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

Question 1

What was key about the time when Bush was writing?

Answer 1

1970’s known as the pivot of change in music

Question 2

What was Bush influenced by?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

When was Hounds of Love written?

Answer 3

1985

Question 4

What was key about the Hounds of Love album?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

What is Cloudbusting based on?

Answer 5

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’.

Question 6

Who was Wilhelm Reich?

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

What do the lyrics of the song describe?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Cloudbusting:

Describe the use of Voice
4 points

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Cloudbusting:

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

Answer 9

Used sparingly

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

Question 10

Cloudbusting:

Describe the use of the string sextet
3 points

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Cloudbusting:

How is Fairlight CMI used
4 points

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Cloudbusting:

Use of Balalaika

Answer 12

Used very briefly early on

Question 13

Cloudbusting:

What conventional pop/rock instruments are missing?

Answer 13

• Bass guitar
• Electric guitar
• Drums/percussion

Question 14

Cloudbusting:

What conventional structural components used?
(3 points0

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Cloudbusting:

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

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Cloudbusting:

What is the overall structure?

Answer 16

Verse 1
Bridge
Chorus
Verse 2 
Bridge
Chorus
Instrumental
Chorus
Outro/coda

Question 17

Cloudbusting:

What is the overall tonality?

Answer 17

Written in modal C# minor with no key changes

Music is tonal but not straightforward diatonic and functional

Question 18

Cloudbusting:

Describe Bush’s use of texture?
5 points

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Cloudbusting:

What textural feature is seen in the outro/coda?

Answer 19

Features polyphonic interplay between:

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

Question 20

Cloudbusting:

How is metre used?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

Cloudbusting:

How is tempo used?

Answer 21

Fast medium tempo throughout creating a string sense of pulse.

Question 22

Cloudbusting:

How is rhythm used?
4 points

Answer 22

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)

Question 23

Cloudbusting:

What is the overall harmony?

Answer 23

Harmony is diatonic and functional

Question 24

Cloudbusting:

How is harmony used?
4 points

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Cloudbusting: | How is melody used in the vocals? 4 points

Answer 25

- 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

Question 26

Cloudbusting: | How is melody used in the accompaniment? 2 points

Answer 26

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#)

Question 27

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

Answer 27

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

Question 28

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

Answer 28

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

Question 29

What is ‘And Dream of Sheep’ about?

Answer 29

Drifting in the sea alone awaiting rescue.

Question 30

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

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

‘And Dream of Sheep’: What makes up most of the instrumentation?

Answer 31

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

Question 32

‘And Dream of Sheep’: | How is more unconventional instrumentation seen? 3 points

Answer 32

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

Question 33

‘And Dream of Sheep’: What did the lyrics describe?

Answer 33

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)

Question 34

‘And Dream of Sheep’: | What is the overall structure? 4 points

Answer 34

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

Question 35

‘And Dream of Sheep’: | What is the overall texture? 4 points

Answer 35

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

Question 36

‘And Dream of Sheep’: What is the overall tonality?

Answer 36

``` 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?) ```

Question 37

‘And Dream of Sheep’: What is the overall harmony?

Answer 37

Simple chord progressions used in verse: I - IVb - bVII

Question 38

‘And Dream of Sheep’: What is the style of the melodies?

Answer 38

Melodies are free flowing | Often quirky and unpredictable = sound improvised

Question 39

‘And Dream of Sheep’: | Describe the overall melody 3 points

Answer 39

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

Question 40

‘And Dream of Sheep’: | How is metre used? 3 points

Answer 40

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

Question 41

‘And Dream of Sheep’: How is tempo used?

Answer 41

Very slow tempo at crotchet = 80 bpm

Question 42

‘And Dream of Sheep’: | What was the overall use of rhythm? 4 points

Answer 42

``` 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 ```

Question 43

‘And Dream of Sheep’: How does the overall rhythm sound?

Answer 43

Bush didn’t intend her music to be written out: - quite free flowing - vocal lines contain syncopations - anticipations and retardations