Berstein

Question 1

Rhythm

Answer 1

Tempo is a fast one-in-a-bar (176 crotchets per minute)
Syncopated rhythms including the ‘push’ rhythm anticipating the beat – creates a sense of urgency and expectancy
Cross rhythms are used e.g. on “whistling down the river”
Triplet rhythm on “soon as it”
Accents on weak parts of the beat e.g. “eye and sky” = syncopation
The accompaniment style is very syncopated until the end of section A when it becomes oompah style with straight, on-beat rhythms

Question 2

Melody

Answer 2

The motif of the interval of the tritone is used which is heard throughout the musical (e.g. “soon as it shows” G# - D, “something’s coming C-F#)
Melody uses short riffs – riff of the intro is used throughout the song, often in the vocal melody
Melody uses a combination of snappy short phrases and long sustained notes e.g. phrase lengths are generally short and snappy until bar 72 onwards when there are 4 long 8 bar phrases
“could be” and “who knows” state the tonic and dominant
Word painting is used e.g. fast repeated notes on “it may come cannonballing down from the sky”
Melodic phrases often sound speech-like