Music GCSE Revision

Pearson Edexcel GCSE
Daniel Conway
Music
Revision Booklet
For Unit 3: Listening and Appraising
V1.1

Pearson Edexcel GCSE
Music
Revision Booklet
Unit 3: Listening and Appraising
(5MU03)

Daniel Conway
Version 1.1.2

Changelog
Fixed numbering of questions on page 39.

Contact the author
Daniel Conway
chemnerd97@yahoo.co.uk

Sharing and copying
This booklet may be printed, reproduced, photocopied and/or shared, as long as due credit is
given.

Disclaimer
I do not assume, and I hereby disclaim, any liability to any party for loss or damage caused by
errors or omissions in the guide, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence,
accident or other cause.
Edexcel GCSE Music Revision Guide By Daniel Conway
Contents

Area of Study 1: Western Classical Music 1600-1899
Page 6 G.F. Handel: Chorus: And the Glory of the Lord from Messiah, HWV 56
Page 9 W.A. Mozart: 1st movement from Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550
Page 11 F. Chopin: Piano Prelude No. 15 in D flat major, Op. 28

Area of Study 2: Music in the 20th Century
Page 14 Schoenberg: Peripetie from Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16
Page 16 Bernstein: Somethings Coming from West Side Story
Page 19 Steve Reich: 3rd movement (fast) from Electric Counterpoint

Area of Study 3: Popular Music in Context
Page 21 Miles Davis: All Blues from the album Kind of Blue
Page 23 Jeff Buckley: Grace from the album Grace
Page 26 Moby: Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? from the album Play

Area of Study 4: World Music
Page 28 Capercaillie: Skye Waulking Song from the album Ndurra
Page 31 Rag Desh:
Page 32 Version 1: by Anoushka Shankar
Page 33 Version 2: by Chiranji Lal Tanwar
Page 34 Version 3: by Benjy Wertheimer and Steve Gorn
Page 35 Koko: Yiri

Exam Materials
Page 38 Practice Section B questions

Page 5 chemnerd97@yahoo.co.uk
G.F. Handel: And the Glory of the Lord
Context: Chorus in section 1 of Messiah (an oratorio by Handel)
Composed in: 1741 (18
th
century)
First performed: 13
th
April 1742 in Dublin

Style: Baroque
Key features of Baroque music:
Use of ornamented melodic parts
Major and minor keys (as opposed to modal)
Use of diatonic chords of I, IV, V, II and VI.
Basso continuo (keyboard instrument playing a chordal support with the

bass line played by the cello)
Different textures (monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic)
Prevalence of one affection (mood).
Terraced dynamics (contrasting of dynamics on two levels- loud/soft).

Key: A major
Metre: 3/4

Structure: No formal structure
The work starts with an orchestral introduction.
This introduction is a ritornello because it reappears throughout the piece.
The movement is based on different combinations of the four motifs.

Tempo: Allegro (fast) until the ending where it becomes Adagio (slow)
Change of tempo creates a stately and grand ending.

Instrumentation: Baroque orchestra
1st and 2nd violins
Violas
Choir (SATB)
Soprano (high female part)
Alto (low female part)
Tenor (high male part)
Bass (low male part)
Basso continuo
Double bass (playing an octave lower than written)
Cello
Chamber organ (playing chords on top of the bass line - figured bass)
Melody: There are four main ideas.

Motif A

First sung by the altos.
Dotted rhythm in bar 2.
Word setting is completely syllabic.

Motif B

First sung by the tenors.
The word revealed is a descending sequence.
Word setting is melismatic on the word revealed.

Motif C

First sung by the altos.
There is repetition used between all flesh, shall see it and together.
There are melismas in this motif.

Motif D

First sung by the tenors and basses.
There are only two notes used (A and B).
There are longer notes used, which are repeated.
Word setting is completely syllabic.

Rhythm:
First 3 motifs use mostly crotchets and quavers.
The fourth motif uses long (dotted minim) repeated notes.
Word painting: For the mouth of the lord hath spoken it is a bold statement and
is supported by the rhythm.
Hemiolas used towards cadence points- music feels like it is in 2/4.

Harmony and tonality:
Piece is in A major
Modulation to E major (dominant) and B major (supertonic).
Harmony is completely diatonic (only using notes within the key).

Texture:
Contrast of homophonic and polyphonic textures.
Ending is homophonic (and homorhythmic).
Imitation is used between parts.

Dynamics:
Terraced dynamics used: clear contrasts between loud and soft.
The ending is loud.
Dynamics determined by the number of parts playing at a time.

Mood:
The mood is joyful: the piece is celebrating, glorifying and praising God.
The mood is called an affection.
The mood is reinforced by:
The major tonality
The sprightly tempo
The 3/4 metre.

Word setting:
There is a mixture of syllabic and melismatic word setting.
The different phrases are repeated many times.

W.A. Mozart: 1
st
movement from
Symphony No. 40 in G minor
Context: First movement in Mozarts 40th symphony (he wrote 41)
th
century)

Style: Classical
Key features of Classical music:
Simple, mainly diatonic harmonies
Expression markings
Balanced, repetitive melodies
Musical dialogue - question and answer
Often homophonic in texture
Increased use of wind instruments
Harpsichord replaced by piano

Key: G minor
Metre: 4/4

Structure: Sonata form
Exposition
1st subject
Bridge passage
2nd subject
Codetta
Development
Recapitulation
Coda

Tempo: Molto allegro (very fast)

Instrumentation: Classical orchestra
No timpani
No trumpets
Only 1 flute

Rhythm:
Simple rhythms
Some syncopation and dotted rhythms to create musical interest

Diatonic throughout
1st subject in G minor
Bridge and 2nd subject in B flat major
Development starts in F sharp major.
Development moves through the circle of fifths.

Texture:
Homophonic
Dialogue between strings and woodwinds
Octave doubling in violins

Dynamics:
Starts soft (p)
Accented notes
Ending is loud (f )

Melody:
First Subject

Scalic passages
Repetition and descending sequence in the first theme in the 1st subject:
Quaver-quaver-crotchet rhythm
Moves by step mainly, with one leap.

Second Subject

Lyrical and smooth 2nd subject:
Moves by step mainly, with a few leaps.
Cantabile melody.
F. Chopin: Prelude No. 15 in D flat major
th
century)

Style: Romantic
Key features of Romantic music:
Emphasis on expressing feelings
Longer, more developed melody lines
More freedom in use of form and structure.
Chromatic, discordant harmonies.
Strong dynamic contrasts (pppp-ffff )
Development of the piano.

Key: D flat major

Metre: Common time (4/4)

Structure: Ternary form
A section.
Contrasting B section.
Shorter A section.
Coda.

Tempo: Rubato: tempo can vary throughout- is at the pianists discretion.

Instrumentation: Solo piano

Rhythm:
Septuplets and dectuplets used (the fitting of 7 or 10 notes into 1 beat).
Repeated quavers
Dotted rhythms

A section
in D flat major (tonic)
ends on an imperfect cadence

B section
in C sharp major (enharmonic)
ends on an imperfect cadence

A section (reprise)
in D flat major (tonic)
ends on a perfect cadence

Texture:
A section
homophonic
melody in RH
broken chords in LH
pedal note of A flat in LH
B section
homophonic
melody in LH
chordal in RH
pedal note of G sharp in RH is doubled in octaves
A section (reprise)
homophonic
melody in RH
broken chords in LH
pedal note of A flat in LH
Coda
monophonic for 2 bars, then homophonic
melody in middle of texture
sustained chords in LH and RH
Dominant pedal heard throughout the piece.

Dynamics:
Wide range of dynamics used: no sudden changes
Section A is quieter than section B.

Melody:
A section
In RH
Uses many dotted rhythms
Light feel

B section
In LH
Uses mainly crotchets and minims
Darker feel

A. Schoenberg: Peripetie
Context: Fourth of Schoenbergs Five Orchestral Pieces
th
century)

Style: Expressionist
Key features of Expressionist music:
It is atonal, avoiding the normal hierarchy of keys and giving each of the 12
semitones equal importance.
One intense emotion is expressed throughout the whole piece.
Instruments are played at the extremes of their pitch.
Timbre is felt as important as melody.
Extremes of dynamics are common.
Expressionist pieces tend to be quite short.

Key: Atonal
Metre: Changes between 3/4, 2/4 and 4/4.

Structure: Free rondo form
Five sections: A, B, A
1
, B, A
2

Tempo: Sehr rasch (very fast)

Melody:
Made of short, fragmented motifs.
Disjunct melodies with many large leaps.
Melodies are formed from hexachords.
Melodies varied by inversion and rhythmic augmentation.

Most important part denoted by [ ] (hauptstimme)
Second most important melody denoted by \ ] (nebenstimme)
Dynamics:
Frequent, sudden changes of dynamics, leading to extreme contrasts between

ppp and fff.

Piece is atonal.
A lot of dissonant harmony.
Chords and melodies built from hexachords - groups of six notes.
Complement of the hexachord is the other six notes of the chromatic scale.
Instrumentation: Large post-Romantic orchestra
Quadruple woodwind section
Piccolo
3 flutes
3 oboes
Cor anglais in F
Clarinet in D
3 clarinets in B flat
Bass clarinet in B flat
3 bassoons
Contrabassoon (a large bassoon that sounds an octave lower than written)
Large brass section
6 horns in F
3 trumpets in B flat
4 trombones
Tube
Percussion
Xylophone
Cymbals
Tam tam (a large gong)
Bass drum
Strings
1st and 2nd violins
Viola
Cello
Double bass

Unusual effects: Cymbals played with a mallet and a cello bow; double basses
play a tremolo very close to the bridge.

Rhythm:
Rhythms are varied and complex and change quickly.
Schoenberg layers a number of different rhythmic patterns on top of each other

to create a complex contrapuntal texture.

Texture:
Largely contrapuntal with occasional monophonic and homophonic moments.
Complex textures built up through the techniques of imitation and inversion.
Final climax of the piece created from three different canons heard at once.

L. Bernstein: Somethings Coming
Context: Tonys first solo in West Side Story (musical based on Romeo and Juliet)
th
century)

Style: Musical Theatre
Influenced heavily by jazz

Key: D major
Metre: changes between 3/4 and 4/4

Structure: No formal structure
Introduction.
Two main sections and a varied repeat.
Ad lib fade bar linking with the change of scene instrumental music.

Tempo: Fast (= 176 )

Instrumentation: 30 man band (approx.)
Solo tenor
Band
Woodwind
Brass
Percussion
Strings
Some players double up (play different instruments at different points)

The band has to make sure they dont overpower the singer, so the band uses:
Quiet dynamics
Soft timbres (e.g. muted trumpets and pizzicato strings)
A homophonic texture

Rhythm:
Accompaniment consists of an on-beat bass part against off-beat chords. This

creates cross-rhythms.
Lots of frequent syncopation.
There is also an um-pah bass line with a straight rhythm

Piece is in D major
Two contrasting sections in C major
Frequent use of sharpened fourth and flattened seventh - Jazz influence
The use of the key note and then the sharpened fourth creates a tritone - it is a
unifying feature throughout West Side Story
The tenors last note is a flattened seventh. The note is unresolved. This creates
a feeling of incompletion and fits with Tonys sense of expectation.

Texture:
Homophonic
Three main ideas in the accompaniment:
Repeated riff that opens the song
Short, mainly syncopated chords
Fast um-cha accompaniment

Dynamics:
Fades out at the end
Generally, theme A is soft and theme B is loud
Theme C has crescendos and diminuendos

Melody:
Melody is based on a blues scale
The tritone is used in the melody line
The melody is mainly syllabic
Word painting is used

Theme A

Short, two-bar phrases
There is a tritone on the triplet
Syllabic

tritone
Theme B

Word painting
There is heavy repetition:
Repetition of individual notes (it may come cannonballing )
Repetition of of phrases (down through the sky, then gleam in its eye )
Syllabic (until rose, which has two notes and is so a melisma)
Loud (an example of word painting)

Theme C

Word painting
Long notes used
8 bar phrasing
Higher vocal register

Reich: Electric Counterpoint
th
century)

Style: Minimalism
Minimalist techniques used in Electric Counterpoint:
Ostinati or loops
Metrical displacement
Layered texture
Note addition
Metamorphosis
Resultant melody
Diatonic harmony
Cells or short motifs

Key: E minor

Metre:
Changes between 3/2 and 12/8
Some parts are in 3/2 while others are in 12/8 (polymetre)

Structure:
No formal structure - could be described as ternary form
A section.
B section.
Coda.

Tempo: = 192

Instrumentation: 10 guitars
Live guitar
7 pre-recorded guitar tracks
2 pre-recorded bass guitar tracks

Rhythm:
Very little rhythmic variety
Mainly repeated patterns of quavers
Frequent syncopation
Metrical displacement: guitars 1-4 play the same motif, but start in different
parts of the bar, so they sound out of synch with each other.
The beginning of the piece is tonally ambiguous
The bass guitars affirm that the piece is in E minor
The piece plunges into C minor and back into E minor regularly
There are no D sharps to affirm the key
Piece can be described as modal: aeolian mode transposed to E

Texture:
Texture is mainly contrapuntal
Texture builds up in layers
Starts with just guitar 1 (monophonic)
Then live guitar (heterophonic)
Guitars 2-4 follow playing a metrically displaced opening riff
Then bass guitars 1 and 2
Guitars 5-7 join and play chords
Guitars 5-7 drop out
Bass guitars fade out at the end

Dynamics:
No dynamic changes
Parts fade in and out in a number of places
Loud/soft determined by number of instruments playing

Melody:
Melodies made up of short motifs or cells

These cells are looped
The live guitar plays the resultant melody

the opening riff
on the score:
sounds like:
Miles Davis: All Blues
Context: from the album Kind of Blue
Album released in: 1959 (20
th
century)

Style: Jazz
Key features of Jazz music:
Jazz structure
Improvised solos
Key features of Modal Jazz:
Laid-back and uncomplicated
Solos based on modes
Complex and altered chords

Key: Modal - Mixolydian mode
Metre: Notated in 6/4, 2/4 and 4/4.

Structure: Free rondo form
Based on the 12-bar-blues progression
Five main sections:
Introduction - first four bars played by rhythm section
Head 1
Main melody played by muted trumpet
Opening riff
Opening riff
Solos (note that 1 chorus is a round of the 12 bar blues)
Trumpet (lasts for four choruses)
Opening riff played on piano
Alto sax (lasts for four choruses)
Tenor sax (lasts for four choruses)
Piano (lasts for two choruses)
Head 2
Opening riff
Opening riff
Coda - trumpet solo

Tempo: Jazz Waltz

Melody:
Head melody is simple and is played by the

saxes (there is a third between them)
Melodies in the solos are improvised with

the rhythm section comping (accompanying)

Instrumentation: Jazz Band
Frontliners
Trumpet (Miles Davis)
Alto Sax (Julian Cannonball Adderley)
Tenor Sax (John Coltrane)
Rhythm Section
Piano (Bill Evans)
Bass (Paul Chambers)
Drums (Jimmy Cobb)

Rhythm:
Performed with swung quavers - the first quaver is longer than the second.

Piece is modal - mixolydian mode.
Based on the 12 bar blues (chords of All Blues given on the first page)
Mixolydian mode is G major with a flattened seventh.

Texture:
Starts with just the drum kit (playing with brushes), bass and piano.
Texture builds as more instruments are added.
Solos are separated by a rhythm section version of the opening riff - thin texture
Homophonic - solos are accompanied by rhythm section, and the head is in

harmony (interval of a third between the saxes).

Opening ri

Jeff Buckley: Grace
Context: Title track in Jeff Buckleys debut album Grace
Recorded in the United States
Buckley died swimming in the Wolf River in 1997
Released in: 1994

Style: Folk Rock

Key: E minor
Metre: 12/8
Structure: Verse-chorus form
Instrumentation:
Voice
Electric guitar
Acoustic guitar
Bass guitar
Strings
Synthesiser
Drum kit

Rhythm:
Bass drum plays beats 1 and 3 and the snare plays the backbeats (3 and 4)
Frequent syncopation in the vocal melody (which is rhythmically free - almost

improvised)
Cross rhythms created through the use of two-against-three rhythms

Intro Verse 1 Prechorus Chorus
Instrumental Voice Voice
Voice
Wait in the fire
Link (intro) Verse 2 Prechorus Chorus
Instrumental Voice Voice
Voice
Wait in the fire
Bridge Link (intro) Verse 3 Outro
Voice
(vocalisation)
Instrumental Voice
Voice
(similar to chorus)
Song is in E minor
Tonally ambiguous
Introduction is based on a D chord
Many chords are chromatic
Chords move in parallel motion (e.g. F, Em, Eb)
Harmonies are very dissonant

Texture:
Thickens towards the end
Synth and strings vary the texture

Melody:
Vocal part has an improvised quality
Wide range of over two octaves
Most of the vocal phrases are falling, reflecting the melancholy mood
Frequent ornamentation in the melody line with glissandos (slides)
Most word setting is syllabic, with some long melismas (love in V1 and fire in
the chorus)
Vocalisation in the bridge: singing with no words
Buckley also uses falsetto for very high notes

Word painting:
cries in V1 - set to a falling fifth - sounds like crying
pain and leave in bridge - in high register and sounds fraught
slow in V3 - set to a very long note
drown my name in V3 - thick texture is built up

Technology:
Modulation on the synthesiser at the start
Distortion and flanging on the guitar
Overdubbing on the guitar parts, creating a thicker sound
Extra vocal parts in the outro are produced through overdubbing

Chord Sequences:

Verse
Em
There's the moon asking to stay
F Em Eb
Long enough for the clouds to fly me away
F Em Eb Em
Well it's my time coming, i'm not afraid, afraid to die

Prechorus

Em B7/F# Em/G A Bm A Em
My fading voice sings of love,
Em B7/F# Em/G A Bm7
But she cries to the clicking of time
A Em
Of time

Chorus

F
Wait in the fire...
Em Eb
Wait in the fire...

F
Wait in the fire...
Em Eb Em
Wait in the fire...

Moby: Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?
Context: Song in Mobys album Play
Released in: 1999

Style: Dance

Key: A minor
Metre: 4/4
Tempo: 98 bpm

Structure: Verse-chorus structure

Instrumentation and technology
Two vocal samples from 1950s Gospel music
why does my heart feel so bad male voice
these open doors female voice
Synthesisers: which produce the string, bass and piano sounds
Drum machine: creates the drum track
Sequencer: triggers the sampler and synthesiser

Effects
Panning creates a sense of movement and direction
Electronic ghostings of the backing singers in the original sample
Reverb
Delay
EQ

Rhythm:
Bass drum plays beats 1 and 3 and the snare plays the backbeats (3 and 4)
Shaker plays repeated semiquavers
Syncopation in the piano, vocal and synth string parts
Rhythms varied between sections to create contrast, e.g. syncopated piano

Song is in A minor
Completely diatonic
The verses are minor and the choruses are major

Structure

A sections are verses
Bx sections are the first part of the chorus
By sections are the second part of the chorus

Features Chords
A1 Piano chords only
Am, Em, G, D
A2
Adds vocal sample
why does my heart feel so bad?
A3 Adds percussion and countermelody
A4 Adds bass and string-synth
A5 Syncopated piano chords
Bx1
Female vocal sample
these open doors
C, Am, C, Am
By1
Female vocal sample
these open doors
F, C, F, C
A6
Second vocal line is added
question and answer style
Am, Em, G, D
A7 Repeats A6
The Breakdown (one bars pause)
Bx2
Distant female sample
No piano or percussion
Static chords
C, Am, C, Am
By2 Piano and percussion resume
F, C, F, C
By3 Repeats By2
A8
Male voice, static chords, no piano or
percussion
Am, Em, G, D
Capercaillie: Skye Waulking Song
Context: song in the album Ndurra
Released in: 2000

Style: Celtic fusion
Traditional Celtic Folk aspects:
Use of fiddle, bouzouki, accordion and uilleann pipes
Vocables (hi ri hurabhi o ho)
More singers joining in the chorus - elements of call and response
Western Influences:
Use of drum kit, synthesiser, Wurlitzer piano, electric, acoustic and bass
guitar
Vocables (hi ri hurabhi o ho)
More singers joining in the chorus - elements of call and response

Key: G major

Metre: 12/8

Structure: Intro, V1, Break, V2-6, Instrumental, V7-8, Outro

Melody:
Melodic lines are played in the folk style.
Instruments improvise around melodic lines
The vocal line is sung in E minor pentatonic
The vocal line uses vocables (nonsense syllables - hi ri hurabhi o ho)
The vocal line also uses the Gaelic language

Rhythm:
Scotch snaps (lombardic rhythms) used (short note then long note)
Hi-hat pattern at the start creates cross rhythms
When full band enters, hi-hat rhythm emphasises 12/8

Instrumentation:
Lead vocals (Karen Matheson)
Backing vocals
Drum kit
Synthesiser
Wurlitzer piano
Electric guitar
Acoustic guitar
Bass guitar
Fiddle
Bouzouki
Accordion
Uilleann pipes

Piece is in G major
Harmony is completely diatonic (only using notes within the key).
Three main chords used - G, Em and C
However, there is a section where Am9, Em9, Em, C and G are used
Cluster chord at the start

Texture:
Layered texture created through:
Rhythmic drum pattern
Bass line
Synth and accordion chords
Main vocal melody
Countermelodies on violin, Wurlitzer piano, uilleann pipes, bouzouki
Heterophonic texture as instruments play and improvise around each other,

and play similar parts


Intro Verse 1 Break Verse 2
Synthesiser Em
chord:
modulation
Fiddle plays
tremolo
Drum part enters
Wurlitzer piano
tremolo eect
Voice enters

Same instrumental
backing
Instrument
al break
Instrument
s sound
same as
before
Voice joins back in
No instrumental
change
Verse 3 Verse 4 Verse 5 Verse 6
Voice joins back

in
No instrumental
change
Voice
Accordion joins
Bouzouki/acoustic
guitar strums
accompaniment
Strong drum part
Thick texture
Uplifting mood
Same as V4

Accordion provides countermelodies

Instrumental Verse 7 Verse 8 Outro
Uilleann pipes
solo with the
ddle
Heterophonic
texture
Accordion
provides
accompaniment
and melodic
doubling
Chords are now

Am7-Em9-Em-C-G
Dynamics drop
Intimate vocal sound
Backing vocals for

vocables
All instruments drop

out for last line
Full band
plays
Chords
back to
C-G-Em-C-G
Vocals improvise to
the vocables
Instruments weave a
counterpoint with
each other
Chords alternate
between C/G
Prominent ddle part

plays the song out
with fade
Rag Desh
Indian classical music is built up of three layers:
A melodic line played on a solo instrument
A rhythmic pattern played on the drums
A drone played on a stringed instrument

Melody:
Melody based on a rag a pattern of notes, like a scale.
Rag Desh is made of these notes:

Rag Desh is associated with the late evening and the monsoon season.

Rhythm:
Rhythmic pattern played by the drums is based on a tal the cycle of beats.
First beat in a tal is called the sam, which is often stressed by the musicians.

Structure:
Alap
Slow introductory section
Notes and mood of the rag are introduced against a drone
No regular pulse and no percussion

Gat
Fixed composition which is improvised on by the solo instrument
The percussion enters
A clear pulse is introduced

Jhalla
Fast final section
Music becomes more virtuosic and decorative

Anoushka Shankar
Instrumentation:
Sitar
Plucked string instrument
Long neck
Seven main strings which play the melody
Twelve sympathetic strings which resonate to give a shimmering sound
Tabla
Pair of drums
Dayan
Right drum
The smaller drum made of wood
Bayan
Left drum
The larger drum made of metal

Rhythm:
Two tals used:

Structure:
Alap
Sitar only
Melodic line decorated with slides and pitch bends (meends)
Gat
Tabla enters
Improvisations end with a tihai short melody / rhythm played three times
Jhalla
Fast and sitar strings are strummed for rhythmic excitement

Tintal (4+4+4+4)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
C C W C
Jhaptal (2+3+2+3)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
clap clap wave clap
Chiranji Lal Tanwar
Instrumentation:
Voice
Sarod plucked string instrument
Sarangi bowed string instrument
Pakhawaj long drum with a head at each end
Tabla
Pair of small cymbals

Rhythm:
One tal used:

Structure:
Alap
Sarangi and voice
Bhajan
Tabla enters
Sung verse is followed by short solos for sarangi and sarod
Important words decorated with melismas and ornaments

Keherwa tal (2+2+2+2)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
clap clap wave clap
Steve Gorn / Benjy Wertheimer
Instrumentation:
Bansuri bamboo flute with holes instead of keys
Esraj bowed string instrument
Tambura plucked string instrument
Tabla

Rhythm:
Two tals used:

Structure:
Alap
Drone on notes D and A
Bansuri introduces notes of rag
Esraj takes over; instruments alternate improvised phrases
Gat 1
Slow gat in rupak tal
Begins with a bansuri solo
Tabla enters after 30 seconds
Bansuri plays composed gat
Bansuri and tabla improvise
Finishes with a tihai
Gat 2
Fast gat in ektal
Begins with a tabla solo
Improvisation becomes more elaborate
Bansuri plays tans (fast scales)
Finishes with three tihais

Rupak tal (3+2+2)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
wave clap clap
Ektal (2+2+2+2+2+2)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
clap clap wave clap wave clap
Koko: Yiri
Yiri means wood - because all of the instruments, except the bell, are made of
wood
Music of this style is learned by the oral tradition.

Key: Gb major

Metre:
Mainly in 4/4 but a few bars are in other metres
Introduction is in a free tempo
The rest of the piece has a steady pulse.

Structure: Three sections
Introduction:
Balafon solo, played using tremolo
Main section:
Drums play an ostinato
Clear pulse
Alternates between balafon solos and choruses
Vocal solo using call and response
Coda
Short phrase for balafon is played five times in slightly varied versions
Drum ostinato interrupted by rests
Bell is sounded to mark the end

Instrumentation:
Balafon - similar to a xylophone, but with gourds underneath the bars to make
it more resonant
Djembe - goblet shaped drum, played with the hands
Talking drums (large and small) - played with a hooked stick and can be used to
imitate speech

Rhythm:
The talking drums and djembe play together and a resultant rhythm is heard
(the audible combined rhythm produced from the drums)
This resultant rhythm is an ostinato- it is played again and again throughout
Syncopation frequently used, especially in the vocal and balafon parts
Vocal soloist makes use of triplets

Key of Gb major
Most of the music is hexatonic

Texture:
Layered texture
Monophonic texture in the introduction
Occasional heterophonic textures (when the two balafons play different
versions of the same tune at the same time)

Dynamics:
Little dynamic variation

Melody:
Balafons play short patterns, often falling from high to low
Balafon has solo breaks which are more virtuosic
During choruses, the group sings in unison

resultant rhythm
Practice Section B Questions
1 Comment on how Handel uses the following elements in And the glory of the Lord.
Melody
Harmony and tonality
Dynamics
Texture
Mood
Remember to use correct musical vocabulary where appropriate. (10)

2 Comment on how Mozart uses the following elements in the 1st Movement from
Symphony No. 40 in G minor.
Melody
Tonality (keys)
Structure
Rhythm
Instrumentation

3 Comment on how Chopin uses the following elements in Prelude No. 15 in D flat
major.
Melody
Dynamics
Texture
Structure
Tonality and harmony

4 Comment on how Schoenberg uses the following elements in Peripetie.
Tonality and harmony
Instruments and texture
Melody
Dynamics and tempo
Structure


5 Comment on how Bernstein uses the following elements in Somethings Coming.
Melody
Rhythm
Harmony / Tonality
Structure
Instrumentation

6 Comment on how Reich uses the following elements in 3
rd
movement (fast) from
Electric Counterpoint.
Melody
Tonality
Texture
Structure
Rhythm

7 Comment on how Miles Davis uses the following elements in All Blues.
Melody
Harmony and tonality
Rhythm
Texture
Structure

8 Comment on how Jeff Buckley uses the following elements in Grace.
Structure
Melody
Harmony
Texture
Instrumentation


9 Comment on how Moby uses the following elements in Why does my heart feel so
bad?
Melody
Chords
Structure
Technology
Texture

10 Comment on how Capercaillie uses the following elements in Skye Waulking Song?
Structure
Melody
Texture
Harmony
Instrumentation

11 Comment on how Chiranji Lal Tanwar uses the following elements in Rag Desh.
Structure
Melody
Rhythm
Dynamics
Instrumentation

12 Comment on how the group Koko uses the following elements in Yiri.
Rhythm
Instruments
Structure
Vocal parts
Texture


Music GCSE Revision

Uploaded by

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Copyright:

Available Formats

Music GCSE Revision

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Music GCSE Revision

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pearson Edexcel GCSE

Key features of Baroque music:

Use of ornamented melodic parts

Major and minor keys (as opposed to modal)

Use of diatonic chords of I, IV, V, II and VI.

Basso continuo (keyboard instrument playing a chordal support with the

Different textures (monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic)

Prevalence of one affection (mood).

Terraced dynamics (contrasting of dynamics on two levels- loud/soft).

The work starts with an orchestral introduction.

This introduction is a ritornello because it reappears throughout the piece.

The movement is based on different combinations of the four motifs.

Change of tempo creates a stately and grand ending.

1st and 2nd violins

Soprano (high female part)

Alto (low female part)

Tenor (high male part)

Bass (low male part)

Double bass (playing an octave lower than written)

First sung by the altos.

Dotted rhythm in bar 2.

Word setting is completely syllabic.

First sung by the tenors.

The word revealed is a descending sequence.

Word setting is melismatic on the word revealed.

First sung by the altos.

There are melismas in this motif.

First sung by the tenors and basses.

There are only two notes used (A and B).

There are longer notes used, which are repeated.

Word setting is completely syllabic.

First 3 motifs use mostly crotchets and quavers.

The fourth motif uses long (dotted minim) repeated notes.

Hemiolas used towards cadence points- music feels like it is in 2/4.

Modulation to E major (dominant) and B major (supertonic).

Harmony is completely diatonic (only using notes within the key).

Contrast of homophonic and polyphonic textures.

Ending is homophonic (and homorhythmic).

Imitation is used between parts.

Terraced dynamics used: clear contrasts between loud and soft.

The ending is loud.

Dynamics determined by the number of parts playing at a time.

The mood is called an affection.

The mood is reinforced by:

The major tonality

The sprightly tempo

The 3/4 metre.

There is a mixture of syllabic and melismatic word setting.

The different phrases are repeated many times.

Key features of Classical music:

Simple, mainly diatonic harmonies

Balanced, repetitive melodies

Musical dialogue - question and answer

Often homophonic in texture

Increased use of wind instruments

Harpsichord replaced by piano

Some syncopation and dotted rhythms to create musical interest

1st subject in G minor