Music For A While Flashcards
What is the structure of the piece?
Ground bass
Which instruments play the ground bass?
Bass viol and harpsichord
What is the tonality of the piece?
A minor
How many bars long is the ground bass?
3 bars
What is the texture of the piece?
Melody and accompaniment/melody- dominated homophony
Why is the tonality ambiguous at times?
Chromatic notes
Identify three features of the movement of the ground bass?
It rises in pitch, includes semitones and is based on arpeggios
What is the interval between the last two notes of the ground bass?
An octave
What is the time signature (metre)?
4/4 - simple quadruple
What is the range of the vocal part?
9th
Identify the melodic device heard on the word “eas’d, eas’d, eas’d”.
Descending sequence
How many times is the ground bass played in the tonic key at the start of the piece?
4 and 1/2 times
What harmonic device is used to create word painting on the word “pains”?
Dissonance (E in the voice clashes with D and F in accompaniment)
Which key does the piece modulate to in bar 14?
E minor
Name the cadence in bar 15 that confirms the key change to E minor.
Perfect cadence
Which key does the piece modulate to in bar 16 and how is the key confirmed?
G major with a perfect cadence
How does the music reflect the words “free the dead”?
In G major (happier and brighter)
Describe the overall melodic movement of the vocal part.
It is mostly stepwise/conjunct (notes next to each other)
What happens in the vocal part on the second syllable of the word “eternal” in bars 20-21?
Extended (long) melisma (lots of notes for one syllable)
How many times does the vocalist sing the word “drop”?
9 times