Defying Gravity from 'Wicked' - Stephen Schwartz Flashcards
What is the tempo of bars 1-19?
Free tempo - colla voce
What does colla voce mean?
- follow the solo voice
- vocal part sings in a free manner and all other instruments should follow
Describe the vocal melody in bars 1-5.
- half-spoken / half-sung - e.g. bar 1
- syllabic with rhythms moving in a speech-like manner apart from a few moments - e.g. bar 175
- conjunct/ step-wise
What instruments are used in this piece?
- non-orchestral instruments: drum kit, 3 keyboards and electric guitars
- large orchestra: woodwind section (including piccolo, bass clarinet and cor anglais) , brass and string sections with a harp and percussion (drum kit, tubular bells and timpani)
How do the instruments make the piece sound?
- non-orchestral instruments added to orchestral instruments to create a modern sound
- guitars used to create an overdrive, distortion effect
Describe the accompaniment in the opening section (bars 1-19).
- orchestral chord stabs -> sparse monophonic moments (e.g. bar 1,2 and 4) and accompaniment becomes chordal and sustained (e.g. bars 6-7)
Describe the texture in bars 1-5.
- sparse w/ punctuating chord stabs
- e.g. bar 1 with some monophonic unaccompanied bars (e.g. bar 3)
In which bars is there an ascending sequence?
- bars 6-7
What is the tonality of the opening section (bars 1-19)?
- D major
- tonality in opening is ambiguous with chromatic movement and unrelated chord progressions
Describe the rhythm in the opening section (bars 1-19).
- pre-dominantly crotchet and quaver based, but there are some notes of longer duration at the ends of phrases
What is the time signature in the opening section?
- changes from 3/2 triple time to 2/2 duple time in the opening section
What is the harmony like in the opening section?
- bars 9-12 -> unrelated chord progressions and see shifts downwards in parallel semitones
Give an example of a bar which starts with an off-beat entry.
- bar 15
- each phrase starts with an off-beat entry after a crotchet rest
- frequently occurs in other places throughout piece
What is the tempo of bars 20-48?
Andante
Describe the accompaniment at the start of the first andante section.
- orchestral of start of Andante section - homophonic choral opening moving through different major keys
Describe the vocal melody at bars 23-29.
- legato, conjunct, stepwise melody except for leap at end of bar 29
Describe the texture of the brass section at the first andante section.
- homophonic chordal music in fan-fare like manner (bar 20)
Where does the tempo fluctuate a bit in the middle of the first andante section?
- bar 34- colla voce
Describe how the string accompaniment in the first andante section creates tension.
- dissonance and combined with tremolo effect -> creates tension - bars 34-36
What is the key of the music at bar 20?
- B major for 2 bars - bar 20-21
- F major - bar 22
What is used throughout the piece to lengthen and give freedom to longer rhythms?
- pause marks/ fermatas
- bars 174 + 176
What is the ascending minor 7th interval influenced by?
- ‘somewhere’ - west side story
What is the key at bar 32?
- arrives in tonic d major for verse and remains there until bar 88
Where is a perfect 5th?
- bar 34
What is a compound interval?
- bars 39-40
- an interval more than an octave
- e.g. a compound perfect 4th is octave + perfect 4th
What is the texture in verse?
- melody + accompaniment or melody dominated homophony texture where singer is accompanied by chords in orchestra