Purcell Music for a While

Question 1

Period and Genre

Answer 1

Mid-Baroque, solo song (with continuo accompaniment)

Question 2

What type of music is it?

Answer 2

Incidental music

Question 3

What is incidental music?

Answer 3

Music intended to be performed as part of a play

Question 4

When and why was it written?

Answer 4

In 1692 for the play Oedipus (which is loosely based on the classical Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex)

Question 5

Why is Music for a While sung in the play?

Answer 5

To raise the ghost of king Laius from the dead, so that his murderer can be found (his son Oedipus)

Question 6

Who was Alecto?

Answer 6

A minor deity from ancient Greece who avenged crimes, she was said to have snakes for hair and torment the guilty with a studded whip

Question 7

What are the instrumental parts of the piece?

Answer 7

Solo voice and continuo (made up of harpsichord and bass viol)

Question 8

Who probably originally sang it?

Answer 8

A male with a high voice (tenor or countertenor)

Question 9

How is the anthology recording different to the original?

Answer 9

Transposed from C minor to A minor and sung by a female soprano

Question 10

What is the song constructed over?

Answer 10

A ground bass

Question 11

What is a ground bass?

Answer 11

A constantly repeating bass pattern above which the melody unfolds

Question 12

Describe the ground bass in music for a while

Answer 12

.3 bars in length
.made up of a 4 note sequence
.formed from rising 5ths alternating with falling 6ths
.Climbs from the tonic to the dominant of A minor (A to E)

Question 13

How does Purcell avoid monotony in the bass part

Answer 13

It’s heard twelve times in succession then it modulates and changes length in the middle section

Question 14

What is the structure of the piece?

Answer 14

ABA ternary form

Question 15

Key of the first A section

Answer 15

In the key of A minor ending with a modulation to the dominant (E minor)

Question 16

How is the B section characterized?

Answer 16

.Modulations through related keys

.Shortened and lengthened versions of the ground bass

Question 17

How is the final A section similar to the first?

Answer 17

In A minor

Question 18

How is the final A section different to the first?

Answer 18

.The singer ornaments the original melody

.Purcell extended the ending in order to finish on the tonic chord

Question 19

What is the overall key of the piece?

Answer 19

A minor with modulations in the middle section to related keys

Question 20

How is an ambiguous tone achieved at points?

Answer 20

The upper notes of the start of the ground bass create a chromatic scale (E-F-F#-G-G#-A)

Question 21

How are modulations confirmed?

Answer 21

Through perfect cadences

Question 22

Describe the vocal melody

Answer 22

.Combines stepwise movement with occasional leaps
.Contains frequent passing notes between chord notes
.Range of just over an octave (E above middle C to the F a minor ninth higher)
.Incorparates rests for expressive effect
.Includes both rising and falling sequences

Question 23

Who added in the ornaments?

Answer 23

The performers, not Purcell

Question 24

Name the ornaments heard in the piece

Answer 24

.Upper and lower mordents
.Appoggiaturas
.Slides and grace notes
.Trills
.Arpeggiation

Question 25

What is arpeggiation?

Answer 25

Indicates the notes of the chord are to be played in rapid succession from low to high

Question 26

How is the relationship between the ground bass and melody line unpredictable?

Answer 26

Sometimes the vocal line continues past the end of the ground so that the two parts don’t always end their phrases together

Question 27

What is the word setting mainly?

Answer 27

Syllabic

Question 28

Give 2 examples of melisma

Answer 28

‘Eternal’ and ‘wond’ring’

Question 29

Give 2 examples of repeating words

Answer 29

‘Drop’ and ‘music’

Question 30

Give 5 examples of word painting and explain them

Answer 30

.’eternal’ is long and melismatic around the same few notes
.’drop’ is repeated nine times on quaver offbeat
.’wond’ring’ is melismatic
.’all’ is repeated 6 times and separated by rests to suggest a multitude
.’free the dead’ is one of the few ascending phrases and it’s in the cheery key of G major

Question 31

What is the meter?

Answer 31

Simple quadruple (4/4)

Question 32

Describe and explain the rhythm of the ground bass

Answer 32

.Entirley in quavers
.Creates a steady tread known as a walking bass
.Doesn’t cease until the final bar of the song

Question 33

Describe the rhythm of the vocal part

Answer 33

.Mainly quavers and semi quavers

.Syncopation on ‘drop’ in bars 23-25

Question 34

Describe the rhythm of the right-hand harpsichord part

Answer 34

.Tied notes and dotted rhythms

Question 35

What is not specified in the piece

Answer 35

.Dynamics
.Expression markings
.Tempo
.These are decided by the performers

Question 36

What is the tempo like

Answer 36

slow

Question 37

What is the texture of the piece

Answer 37

Homophonic (melody and accompaniment)

Question 38

What do the harpsichord and vocal line sometimes create textually

Answer 38

Counterpoint and imitation

Question 39

What does the chord progression dictated by the ground bass mainly consist of?

Answer 39

Alternate root position and first-inversion triads

Question 40

What does the + symbol indicate

Answer 40

An augmented triad (from C to G# is an augmented 5th)

Question 41

What is a false realization?

Answer 41

Two different forms of the same pitch (a sharp and it’s natural) occurring at the same point in different parts or in close proximity

Question 42

Where is a Tierce de Picardy found?

Answer 42

End of bar 23 ‘snakes’ with an A major chord

Question 43

What is a Tierce de Picardy?

Answer 43

A major tonic chord ending a cadence in a minor key