AoS2 - Music for a While Flashcards
Name the instruments used in Music for a While
Soprano voice, Bass Viol and Harpsichord
What part do the Bass Viol and Harpsichord (LH) play?
Ground Bass
What is a figured bass?
Played by the Basso Continuo, where the harpsichord ‘realises’ the harmonies from the figures underneath the score
What is the similarity between the harpsichord parts in Music for a While and Brandenburg?
Music for a While and Brandenburg both contain elaborate and decorative RH harpsichord parts
Is the Music for a While text setting syllabic or melismatic?
Mainly syllabic, with some extended melismas
What is word painting?
Where the music emphasises the words in the text, for example going up on the word ‘heaven’
Where is there an extended melisma in Music for a While?
The word ‘eternal’
What is the word painting on the word ‘Wond’ring’
Descending scale, like a musical sigh
What is repetition text and why is it used?
To emphasise a certain word or feeling, for example “drop” is sung nine times to emulate the snakes dropping from Alecto’s head
What makes the word “pains” word painting?
There is dissonance to symbolise pain
What makes the word “eas’d” word painting?
It resolves the dissonance from the word “pains”
What is the range of the soprano melody line?
A ninth
Is the music conjunct or disjunct?
The music is mostly conjunct (stepwise)
Why are rests used so frequently?
To break up phrases and allow for breathing
What is a descending sequence?
Where a phrase is repeated a note lower than before, immediately after the first time it is heard
Ornamentation is frequently used - what types of ornamentation are included in Music for a While?
Trills, appoggiaturas, grace notes, upper mordents, lower mordents
Which two parts use ornamentation frequently?
The soprano part and the harpsichord right hand part
What is the overall structure of Music for a While?
The piece follows a ground bass structure. It is based around a three bar long ground bass.
What is ground bass?
A short recurring melodic pattern in the bass part acting as a structural element
What era is Music for a While from?
Baroque
What are the main features of the Ground Bass in Music for a While?
It’s three bars long
It consists of entirely quavers
Its melody is arpeggio shape based
It uses semitone intervals
Heard four and a half times in the tonic key before modulations
Rises and then falls
Has a characteristic fall of an octave at the end
What is the main texture of the piece?
Melody dominate homophony, tune and accompaniment
Which instruments provide the accompaniment?
The LH of the harpsichord and the Bass Viol
The harpsichord RH and the vocal line sometimes intertwine. What is the technical term for this?
Counterpoint
What is the best way to describe the use of chords in Music for a While?
Diatonic, all fitting with the key
How can you describe the type of harmony?
Functional - the chords used are I, IV and V, mostly. There are other chords used, but the harmony is still functional
At the end of each ‘ground’ what is the cadence?
Perfect, V-I
When a note carries on the harmony of a previous chord before resolving, what is this chord?
Suspension (bar 3)
Give an example of when dissonance can be heard
‘Pains’ in bar 12
There is no tempo marking for the piece, but what tempo would be appropriate?
Slow - it’s a song meant to calm Alecto and stop her from punishing Oedipus!
What is the metre?
4/4 simple quadruple time
Which two types of note are most commonly used?
Quavers and semiquavers, though there are a wide variety of notes used
Which part frequently uses dotted rhythms?
The RH of the harpsichord
