Bernsteins' Something's Coming Flashcards
Describe the instrumentation of this piece
It’s a song for solo tenor accompanied by a band made of woodwind, brass, percussion and strings. The accompaniment uses quiet dynamics, soft timbres such as notes trumpets and pizzicato strings and a homophonic texture. To illustrate the air is humming the strings use harmonics (very high notes) and play tremolo (very quick notes)
When was this piece composed?
1957
Describe the structure and melody of this piece
The melody is almost entirely syllabic. It’s based on the alternation of 3 main themes: 1. Quiet, syncopated opening theme 2. Loud, strident theme in 2/4 (21) 3. Lyrical, slow-moving theme (73). These 3 ideas are alternated a number of times. Repetitions are not exact and themes are varied by changing the words or metre.
Describe the rhythm, metre and tempo of this piece
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. Accompaniment is largely made up of an on-beat bass part with off-beat chords. At the start, the two parts create cross rhythms.
Describe the harmony and tonality of this piece
It’s in D major and there are two contrasting sections in C major. There’s a frequent use if the sharpened 4th and flattened 7th in both keys ( G# and C natural in the D major sections, and F# and Bb in the C major sections.) The sharpened 4th creates the interval of a tritone with the key note, an interval acts as a unifying feature thought the musical. The tenors last note is a flattened 7th ( c natural against D major harmonies) this is unusual as the note is unresolved and the music just fades out beneath it creating a feeling of incompletion which fits with the sense of expectation. The harmony is tonal and jazz-influenced with frequent 7th chords and other added note chords.
Describe the texture of this piece
It’s homophonic with 3 main ideas in the accompaniment: 1. Repeated riff that opens the song, 2. Short, mainly syncopated chords (21-26), 3. A fast, um-cha accompaniment (32)
