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GCSE Edexcel Music > Purcell - Music for a While > Flashcards

Purcell - Music for a While Flashcards

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1
Q

Who sings the main melody?

A

The main melody is sung by a soprano singer.

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2
Q

What is the predominant style of the word setting?

A

The word setting is mostly syllabic, with some melismatic sections.

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3
Q

What is word painting?

A

Word painting is used to make the music reflect the meaning of the text.

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4
Q

How do most melody notes move?

A

Most of the melody notes move in steps, with lots of passing notes.

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5
Q

What type of ornaments are used in the piece?

A

There are lots of uses of ornaments such as trills, appoggiaturas, grace notes, and mordents.

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6
Q

What is an example of repeated text in the piece?

A

Some of the text has been repeated, such as the word ‘drop’.

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7
Q

What musical technique is used in bar 20?

A

There are some descending sequences, such as in bar 20.

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8
Q

What is the function of rests in the music?

A

Rests are used to break up melodic phrases.

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9
Q

How can the stepwise movement of the melody be described?

A

The stepwise movement of the melody means it can be described as a ‘conjunct’ melody.

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10
Q

What is the main tonality of the piece?

A

The main tonality for the piece is A minor.

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11
Q

How does the tonality reflect the lyrics?

A

This reflects the sombre, sad nature of the lyrics.

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12
Q

What keys does the piece modulate through in the middle section?

A

The piece modulates through several related keys: E major, G major, C major, A major, and back to A minor.

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13
Q

What is the appropriate tempo for the piece?

A

A slow tempo would be appropriate.

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14
Q

What provides the accompaniment in the piece?

A

The accompaniment is provided by the ground bass played by the bass viol and the left hand of the harpsichord.

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15
Q

What type of cadences are present throughout the piece?

A

There are perfect cadences throughout the piece.

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16
Q

What is an example of dissonance used for word painting?

A

Dissonances are used for word painting, such as the word ‘pains’.

17
Q

What is a ‘false relation’ in the music?

A

A false relation occurs when the ground bass plays F sharp while the right hand plays F natural.

18
Q

What instruments are used in this piece?

A

This piece uses a soprano singer, harpsichord, and bass viol.

19
Q

What role does the harpsichord play?

A

The harpsichord and bass viol act as the basso continuo, providing accompaniment for the singer.

20
Q

What is the texture of the piece?

A

The texture is homophonic - one main melody and an accompaniment.

21
Q

What era was this piece composed in?

A

This piece was written in the Baroque era.

22
Q

What is the time signature of the piece?

A

The piece is in 4/4 metre.

23
Q

What type of rhythms are used in the ground bass?

A

The ground bass uses repeated quaver rhythms.

24
Q

What is the dynamic marking in the score?

A

There are no dynamic markings on the score.

25
Q

What is the significance of the word ‘eternal’ in the music?

A

The word ‘eternal’ is sung as a long melisma.

26
Q

How is the word ‘drop’ represented in the music?

A

The word ‘drop’ is repeated in a descending pattern representing the snakes dropping from Alecta’s head.

27
Q

How is the phrase ‘free the dead’ musically represented?

A

The phrase ‘free the dead’ is set to a triumphant section in the bright key of G major.

28
Q

What does the phrase ‘pains were eased’ feature?

A

The phrase ‘pains were eased’ features a dissonance and resolution.

29
Q

What is the structure of the ground bass?

A

The ground bass is a 3 bar loop consisting entirely of quaver rhythms.

30
Q

What happens at the end of the ground bass?

A

At the end of the ground bass, there is a fall of an octave.

31
Q

How does the ground bass modulate?

A

After 4 and a half repeats of the ground bass, it begins to modulate into different keys.

GCSE Edexcel Music (7 decks)

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