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AoS 1 - Handel: And the Glory of the Lord
Melody
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4 main melodies
Each idea relates to a particular part
of the text
‘And the Glory of the Lord’ is mainly
syllabic
‘Shall be revealed’ is melismatic and
uses a sequence
‘And all flesh shall see it together’
has a short repeated motif, repeated
3 times
‘For the mouth of the Lord hath
spoken it’ is made up mainly of long,
repeated As (pedal point)
Each melodic idea is contrasting
Harmony and tonality
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Dynamics
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The dynamics are terraced
Terraced dynamics are a common
feature of Baroque music
The dynamics are often determined
by the texture – the number of parts
playing at a certain point in the piece
The piece starts off quietly with the
orchestral introduction
The piece ends with a dramatic rest
followed by a loud plagal cadence
Texture
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Mood
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Baroque music often has one mood
which lasts for the whole piece – this
is known as an ‘affection’
The mood is joyful
The joyful mood is reinforced by the
major tonality
The mood is also reinforced by the
lively tempo (Allegro)
The ¾ metre (time signature) also
helps to add to the joyful mood of the
piece
The tonality is major throughout the
piece
The major tonality gives the piece
and bright, joyous mood
Any modulations are to the dominant
(5th – E major), and the dominant of
the dominant (B major), adding to the
bright feel of the piece
The piece has frequent perfect
cadences (V-I), reinforcing the key
The piece ends with a plagal
cadence (IV-I)
The first vocal entry is monophonic
Much use of imitation throughout the
piece
Some doubling of parts eg.“for the
mouth of the Lord”
Homophonic for much of the piece
and for the final cadence
Polyphonic textures throughout
where the parts weave in and out and
more than one melody is heard at
once
The texture is constantly changing
Voices/Instrumentation
 The piece is written for 4 voices –
Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass (SATB)
 There is a string accompaniment with
organ and cello continuo
AoS 1 - Mozart: Symphony no. 40
Melody
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Well proportioned/balanced phrases
and graceful melody lines
Regular phrases (4+4 bars)
Contrasting phrases as first and
second subjects
Motif of first subject developed in
central section (development)
Harmony and tonality
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Texture
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Main texture is homophonic
Some dialogue between strings and
woodwind
Oboes and bassoons often provide
harmonic filling
Doubling of parts
Use of octaves
Orchestral textures vary throughout
the movement
Instrumentation
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Classical orchestra
Strings
Seven woodwind players (one flute,
two oboes, two clarinets, two
bassoons
Brass section is two horns (in Bb and
G)
No trumpets or timpani in this piece
Harmony is largely diatonic
Harmony based on chords I,II,IV,V,
V7 and VI
Some chromatic notes
Diminished 7th used as a chromatic
chord
Perfect cadences
Music modulates (changes key) to
related/unrelated keys
First subject in G minor
Second subject in relative major Bb
Second subject in recapitulation is in
tonic (G minor)
Structure
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Sonata form
Exposition, development and
recapitulation sections
Contrast of two subjects/themes
Bridge section between first and
second subjects (for modulation)
Exposition often repeated
Ends with a coda
AoS 1 - Chopin: Piano Prelude in Db major (The Raindrop)
Melody
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Cantabile melody lines
Lyrical/legato/elegant melody
Falling motif
Regular (periodic) phrases
Chorale like melody in Section B
Melody in right hand/ treble part in
Section A
Melody starts in left hand / bass part
in Section B then move to right hand
Uses ornaments in Section A melody
Use of rubato
Harmony and tonality
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Texture
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Broken chordal accompaniment in
Section A
Chordal accompaniment in Section B
Octaves in RH, Section B
Expressive use of soft pedal
Homophonic/melody and
accompaniment
Monophonic (in codetta)
Dynamics
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Vary from pp-ff/very soft to very loud
Many crescendos and diminuendos
Starts softly
A section soft throughout
B section starts quietly /sotto voce
Then crescendo to ff
B section much louder than outer
sections
Ends very softly/pp
Section A is in Db major
Section B is minor / C# minor
(enharmonic)
Harmony is largely diatonic
Some chromatic notes
Regular cadences define keys
Music modulates to related/unrelated
keys
Modulations to Ab major / Ab minor /
Bb minor / G# minor
Pedal (point)/ repeated Ab and G#
(the ‘raindrops’)
Use of inverted pedal
Some tonally ambiguous (unclear)
chords in B section
Suspensions in B section
Uses 7th and 9th notes
Structure
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ABA / ternary form
Short codetta/coda at end
Disproportionately long B Section
Shortened return of A Section
AoS 2 – Schoenberg: Peripetie
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Melody
Fragmentation of melody rather than
development of traditional melodic
lines
Use of short distinct motifs
A = no sense of key (atonal), built on
hexachords, full pitch range of the
orchestra, angular melody with dissonant
leaps – minor 9th and major 7th (to
accentuate dissonance and create
tension)
B = Principal melody snakes through the
orchestra, klangfarbenmelodie
A’’ = material from the opening is used
and developed, hexachord in most of the
orchestra, tremolo in double basses
which is sustained
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Structure
Loose rondo with 5 sections
Repeats of A are hardly recognisable
as ‘A’ – they are more a repeat of a
feeling or mood
Dynamics and tempo
Expressive use of tempo. Also used
to mark sections of the piece
Extremes of dynamics used to create
stark contrasts
A = begins loudly, sudden bursts, fff to
pp, muted trombones and trumpets for
sound quality
B = Begins quietly, immediate
crescendo, dynamics change frequently
C = pp with individual instruments rising
up to fff
A’’ = crescendos quickly from pp to fff,
dies away to nothing, leaving the double
bass tremolo and horns (pp)
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Instruments and texture
Large orchestra with quadruple
woodwind, large brass section,
percussion and strings
Complex contrapuntal textures
Rapid contrast and alternation of
instrument colour (timbre)
Many examples of instruments
playing at the upper extreme of their
range
A = full orchestra, texture changes –
brass dominate, them woodwind.
Instrumental combinations drop in and
out quickly with dovetailing homophonic
bursts
B = full orchestra is used but not all at
once, wind and percussion give the
power, soft line for violins and cellos,
polyphonic texture
C = Texture is sparse to begin with,
overlapping of solo instruments, full
orchestral ‘hammer’
A’’ = starts with clarinets and strings,
instruments introduced one by one
quickly (repeated rhythmic motif)
Harmony and tonality
 Atonality
 Use of dissonance
 Use of hexachords(6 notes from the
chromatic
 Compliment is made up of the other 6
pitches from the chromatic scale
Scales used to create chords or melodies
Rhythm
A = triplets and sextuplets,
demisemiquavers, rubato lines
B = short notes give the feeling that it is
faster
C = Alternates between ruhiger (calm)
and heftig (passionate)
A’’ = Speeds up to the original tempo,
rhythmic motifs return, triplets
AoS 2 – L. Bernstein: Something’s Coming (West Side Story)
Melody
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Use of short riffs
Short snappy phrases
Long sustained notes
Use of the tri-tone motif G#-D (devil
in music) – gives a sinister mood
Fast tempo (176 bpm)
Clear word painting – ‘it may come
canon-balling down from the sky’ –
fast repeated notes
Harmony and tonality
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Rhythm
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Use of syncopation
Fast drving rhythms
Push rhythms (anticipating the beat)
give a sense of excitement and
anticipation (3rd beat of the bar’0
Cross rhythms
Use of Latin American dance rhythms
3/4 time signature / changing to 2/4
Use of triplets
Structure
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Instrumentation
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Orchestrated for large number of
performers (30)
5 woodwind players (clarinet and
saxophone)
Brass – 2 horns, 3 trumpets, 2
trombones
Strings – 7 violins, 4 cellos, 2 double
basses
Drum Kit and 2 other percussionists
Piano
Guitar
Layered textures of independent
parts
D major – bright sounding
Use of dissonance
Use of Blue notes (flattened 3rd, 5th,
7th)
Jazz based harmony
Added 7th and 9th notes to chords
Does not follow verse-chorus
structure but has several musical
ideas that keep repeating
Intro (short)
A
B
B1 (shortened version of B)
A1 (shortened version of A)
Outro (slow fade-out)
Dynamics
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Starts quietly – ‘Could be, who
knows’
Crescendos on long sustained notes
– ‘shows’ and ‘trees’
Use of accents
Changes in dynamics help to convey
the meaning of the words
Fade at end
AoS 2 – S.Reich: 3rd mvmt from Electric Counterpoint
Melody
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Melodies are made up of motifs/cells
They are repeated/looped/ostinato
Live guitar plays the resultant melody
Interlocking melodies
Motifs grow slowly
Metamorphosis through note addition
Four-part guitar canon
New idea (bar 36) strummed guitar
chords
Harmony and tonality
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Texture
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Main texture is contrapuntal
Broken chords
Texture built up in layers
Starts with just one guitar part, then
live guitar
G1, Live G, G2,3,4, BG1+2, G5,6,7
Once all parts are in, texture is fairly
constant
Constantly repeating patterns
Use of interweaving/interlocking
rhythms
Panning
Texture thins out towards the end of
the piece - Guitars 5-7 drop out
Basses fade away at the end
Structure
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Two main sections (A B)
Followed by a coda
Main sections divided into 4 smaller
sections
Sections defined by changes in key
and texture
Opening is not in any clear key (bars
1-32)
Bar 33 – key is defined as E minor
Frequent changes between E minor
and C minor
The music has no D#s so can be
regarded as modal
Mode: Aeolian
Rhythm
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Changes in metre between 3/2 and
12/8 in section B
Rhythmically complex with much
repetition
Rhythmic counterpoint
Displaced accents
Panning and interweaving rhythms
Use of cross rhythms
Rhythmic development is important
AoS 3 - Davis: ‘All Blues’
Melody
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Main melody is called the ‘head’
Head is slow and mostly conjunct
Interval of a major 6th is added
There is some chromatic movement
The solos are much more free
Melodies are based on scales,
modes and broken chords
As the solos progress, the melodies
become more complicated and
virtuosic
Harmony and tonality
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Rhythm
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Swung rhythm
Compound metre (time signature)
Much use of syncopation
Use of polyrhythms
Some rhythmic displacement to make
the most of short melodic motifs
Texture
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Structure
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The basic building block is the 12 bar
blues chord sequence
The 12 bar blues chord sequence is
repeated 19 times in the piece
Introduction
Head tune
Solos with 4 bar links inbetween
Head returns after the solos
Piece finished with an outro to fade
Modal
The album was at the forefront of
modern jazz
Many 7th chords
Use of extended chords
Use of 7(#9) very important to
punctuate the sections
Slow harmonic motion
Some chromaticism
Some dissonance
Starts with just the drum kit (played
with brushes), bass and piano
The texture builds up as instruments
are added
Saxophones enter with the chordal
riff followed by the trumpet with the
head tune
After the head, the solos have one
instrument plus rhythm section
Each solo is punctuated by a link in
which the texture is thinner
AoS 3 – J. Buckley: Grace
Melody
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Wide range exploited
Starts in low register
Very high in places = top D!
Features two and four bar phrase
Combination of syllabic and
melismatic lines (eg on fire)
Some portamento/glissando/sliding
eg on away, afraid, die
Vocalise in bridge section on oh, eeh
Vocal improvisation at end are very
high in vocal range
Unaccompanied vocal at end shows
influence of qawwali music
Melody is diatonic with chromatic
notes added
Melody doubled by b.vox
Instrumentation
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Texture
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The main texture is homophonic
/melody and accompaniment
Textures are varied throughout
Guitars and drums feature virtually
throughout
String parts only used from time-totime
Parts also drop out for contrast eg
bass/drums and acoustic guitar are
taken out in the introduction and links
Guitar ‘whisper effects’ are only used
where they can be heard
Harmony
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Some complex/altered/extended
chords
Main chord sequence is a power
chord played in different ways
Specific chord sequences
Minor/modal
Use of dissonance
Bass
electric guitar
acoustic guitars
drum-kit
synth
strings
backing vocals
lead vocals
String parts feature only some of the
time
Guitar effects include – clean sounds/
vibrato/ whispers/reverb/delay/flanger
Structure
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Verse-chorus/song structure
Middle 8/bridge
Intro used as a link
Link between end of chorus and start
of next verse
Outro uses same chord sequence as
chorus
Pre- chorus
No pre-chorus after verse 3
AoS 3 – Moby: Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad
Technology
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Use of loops
Minimal use of effects on track
Reverb on piano and vocal
Use of delay and EQ
Use of a filter to treat ‘answer’ vocal
sample
 Use of drum machine and sequencer
 Use of sampler
 Synth/string pad sounds
 Bass synth
 Technology used considered old
fashioned in 1999 but preferred by
Moby
Instrumentation – above technological
instruments and piano with vocal
samples from 1953 gospel choir
Harmony (chords)
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Texture
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Texture builds gradually throughout
the intro and first verse.
At start - piano and voice then drum
beat, string synth added.
Texture suddenly thins out when the
chorus comes back for the second
time, then returns to a fuller texture
Final 32 bars, texture consists of just
1st vocal sample and synth
Structure
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Samples
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Uses two vocal samples, both from a
1953 gospel choir
Neither of the vocal tracks have been
‘cleaned up’
The drum breakbeat sample was
slowed down to fit the tempo of the
track
A minor in verse / C major in chorus
Whole song based on three simple
repeated chord sequences
Piano intro and verse:
Am / Em / G / D
Chorus:
C / Am / C / Am and F / C /F / C
Harmony is diatonic and simple
(characteristic of dance music)
Alternates A (verse) and B (chorus)
Intro / Verse 1 / Chorus 1(a)/ Chorus
1(b) / Verse 2 / Break / Chorus 2(a) /
Chorus 2 (b)/ Outro
Melody
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Uses two vocal samples
Melody in verse is male ‘Why does
my heart’
Melody in chorus is female ‘These
open doors’
Simple, repetitive melodies
AoS 4 – Capercaillie: Skye Waulking Song
Melody
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Sung in Gaelic
Based on a pentatonic scale (E minor
pentatonic)
Verse 5 – accordion plays a counter
melody to the voice
Vocables – nonsense syllables sung
in backing vocals
12/8 time signature, has a triple time
feel
Voice sings lilting rhythm
Harmony and tonality
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Texture
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Changes throughout with instruments
and vocals being added / dropping
out
Polyrhythmic
Heterophonic – different versions of
the same tune at the same time, eg.
Instrumental section – uilleann pipes
with the fiddle
Counterpoint – 2 melodies combined
(heard in intro – keyboard and
bouzouki)
Melodic doubling in parts
Counter melodies – heard in verse 5
– accordion plays a counter melody
Instrumentation
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Traditional instruments
– uilleann pipes, fiddle, whistle,
accordion, bouzouki
Modern/Western instruments
– guitar, drums, keyboard, bass
guitar
Harmony is less important than the
melody – very simple with only 4
chords used
Opening – sustained keyboard chord
hints at E minor
Intro – Em G
Verse 4 – C G Em G
Verse 7 – Am7 Em Em G
Verse 8 – C G Em G
Structure
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Intro
Verse 1 – voice enters
Break
Verse 2,3,4,5,6
Instrumental
Verse 7,8
Outro (fades to the end)
AoS 4 – Rag Desh (Mhara janam maran) – Version 2
Melody
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Melody is based on notes of Rag
Desh
Rag has 5 notes ascending and 7
notes descending
The melody is ornamented with much
melisma and meend
Most of the melody is by step
(conjunct melody)
Flowing
Rhythm
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Dynamics
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The rag begins very quietly
There is a crescendo as the
instruments and vocals enter
The dynamics increase when the
taba and other percussion enter for
the bhajan
The dynamics stay at a similar level
throughout
Some sudden bursts from the
instruments and percussion accents
Structure
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Instrumentation
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Voice
Sarangi
Sarod
Pakhawaj
Cymbals
Tabla
Keherwa Tal used in this
performance
8 beat tal
A short tihai occurs at the end of the
piece
The alap is in free time
The bhajan is where the tal can be
heard
Two main sections – alap (intro) and
bhajan (fixed composition)
Alap starts with a short introduction
on the sarangi
Continues with some improvisation
by the singer
The bhajan starts when the tabla
enter
There are 3 ‘verses’ in the bhajan
Interspersed with instrumental solos
and sung ‘choruses’
Piece ends with a short tihai
AoS 4 – Koko: Yiri
Melody
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In Gb major
Balophone melody based on scale of
Gb major
Gb and Db (tonic and dominant) are
emphasised
Solos feature ‘rolls’ (tremolos)
Frequent balophone ‘breaks’
Vocal call and response, using
pentatonic scale
Choir sing in unison
Same melody used for each verse
with slight variations
Rhythm
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Texture
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Monophonic at start with solo
balophone playing an improvised part
with free tempo
Balophones often play in octaves
Polyphonic texture for most of the
piece with the balophone ostinato
Heterophonic texture – instruments
play different versions of the same
tune
Overlapping phrases and rhythms
Call and response
Vocal part with balaphone breaks
Dialogue effect between the
instruments
Vocal part often has instrumental
interjections
Instrumentation
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Balophones (different sizes =
different pitches)
Djembe
Taking drums (different sizes)
Voices – solo and chorus
Drum ostinato – quaver, 2x
semiquaver pattern – provides strong
rhythmic backing throughout the
piece
Use of syncopation
Triplet rhythms
Variations of original rhythm
frequently heard
Cross rhythms
Mainly in 4/4 metre with some
changes in certain bars to 3/4 , 5/4
and 6/5
Structure
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Intro
Balophone melody, in octaves
Talking drums and djembe enter with
rhythmic ostinato
Chorus A1 – choir in unison
Balophone break
Chorus A2 / balophone break
Solo (call) and chorus (response)
Balophone break
Chorus B1
Chorus B2
Balophone break
Chorus A3
Balophone break
Coda