Pop And Jazz Music - Kate Bush 'Hounds of Love' Flashcards
What was key about the time when Bush was writing?
1970’s known as the pivot of change in music
What was Bush influenced by?
Influenced by both literary and historical sources. Also heavily influenced by people.
When was Hounds of Love written?
1985
What was key about the Hounds of Love album?
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
What is Cloudbusting based on?
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’.
Who was Wilhelm Reich?
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.
What do the lyrics of the song describe?
Lyrics describe Reich’s sudden arrest and the pain and loss of Peter who couldn’t help.
Cloudbusting:
Describe the use of Voice
4 points
Bush has a very distinctive voice
Has a range of a 10th but Cloudbusting mostly mid range
Syllabic
Uses wordless backing singers in counterpoint
Cloudbusting:
Describe the use of percussion and where it’s used
2 points
Used sparingly
Most notable use = ‘military snare drum’ used towards the end
Cloudbusting:
Describe the use of the string sextet
3 points
Short staccato chords to make strong crotchet pulse
Violin riff signals start of chorus each time
Violin countermelody in octaves
Cloudbusting:
How is Fairlight CMI used
4 points
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
Cloudbusting:
Use of Balalaika
Used very briefly early on
Cloudbusting:
What conventional pop/rock instruments are missing?
- Bass guitar
- Electric guitar
- Drums/percussion
Cloudbusting:
What conventional structural components used?
(3 points0
Uses conventional verses/refrains/choruses
Also includes contrasting instrumental/bridge section
Intro/outro/coda
Cloudbusting:
How was Cloudbusting unconventional in it’s use of structure?
Written in extended song structure (no intro but long outro/coda)
Does not include v3, goes straight into chorus after instrumental
Cloudbusting:
What is the overall structure?
Verse 1 Bridge Chorus Verse 2 Bridge Chorus Instrumental Chorus Outro/coda
Cloudbusting:
What is the overall tonality?
Written in modal C# minor with no key changes
Music is tonal but not straightforward diatonic and functional
Cloudbusting:
Describe Bush’s use of texture?
5 points
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
Cloudbusting:
What textural feature is seen in the outro/coda?
Features polyphonic interplay between:
- lead vocals
- Keyboard 2 instrumental line
- Wordless backing vocals
Cloudbusting:
How is metre used?
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.
Cloudbusting:
How is tempo used?
Fast medium tempo throughout creating a string sense of pulse.
Cloudbusting:
How is rhythm used?
4 points
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)
Cloudbusting:
What is the overall harmony?
Harmony is diatonic and functional
Cloudbusting:
How is harmony used?
4 points
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
Cloudbusting:
How is melody used in the vocals?
4 points
- 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
Cloudbusting:
How is melody used in the accompaniment?
2 points
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#)
Which side of the hounds of love album does the ‘Ninth Wave’ music feature on?
Features on side 2 meaning it is meant to have a more ‘arty feel’
What was the purpose of the ‘Ninth Wave’ side of the album?
Meant to evoke feelings/experiences of an individual drifting in the sea at night
What is ‘And Dream of Sheep’ about?
Drifting in the sea alone awaiting rescue.
What made the filming of ‘And Dream of Sheep’ more realistic?
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.
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
What makes up most of the instrumentation?
Instrumentation is mostly dominated by vocal line and piano accompaniment. (Reminiscent of Bush’s early ballads)
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
How is more unconventional instrumentation seen?
3 points
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
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
What did the lyrics describe?
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)
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
What is the overall structure?
4 points
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
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
What is the overall texture?
4 points
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
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
What is the overall tonality?
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?)
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
What is the overall harmony?
Simple chord progressions used in verse:
I - IVb - bVII
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
What is the style of the melodies?
Melodies are free flowing
Often quirky and unpredictable = sound improvised
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
Describe the overall melody
3 points
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
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
How is metre used?
3 points
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
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
How is tempo used?
Very slow tempo at crotchet = 80 bpm
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
What was the overall use of rhythm?
4 points
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
‘And Dream of Sheep’:
How does the overall rhythm sound?
Bush didn’t intend her music to be written out:
- quite free flowing
- vocal lines contain syncopations
- anticipations and retardations
