Schönberg Flashcards
(20 cards)
general instrumentation
band-style and: piano, harp, percussion alongside orchestra
general rhythm
avoids strong down beats, frequent recitative, free rhythm
general structure
verse-chorus and sung-through musicals
general melody
very diatonic, tessitura used for emotional effect, conjunct
general texture
counter melodies and pedal notes
general harmony
pop/rock style, non-functional but diatonic, major and minor triads in root position, modulate up a tone at the end for emotional climax, slow harmonic rhythm
bui doi rhythm
repeated crotchets in accompaniment of opening, short note values except in chorus, b20 shortened to 2 beats to disrupt the flow - emphasises ‘all our children too”, opening is like recitative (maybe militaristic),
bui doi structure
verse-chorus, starts with male chorus singing chorus material and chorus joins in for final chorus - last chorus has gospel vibe
bui doi melody
high tessitura during chorus, very conjunct and lots of repeated notes, a bit more disjunct during chorus
bui doi texture
thicker texture during chorus, eb dominant pedal in vocal opening, arpeggios in accompaniment to soften tone, chordal - homophonic
bui doi harmony
2 chords per bar, last chorus shifted up a tone - not functional, in Ab major but sounds minor because of regretful tone, final cadence is plagal - softer maybe more reflective finish, frequent use of augmented chords - unsettling
I still believe rhythm
tempo rubato - reflects determination, triples and more rhythmic movement in middle 8, anacruses let rhythmic movement flow to prevent heavy downbeats
I still believe structure
verse-chorus but with largely contrasting middle 8 section sang by Ellen which is then combined with final chorus all for more emotional emphasis. (texture becomes quicker here)
I still believe melody
low tessitura until the end bc 2 altos, mostly conjunct, verses are a bit like recitative
I still believe texture
melody dominated homophony, counterpoint in last chorus
I still believe harmony
Kim sings about missing Chris and C# is missing from melody - word painting and tonal ambiguity, slow harmonic rhythm and mostly 1st inversion chords, Dm->Dmaj - becoming more hopeful, goes up a tone.
one day more rhythm
militaristic quavers
one day more melody
melodic themes from other songs, parallel 6ths
one day more instrumentation
brass and percussion at climactic moments
one day more texture
counterpoint between voices, parallel 6ths, pedal notes
