AO1: Vaughan Williams: No. 1 - 'On Wenlock Edge'

Question 1

MELODY: Modal style, folk influenced, melodic writing

Answer 1

VW: ‘Three Elizabethan Songs’ (1891); No. 1 - opens in a transposed Dorian mode - HIGHLIGHTS PASTORAL SETTING OF TEXT

Question 2

MELODY: Chromatic vocal descent ADDS TO DRAMA OF STORM

Answer 2

Schubert: ‘Gretchin Am Spinnard’ - WHIRL OF SPINNING WHEEL REFLECTED IN MUSIC PARALLELS CHARACTER’S CONFUSION

Question 3

MELODY: Chromaticism CREATING REST AND UNEASE - ‘Then ‘twas before my time’ and ‘yonder heaving’

Answer 3

VW: ‘Heart’s Haven’ (Five Mystical Songs (1903)) - chromaticism SHOWS ‘TUMULTUOUS DAY’ WITHIN SONG’S TEXT

Question 4

HARMONY: Opening vocal line is effectively a fragment from a pentatonic scale

Answer 4

Debussy: ‘Arabesque No.1’ - the pentatonic scale is a feature of early French Impressionism

Question 5

HARMONY: Modal character - in bar 3, note G appears as tonic of pentatonic style with an added 4th C instead of a 3rd, SETTING PASTORAL SCENE

Answer 5

VW: ‘Three Elizabethan Songs’ (1891); No. 1 - modal writing was an important part of VW QUINTESSENTIAL ENGLISH STYLE that eschewed 19th century German romanticism

Question 6

TONALITY: First chord - E flat in 1st inversion - lack of root position harmony weakens sense of tonality

Answer 6

Debussy: ‘Sarabande’ from ‘Pour Le Piano’ - common trait of Impressionist music

Question 7

TEXTURE: Parallel 1st inversion chords

Answer 7

Debussy: ‘La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin’ (1910) - feature of French Impressionism music

Question 8

SONORITY: Parallel chords in piano

Answer 8

Ravel: ‘La Valle des Cloches’ (1904-5) piano parallel chords to IMITATE SOUND OF TOLLING BELLS

Question 9

SONORITY: Sul ponticello - ILLUSTRATES GALE

Answer 9

Debussy: ‘Jeux de vagnes’ - 2nd mvt. of ‘La Mer’ - similar string effects to represent waves

Question 10

RHYTHM/METRE: blurred, simple, quadruple time

Answer 10

Ravel: ‘La Valle des Cloches’ (1904/5) to create sense of rhythmic flux