breathing under water

Question 1

vocals

Answer 1

wordless singing (largely instrumental)

Question 2

sonority

Answer 2

-sitar (solo)
-string accompaniment, sometimes reinforced by woodwinds, horns and double bass
-female vocals
-flute
-cello
-tabla

Question 3

texture

Answer 3

-monophony (female voice)
-two part (voice and sitar)
-some distinct melodic strand in upper strings, sitar and vocals can be heard in free counterpoint

Question 4

dynamics

Answer 4

low dynamic levels throughout

Question 5

tempo/metre/rhythm

Answer 5

-slow spacious impression made through long held string chords

-4/4 with one 2/4 bar

-accompaniment rhythm is slow moving long sustained chords
-sitar: scotch snaps, triplets, quintuplets, syncopation

Question 6

melody

Answer 6

sitar:
-melody is in (western) Dbmajor and C#aeolian
-micro tonal slides, chromatic notes
-lies in a generally higher tessitura than ‘Burn’ with bass clef only applied in a small section
-overall range is two octaves and a third
-improvisatory feel, however a number of melodic phrases are repeated almost exactly
-ornamentations: mordents, crushed notes (acciaccaturas), glissandi introducing microtonal slides

vocals:
-notated in C#minor with major mode inflections
-first vocal melody is a conjunct descending line spanning a 6th then later a 4th
-a contrasting but conjunct line is heard in Dbmajor
-microtonal slides
-appoggiatura in final bar

Question 7

harmony

Answer 7

-slow harmonic rhythm
-no cadential harmony a part from final plagal cadence
-root position chords
-sus4 chords
-added note chords
-some parallelism

Question 8

tonality

Answer 8

-in Dbmajor but starts in Bbminor
-minor mode inflection
-one part indicates the tonic minor making the tonality vague and this section ends on an Aminor chord
-end section returns to Dbmajor