Music For A While

Question 1

Melody

Answer 1

Melody is mostly scalic with many passing notes (bar 5-for descending phrase)
Ground bass
Sequence from bar 20-22 in voice
Word painting bar 24-25 with ‘drop’
Bar 20-‘Eternal’ is melisma
Harpsichord lower mordent bar 1
An appoggiatura in bar 2 and grace note in bar 7 and trill in bar 13(voice)

Question 2

Harmony/tonality

Answer 2

The overall tonality is A minor, modulating through E minor, G major and C major in the middle section before returning to A minor. There is use of chromaticism in the ground bass - the F# in bar 1 and the G# and C# in bar 2. The tonic minor key helps to create the mood of sorrow and calmness.

There is dissonance in bar 12 where the E in the melody clashes with D in the bass line. This is another example of word painting - E clashes with D when the lyric “pains” is sung.

There are suspensions in bar 13. Each note sung on the word ‘eas’d’ is resolved by falling from a note that doesn’t belong to the chord to a note that does. This is another example of word painting and the resolving of dissonance.

There is a Tierce de Picardie in bar 23 - the right hand of the harpsichord plays a C# for the first time, which changes A minor into A major

False relations are also used, for example the F natural (in the harpsichord) and F# (bass viol) heard in bar 1

Question 3

Structure

Answer 3

Da capo aria form (baroque structure similar to ternary form)
Ground bass throughout
Perfect cadence

Question 4

Metre rhythm and tempo

Answer 4

4/4 simple time
Could be considered largo but doesn’t have a written tempo
Quaver pulse in Ground bass

Question 5

Texture

Answer 5

Melody dominated-homophony
Unison(left hand harpsichord and bass viol)
Imitation