Music for a While Flashcards
What is the name of the play Music for a While was written for?
Oedipus, it is an ancient Greek legend.
What is a basso continuo?
A group of instruments which provide the bass and chords. Bass viol and left hand of harpsichord
Which instruments provide the basso continuo in Music for a While?
Harpsichord, Bass viol
What is the key of Music for a While?
A minor
What type of voice is heard in this version of Music for a While?
Soprano
At the time Music for a While was written, how would the right hand of the harpsichord part have been played?
Improvised
What is a ground bass?
A repeated bassline. It was three bars long and moving in constant quavers.
How long is the ground bass in Music for a While?
3 bars
What type of rhythmic unit is used throughout the ground bass in Music for a While?
Quaver
How could the word setting in Music for a While be described?
These is use of ‘word-painting’. The music reflects the lyrics.
On which word in Music for a While is there an extended melisma?
Eternal
What is word painting?
When the music reflects the words
Give an example of word painting in Music for a While.
Drop, wond’ring, eternal, eas’d pain
What type of music is Music for a While?
Lament
How could most of the melodic writing in Music for a While be described?
Conjunct
What is often used to decorate the melody in Music for a While?
Ornaments
What is the structure of Music for a While?
Ground Bass, ABA’ ternary form
What is the overall texture of Music for a While?
Melody-dominated homophony
What happens to the tonality of the central section (B section) of Music for a While?
Modulations
What is this music for in the play?
To show music has a calming influence to Alecto and others.
What is the metre of Music for a While?
Simple Quadruple (4/4)
What is the tempo of Music for a While?
Slow
What is a lament?
A song that displays sorrowful feelings. It’s the traditaional for laments to have falling phrases, mino keys and slow tempo
What is the purpose of introduction in this piece?
to set the mood in minor, set the tempo, introduce the ground bass
