bernstein times square 1944

what is this piece from

it is one of the three dances from the musical on the town

what period is this piece from

20th century modern

what is the instrumentation of this piece

flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass

what is the tonic key of this piece

F major

what are the features of section 1

this piece is very jazz driven with clarinet, drums, piano and double bass opening, this section is very heavily syncopated, the clarinet features acciacaturas and swung quavers and the harmony consists of primary chords that are decorated with 6ths, 7ths and 9ths, the horns and trumpets enter being played ‘in hat’ which is also known as a derby mute, the initial bar is then developed rhythmically by extension, addition and transposition as there is a regular crochet beat for the lower instruments, complex syncopation for higher instruments which both result in shifting accents and cross rhythms, a three crochet pattern in the cut common metre is then emphasised throughout the whole orchestra

what are the features of section 2

there is a modulation to Db major as the ‘new york, new york’ theme is presented in the bass clarinets, horns, trombones and lower strings, this theme is punctuated with syncopation tutti chords throughout the rest of the orchestra, the ‘new york’ theme is then swapped now in the upper woodwinds, violins and trumpets while the three beat pattern from the previous section appears in the lower instruments, there is a crescendo to FFF as an E pedal emphasises the tonic, the violins have descending 3rds and there is a very sudden diminuendo to close the section

what are the features of section 3

there is a shift to 6/8 to enhance the swung rhythm, a walking bass ostinato begins in the cellos, double bass, bass clarinet and piano which persists throughout the whole section, there are more tritone intervals throughout, the alto saxophone presents a relaxed transformation of the previous ‘new york’ theme, there are suggestions of D major when the violins double the violas in octaves and take on the ‘new york’ theme which shifts the tonality to G major, the woodwinds and trumpets now join the theme and the string harmony alternates between Bm-C6, there is a modulation to Bb major as the harmony returns to added 6ths and 7ths with boogie-woogie left hand in the piano, there are acciacaturas in the trumpets, glissandi in the trombones which imitate lip smears, there are fragments of the ‘new york’ theme in the woodwinds before the suggestion of the opening theme in the brass section, the theme is then fragmented in the brass before a prominent tritone interval in the woodwinds, the theme is then spread throughout the whole orchestra and there is a modulation to C major where the whole entire orchestra takes on the theme with the walking bass line ostinato extended with an octave leap, the upper instruments remain in 6/8 and develop an acciacatura motif while the lower instruments switch to 2/2 and have a transformation of the theme to close the section

what are the features of section 4

the time signature once again changes to 3/2, the walking bass line ostinato is extended to an octave and a new syncopated motif appears in the woodwinds and trumpets, the time signature returns to 2/2 with a 4 bar glisandi discord, the harmony then becomes reliant on an E peal which clashes with open 5ths and Bm chords, the syncopated motif then returns with a rising ostinato scale for the rest of the section

what are the features of section 5

there is a modulation to Eb major and bitonality is created through a D major triad in the flute, xylophone and piano, the string harmony is based in a tonic-dominant pattern creating an ostinato to provide energy, a frantic chase between Eb and Bb in the clarinets which is accompanied by a rhythmic ostinato and there are G and Dm7 chords

what are the features of the repeat of section 5

Eb major returns as well as the tonic dominant harmony and the D major bitonality

what are the features of the return of section 4

Eb major returns again with the syncopated motif repeated for 5 bars, the ostinato walking bass spans an octave and is extended into the brass section

what are the features of the second return of section 5

once again Eb major returns with the bitonality and the tonic-dominant harmony, this time however the theme continues featuring the frantic Eb chase now includes both the clarinet and piccolo with the accompanying rhythmic ostinato in the strings and piano, E major is then established with a crescendo to FFF, there are descending 3rds in the violin and an E pedal to emphasise the tonal change followed by a sudden diminuendo, however the piece does immediately return to Eb major

what are the features of the return of the 3rd section

the piece modulates to G major with a vamp based on g major and half-dim7 chords in the lower strings piano and trombone which also features glissandis, the is a trumpet solo which features triplets to try and replicate a swung rhythm, there is then a modulation to Bb major and the alto sax takes over incorporating elements of the ‘new york’ melody which is later fragmented throughout the woodwind section

what are the features of the final ‘new york, new york’ restatement

the F major tonic finally returns as the initial bar is developed rhythmically through extension, addition and transposition featuring complex syncopations in higher instruments which results in shifting accents and cross rhythms, there is then a final restatement of the ‘new york’ theme in the woodwind, the triangle is introduced in the percussion as the 3 crochet rhythm is now reestablished, the walking bass line ostinato returns but is now arpeggiated and augmented, there is then rhythmic displacement before a brief restatement of the walking bass line ostinato, there is a suggestion of a 5/4 metre through the entire orchestra before a final modulation to Bb major to end the piece