Music for a while

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

• From the Baroque Period
  Features of Baroque music:
  · Functional harmony; perfect cadences
  · Melody based on one motif
  · Modulation to related keys
  · Use of Basso Continuo
  · Use of sequences
  · Use of ornaments

Uses Basso Continuo (Harpsichord and bass viol)
Is a Da Capo Aria (Ternary form)
With ornamentation and decoration on return of A
* Comes from the story of Oedipus
Sung by a ‘fury’ (demon) called Alecto who is calmed by the piece

Question 2

Structure

Answer 2

· Da capo aria – ABA where the A section is often decorated by the performer
· Based around a Ground Bass structure-
· 3 bars long
· Entirely quavers
· Arpeggio based
· Uses semitone intervals
· Mostly rises and then falls at the end
· Fall of octave at end
· Ends with chord V but resolves to I at the beginning when it repeats

Question 3

Tonality

Answer 3

• Overall key is A minor
• Sometime ambiguous because the ground bass has chromaticism
• Modulates in the second (B) section
• E minor b14 “disdaining to be pleased”
• G major b16 “Alecto free the dead”
• C major b21 “eternal bands”
• E minor b27 (finishes with an E major chord which makes this a tierce de picardie)
• Returns to A minor b28 - end

Question 4

Texture

Answer 4

• Overall polyphonic
• Melody performed by voice
• LH Harpsichord and bass viol play the ground bass
• RH Harpsichord plays a realisation of the chords and creates counterpoint with the vocal line.

Question 5

Metre/tempo/dynamics

Answer 5

Tempo
* The tempo is not indicated.
* A slow tempo is appropriate due to the mood of the piece.
* The short note values suggest also that it should be a slow tempo.

Metre
* 4/4 simple quadruple time
* Helps give a sense of slow movement.

Question 6

Rhythm

Answer 6

• Quavers and semiquavers most prominent rhythm
• Some use of dotted rhythms, particularly in the harpsichord part.
• Very occasional syncopation (b20) and off-beat rhythms (b24)
• Off-beat rhythms used for ‘drop’ to give a sense of light dropping.
• Ground bass is entirely quavers.

Question 7

Instrumentation

Answer 7

• Voice (soprano in this one but often a tenor)
• Bass Viol
• LH Harpsichord and Bass Viol play the ground bass
• RH Harpsichord plays a realisation (improvisation) of the figured bass.

Question 8

Melody

Answer 8

• Range of a 9th
• Leap of perfect 5th between Music and music at beginning
• Mostly conjunct
• Passing notes used frequently
• Rests used to break up phrases
• Descending sequence (b20)
• Extensive use of ornaments (Baroque feature)
• Mostly syllabic following speech patterns
• Some extended melisma such as ‘eternal’ and ‘wond’ring’ (word painting)

Question 9

Harmony

Answer 9

• Chords are mostly diatonic and functional
• Sequence is based around the ground bass (which is chromatic)
• Perfect cadences are used to confirm modulations.
• Perfect cadence used at the end of the ground bass to return to the beginning of the ground bass.
• Suspensions (4-3) used occasionally
• Dissonance resolving to consonance used on ‘pains are eas’d’

Question 10

Word painting (melody)

Answer 10

• It’s a song about pain and suffering and so it in a minor key
• ‘Pains’ b12 uses dissonance to create musical discomfort
• ‘Eas’d’ just after then resolves the dissonance so releasing the musical discomfort
• ‘Drop’ b23-25 is sung repeatedly with short notes on the off-beat
• ‘Wond’ring’ b10 descends melismatically
• ‘Eternal’ is a lengthy melisma
• ‘Free the dead’ b16 becomes major