Peter Maxwell Davies

Question 1

8 Songs for a Mad King is?

Answer 1

Music theatre or monodrama

Question 2

Text inspired by?

Answer 2

Miniature organ once owned by the king

Question 3

Instruments involved?

Answer 3

Flute, clarinet, violin and cello

Question 4

Sat in?

Answer 4

Huge cages

Question 5

Representing?

Answer 5

Birds with whom the king has extended dialogues

Question 6

Notation depicts?

Answer 6

Speaking, screeching, screaming, whining, half speaking, harmonics, chords and overtones across 5 octaves

Question 7

Reliant heavily on?

Answer 7

Actor Roy Hart, for whom the piece was written for

Question 8

First thing to mention?

Answer 8

Song 2, word “Strangling” set to a long melisma over a wide vocal range

Question 9

Song 3?

Answer 9

First page set out like a bird’s cage

Question 10

Suggesting?

Answer 10

He is talking to a bird

Question 11

Which is?

Answer 11

The flute

Question 12

Song 4?

Answer 12

Lyrical approach

Question 13

For?

Answer 13

“Sweet Thames flow soft”

Question 14

Lowest?

Answer 14

Vocal tessitura in whole work

Question 15

When singing?

Answer 15

“Deliver me from my people”

Question 16

Tone?

Answer 16

Despairing tone

Question 17

Setting?

Answer 17

Syllabic setting

Question 18

Next good word painting in song 4?

Answer 18

“I am alone”

Question 19

Why is it good?

Answer 19

No vibrato or instruments, pianissimo and small vocal range

Question 20

Suggests?

Answer 20

The king’s loneliness

Question 21

Song 5?

Answer 21

Musical parody of baroque dances

Question 22

By using?

Answer 22

A harpsichord

Question 23

Performance directions?

Answer 23

“ululate like a dog”

Question 24

On?

Answer 24

“Howls”

Question 25

Schizophrenic?

Answer 25

"Scorn you"

Question 26

Suggested how?

Answer 26

Octave leap

Question 27

Song 6?

Answer 27

Rapid breathing effect in its first words

Question 28

Which are?

Answer 28

"I am nervous"

Question 29

To suggest?

Answer 29

The anxiety of the King

Question 30

Song 7? Instructions?

Answer 30

"Like a female vocalist" & "like a horse"

Question 31

Parody?

Answer 31

Musical parody

Question 32

How?

Answer 32

Swung jaz piano, stride in LH, syncopation in RH

Question 33

More?

Answer 33

Tonal style

Question 34

Parody is?

Answer 34

Handles messiah

Question 35

Elements from?

Answer 35

Baroque era

Question 36

How?

Answer 36

Chugging quaver continuo and melismatic vocal line

Question 37

Chromatic?

Answer 37

Bass line brier to entry of vocalist

Question 38

Country?

Answer 38

Country foxtrot

Question 39

Irony when singing?

Answer 39

"I will rule with a rod of iron"

Question 40

How so?

Answer 40

Sung in high-pitched, thin voice

Question 41

Leads to king?

Answer 41

Smashing the violin

Question 42

Piano?

Answer 42

Note clusters in piano

Question 43

Song 8?

Answer 43

Announces his own death

Question 44

How?

Answer 44

Extremely sanely, keeper metaphorically beats him off-stage with leather straps on bass drum