Alabama Song- Kurt Weill Flashcards
What is the overall structure of the piece?
Verse- moderato.
Chorus- adagio.
Verse- moderato.
Chorus- adagio.
What is the vocal range of the verses?
3rd.
What is the vocal range of the chorus’?
9th.
Describe the rhythm of the verse melodic line.
Swing, dotted crochet rhythm that’s rhythmically punchy.
What is the melody of line 1 of the verse?
All A-B-C or C-B-A with the range copied in F#m in the second line.
What are the notes used in lines 2-3 of the verse?
A-G#-A-F (x2).
What is the chordal progression of the verse?
Am-F#m6 in Cm.
How do the verses harmonically end?
Perfect cadence in relative major (D7-G).
What happens in between each verse and chorus?
There is a 2 bar link passage in G moving chromatically down (A-B, A-G#, A-G).
Describe the harmony of the chorus?
Chorus modulates to G- mainly diatonic with some dissonance chords (eg Eb6+9).
What do the instruments do in verse 1?
Syncopated, accented off-beat with accented piano chords and a muted trumpet following the vocal line.
The snare drum and woodwind accent the female group.
Cymbol crash at end to show sudden tempo change.
What do the instruments do in chorus 1?
Off-beat pizzicato string chords with a woodwind phrase underneath.
A muted trumpet plays a small line after the singers- tricking audience into thinking it’s finished.
What do the instruments do in verse 2?
Exact repeat of verse 1 with some small changes.
What do the instruments do in chorus 2?
Less punchy version of chorus 1.
High hats double on the woodwind link passage.
A muted trumpet links back with 2nd repeat of the chorus, rounding off the whole piece.
What do the singers do in chorus 2?
Singers start in homophony then the soloist riffs over it, antiphonally stretching her range.
