Purcell, Music For A While

Question 1

What is the period and genre of this set work?

Answer 1

Mid baroque. Solo song with continuo accompaniment

Question 2

Where and when did Henry Purcell work?

Answer 2

In London towards the end of the 17th century

Question 3

What sort of music did Purcell compose?

Answer 3

Music for the church, stage and important royal occasions as well as many shorter pieces

Question 4

This piece is incidental music. What is incidental music?

Answer 4

Music intended to be performed as part of a play

Question 5

Which play is this music written for and who wrote it?

Answer 5

Oedipus- a classical greek tradjedy. This version was written by the poet John Dryden and the dramatist Nathaniel Lee

Question 6

What is happening in the play whilst this music is being sung?

Answer 6

It is being sung to raise the ghost of King Laius from the dead in hope of discovering his murder. The music soothes the deity (alecto’s) fury

Question 7

What instrumentation is used?

Answer 7

Solo voice and continuo (harpsichord and bass viol)

Question 8

How did Purcell write the bass part?

Answer 8

He wrote an unfigured bass part

Question 9

What voice did Purcell intend to sing it?

Answer 9

Probably a male singer with a high voice. Tenor or countertenor

Question 10

On the anthology what is different about the melody, tonality and harpsichord

Answer 10

The music is transposed from it’s original key (c minor) to a minor. The voice singing it is soprano and the right hand of the harpsichord is an elaborate realisation of the harmony implied by Purcell’s bass

Question 11

What is different with the bass viol and cello?

Answer 11

It is six stringed and the bow is held upside down

Question 12

Purcell constructed the song over a ground bass. What is a ground bass and how is it formed in this set work

Answer 12

A ground bass is a constantly repeating bass pattern above which q melody unfolds. The ground in music for a while is three bars in length and is formed from rising 5ths alternating with falling sixth. It climbs from the tonic to dominant of a minor. It is heard 12 times in succession but Purcell avoids monotony by modulating to related keys in the B section and changing the length of the ground in the process

Question 13

What is the overall structure of this piece?

Answer 13

Ternery from (ABA1)

Question 14

Describe the first A section

Answer 14

It is in A minor ending with a modulation to the dominant key (E minor)

Question 15

What happens in the B section?

Answer 15

If is characterised by modulations through related keys and by shortened and lengthened versions of the ground bass. It starts of in G and then modulates to C

Question 16

What happens in the final A section?

Answer 16

It returns to A minor. The singer on the Anthology ornaments the original melody. Purcell also extended the ending in order to finish on the tonic chord.

Question 17

What is the tonality?

Answer 17

It is in A minor with modulations to related keys in the middle section. The upper notes of the ground bass form a chromatic scale which often leaves the tonality ambiguous but modulations are always confirmed by perfect cadences

Question 18

Give 5 features of the vocal melody

Answer 18

• combines stepwise movement with occasional leaps
• contains frequent passing notes between chords
• has a range of a minor 9th. From the e just above middle c to the higher f
• incorporates rests for expressive effect
• includes both rising and falling sequences (wondering bars 10-12 and eas’d bars 13-14)

Question 19

What are the ornaments that the performer has added and how are these often played?

Answer 19

• upper and lower mordents
• slides and grace notes
• trills
• arpeggiation

They are usually very short and played very quickly

Question 20

How does Purcell avoids unpredictability?

Answer 20

He sometimes continues his vocal phrases beyond the end of the ground so that they don’t always finish together

Question 21

What is the word setting like?

Answer 21

• It is mainly syllabic but Purcell uses a Melissa for the words wondering and eternal
• Purcell frequently repeats words in the text such as ‘music’ at the start, ‘all’ in bars 7-9 and ‘drop’ which is sung 9 times in succession in bars 23-25

Question 22

Give examples of word painting in this set work

Answer 22

• the rising chromaticism and eerily angular outline of the ground bass suggests the spirit of Laius rising from his bones
• Melismas to illustrate the contemplative nature of ‘wond’ring
• A suspension to create a harsh discord on ‘pains’ in bar 12 (where the e in the voice clashes with the accompanying chord of d minor)
• A chain of suspensions in bars 13-14 Where the resolution of each dissonance onto a warm Consonance repeatedly occurs on the word ‘eased’
• the words ‘free the dead’ in bars 16-17 Are set to one of the few ascending phrases in the song and are in the more cheerful key of G major
• the word ‘eternal’ in bars 19-21 is set to long melismas that keep winding around the same few notes to portray the everlasting nature of death
• Purcell repeats the word ‘drop’ on quaver off beats nine times in bars 23-25 to suggest the snakes dropping from Alecto’s head

Question 23

What is the metre of this set work?

Answer 23

Simple quadruple metre. 4,4 time

Question 24

What is the Rhythm of the ground bass

Answer 24

It is entirely in quavers creating a walking bass which doesn’t cease until the end of the song

Question 25

What is the Rhythm of the vocal part?

Answer 25

Follows the Rhythm of the words and is written mainly in quavers and semiquavers with syncopation for the off beat notes on ‘drop’ in bars 23-25

Question 26

What is the Rhythm of the right hand harpsichord part?

Answer 26

It has tied notes and dotted rhythms

Question 27

What is the dynamic marking and tempo?

Answer 27

TRICK QUESTION. There is not dynamic or expression markings and no tempo specified however it seems as if it has a slow tempo

Question 28

What is the texture in this set work?

Answer 28

• homophonic texture (melody and accompaniment)
• the elaborate harpsichord realisation sometimes creates counterpoint with the vocal part, including some short imitative points, such as in bars 9 and 11 (in which the accompanist’s right hand part anticipates the descending scales in the vocal part, so that the singer appears to be imitating the accompaniment)

Question 29

Describe the harmony in this set work

Answer 29

• the chord progression dictated by the ground bass mainly consists of alternate root position and first inversion triads. There are augmented and diminished triads though
• variety is made by the changing layouts and decorations provided by the harpsichord and in the different passing notes and suspensions introduced into the vocal part
• there is also false relation (where two different forms of the same pitch occurring in different parts together or close proximity e.g. f# and f natural)
• there is also a tierce de picardie. A major tonic chord ending a cadence in a minor key. For example in the third beat of bar 23 where there is a chord of a major instead of a minor on ‘snakes’