On Wenlock Edge

RVW's 1909 setting for tenor, piano, string quartet

Blends Impressionist parallel chords (bar 2), Tudor false relations (bar 3), folk pentatonicism (bars 3-10). Depicts Housman's storm metaphor.

Timbre - tenor

Narrow-range, syllabic (bars 6-16); dramatic top G on "gale" (bar 13).

Timbre - String W.L.

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis – similar string effects.

Timbre - Piano

Parallel first-inversion chords (bar 2), tremolos (bar 67), trills (bar 33).

Timbre - String Quartet

Sul ponticello (bar 57), tremolo violins (bar 1), cello triple pizzicato (bar 8).

Texture - Bar 1

Homophonic parallel chords (strings/piano).

Texture - Bar 7-10

cello and piano LH double the voice an octave lower against RH broken chords and string trills

Texture W.L.

Debussy ‘Pagodes’ - parallel textures.

Texture

Constant movement to suggest the turbulence of the storm

Dynamics - Storm contrast

Pianissimo tremolos (bar 1) → forte on "gale" (bar 11).

Dynamics W.L.

Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique – extreme shifts.

Rhythm - Cross-rhythms

Sextuplets vs. semiquavers (bar 3); hemidemisemiquavers (bar 31).

Rhythm W.L.

Debussy’s First Arabesque – fluid cross-rhythms.

Melody - Pentatonic

G-A-C-D-F (bars 3-10); chromatic descent at "gale" (bar 11).

Melody W.L.

Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre – tritones for unease.

Harmony - Parallel chords

First-inversion (bar 2); Impressionist influence.

Harmony W.L.

Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune – parallel 7ths.

Structure - Through-composed

Intro–Stanza 1–Interlude–Stanza 2–Interlude—Stanza 3 (chromatic)—Interlude–Stanza 4—Interlude—Stanza 5 (combined motifs).—Postlude

Structure W.L.

Schubert’s Der Doppelgänger – narrative structure.

Tonality — Bitonal

G minor vs. A♭ major (bar 11); ends in G minor.

Tonality W.L.

Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring – bitonality.

Dynamics - Una Corda

Piano soft pedal (bar 9) for ghostly effect.

Dynamics - Climax

Fortissimo tutti (bar 13) for storm peak.

Rhythm - Hemidemisemiquavers

Rapid flourishes (bar 31) for turbulence.

Rhythm - Trill timing

Start on weak beats (bar 33) for instability.

Melody - Chromatic descent

"Gale" (bar 11) word-painting

Melody - Repeated notes

"Wood's in trouble" for storm emphasis.

Harmony - False Relation

D♭/D♮ clash (bar 3); Tudor style

Harmony — Bitonal

G minor vs. A♭ major (bar 11).

Structure — Stanza 3

New chromatic motif (bars 35-36).

Structure - Finale

Combines earlier motifs (bars 55-end).

Ronality - Modal ambiguity

E♭ first inversion → A♭ minor (bar 1).

Tonality — Resolution

Ends firmly in G minor (dominant→tonic).