Kate Bush - And Dream of Sheep

Melody

Melody

• prominent rising fifths in vocal line at the start

• word painting in the lyric “deeper and deeper” - low range, descending melody and melisma (falling effect ig)

• in the chorus the vocal line has a smaller range and is based on a minor third

• melody different in verse 1 and verse 2

• repeated and altered melodic idea in the voice in the outro

• opens with loose melodic sequence, 2 rising 5ths

• melody ends on the dominant - unresolved

• use of rising 6th at start of every phrase in bridge 2 and the coda

Harmony

opens with a modal chord sequence - like cloudbusting

Rhythm/Metre/Tempo

• gets more relaxed towards the end?

  • pause in b47

  • c51 extended to 5/4 - similar effect to a pause?

  • rit in last 2 bars

• slow ballad tempo

• 2/4 bars used to extend phrases

• lots of syncopation in the melody

• vocal material often starts after the first beat of the bar

• scotch snaps

Texture

starts just with voice and piano - similar to cloudbusting

Tonality

• C# minor like cloudbusting (which comes directly before in the album)

• goes to E major in the chorus and the bridge (the relative major)

• ambiguous final chord

Instrumentation

• the use of vocals and piano is reminiscent of the ballads of her early career

• the bouzouki (irish instrument) adds decorative lines in verse 2 and in the second bridge and also plays in the outro adding to the accompaniment

• multi-tracked irish whistle used in the outro - plays chords

• spoken voice sample - similar to The Wall by Pink Floyd

• the piano is more dramatic in the verses and plays vamped block chords in the bridge

• word painting? - “let me be weak, let me sleep and dream of sleep etc” acompañado by more relaxed piano?

Dynamics/Articulation

piano

Structure

• 2’45” - quite short

• has material in common with under ice

• irregular phrase lengths