Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Music > Vaughan Williams > Flashcards

Vaughan Williams Flashcards

(58 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

What was Vaughan Williams influenced by?

A

English folk music, Tudor music and Impressionistic (Debussy and Ravel)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the folk influences?

A

Vocal melodies resemble folk

Use of modes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What impressionist influences are there?

A

False relations and parallel movement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are the lyrics based on?

A

Six poems from ‘A Shropshire Lad’ by A.E Housman

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is a song cycle?

A

Collection of songs in the Western Classical tradition that share similar subject matter or have texts by the same poet

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is Wenlock Edge?

A

Limestone escarpment in the Shropshire Hills area of outstanding natural beauty

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What’s the story behind ‘On Wenlock Edge’?

A

Wild storm lashing out at young trees
The poet realises that Romans experiences the storms
Romans faced the same struggles
Storm is brief so sufferings will soon be over

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What’s the story behind ‘Is My Team Ploughing?’

A

Dialogue between a ghost and a young man (friend)

Friend stolen the dead means girlfriend

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What’s the story behind ‘Bredon Hill’?

A

Young love defeated by death
Bells calling people to church - the couple say they’ll go on their wedding day
Girl dies - bells are tolled

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What instruments is On Wenlock Edge composed for?

A

Tenor
String quartet
Piano

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Describe the piano part

A

Not hard but not virtuosic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Describe the special effects in ‘On Wenlock Edge’

A

Quiet demisemiquaver flourishes
ppp echoes
extended trills
tremolos

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Describe the full textures in ‘Bredon Hill’

A

Large chords together with chains of parallel 4ths

R.H melody doubled at the 4th and octave above, L.H block chords in piano

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Describe the string quartet in ‘On Wenlock Edge’

A

Tremolo
Long Trills
Sul Ponticello

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is sul ponticello?

A

Player bows very near the bridge to create a thin, strained tone

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Why does ‘Is My Team Ploughing?’ involve muted strings?

A

Enhance the mysterious, distant effect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Describe the string quartet in ‘Bredon Hill’

A

Con Sord
Double stopping
Sul D and G
Natural Harmonics on open strings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

How does ‘On Wenlock Edge’ show the gale through dynamics

A

Word ‘trouble’ matched by opening f

Frequent use of crescendo and diminuendo = gales speed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Describe the dynamics in ‘Bredon Hill’ and ‘Is My Team Ploughing?’

A

Quiet, even pppp

Loud outbursts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the texture?

A

Homophonic with considerable variety

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Explain some textural variety

A

Doubling at the octave over broken-chord semiquavers in ‘On Wenlock Edge’
Singl chords sustained by upper strings - simple harmonic background in ‘Is My Team Ploughing?’
Voice accompanied by dense parallel semibreve and minim chords in ‘Bredon Hill’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is the structure of each song?

A

Blending of strophic and through-composed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Describe the tonality of ‘On Wenlock Edge’

A

Gm
Bitonal - piano on Ab while vocals in Gm
Pentatonic - G-A-C-D-F

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What’s the tonality of ‘Is My Team Ploughing?’

Study These Flashcards
A

Dorian mode for the ghost
Dorian inflections - B and C natural
Dm in friends replies

25
What is the tonality of 'On Bredon Hill'?
Mixolydian on G - his favourite key | Blurred
26
Describe 'On Bredon Hill's' pentatonic set
G-A-B-D-E
27
What is the tenors range?
12th from D below middle C up to A | Highest note - A on 'bells' in Bredon Hill
28
Describe the word setting
Syllabic Some slurred pairs Short melismas for emphasis
29
Describe the melodies
Stepwise Small leaps Larger leaps (above a perfect 5th) in intense moments
30
What's freer in its use of larger intervals?
Instruments
31
How does Williams use contrary motion?
Similar motion Parallel first inversion chords and triads False relations Parallel 4ths and 5ths
32
How 'Is Wenlock Edge' harmony simple?
Quartal harmony with the pentatonic set G-A-C-D-F
33
How is Bredon Hill characteristic of early 20th C music?
Parallel 8ves divided into 5ths and 4ths - bells Mixture of 6ths, 5ths and 4ths Other parallelisms e.g succession of perfect 4ths and 5ths
34
How is 'Is My Team Ploughing?' more old fashioned?
Chromatic harmony Chromatically descending bass half-diminshed 7th chords French augmented 6th chords
35
explain the tenors rhythm
In keeping with the stress pattern of text
36
Describe the tempo of each piece
'On Wenlock Edge' - Allegro moderato (suprising for a stormy piece) 'Is My Team Ploughing?' - Ghost = Andante, Live man = poco animato Changes of tempo reflect the changing situation of the text
37
What are the metres?
'On Wenlock Edge' = 4/4 'Is My Team Ploughing?' = change is response to text - 3/4, 4/4, 2/4, 3/4 'Bredon Hill' = 2/2, 3/2, 4/4
38
How is the storm shwon through rhythmic activity in 'On Wenlock Edge'?
Tremolo, trills and short notes
39
Describe the rhythm of 'On Wenlock Edge'
Triplet quavers and sextuplet semiquavers and ordinary syncopation and trills on weak beats
40
Describe the rhythm of 'Is My Team Ploughing?'
Rhythmic flexibilty | Mixture of dotted rhythms, triplet quavers, ordinary quavers and offbeat quavers
41
How does 'Is My Team Ploughing?' show the live and dead man?
dead man = modal and Andante (slower) | live man = Dm and poco animato (faster)
42
What are the features of rhythmic interest in 'Bredon Hill'?
Increased activity in intro Continous triplet quavers in piano of stanzas 3 + 4 Syncopation in accompaniment to stanza 6 Rallentando at end - beat remains unchanged by semiquavers give way to triplets then quavers then triplet crotchets which lads to minims
43
How are bells represented?
Continuous triplet crotchets in piano of stanzas 3+4 giving way into quavers in piano Dotted minim chords and crotchet octaves in stanza 6
44
What does colla voce mean?
With the voice | Players must keep with the singer who must have scope for freedom at intense moments
45
What is quartal harmony
Based largely on 4ths rather than 3rds like traditional harmony
46
Structure of 'Bredon Hill'
7 verses
47
Structure of 'Is My Team Ploughing?'
3 verses
48
'On wenlock edge' structure
5 verses
49
Sea Slumber song context
Elgar 1899 Progromatic From the poem 'sea pictures'
50
Sea Slumber song sonority
``` orchestra and solo voice rocking accompaniment of waves mostly quiet (ppp) crescendos and diminuendos low tesitura and narrow range spread chords harp glissando divided strings ```
51
Sea slumber song texture
sparce texture so voice heard doubling - horns double vocals tremolo and spread chord mel-dom-hom
52
Sea Slumber song melody
Syllabic Opening clarinet motif repeated throughout Word painting - quavers = waves orchestra doubles vocals
53
Sea Slumber strong structure
Through composed intro 3 bar postlude
54
Sea Slumber song tonality
Em modulates to E major and C major brighter ends on Em chord
55
Sea Slumber song Harmony
Late Romantic Spread E chord = waves crashing accidentals = chromatic movement Ends on Em chord
56
Sea Slumber song tempo/metre/rhythm
``` 4/4 word painting - sleep = dotted note harp glissando ostinato in strings quaver movement in chromatic sections cross-rhythms ```
57
Comparisons
``` Sea Slumber Sky Waulking Song In Haven Silent noon Pagodes Six songs from a shropshire lad Erlkonig - schubert ```
58
Sky Waulking song
``` Capercaillie 2000 pentatonic G major diatonic cross rhythms, polyrhythms, syncopaton hetraphonic ```

Music (19 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions