Mock - Sweeney Todd Flashcards
Background
Set during the time of the industrial revolution. Sweeney Todd is a barber who murders his customers, driven by a lust for revenge of those who wronged him. He is presented as a murderous demonic character who likes killing people. This is an informational song at the beginning of the musical where the audience gets some information on the character, without giving away too much of the story.
Key
F sharp minor, but there is no raised 7th at the beginning so it starts in aeolian mode to create a very mysterious and dark atmosphere.
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd
Starts on an E7 chord which is dissonant but shows his love for killing people. Before the vocal line begins, there is a tritone in in the accompaniment. There is a minor 6th interval in the ostinato which emphasises his like for killing people. The tonic pedal in the cello adds to the dissonant harmony. This sets the mood before the vocal line comes in. Ostinato continues. There is a quiet dynamic. The melody is based on the dies irae. The melody mainly uses falling contour and falling thirds – for example there is a falling minor 3rd on ‘tale of’. ‘sweeney’ lands on the 9th and clashes with the 7th on ‘ney’. ‘todd’ lands on a dissonant chord that implies an imperfect cadence.
He shaved the faces of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard of again
The 5 phrase starts with a minor 6th leap on “He shaved,” indicating Sweeney’s enjoyment of killing. There’s also a major 2nd interval between the voice and accompaniment on “he,” creating dissonance. The melody features a falling contour and a sequence of minor 3rds on “gentle,” “men who,” and “after were.” The word “gentle” includes the 9th and 11th, adding to the dissonance. The ostinato contributes further dissonance with its 9th and semi-tone movement, enhancing the sense of mystery. When it reaches “who never thereafter were heard of again,” the chord shifts to G#dim, with the 5th in the bass. A tritone occurs on “never,” emphasizing Sweeney’s demonic nature and hinting at his murderous actions. The submediant pedal in the bass also creates dissonance, reflecting his character. This dramatic part of the verse is sung in constant quavers, matching the animated rhythm with the escalating action in the lyrics. On “again,” the chord returns to E7, reinforcing Sweeney’s continuous desire to kill. The phrase ends on a low pitch in the voice, adding to the mysterious and ominous atmosphere, with “again” held on and landing on chord II, which further enhances the dissonance.
He trod a path that few have trod
This implies how Sweeney has gone down a dark path of killing people and being a murderer. There is an added tritone in the ostinato to create more dissonance and show him as a demonic character. This is set on a G9#11 chord and the #11 creates the tritone in the accompaniment. There are also 11th dissonances on the words ‘trod’ and ‘path’ to represent the killings. The melody is also falling with semi-tones and minor 3rds to create a mysterious feeling. The rhythm becomes more fragmented because the text is revealing new information about Sweeney so is trying to emphasise that.
Swing your razor wide Sweeney
dramatic, marked ‘ff’ (fortissimo), and performed in five parts, creating a strong chordal texture. Set in F sharp minor, the soprano melody, based on the Dies Irae scale, hints at judgment for Sweeney’s immoral actions, adding tension. Marcato indicates strong, accented singing, reflecting Sweeney’s powerful character. The falling third on ‘razor’ and upward movement on ‘wide’ are symbolic. The use of chromatic movement and dissonant chords like F sharp and Bm flat enhances the unease, while false relations on ‘Sweeney’ emphasize his demonic nature.
Hold it to the skies
‘ff’ dynamics. The lyrics ‘to the’ fall a third, while ‘skies’ symbolically rises, reflecting Sweeney’s murderous actions. The E9 chord and chromaticism in the accompaniment contribute to the overall dissonance. Accents and the tritone on ‘it’ highlight the evil nature of Sweeney’s deeds. The false relation on ‘skies’ reinforces this idea. A tonic pedal (F sharp) in the cello supports the tonality, while the soprano continues to sing the Dies irae.
Freely flows the blood of those who moralize
Chordal homophonic texture. Melody in Soprano uses Dies Irae. Accompaniment is still chordal and accented. Flows has falling 3rd. Blood lands on 11th to create dissonance. False relation on ‘blood’ between tenor and bass. Inner lines are moving chromatically and contain lots of dissonant sharp notes. lots of dissonant chords and drone like bass to create tension. Moralise has auxiliary note in soprano, alto tenor, and bass. Marked ‘fff’ on ‘moralise’ and a Diminuendo occurs just after as it begins to get quieter. Soprano altos and bass land on the 9th of the chord at the end of the phrase. Ostinato comes back at loudest point in timpani.
