5. Defying Gravity by Schwartz

Context

Based on film Wizard of Oz (1939)

Genre

Duet

Structure

Extended verse-chorus form, with intro, bridge and coda

Texture

Mostly homophonic (melody and accompaniment)

Harmony

Mostly major and minor chords with one or two augmented and half-diminished

Tonality

Lots of sudden shifts, can be quite unsettled, but verses and choruses are in D major, Bridge in G, ends in D too.

Rhythm

- Alternates slow chordal accompaniments & driving quaver rhythms

- lots of syncopation

- push rhythms in the vocal melody & accompaniment (e.g. motif B)

- rubato

- heavy percussion

Metre

- Starts in 3/2 (then 2/2)

- Settles in 4/4 for most apart from 1 bar of 3/4 (b101).

Instrumentation

- Mix of classical (strings, brass, woodwind, harp) & popular instruments (E.Guitar, Drums, Synths)

Unusual techniques

Arranger Brohn added:

1. E-bow on guitar

2. Timpani pedal glissandi.

e-bow

hand-held device used to create the effect of bowing on an electric guitar.

Structure (in full)

Intro - V1 - Ch1 - V2 - Ch2 - Br - Ch3 - Intro reprise - V3 - Ch4 - Coda

Motif X (unlimited)

Motif B (Elphaba's theme)

Motif C (variation of X, often used in the accompaniment)

Motif D (variation of C, outlines Asus4 then A chords)

Colla voce

Follow the vocalist's tempo

Cross note-heads on vocal stave

Spoken at approximate pitch

Melodic sequence

Repetition of a melody at a different pitch

Syllabic

when one note is sung per syllable

Monophonic

Single line texture (e.g. bar 9)

Andante

Walking pace

Tremolando strings

rapidly playing the same note to produce a tense, wavering sound (used in verse 1)

Bare 5th chords

Chords with no 3rd, convey "open spaces" (used in chorus 4)

Push rhythm

Chords hit quaver early

Interrupted cadence

- cadence using chords V to VI (sounds unfinished and has a "surprise" effect)

- used for "bring me down" in Coda)

Word painting

making the music directly reflect the meaning of the words

Overdrive

A guitar effect that produces a deliberately distorted tone.

3-note ostinato

C# D A (based on motif X)

Cross-rhythms

Triplet crotchets against normal crotchets (ie 3 against 3) e.g. bar 60 Glinda

Hexatonic

Melody uses 6 notes (b71-79)

Title hook

Defying gravity lyric is repeated in the choruses

Bitonal

Suggests 2 different keys at once (e.g. Bridge)

Auxiliary note

Used to decorate the melody (e.g. in b97)

Unison

Voices sing in unison doubling the same melody line (b123-126 reprise of intro)

Vamp section

Bars 129-135 could be repeated if needed, to allow Elphaba time to clip in for the Coup de theatre

Coup de theatre

Sudden dramatic stage effect - the castle guards break in only to see Elphaba soar above them (Vamp section b129-135)

Belt range

Top of chest voice

Plagal cadence

Cadence using chords IV to I - sounds finished but has a less strong drive to chord I compared to a Perfect (The repeated tonic note can be sung "A-men", and this cadence is often described as "churchy").

Inner pedal

Repeated note in the middle of the texture e.g. violins b164

Augmented (rhythm)

Idea heard with longer (stretched out) note values e.g. "Bring me down" in coda

Pedal

Held (or repeated note) in the bass - e.g. B in coda

Inverted pedal

Pedal note at the top of the texture (e.g. tonic pedal on "Down" in Coda)

Octatonic scale

tone, semitone, tone, semitone etc

Vocalisation

Wordless singing on a vowel