Set Works

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, movement III

Context

- Bach was a major composer of the Baroque period (and ever).
- Innovator in forms and structures still used and developed today.
- Brandenburg Concerto No.5 is part of a set of six concertos, dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg. It is an example of the concerto grosso form.

Sonority

- Harpsichord, violin, flute, cello, double bass, orchestra.
- Solo (concertino) - violino principale, flauto, cembalo concertato.
- Ripieno - Violono di ripieno, viola da ripieno, violoncello, contrabasso.

Structure

- ABA (ternary form).
- A section has two main ideas (first and second subject).
- B section is a development of the first subject.

Texture

- Polyphonic + contrapuntal.
- The movement begins in a fugal style.
- The subject in the solo violin is followed by an answer in the flute at a distance of two bars. We now have two-part imitation.
- There are then four additional bars before the harpsichord left hand enters with the subject, which is then answered two bars later by the right hand.
- The harpsichord plays in two-part counterpoint.
- Once both hands are playing the music is in four-part counterpoint.
- Occasionally the flute and violin sometimes double each other in unison (e.g. bar 33).
- The bassline for the new middle section theme has a tonic pedal on B.

Melody

- Much of the music is in conjunct style, though there are leaps (e.g. fourths in bar 1).
- Often the conjunct music is extended to scalic runs, especially in the harpsichord part.
- Rising sequence at bar 137.
- Occasional ornaments, with trills in the harpsichord part.

Harmony and Tonality

- The music is in D major.
- This key is used for most of the two A sections.
- The B section modules to the dominant (A major) and relative minor (B minor).
- The music is diatonic.
- The harmony uses the standard chords of the time (I, IV and V, with occasional use of ii vi) including dominant sevenths in various inversions.
- The harmony is functional: it uses mainly root position and first inversion chords.
- Perfect cadences announce the end of sections.
- Suspensions are used occasionally (i.e. 9-8 suspension at bar 130).

TRaM

- The metre is 2/4 (duple time) but could also be in 6/8. It is essentially a Baroque gigue.
- The harpsichord part in particular has many semiquaver runs.
- It uses triplets and dotted rhythms throughout.

Beethoven Pathétique 1st Movement

Context

- In the classical period, the harpsichord was replaced by the piano.
- The decline in use of the continuo as the middle-range instruments such as clarinets and horns were used in the orchestra to fill out the harmonies.
- More instruments were added to the standard orchestra. The symphony rose to prominence as the main type of concert music played by these increasingly large orchestras.
- Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn (west Germany). As a young man he moved to Vienna, where he became a virtuoso pianist. ‘Virtuoso’ means displaying skill and agility in difficult music.
- Beethoven was a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic periods of music history. His music is often seen as embodying the ideals of the Romantic period, such as emotional expression and individualism.

Structure

- The first movement is sonata form, a structure used in the first and sometimes last movements of sonatas, symphonies and other Classical works.
- Sonata form is intro → exposition (1st (tonic key) and 2nd, (dominant key) subject) → development (builds on exposition) → recapitulation (1st, tonic and 2nd, also tonic subject) → coda.
- The movement begins with a slow introduction, which is not typical of sonata form.
- When the exposition is entered a chromatic scale is played.

• Slow intro (bars 1-10).
• Exposition 1^st subject, fast (bars 11-50).
• Exposition 2^nd subject - Long High Notes (bars 51-132).
• Repeat exposition, end is alternating high-low chords and a pause.
• Development (bars 133-194): slow intro repeats at the start, but in a different key.
• Recapitulation (bars 195-294).
• Coda (bars 295-end): goes to intro again, ends with basically slamming the piano.

Sonority

- When Beethoven wrote this piece at the end of the 18th century, the piano had almost completely replaced the harpsichord as the keyboard instrument of choice for the home and concert hall.
- It was known as the fortepiano. ‘Piano’ is the Italian term for ‘soft’. ‘Forte’: ‘loud’. It was now possible to play using all kinds of dynamic levels just by altering the pressure of the fingers on the keys. This was not possible on the harpsichord.
- Mozart and Haydn had started to use dynamic markings, but Beethoven was one of the first to make extensive use of all kinds of dynamic possibilities.
- This sonata has frequent crescendos, diminuendos and numerous other performance markings.
- The sustaining pedal was coming into use at the time and was sometimes worked by the knees instead of by the foot. This was not notated but Beethoven would have followed some kind of system in his performances.
- The piano part is virtuosic, with wide leaps, fast scales and arpeggios, and dramatic dynamic contrasts.

Melody

- The music of the slow intro is based on a six note motif. It’s used as a base for most of the intro, sometimes reduced to five notes, and sometimes with the second to last note rising instead of falling.
- There are a number of scalic passages, such as the descending chromatic scale at the end of the intro. The first subject theme from bar 11 of the allegro is built on an ascending scale of the tonic key C minor, but with a major third (E). There is a distinctive augmented second from Ab to B#.
- Arpeggios and broken chords (bars 29-30).
- Ornaments are an important feature of the 2nd subject in particular. These include acciaccaturas at bar 53, mordents shortly after, and trills just before the recap.

TRaM

- The introduction is marked grave (very slow). The time signature is common time.
- Dotted rhythm is an important feature of the piece (e.g. bar 1).
- There are some very rapid notes, including septuplets and 1/128th notes in bar 10.
- The main allegro di molto e con brio (very fast with vigour) section is in cut time – a fast two in the bar.
- Continuous quavers are a distinctive feature of the accompaniment of the first subject.
- Staccato crotchets are important in the right hand of the first subject.

Texture

- The slow introduction includes many passages of homophonic (chordal) writing (e.g. bar 1).
- The right hand plays in octaves later in the introduction (e.g. bar 5).
- There is a long descending monophonic passage in the right hand leading into the recapitulation (187-194).
- The second subject material features melody and accompaniment style – you can also call this homophony (or melody-dominated homophony [deja vu]).
- There are examples of two-part music with broken chords in the second idea of the second subject (e.g. bar 93).
- There is a brief passage in thirds where the trills are (e.g. bars 181–187).

Harmony

- The music features many chromatic chords, especially diminished sevenths (e.g. half way through bar 1).
- Perfect cadences at the end of the movement.
- Interrupted cadence in the introduction at bar 9.
- Circle of fifths bars 244 - 249.
- Augmented 6th chords, e.g. bars 30 and 34.

Tonality

- C minor tonality.
- Modulates to a number of related keys, including E♭ major (the relative major key) and the subdominant (F minor).
- Modulates to unrelated keys such as E minor at the beginning of the development section.

Music for a While

Context

• Baroque Period:
  • Terraced dynamics: very very loud or very very soft
  • Major and minor keys.
  • Use of harpsichord.
  • Lots of ornaments in the melody: trills and mordents.
  • Small orchestras, often mostly strings.
  • Contrapuntal texture (busy).
  • 1600-1750.
  • Baroque composers:
    • Bach
    • Handel
    • Purcell
    • Corelli
    • Vivaldi
• Henry Purcell:
  • English Baroque Composer.
  • Chorister.
  • Organist at Westminster Abbey from 1679.
  • He was the most original and most gifted English composer of his time.
  • He wrote theatre music, church music, court odes, secular and sacred songs, odes for various occasions and instrumental music.
  • Purcell wrote Six Operas.
  • He wrote for solo voice, chorus and orchestra.

Structure

• Ground bass (basso ostinato) structure. This is a short, recurring pattern in the bass part that acts as the principal structural element, whilst melodic parts above change. It was a common device in the Baroque period and Purcell used this technique extensively.
• Features of the ground bass in ‘Music for a While’ include:
  • 3 bars long.
  • Consists entirely of quaver rhythms.
  • Arpeggio based melodic line.
  • Semitone intervals.
  • Rising line, starting on A then moving up to a B, C, D and E before falling at the end of the phrase.
  • At the end of the ground there is a characteristic fall of an octave. It sounds incomplete with chord V but a sense of perfect cadence is achieved with chord I at the start of the next repetition of the ground bass.
• The ground bass is heard 4.5 times in the tonic key before it starts to modulate in bar 14, using motifs from the original ground bass.
• The ground returns in the original key in bar 23 beat 3 for a three-bar reminder.
• It returns, complete, in bar 29 and is heard a further three times before the close of the piece.
• In addition to the ground bass structure, there is a sense of forward looking by Purcell with signs of what was to become the popular ternary form da capo aria structure used in operatic arias late in the Baroque period. This is seen at bar 29 where there is a reprise of material from the opening in identical form with just slight extension to conclude the work.

Sonority

- Soprano, harpsichord, bass viol.
- Written for a countertenor and continuo, but in the score (the official edexcel one) it is scored for soprano, harpsichord and bass viol.
- The right hand of the harpsichord part is highly decorative. This would have originally been improvised rather than notated.
- Chords are frequently arpeggiated or spread rapidly from the lowest highest note (e.g. bar 13).
- The left hand of the harpsichord plays the ground bass. The ground bass is also played by the bass viol.

Melody

• Soprano line: Range of a 9th.
• Mostly conjunct.
• Passing notes are frequent (b5:4).
• Leaps are small and no greater than a perfect fourth (b7).
• Rests are used to break up phrases.
• Some descending sequences (b20).
• Extensive use of ornaments in both the soprano line and the right hand of the harpsichord:
  • Trills (b13)
  • Appoggiaturas (b35)
  • Grace notes (b6)
  • Upper mordents (b22)
  • Lower mordents (b1)
• Mainly syllabic following speech rhythms.
• There are paired slurrings (e.g. bar 5).
• Repetition: ‘Music’ at the start, and ‘drop’ sung nine times in bar 23.
• Word-painting: Music that reflects the literal meaning of a song:
  • ‘Pains’ in bar 12 features dissonance (E vs D).
  • ‘Pains were eas’d’: dissonance and resolution on ‘eas’d’ as it falls in a descending sequence.
  • ‘Drop’ is presented in a descending sequence and repeated 9 times, bars 23-25. This represents the snakes dropping from Alecto’s head.
  • ‘Wond’ring’ in bar 10: a wistfully descending legato melismatic melody.
  • ‘Eternal’ in bar 20: a long melisma with repetitive alternating notes.
  • ‘Free the dead’: bright G major key with rising melodies (bars 16-17).
  • Minor key suits the sombre nature of the play and the text.

Texture

• The texture is melody and accompaniment - melody dominated homophony.
• The accompaniment is provided by the ground bass in the left hand of the harpsichord and the bass viol.
• The right hand of the harpsichord provides some counterpoint with the vocal line.

Harmony

• Chords are diatonic and functional.
• Perfect cadences are achieved from the end of chord V at the end of the ground bass to the chord I at the start of the next playing of the ground bass (b3-4). Ic-V-I cadential 6- 4
• Suspensions are used very occasionally (4-3 suspension in bar 3 beat 4.5 in the harpsichord part).
• Dissonances are infrequent but examples can be seen on the word ‘pains’ in bar 12 with a D in the bass against and E in the voice and on the word ‘eas’d’ in bars 13-14 where there is dissonance followed by resolution at the start of each repetition of the word.
• Another type of dissonance used is false relation, which can be seen in bar 1 with an F# in the ground bass and an F in the right hand of the harpsichord.

Tonality

• A minor tonality with a Pierce de Picardie at the end.
• The tonality, however, is sometimes ambiguous due to the chromatic and non-diatonic nature of the ground bass.
• The central section modulates to closely related keys. These include E minor (b14), G major (b16), C major (b21), A major (b23), and E minor again (b27).
• The music returns to the tonic key of A minor in bar 28 until the end.
• Modulations are confirmed by perfect cadences.

TRaM

• No tempo indication but slow would be appropriate.
• The metre is 4/4 quadruple time.
• A wide variety of rhythms but quavers and semiquavers are the most predominant.
• Dotted rhythms sometimes used in the vocal part (bar 10) but used more in the right hand part of the harpsichord.
• Occasional syncopation (e.g. b20) and off-beat rhythms (e.g. b24).
• The ground bass is presented entirely in quavers.

Killer Queen

Context

- Written by Freddie Mercury and performed by British rock band Queen. Released in 1974 on the album Sheer Heart Attack.
- The song was a breakthrough hit for the band, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart and gaining international recognition.
- The lyrics describe a high-class prostitute, using clever wordplay and vivid imagery to portray her allure and sophistication.
- The song is known for its distinctive sound, which combines elements of rock, pop, and vaudeville, showcasing Mercury's vocal range and the band's musical versatility.
- The genre is glam rock, which is characterized by its flamboyant style, theatrical performances, and catchy melodies.

Melody

- The piece mainly uses syllabic text setting.
- Backing vocals mix words with vocalisations like “ooh” and “ba”.
- The melody is mostly conjunct, with small leaps of 3rds or 4ths, and occasional wider leaps such as a rising major sixth (bars 6–7) or an octave (bar 62).
- There are descending sequences in both melody and bass (bars 7–9), and a melodic descent in 3rds (bars 31–33).
- The bassline ascends at times (bar 18).
- The guitar solo (bar 44) develops earlier melodic material (bars 20–21), while the three-part bass guitar solo (bar 55) expands on the 2nd verse phrase.
- There is imitation between guitars (bar 83), and instruments gradually drop out after bar 50.

Harmony and Tonality

- Overall key: Eb major (opening feels C minor; ends on Eb).
- Frequent short modulations with perfect/imperfect cadences and occasional circle-of-fifths progressions.
- Use of sevenths and extended/altered chords (gives theatre/pop colour); mostly root-position with some inversions and tonic pedals.
- Cadential points guide modulations (e.g. to Bb or C minor); piece fades on Eb.

Structure

- Verse–chorus based: intro → V1 → C1 → instrumental → V2 → C2 → guitar solo → V3 → C3 → outro.
- Repeating chord sequences and clear sectional returns.

Sonority

- Lead vocal, piano (honky-tonk), multiple electric guitars, bass, drums; heavy studio overdubbing and effects (flanger, reverb, panning).
- Guitar techniques and EQ/production effects contribute to the distinctive timbre.

Texture

- Mostly homophonic with gradual layering; chorus features multi-part vocal harmonies.
- Occasional imitation and antiphonal exchanges; three-part texture during guitar solo.

TRaM (Tempo, Rhythm and Metre)

- Moderato, swung 12/8 feel (approx. dotted crotchet = 112).
- Syncopation, triplets and occasional bars of 6/8; verses/choruses often start with anacrusis.

Key Points

- Riff-driven, anthem-like rock with musical-theatre touches and rich studio production.
- Compound metre, verse–chorus form, strong vocal harmonies and layered instrumentation.

Verse 1

- Syllabic vocal line centred around C/G (C minor relation).
- Staccato verse feel.
- Backing “ba” vocals and rising major-6th leaps.
- Ends with cadential moves into the chorus.

Chorus 1

- Bold harmonies and multi-tracked vocals.
- Chording often on each beat.
- Strong panning/effects.
- Extended falling progressions leading into the instrumental bridge.

Verse 2

- Similar to Verse 1 with added percussion fills.
- New guitar figure and intensified backing vocal hooks.
- Some vocal variation and textural drops.

Guitar Solo / Later Sections

- Guitar solo develops earlier material.
- Later choruses repeat established harmonic and vocal textures.
- Leads to an outro that fades on Eb.

Defying Gravity

Context

- ‘Wicked’ was written as a novel in 1995 by American author Gregory Maguire.
- Offers a new perspective on the characters from ‘The Wizard of Oz’.
- Turned into a book musical, where the musical numbers are integral to the plot.
- ‘Defying Gravity’ appears at the end of Act 1 when Elphaba discovers that the Wizard of Oz is not the heroic figure she had originally believed him to be, he does not have magic. She vows to do everything she can to fight him and his sinister plans.

Melody

- The melody mostly follows how the characters in the song are singing.
- The signing is syllabic, where each note corresponds to one syllable.
- This fits well with the spoken dialogue in the piece giving the song a musical theatre declamation style.
- Vocalisations at the end in bar 175 to the word ‘aah’.
- The melody starts in a conjunct/stepwise manner.
- Bars 6 and 7 show an ascending sequence.
- The verse and chorus combine conjunct and wide angular leaps in the melodic line.
- Leaps often feature a rising perfect fifth (bar 34).
- Some exceptionally large leaps such as a compound perfect fourth (compound = above the next octave) (bars 39-40) and a compound perfect fifth (bars 140-141).
- These wide leaps help to reflect emotional intensity, portraying Elphaba’s determination and anger.
- Leitmotif: ‘Unlimited’ uses the same 7 notes from ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, changing the rhythm. Includes Motif X (unlimited), Motif B, Motif C and Motif D.
- This references the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy’s famous song, linking Elphaba’s dreams to Dorothy’s.
- Elphaba sings a semitone lower than Glinda to help convey her anger, since she feels betrayed.

Harmony

- The voice sings in harmony with the melody, but the melody mostly seems like a backing to the voice. Occasionally the voices sing together and are in harmony with each other.
- Chords are in root position.
- Chord progressions are often unrelated and in the opening we can see shifts downwards in parallel semitones.
- The unexpected harmonic shifts mirror Elphaba’s unsettled emotional state as she realises the Wizard’s deception.
- There is some use of dissonance (30).
- This creates tension, supporting the confrontational atmosphere between the characters and highlighting Elphaba’s inner turmoil.
- At the end there is a pedal (long, sustained note) (168).
- This stabilises the harmony as Elphaba embraces her new path, symbolising her resolve to defy the Wizard and societal expectations.

Tonality

- It sounds sad (minor) when the voices are sad, but happy when they are happy (major).
- Tonally ambiguous opening with chromatic movement and unrelated chord progressions, showing Elphaba's confusion and instability.

1. D major (main key)
2. Bar 20: B major.
3. Bar 22: F major.
4. Bar 32: D major for verse.
5. Bar 88: G major.
6. Bar 103: D major.
7. Bar 115: Chromatic melody of the opening.
8. Bar 132: Tonic key of D major.
9. Bar 168: B minor until we finish on D major.

Structure

- Verse-chorus form with an instrumental intro and outro.
- This supports a clear dramatic build, mirroring development in Act 1 (as this is the finale of Act 1).
- Verse: bar 34, bar 63, bar 135.
- Chorus: bar 50, bar 79, bar 103, bar 151.
- Within the structure the piece has multiple sections which are defined by tempo, contrasting moods and melodic material.

1. Bars 1-19: Free tempo (colla voce)
2. Bars 20-48: Andante Verse (bar 34)
3. Bars 49-87: Allegro Chorus (50), verse (63), chorus (79)
4. Bars 88-102: Moderato
5. Bars 103-110: Allegro Chorus (103)
6. Bars 111-128: Andante
7. Bars 129-161: Allegro Verse (135), Chorus (151)
8. Bars 162-177: Andante to Maestoso

Sonority

- Large orchestral-pop arrangement: solo voice(s), 4 strings, double bass, woodwind, brass, 2 electric guitars, harp, keyboards, extensive percussion and timpani, plus choir at the end.
- This creates a cinematic sound, used most profoundly in the climax to enhance the dramatic impact.
- Vocal: Elphaba/Glinda alternate between spoken-sung and fully sung parts; wide range (~2 octaves).
- Key textures/effects: brass fanfares, string tremolo, pizzicato passages, synths/glockenspiel arpeggiating quavers, tubular bells for ethereal colour and a fantastical quality.
- Guitar processing: distortion, chorus, flange, wah, E‑bow for sustained sweeps, palm muting and strong vibrato.
- Percussion-heavy with many colouristic sounds (chimes, bell tree, shaker, tam‑tam, crotales, maraca, nut rattle, suspended cymbal) and timpani pedal glissandi.
- Important moments: full band climax ~bar 135; cymbal roll and other hits highlight key changes; specific articulations/mutes (trumpet straight mute, hand‑stopped horns) alter timbre.

Texture

- The intro has a sparse texture, since some of it is monophonic and it has instrumental chord stabs (bar 1).
- The opening features sparse monophony and isolated chord stabs, reflecting uncertainty. As Elphaba’s resolve grows, the texture becomes fuller and more layered.
- There is a melody-dominated homophony (where the accompaniment follows the lead of the melody) texture, where the singer is accompanied by chords in the orchestra, mostly at the intro where the cymbals crash between phrases.
- Homophonic chordal moments (bar 132) to give emphasis to pivotal statements.
- Ostinato accompaniment at bar 88 with repeated semiquavers.
- Elphaba and Glinda usually sing separately but sometimes sing together in unison (bar 101) or in harmony such as thirds (bar 127).
- Ending: Contrapuntal with three different musical ideas with different lyrics.
- This is symbolising rising tension and overlapping destinies.

TRaM

- The song has a slow tempo, and is in 2/2, but the beginning is in 3/2. Verse 1 is in common time.
- Rallentandos are used at the end of sections. Ralls are usually followed by a tempo.
- Time signature changes from 3/2 to 2/2 in the opening section, changes to 4/4 in bar 88 and 2/2 in 115.
- Syncopation is frequent (67-70).
- Dotted rhythms are present in bar 82 (gra-vi-ty).
- These create energy and momentum, especially in the chorus.
- Triplets: Quaver triplets (96) and crochet triplets (60).
- Crochet and quaver rhythms, longer note lengths at the end of phrases.
- Rests used to break up phrases.
- Phrases start with an off-beat entry after a crotchet rest (15).
- Off-beat phrase openings (e.g., bar 15 after a crotchet rest) give a sense of uplift and anticipation, matching the lyrical theme of rising.

Rebel Blockade Runner (Star Wars)

Context

- Composed by John Williams for the soundtrack of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977).
- The music accompanies the opening scene where the Rebel Alliance is attempting to escape from the Empire's blockade.
- The piece is part of a larger score that incorporates various leitmotifs representing characters, themes, and ideas throughout the Star Wars saga.
- John Williams is renowned for his ability to create memorable and emotionally resonant music that enhances the storytelling in films.
- He re-popularised the use of grand late-Romantic orchestral scores.
- His musical technique is in the likes of Max Steiner with a late nineteenth century approach.
- Used the romantic device, pioneered by Richard Wagner in his operas, of Leitmotif.
- The opening theme of the main title is associated with Luke Skywalker and with ideas of heroism and struggle.

Melody

- The opening three bars use fanfare figures:

• Rapid repeating figures on the tonic (Bb)
• Triplet arpeggio-like figures – but based around leaps of a fourth, rather than thirds. The notes F, Bb and Eb feature most prominently here, with the addition of Ab in Horn and Tuba.
• (This four note chord (F Bb Eb Ab) is used in the harmonisation of the Main Theme that follows.)
• The Trumpet idea in bars 2 and 3 also features the leap of a (minor) seventh, from F to Eb, an interval that also features prominently in the Main theme (A).

Harmony

- Harmony is predominantly tonal, but does not always use chords I, IV and V in conventional progressions such as cadences.
- Major and minor chords are mostly in root position and first inversion are used as the basis for the harmonic style.
- Few conventional cadence points.
- Opening fanfare: Chords built up of fourths instead of thirds - Quartal harmony.
- Bars 4-7 almost half the chords use Quartal harmony instead of chord V.
- Bar 7: Imperfect cadence, with the 3 chords before V moving in parallel motion by semitone steps. The Ab major chord immediately before the F major dominant is not a chord within Bb major: this chord moves by a third downwards to the F major chord. (Most cadence progressions move by fourths or fifths).
- Bar 15 beat 1, Db major chord moves to F major by rising a third (tertiary relationship).
- Harmonies in bars 33, 34 and 35 mix elements of different chords simultaneously to produce strange, unstable effects.

Tonality

- Key of Bb major for first 29 bars.
- Bar 30 onwards tonality becomes less clear with more unstable harmonies and progressions.
- Bar 36: C major (with added Ab).
- Bar 42 onwards: Music based around C, often heard as bass pedal.
- Bar 41-60: Sounds almost atonal with more complex chords and dissonance.
- Bar 51-60 combines elements of bitonality.

Structure

- The structure matches and reinforces the opening section of the film.
- The main theme section (Bars 1-29) follows a conventional pattern- regular 4 bar phrases are used to construct a longer musical structure with an AABA shape.
- The remainder of the extract takes its shape from the narrative/action on the screen and so has less of a purely musical structure.

Texture

- Various types of homophonic texture:

• Bars 1-3: Melody-dominated homophony with fanfare figures in Trumpets and Horns supported by block chords in the lower brass and strings.
• Bars 4-29: Melody-dominated homophony with the Main Title Theme in Trumpets supported by block chords in lower brass and strings.

• Inverted tonic pedal in the introduction and during the first playing of the main title theme
• Dominant pedal (bars 12-15)

TRaM

- 4/4 metro and march style reflects the military nature of the piece.
- The opening 3 bars have fanfare rhythms and the rapid repeated notes and triplets creates excitement.
- Main theme has a strong quadruple/duple pulse with triplets from the introduction.
- Main theme (A) is often accompanied by syncopated block chords, mixing offbeat quaver and triplet quavers with frequent rests.
- Bar 33 onwards: Ambiguous pulse.
- Bar 44: Triple metre.
- Bar 44-50: Homorhythmic chords create drama by mixing quavers, triplet quavers and crochets with well-placed rests. Tempo slows down, increasing the effect of these chords. (Passage is very reminiscent of a section of ‘Mars’ from Gustav Holst’s Planets Suite).
- Bar 51 to end: very fast tempo, with one bar Ostinato figure (‘Mars’)

Release

Context

- ACSS is a group originally formed in 1995 and has featured a number of guest artists over the years.
- Their music is a fusion of African, Celtic and EDM.
- Signed to record label Real World Records and have performed at World Music festivals including WOMAD.
- Their first album, Volume 1: Sound Magic was recorded in one week and was released in 1996, reaching number 15 in the 1997 Billboard Top World Music Albums.
- After the death of a core member of the group, the album Volume 2: Release was put on hold until Sinéad O’Connor stepped in and wrote the lyrics to ‘Release’. The album was released in 1999. In 2000 Afro Celt Sound System was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best World Music category.

Melody

- Conjunct vocal melody and solos.
- Use of nonsense lyrics.
- Main verse is syllabic.
- Some spoken parts (0:41). Spoken intro in Maninka (West African group of languages).
- Short phrases.
- Limited range for the female vocal (6th).
- The male has a more extended range of a 13th.
- Vocal samples.
- Repetitive.
- Sense of improvisation from opening female vocals.
- Use of glissando.
- Use of ornamentation (acciaccatura).
- Use of reverb is very obvious for the whole track.

Harmony and Tonality

- Open fifth chords (fiddle).
- Diatonic Key of C minor.
- C dorian and C aeolian modes used.
- Modal quality in bass loop (C and Bb in Verse 1).
- Chord sequences are repetitive.
- Hint of chromaticism in the low synth strings (Verse 1).
- Chromatic bass lines.
- Use of extended chords (7th, 9th).
- Slow harmonic pulse.
- Use of drone, it uses two different synth tones, hard-panned L and R. These are studio techniques.

TRaM

- Swung quavers.
- Sustained drone.
- Free time at the start.
- Steady tempo established at 50 seconds - 100 bpm.
- Simple quadruple metre.
- Slightly swung semiquavers (gives a lilting/relaxed quality to the music).
- Syncopation on the electric piano in the build section.
- Triplets and accents in the fiddle in verse 2.
- Sextuplets.
- Rhythmic ostinato.
- Use of loops and riffs.
- Short rhythmic phrases.
- 2 and 4 bar phrases.
- Steady semiquavers in tambourine (verse 1).

Texture

- Drone (any note held - not a pedal because not the tonic or dominant).
- Constantly changing.
- Use of layering.
- Loops.
- Main texture is homophonic.
- Heterophonic texture with the hurdy gurdy and pipe solo in the build section.
- Polyphonic texture with the hurdy gurdy and pipe solo playing underneath the main vocals in verse 3.

Structure

- Flowing.
- Verse form, but no chorus.
- Intro, solos, breaks, and outro.

• Intro: 0:00-1:38
• Verse 1: 1:38-2:55
• Verse 2: 2:55-3:51
• Solos: 3:51-4:55
• Verse 3: 4:55-5:51
• Build: 5:51-6:59
• Outro: 6:59-7:28

Sonority

- Uilleann pipes (solo).
- Hurdy-gurdy (the GOAT).
- Bodhran.
- Performing Forces:

• African forces: kora, talking drum
• Celtic forces: hurdy-gurdy, uilleann pipes, bohrán, fiddle, whistle, accordion.
• Western (dance) forces: male vox, female vox, synthesisers (including string pad, soft pad, bells, string bass), breath samples, drum machine, electric piano, shaker and tambourine.

Samba Em Prelúdio

Context

- Written by Brazilian musicians Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes in 1962.
- The song is a bossa nova "new trend", a genre that combines samba rhythms with jazz harmonies and melodies.
- Bossa nova emerged in Brazil in the late 1950s and became popular worldwide in the 1960s.
- The lyrics of "Samba Em Prelúdio" are poetic and introspective, reflecting themes of love and longing.
- The song has been covered by many artists, including Esperanza Spalding, who won a Grammy Award for her rendition.

Structure

- Bars 1-3 are the introduction, a bass guitar solo.
- Bars 4-19 are verse 1 (A), an eight-bar idea repeated with a changed ending the second time. The last note overlaps into the next section.
- Bars 19-22 is the link. The bass solo picks up the tempo to move into the ‘bossa nova’ rhythm for verse 2.
- Bars 23-52 is verse 2 (B). A 16-bar idea, repeated and changed the second time.
- Bars 55-88 is the guitar solo, played over chords of verse 2.
- Bars 89-104 is the voice and bass duet, and the bass plays the vocal part from 4-11 (A) while the voice sings bars 23-38 (B).
- The DS to end is a coda section. The second half of verse 2 followed by repetitions of the last line. Guitar and bass play florid riffs during the last held vocal note.

Sonority

- Female voice, acoustic guitar and acoustic bass guitar; low female vocal range (minor tenth), mostly syllabic.
- Prominent, virtuosic bass part (Esperanza Spalding): opening bass solo, double-stops, wide leaps, rapid semiquaver figures, mordent and harmonic; often active and melodic.
- Acoustic bass guitar provides plucked accompaniment from bar 23 and a virtuosic solo later, echoing and supporting the vocal lines.
- Rhythmic complexity: triplets, semiquavers and expressive rubato; bass occasionally suggests two-part texture with alternating low notes and higher chordal figures.

Texture

- Monophonic introduction apart from a couple of double stops.
- Mostly homophonic texture, although the bass part becomes almost melodic enough to be a melody in its own right at times.
- Bars 89 to 104 are polyphonic as the two melodies of the piece are combined.
- Has some contrapuntal elements in the bass solo and the duet section.

Harmony

- Essentially tonal.
- Jazz and American are popular song influences in complex harmony.
- Roots of chords are based around I, II, IV and V.
- There are chord extensions: 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths.
- There is a diminished 7th chord in bar 35.
- There is a flattened 5th chord in bar 44.
- There are chromatic chords e.g. C#7 (bar 31) and C and F major chords (bars 27/28).
- The ends of sections land on either chord V (bar 11) (at the halfway point of the verse), or on the tonic with a more conventional V–I perfect cadence (bars 52–53).
- Chord progressions sometimes create a descending chromatic movement in the bass line (bars 30–38).

Melody

- Arpeggiaic and scalic movement.
- Descending sequences.

Tonality

- B minor tonality.
- Bossa novas typically use minor keys.
- Despite the complexity of some of the harmony, the music does not modulate.

TRaM

- Short 5/4 phrase.
- Dotted rhythms (common in LATAM and jazz).
- Rubato (pushing and pulling of tempo - happens in intro with acoustic bass solo).