Defying Gravity Analysis Flashcards
What is the rhythm of the piece?
Syncopation, rubato(robbed time, gradual slowing down)
What is the metre of the piece?
Starts in 3/2 but changes to 4/4. Opening bars are marked colla voce but in bar 20 changes to andante.
What is the structure of the piece?
Extended verse/chorus form with 2 dialogue sections between the witches linking passages between the sections. The repeat of the into shows how they resolve their differences
What is the melody of the piece?
Many leitmotifs used, usuaully based around 5 pitches with the common notes being D and A
What is a leitmotif?
A musical phrase that represent a thing, character, place or emotion
What does hexatonic mean?
Only uses 6 notes of the scale
What does colla voce mean?
‘With the voice’ it’s a direction the musciands to follow the singers when they move from the spoken to the sung parts
What does recitative mean?
Where the speak speaks/sings the story to the audince
Why are the recitative parts important?
They help move the story forward
What is the instrumentation of the piece?
Typical classical orchestra with a few popular music instruments eg electric guitar, drum kit and synthesiser. There is also some extra percussion eg chimes,finger cymbals
What is the texture of the piece?
Starts with chords played by the orchestra which follow the vocal lines, melody dominated homophony that gradually builds to a polophonic. He uses different textures in the piece to show the different feelings and emotions
What is the tonality of the piece?
Starts with a D major chord but quickly modulates. Some dissonance is used.
What is the harmony of the piece?
> minor and major keys used throughout
first 6 bars are ambiguous because harmony keeps changing
What does recitative mean?
> spoken parts which help move the story forward
What is the key of each witch?
Glinda-D major
Elphaba-Db major
