Music Set Works

Flashcards for all the set works

Brandenburg - Dates (2)

• Baroque

• 1600 -1750

Brandenburg - Dynamics (3-3)

• Sudden changes in dynamics

• Dynamics not notated

• More instruments = louder

Context:

• Sudden changes in volume

• Terraced dynamics

• Changes in texture for contrast since instruments did not have a wide dynamic range

Brandenburg - Rhythm (7-1)

• Fast tempo, dance rhythms, gigue feel, creates an upbeat and uplifting mood

• 2/4 but feels like 6/8

• Gigue dance rhythms - 2 beat triplet quavers, suggests compound time 6/8

• Triplet quavers - fast and lively

• Steady pulse and constant quaver movement keeps the piece moving forward

• Off-beat semiquaver rhythm

• Fast rhythmic values in harpsichord - semiquavers and demisemiquavers

Context:

• Continuous driving energetic rhythms

Brandenburg - Texture (7-2)

• A = fugal, B = polyphonic/contrapuntal

• Unison, imitation, quickly building up

• Dialoguing - instruments play one after another

• Other textures - monophonic and homophonic

• Antiphonal - swapping between different groups

• Stretto - overlapping entries of the subject which heightens tension

• Passagework - harpsichord has patterns of quick notes and sequences, constantly moving

Context:

• Polyphonic or contrapuntal

• Basso continuo, imitation, dialogue, pedal

Brandenburg - Structure (7-1)

• Ternary form (ABA)

• A - fugue, staggered start, everyone joins in with subject or answer, very imitative, starts in D major

• B - ritornello (ABACA), starts in B minor

• Concerto - 3 movements (fast, slow, fast), this is the 3rd movement

• Concerto grosso - 3 or more soloists + orchestra

• Canon - in section B, harpsichord RH is repeated by LH a bar later

• Strictly isn’t a fugue

Context:

• Binary, ternary, ritornello, fugue

Brandenburg - Melody (5-1)

• Subject - main melody, off-beat, starts on dominant, ends on tonic, leap of 4th up and down, mostly stepwise, ends with leap of 5th, A-D, octave range

• Answer - subject repeated at a different pitch

• Counter subject - melody played after subject/answer

• Scalic, triadic (based on a triad)

• Sequences, ornamentation, appoggiaturas, trills, chromaticism

Context:

• Sequences, ornaments, long flowing melodies

Brandenburg - Instrumentation (5-1)

• Concertino - violin, flute, harpsichord (main)

• Ripieno - harpsichord, bass viol

• Harpsichord - semiquaver runs, scalic melody

• Basso continuo completes the harmony by realising the figured bass

• Harpsichord melody is virtuosic - technically challenging

Context:

• Limited range of dynamics

Brandenburg - Tonality (5)

• A = D major, B = B minor (relative minor)

• D major suits string instruments - allows open strings which creates a brighter feel

• Modulation - creates interest

• Mostly uses closely related keys

• One mood throughout the movement

Brandenburg - Harmony (4-3)

• Basso continuo - emphasis on harmony

• Circle of fifths - each chord is a fifth lower

• Frequent perfect cadences and pedals

• Figured bass say what chords to play

Context:

• Suspensions, pedals, perfect cadences

• Tierce de Picardie - final chord major in a minor key

• False relations, realisation, ground bass, repeated chord progressions

Pathetique - Context (2)

• Classical and romantic

• 1750 - 1820, 1820 - 1900

Pathetique - Dynamics (2-2-4)

• Sudden dynamic contrasts and gradual changes

• Wide range of dynamics (pp-ff)

Classical context:

• Piano can crescendo and dynamic shade

• Frequent changes in mood

Romantic context:

• Dynamics more varied and much larger range

• Sudden changes common

• Often tells a story

• Pathetique - emotional

Pathetique - Rhythm (5-1-3)

• Grave - very slow and solemn

• Allegro - fast and lively

• Rhythms are stretched, syncopation, dotted rhythms, pause

• Quaver tremolos in LH

• 4/4 in slow sections, 2/2 in fast sections

Classical context:

• Greater variety of rhythm than Baroque

Romantic context:

• Freedom and flexibilities - rubato

• Repetitive

• Triplets and cross rhythms (3 notes against 2)

Pathetique - Texture (5-2-2)

• Homophonic (no counter point)

• Intro - dense, chords all parts moving in the same rhythm

• 1st subject - melody and accompaniment (more independent), thinner than intro

• Murky bass - tremolo octaves in LH

• Alberta bass - broken chords

Classical context:

• Light, clear texture

• Mostly homophonic but some counterpoint

Romantic context:

• Homophonic textures dominate

• Dense accompaniment

Pathetique - Structure (6-3-2)

• Sonata form

• Intro - very slow section that repeats at the start of the development and coda

• Exposition - first subject in tonic, second subject has a different character

• Development - several modulations, uses transition idea instead of 1st or 2nd subjects

• Recapitulation - recaps exposition

• Coda - finished with 1st subject and dramatic first cadence

Classical context:

• Sonata - one instrument or solo + piano accompaniment

• Sonata - 2 contrasting subjects

• Clear structure, balance very important

Romantic context:

• Still use structures but more free

• Emotional content more imporant than balanced structures

Pathetique - Melody (4-1-2)

• Intro - rising sequences and chromatic descent

• 1st subject - ascending scalic figure repeating an octave up

• 2nd subject - 4 note rising motif, features hand-crossing melody passing between bass and treble, followed by descending stepwise melody featuring ornaments, balanced phrasing, a wide range of piano

• Frequent mordants

Classical context:

• Regular phrasing, question and answer

Romantic context:

• Long memorable, expressive and lyrical

• Often features wide leaps of 6ths and 7ths

Pathetique - Instrumentation (4-1-1)

• Piano - wide range of dynamics, exploits different registers (5+1/2 octaves), forceful accents, hand crossing, wide separation of the hands, often in contrary motion, thick dense chords in low register, low sustained pedal

• Sotto - play under the voice or hushed

• RH - melody, octaves, suspensions, some chords

• LH - tremolo octaves (murky bass), broken chords, block chords, chordal accompaniment

Classical context:

• Piano replaced harpsichord

Romantic context:

• Music gets harder to play and more virtuosic - showing off

Pathetique - Tonality (8-1-1)

• Intro - C minor

• 1st subject - C minor

• 2nd subject - Eb minor, then Eb major

• Development - G minor, then Em, D, Gm, D, Cm

• Recap 1st subject - Cm then Db, Ebm, Fm

• 2nd subject - F minor then C minor

• Ends C minor

• Often modulates to unexpected keys

Classical context:

• Modulates frequently to close related keys

Romantic context:

• Expressive modulation to distant keys are common

Pathetique - Harmony (4-2-1)

• Cadences - mainly perfect, also imperfect and interrupted

• Diminished 7ths - diminished triad plus diminished 7th, stack of 4 minor 3rds

• Secondary dominant - dominant of dominant

• Cadential 6/4, Ic (2nd inversion), V then I - final cadence in piece

Classical context:

• Chords I and V dominate

• Frequent clearly defined cadences

Romantic context:

• Harmony is complex with chromatic chords and expressive dissonances

Music For a While - Context (2)

• Baroque

• 1600 - 1750

Music For a While - Dynamics (2-1)

• No dynamic markings

• Left to the performers

Context:

• Instruments had more limited dynamics range

Music For a While - Rhythm (3)

• 4/4 Simple quadruple

• Slow tempo - lament songs

• Dotted rhythms influenced by Italian style - in both vocal melody and harpsichord

Music For a While - Texture (2-1)

• Homophonic texture

• Short imitative points in harpsichord realisation

Context:

• Use of basso continuo, pedal, and imitation

Music For a While - Structure (6-1)

• Da Capo Aria - ABA1

• Fusion of ternary and ground bass forms

• 3 bar ground bass - unusual length

• A1 - Short repeat of section A with extra decoration in vocal melody

• Maintains interest - changes length of ground bass and adds modulations

• Ground bass songs were often laments - sad and sorrowful

Context:

• Da Capo Arias and ground bass were popular vocal forms

Music For a While - Melody (10-1)

• Starts on tonic, leaps to dominant

• Total range of 9th, mostly syllabic but sometimes melismatic, sequences

• Repetition of lyrics - adds emphasis

• Word painting - depicts words in music by imitating their meaning

• Ornamentation - appoggiaturas and mordents

• Dissonance - adds anguish to emotional expressions

• Harpsichord - descending scalic passages

• Uses arpeggiation to spread chords and make them last longer

• Falling phrases - laments

• Melodic shape of ground bass imitates King Laius rising form the dead

Context:

• Long flowing melodies decorated with ornaments

Music For a While - Instrumentation (4)

• Solo voice with basso continuo accompaniment

• Vocal soloist - soprano (but originally for counterpoint)

• Basso continuo - harpsichord and bass viol, completes the harmony by realising the figured bass

• The ground bass had a motif with an arch shape that repeats to create an ascending sequence that imitates the King rising from the dead

Music For a While - Tonality (5-1)

• A minor

• Minor key is a feature of laments

• Section A - mostly in A minor but modulations to Em, G and C

• Section B - modulates to C (relative major), back to Am then Em (dominant)

• Section A1 - entirely in A minor

Context:

• Major and minor scales developed from modes

Music For a While - Harmony (3-3)

• Figured bass suspensions - to create dissonance, regular perfect cadences, false relations

• Tierce de Picardie - final chord in minor section is major

• Cadential 6/4 chords - Ic V I

Context:

• Greater emphasis on harmony and bass line

• Functional harmony and perfect cadences establish keys

• Tierce de Picardie suspensions, false relations, realisation, repeated chord progressions

Killer Queen - Context (2)

• Glam rock

• 1970s

Killer Queen - Dynamics (2)

• No dynamics written

• Panning and technology used to control what you hear

Killer Queen - Rhythm (4)

• 12/8 with occasional 6/8

• Swung rhythm - emphasised by hi-hat

• Syncopation, fast tempo, motif (repetition)

• Anacrusis - vocal melody starts with a pickup

Killer Queen - Texture (6)

• Mostly homophonic

• Builds up in layers

• Clear contrast between sections - verses are lighter and more sparse

• Verse 2 - more polyphonic

• Antiphonal moments due to panning

• Piano plays constantly whereas all other parts come and go

Killer Queen - Structure (5)

• Verse-chorus form

• Intro-V1-Ch1-V2-Ch2-Bridge-V3-Ch3-Outro

• Intro - unusual start with 6 finger clicks

• Chorus 2 is shorter

• 8 bar guitar solo

Killer Queen - Melody (5)

• Mostly conjunct (stepwise) and syllabic

• Some prominent leaps of 5th, 6th and 8ve

• Sequences, wide range, vocables, spoken sometimes for dramatic effect

• Guitar solo develops phrase 3 of verse

• Range of 2 octaves and a 3rd

Killer Queen - Instrumentation (8)

• Vocals - lead vocal (male tenor), gospel style backing vocals (overdubbed)

• Vocables - non-sense syllables

• Jangle piano - honky tonk piano overdubbed on normal piano

• 4 electric guitars - overdubbed, played with pick

• Drum kit - tremolo, fills

• Studio music technology - multitracking, overdubbing, panning, distortion, reverb

• Guitar techniques - string bends, slides, vibrato, pull-offs, picking, palm muting, wah-wah, distortion, glissando

• Bass guitar

Killer Queen - Tonality (7)

• C minor - unusual for rock music

• Frequent modulations

• V1 - Cm, Eb, Cm, Eb, Gm

• Chorus - Bb

• V2 - same as V1 but stronger sense of C due to C pedal note

• V3 - Cm then Eb

• Outro - Bb then finishes in Eb

Killer Queen - Harmony (5-1)

• Functional harmony, frequent 7th chords, inversions

• Circle of fifths - next chord a fifth lower than previous chord

• Use of unusual chords

• Imperfect cadence in verse

• Harmonic rhythm, guitar doubled in 3rds

Context:

• Minor chord IV is rarely used in rock and pop music

Defying Gravity - Dynamics (5)

• Intro - F with stab chords from full orchestra

• Short dialogue section

• Verse 1 - mp with delicate tremolo strings

• Rest is mostly f

• Ending - ff

Defying Gravity - Rhythm (8)

• Alternates between slow chordal accompaniment and driving quaver rhythms

• Syncopation, push rhythms

• Uses rubato and heavy percussion

• Intro - colla voce (follow singer)

• Intro - 2/2, rest 4/4

• Intro reprise - 2/2 till coda

• Uses dotted rhythms, cross rhythms

• Chorus has extra triplets and syncopation

Defying Gravity - Texture (3)

• Mostly homophonic

• More sparse at the beginning with monophonic passages

• Texture builds towards the end, briefly polyphonic when ensemble joins in

Defying Gravity - Structure (2)

• Extended verse-chorus

• Intro-V1-Ch1-V2-Ch2-Bridge-Ch3-Intro reprise-V3-Ch4-Coda

Defying Gravity - Melody (9)

• Use of leitmotifs

• Interval of 5th is important

• Frequent perfect 4th and 5th convey strength

• Melody - vocalisation, auxiliary notes, syllabic, sequences

• Duet in bridge and chorus 3

• Motif x - 3 note ostinato

• Motif b - rising bass line symbolises growing confidence

• 3 note ostinato goes out of sync with beat then comes back again

• Emphasis on 7th note makes it seem magical

Defying Gravity - Instrumentation (5)

• Mixture of classical and popular instruments

• Strings, brass, woodwind, harp, e.guitar, drums, synths

• E.bow on guitar

• Timpani pedal glissandi

• Tremolo strings

Defying Gravity - Tonality (4)

• Lots of sudden shifts

• Elphaba - D, Glinda - Db - representing them clashing and arguing

• Everything in D major except bridge, which is G

• Intro has chromatic harmony

Defying Gravity - Harmony (5)

• Mostly major and minor chords

• Some augmented and half diminished, bare 5ths

• Interrupted cadences

• Pedal used a lot

• Circle of fifths

Star Wars - Dynamics (4-1)

• Fanfare and 1A - ff

• 1B - mf crescendo to ff as main theme returns

• Section 2 - piccolo solo is quiet but rest is loud

• Ending - unexpected pp, cue to next action

Context:

• Film music was used to set the mood

Star Wars - Rhythm (10-1)

• Triplets dominate - war like intensity

• Fanfare - repeated notes and triplets

• 1A - syncopated block chord accompaniment, off beat quavers

• 1B - triplets and dotted rhythms

• Section 2 - violins have triplets, sextuplets, demisemiquaver rhythms creating sinister/unsettled effects

• Pounding crotchets in bass line

• 4/4 then 3/4

• Intensity of ending, sense of drama

• Tempo - fast, rit before main theme, slowing leading to pause, codetta is fast

• High tempo - very dramatic, highly charged

Context:

• Film music was there to dictate the pace of the film and provide smooth transitions

Star Wars - Texture (6)

• Mostly homophonic

• Intro - polyphonic due to imitation

• Melody often doubled in octaves

• Homorhythm block chords

• Pedal points - rhythmic ostinato

• Relatively few solo moments of lighter textures

Star Wars - Structure (5)

• Intro, section 1, section 2

• Section 1 - ABA, ternary structure

• A - Skywalker leitmotif on trumpets

• B - 8 bar contrasting theme on violin

• Section 2 - shortened fanfare, mysterious piccolo solo, sudden orchestral outburst, rebel motif creates dramatic ending

Star Wars - Melody (8-2)

• Bold clearly defined melodies

• Fanfare - rapid repeating notes, leaps of 7ths, triplet arpeggio like figures

• 1A - 4 bar leitmotif on trumpets, leaps of 4ths, 5ths, and 7ths, triplets, syncopation, based on tonic and dominant

• Lots of energy and excitement

• 1B - 4 bar idea on violins, less forceful, elegant, conjunct

• Section 2 - piccolo solo

• Rebel motif - falling minor 3rd

• Use of sequences, leitmotifs, pedal - tension

Context:

• Leitmotifs were used by romantic composers

• They remind the audience of previous events

Star Wars - Instrumentation (6-3)

• Full symphony orchestra - thickly scored

• Doubling of parts to avoid electronic effects or synthesizers

• Piccolo - solo

• Glockenspiel - reinforces important notes in melody

• Harp - glissando

• Timpani - ominous rhythm

Context:

• Large orchestras are typical of John Williams

• Synths were often used in many film scores at the time - especially futuristic themes

• JW used lots of fanfare, soaring violins, marches, battle music

Star Wars - Tonality (3)

• Section 1 - Bb major, triumphant

• Section 2 - chromatic, hexatonic, ambiguous, almost atonal, bitonal, creates unease

• Cluster chords, pedal on C - tension

Star Wars - Harmony (4)

• Mostly tonal with lots of major chords

• Complex chords, unusual chord progressions, quartal harmony

• 1A ends with imperfect cadence

• Piccolo - hexatonic

Release - Context (1)

• African, Celtic, and EDM

Release - Dynamics (2)

• Parts are faded in and out by a sound engineer who controls all the volumes

• EQ boost or cut frequencies and compression made soft parts louder

Release - Rhythm (5)

• Metre - free until bodhran enters where it is 4/4

• Mostly straight semiquavers

• Much syncopation, triplets, sextuplets, polyrhythms

• Slightly swung semiquavers - relaxed

• Repetitive - 28 loops

Release - Texture (5)

• Layered using multiple tracks - 28 loops

• Constantly changing, multitracked

• Most sections are homophonic

• V3 - polyphonic

• Build - gradual introduction of more instruments

Release - Structure (6)

• Intro-V1-Break-V2-S1-S2-Break-S3-V3-Build-Outro

• 8 bar phrases mostly

• Defined by changes in texture rather than tonality

• V1 - female in English

• V2 - male in Gaelic

• V3 - starts female, then male takes over

Release - Melody (5)

• Female voice - limited range, low tessitura, repetitive, glissando, ornamentation

• Falling phrases - sadness

• Male voices - wider range (10th)

• Instrumental - solo melodies based on folk tunes, idiomatic (suits instruments), faster moving, wider range, disjunct

• Vocal melody - based on opening motif with vocables

Release - Instrumentation (7-2)

• Vocals - female (English), male (Gaelic), male (African dialect)

• African - kora, talking drum, djembe

• Celtic - fiddle, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, Celtic harp, bodhran, accordion, hurdy-gurdy

• EDM - synths, bass guitar, drum machine, sequencing software

• Reverb, delay - creating a sense of space

• Panning, track automation, EQ (equalisation)

• Synth pad - sustained chords

Context:

• Lead vocalists typical of pop and Celtic music

• Mixture of African, Celtic (Irish) and EDM music styles

Release - Tonality (2)

• Modal - uses Aeolian and Dorian

• Diatonic - mostly keeps to notes of the scale but some chromaticism

Release - Harmony (5)

• Static harmony - slow changing, repetitive chord sequence on sustained synths

• Chordal rhythmic loops on accordion

• Semiquaver chordal arpeggios on electric piano

• Extended chords - 7ths and 9ths

• Drone - continuously help or repeated notes

Samba em Preludio - Context (1)

• Bossa Nova

Samba em Preludio - Dynamics (2)

• No dynamics indicated

• Limited range, mostly soft and any changes mainly due to texture

Samba em Preludio - Rhythm (6)

• 4/4

• Free tempo until b19 (break) with bossa nova rhythm

• Very syncopated, rubato, cross-rhythms, bossa nova groove

• Guitar solo - acciaccaturas, triplets, semiquavers, quavers, crotchets, quintuplets, sextuplets

• Cross rhythms - 2 or 4 notes against 3

• Opening and ending - free rhythm and tempo

Samba em Preludio - Texture (4)

• Starts monophonic

• Becomes more contrapuntal, two-part counterpoint

• Very spares in places - intimate feel

• V2 - homophonic, with melodic interest in the bass

Samba em Preludio - Structure (3)

• Intro-V1-V2-Guitar solo-V3-V2-Coda

• 16 bar sections mostly

• Ends with guitar flourish

Samba em Preludio - Melody (6-2)

• Vocal V1 - ascending broken chords, low tessitura, range of 9th extensions, syllabic

• Vocal V2 - mostly stepwise, descending sequence, syllabic

• Bass guitar - outlines harmony but also provides melodic interest and counterpoint, scalic at times, broken chords

• V2 - roots and fifths, guitar decorates the line

• V1 and V2 don’t have the same melody - unusual

• V3 is a mashup of V1 and 2

Context:

• Bossa nova is more lyrical with less percussion than samba

• Preludio - short, improvised piece

Samba em Preludio - Instrumentation (5)

• Voice, acoustic guitar, acoustic fretless bass guitar

• 31 bar solo - acoustic guitar

• Bass guitar - double stopping, glissando/portamento, mordent

• Harmonic - bell like sound

• Fermata - pause

Samba em Preludio - Tonality (1-1)

• B minor - 2 sharps

Context:

• Minor key was a common feature of bossa nova

Samba em Preludio - Harmony (2-1)

• Jazz influenced with extended, altered and substitution chords - sound dissonant, add flavour, sophistication

• Altered chords - diatonic chords with one note chromatically altered

Context:

• Bossa nova is influenced by samba and cool jazz