Belshazzar's Feast - Walton - 2. Yea We Wept/They That Wasted Us Flashcards
What happens at the ‘Yea, we wept’ section?
The choir splits into 8 parts, 2 choruses. The 2nd chorus sing ‘Yea, we wept’ as a call, which the 1st chorus respond to with ‘Wept’, creating an antiphonal echo effect.
What role does the orchestra play in the ‘Yea, we wept’ section?
It accompanies the 1st chorus singing ‘Wept’ with the Double Bass and Timpani.
Describe the textural development from the word ‘harps’ when the choir sing ‘hanged our harps upon the willow’.
Further polyphony develops, although all of the parts remain legato to represent the flowing waters. This metaphor is extended further with a long melisma on the word willows.
What tonality do we move into for ‘They that wasted us’ and what mood is created?
An A minor tonality develops as the music becomes more agitated.
Describe the harmonies in the vocal lines in ‘They that wasted us’.
The tenors and basses are singing in major 2nds (an A and a B), which creates dissonance and portrays their anger.
What do the female parts do as a response to ‘They that wasted us’?
They sing ‘Wasted us’ with forte piano dynamics, with an octave leap downwards on the words ‘wasted us’ and ‘captive’.
What is the rhythm for ‘Wasted us’?
It is the same as the Babylon theme.
What does the time signature do in the ‘They that wasted us’ section?
Walton manipulates the time signatures so that more important words such as: ‘Wasted us’, ‘mirth’, ‘captive’ and ‘song’, on the 1st beat of the bar.
What idea does Walton reuse in the figure following ‘They that wasted us’?
On the word ‘Zion’, he uses a downward octave leap. This shows us that it is an important place as the first syllable is accented. But the descent connotes the negativity of the loss of their homeland.
At the 2nd appearance of the word ‘Zion’, what does Walton do to create a rushed intensity?
He wrote for Zion to be sung at a high G, which crescendos and holds over a few bars. Meanwhile, a 6/8 hemiola in the muted trumpet and trombone creates a rushed feel.
