Music for a While Flashcards
(93 cards)
1
Q
Date released
A
1692
2
Q
Time signature
A
4/4
3
Q
Key signature
A
A minor
4
Q
Modulates to ____
A
E minor
5
Q
Texture
A
Imitation at the start
Melody dominated homophony
6
Q
Harmony
A
Ground bass
Repeated chord progression in ground bass
Suspensions
7
Q
Musical device heard all the time
A
Ostinato
8
Q
Features of harpsichord melody
A
(Mostly) conjunct/scalic
* (Some) leaps/3rds
* Ornamented/ decorated/arpeggiation
* Realisation
* Ascends then descends
* (some) dotted rhythms
* Semiquavers
9
Q
Who is the composer of this piece?
A
Henry Purcell
10
Q
What period is this piece?
A
Baroque Era
11
Q
What Baroque features can be found in the instrumentation?
A
harpsichord, bass viol
12
Q
What Baroque features can be found in the melody?
A
melodic sequences, long, flowing melodies (conjunct), word painting, ornaments
13
Q
What Baroque features can be found in the harmony and tonality?
A
suspensions, diatonic harmony, basso continuo
14
Q
What Baroque features can be found in the dynamics and the texture?
A
homophonic texture, terraced dynamics instead of gradual changes
15
Q
For which play is this song written for?
A
Oedipus
16
Q
What is a brief story of Oedipus?
A
- hero kills father marries mother and then commits suicide
17
Q
With which character is this song connected to?
A
- Alecto, Greek fury
- Punish those who committed sins (killing parent)
- has snake hair
18
Q
What is the song’s relevance to the play?
A
- music calms Alecto down until she drops the whip and the snakes fall from her head
19
Q
Which three instruments has this piece been scored for?
A
soprano, harpsichord, bass viol
20
Q
Describe the right hand of the harpsichord.
A
- realisation of figured bass
- dotted rhythms
- upper and lower mordents
- grace notes
- appoggiaturas
21
Q
Describe the harpsichord as an instrument.
A
- plucked not hammered
- cannot sustain
22
Q
Describe the left hand of the harpsichord.
A
- plays ground bass
- doubles bass viol
23
Q
What is a bass viol?
A
- bowed, fretted stringed instrument
- Renaissance and Baroque
- lil bit like a cello
- Six strings tuned in fourths
24
Q
What is the main word setting? Give an example of where it can be found in the score.
A
syllabic - bar 4
25
Where can extended melisma be found?
'eternal'
## Footnote
bar 20
26
What is word painting?
composing music to match the meaning of the words being sung
27
What word painting is shown in bars 12-13?
- dissonance of E in bar 12 'pains'
- resolution of clash in bar 13 'eas'd'
28
Which lyrics represent the snakes falling off Alecto's head? How is it achieved?
drop, drop, drop
## Footnote
descending pattern on weak off-beat, unusual levels of repetition
29
How is word painting used in 'wond'ring'?
wistfully descending legato melody
30
How is word painting used in 'eternal'?
lengthy melisma, repetitive alternating notes, represent everlasting atmosphere
31
How is word painting used in 'free the dead'?
bright G major, rising melody
32
What voice sings this set work?
soprano
33
What is the range of the soprano?
ninth apart from ornamental G in bar 36
34
What is the main melody of the set work?
conjunct/ stepwise
35
What are passing notes? How are they used?
- non harmony notes link notes in chord
- frequent
36
What melodic points make the song direct, dramatic and easy to understand?
- syllabic and melismatic settings
- conjunct and disjunct
- sequences
37
What is the greatest leap used?
4th such as bar 7
38
How are phrases broken up?
rests
39
Where can descending sequences be found?
bar 20
40
What ornaments are used in the set work?
Trills, Appoggiaturas, Grace notes, Upper mordents, Lower mordents
41
What is a trill? What bar can they be found in?
- rapid movement between note written and one above
- 13
42
What is an appoggiatura? What bar can it be found in?
bar 35
43
What is the difference between an appoggiatura and an acciaccatura?
While an appoggiatura places emphasis on the grace note, an acciaccatura places emphasis on the main note itself.
44
What is a grace note? What bar can it be found in?
- played quickly before the main note
- bar 6
45
What is a mordent?
like trill - rapid altercation of note either above or below
46
What is an upper mordent? What bar can it be found in?
indicates trill with note above written note
## Footnote
bar 22
47
What is a lower mordent? What bar can it be found in?
indicates trill with note below written note
## Footnote
bar 1
48
What is the overall structure of the piece?
ABA ternary
## Footnote
Intro 1 -3, Section A 4 - 15, Section B 16 - 28, Section A 29 - end
49
What structure for the bass is Music for a While? What other names does it have?
ground bass, basso ostinato
50
What is the ground bass structure?
short, recurring melodic pattern in bass, melodic part changes above
51
Why is the structure important contextually?
- ground bass popular during Baroque period
- Purcell is master - used it extensively
52
How long is the ground bass?
3 bars
53
What are the rhythmic features of the ground bass?
consists of entirely quaver rhythm
54
What are the melodic features of the ground bass?
arpeggio based, semitone based, at end characteristic fall of an octave
55
What is the chord progression of the ground bass?
A B C D E
56
What are the harmonic features of the ground bass?
sounds incomplete with imperfect cadence, sense of perfect achieved with next repetition beginning with I
57
There are signs of one more type of structure. What is it?
ternary form da capo aria
58
Why is the da capo aria contextually important?
becomes popular later in Baroque period in opera
59
Where can signs of the da capo aria be found?
bar 29
## Footnote
reprise from opening in identical form, slight extension
60
What is the main texture of the set work?
melody dominated homophony, homophonic - clear tune with accompaniment
61
What is the function of the ground bass in MDH texture?
provides the accompaniment
62
What other texture can be found? How is it created?
counterpoint
## Footnote
RH of harpsichord with vocal line
63
What is the main key of the piece?
A minor with Tierce de Picardie
64
What is Tierce de Picardie?
A major cadence in a minor key
65
What is the key of the instrumental introduction? What bars is it?
A minor
## Footnote
bars 1-3
66
What is the key of section A? What bars is it?
A min - E min
## Footnote
bars 4 - 15
67
What is the key of section B? What bars is it?
G - Dif modulations - A min
## Footnote
bars 16 - 28
68
What is the key of section A repeated? What bars is it?
A minor
## Footnote
bars 29 - end
69
Why is the tonality sometimes ambiguous?
chromatic and non-diatonic nature of ground bass
70
What modulations are there?
closely related keys
## Footnote
Eminor, G major, C major, A major, E minor
71
What key does the piece return to the end?
tonic of A minor
72
What confirms the modulations?
Perfect cadences
73
How can the chords be described?
diatonic and functional
74
Where can a suspension be used?
bar 3 in harpsichord
75
Describe the use of dissonance.
- infrequent
76
Give an examples of dissonance.
'pains' in bar 12
## Footnote
D in bass against E in voice
77
What other type of dissonance is used? Where and how can it be found?
false relation
## Footnote
bar 1, F sharp in ground bass and F flat in RH harpsichord
78
What tempo is appropriate for this piece?
slow, no tempo indication
79
What is the metre of the piece?
4/4 quadruple time
80
What are the most predominant rhythms used in this piece?
quavers and semiquaver
81
What other rhythms are used in this piece? What bars?
Dotted rhythms (bar 10), syncopation (bar 20), off beat rhythms (bar 24)
82
What type of opera is Music for a While?
Lament
83
What features make it a lament?
minor key, sad affection
84
What kind of things are left up to the performers?
dynamics, accompaniment - no figured bass
85
What is the main harmonic device?
suspensions
86
What does the music modulate to from bar 1 to 2?
A minor to D minor
87
What is the interval found at the end of bar 3?
octave
88
What is the cadence from bar 3 to 4?
perfect
89
Which two instruments are used in the introduction?
cello, harpsichord
90
What is the role of the continuo?
plays bass line, recognises figured bass
91
What is the cadence at the end?
imperfect
92
What cadence is used at the end?
perfect
93
How can this piece be described?
ayre
