Defying Gravity Flashcards
Use of orchestra
- Uses full orchestra with additional instruments such as electric guitar and extensive percussion
- Electric guitar uses overdrive in b11,40+45.
- Chordal writing for low brass contrasts with solo synth melody, b20-23.
- The brass section plays homophonic chordal music in an almost fanfare-like manner (e.g. bar 20).
- The closed hi-hat of the drum kit plays constant crotchet rhythms in bar 51 to add rhythmic momentum.
- String tremolo is used to create excitement and tension (b34-36 and b162-165).
- Drum fill (b54) – a brief improvisation to fill the gap between vocal phrases.
- Descending scales for bass clarinets (b89+91).
- Cymbal roll adds excitement to announce the change of key (b122).
- Tutti (full band) for the climax at b135.
- Synth and glockenspiel play a high pitch ostinato as Elphaba sings of flying high (b152-160)- high magical sound.
- Tubular bells gives a sense of ethereal sonority (b147).
Texture
- Mostly melody and accompaniment
- Some brief monophonic passages at the start.
- The brass section plays homophonic chordal music in an almost fanfare-like manner (e.g.bar 20)
- Two-part vocal writing in parallel 3rds (b125-128)
- Homophonic chordal moments (b132)
- Brief contrapuntal section in the final bars- ensemble chorus and orchestra in counterpoint with different musical lines.
- Ostinato figures occur b80-87, 88-97, 103-109, 152-159.
Structure
- Verse-chorus structure
- Br 1 – Opening (I hope you’re happy)
- Br 34 – Verse (Something has changed)
- Br 50 – Chorus (It’s time to try defying gravity)
- Br 63 – Verse (I’m through accepting limits)
- Br 79 – Chorus (Defying gravity)
- Br 88 – Moderato section (Unlimited)
- Br 103 – Chorus (Defying gravity)
- Br 111 – Similar to opening (I hope you’re happy)
- Br 135 – Verse (So if you care to find me)
- Br 151 – Chorus (Defying gravity)
- Br 162 – Ending (And nobody in all of Oz)
Tonality
- Overall Key is D major
- Opening is ambiguous due to chromatic movement (creates conflict)
- Br 20 – B major
- Br 22 – F major
- Br 32 – D major
- Br 88 – G major
- Br 113 – Bb major
- Br 115 – Ambiguous and chromatic
- Br129 – C major
- Br 132 – D major
- Br 168 – B minor
- Finishes with D major
- Frequent changes give a sense of movement and changing direction.
Metre/tempo/dynamics
Tempo-
* Beginning – Colla voce (with the voice) this allows the singer to change the tempo to create frustrated and argumentative feel.
* Br20 – Andante (walking pace) which creates slow, tentative feel compared to beginning (almost pleading). ’You can still be with the wizard’
* Br49 – Allegro (fast) – feeling of freedom. (Chorus)
* Br88 – Moderato for change of feeling. ‘Unlimited’
* Br103 – Allegro (Chorus)
* Br111 – Andante (similar to opening)
* Br129 – Allegro (chorus)
* Br162 – Andante ‘Nobody in all of Oz’
* Br168 – Maestoso (Majestic) ‘Look at her, she’s wicked’
* There are numerous rall. markings (slow down)
Metre:
* 3/2 and 2/2 used at beginning – There is no set metre here so the bar lengths are just to correspond with the lengths of phrases.
* Br20 is still 2/2 but with feeling of fast 4/4 as in standard pop and rock songs.
* Br88 changes to 4/4 because it slows down (still 4 feel).
* Br 101 – 3/4 for shorter phrase. Moves chorus one beat sooner.
* Br115 – 2/2 again.
Rhythm
- Rhythms are mostly crotchets and quavers.
- Syncopation is frequent throughout – gives lively feel.
- Dotted rhythms also used frequently which also gives lively feel and helps create speech-like patterns.
- Triplets used occasionally to create speech-like patterns.
- Rests are used to break up phrases.
- Phrases often start on an off-beat.
- Pauses are used to give the performers freedom to lengthen notes as they see fit.
- There are occasional cuts (//) which give a gap in a phrase such as before ‘and leap’.
Melody
- Text setting is syllabic
- Vocalisation at the end (ahhhhh)
- Opening is conjunct (mostly)
- Sequence in br 6 and 7
- ‘You can still be with the wizard’ uses lots of repeated notes to portray pleading
- ‘Something has changed’ – disjunct and angular
- Lots of leaps of 5th (and leap)
- Compound Perfect 4th br 39-40
- Unlimited – Somewhere over the rainbow (octave leap)
Harmony
- Opening uses chromatic chord sequences (br 6-8 uses B – C – Caug – Db).
- Very small movements creates creeping effect.
- Most chords are in root position.
- This makes them feel strong.
- Main orchestral riff (br20) rises: I – Vc – Ib – IVsus2.
- Rising from I to IV gives the sequence a plagal feel which sounds gentle.
- The final chord of the orchestral riff uses a sus2 chord which is dissonant. This chord is used numerous times throughout the piece.
- Br 51 (Defying Gravity Chorus) uses vi – IV – V chord sequence which is common in popular music.
- Melody often has non-harmony notes which creates dissonance.
- Br168 – 173 – pedal note in lowest orchestra part.
