Music for a while Flashcards
What is Music for a While about
Oedipus story
What is the song used for
Its calming influence
What was Purcell influenced by and explain
Italian style - concertato style, trio sonata, double-dotted notes.
When was Music for a While composed
1692
Whats the significance of the the first three bars
Rising pitch of the ground bass - first priest attempting to raise King Laius from the dead
Whats the effect of the music in the middle
Calm Alecto, bewitch her
What are the features of a ground bass
- a minor key
- straightforward rhythm made up of quavers
- slow and stately tempo
- ending with perfect cadence
- solemn mood
- chromatic notes
Whats the accompaniment
basso continuo
Whats the structure
ABA1
Why is this piece in baroque
- frequent use of ornamentations
- harpsichord
- ground bass
Whats tonality of piece at start
A minor
Whats the tempo
played slow tempo
Whats the meter
4/4 Simple quadruple
Describe accompianment in intro
- ascending,
- arpeggio based
- ground bass
Describe bar 5 of for_a_while
melisma, descending sequence, word painting, semiquavers
whats the significane of shall all. all. all.all
-Repeats ‘all’ later on, repetition also gives hypnotic effect
- rising and falling intervals
- hypnotic effect by repetition
whats significane of e-ter——nal
- suspension/interjection
- endless
Whats used in ‘till the snakes drop’
tierce de picardie
Whats the difference between section A and section A1
A1 - shorter, use of more ornaments. harpsichord right hand melody slightly different. Ends with arpeggio
Whats the style of this piece
Lament - sad, descending Italian style - dotted notes
Instrumentation of this piece
Solo voice - soprano
Basso continuo - harpsichord, lute and bass viol
Structure of the piece
Ground bass
Ternary form with third section shortened
- sequences
Harmony of the piece
- figured bass
- harmonic progressions, perfect cadences
- dissonance
- suspensions
- Tierce de Picardie
How is word painting used
- Dissonance along with melismatic and syllabic word-setting
Ornaments used in baroque used in song
mordents, appoggiaturas, grace notes and arpeggiation
Describe ground bass in intro
- three bars long
- equal quavers
- slow tempo
- ascending, imitating rise of King Laius from dead
- Chromatic notes - tonality ambiguity unsettling listener
What type of intervals does purcell use
dissonant between bass and melody
Describe B section
- Starts with one bar of harpsichord link - gives singer chance to breathe
- perfect cadence into A minor
- Tierce de Picardie - dramatic first word snakes (word painting)
- Ground bass
- onomatopoeic word off-beat (drop)
whats the harpsichords melody in section B
dottod rhytms and has lower mordents
