Rameau- Zais Overture

This piece is the overture from an opera composed by Rameau, a french Baroque composer, (1683-1764). The piece is in D major and is in 2. It depicts the four elements coming of of "Chaos". The piece begins with just the Tambour playing a rhythm on just one note, C. The Tambour does not move from this note at any point throughout the piece. Soon the bassoons come in as well (0:20) and then the strings, with scalic patterns (0:58). Throughout the piece there are occasional interruptions from the drum (e.g. 0:56). Although the melodies begin quite simply, the piece soon picks up and gains speed (0:58), with the tempo getting faster and also the different parts having more complex rhythms e.g. the violins with their semiquavers. The piece again gets faster ("Plus Anime") (1:39) and arpeggiation becomes very apparent from all the parts playing. Then the piece goes into 3 beats in a bar (2:36). Next the violins have running scalic patterns which turn into sequences. The other violins join in and there is a sort of duet between both parts. Other parts come in and play chords, whilst the second violin parts drops out again. Soon enough we get the parts playing in imitation of one another, with flutes and bassoons imitating the strings (e.g. 3:04). At (3:16), all the parts play one fast, descending scale from F to the F below it, followed by a pause (due to the rests). This brings the section to a sort of cadence point, before the piece continues. Then all the parts play together for the first time, as though the cadence point has brought them all together. They are now a hubbub of motion and vitality. After only a few bars, however, the flutes have a solo, accompanied by chords in the lower parts. Then the flutes switch positions with the violins, so that the violins are playing a solo.

I used http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XziYugk4T0c
25 mins spent.

Thomas Tallis- If ye Love Me

This song was written for an unaccompanied choir consisting of Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass. The text comes from The New Testament, and it is sometimes described as a Motet. This is because the words are heard very clearly by all the parts and the piece is religious (because of the text used). The piece is in 4/4 and is roughly Andante (75 crotchet beats per minute). It is through-composed, because the phrases all have different melodies. The piece is all legato, which works well for a church setting, where the piece would usually be performed, because it fits the calm mood of the service and also allows for easier comprehension of the text, because it is slow and legato, so people can more easily hear the words.
The piece is in E major, and begins with the tonic chord. In the first bar, the word Love is emphasised because 3 out of the 4 parts suddenly ascend (though with varying sizes of interval). From bar 5 the parts then imitate each other, and when it says 'pray' ("I will pray the father"), word painting is used because the parts jump up, as though the person is rising up to heaven, to God when they pray. On the word comforter, the parts come to a sort of cadence which lands back on the tonic, which reflects the word, because it is comforting to come to a resting/"homely" point. In bars 14-16, all the parts have a staggered entry. In bars 19-26/27, each part says the words "ev'n the sp'rit of truth" three times. This technique of the use of 3 dates back to the Medieval period when it was used ubiquitously in Sacred music, because it represents the Holy Trinity, arguably the centre of Christianity. The piece begins soft, then in about the 4th bar the piece gets louder. This happens again in about bar 9, and then diminuendos again in bar 13 for the end of the phrase.

Jacques Arcadelt (1507-1568) - Ave Maria

The title of this piece means 'Hail Mary', a common title for a Sacred piece. Therefore we know that the piece is probably sacred without even looking at the actual music. However when looking more in detail at the music and text, this sacredness becomes more clear.

However, looking at the piece we can see a number of characteristics that show that it is sacred and was therefore probably sung in a mass, for example the text referring to 'Holy Mary', and Jesus and 'ora'- begging to the 'Sancta Maria'. Also 'Dominus Tecum', the Lord is with you. Finally at the end there is an 'Amen'.

In terms of the music, there are also things that show that the piece is Sacred. For example the use of three. The words 'ora, ora pro nobis, Sancta Maria' are repeated three times in a row. Also for words like Dominus, Ave Maria, Benedicta, (Master, Hail Mary and Blessed)- the most holy words in the music, there is a crotchet rest at the beginning of the bar , so that the word is sung as a triple meter bar (three crotchets), again the use of three. We know that people in early times thought that the number three was an appropriate way to show holiness because it represents the Holy Trinity. The end of the piece has an Amen. This is representative of prayers, where you say Amen at the end. Again, this shows that the piece is sacred. Also the word Amen is sung as a Plagal Cadence (V, IV), which is the very typical cadence used specifically for the word Amen. 

There is word painting in the piece as well which is typical of the period and especially for sacred music, for example often with the word Sancta, the melody rises, symbolising rising up to heaven/ God. On the word Jesus, there is a dotted minim with a pause, so that a lot of emphasis is put on the word, to make people be fully aware of it. 

Machaut Essay- Messe de Notre Dame

"Analyse and discuss what you hear in this extract in terms of the musical elements."

This piece was written in the Medieval period, probably before about 1365, which means that there are a number of elements in it that are common to the period. It is also a 'Kyrie'- sacred piece, and a movement from a mass. Because of these things, the piece is written in a specific way.

The meter of the piece is triple, because it represents the Holy Trinity. There are also three main sections in the piece, 'Kyrie', 'Christe' and another 'Kyrie'. These three sections are each repeated three times. These uses of Three all represent the Holy Trinity. The fact that the piece is sacred is the reason for these references to the Holy Trinity. People thought that this idea of three was 'perfect' and beautiful because of it represented the Holy Trinity.

There is a Cantus Firmus taken from the plainchant melody, "Kyrie Cunctipotens Genitor". It can be found in the Tenor part. Tenor means 'hold' in Latin, which is why it is used as the Cantus Firmus part. In this part there is a four-note Talea, with a dotted semibreve, a minim, a semibreve and another dotted semibreve, (however these rhythms would not have been written into the original score) This is called Isorhythm.

There are other parts of the piece which indicate that it was written in the Medieval period, for example in Bars 6 and 7, there is what is known as a DLT (double leading tone) cadence, ending in open fifths. These fifths are very typical of Medieval music. More open fifths can be found in bars 15, 21, 27, 32 and throughout the piece. The use of the modal tonality also indicates the Medieval period (The piece is in Dorian mode). Each section begins and ends with a perfect cadence, that is stable. 

The different parts have different roles in the piece. The Tenor and Contra tenor provide the upper voices with harmonies. The upper voices move quicker, with note lengths like crotchets and quavers, which the other two parts do not have. 

There are other musical features that do not necessarily indicate the Medieval period, like how there are many thirds and sixths used to give a sense of forward motion in the piece. These, however, always resolve to perfect chords in order to maintain the feeling of the mode. The text setting is very melismatic, and the voices move in small intervals (the widest interval being a fifth). In the 'Christe', both the Tenor and Contra tenor parts are isorhythmic and there is the use of 'hocketing' also.

Connecting Musical Styles using Musical Elements

Meaning

Textual Meaning

• Baroque and Renaissance  music- Word Painting
• Blues/ Jazz singing - Expressive Improvisation
• Polynesian region (Pacific Ocean) -Logogenic
• Religious Music e.g. Gospel
• Opera

Many styles of music also have meaning, but it is not expressed/communicated with words, rather with emotions caused by the music, sometimes based on previous experiences. Some alternative non-textual styles are:

• Yodelling
• In some countries, styles used for healing (without words)
• Communal music making
• Sometimes in religious music, the text is not understood by many people (e.g. Hebrew, Latin etc.) but the meaning is still conveyed

Sometimes the words are used not for their meaning, but through the meaning created through the sound of the words.

Meditation (Thais) By Massenet

This is a great piece to look at with focus on tension and release, because the piece uses a lot of it and it is always very clearly shown, usually with dynamics and also with rhythm and pitch. The first "climax" is in bar 15, where the melody reaches the highest note so far and has a huge crescendo leading up to it, so that it is played f. It is also a rhythmic cadence, because there is a dramatic change in note lengths just before it (semiquavers to crotchets and then finally a minim). This seems to slow down the melody, causing even greater tension. The semiquaver notes are disjunct also, meaning that the melodic tension is heightened. Finally, the note is on the first beat of the bar- the strongest, which adds to the climax.

There are also many places in the piece where smaller climaxes are reached, for example in bar 23, where the dynamic is piu f, however although this is "more than forte" (therefore bigger than the big climax before), the context means that it does not seem so big. This illustrates an important point, that context is very important in defining climaxes/ tension.

There are also small climaxes each time the main melody returns, the B, C# and D is a climactic phrase (with the D being debatably the most tense of the three). Just before it there are triplet notes that create greater tension because they are disjunct.

The piece is written for solo violin and orchestra, which means that on the more tense notes the other strings come in and create extra depth to the sound and thickness to the texture, which is much more tense and grand.

Waltz no.19 in A minor- Chopin

The first page of the piece

• The piece's contour: 
• First section: Undulating
• Second section: Undulating, then an Ascension
• Range: very broad, from E to the E 3 octaves above it in the melody, and the accompaniment goes down to a low A.
• Tessitura: It is neither easier nor more difficult to play really high or low on a piano (other than the physical effort of having to move that far), therefore the performer is not "exploited" much. 
• The scalic pattern in the second section is the loudest part of the piece (forte). This is because it is the main buildup of tension, the "summit" of the piece.
• Slurs in the piece usually mark out phrases, for example, the crotchet-quavers-crotchet rhythm from bar 1 that keeps returning is slurred, to indicate that it is a small phrase. The bigger phrase goes up to bar 8.
• The piece is very typical for a waltz, because of the repeated 3-crotchet rhythm, comprised of a single note and then two chords in the accompanying part.