Samba Em Prelúdio Flashcards
Who is the composer
Esperanza Spalding:
American bassist player and singer
Jazz musician from Latin jazz, cuban jazz fusion
What lyrics
Portuguese
Intro dynamics
- Low volume as a romantic style
- ‘Free time’ - as rubato where it is hard to find a pulse
- harmonic fermenta with a pause
What does the intro do
Bass solo
Intro rhythm
Use of semiquavers
Metric shift to 5-4 in B3 = improvised to fit what is played
Intro context
Use of studio techniques such as ad libs, virtuose
Intro melody
- disjunct melody with wide leaps
- mordents for decoration and ornamentation
Intro instrumentation
Acoustic bass guitar which is a hollow wooden body similar acous guitar
Intro texture
Monophonic
Intro harmony
- key sig = Bm as bossa nova is minor with no modulations
- double stopped chords
- arpeggios
V1 dynamics
Starts with rubato
V1 rhythm
- shift back to 44
- use of syncopated bossa nova bass rhythm
V1 melody
- melodic line is rising arpeggio
- B8 leap of 7th
Vocal line
- low tessitura as a chest voice
- range over minor 10th from E below middle C to G above
V1 instrument
- alto voice
- acoustic bass guitar
V1 texture
MDH but some places where bass is also active creates polyphony
V1 harmony
- B4 use of broken chord of B6 = 6th end
- B4 bass raised 7th as it is the harmonic minor
- double stopped chord
- use of broken chords pattern which is highly complex and technical as if it is it’s own line
V2 differences
- rhythmic fragmentation whereby use of triplets and semiquavers
- active bass known as ragtime piano accompaniment
Chorus main line harmony
Use of a jazzy flattened 5th
Link passage
- tempo almost doubles
- mostly in 44 but big sounds into 22
- double stopped chords with the bossa nova syncopated pattern
V3 Dynamic
Chord symbols appear for acoustic guitar
V3 rhythm
- syncopated bossa nova but less triplets v2
V3 melody
- melody simpler with less syncopation and more conjunct
- longer note value
- sequence in melody
V4 harmony
- influence of jazz harmony with extended chords
- B25 use of raised 7th
Cadence
Cadences not same as classical but end on perfects at every end of verse
V4 acoustic guitar
- adds rhythmic interest with syncopated and unsyncopated patterns
- plays plucked chords
- melodic passages
V4 harmony
- main chords are tonal from key sig like: 1, 2, 4,5
- some occasional with chromatic harmony like C or F major
V4 chorus harmony
Use of jazzy flattened 5th but also with dim chords and flattened chords
Séquence Harmony
Use of turn around chords to prepare to repeat some of material
How is the guitar solo played
Improvised in a flamenco which is a traditional Spanish style
Guitar solo rhythm
- complex rhythms with quintuplets
- syncopation with ties over bars
Guitar solo techniques
- studio techniques with overdubbing
- multitracking
- virtuosic
- pull offs
- flamenco
Guitar solo meoldun
- Ornamentation with grace notes
- High register
- mostly conjunct with occasional triadic writing
Guitar solo harmony
Big babies can’t fly but babies eat elephants can’t fly and babies g g g f
- Bm7
- Bm7
- C#m11
- F#7
- B7/F#
- B7
- Em
- Em
- C#m11
- F#m7
- A#dim7/B
- Bm7/A
- G#dim7
- G#dim7
- G13
- F#7
Where does bossa nova come from
Latin for ‘new trend’ to mix new elements with Brazilian rhythms and jazz harmony
V5
Essentially a repeat of v2 and 3
V5 dynamics
Tempo is maintained and not rubato
V5 rhythm
- Less syncopated in order to fit those of IV easily
- rhythmically augmented from V1
V5 melody
- sequences
- only melody and no chords
- melody fragmented from V2
V5 instrument
Only alto voice and acoustic bass
V5 texture
Polyphony as two different melodies play at same time
V5 harmony
Jazzy flattened 5th
- also use descending semitone as chromatic movement in baseline
How does V5 end
- DS Coda back to V4 till guitar solo
- texture also becomes sparse creating an intimate feel which overlaps as counterpoint
Coda melody
Repetitions of chord sequences and flourishes
Coda harmony
Use of turnaround chords; a series of chords that helps bring the chord progression to tonic key and the foundation of tune through subdominant
Coda end
Melody - flourish and decorated which is short and complex to mirror intro
Rhythm - use of quintuplets and metre changes with B113 to accommodate notation
Dynamics - free tempo
Texture - polyphonic
Harmony - use of 9th and end on Bm7 plus 13
What is a acoustic bass guitar
Uses 4 strings with tuned to E A D G
How does the music show the love and melancholic feel
- low tessitura and chest voice
- key of Bm
- quiet dynamics
- monophonic and MDH passages
