Vaughan-Williams - On Wenlock Edge

Melody

Melody

• Modal

• Pentatonic

• Opening vocals has restricted range

• Repeated notes to emphasise power of the gale

• Voice descends chromatically

• Rapid arpeggios add to mood as do trills

• Mainly syllabic, some melismas

• String trill acts as drone

• Use of whole tone scale

Harmony

• Parallel first inversions

• Dissonance at ‘gale’ - word painting

• Parallel sixths

• Chromatic chordal movement

Rhythm/Metre/Tempo

• Triplets and sextuplets

• Cross-rhythms

• Hemidemisemiquavers

• Rhythmic augmentation

Texture

• Melody dominated homophony

• Piano doubles strings

• Reduced texture towards the end

Tonality

Tonal centre on G

Instrumentation

• Piano quintet with tenor voice

• Tremolo

• Sul ponticello - word painting

Dynamics/Articulation

Dramatic dynamic contrasts

Structure

AABBA/B