Chopin’s Piano Prelude is otherwise known as the Raindrop Prelude because of its 3 note falling motif which is varied and repeated throughout the piece. In bar 1 there is a D major triad (F, D flat, A flat) which illustrates the motif, which is then repeated in the next few bars. This piece also contains a technique called rubato which is the freedom of pulse i.e. the tempo varies throughout the piece. There is a perfect cadence (chord V to I) at bar 4 followed by ornamentation over a dominant 7th chord in a septuplet figuration incorporating an acciaccatura (crushed note).
The keys of G major and A major are then used in bars 11 and 12 respectively. These keys are unrelated and dissonant, serving to show the pain and awkwardness of ‘loss,’ ‘regret’ and ‘starved hope.’ This is accented as the vocal motif from bar 6 (c,d,e,d) is inverted in bar 12 (d,c,b,c), with the b flat forming a discord under the A major triad, a piece of word painting suggesting the pain of ‘starved hope.’ Hardy also uses word painting in bar 22 to develop this point further, as we have the phrase ‘[if] brightness dimmed’, set over an F
The Erlking Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer during the Romantic Era. He created a new type of song called a leid, and composed over 600 lieder during his short life-span of 31 years. The romantic leid is a solo song with piano accompaniment; within which the voice-piano marriage is equal. The Erlking is one of Schubert's most famous Lied, depicting the death of a child assailed by 'the Erlking' (a supernatural being). Originally written in German, this lied depicts the story by using a range of techniques.
Stravinsky has re-written this music for woodwind with many contrapuntal counter melodies. In bar 11, the horn part could be described as ‘sighing’, and in bar 15, the bassoon has glissandi written in which are very unusual timbres, especially considering this music was once for solo keyboard. The final four bars before variation one are exactly as Monza wrote them, only re-arranged for wind. Variation 1 starts with the first horn
Praised by many, Charles Ives scores big with his interpretation of Transcendentalist authors in his Concord Sonata. This piece was inspired by the messages portrayed in the literary works of four authors. I selected the first of the four movements in this piece, which was dedicated to the literary and oratory styles of Ralph Waldo Emerson. It begins as advertised with Ives’ notoriously disconnected style. The tones of the piano are dissonant with different rhythmic values, and an overall feeling of chaos.
The finale consists of 5 variations and the allegretto con variationi. The theme in the allegretto con variationi are 2 four bar phrases. The first phrase ends on an imperfect cadence, from I to V. The second phrase ends on a perfect cadence, from V to I. In both phrases the first two bars interact with the other 2 bars using the feature call and response. This motif was regularly recurring within the piece.
But because of the C sharp the voice misses the following B flat because the clarinet is playing it. Therefore the voice postpones the final C and launches into, “The willows…” (starting on opportunities for the melodic variation by organising a serial polyphony that converges upon common pitches.” Also Berio uses pitch series in his chamber music which he has inverted to make sure that melodic lines derived from this will be contrasting variants of each other. Berio hardly ever allows the same chords to appear twice therefore he is able to generate ver rich pitch series, which can be
The piano solo version of the third Liebesträume borrows freely from the original lied—some passages are lifted straight from it, while others are certainly more pianistic and appropriately adapted to the altered setting. The passionate melody, purely Lisztian, is heard first in the middle voice over a firm bass, and the gentle accompaniment of arpeggios often found in nocturnes. Three statements of the melody, separated by brief cadenzas in a particular Chopin-esque manner, form the structure of the piece. The middle statement modulates from the original key of A-flat major, a key well-suited for themes of love, into a
In 1967, at the age of 41, he was diagnosed with a liver disease and died thereof soon after. Impressions, one of John Coltrane’s most popular jazz standards, is modal in its nature and is 32 bars in length. The tune modulates after 16 bars, to the key which is a semitone above, and returns to the initial key after 8 bars. Its modal nature allows for long periods of time with very minimal chord progressions. In this way, I am able to experiment vastly in my improvisation by using a variety of rests, long/held out notes, sequences and patterns.
In 'Your Paris', it is immediately made apparent that Hughes and Plath had antagonistic outlooks even in the early days of their relationship. The cultural clash between "your Paris" of "Street after street, of Impressionist paintings" and "my Paris" of "the Occupation and old nightmare" is reflective of Plath's aestheticised world view and Hughes' post war survivor's context. He admits that his "perspectives were veiled", influenced by his experience of the war, but at the same time, dismisses Plath's "anecdotal aesthetic touch" as a way of protecting herself from reality. Hughes further privileges his own view by utilising animal imagery to characterise himself as "a guide dog, loyal to correct your stumblings", which positions us to sympathise with his faithfulness and patience in dealing with "your agitation and your stone hours". Hughes' tendency to elevate his own perspective is also evident in 'The Minotaur', which is driven by contrary interpretations of an event.