purcell

Question 1

what period does the piece come from?

Answer 1

the mid-baroque era

Question 2

what instruments was the piece written for?

Answer 2

solo voice (usually a tenor) and continuo - though the anthology vers is scored for a soprano, harpsichord, and bass viol

Question 3

what key is the piece in?

Answer 3

the original is in C minor but the anthology version is in A minor

Question 4

what did the right hand of the harpsichord play?

Answer 4

an elaborate realisation which is highly decorative and embellished with frequent dotted rhythms and ornamentations, would’ve been improvised at the time

Question 5

what does the left hand of the harpsichord play?

Answer 5

the ground bass, along with the bass viol

Question 6

what sort of ornaments does the right hand harpsichord play?

Answer 6

• upper and lower mordents
• grace notes
• appoggiaturas
• slides and grace notes
• trills
• arpeggiation

Question 7

what is the vocal part like?

Answer 7

• mainly syllabic
• melisma on ‘eternal’ and ‘wond’ring’
• repeats words
• word painting
• mostly stepwise with occasional (small) leaps
• rests for expressive effect
• rising and falling sequences
• uses passing notes
• range of a 9th

Question 8

what kind of structure does the piece follow?

Answer 8

a ground bass structure

Question 9

what is ground bass?

Answer 9

a short, recurring melodic pattern in the bass part that acts as the principal structural element whilst the melody parts above change, also known as a basso ostinato and common i the baroque period

Question 10

how long is the ground bass?

Answer 10

three bars

Question 11

what note value does the ground bass consist of?

Answer 11

entirely quavers

Question 12

what is the melodic shape of the ground bass based on?

Answer 12

arpeggios

Question 13

what interval is the end of the ground bass?

Answer 13

a fall of an octave

Question 14

how many times is the ground bass heard in the tonic before modulating?

Answer 14

four and a half times

Question 15

what is the form of the piece?

Answer 15

ternary form

Question 16

what key is the first section in?

Answer 16

A minor, ending with a modulation to the dominant (E minor)

Question 17

what is the second section characterised by?

Answer 17

it is characterised by modulations through different keys and by shortened and lengthened versions of the ground bass

Question 18

what kind of intervals are used in the ground bass?

Answer 18

semitones (chromatacism

Question 19

what keys is the second section in?

Answer 19

• e minor
• g major
• c major
• a major
• e minor

Question 20

what are modulations confirmed by?

Answer 20

perfect cadences

Question 21

are the chords diatonic or chromatic?

Answer 21

diatonic

Question 22

is the harmony functional or nonfunctional?

Answer 22

functional

Question 23

what is the texture?

Answer 23

melody dominated homophony

Question 24

what does the right hand of the harpsichord provide for the vocal line?

Answer 24

counterpoint

Question 25

what are two features of 17th century english harmony that are used in this piece?

Answer 25

- tierce de picardie - false relation

Question 26

what is a tierce de picardie?

Answer 26

a major tonic chord ending a cadence in a minor key

Question 27

what is false relation?

Answer 27

when the natural and the flattened/sharpened version of a note are played in close proximity (in diff parts)

Question 28

what is the tempo?

Answer 28

no marking but a slow one

Question 29

what is the time signature?

Answer 29

4/4

Question 30

what rhythm is the ground bass?

Answer 30

walking bass (steady quavers throughout)

Question 31

what rhythm does the right hand harpsichord use?

Answer 31

dotted rhythms and tied notes

Question 32

is there any syncopation?

Answer 32

only occasionally eg the 'drop' bit