Vaughan Williams: 'Is My Team Ploughing?'

Structure:
Describe the overall structure (with the specific sections)

Strophic (A - B - A - B - A1 - B1 - Coda)

Structure:
What do the 'A' sections of the song represent?

The voice of the ghost

Structure:
What do the 'B' sections represent?

The voice of the living man

Tonality:
Describe the tonality of Section A.

Modal (D Dorian)

Tonality:
Describe the (implied) tonality of Section B (and how it is indicated).

D minor (Bb and C#)

Tonality/Harmony:
What feature is used extensively to create tension while blurring the tonality?

Chromaticism

Tonality:
Which unrelated key is established in Section A1 (and through what note)?

F minor (Ab)

Tonality:
What feature is included in Section B1 to blur the tonality and elevate the tension?

Accidentals

Melody:
What mode is featured in Section A?

Dorian mode

Melody:
Describe the melodic patterns as a whole in the song.

Mainly conjunct

Melody:
How is the melody made more complex in Section B? (4)

Chromaticism, larger leaps, starts a 5th higher than section A, wider range

Melody/Sonority:
How is the highest point of tension emphasised in the final two stanzas?

High tessitura

Harmony:
What makes the overall harmony seem unsettling?

Non-functional harmony

Harmony:
What chord is played beneath the melody in Section A?

Sustained D minor

Harmony:
What type of chords make the harmony more complex in the B sections? (3)

Half-diminished 7th, augmented 6th, neapolitan 6th

Harmony:
Describe how the use of chords in Section A1 creates a sense of narrative development.

Starts on familiar Dm chord, then moves away with parallel triad movements

Harmony:
How does the harmony link to the conventions of Tudor music?

Quartal harmony

Texture:
Describe the texture at the start of the song.

Homorhythmic

Texture:
What is the overall texture?

Melody-dominated homophony

Texture:
Describe the texture in the strings in Section A.

3-part in upper strings (no cello)

Texture:
Describe the texture in Section B. (2)

Reduced texture, triplet block chords on piano and cello

Texture:
How is the tension elevated in the final stanza?

Full ensemble

Texture:
How is a sense of cyclical structure in the song's narrative created through the texture (i.e. texture in the coda)?

Homorhythmic

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
Describe the metre changes in the song.

Mainly 4/4 with shifts to 2/4 and 3/4

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
Give examples of some rhythmic figures in the song. (5)

Dotted rhythms, tied notes, triplets, quintuplets, sextuplets

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
Name the tempo marking that means 'at a sustained walking pace but no too slow/as slow as lento'

Andante sostenuto ma non troppo lento

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
Which tempo marking creates a sense of tension/aggression?

Poco animato

Sonority:
What ensemble is employed in this song (name the instruments)

Piano quintet (piano and string quartet)

Sonority:
Describe the type of vocals used in this song.

Tenor vocals

Sonority:
Give examples of string techniques in this song. (3)

Con sord, tremolo, pizzicato

Sonority:
Which extended piano technique is employed to reduce the sound of the piano (therefore adding to the eerie/melancholy atmosphere)?

Una corda pedal

Sonority:
How do the vocals in the final two stanzas indicate a moment of high tension?

High tessitura

Sonority:
How does the opening vocal melody make the lyrics appear conversational?

Recitative style