Defying Gravity

Question 1

Who is the composer of Wicked?

Answer 1

Stephen Schwartz

Question 2

What is a leitmotif?

Answer 2

a recurring musical idea which is associated with a particular theme, character or place.

Question 3

motif

Answer 3

a short melodic phrase of just a few notes

Question 4

metrical shifting

Answer 4

the downbeat (beat 1) of a part is shifted to a different part of the bar.

Question 5

augmented chord

Answer 5

a triad built on 2 major thirds (4 semitones + 4 semitones) Ab-C-E or F, A, C~

Question 6

homophonic

Answer 6

a texture comprising a melody part and an accompaniment in which parts move together

Question 7

texture

Answer 7

the interaction or layering of different parts/instruments

Question 8

harmony

Answer 8

how notes are combined (as chords)

Question 9

tonality

Answer 9

In a piece, the relationship of notes within a scale or mode to a principal note (the tonic) and whether this changes (modulates) during the piece.

Question 10

dynamics

Answer 10

how loud or soft parts are played

Question 11

sonority

Answer 11

The nature and quality of musical sounds - the instruments used and what sound quality (timbre) they make.

Question 12

colla voce

Answer 12

with the voice. An instruction for the band to follow the singer’s tempo.

Question 13

Tremolo

Answer 13

rapid playing on the same note producing a wavering, tremulous sound. Mainly on string instruments with a bow.

Question 14

Bare fifth

Answer 14

a chord with only notes 1 and 5 so lacking the third. This creates an open, ambiguous sound as there is no third dictating whether major or minor.

Question 15

recitative

Answer 15

a section (in opera) that quickly moves the action on through fast-paced ‘conversational’ lines and modulating phrases to get to the next proper number.

Question 16

The Unlimited Theme

Answer 16

a leitmotif used in Wicked using the first seven notes of the song ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ from ‘The Wizard of Oz’. It appears in Defying Gravity as well as other numbers in the musical.

Question 17

vocalisation

Answer 17

wordless singing using vowel syllables such as ‘ah’.

Question 18

coda

Answer 18

the end section of a piece

Question 19

interrupted cadence

Answer 19

a cadence that sounds like it is going to resolve like a perfect cadence to chord 1 (the tonic) but surprises by moving somewhere different so extending a phrase or creating a sense of unfinished. (ii - V - vi rather than ii - V - I)

Question 20

polytonal chords

Answer 20

chords that are built on two or more keys or scales. i.e. a left hand CEG chord (C major) and a right hand GBDF# (G major)

Question 21

Instrumentation in Defying Gravity?

Answer 21

electric guitars, drums, flute, oboe, bass clarinet, bassoon, baritone saxophone, two horn, two trumpets (with mutes), two trombones, percussion, harp, two violins (sometimes pizzicato), viola, cello, bass, three electronic synthesisers

Question 22

dramatic song

Answer 22

a song that moves the plot forward

Question 23

ostinato

Answer 23

a repeating pattern - can be melodic or rhythmic

Question 24

legato

Answer 24

smooth articulation - no gaps between notes