Pippin Flashcards
What differences are there between the score for Pippin and Godspell?
Unlike Godspell songs, Schwartz sees those in Pippin as actual storytelling
Melodies are generally more lyrical, soaring, and more adventurous than in Godspell
Much broader range of influences in Pippin for narrative function and artistic effect
How are styles compartmentalised by character?
Pippin: Singer-songwriter ballads
Charlemagne: Gilbert & Sullivan style patter
Lead Player: Blues/jazz
What narrative function does Corner of the Sky serve?
“I want” song
Why is Corner of the Sky being in C major important?
C major tonality is plain and vanilla
Symbolises Pippin’s innocence
What style is Corner of the Sky written in and how is this achieved?
Folk-pop ballad - in line with the general style associated with Pippin
Acoustic guitar
Vocal line is lyrical and soars over the accompaniment, but not to the extent that it is operatic
What is backphrasing?
Singing just behind the beat - something many singers do naturally anyway in styles such as jazz and pop
Schwartz writes this out in the original music, helping it move towards the style of music which he wishes to characterise
How does Schwartz use backphrasing in Corner of the Sky?
Subtle backphrasing on “Rivers belong where they can ramble”
Delay before “of the sky” makes the listener wait for the entry
What is notable about Schwartz’s use of harmony in Corner of the Sky?
Use of the subdominant in the refrain gives the song a sense of plainitive yearning that a dominant wouldn’t give as it is too strong of a chord.
Schwartz deliberately avoids the dominant, and where he does use it, uses Gsus or Gm instead. This robs us of the satisfaction of a V-I progression and contributes to creating a sense of dissatisfaction and yearning (the theme of the song)
How is instrumentation used to comic effect in War is a Science?
Parody of a march in Pippin’s section - use of muted brass and side drum march rhythms
How is instrumentation used to support musical style in Glory?
Has a “Hat and Cane” dance section accompanied by stripped back cheesy keyboard, clicking drumsticks, muted brass
Pastiche of ‘Hat and Cane’ routines of the 1930s
How is No Time At All defined as a catchy sing-along song?
Jaunty dotted rhythm - upbeat and witty
Tonality changes from Am to A in the refrain/chorus - makes it brighter for the ‘sing-along’ section
How does the song With You convey yearning?
Piano song with lush strings
Very lyrical
Plainitive harmonies e.g. F-Em on “twice as fair, if I could share”
Uses of Dsus as chord V - gives a feel of ‘almost’ resolution
How does the song With You convey Pippin’s innocence?
4/4 time signature
AABA form
G major key
How does Spread a Little Sunshine characterise Fastrada?
Narrative function: show Fastrada’s manipulative behaviour
High-pitched and nasal vocals
Scat ad-libbing when meter changes to 4/4, gleeful but not joyous - cliche evil
What style is Morning Glow in?
West Coast pop
Reminiscent of the Beach Boys and The Byrds (late 60s/early 70s pop sound)
Guitar song, not a piano song this time
Characterised by high guitar-style noodling - a 2-bar vamp repeating over and over
How does Schwartz create a sense of tension and resolution on certain words in Morning Glow?
Subtle backphrasing on the first line of each verse
On “past due” and “-most here” a combination of a harmonic inflection (Abm9) and backphrasing creates tension, which is then resolved on the last note of the verse with the tonic chord (Db)
What is the role of the chorus in Morning Glow?
Support Pippin’s vocal line throughout, their influence growing over time: from gospel harmonies on “ah”, to imitating him in counterpoint and eventually unison singing
Use of unison between Pippin and the chorus is symbolic on lines such as “Never knew we could be so strong”
Chorus create a euphoric feel on verse 4 when the key changes and join in on the final line “at last” for a big anthemic finish
How is a sense of euphoria and ecstasy created at the end of Morning Glow?
Change of key: Db -> D (brighter)
Whole chorus supporting Pippin in anthemic singing
Big finish on “at last”
How does On The Right Track align with the Leading Player’s general style?
Jazz & Motown influences
Similar rhythmic feel to the jazz/blues piano intro to Magic To Do
7th and 9th chords in harmony
Syncopations in vocal line and in rhythmic section
What is the narrative function of Extraordinary?
“Dissatisfaction song” - expresses Pippins restlessness with his boring life in the country
How does Extraordinary capture Pippin’s dissatisfaction?
Distinctive jaunty dotted figure rising through an arpeggio and ending on a flattened 7th (blues 7th)
Landing on this flattened 7th in such an exposed way captures the feeling of dissatisfaction
There is also an inflection on “extraordinary” through a flattened 6th in the second to last bar of the verse, emphasising the meaning of the word.
The middle section (8/8 time) features a tresillo rhythm in the accompaniment (3+3+2) whilst the vocal cuts across this with triplets and duplets, creating polyrhythms
What style is Love Song in?
Folky guitar song, but made more complex by a constantly shifting metre
How do Pippin and Catherine’s vocal lines interact in Love Song?
Verse:
4x2 bar units where Catherine follows Pippin, imitating what he has sung in a different metre
Catherine’s parts in the verse are lower than Pippin’s, which brings their voices closer together in timbre
In the chorus they duet in 6ths
