River - Joni Mitchell Flashcards
What happens in the intro of River?
Sort of I,Vi,IV,V in left hand, made clear with the motor rhythmic left hand quaver pattern broadly based around 1st,5th,8th,5th (which is maintained for the entire piece).
However due to the right hand piano part which is based on jingle bells, the chord progression really is a I,Vi7,IVmaj9,V (with flavours of V7 and 1c), giving the very simple progression a bit more colour.
Sonority - just piano.
What happens in the first verse harmonically?
Harmony: slow and gentle harmonic rhythm. 4 bars of C (with a triple appogiatura of F,A and D to E,G and C), then 2 bars of Am and 2 bars of G. Nice and gentle and simple.
Melody of verse 1?
.Range of a 9th.
.Based around a rising minor 7th and a falling major 6th.
.Nice and diatonic
.Conversational style rhythms due to dotted and tied quavers.
How is the sonority of the verse perhaps similar to Stevie Wonder, in terms of the piano and vocal writing?
Piano is more prominent in the spaces and rests in between melodic phrases.
How long is the intro?
8 bars
How long is the first verse?
16 bars (2x8)
How long is chorus 1?
12 bars - 8+4.
What about the harmony in chorus 1 is Mozartian?
Although the piece is still quite harmonically simple here, we have a quickening of harmonic rhythm. The chorus begins with 1 chord per bar (quicker than verses), then in the bar before the climax (‘flyyyyy’), we have two chords per bar (F, Am/E), emphasising the climactic nature of this moment in the piece. This is then followed by a held Dm chord, acting as a moment of calm after the climax.
Describe the harmony at bar 8 of the chorus.
Has a G chord (V), but instead of starting the next verse and using this as a perfect cadence, the chorus continues 4 more bars, beginning with an Fmaj7 chord. The interrupted cadence keeps the slow piece moving in some regards, and provides a little more interest in terms of structure - not just an 8 bar chorus.
Describe the melody of the chorus.
Fairly similar on the most part but made to feel more flowing due to more melismas, wth the most notable being the 9 note pentatonic melisma as ‘flyyyy’ is sung, accentuated as a climax due to the rising piano part.
What is the most notable element of verse 2?
‘I’m selfish, and I’m sad’. No legato at this point, which is different to most other areas of the melody. The shorter note lengths and lack of legato here give a more choppy rhythmic feel, perhaps representing the choppy and regretful emotions of a break up.
What is the difference between chorus 1 and 2?
It is now 14 bars long, as ‘fly’ melismatically ascends and holds a D for almost 4 bars, accompanied by the rising piano part again. This develops the climax of chorus 1 even further.
