Vaughan Williams 1909

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

English composer from the early 20th century
Passionate about collecting and transcribing as many English folksongs as possible
Music influenced by folksongs, French Impressionism, English choral tradition
OWE, song cycle, 6 poems from A Shropshire Lad by AE Housmann
His song cycle moves away from German Romantic tradition of Lieder
OWE, a poet recognizes that the same storms were experienced in Roman times
IMTP, dialogue between alive man and ghost
BH, a story of young love defeated by death

Question 2

Melody

Answer 2

Folk or Tudor influenced melody lines
French Impressionist influenced melody lines
Word painting
Some elements of German Lieder
Registers to express plot line
Word setting

Question 3

Folk or Tudor influenced melody lines

Answer 3

IMTP, Dorian, becomes more chromatic (Scarborough fair, dorian)
BH, starts in G man but flat 7th indicates Mixolydian mode
(1 year later, Vaughan Williams, Fantasia on a theme by TT, phryigian mode)

Question 4

French Impressionist influences

Answer 4

OWE, Pentatonic modal outline with v restricted note range,

Just before, La Mer, Debussy

Question 5

Word painting

Answer 5

IMTP, chromaticism, repeated F# does not fit with harmony, open and ambiguous atmosphere (reflect unknown identity of sweetheart)
(Before, Mahler, Lieder eines fahrenden gesellen, trills used to represent the sweet bird)

Question 6

Some elements of German Lieder

Answer 6

IMTP, alive man’s part tends to be more chromatic, more expressive
(Before, Mahler’s Lieder, eines fahrenden gesellen)

Question 7

Use of registers to express plot line

Answer 7

BH, solo tenor uses high registers to express distress when called by the bells, narrow minor ranges used to create funereal mood
(Before, Chopin 1837 Funeral March, uses 2nds and min 3rds)

Question 8

Word setting

Answer 8

Folk influence, syllabic with some slurred pairs, can be sung by anyone
(Cockles and mussels, folk song)
BH, Melismas only used to emphasize certain words (happy)q

Question 9

Harmony

Answer 9

Folk and Tudor influences
Impressionist influences
Some elements of German Lieder

Question 10

Folk and Tudor influences

Answer 10

OWE, pentatonic style harmony with added 4th outlined in piano ostinato
IMTP. dorian harmony heard at start, alternate between Dmin, Gmaj with raised 6th

Question 11

Impressionist influences

Answer 11

BH, parallel motions, open and resonant sound, reminiscent of bells in the summer
(1 year after, Debussy, The Submerged Cathedral)
IMTP, min 7th, 11th, quartal movement, emphasis insubstantial nature of ghost
(1 year after, Ravel, Ma mere L’Oye)

Question 12

Some elements of German Lieder

Answer 12

IMTP, uses romantic chords
(half dim 7th, aug triads, N6, FA6), more expressive, grounded to life and earth by following tradition
(Before, Schubert, Die Schone Mullerin)

Question 13

Tonality

Answer 13

Folk and Tudor influences
Impressionist influences
Elements of German Lieder
20th century techniques

Question 14

Folk and Tudor influences, tonality

Answer 14

IMTP, D min with dorian inflections, create uncertain, ethereal, ghostly atmosphere (Scarborough fair, dorian)
BH, G min blurred by 7th modal inflections, G aeolian, pentatonic foreboding

Question 15

Impressionist influences, tonality

Answer 15

OWE, score indicates Gmin, but the 3rd is not heard, maj min ambiguity
(Just before, Debussy, La Mer, 1st mv, ambiguous tonality)

Question 16

Elements of German Lieder, tonality

Answer 16

IMTP, clear minor tonality, grounded to the earth and tradition
OWE, G min is firmly established by repeated VI cadences at the end, establish that we are firmly in the present

Question 17

20th century techniques, tonality

Answer 17

OWE, bitonality, Ab maj against pentatonic, intensifies sense of stress and conflict
(Just after, Bartok, 14 Bagatelles, also passionate about collecting folk songs with Kodaly)

Question 18

Texture

Answer 18

Predominantly homophonic but constantly varied

Impressionist influenced

Question 19

Predominantly homophonic but constantly varied

Impressionist influenced

Answer 19

OWE, parallel 1st inversions

IMTP, all instrumental parts move homorhythmically, chordal string homophony allows vocals in sing freely

BH, sustained bell like chords

OWE, 3 part layered texture of ostinato sextuplets, unison trills and vocal doubling (Just before, Debussy, Pagodas, layered in a similar manner)

Question 20

Sonority

Answer 20

Unusual combination of solo voice and piano quintet
Word painting piano style
String word painting
Vocal word painting
Dynamics varied to reflect changing nature of text

Question 21

Unusual combination of a solo voice and piano quintet

Answer 21

Most song cycles were composed for voice and piano, characteristic of German Lieder (Before, Beethoven, To the Distant Beloved)

Question 22

Piano style, word painting

Answer 22

BH, block chords, illustrates bells

IMTP, una corda, tre corda, more resonant, more present

OWE, semiquaver ostinato accompaniments and rapid arpeggios, gale
(Before, Beethoven, An die ferne Geliebte,

Question 23

String style, word painting

Answer 23

OWE, tremolo, suggests the storm and turbulence

OWE, sul punticello, metallic tone, gale
(Just before, Debussy, La Mer, 2nd mv, storm)

IMTP, con sordino, mysterious otherworldly sound, to change the color

BH, open harmonics, delicate and ghostly in character

Question 24

Vocal control

Answer 24

Tenor, not that virtuosic
Occasional high notes for EP (dead in IMTP) but otherwise comfortably in range of 12th

Mainly syllabic, slurred pairs, rare melismas to accentuate syllables and fit the iambic nature of the poetry
(After, Butterworth, Bredon Hill, completely syllabic to EP text clearly)

Question 25

Dynamics varied to reflect changing nature of text

Answer 25

OWE, gales ferocity and speed expressed with cresc dim

IMTP, BH, quietness can suggest remoteness (ghost), far off steeples
(1 year after, Debussy, The Submerged Cathedral, dynamics indicate distance of cathedral from surface)

Question 26

Structure

Answer 26

Blending of strophic and through composed

Question 27

Blending of strophic and through composed

Answer 27

OWE, AABBA/B, 5 verses Housmann’s original text.

IMTP, 3rd, 4th verse omitted much to Housman’s dismay,
Modified strophic with 3 pairs of verses

BH, 7verse structure, Intro AABBCDA postlude

Question 28

Rhythm, tempo and metre

Answer 28

Rhythms imitate natural speech rhythms
Impressionistic rhythms
Frequent tempo, metre changes
Word painting in terms of rhythms

Question 29

Rhythms imitate natural speech rhythms

Answer 29

All, mainly syllabic, some slurred pairs, rare melismas, set to poems

Question 30

Impressionistic rhythms

Answer 30

OWE, semiquaver, sextuplet semiquavers create cross rhythms, obscure metre (Before, Ravel, String quartet, cross rhythms in the feel of 3/4 against quavers)

Question 31

Frequent tempo, metre changes

Answer 31

IMTP, alternates between recitative-like free time and faster animando, show contrast between ghost and friend
(Before, Schumann, Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen, 6/8 pastoral time signature)

Question 32

Word painting in terms of rhythms

Answer 32

BH, long sustained bell like chords with tied semibreves

Before, Beethoven, An die fern Geliebte, dotted rhythms indicate parting