On the Waterfront - Leonard Bernstein.

Question 1

What is the context/background of On the Waterfront?

Answer 1

1954.
20th century music.
Film music.

Question 2

What is the instrumentation of On the Waterfront?

Answer 2

High film budget - full symphony orchestra.
Jazz influence - alto sax, 3 tuned drums.
Piano - used as percussion.
Strings don't enter until 40.
High solo horn tessitura.
Muted trombone - 7, and trumpets - 13.
Frequent rim shot - snare drum.
Una corda pedal - piano.
Flutter tongue - 105.
Sul ponticello - 108.
Timpani glissando  - 24.

Question 3

What is the texture of On the Waterfront? 8

Answer 3

1. Monophonic - solo horn.
2. Two part canon 7-12 - flutes.
3. Trombone solo imitation.
4. Percussion counterpoint; fugal style - 20.
5. Climax 54 - multiple doubling of sax theme.
6. Homorhythmic tutti - 78.
7. Homophonic - 74.
8. Woodwind, brass, percussion have chords over sustained string chords - 108.

Question 4

What is the structure of On the Waterfront?

Answer 4

1. Andante.
   Unaccompanied solo horn - minor 3rd intervals, triplet rhythms.
   Two-part canon.
   2 trumpets over F pedal - free inversion.

2. Presto barbaro (20-105).
Percussion fugal section.
Alto sax solo.
Ff tutti based on fugal theme - homorhythmic.
Snare riff - long pause.

3. Adagio coda.
   3 note motif from 52.
   Repeated over sustained strings.

Question 5

What is the tonality of On the Waterfront? 6

Answer 5

1. Pentatonic horn solo - F minor.
2. Gb transforms into a 6 note blues scale - 5.
3. Fugue same - but in G.
4. Biotonality - 78 - Gm and Dmj.
5. Forceful tutti - 78.
6. Atonal - 72.

Question 6

What is the harmony of On the Waterfront? 6

Answer 6

1. Non-functional and dissonant.
2. Compound diminished octave - 16.
3. Bitonality e.g. augmented 5th clash - 26.
4. Coda: string triads of Fmj and Bmj - 108.
5. Tritonal clashes - 14.
6. Pedal F - 14.

Question 7

What is the melody of On the Waterfront? 8

Answer 7

1. Pentatonic solo horn - minor 10th range - arch shaped.
2. Minor 3rd interval - 4
3. Diminished 5th (tritone) - 14.
4. Fugal idea 20 - minor 3rd idea - motivic.
5. Alto sax minor 2nd idea, 88 - extended to a 3 note motif at solo end.
6. Fragmentation - 70.
7. Simultaneous retrograde - 64.
8. Trumpet free inversion - 13.

Question 8

What is the rhythm/metre of On the Waterfront? 7

Answer 8

1. Syncopation - 1.
2. Short note, long note idea common - 42.
3. Sometimes the first short beat becomes a pair of shorter notes - 52.
4. Triplets - 3.
5. Time sig. change - 3 - changes from triple to quadruple time.
6. Fugal section - alternating triple/common time.
7. Coda - simple common time.
8. Ostinato - 20.