MELODY HARMONY

Lots of the melody has a stepwise (conjunct) movement, The harmony uses standard chords of the time KEY
although there are some leaps. 3 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade
The music is diatonic (all the notes/chords come from
There are rising sequences (when a short phrase is the key signature)
repeated going one note higher each time) Perfect cadences announce the ends of sections, such
There are lots of scalic runs (notes going up and down a RHYHM, TEMPO and METRE as the perfect cadence in B minor at the end of the B
scale) The metre is 2/4.
TONALITY
section.
The piece uses lots of triplets and dotted rhythms. The harmony uses standard chords of the time (mainly The main tonality for the piece is D major
There are lots of ornaments such as grace notes
(appoggiaturas) and trills The harpsichord part has lots of fast semiquaver runs. chords I, IV and V, with occasional use of ii and vi) The B section is in the relative minor key of
The first melody idea (subject) starts with an anacrusis.
B minor
Because of the large number of triplets, the piece could The harmony is functional (perfect cadences are used
The final A section is back in D major.
also be notated in 6/8 time. to move between closely related key signatures).
In the baroque era the dotted quaver-semiquaver The harmony uses mainly root position and first The key modulates often to the dominant
grouping (like in the first bar) would have been inversion chords. (A major) and the dominant of the
performed in triplet rhythm (with the dotted quaver dominant (E major), indicated by the
There are occasional suspensions.
lasting 2/3 of a beat, and the semiquaver lasting 1/3 or addition of accidentals.
a beat.

BACH—BRANDENBURG TEXTURE
STRUCTURE
The piece is in ternary form (ABA)
CONCERTO No 5 The texture is polyphonic (more than one melody
happening at the same time)
The opening A section begins in a fugal style.
MOVEMENT 3 There is use of imitation (when one part imitates
The B section is in the relative minor key, and con- another in a call and response style)
A wooden baroque flute
tains a new theme which is similar to the first The movement begins in a fugal style. A fugue is a
theme in the A section. There are also fragments of SONORITY/INSTRUMENTS
complicated piece which uses lots of imitation
the A section theme in the B section. DYNAMICS This piece uses a solo flute and violin, a harpsichord, and a string or- throughout. This movement is not an actual fugue, but it
chestra (including violin, viola, cello and double bass) uses fugal techniques, like the start of the opening A
There are only a few dynamic
markings on the score, and these section.
The group of solo instruments (violin, flute and harpsichord) are known
BACKGROUND INFORMATION are there mostly for balance rea- Sometimes the solo flute and violin play the same thing
as the concertino.
sons, like having the violin play in unison
This piece was written in the Baroque era. The string orchestra are known as the ripieno.
Bach wrote a set of six concertos for the Margrave of quieter so the flute can be heard The bass/cello and harpsichord sometimes act as the basso contuino in When the flute and violin come in at the start, they are
Brandenburg as part of a job application. the piece. This means the bass instruments play a bass line, and the playing in two part imitation.
There are no dynamic markings
harpsichord “realises” the chords on top (when it is not playing a solo When the harpsichord comes in at the start, it plays the
This is a concerto grosso. A solo concerto has just one for the harpsichord, because the
part) subject in the left hand, then the answer in the right.
soloist, but a concerto grosso has a group of soloists harpsichord used in this piece
The harpsichord plays in 2 part counterpoint.
(the concertino) would not have been able varied Bach broke with tradition in this piece by making the harpsichord part
Once all solo instruments are playing, they are playing in
This is the third of three movements in the concerto. dynamics, it stayed at one volume incredibly virtuosic (difficult and impressive!), with lots of fast scalic
4 part counterpoint.
runs and trills in both hands at once.
This is chamber music, written for a small group of musi- Occasionally the flute and violin play in thirds.
The baroque flute is different from the modern flute, as it was made of At the start of the B section there is a tonic pedal on B
cians rather than a full orchestra
wood.
 MELODY DYNAMICS HARMONY TONALITY
This piece has a wide range of dynamics, from The harmony is mainly diatonic, and mainly uses standard chords of the
The piece is in the key of C minor (as mentioned in the
The main themes in the piece are the first and second very quiet (pp) to very loud (ff) time.
title of the piece!)
themes, plus the six note rising idea from the introduction. There are crescendos (getting louder) and There are also some more dissonant, complicated chords.
The music modulates to different keys in the
The first theme (or subject) is a rising, scalic theme. decrescendos (getting quieter) There are some more complicated, chromatic chords used, including a development section
The second theme (or subject) features a theme which rises The intro uses fp (fortepiano) markings, diminished seventh at the start of bar 2. This is the most dissonant
then falls, including use of ornaments. meaning loud then immediately soft). chord available to Beethoven at the time. The first subject is in C minor. The second subject starts
There are a number of scalic passages in the piece, including It also uses sf (sforzando) markings, meaning a Perfect cadences announce the ends of sections and changes of key. in the unexpected key of Eb minor, then moves to the
the descending chromatic scale at the end of the sudden loud accent. This is called functional harmony. There are big perfect cadences at the expected key of Eb major (the relative major of C minor)
introduction. Other melodic ideas include arpeggios and end of the piece. In the development the piece modulates to many
Dynamics markings in the piece are used
broken chords. There are pedal notes, like the dominant pedal at the end of the different keys, including distant, unrelated keys such as
Ornaments are an important part of the melody, including expressively, showing Beethoven anticipating
romantic era music development section (dominant preparation). E minor (at the start of the development)
acciaccaturas and mordents in theme 2, and trills just before
the recapitulation. There is an interrupted cadence in the introduction at bar 9 In the recapitulation the first subject is back in C minor.
The development uses ideas from the first theme in lots of THEME ONE The harmony uses standard chords of the time (mainly chords I, IV and The second subject initially plays in the unexpected key
different keys. It uses sequences. The first subject theme in C minor (tonic key of the of F minor, then moves to the expected key of C minor
piece) rises mainly scalically a distance of two V, with occasional use of ii and vi)
octaves – over a tonic pedal in the bass. The music is The harmony uses mainly root position and first inversion chords. (to match the key of the first subject)
THEME TWO
The second subject begins in the unexpected key of Eb minor. The marked with staccato – meaning detached (separate) There are dominant 7th chords at cadences. F minor is the subdominant of C minor.
theme features a distinctive acciaccatura ornament and notes. A second melodic idea begins at bar 27 and
features sforzandos and descending arpeggios.
There are occasional suspensions (including 9-8 suspensions) Perfect cadences confirm changes of key throughout.
handcrossing technique, where the right hand moves down over
the left hand to play four staccato notes, before returning. The A transition based on the main theme – using There is a circle of fifths progression in bars 244-249.
theme continues with a stepwise descending phrase featuring sequences begins at bar 35 and modulates towards Another chromatic chord used is the augmented sixth chord, used in bar
mordents. A new theme begins in bar 89 in the relative major key the expected key of Eb major through a dominant
30.
RHYHM, TEMPO and METRE
of Eb. It has a new broken chord texture. There is a crescendo while note (Bb) in the bass (dominant preparation)
The introduction is grave (very slow), and the metre is 4/4
the hands move in contrary motion.
(common time)

STRUCTURE
BEETHOVEN—SONATA No. 8 The main tempo for the rest of the piece is very fast.

The piece is in sonata form IN C MINOR (PATHETIQUE) The main tempo for the piece is allegro di molto e con brio
(very fast with vigour), and is written in 2/2 (cut common
Sonata form consists of an introduction then the main sections: time, also known as alla breve)
exposition, development, and recapitulation.
MOVEMENT 1 There are some very rapid notes (short note values)
In the exposition two themes are introduced. In the development the BACKGROUND INFORMATION There are some very rapid notes (short note values),
SONORITY/INSTRUMENTS
themes are altered by changing key lots. The recapitulation is the same including septuplets and 1/128th notes in bar 10
This is a piece of music from the classical era. This piece is written for the piano.
as the exposition, but with the two themes now in the same key.
Classical music has clear, catchy melodies and Unlike a harpsichord, the piano can play both loud
The piece finishes with a coda. TEXTURE
homophonic textures . and soft.
The themes in the exposition are linked by transitions (or bridges). There A piano sonata is a piece for solo piano. It has several The texture is mainly homophonic
Although it is not written in the score, Beethoven
is a codetta at the end of the exposition, then the whole exposition is movements—we are studying movement 1. would have use the sustain pedal for greater There is a monophonic section with a long descending
repeated.
Beethoven was a forward thinking composer, and expression. scale leading into the recapitulation
Beethoven uses some techniques which are unusual for sonata form: this piece shows signs of the romantic era. The piano allowed Beethoven to make extensive use The right hand plays in octaves half way through the
 The second theme starts in Eb minor instead of the expected Eb major. It This piece was composed between 1796 and 1799. of all kinds of dynamic possibilities. This sonata has introduction
moves to Eb major at bar 89. lots of crescendos, diminuendos and lots of other
Romantic music is all about expressing emotions. It
 The development begins with 4 bars from the introduction—this is very
dynamic markings. The intro is homophonic with all the notes playing together
does this through more dramatic use of dynamics,
unusual! When the development returns to the allegro tempo it is in the in chords. This is known as a homophonic chordal texture.
unrelated key of E minor.
use of the sustain pedal on the piano, more complex, This piece was written for the fortepiano, which
There is a two part texture with melody and broken chords
 In the recapitulation the second theme starts in the key of F minor instead of chromatic harmony, and more complex, altered came before the more modern pianoforte. It had a
in the second (Eb major) idea of the second subject (bar
the expected C minor. It then moves to C minor. structures (like how Beethoven alters sonata form in smaller range and was not capable of as much
93)
 The coda starts with 4 bars of the introduction again. this piece). dynamic contrast as a modern piano.
KEY
3 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade
 MELODY HARMONY
The word setting is mainly syllabic throughout Queen liked to use adventurous chord sequences
TONALITY
The melody has a wide range (goes very high and very low!) The song uses several altered or extended chords (such as 7ths and
The guitar solo borrows ideas from the chorus and verse sections of the song The main tonality for the piece is Eb Major (this is unusual
11ths)
because it’s a hard key to play in on the guitar!)
The backing vocals use words and vocalisations (like oohs and aahs!) The key changes (modulates) during the song. Most of the chords are in root position, but there are some chord
The melody is often conjunct, but with some wide angular leaps, including inversions.
intervals of 6ths and octaves. The chorus is in Bb major There is a circle of 5ths chord progression in the chorus
In the chorus the melody is harder to spot on it’s own because of the backing There are points where the tonality is not clear (“tonal The modulations to different keys are shown by perfect cadences
vocal harmonies
ambiguity”) - like in the first verse which starts with a C minor The song starts with a C minor chord—(you can’t tell that the piece is in
The vocal part sometimes uses falsetto. chord, making the key signature unclear. Eb major until the chord is played half way through the verse—this is
The vocal part also includes spoken text
The vocal part contains a slide upwards (on the word “queen”) The chord sequences move quickly through different key
signatures—for example in the first half of the chorus the Some parts of the chord sequence contain a faster harmonic rhythm
The length of the melodic phrases are often uneven (like when the extra 6/8 bar
chord sequence moves quickly through D minor and C major. (like one chord every beat on “guaranteed to blow your mind”)
is added)
The last chorus ends in Bb major, so the outro features a The chord inversions create descending and ascending basslines (such
Word painting is used on the words “drive you wild”. Effects are added to give
repeated Eb chord to restablish the original key signature as the descending bassline during “built in a remedy”)
In the instrumental before the second verse there is a “vamp” based
around an F chord
There is a pedal note used in bars 27-30
RHYHM and METRE
The time signature is mainly in 12/8 time
This gives the piece a swung feel. (it uses swung rhythms)
QUEEN - KILLER
There is a regular, danceable beat with a steady tempo.
There is syncopation used throughout
Every verse and chorus start with an anacrusis (upbeat)
QUEEN STRUCTURE
The piece has a verse-chorus structure

There are occasional extra bars of 6/8 time to extend phrase The full structure is:
lengths INSTRUMENTS/SONORITY Intro (clicks), verse 1, chorus, instrumental, verse 2,
There are some use of triplets (bar 18) chorus, guitar solo, verse 3, chorus, outro
The vocal part is sung by Freddie Mercury, who has a high
tenor voice.
The piece uses piano, electric guitar, bass and drum kit.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION TEXTURE
There are overdubbed backing vocals.
This is a Glam Rock song from the band’s third There are 4 guitar parts that have been overdubbed to The main texture of the piece is homophonic.
album. create a richer texture The texture builds up gradually at the start of the song
It was released in 1974 There is a slightly out of tune “jangle” piano recorded on with each instrument entering one at a time.
Queen’s sound is unlike many “standard” rock top of the main piano line The guitar solo uses a three part texture.
bands as they use adventurous harmonies and The song uses studio effects like multi track recording, EQ, Sounds are spread out using panning
structures, and a theatrical style influenced by flanger, distortion, reverb, wah-wah and panning.
TEMPO
musical theatre and opera. They also create The interweaving guitar and vocals parts from the
The guitar part uses slides, bends, pull-offs and vibrato Moderate tempo. second verse give the piece a polyphonic feel at times
complicated arrangements of layered guitar parts
and backing vocals in the recording studio using A dotted crotchet is measured The guitar solo uses imitation
multitrack recording. at 112 bpm The use of panning in the backing vocals creates an
KEY antiphonal feel
3 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade
 WORD PAINTING
MELODY HARMONY
The (mostly) minor key is appropriate for the serious, sad mood of the text
The main melody is sung by a soprano singer The word "eternal" (bar 20) is sung as a long melisma The accompaniment is provided by the ground bass played by
The word setting is mostly syllabic (each syllable of the text given it's own The word "drop" (bar 23) is repeated in a descending pattern (going down) the bass viol and the left hand of the harpsichord
note), with some melismatic sections (like the word "eternal"). representing the snakes dropping from Alecta's head Chords are diatonic
Word painting is used to make the music reflect the meaning of the The phrase "free the dead" (bars 16-17) is set to a triumphant section in the bright key There are perfect cadences throughout the piece (as the
of G major. ground bass ends with a V chord, then repeats again with a I
Most of the melody notes move in steps, with lots of passing notes (the The word "wondering" (bar 10) uses a wandering, descending legato (smooth)
chord)
notes in between chord notes) melismatic melody
The phrase "pains were eased" (bars 12-13) features a dissonance and resolution There are a couple of dissonances used for word painting,
There are lots of uses of ornaments (common to Baroque music) in the
right hand of the harpsichord and the soprano line, such as trills, appog- such as the word "pains"
giaturas, grace notes and mordents. Another type of dissonance used is a "false relation", like in
Some of the text has been repeated, such as the word "drop" RHYHM and METRE bar 1 with the ground bass playing F sharp while the right
There are some descending sequences, such as in bar 20 4/4 metre hand plays F natural.
Rests are used to break up melodic phrases The ground bass uses repeated quaver rhythms Suspensions are used very occasionally. For example, there
The stepwise movement of the melody means it can be described as There are a wide variety of rhythms, but quavers and semiquavers is a 4–3 suspension in bar 3 beat 4 1⁄2 in the harpsichord
a "conjunct" melody are the most common in this piece part.
There are some dotted rhythms in the vocal part The right hand of the harpsichord plays an elaborate
There is occasional syncopation realisation, which has been interpreted from the original
TONALITY figured bass
The main tonality for the piece is A minor

This reflects the sombre, sad nature of the lyrics

DYNAMICS
There are no dynamic PURCELL - MUSIC THE GROUND BASS
During the middle (B) section the piece modulates markings on the
through several related keys—E major (the dominant
key—bar 15 & 28), G major in the middle of bar 18, C
FOR A WHILE The ground bass is a 3 bar loop
It consists entirely of quaver rhythms
It has a rising pattern
major (relative major—in bar 22), A major (the tonic
INSTRUMENTS The first 4 sets of 4 quavers use an ascending
major—middle of bar 23) and finally back to A minor sequence, starting one note higher each time
in bar 29 This piece uses a soprano singer, harpsichord and bass viol. At the end of the ground bass there is a fall of an
The harpsichord and bass viol act as the basso continuo, octave
It uses intervals of semitones
providing accompaniment for the singer.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION The left hand of the harpsichord and the bass viol play the After 4 and a half repeats of the ground bass it
ground bass—a repeating bass pattern that acts as an ac- begins to modulate into different keys. In the final
This piece was written in the Baroque era. It was com- A section (bar 29) it returns to the repeating
posed in around 1692. It was written for a play telling companiment. pattern from the start of the piece.
the Greek myth of Oedipus. The right hand of the harpsichord plays a
“realisation” (which would have been improvised at the A Bass Viol
This is the second of four movements Purcell wrote for
the play as “incidental music” performed between the
time), which fills out the chords of the piece. TEXTURE
dramatic parts of the play The texture is homophonic - one main melody and an
TEMPO accompaniment.
The accompaniment is provided by the ground bass
There is no tempo marking on
KEY the score, but a slow tempo The elaborate realisation played by the right hand of the
3 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade would be appropriate harpsichord makes the texture feel polyphonic at times
 MELODY STRUCTURE HARMONY
John Williams writes catchy, memorable melodies, which is one reason why his film The main theme uses an AABA structure The harmony of the main theme is mostly diatonic (uses chords and notes that fit with
scores have been so popular. After this, the music follows the action on the screen. the key signature)
The piece starts with a fanfare (grand and heroic). The full structure of the rebel blockade runner section is: Star The melody is accompanied by mostly major and minor chords.
Then the leitmotif is played by trumpets and other brass. It uses intervals of 4ths and filled sky, camera pans down to show planets, spaceship ap- There are not many perfect cadences, which we normally expect in this kind of music.
5ths and lots of 7ths pears, larger spaceship attacks, action continues and switch- After the main theme, the harmony is complicated and often feels dissonant and
Then the B theme is scalic and played by the violins and other strings atonal (not in any key signature)
There is a full descending scale to end the B theme
Then the A theme returns but with small changes. The harmony in the fanfare and A theme uses quartal harmony—chords made up of
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
After the theme, there are not many main melody ideas in the “rebel blockade notes that are 4 steps apart.
runner” section—just a short piccolo melody during the “star filled sky” section This is a piece of music written for the film Star Wars Episode IV: A In the main theme the chords are syncopated. When the A theme repeats, it is slightly
New Hope in 1977 changed to create a descending bassline.
The fanfare-like intro uses rapid repeated notes using tonic (Bb) triplets—which are It uses a main theme (which is a leitmotif for Luke Skywalker).
used throughout the main theme. It also uses imitation (the melody ideas are When the bigger spaceship appears the “Mars” like hammered unison chords are
repeated by different brass instruments). There are 7th intervals in the fanfare, like The “Rebel Blockade Runner” section uses music to support the dissonant (clashing). This also uses a tritone (an augmented 4th.. the devil’s interval!).
in the main theme.
The main theme consists of a 4 bar idea which balances stepwise motion and leaps. The theme does use some chords not in the key of Bb major, such as the Ab major at
There are repeated use of triplets and long minims to create excitement and tension the end of the first A theme (before the imperfect cadence). The B section also uses a
The B theme is contrasting to the A theme—it feels less forceful. It uses scalic Db major, which is not in the key of Bb major.
patterns, but does contain some leaps and triplets to remind us of theme A. In the intro and A theme there is an inverted tonic pedal played tremolo in the violins.
At the end of the B theme there is a descending Bb minor melodic scale.
In the B theme there is a dominant pedal played by the brass instruments.
Both themes use an anacrusis.
During the “star filled sky” section, the harmonies mix unrelated chords together (like
The main A theme can be broken down as follows: Bar 1 contains a rising perfect 5th
Db major and C major) to create strange, unstable effects.
(tonic to dominant) which creates a heroic feel. Bars 2 and 3 are identical, including a
When we see the two planets, the strings and the brass are playing in two different
leap of a minor 7th. Bar 4 uses an auxiliary note (not in the main chord) to reach
keys.
the note C, preparing for the repeat of the 4 bar phrase. STAR WARS MAIN TITLE
- JOHN WILLIAMS
TEXTURE
RHYHM, TEMPO and METRE
The piece is mainly made up of homophonic textures.
INSTRUMENTS/SONORITY
There are only a few solo or lighter textures, it is mostly very
The fast tempo matches the mood and feel of the film—an Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner uses a full sym-
exciting action movie! TONALITY
phony orchestra — Strings, percussion, woodwind
The 4/4 metre, steady tempo and use of brass give it a The main theme is in Bb major. The main theme is mostly accompanied by block chords or
“march” like feel—which reflects the battles going on in star and brass.
After the theme finishes, during the rebel blockade runner arpeggios.
wars The instruments used are a full string section, plus:
section the tonality is less clear, using more unstable harmonies.
There is repeated use of triplets in the melody lines Wind: flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet,
After the main theme, the pulse becomes harder to follow. From when the spaceships appear, there is lots of use of The piece uses pedal textures, such as the inverted tonic pedal
bassoon
dissonance. The piece is almost atonal at times, and as the (repeated Bb note played by the violins) during the introduc-
Both themes use an anacrusis. Brass: Horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba
action switches to inside the craft there is some use of bitonality. tion and A theme, and the dominant pedal (repeated 5th note
The main theme (A) is accompanied by syncopated block Percussion: Timpani, triangle, tam tam (gong),
chords which create excitement. played by the brass) in the B section.
vibraphone, glockenspiel, cymbals.
When the large spaceship appears, the time signature As the planets are revealed the piece switches to C major (with At the end of the rebel blockade runner, when the action
Plus a piano, celeste and harp
changes to 3/4 an added Ab) for a short while.
The tempo changes during the “rebel blockade runner” When the spaceships appear the music is more based around The orchestra is used in the style of a traditional
section of the piece to emphasize the action on screen. the note C, which is heard as a bass pedal. romantic-era orchestra, with much doubling of
The “Mars” like chords when the large spaceship appears are parts an octave or more apart. KEY
homorhythmic (all playing the same rhythm).
3 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade
 KEY
RHYHM, METRE and TEMPO STRUCTURE and TEMPO
3 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade TONALITY
There are lots of tempo changes throughout the song and they are There is a verse chorus form, but within that structure there
important to the structure (see the structure section). The piece is mainly in D major are multiple sections defined by changes in tempo and
The song slows down at the end. At the start the tonality is ambiguous. It uses unrelated chord se- mood
There is frequent syncopation throughout. Bars 1- 19 - Free tempo (like a recitative)
quences and chromatic movement.
The intro starts in 3/2 time, then changes to 2/2 . When verse 1 During the intro the piece modulates briefly to B major at bar 20, F Bars 20-33 - Andante (“you can still be with the wizard”)
starts it then goes into 4/4 time. At bar 115 (“I hope you’re hap-
major at bar 22, and finally gets to the tonic D major at the start of the
py”) it goes back to 2/2 time. Bars 34-48 - Andante - verse 1 (“something has changed..”)
There are several rallentandos or “ralls” (when the tempo slows verse.
down), particularly at the end of sections. There is a rall at the end The “unlimited” section is in G major, then it goes back to D major Bars 49-87 - Allegro - Chorus, verse 2, chorus 2
of the whole piece. when it returns to the chorus.
Bars 88-102 - Moderato - A contrasting section in G major
Dotted rhythms are used throughout, like the word “gra-vi-ty” in The following andante section (“well, are you coming?”) returns to
the chorus. There are also triplets. (“unlimited”)
the chromatic melody of the intro.
Rhythms in the vocal part are mostly crotchets and quavers, but It returns to D major for the final verse (“so if you care to find me”) Bars 103-110 - Allegro - Chorus, back in D major.
there are some longer notes at the end of phrases. The final maestoso section is in B minor, before finishing on a D major Bars 111-128 Andante - Similar to the intro
Rests break up phrases, and phrases often start with a rest.
chord
Bars 129-161 Allegro - Verse 3 and chorus 3. The climax of
the song! Full orchestra and loud dynamics.
TEXTURE
Bars 162 - 177 - Andante to Maestoso - Outro - build up to
The main texture is homophonic (melody and accompaniment)
The intro has a sparse texture with chord stabs in the orchestra and some DEFYING GRAVITY finale.

monophonic bars
Elphaba and Glinda usually sing separately but sometimes sing together in
unison (“there’s no fight we cannot win”) or in harmony (thirds) (“I hope
FROM “WICKED” MELODY
The word setting is syllabic throughout
you’re happy my friend”) The melody has a wide range (fairly high and low!)
The outro is polyphonic, with Elphaba, Glinda and the chorus all singing The melody starts with stepwise movement (conjunct)
different musical ideas at the same time. INSTRUMENTS/SONORITY The verse and chorus combine stepwise movement and big leaps
There is an ostinato accompaniment at bar 88 ‘Defying Gravity’ is a duet for the characters Elphaba and Glinda. (disjunct)
Sometimes the orchestra play homophonic chordal textures, like at bar 132 The two vocal parts use a big range (fairly high and fairly low!) Originally they were The syllabic word setting and natural speech-like rhythms make the
performed by Idina Menzel (from Frozen) and Kristin Chenoweth (from Glee, Amer- words clearly understandable
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ican Gods, Rio) There is vocalisation at the very end of the song (“aah”)
The two singers either speak, sing, or perform their lines half sung half spoken.
This is a song from the Musical “Wicked” which uses characters Leaps often feature a rising perfect fifth (e.g. bar 34 “has changed”).
The song uses a big orchestra plus 3 keyboards, drum kit and electric guitars to
and ideas from “The Wizard of Oz” There are some exceptionally large leaps such as a compound perfect
create a modern sound
It was written and first performed in 2003 fifth (13 whole notes!- e.g. bars 140 “told me lately everyone de-
Music theatre uses songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance in a The vocal parts cover a range of just under 2 octaves. serves..”). These big leaps could be described as angular.
popular style. The large orchestra includes a woodwind section which features additional piccolo, Often the melody is legato (“you can still be with the wizard”)
The piece is written by Stephen Schwartz, an American composer bass clarinet and cor anglais. The string section includes a harp. The wide range of Bars 6 and 7 show an ascending sequence (“hurt your cause forever, I
and lyricist who also worked on Disney musicals such as Enchant- percussion instruments includes a drum kit, tubular bells and timpani. hope you think you’re clever”)
ed and The Hunchback of Notre Dame Synthesizers and glockenspiels are used for high pitched “magical” sounds, such
as in the final chorus (also with “magical” sounding tubular bells)
‘Defying Gravity’ is the finale song for the first act, when Elphaba HARMONY
discovers that the Wizard of Oz is not the heroic figure she had The brass plays homophonic chordal music, like a fanfare
The intro uses chords that are unrelated
originally believed him to be. Realising this, Elphaba vows to do The drum kit adds rhythmic momentum with a repeated hi hat in the first chorus.
There is a cymbal roll moving into the chorus which adds excitement. Most chords are in simple root position
everything in her power to fight the Wizard and his sinister plans.
The strings sometimes use tremolo to add tension (eg the start of verse 1) There is some use of dissonance (eg bar 30 (“I don't want it, no”)
She sings of how she wants to live without limits, going against the
At the end there is a pedal note (bar 168)
rules that others have set for her.
 MELODY
HARMONY TONALITY
There is a female and male singer.
The piece is in C minor
The vocal melody is repetitive The piece is in a minor key (C minor)
There are some spoken parts, including vocal samples It uses repeating chord sequences over and over again
The piece has a modal feel at times.
The singers sometimes sing vocables (nonsense lyrics) like oooh and aaah There is a drone in this piece on the note C

The melody lines are all short phrases The harmony is mostly diatonic
At the start (before the first verse) the female vocal part sounds like it is impro-
TEMPO
There are some chromatic notes, such as the low synth strings that play
vising. an ascending chromatic line The start of the piece is in free
Solos are taken by the Uilleann pipe, whistle and hurdy gurdy time (no set tempo/metre)
There are some extended chords (such as 7ths and 9ths)
The female vocal part has a limited range (a 6th) Then when the bodhran comes
The harmonic rhythm is slow—it feels like it stays on the same chord for
The male vocal part has a bigger range (a 13th) in a steady tempo is set.
a lot of the piece. This is common to dance music.
The vocals use glissando (slides) and ornamentation (acciaccatura) The piece is at 100bpm
The fiddle melody uses double stopping

RHYHM and METRE

The time signature is simple 4/4 (common to dance music)
AFRO CELT SOUND
There are lots of repeating rhythmic riffs/ostinato patterns in the
song. These are short phrases that are looped (repeated over and
over again)
SYSTEM—RELEASE STRUCTURE
The piece has a verse form (with no choruses)
There is syncopation used throughout It contains an intro, verses, breaks, solos and an outro.
The repeating rhythms are mostly 2 and 4 bar loops
The full structure is:
Triplets and sextuplets are used in the piece. INSTRUMENTS/SONORITY Intro, verse 1, verse 2, solos, verse 3, build, outro
The semiquavers are slightly swung (giving the piece a relaxed
African instruments: kora, talking drum
quality)
Some notes are accented to make them louder than others Celtic instruments: hurdy-gurdy, uilleann pipes, bodhrán, fiddle, whistle, accordion
Electronic Dance Music instruments: male/female vocals, synthesisers (including string
pad, soft pad, bells, bass), breath samples, drum machine, electric piano, shaker and tam-
bourine.
TEXTURE
The piece is made from looping ideas (a common dance music technique) The main texture of the piece is homophonic.
There are lots of layers of loops. And the loops drop in
Some of the playing techniques include glissando (a continuous slide of notes), ornamen- and out regularly making the texture constantly change.
tation, double stopping (playing 2 strings together on the fiddle), open and closed hi- At the start of the song, the texture builds up by adding
BACKGROUND INFORMATION hat. loops one at a time
This is a piece of fusion music, combining elements There is a reverb effect on the vocals through the whole track.
The synthesizer drone uses a filter (which automatically adjusts the EQ giving a The many overlapping loops give often the piece a poly-
of African music, Celtic folk music and electronic
“sweeping” sound) phonic feel.
dance music
There is a heterophonic texture during the outro, with
It was released in 1999
solo instruments playing the same thing, with slight vari-
The band has featured a number of guest musicians ations.
over the year, including Sinead O’Connor who sings
on “Release”.
KEY The very start of the piece is monophonic

3 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade

 MELODY—VERSE ONE TONALITY
HARMONY
The piece is in B minor
MELODY—GENERAL Verse one is an 8 bar idea which is then repeated with The chords used are influenced by jazz—they are quite complicated!
There are two main melodies in the song— a different ending There are lots of extended chords, where extra notes are “piled up” on Many Bossa Novas are in minor keys.
verse 1 and verse 2, which are then combined top of the normal 3 note chord, like 7ths, 9ths, 11ths and 13ths. Despite the complicated harmony, the piece
Many of the phrases use a rising arpeggio (going up the
after the guitar solo. doesn’t modulate—it stays in the same key
notes of a chord—like bar 4) The main chords are mostly tonal (from the key signature)
The lyrics are in Portuguese. It is a sad song The first or second note of each phrase descends down- The main chords are mostly based around chords I II IV and V.
about longing for a lost love. wards in a long downward sequence But there are some occasional chromatic chords (outside the key signa-
TEMPO
The melody line goes very low for a female The start of the piece is very free time, it’s hard to
ture) such as C major and F major.
vocal, going down to a low E. The melody mostly moves in leaps of a third or a sev-
pick out the beat of the song.
enth, which is unusual As well as extended chords, there are some diminished chords and
The vocal line covers the range of a minor Verse 1 has a slow tempo.
The melody changes in bar 18, which includes a jazzy flattened 5th chords.
tenth Verse 2 until the end of the song has a faster tempo
flattened 5th The chord progressions sometimes create a descending chromatic
bassline (bars 30-38, in the middle of verse 2) Verse 1 uses lots of rubato (freedom to slow down or
Cadences are not used in the same way as in classical music, but each speed up expressively)
MELODY—VERSE TWO section tends to end with a perfect cadence. In the link before verse 2 the tempo almost doubles
Verse two is another 16 bar idea which is repeated like verse 1,
but with a different ending
STRUCTURE
There are some use of sequences, such as bars 23 –26 and 31-34.

Unlike verse 1, verse 2 uses almost completely stepwise

ESPERANZA SPALDING— The piece has a two main vocal sections (verse 1 and
verse 2), plus solos.
(conjunct) movement.
There is another jazzy flattened fifth at the end of the first repeat
SAMBA EM PRELUDIO After the guitar solo, Esperanza sings verse 2 again, but
plays the melody of verse 1 on the bass, like a duet be-
tween the bass and voice.
The full structure is:
INSTRUMENTS/SONORITY Intro, Verse 1, link, Verse 2, Guitar solo, Verse 1 and 2
voice and bass duet, coda (outro)
RHYHM and METRE
The song uses a female voice, acoustic bass guitar and acous-
The piece is almost completely in 4/4 time tic guitar
There are lots of syncopated rhythms BACKGROUND The vocal part is low in pitch for a female singer TEXTURE
Verse 1 has a lot of rubato (freedom of slowing down or speeding The acoustic guitar only joins in at verse 2
up expressively). The bass is playing complex rhythms, but we can INFORMATION The main texture of the piece is homophonic.
just about find the beat of the song. This music is in the style of a type of fusion The acoustic bass uses double stopping (playing multiple
Verse 2 has a faster tempo, and features a “standard” bossa nova strings together) The intro is monophonic (just the bass) except for a few
music called Bossa Nova. This style com-
rhythm played by the bass (like a slowed down samba beat). double stops (when the bass plays more than one note
bines elements of Jazz and Brazilian Samba It also uses harmonics
When the guitar part comes in it adds to the rhythmic interest play- at once)
ing both syncopated and on the beat at times. The song was originally written in 1962. The acoustic bass is tuned just like an electric bass or double
bass. The voice and bass duet verse is polyphonic with two
Esperanza Spalding’s version was released
The vocal part mostly keeps to the printed melody, but varies the In verse 1 the bass sounds like it is playing 2 parts, with a bass clear melody lines—verse 2 being sung and verse 1 be-
in 2008.
rhythms using rubato . notes and alternating chords, like a ragtime piano ing played on the bass
In verse one in particular the vocal part is singing lots of triplets and The original song was written by Roberto
semiquavers with frequent rests The bass part is complicated and doesn’t just play the
Baden Powell, and the lyrics were written
In verse 2 the vocal part is singing lots of longer note values, but roots of the chords. Sometimes it begins to sound like it
by poet Vinicius de Moraes, who were both
these are often syncopated so they start off the beat
influential Brazillian musicians.
KEY is playing it’s own melody line, giving the piece a poly-
When verse 1 and verse 2 are played together the rhythms are less phonic feel
3 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade
syncopated, to help them fit together more easily