On Wenlock Edge

Question 1

context

Question 2

sonority (instrumental/vocal style):

Answer 2

-solo voice, piano quintet
-una corda (piano)
-trills (bar 33), tremolo, pizz (cello trem/pizz bar 8), triple stopping
-ostinato (bar 5)
-rapid arpeggios (bar 44)
-lowest register in the violin in the ending, indicates sadness/lonliness
-sul ponticello (bar 57) represents the gale

-tenor soloist, not particularly virtuosic
-mainly syllabic, brief instances of melisma
-word painting (bars 7, 13, 15, 49)

Question 3

structure

Answer 3

the overall structure is AABBA/B, the last verse combines both A and B elements

Question 4

melody

Answer 4

-the melody in the violin at the start, doubled with the piano
-modal style- folk influence
-restricted range at the start of the melody line, pentatonic nature
-repeated notes emphsise the power of the gale
-from bar 34, repeated notes and chromaticism, strong features
-bar 13-16, stepwise chromaticism (descending) to emphasise gale

Question 5

tempo/metre/rhythm

Answer 5

-use of triplets and sextuplets
-bar 7 sextuplet ostinato produces a cross-rhythm with the quavers in voice, cello and piano
-bar 31 hemidemisemi quavers

-IN ALL THREE: accents of syllables (iambic pentameter), wanted to achieve natural rhythms of speech

Question 6

harmony/tonality

Answer 6

-much of the harmony is consonant, sounds blend nicely
-first chords is Eb but any sense of tonality is negated by the Ab minor chord, suggesting a whole tone progression (Eb to Cb in the piano and violin 2)
-parallel chords from bar 1, impressionism
-harmony has a modal character from bar 3 onwards, the G appears with an added 4th rather than a third, the whole section is pentatonic
-dissonance with the word gale at bar 11 (Ab/G)
-bar 14-15 chromatic chordal movement, bar 37 chromatic slides WP ‘heaving hill’
-the final chords almost like V-i in Gm but there is no thirds, open fifth, not a cadential ending

Question 7

texture

Answer 7

-varies in texture overall
-starts with parallel first inversion chords
-the piano doubles the upper strings, homorhythmic
-bar 7, right hand piano ostinato, semi sextuplets
-bar 50, texture is reduced, WP ‘very quiet’
-reduced ending until piano is only left

Question 8

wider listening

Answer 8

sonority:
Brahms, Piano Quintet in Fm
Debussy, The Sunken Cathedral

structure:

melody:

t/m/r:

harmony/tonality:

texture: