heard throughout the introduction?
Inverted tonic pedal (inverted as it is the highest sound in the music).
What instrument plays the inverted pedal?
Violins.
What playing technique do the violins use for playing the inverted pedal?
Tremolo