Defying Gravity Flashcards
What is Wicked about?
The story the wizard of oz but told from the witches point of view. Elphaba and Glinda
Who wrote the lyrics and music for Wicked?
Stephen Schwartz
Where does the song defying gravity appear in the play?
It is the act 1 finale
How is the staging in this scene dramatic?
It finished with elphaba flying into the air on her broomstick accompanied by moving lights, smoke and wind effects as the citizens of oz rush in trying to bring her down
How is this set work structured?
It is in verse chorus form
What happens in bar 1?
Intro
What happens in bar 34?
Verse 1
What happens in bar 50
Chorus
What happens in bar 63
Verse 2
What happens in bar 79
Chorus
What happens in bar 88
Bridge
What happens in bar 102
Chorus
What happens in bar 115
Varied reprise of intro
What happens in bar 135
Verse 3
What happens in bar 151
Chorus
What happens in bar 161
Coda
What key is it in on stage and in the anthology?
Db and d major
Who scored the accompaniment?
Bill Brohn
The accompaniment is scored for a pit band of 23 musicians. What does this consist of?
4 woodwind who had to double on many insturments, 6 brass, a harp, 2 electric guitars, 3 keyboard synths, 4 string parts, a wide range of percussion including drum kit, timpani, glockenspiel and tubular bells.
What are some points to note in the orchestration?
- Electric guitar with overdrive
- chordal writing for low brass contrasting with solo synth melody ( bars 20-23)
- String tremelo to create excitement
- drum fill bar 54
- descending scales for bass clarinet bars 89 and 91
- cymbal roll to announce the change of key (bar 122)
- tutti at bar 135 for the climax
- synth and glockenspiel play high pitched ostinato as elphaba sings of flying high
Describe the vocal ranges of elphaba and Glinda
Glinda requires a soprano voice and gas a range of a sharpened 13th
Elphaba requires a mezzo soprano voice and has a range of a sharpened 14th
What does the direction colla voce indicate?
That the band must follow the Rhythm of the singer’s which is fairly free
In the introduction Glinda confronts elphaba in recitative punctuated by chromatic stabs. How does elphaba answer?
She sarcastically mimics them a semitone lower
What is hinted in bars 20-24 and how is an unsetteling effect created?
The change the elphaba is about to go through is hinted where the syncopated introductorary chords to her song are first heard but an unsettling effect is created in the juxtaposition of two totally unrelated keys (Bb major followed by f major)
What is Glinda’s assurance that elphaba can still be with the wizard accompanied by?
Sustained harmonies in f major
What happens when elphaba says “Something has changed within me’ in bar 32
The key changes to d major
How does elphaba show her desire to break free in the verse
She uses wide leaps accompanied by a nervous tremelo from the violins.
What does the tempo marking change to at bar 49
Allegro
What is the accompaniment when Glinda accuses elphaba in bar 59 as having illusions of grandeur
The introductorary chords are repeated as crotchety triplets
Elphaba is defiant as she continues into her second verse. How is this shown in the music?
It is at a faster tempo with a firmly syncopated accompaniment
What happens after the second chorus?
The tempo relaxes to moderato and the key changes to g major
What is the unlimited melody?
It is a leitmotif that reflects elphaba’s growing confidence and has the first 7 notes of ‘somewhere over the rainbow’
In bars 102 how is the chorus sung?
First together then just elphaba alone
What happens at bar 132?
There is a key change to d major with an exciting orchestral build (crescendo on repeated quavers) as elphaba flies away
What happens in the coda?
It begins quietly and at and andante pace but quickly crescendo’s in the final bars with elphaba rising to her top note (f#) on bar 167
Describe the texture of this set work
After some brief monophonic passages at the start the texture is mainly melody and accompaniment.
The duef is mainly the two characters singing alternately or together in unison
There are a couple of passages of two part vocal writing (parralel thirds in bars 125-128) and a brief contrapuntal section in the final bars
There are also some ostinato figures
Describe the tonality of this set work
It is mainly in d major with a section in g major in bars 88-100. However areas of chromatic writing at the start and in bars 115-132 create areas of ambiguous tonality
Describe the harmony in this set work
It includes root position triads and sus chords. There is an inner pedal on A in bars 162-167 followed by an inverted pedal on D starting in bar 168
What is a sus chord?
Where the 3rd is replaced by either a 2nd above the root or a 4th
How does the time signature change in this set work?
It starts of with a minim beat (22 or 32 time) until the 44 in bar 88. The 22 returns in bar 115
How do many vocal phrases start and what is the word setting like?
Many vocal phrases start on a weak beat and the word setting is syllabic
What is the Rhythm like?
There is a lot of syncopatuon particularly in the anticipation of strong beats by a quaver (a push)
Describe the melody in the set work
Elphaba’s vocal line has a triadic style. The long notes and wide leaps help to illustrate elphaba’s new found confidence as the song unravels. Intervals of a 4th and 5th appear as she becomes increasingly sure of herself and even wider leaps appear as she becomes more determined (bars 39-40 there’s a leap of an 11th and on bar 140 there is a leap of a 12th)
What is a hook and which like is it shown on in this set work
A hook is a melodic fragment designed to catch the ears of the listener and the line of the hook of this music is ‘it’s time to try defying gravity’
