Bernstein- Somethings Coming

Question 1

Date?

Answer 1

1957

Question 2

Style?

Answer 2

Musical-jazz influence

Question 3

What instruments are used?

Answer 3

• Orchestral instruments plus piano and drum kit add for the ‘um-pah’ accompaniment in section B
• Section B counter- melody played on strings with bows
• Opening riffs played on clarinets- 1 bar bass riff, 2 bar melodic riff
• Sudden dramatic brass chords add to the excitement
• Tenor vocal range

Question 4

What texture is used?

Answer 4

• Polyphonic overall
• Each of the above layers has it’s own riffs/ostinatos
• Thinnest at the opening
• Section B thicker with added drum kit and piano line

Question 5

Describe the tempo

Answer 5

• Very fast – 176 BPM . Adds to the excited mood

Question 6

What is the key signature

Answer 6

• D major, with a modulation to C major for the 1st part of Section B

Question 7

What is the time signature

Answer 7

• 3/4 for most of the A sections, 2/4 for the B sections. (In Section A ‘it may come cannonballing’ is in 2/4 for contrast)

Question 8

Describe the structure

Answer 8

• A B B1 A1.
• B1 is similar to B but without the repeat and half of the contrasting ‘warmly’ passage.
• A1 is also shortened, fading at the end inconclusively on the opening riffs and a flattened 7ths from the vocals

Question 9

Describe the melody throughout the piece using examples of techniques

Answer 9

• Vocal melody uses notes from the blues scale
• ‘could be’- voice enters on the interval of a falling 4th.
• Use of a tritone/augmented 4th interval (leap of 3 tones- a dissonant interval that reoccurs throughout the musical.)
• Mainly syllabic
• Short 2 bar phrases in section A, some longer 8 bar phrases in section B (‘around the corner’)

Question 10

Give some Examples of word painting;

Answer 10

• ‘there’s something due’- voice copies the melody of the 2 bar riff pattern, which is steps and small leaps
• ‘it may come cannonballing…’ – the music paints the words due to loud, quick (all ½ beats) accented beats, without rests
• ‘something’s coming’- in section B, accented crotchets on beat add to the conviction of the words
• ‘around the corner’- the four 8 bar phrases from here have long held notes, are sung more smoothly and have a higher top range
• The piece ends on ‘maybe tonight’, which shows Tony’s uncertainty as it is an inconclusive ending (flattened 7th in the vocals)

Question 11

Describe the rhythm of the piece in the different sections

Answer 11

• Lots of short patterns contrast with long held notes
• Frequent use of short ostinato/riffs in melody and accompaniment
• ‘push’ rhythm in section A- syncopation in the main 2 bar riff with the 3rd beat arriving a 1/2 beat early
• ‘Straight’ accompanying rhythm in section B (oom-pah accompaniment)
• In Section B the vocal triplet pattern in the ‘around the corner’ section creates a cross rhythm against the 2/4 time signature
• All the above and other syncopation, adds to the anticipation in the music

Question 12

Describe the tonality

Answer 12

• major- though the tritone clash perhaps suggests something darker

Question 13

Describe the harmony

Answer 13

• jazz influenced with extended chords (9ths, 11ths)
• tritone/augmented 4th clash
• the accompanying string chords to the B Section ‘around the corner’ passage are separated by the interval of a 4th and move in semitones, creating a mysterious effect beneath the flowing melody

Question 14

Describe the dynamics

Answer 14

• Both sections start quietly (A- pp, B- p)

* There are sudden crescendos or changes to f or ff which adds to the excitement and anticipation