Godspell Flashcards
What is the scoring of Godspell?
Cast of 10 singers
Keyboards (using differeent sounds e.g. piano, organ)
Acoustic guitar
Bass guitar
Electric guitar
Drums
Percussion
Recorder (Jeffrey’ solo!)
At what points int he play are songs generally positioned?
When the disciples are committing themselves to Jesus
Why would Schwartz have been influenced by folk rock?
His parents were keen on folk music
How do the musicals of Schwartz contrast those of Lloyd Webber?
Schwartz composed in more of a folk rock/folk pop/motown style, whilst Lloyd Webber was more influenced by classical music/opera and incorporated more rock n roll elements in his musicals
Why was strong rhythmic impetus important in the styles of music chosen?
The conceptualisation of the play called for joyful singing and dancing - musical dance forms were needed to capture this
How did Schwartz prevent his melodies becoming hymn-like and rigid?
Due to using lyrics from hymns Schwartz needed to rely on rhythm to give the music a more modern feel
Instead of starting on the first beat of a bar or an anacrusis, the melody starts at a different point in the bar.
Use of syncopation and pulsing rhythmic melodies
What does Schwartz accredit Day By Day’s success to?
Its simplicity and repetitiveness
How did the available cast affect Schwartz’s musical choices?
Choice of musical style: Made Turn Back O’ Man a Mea Westian style number to align with the way the actress Sonia Manzano played her character
Instrumentation: Recorder solo added in All Good Gifts due to cast member Jeffrey Mylett being able to play the recorder
How is musical style used to convey the narrative in the Prologue?
Different philosophers are each assigned their own melodies and musical styles to show contrast in their theories.
How does the “Tower of Babble” create a chaotic atmosphere?
Use of syncopations, 7th chords and irregular phrases whilst philosophers sing “Babble Babble” all at once.
Intricate counterpoint at the end when all philosophers sing their respective melodic idea over each others.
How is tonality used in the Prologue to convey disagreement and uncertainty?
Bitonality - oscillates between F# and E major
Unsure sense of key reflects uncertainty over the beginnings of the universe
Which musical styles are used in the Prologue for each philosopher?
Socrates: Recitative over wandering harmonies
Thomas Aquinas: G&S patter song then recitative ‘romantically’ with arpeggiated accompaniment
Martin Luther: Parody of a German-style march - square crotchets and quavers
Leonardo da Vinci & Edward Gibbon: Classical duet marked “a la Mozart” but with chromaticism
Nietzshe: Doubles harmonic rhythm, whole notes, questioning, late classical/early romantic style
Jean-Paul Sartre & Buckminster Fuller (alternating): Sartre has quavers to a march accompaniment whilst Fuller had bluesy triplets
How is the melody in Prepare Ye (The Way of The Lord) developed?
Through repetition and gradual addition of accompaniment
How does the melody of Prepare Ye (The Way of The Lord) get its spiritual feel?
Phrase 1 starts on mediant and ends on supertonic - which gives it an uncertain tonality as there is no stress on the tonic, especially at the start when it is performed by solo voice with no accompaniment. This gives it a modal feel (C dorian).
This ‘open’ feel is resolved when the melody turns at the end of phrase 2 to land on the tonic, Bb.
How does Save the People retain its upbeat and simplistic sound?
Harmonic simplicity: Stays in G major throughout and doesn’t use any extended chords
4/4 time signature and marked “Brightly”
What musical influences does Day By Day have?
Inspired by Burt Bacharach e.g. minor 7th chords
Elements of folk rock & mainstream 60s/70s pop e.g. simple, repetitive melody
How does Schwartz contrast Day By Day from what has come before?
Use of 3/4 metre and triplets
Where can minor dominants be found in Day By Day and what effect do these have?
“To see thee more clearly, love the more dearly, follow thee more nearly” - two Em-A progressions followed by a Dm-G progression
More plaintive sound/less forthright than V-I progression where there is a strong pull from the leading note to the tonic - aligns with feel of the song as Day By Day is joyful yet thoughtful and wistful, not as upbeat as some of the other numbers
Minor dominant contains flattened 7th - bluesy feel
What is the form of Learn Your Lessons Well?
Very basic structure
Simple AABA form and 16-bar melody
How does Learn Your Lessons Well adopt a ragtime style?
Bright tempo
Heavy use of 7th chords and minor 7th chords
Extremely syncopated melody line
Written for solo voice and piano/keyboard
Who is O Bless the Lord, My Soul inspired by?
America songwriter Laura Nyro, specifically her song “Save the Country”
Liked her rootless chords, which he linked to gospel
What harmonic technique does Schwartz use in O Bless the Lord, My Soul?
Chords with a non-chord note in the bass, here often the supertonic/note above the root - Schwartz has claimed he finds this sound “thrilling”Whe
In which songs does Schwartz briefly change the metre for only 1 bar and why does he not do this more often?
Bless The Lord: Shifts from 4/4 to 12/8 on word “rise”
Alas For You: A section is rhythmic irregular (6/8, 5/8, 4/4, 6/4) - influence of Bernstein
Doesn’t do this more often as it would make his music sound too much like ‘art music’ and lose its folk rock/motown/gospel feel
Where did Schwartz take the idea for a quodlibet in All For The Best from?
Irving Berlin’s “You’re Just In Love” from Call Me Madam
How does choice of structure in All For The Best convey meaning?
Vaudeville style patter song (a la Gilbert & Sullivan)
Highlights special relationship between Jesus and Judas - at odds philosophically in the lyrics yet still working together performing as a team
Quodlibet (2 melodies overlaid) demonstrates conflicting ideologies
What can be said about All For The Best harmonically?
Generally very harmonically simple - necessary for the quodlibet to work
Mostly C7, G7, and D7 (secondary dominant)
Harmonic inflections to emphasise certain words e.g. Ab7 on “blessed”
How is harmony used in All Good Gifts?
Fairly conventional harmonies, w/ use of dominant minor Am which stops the music from being too bright and poppy
“All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above” uses only the tonic chord D and major 7ths which give it a euphoric feeling
To come down from this euphoria Schwartz uses a couple of minor chords in the following phrase “So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord”
What kind of feel does Light of the World have and how does it achieve this?
Gospel feel
Use of chords such as Eb7+9
Cast members take turns to sing a full phrase which is then echoed by the full cast
What are the characteristics of stride piano?
Development of ragtime - still some quaver/dotted semiquaver ragtime rhythms but slower and more bluesy
LH like a whole rhythm section - wide leaps with occasional countermelodies
Bluesy inflections
Tremolos
Why was the tonality in Turn Back, O Man chosen?
G minor - chosen for actress Sonia Manzano to suit her deep range
Modulates to minor dominant (Dm) for Jesus
Where can characteristic features of stride piano be heard in the song Turn Back, O Man?
Slow ragtime rhythms in right hand throughout, particularly prominent at the start in the intro before the voice joins in
Tremolo at the end
Adventurous bluesy harmonies
Showy 8ves in piano
Large leaps in LH
How does Schwartz characterise Sonia as Mae West in Turn Back, O Man?
Vocal quality - husky voice
Witty one liners e.g. “Hiya big boy”, “Can you see from where you’re sittin’?”
How do rhythm and harmony work together in Turn Back, O Man?
Syncopation and jazzy inflections work together to emphasise certain words e.g. “Turn BACK, o MAN”
Which chords make Turn Back, O Man harmonically adventurous and how does this link with characterisation?
Gdim
Cm6
Ab7
D7sus
Am7-5
ie. Diminished chords, suspensions, 7ths etc.
Mae West went against the grain for a woman of her time, more adventurous and risky harmonies reflect this ‘vulgarity’
What is Alas For You inspired by?
The music of Bernstein
Changes of metre and speech rhythms are influences of Bernstein
Less dissonant than Bernstein
What Motown influences can be heard in We Beseech Thee?
Song inspired by “You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes
Strongly accented backbeats (beats 2 and 4)
-> Tambourines (or in this case cymbals) emphasising backbeats
Repetition of a rhythmic hook (same two-bar rhythm repeated through ‘A’ section)
Syncopations
Call and response singing style (a la gospel)
How does We Beseech Thee maintain its upbeat feel?
Simplicity
4/4 time signature
C major tonality
Marked “Hoedown feel”
Two-bar syncopated rhythm repeated with a different melodic shape throughout A section
How does On The Willows achieve a different feel to the rest of the musical?
Folky but in a wistful way as opposed to joyful:
Rolling triplet accompaniment
Conjunct legato melody line as opposed to disjunct and angular as in many other numbers
