Defying Gravity by Stephen Schwartz Flashcards
list as many features of the melody of DG as you can
- mostly conjunct
- some leaps - 5ths and compound 5ths
- word painting - ‘leap’
- scalic
- outlines D maj chord - ‘its time’
- rising bassline before C1
- dissonance - ensemble - and resolution (violin - ‘still be’)
- edited quote from ‘wizard and i’ - ‘you can’
- rising sequence - ‘hurt’
- ostinato - repeated high quavers - and semiquavers - notes from somewhere over the rainbow - ‘unlimited’ - spread throughout
- legato
describe the structure of DG
- verse-chorus with added sections
- intro: I hope you’re happy
- V1: something has changed
- C1: it’s time to try
- V2: I’m through accepting limits
- C2: i’d sooner try
- bridge: unlimited
- C3: just you and I
- varied intro reprise: so if you care
- C4: tell them how I’m
- coda: and nobody in all of oz
list as many features of the harmony DG as you can
- chromatically descending chords
- sus chords
- bare 5th power chords
- 3rd harmonies
- unison
- low loud brass chords
- interrupted and imperfect cadences
- initial slow harmonic rhythm, slows then speeds up
- root position chords
describe the tonality of DG
- ambiguous
- B maj, D maj, B min, G maj
describe the texture of DG
- sparse texture at first with monophonic vocals
- chordal accompaniment
- counterpoint
- tutti
- ostinato
list as many features of the instrumentation of DG as you can
- elphaba is mezzo soprano
- glock and synth
- guitar with overdrive
- violin and strings with tremolo
- low brass
- fanfare-like - tutti climax
- chordal and sustained
- tubular bells
- starts colla voce
- drums
describe the rhythm, metre, tempo of DG
- 3/2 then 2/2
- triplets with syncopated version
- counterpoint climax
- tempo faster at climax chorus reprise, contrast at coda
- recitative
- metrical displacement
- ff, mf, sf, pp, maestoso, andante
give an example of a rising bassline in DG
b.46-48 to build anticipation
give an example of a rising sequence in DG
b.6-7 ‘hurt your cause’
give an example of a sequence in DG
Elphaba’s intro is one semitone below Glinda’s but the same pattern (D vs Db)
give an example of when the D maj chord is outlined by the melody
- unlimited theme
- bar 50 chorus ‘it’s time to try’ (d is the tonic, this is the title hook and leading melody)
give an example where DG is scalic
b.49-50 broken chords
give an example of ostinato in DG
b.88 onwards - D f# and G, unlimited notes
give an example where DG references other songs
- b.23 ‘You can still be with the wizard’ is an edited quote from the Wizard and I
- unlimited notes come from somewhere over the rainbow
give an example of how DG is mostly conjunct
bar 2 ‘I hope you’re happy’ also syllabic
what is ostinato
what does colla voce mean
what does recitative mean
what does monophonic mean