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A-level Music > Pop And Jazz Music - Kate Bush 'Hounds of Love' > Flashcards

Pop And Jazz Music - Kate Bush 'Hounds of Love' Flashcards

1
Q

What was key about the time when Bush was writing?

A

1970’s known as the pivot of change in music

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2
Q

What was Bush influenced by?

A

Influenced by both literary and historical sources. Also heavily influenced by people.

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3
Q

When was Hounds of Love written?

A

1985

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4
Q

What was key about the Hounds of Love album?

A

Hounds of love was a concept album which Bush composed, performed and produced.
Side 1 of the album as more up tempo and ‘poppy’ songs
Side 2 of the album was more ‘arty’ related songs

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5
Q

What is Cloudbusting based on?

A

Based on the relationship between inventor Wilhelm Reich and his son Peter.
Inspired by Peter Reich’s memoir ‘A book of dreams’ which describes memories of Peter’s life on their farm with Reich and the time they spent ‘Cloudbusting’.

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6
Q

Who was Wilhelm Reich?

A

Inventor who created theory on capturing mysterious energy = believed he could cure humanity’s ills / create rain using a ‘cloudbuster’. This led him to be put in prison for fraud.

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7
Q

What do the lyrics of the song describe?

A

Lyrics describe Reich’s sudden arrest and the pain and loss of Peter who couldn’t help.

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8
Q

Cloudbusting:

Describe the use of Voice
4 points

A

Bush has a very distinctive voice
Has a range of a 10th but Cloudbusting mostly mid range
Syllabic
Uses wordless backing singers in counterpoint

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9
Q

Cloudbusting:

Describe the use of percussion and where it’s used
2 points

A

Used sparingly

Most notable use = ‘military snare drum’ used towards the end

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10
Q

Cloudbusting:

Describe the use of the string sextet
3 points

A

Short staccato chords to make strong crotchet pulse
Violin riff signals start of chorus each time
Violin countermelody in octaves

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11
Q

Cloudbusting:

How is Fairlight CMI used
4 points

A

Keyboard figured Fairlight swamped (eg. Treated vocal sample used as backing ostinato in bridge)
Two sampled tracks = melody and accompaniment for instrumental section
Sampled steam engine sounds to ‘cover’ final chord and create ending

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12
Q

Cloudbusting:

Use of Balalaika

A

Used very briefly early on

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13
Q

Cloudbusting:

What conventional pop/rock instruments are missing?

A
  • Bass guitar
  • Electric guitar
  • Drums/percussion
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14
Q

Cloudbusting:

What conventional structural components used?
(3 points0

A

Uses conventional verses/refrains/choruses
Also includes contrasting instrumental/bridge section
Intro/outro/coda

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15
Q

Cloudbusting:

How was Cloudbusting unconventional in it’s use of structure?

A

Written in extended song structure (no intro but long outro/coda)
Does not include v3, goes straight into chorus after instrumental

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16
Q

Cloudbusting:

What is the overall structure?

A 
Verse 1
Bridge
Chorus
Verse 2 
Bridge
Chorus
Instrumental
Chorus
Outro/coda
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17
Q

Cloudbusting:

What is the overall tonality?

A

Written in modal C# minor with no key changes

Music is tonal but not straightforward diatonic and functional

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18
Q

Cloudbusting:

Describe Bush’s use of texture?
5 points

A 
Homorhythmic string chords throughout (create a crotchet pulse)
Octave string countermelody in v2
Vocal sample added in bridge sections
Polyphonic feel in chorus
Silence used for impact
19
Q

Cloudbusting:

What textural feature is seen in the outro/coda?

A

Features polyphonic interplay between:

  • lead vocals
  • Keyboard 2 instrumental line
  • Wordless backing vocals
20
Q

Cloudbusting:

How is metre used?

A

Metre does change but changes are regular and changed throughout
4/4 metre mostly in verse and chorus
6/4 metre used to extend phrases
3/2 metre in verse and bridge used to create variety.

21
Q

Cloudbusting:

How is tempo used?

A

Fast medium tempo throughout creating a string sense of pulse.

22
Q

Cloudbusting:

How is rhythm used?
4 points

A

Vocal lines contain frequent syncopations / anticipations / suspensions
Two quaver crotchet rhythm used extensively
Chorus hook used (anticipatory syncopation and rapid repeated notes)
String rhythms more active towards end (replace 3rd beat with quavers/semiquavers)

23
Q

Cloudbusting:

What is the overall harmony?

A

Harmony is diatonic and functional

24
Q

Cloudbusting:

How is harmony used?
4 points

A

Repeated chord sequences (2-3 bars long)
Chorus widened by use of added note/extension chords (ie. Sus and slash chords)
Verse and outro/coda based around modal chord sequence (ninth and seventh chords and Badd9 subtopic substitutes dominant at end of sequence)
Chorus and instrumental based on similar sequence

25
Q

Cloudbusting:

How is melody used in the vocals?
4 points

A
  • key use of repetition
  • larger intervals given prominence (greater than a 5th)
  • begins with triadic shape (g#, b, e)
  • ‘chorus hook’ uses rising 5th, rapid repeated notes and syncopated anticipation
26
Q

Cloudbusting:

How is melody used in the accompaniment?
2 points

A

Violin riff in chorus = simple, stepwise, repetitive material
Backing vocal figure in outro:
- rising minor 7th leap (tonic to flattened 7th)
- stepwise fall to super tonic (d#) and subdominant (f#)

27
Q

Which side of the hounds of love album does the ‘Ninth Wave’ music feature on?

A

Features on side 2 meaning it is meant to have a more ‘arty feel’

28
Q

What was the purpose of the ‘Ninth Wave’ side of the album?

A

Meant to evoke feelings/experiences of an individual drifting in the sea at night

29
Q

What is ‘And Dream of Sheep’ about?

A

Drifting in the sea alone awaiting rescue.

30
Q

What made the filming of ‘And Dream of Sheep’ more realistic?

A

Kate Bush performed vocals live while in a huge water tank at Pinewood studios and contracted mild hypothermia from being in the water for so long! Added to the authenticity of the piece.

31
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

What makes up most of the instrumentation?

A

Instrumentation is mostly dominated by vocal line and piano accompaniment. (Reminiscent of Bush’s early ballads)

32
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

How is more unconventional instrumentation seen?
3 points

A

Bouzouki played by Irish musician Donal Lenny = decorated v2, instrumental link and outro
Irish whistle played by John Sheehan = Multi-tracked in Outro
Spoken vocal sample in style of radio shipping forecast

33
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

What did the lyrics describe?

A

Woman in danger of drowning with two conflicting thoughts:

  • trying to stay awake so she can be rescued
  • wishing to fall asleep so that she might dream (welcoming death because she’s so exhausted)
34
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

What is the overall structure?
4 points

A

Contains familiar sections from popular song structure but NO INTRO!!
There is no chorus or repeating section between verses
Bridge section is longer than the verses (typical of progressive rock)
Verses follow a similar shape but are quite different

35
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

What is the overall texture?
4 points

A

Main melody is in the vocals
Piano is most active in verses (some wide ranging arpeggios/doubling of vocals)
Bridge has simplest block chord accompaniment
Tonic bass pedal in several sections

36
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

What is the overall tonality?

A 
Bush’s music generally tonal but not straightforward / diatonic / functional. (Tonality always clear but chords have modal inflections)
Structure of tonality:
Verses are C# minor
Bridges are E major
Ends in E minor (inconclusive?)
37
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

What is the overall harmony?

A

Simple chord progressions used in verse:

I - IVb - bVII

38
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

What is the style of the melodies?

A

Melodies are free flowing

Often quirky and unpredictable = sound improvised

39
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

Describe the overall melody
3 points

A

Verse opens with rising 5ths (could be considered a melodic sequence).
Bridge/chorus features oscillating minor 3rd
Coda uses repetitive figure:
- rising major 6th
- falls in step back to tonic
- word painting on ‘they take me deeper’
- finishes on ‘unresolved’ dominant note

40
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

How is metre used?
3 points

A

Bush uses irregular time signatures similar to progressive rock
4/4 metre overall, with 2/4 bars added to extend phrases
Also a 5/4 bar for dramatic effect

41
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

How is tempo used?

A

Very slow tempo at crotchet = 80 bpm

42
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

What was the overall use of rhythm?
4 points

A 
Strong sense of pulse
Opening of verse and bridge sections contain syncopation
Vocal material starts after first beat of bar
Final vocal idea of coda:
- begins with an anacrusis
- uses triplets
- uses ties
- uses Lombardi rhythms
- finishes with ritardando
43
Q

‘And Dream of Sheep’:

How does the overall rhythm sound?

A

Bush didn’t intend her music to be written out:

  • quite free flowing
  • vocal lines contain syncopations
  • anticipations and retardations

A-level Music (16 decks)

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