Vaughan Williams: 'Bredon Hill'

Tonality/Harmony:
How is a sense of melancholy/tension created in the funeral part of the text?

Bitonal emphasis (Ab and G)

Melody:
Describe the melody that concludes the song.

Repeated descending triplet motif in piano

Harmony:
Describe the chords in the intro.

Parallel 7ths

Texture:
Describe some of the passages that thicken the texture.

Homorhythmic

Texture:
Describe how the accompaniment changes.

Chordal to broken chords

Texture/Harmony:
Describe the texture between the strings and piano.

Parallel chords in strings, parallel semibreve/minim chords in piano

Structure:
Name all the sections that appear in this song.

Intro - A - A - B - B1 - C - D - A1 - Coda

Structure:
How does the overall structure change in this song?

Strophic to more through-composed

Structure:
How is the structure of this song different to OWE and IMTP?

Less repetitive

Tonality:
Describe the tonality throughout

Uncertain/ambiguous

Tonality/Harmony:
There is a sense of which tonal centre and why/how?

G, G mixolydian mode

Melody:
How is mixolydian mode indicated in this song?

Fnat

Melody:
What appears extensively as the song develops?

Chromaticism

Melody/Sonority:
Describe how the vocals create a sense of increased tension/sadness.

Top of range

Melody:
How is a recitative-like style created through the melody?

Repeated pitches

Melody:
What scale does the melody begin on?

Pentatonic scale

Harmony:
How does the voicing of the chords change in the song?

To 4ths and 5ths instead of stacked 3rds

Texture:
What is the overall texture of the song?

Melody-dominated homophony

Texture:
How does the texture at the end create a sense of loneliness and melancholy?

Monophonic vocals

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
How does the tempo change in the song?

Moderate then increases

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
Describe the tempo in the funeral section.

Slower tempo

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
What two metres does the song alternate between?

2/4 and 4/4

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
How does the rhythm in the accompaniment create an illusion of a slower tempo? (2)

Ties, long note values

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre/Texture:
How is the man's anguish shown?

Crossrhythms

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
Describe the rhythm of the chords in the final stanza.

Off-beat

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
Give examples of rhythmic features that drive the music forward. (2)

Triplets, shorter note values

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre:
What is the tempo at the end?

Colla voce

Sonority:
What ensemble is this song composed for?

Piano quintet (piano and string quartet)

Sonority:
What kind of vocals are in this song?

Tenor

Sonority:
Give some examples of idiomatic string writing (string techniques). (5)

Pizzicato, double stopping, tremolo, harmonics, mutes

Sonority:
What pedals are used on the piano in this song?

Sustain, una corda

Sonority:
Describe the word setting of this song.

Mainly syllabic with some melisma

Sonority:
Give an example of when melismatic word setting is used.

'Pray'