Bernstein: 'Something's Coming' West Side Story

Question 1

Instrumentation

Answer 1

• Is a song for a solo tenor accompanied by a band made up of woodwind, brass, percussion and strings.
• Uses quiet dynamics, soft timbres, such as muted trumpets and a homophonic texture so it isn’t overpowering.
• The strings use harmonics(very high notes) and tremolo(very quick notes).

Question 2

Structure and Melody

Answer 2

• Almost entirely syllabic.
• Based on three main themes- Quiet, syncopated opening theme, loud strident theme in 2/4, bar 21 and the lyrical, slow moving theme, bar 73.
• The repetitions are not exact and Bernstein varies the themes by changing such things as the words or metre.

Question 3

Rhythm, Metre and Tempo

Answer 3

• The metre changes between 3/4 and 2/4.
• These changes of metre, fast tempo and frequent syncopation help to maintain a feeling of excitement and anticipation.
• Accompanied largely by an on-beat bass part with off-beat chords. At the start of the piece these two parts create cross rhythms.

Question 4

Harmony and Tonality

Answer 4

• Something’s coming is in D major and there are two contrasting sections in C major.
• The harmony is tonal and jazz-influenced, with frequent 7th chords and other added note chords.
• There is a frequent use of the sharpened fourth and flattened seventh in both keys(G# and C in the D major sections and F# and Bb in the C major sections)
• Tenors last note a flattened seventh and is unusual as the note is unresolved and creates a feeling of incompletion.

Question 5

Texture

Answer 5

• Texture of the song is homophonic. Three main ideas in the accompaniment:
  1. The repeated riff that opens the song.
  2. The short, mainly syncopated chords heard in bars 21-26.
  3. A fast um-cha accompaniment first heard at bar 32 for the long note on ‘me’.

Question 6

History

Answer 6

• West side story was composed in 1957 and is set in New York.
• The song ‘Something’s coming’ is Tony’s first solo, and establishes his optimistic character.