Organisation Of Pitch Flashcards
Melody features of No.1 ‘On Wenlock Edge’
Word-setting is predominantly syllabic, the exceptions being two slurred notes on the first syllable of ‘Wrekin’ at b. 10, and three notes slurred on ‘heav-‘ (b. 37) and ‘gale’ (b. 48)
Other note-worthy features of the vocal line
-Pentatonic lines (b. 6-10)
-Monotone passages (b. 11-12 and 34-35)
-Chromaticism (b. 13-16)
-Diminished 5th leap (‘ashes under Uricon’ b. 67-68)
The instruments occasionally share the vocalist’s material, but their most important motif is the recurring figure, first heard in the opening bars. It moves down then up through a 5th and is harmonised in first inversion chords
Harmony features of No.1 ‘On Wenlock Edge’
This number is largely devoid of functional chord progressions, although repeated dominant-tonic notes are heard in the bass (b. 71-77) to bring the song to a close
Particularly:
-Parallel first inversion chords at the opening (b. 1-3)
-The false relation which appears at the close of this opening motif (Db-D ♮)
-Parallel root position chords (without 5ths) at b. 35
-Largely whole-tone figuration in piano (b. 43-44): notice that apart from the Fb at the top of the pattern, the remaining notes all belong to a single whole-tone scale
-Closes with dissonant passage with clashing G and Ab, before fading out with open 5ths and dominant to tonic octaves
Melody features of No.3 ‘Is My Team Ploughing?’
Word-setting is predominantly syllabic, the exceptions being two slurred notes on the two words ‘used to’ (b. 6), and at corresponding points later in the song: ‘hard to’ (b. 24), and ‘thin and’ (b. 40)
The opening, folk-like melody is in dorian mode e.g. b. 5-9 (notice the B ♮s within a scale starting on D)
A more complex melodic style is used for the ‘reply’ with chromaticism and larger leaps (b. 11-19)
Higher tessitura is used in the final stanzas, rising to A above middle C on ‘dead’ (b. 50)
Final note in vocal part is b ♮, clashing with the tonic triad which follows
Harmony features of No.3 ‘Is My Team Ploughing?’
Introductory music draws on root and first inversion chords only, and features some parallelism (b. 1-3)
The passage beginning at b. 11 is more complex and includes:
-Augmented triad (b. 11 (beat 4) and 13 (beat 4))
-Half-diminished chord (b. 12 and 14)
-Neapolitan’ chord (b. 15 (beat 1))
-Augmented (‘French’) 6th (b. 15 (beat 2))
-Fourths chord (b. 16 (beat 1))
Melody features of No.5 ‘Bredon Hill’
Word-setting is mainly syllabic, with the occasional slurring (e.g. first syllable of ‘Bredon’ at b. 26)
Melisma is used for special emphasis, e.g. the hectoring quality on ‘pray’ at b. 62-63
The melody is in G pentatonic major at the outset ( b. 24) , but the wider range of notes from b. 29 results in mixolydian mode, and at b. 33, aeolian mode
Mainly step movement, with occasional leaps, e.g. perfect 4th (b. 55-56), descending major 6th (b. 56-57), descending minor 7th (b. 69-70), octave (b. 77)
Range of melody narrows for the funeral music, with a prominent secondary motive spanning a 3rd (b. 92-93)
This narrow range motif is treated chromatically, e.g. b. 96-100
Notable instrumental motifs include:
-A foreshadowing of the vocal line at b. 9-10 (compare pitches with those of vocal line at b. 25-26)
-A line in the piano part, largely restricted to interval of a 2nd for the funeral music (b. 100-101)
-A distraught descending triplet (piano and strings) in reaction to the ‘noisy bells’ (b. 128-130)
Harmony features of No.5 ‘Bredon Hill’
The harmony of this number is the least traditional of the three songs which are prescribed for study, and again Vaughan Williams’s debt to Ravel is evident, particularly in the use of harmony for colouristic effect and avoidance of functional progression
-Use of 7th chords which, when superimposed, result in chords of an 11th
-Colouristic overlapping parallel 4ths heard against a prolonged 11th chord (b. 20-23)
-7ths are sometimes inverted (b. 29)
-Static or slow moving progressions: see the harmonies supporting the voice at b. 24-35
-Tension heightened at b. 84 onwards when the A ♮ becomes an Ab, underpinning a thinned-out structure which still, overall, spans and 11th (b. 84-85)
-Bitonal structures based on Ab and G dominate the funeral music section (b. 100-101)
Examples for Wider Listening for Williams’ Tonality
