Structural harmonies

Home on the Range
Joy to the World
Franz Schubert, "Die Forelle" ("The Trout"), op. 32/D. 550

Follow the procedure we used in class today. Listen to each recording as many times as necessary to identify all the tonic and dominant chords in each piece. It is possible that you might have some boxes without a roman numeral. I will check this on Monday.

What have we talked about?

Imagery
Rhythm
Dynamics
Instrumentation
Articulation
Drone/pedal tone
Voiced
Tempo
Notation
Emotion/mood
Repetition
Building up
Melody


(NOT: Harmony)

Morgan's

Monteverdi and Paul Simon

Despite the drastic stylistic difference, these songs have something in common. The first and third pieces are more upbeat than the other songs. There are multiple factors that contribute to this. The first song sounds like a royal entrance. It is also in a major key. While the third song isn’t in major, it is up tempo and generally sounds major except for the Te’s. The first song has a more moderate tempo.

Zach Ziolkowski 

Der Ring des Nibelungen, Das Rheingold 

L’Orfeo toccata 

            Both of these songs capitalize on a major scale. Das Rheingold uses a major scale in triad motion going up the triad all the way up to the “mi” above the upper “do” while L’Orfeo goes up step-wise up to “sol”. They both do their respective patterns over and over again as the main melody. They both also have very powerful forward motion. While Das Rheingold takes a little bit to build, it is still very forward and powerful. L’Orfeo starts out pretty strong from the very beginning. 

Mahler & Wagner

I think that both of these pieces have one thing in common; colors. The beginning of the Mahler seems like a dark purple, with mysterious entrances of brighter colors. The start of the Wagner portrays a deep red color with the ominous feel of the minor 3rd in the bass, while flashes of yellow appear with the French Horn entrances. I think of Fantasia when I listen to these, and like the movie, colors appear in my mind that are constantly changing with the piece.

Monteverdi and Wagner- Dynamics & Articulation

Toccata by Monteverdi and the Prelude to Act I of Das Rheingold by Wagner have instrumentation in common, with the prominent brass and string instruments. However, they are very different in the musical elements of dynamics and articulation. Toccata is very staccato and mostly forte, with some crescendos and decrescendos for shaping, by mostly loud throughout the piece. The Prelude, on the other hand, is one continuing crescendo. It starts out extremely soft and builds to a fuller and louder sound, and is completely legato. These musical differences provide different emotional triggers from the songs and show the difference in mood behind the pieces. 

("Sure Don't Feel Like Love"/Toccata) RHYTHM

        Paul Simon's, "Sure Don't Feel Like Love" (2006), and Monteverdi, Toccata from L'Orfeo (1607) both have very noticeable and distinctive rhythms. Paul Simon's piece has a Mmm Bum, Mmm Bum rhythm. Toccata on the other hand goes Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh. These rhythms are both very up beat, and have a fast tempo. "Sure Don't Feel Like Love" has the drums carrying the melody, and Toccata has the melody being carried by the violins.

L'Orfeo toccata & Viderunt omnes Creating a Different Tone

Both pieces are similar in the way that they both add different instrumentation, whether adding female voices or strings, they both use this idea of changing the sound of the piece by adding them.  They are creating a more vast visual by using these techniques.  In the toccata, the wind instruments are already loud, but when the strings are added it softens the sound, making a different painting to imagine, as with omnes, which female voice adds in, giving it this ethereal feel whereas before it sounded like a bunch of serious dudes just sitting around a campfire in Game of Thrones or something just being cool and stuff wailing about God.  When the women join it's like them gathering around a good meal, like rice and vegetable soup, enjoying the beautiful day, saying a little somefin to their Lord and Savior, if you catch me. :-)

L'Orfeo toccata & Viderunt omnes Painting with the Tempo

These two pieces were very different in the styles they were written.
First the Toccata was very Baroque, having a fanfare of brass at the beginning. This triumphant march portrayed a very majestic or royal scenery. With its moderately fast tempo, one cannot help but to march or tap the beat. The second section is the melodic line again, but arranged for woodwinds and stringed instruments. Providing a lighter, yet fuller voice, the piece turned to a more Celtic style. Instead of a march, it appears to be more of a dance. With the third part, the brass and strings are combined making this picture a very triumphant scene of celebration. We have the sense that the picture the composure wanted to create is one of celebration and joy.
The second piece is quite the opposite. This Gregorian chant has a free tempo. The men sing a solemn melody of praise to God. This picture here is a monastery or more of a cathedral since at a moment, the women voices join then men in unison. This was a monophonic piece. Unlike the Toccata, this painting was perhaps only painted in black and white, not with extravagant colors. The moving melody just shows the freedom of interpretation of what this piece could mean. With its religious feeling, the listener feels a sense of respect and reverence from this "painting."

Der Ringdess Nibblungen, Das Rheingold and L'Orfeo tocatta

Both of these pieces have a driving, forward motion to them, helping to accentuate the progressive picture they paint. They both have a form of drone note beneath the glorious sounding melodies, which aid in the progression.

Anonymous, "Viderunt omnes"(11th century) Mahler, Symphony 1, first movement, mm 1-13 (1888-1899)

Both of these pieces did not have a set rhythm. The chant, of course, is not supposed to have a set rhythm, but the other piece should. Maybe this was the case because I did not hear the rest of the fifth piece; although I am pretty positive that I understood where the piece was going after listening to just a short section. 

Gustav Mahler and Wagner- picturing the scene

The beginning of those two pieces gave me a feeling of hope when a new day came, everything started waking up in the morning. The stepwise motion helped to picture the scene of hope while Wagner's piece are mostly stepwise, which sounded like it has more story inside.

Gustav Mahler and Das Rheingold - Constant Note

Both pieces have a constant lingering note in the background while the other instruments take their time to enter/crescendo. In the Mahler its a constant high violin while in the Rheingold its a constant bass. Both have no particular rhythm at this specific time to allow each instrument to slowly enter / crescendo. Mahler's has a particular melody as each instrument enters while Rheingold's has an echo, almost like a canon for each instrument as they enter and build up.

Theory 1 - Assignment for Friday 4/27

Examples from class on 4/25

Monteverdi, Toccata from L'Orfeo (1607)

Wagner, Prelude to Act I of Das Rheingold (1869)

Paul Simon, "Sure Don't Feel Like Love" (2006)
Anonymous, "Viderunt omnes"(11th century)
Mahler, Symphony 1, first movement, mm 1-13 (1888-1899)


Words you used to describe the pieces:

1. Fanfare. Baroque. Regal/royal. Upbeat. Brass, strings, percussion. Stepwise/scale melody w/limited group of pitches. 3 large sections. Accent on strong beats. Lutes/harpsichord (plucked strings accompaniment).
2. Big crescendo. Tonic triad (at beginning). Basses only play tonic note. Trading off of the tune with brass instruments. Echo. Space. No percussion. Celtic. Picturing a scene.
3. New age, rock, jazz. Lots of TE’s. Vocals. Rhythmic. Latin influence (rhythmic and instrumentation). Movie Pretty Woman. Fairly limited instrumentation. English language.
4. Unison. A capella. Stepwise. We expected just men, then women joined. Very legato. Dark resonance. No set rhythm. Latin text. Very resonant space.
5. Descending by thirds, with a constant pitch in violins. Mysterious. Building up. Drone in high instruments. No strong rhythmic beat.

Choose TWO of the pieces. Write a paragraph comparing them, focusing on ONE musical element. Post your paragraph to the blog. Title your post with the names of the pieces and the musical element. Use your ears and mind. You don't have to look at the scores.

Morgan Part Writing

Sydney Part Writing

Yijing Part Writing

Mary Part Writing

Jasmyn Part Writing

Justin's 4 part

Hayden Part Writing

Zach Part Writing

Glory Part Writing

C. Oliver 4 Part chord thing

Hannah's Chorale

Kaitlyn's 4-Part Chorale

Videos about rules for part-writing (Watch for Wed. 4/18)

Videos in which I explain (and simplify) Professor Roig-Francolí's nine rules for part writing.

Part 1
Part 2

Expect a mini-quiz on these.

Auralia and Musition - Free software trial

The programs (?) have been installed on the computers in the lab (MAC 400). You will have a few assignments using this software. I might also have a few opportunities for a small amount of extra credit.

The school code, username, and password are all in ALL CAPS:

School code: WESTLIBERTY-TRIAL
Username: Your first initial and last name. For example, Annie Smith would be ASMITH
Password: EARTRAINING

Videos for Chapter 1

Watch the following four brief videos, which deal with voice ranges, doubling, and spacing.

Voice ranges
Doubling (part 1)
Doubling (part 2)
Chord spacing - open vs. close (vs. neutral, not in textbook)


Then go to p. 126 of the textbook and do Exercise 2. Read Professor Roig-Francoli's directions, and write each chord in close or open position, as specified. Additionally, as I say at the end of the last video, double the root, third or fifth, as requested (by me).

NOTE: one of my requested doublings is very hard to do given the requested spacing. I had to exceed one of the voice ranges to do it right. I marked that one with an asterisk in the photo below.


Answers are shown in the pictures below (click "Read more").

There will be a mini-quiz on doubling and spacing on Wednesday.

Melodic lines- Yijing

Du Lebensfürst analysis tasks (Inquiry-based learning "IBL")

Chord analysis- Christian, Jasmyn, Adam
Melodic intervals:
Soprano - Mary, Glory
Alto - Morgan, Yijing
Tenor - Hayden, Zach
Bass - Sidney
Distance between voices
S/A - Hannah
A/T - Kaitlyn
T/B - Justin

"Du Lebensfurst, Herr Jesu Christ" Cantata no. 43

Morgan's "du Lebensfürst, Herr Jesu Christ"

Mary's "du Lebensfürst, Herr Jesu Christ"

C. Oliver "du Lebensfürst, Herr Jesu Christ"

J.S. Bach, "Du Lebensfurst" chorale, BWV 43

Video here. Tuning is higher.

Mary 4th Species Counterpoint

Glory fourth species counterpoint

Zach fourth species counterpoint

Hayden fourth species counterpoint

Justin fourth species counterpoint

Jasmyn 4th Species

Jasmyn 4th Species Counterpoint

Yijing-4th

Adam Ballato 4th Species

Hannah Martin 4th CP

C. Oliver 4th CP

Kaitlyn 4th Species