Grieg norwegian march

What features give the piece a folk style?

What features give the piece a folk style?

• sustained drones

• open fifths

• narrow melodic shapes with the falling 3rd prominent

• melodic ornaments

• diatonic harmony

• the three motifs

What features give the piece a march style?

• compound duple time (6/8); two beats every bar

• every beat sounding in the accompaniment (gives a left-right pattern)

• frequent repetition of two bar phrases

• long sequences of short phrases (crescendo and diminuendo = approach and retreat)

• unrefined four-square style

What is the form of the piece?

Binary Form

What is the structure of the piece?

A (1-40) - mid register B (41-79) - high and low register A' (80-107) - as before but 1-17 have been condensed into a 4-bar phrase B (108-147) - as before Codetta

Motif X

CDE (3 rising notes)

Motif Y

ECE (falling and rising third)

Motif Z

Grieg's fingerprint motif

Tonality

• C major

• little tonal contrast

• chords from other keys occur in juxtaposition to add colour to the harmonic palette

Tempo

Allegretto marcato - fast with emphasis

Metre and Rhythm

• 6/8

• compound duple time

• the two beats in a bar of the dotted crotchets gives a march feel (bars 1-21)

• 'left-right' feel of the chords; open fifths = reminiscent of folk (bars 25-38)

• syncopated rhythms = hemiola (e.g. bar 3, tied quaver from first beat to second beat) = dance-like

4 part texture

• The melodic line at the time

• Largely conjunct dotted crotchets in the inner parts that move in parallel 6ths

• A tonic pedal note that changes to the dominant at bar 6 (typical of the era)

What is the significance of the ffp dynamic marking?

This is so the drone can easily be heard

Key melody points for section A

• Begins with an anacrusis at every point that the melody returns

• Appoggiaturas used as if upper mordents to decorate the melody (traditional of folk)

• melody falls throughout this 8 bar phrase partly sequentially

Phrasing

• two 8 bar phrases (exactly the same as each other) both ending with a diminuendo to close the phrase

antiphonal two bar phrases: bars 17 - 25

• 18-19: A minor, 3-part texture, melody in bass, ff, marcato

• 20-21: E major, 4 part texture, melody in treble, p, legato

• 22-23: C minor, 3-part texture, melody in bass, ff, marcato

• 24-25: G major, 4-part texture, melody in treble, p, legato

• minor phrases: the final note of motif Z is chromatically altered to give a hint of a German augmented 6th harmony, imperfect cadences

• major phrases: take the original harmony, emphasising the major 7th above the Ic chord in the Ic-V7-I cadence, perfect cadences

Hardanger

bars 1 -17 uses all the notes of C major except F, reminiscent of a Hardanger fiddle and therefore showcases Norwegian influences

bars 26 - 40: aural representation of the receding march and reminiscent of receding bells

• repetitive phrase of a syncopated rhythmic diminution of motif X

• chain of suspensions (adds dissonance)

• circle of fifths progression

• open fifths in left hand = 'left-right' march feel

• diminuendos 'sempre' (always) = subduing

• 38-40 = span of 4 octaves

Section B (41-79)

• reminiscent to church bells

• tessitura is now at the highest register; the left hand is also in treble clef now (uses the full range of piano)

• whole passage built on the opening theme

• two bars of dominant pedal followed by 2 bars of inverted dominant pedal

• music cascades 2 bar and one bar descending sequences for 24 bars

• bars 45-68: split in 8 bar phrases; descending down 5 octaves; juxtaposed by crescendoing dynamics; entirely diatonic of C major

• changes in musical effect; starts off a tinkling music box and becomes a ferocious march

Climax (bar 69)

• melody moves back into right hand and is rich in octaves

• heavy chordal texture

• ff

• tertiary modulation to Ab major (flattened submediant = unrelated key); impactful due to long tonic passage preceding this

• 'left-right' ostinato accompaniment thunders below with accented power chords

bar 73

• back in C major

• march is receding (dim; smaller texture)

• fragments of melody used

Section A' (bar 80-107)

• more subdued and reflective in nature

• first 17 bars condensed into 4 bars

• tranquil and p (change in dynamics)

• melody in tenor register (octave lower than before)

• no modulation to dominant

Section B return (bar 107-146)

as before

Codetta (bars 147-159)

• entirely C major

• built on tonic pedal in bass

• motif X permeates final bars in accompaniment twice; inverted and augmented below melody

• tranquillo, p