Main melodies/themes Flashcards
1
Q
Bach Eine Feste Burg mvt 1
A
- Brass opens on major arpeggio.
- Main melody is based on the famous hymn tune by Martin Luther.
- SATB covers wide range
- Ascending sequences
- Diatonic with some chromaticism
- Narrow range.
- Simple to follow along.
- The first phrase begins with a distinctive upwards leap of a 5th, followed by a descending sequence that is balanced by a rise and fall over the course of the phrase, which helps establish the strength and resolution of the melody.
- There are some small intervals, conjunct and occasional leaps eg perfect 5ths but the melody generally stays close to the home tonic (D) and its surrounding scale notes, creating a steady, grounded feel.
- Theme transposed down a 4th to provide and answer to the subject
2
Q
Bach Ein Feste Burg mvt 2
A
- Main melody is based on the famous hymn tune by Martin Luther.
- Fugal technique of multiple voices introduce and develop the melody, which is initially presented in one voice and the second voice joins in with a variation of it.
- Combines stepwise motion (creates smoothe flowing phrases) and occasional leaps (returning to tonic or neighbouring note), particulaly in the higher parts of the melody.
- Imitative counterpoint and ornamentation.
- Clear regular phrasing with each line typically resolving to the tonic at the end.
- Starts with the tonic repeated 3 times before leaping down a 4th and moving up and down conjunctly around the dominant. - It then Leaps back up to the tonic and descends conjunctly down an 8ve to the tonic an 8ve lower.
- Bass range of 2 8ves
- Highly scalic bass with melismatic running quavers more ornate than soprano melody
- Soprano soloist sings ornamented version of chorale melody
3
Q
Bach Ein Feste Burg mvt 8
A
- Main melody is based on the famous hymn tune by Martin Luther.
- Starts with the tonic repeated 3 times before leaping down a 4th and moving up and down conjunctly around the dominant. - It then leaps back up to the tonic and descends conjunctly down an 8ve to the tonic an 8ve lower.
- Melody mainly in stepwise conjunct motion with occasional leaps but avoids wide intervals.
Straightforward and easy to follow. - The melody often emphasizes the tonic note (D) and frequently resolves to it, lending the piece a sense of closure and stability.
- Syllabic -> 1 cotchet per syllable
- SATB choir covers narrow range
4
Q
Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge
A
- Melody of the voice is lyrical and expressive, starting with a simple, flowing melody that gradually increases in complexity as the song progresses.
- Opening vocal line has restricted note range
- Repeated notes to emphasise power of gale word painting
- Voice descends chromatically
- The vocal melody features a blend of diatonic and modal.
- Vaughan Williams frequently uses intervals that emphasize the natural, folk-like character of the English countryside.
- Wide leaps and intervals and intervals are noticeable but carefully integrated to avoid sounding overly disjointed and used to emphasise certain words.
- It reflects Vaughan Williams’ characteristic blend of folk influences with modern harmonies and modal melodies.
- Opens on tonic and does a leap of a 4th down to the dominant then leaps up a 4th again back to the tonic.
5
Q
Vaughan Williams Is My Team Ploughing
A
- Simple but expressive melody, moving mainly in stepwise conjunct motion with occasional leaps.
- Frequent repetition of melodic ideas.
- Simple diatonic modal beginning leads to more chromatic
- Starts mainly conjunct but later there are wider leaps
- Quiet melancholy as a reflection of the themes of loss, death and memory.
- Recitative style melodic line at beginning Dorian mode distinctive flat 3rds and 7ths
6
Q
Vaughan Williams On Bredon Hill
A
- Folk-inspired, lyrical melody characterised by long, sweeping phrases moving in stepwise motion with occasional leaps, giving it a sense of simplicity and emotional depth.
- Relatively narrow range, typically spanning and 8ve or less, which adds to the folk-like quality.
- More chromatic in middle
- The shape of the melody often flows in undulating contour, rising and falling in smooth arcs, mirroring the natural rise and fall of the landscape of Bredon Hill.
- Melody incorporates elements of modal harmony with influences of mixolydian and dorian mode, especially in the way the melody avoids strong leading tones, creating more open, folk-like sound.
7
Q
Schumann Piano Trio in G minor Op 17
A
- Main melody starts in violin and is taken over by the piano in bar 9 and is marked by long, sweeping phrases that rise and fall.
- Long, sweeping melodic lines convey deep emotion.
- Melody is played by different instruments throughout the piece.
- Chromatic descending movement in bass bar 18.
- Melody spans the range of an 8ve.
- Repetition of main melodies reinforces subjects main melodies.
- 2nd theme contrasts in mood -> more lyrical, graceful, elegant and flowing than the darker, more agitated nature of the first theme.
- 1st subject a downward 5th and tied rhythm to concluding imperfect cadence.
- 1st subject b answers with animated rhythm through rising sequence and upwards 8ve leap
- 1st subject c and d falling sequence
- 2nd subject a syncopated descending stepwise ending with an appoggiatura
- Repeated chattering quaver
- melodic diminished seventh in violin
- Falling 5ths contracted or expanded or contracted
8
Q
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique Mvt 1
A
- Idee fixe returns throughout the piece -> leap of a 4th followed by a 6th which descends conjunctly
- Idee fixe first introduced doubled by violin and flute
- long flowing melody line with sweeping upward and downward motion
- Highly expressive with large intervals (eg 6ths and 8ves)
- Melody passed between woodwinds (clarinets and flutes and strings, giving it an ethereal quality
9
Q
The Beatles Eleanor Rigby
A
- Mainly stepwise with some jumps
- Narrow range
- Starts on tonic note of E and has an angular feel to it with some dissonance in places to emphasise the bleakness of the lyrics
- Repetitive melody emphasises and reflects message of loneliness
- Diatonic in dorian mode
- Backing vocals have flattened 6th C making it aeolian in character
- Distinctive 8ve leap in vocal refrain which is later extended to a rising 10th
10
Q
The Beatles Here, There and Everywhere
A
- Memorable, flowing lyrical and expressive
- Short repeated vocal melody ideas
- Melody in verses has gentle rising and falling shape
- Narrow range creating relaxed feel
- Smooth stepwise motion
- Opening phrase opens with second inversion of G major arpeggio -> ascending creates feeling of hopefulness
- Mix of small intervals (2nds and 3rds) and wider leaps (5ths and 6ths)
11
Q
The Beatles I Want To Tell You
A
- Slightly angular
- Melody in verses are in a compact range
- Smaller intervals, particularly 2nds and 3rds contribute to a staccato, choppier feel to the melody
12
Q
The Beatles Tomorrow Never Knows
A
- Different from conventional pop as much more repetitive and hypnotic in nature -> floating detached from space and time
- Vocal melody is built on a narrow pitch range, mostly moving in stepwise motion (small intervals between notes), creating a static feel and trance-like quality
- Mostly syllabic
- Mixolydian mode with characteristic major 3rd and flattened 7th
- Blues scale on C guitar solo with characteristic flattened 3rds, a variation of pentatonic scale
13
Q
Kate Bush Cloudbusting
A
- Smooth and stepwise moving by small intervals (eg 3rds)
- Stays within the mid-range vocal register and often moves in a repeated pattern, giving a sense of stability
- Chorus rises in pitch shifting to a higher register, which creates a sense of hope and release
- Chorus uses wide intervals that feel dramatic, helping to convey the emotional height of the song
- The verses often stay within a lower range, which creates a feeling of calm before the melody climbs into a higher register in the chorus.
- Contrast between the verses and chorus highlights the emotional shift from vulnerability and introspection to a more powerful and triumphant expression of hope.
- Melody repeats certain key phrases, especially in the chorus, which creates a feeling of cyclical motion
- Melody introduces slight variations in phrasing or vocal delivery within the repeated lines to keep the melody fresh and interesting
- Major 7ths
- Triadic shape
- Chorus hook uses rising 5ths, rapid repeated notes and syncopated anticipation
- Violin riff in chorus uses simple stepwise, repetitive, material
- Backing vocal figure in outro/coda includes rising minor 7th leap from tonic to flattened leading note and stepwise fall to alternating supertonic and subdominant notes
14
Q
Kate Bush Dream Of Sheep
A
- Smooth, , dream-like and lullaby-like quality -> ethereal
- Verse melody stepwise small intervals -> Flowing, sense of drifting, floating -> Word painting
- Ending “Deeper and deeper” word painting descending melody
- Chorus melody increases in range
- Repetition soothing and calming
- Major/minor 3rds, perfect 5ths, 6ths, 8ves
- Rising 5ths
- Refrain features oscillating minor third between B and G♯
- Coda/outro uses repeated figure rising major 6th from lower dominant (B)
- Falls by step back to starting note/tonic
- Word painting descending at the end
- Finishes on unresolved dominant
15
Q
Kate Bush Under Ice
A
- Restrained with narrow vocal range
- No large leaps -> stepwise with small intervals adding to sense of tension and restraint
- Vocal line in verses stay in the low register -> word-painting -> Sense of depth to the melody, as if the singer is submerged or trapped, reflecting the lyrical content about being “under ice”
- Melody often moves in a downward direction, contributing to the sense of coldness and isolation
- Chorus features a slightly more expansive melody, but it still remains fairly contained and haunting, with the voice rising gradually before coming to a gentle resolution
- Subtle rise and fall in melody reflects emotional shifts but doesn’t explode into dramatic high notes -> maintains tension and unease
- Semitones, perfect 5th, major 6th
- Repeated notes
16
Q
Courtney Pine Inner State Of Mind
A
- Variety of note intervals
- Improvisational
- Intro and main theme: starts smooth, legato, typically stepwise, using small intervals
- Development and variation: wider leaps
- Interpolates ‘Summertime’ by Gershwin
- Call and response between saxophone and band, creating melodic development
- Minor/major 2nd -> Jazz -> tension and dissonance
- Perfect 5th -> stability
17
Q
Courtney Pine Lady Day and John Coltrane
A
- Improvisatory
- Intro: Smooth simple phrase with stepwise motion
- Calla and response -> saxophone plays a phrase and then rhythm section or saxophone answers in response with a variation
18
Q
Shankar Breathing Underwater
A
- Sitar line is melodic paraphrase/variation of vocal line sung by Sting in ‘Sea Dreamer’, very ornamented with slides (meends), shakes, mordents, trills, kan (grace notes) and gamak (mordents/trills)
- Stepwise mvt
- Repeated anacrusic phrases
- Arching up and down phrases
- Vocal melody less ornate than sitar part
19
Q
Shankar Easy
A
- Vocals Nora Jones
- Transposed mixolydian key equivalent to Rag Khamaj
- Sitar opening uses 4 bar melody repeated with slight variations working downwards from flattened 7th (Cb)
- Restricted range in vocal melody
- Major 2nds
- Minor 3rds
- Pentatonic shapes
- Middle 8 vocal line downwards mvt with phrasing spanning an 8ve
- Final vocal phrase extends downwards to lower dominant to span a 9th
20
Q
Shankar Burn
A
- pening sitar solo sounds like alap section of classical raga
- Begins in lower register (mandra saphak) then explores notes of the scale including B#s to establish key securely
- 3rds
- Rising 6th figure towards end of intro
- Includes slides, trills and grace notes
- Lead vocals Noa Lembersky
- Verse descending sequential idea and oscillations between adjacent notes
- Chorus uses 3 note repeated phrases using minor 3rd or stepwise mvt
- Sarangi melody in bridge section features repeated idea with prominent use of note B#
- Verse extension idea features distinctive upwards 5th
- G#-A-F# idea from verse is used as the basis for the melodic material
- Syncopated string idea repeated later and developed into 1 bar countermelody in strings during final chorus
21
Q
Debussy Pagodes
A
- Gong-like opening 5ths
- Added 6th G#s avoiding straightforward triads
- Inspired by pentatonic scale eg Javanese slendro scale
- Ostinato theme 4 different notes similar to what might be played on metallophones in gamelan ensemble
- Undulating scalic countermelody
- Pentatonic idea in 8ves LH
- Separate idea closely related to ostinato motif is played in RH 8ves
- Rumbling triplet ostinato figure LH 2 pitches slow trill
- Oriental style melody
- Bass gradually descends
- Contrary motion
- Chords of 4ths and 5ths avoiding tonal 3rds
- Whole tone scale
- High tessitura
- Bass descends to bottom 8ve B
22
Q
Debussy La Soiree Dan Grenade
A
- Rapid staccato guitar spread chords starting low pitched
- Moorish lament starts with extreme dissonance with opening D clashing against C# RH
- Distinctive augmented 2nd of flamenco music B# to A
- Conjunct
- Acciaccatura ornament
- Added note chords
- Chords based on 4ths and 5ths
- Whole tone scale
- Extreme ranges
- C# pedal before inverted pedal
23
Q
Saariaho Petals for Violincello and Optional Electronics
A
- Micro-interval quarter-tones
- Chromatic scale-like phrases G up to C
- Glissandi
- Microtonal mvt
- Retrograde pitch developed sequentially featuring augmented 4th leaps, trills, mordents
- Falling idea based on repetition and elaboration around fixed group of pitches
24
Q
Stravinsky Introduction
A
- Russian and Eastern European folk song
- Opening bassoon solo based on Lithuanian folk song with acciaccatura ornament
- 4 note ostinato figure in cor anglais
- Fragmented and repetitive
- Acciaccatura ornament
- Flue diatonic tune
25
Q
Stravinsky Augurs of Spring
A
- Solo trumpet fragment
- Repeated notes
- Chromaticism
- Solo horn diatonic with acciaccatura ornament
26
Q
Stravinsky Ritual of Abduction
A
- Mixolydian mode woodwind
- Diatonic melody
- Horn figure built on 2 notes 5th apart
27
Q
Elfman Birth of a Penguin Part 1
A
- Leitmotif
- Batman mainly brass
- Penguin organ
- Repeated C note 2 demisemiquavers followed by 1 quaver repeated twice
28
Q
Elfman Birth of a Penguin Part 2
A
- Falling interval of 3rd C to A crotchet followed by quaver then quaver rest repeated twice
29
Q
Elfman Batman Vs The Circus
A
- Whole tone scales
- Staccato quavers
30
Q
Elfman The Rise and Fall of Grace
A
- Monophony
31
Q
Herrmann Prelude
A
- Motifs
- repetition
- sequences
- Development
- 2 interlocking major 3rds figure similar to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring
- Opening upward semitone
- Ostinato doubles in 3rds and simultaneously inverted
32
Q
Herrmann The City
A
- High tessitura start
- Falling interval 2nd
33
Q
Herrmann Marion
A
- Descending melodic sequence with rising & falling perfect 5th
- Middle section changes interval to rising diminished 5th & falling perfect 4th
34
Q
Herrmann The Murder
A
- Ostinato intervals inverted in cellos & basses
- Ostinato intervals inverted to major 7ths creating widely spaced chord clusters
35
Q
Herrmann The Toys
A
- Verticalisation (played as a chord) in bass in viola, cello and bass
36
Q
Herrmann The Cellar
A
- Melodic material for fugal texture
- 8 bar subject rises sequentially, different bars relate in terms of melodic inversions and retrogrades
- Countersubject 1 chromatic scale patterns and moving downwards in sequence
- Countersubject 2 with crotchet rests separating notes
- Countersubject 3 & 4 further development of subject using 3 notes in a bar
37
Q
Herrmann Discovery
A
- Pizzicato double bass
38
Q
Herrmann Finale
A
- 3 note idea (FEbD)
- Meandering without a sense of resolution
- Solo viola 3 note motif
39
Q
Courtney Pine Love and Affection
A
- Syncopated rising bass EG#AB underlying bass riff memorable
- Descending chromatic scale on bass clarinet
- Repeated vocal phrase
- Repeated notes in vocal parts
- Improv vocals rising
- Sax solo with bassline pedal E
- Descending synthesised string section passage
- Sax solo free improv
