set works DR T SMITH

Give the fun facts about Star Wars

Written by John Williams, released in 1997, through composed

Give the dynamics in Star Wars

Very extreme, ff to pp. Sudden but few crescendos and diminuendos

Give the rhythmic features in Star Wars

4/4 until bar 44, then 3/4. Triplet fanfare. Syncopated accompaniment bars 4-6 and 21-24.

What is the effect of the rhythmic features? (Star Wars)

It creates a march-like military mood.

What is the tonality in Star Wars?

Bb maj, accentuated by inverted pedal in b1-6. Eb maj from bar 30. Section B is atonal, and the return to section A has bitonality with the C pedal and Ab minor chords.

Give the structure of Star Wars

Ternary structure, 3 bar fanfare, Section A - Luke Skywalker’s leitmotif, lyrical section B, repeat of A with slight alterations, 3 bar link to atonal section, 3 bar link to the military outburst

Give the melodic features of Star Wars

Triplets, 4ths and 7ths in the leitmotif. A rising contour. Lyrical conjunct violins. Chromaticism.

What is the effect of these melodic features? (star wars)

Gives the melody a heroic quality. Shows off Williams’ bold and clearly defined style

Give the instrumentation of Star Wars

The fanfare in the brass, a full symphony orchestra, piccolo solo in section B, lyrically played violins, timpani marching, tutti b21, pizzicato violins in section B

Give the texture of Star Wars

Homophonic, homorhythmic in b18, b44-50. Pedal points.

Give the harmonic devices in Star Wars.

Quartal harmony up to b7, triads in b7, unrelated chords b33-35, Db maj7 (suspended 9th chord), augmented 5th between Ab and E. Final march clashes, notes clusters in b46-50. Differing (perf & imperf) cadences.

Give the fun facts about Killer Queen

Written by Freddie Mercury, from Queen’s album Sheer Heart Attack, released in 1974. Glam rock

Give the dynamics in Killer Queen

None marked

Give the rhythmic features of Killer Queen

Compound quadruple metre (12/8) giving a swung feel. Relatively fast, dotted crotchet = 112. Frequent syncopation. Every vocal line begins with an anacrusis.

Give the tonality of Killer Queen

Eb major but sometimes ambiguous. Verses start in C min and choruses in Bb maj but modulate quickly. Ends on perfect cadence in Eb maj.

Give the structure of Killer Queen

Clicks intro, Verse, Chorus, Instrumental, V2, C2, Guitar solo, V3, C3, outro to fade

Give the melodic features of Killer Queen

Conjunct and scalic but progressively larger intervals, altered rising sequence in b12-b13, altered descending sequence in b20-21. Portamento on the word queen in b15, anacruses, metre change bar 10.

Give the instrumentation of Killer Queen

Honky tonk, gradual introduction, vocables, falsetto, wild drums, phase shifting at word ‘laser’ (word painting), cymbal roll, 3 guitar instrumental

Give the texture of Killer Queen

Homophonic, increasingly chordal, contrapuntal fragments

Give the harmonic features of Killer Queen

Root position triads, diatonic, occasional dissonance, tonic C min pedal starts the verse, dom Fmaj pedal starts the instrumental, parallel harmonies, triads and arpeggios, perfect cadence into the choruses. Close harmony overdubbing at chorus.

Give the fun facts about Music for a While

Written in 1962, by Purcell

Give the dynamics of Music for a While

None (it’s Baroque)

Give the rhythmic devices of Music for a While

Simple quadruple metre (4/4), walking bass, ground bass, simple vocal rhythm

Give the texture in Music for a While

Polyphony between the right and left band of the harpsichord plus the voice makes it three part

Give the structure of Music for a While

Ternary form, constructed on a 3 bar ground bass pattern, first and last sections in A minor, middle section passes through closely related keys

Give the melodic features of Music for a While

Conjunct vocal melody with some leaps, rests for expression, sequences, upper and lower mordents, appogiaturas, grace notes, trills, arpeggiation on last harpsichord chord

Give the instrumentation of Music for a While

Solo soprano voice, basso continuo of harpsichord and bass viol

Give the tonality of Music for a While

A minor for outer sections, middle sections E minor, G major, C major

Give the harmonic devices in Music for a While

Chords in line with ground bass. Functional harmony (phrases shaped by perfect cadences) Tierce de Picardie (typical Purcell, cadence that goes from minor to major) on ‘snakes’, some false relations

Give the fun facts about Samba

It’s a fusion, its a bossa nova (new trend)

Give the dynamics of Samba

Dynamics left up to the performer, generally one colour with subtle shading

Give the rhythmic features in Samba

Simple quadruple time, two changes of metre into 5/4 (intro and coda) and 6/4 (improv), slow with rubato, cross rhythms with semi quavers against triplets, syncopation and dotted rhythms due to bossa nova style

Give the texture of Samba

Opens monophonically with occasional double stopping, verse 1: two part polyphony between voice and acoustic bass guitar, verse 2 the same but supported by chords in the acoustic guitar

Give the structure of Samba

Intro, A, A’, B, B’, Instrumental A/B, Coda

Give the melodic features of Samba

Verse 1: 4 note rising arpeggio figure which is repeated 7 times in a modified downward sequence. Verse 2: built on a descending scale figure. Instrumental bass line and melodies are improvisatory. Acoustic guitar instrumental is virtuosic in places with fingered tremolo

Give the instrumentation of Samba

Acoustic bass guitar and low female voice (done by Esperanza). Acoustic guitar plays accompanying chords in verse 2 and then takes over as the soloist in the instrumental (with a second acoustic guitar strumming chords)

Give the tonality of Samba

B minor

Give the fun facts about Bach

Late Baroque - 1721, written for the margrave of Brandenburg, a gigue (lively and feeling of 6/8)

Give the dynamics of Bach

Very few written, terraced depending on amount of instruments used

Give the rhythmic features of Bach

2/4 with dotted rhythms and triplets (making it sound like 6/8) running semiquavers, allegro tempo (typical of a third movement)

Give the texture of Bach

Very contrapuntal, opens with 4 part fugal entries (violin - very brief monophony in the 1st 10 notes, flute, harpsichord LH then RH) Imitation, pedal notes, dialogue, strict canon between hands in bar 163 (just harpsichord), some stretto - imitation but more overlapping than usual

Give the structure of Bach

Ternary (ABA) with hints of Ritornello (B section very contrasting in the relative minor and rooted on pedals, also has appoggiaturas and longer note values)

Give the melodic features of Bach

Built on triads and scales, some sequences, ornamentation (trills, appogiaturas), opening subject starts perfect 4th and answer is perfect 5th

Give the instrumentation of Bach

Concerto Grosso, concertino, ripieno, basso continuo

Give the tonality of Bach

Diatonic tonality (modulates to closely related keys) D major to A major, B section in the relative minor B minor, returns to D major for the repeat of the A section

Give the harmonic devices used in Bach

Functional harmony, heavily based on chords I, IV and V. Perfect cadences end most phrases and strengthen the modulation. B section has a strong tonic pedal. Brief circle of fifths in the B section. Suspensions.