Project 4: Word Setting

I'm afraid of love

I though this poem by Kathleen Ossip would make a good unaccompanied song because of the nature of the text and that it is written in regular lines of five syllables. The full poem can be found here:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/23531

Given the regular syllable structure it wasn't really necessary to perform the rhythm transcription, but I did it anyway for practice and completeness. This can be seen below.

I then went about setting a melody around the poem. The text lends well to a minor key, but I also thought there were obvious points of emphasis and certain commas lead to dramatic pauses. I worked these into the song to create a more dramatic performance.

Research Point: Traditional Modes

We studied the traditional (authentic) modes as part of GCSE music at school. We were tested by having the teacher play scales in the different modes and having us write down the name of the mode being played. We didn't cover the plagal modes though.

As Taylor says, the Ionian (C-C) and Aeolian (A-A modes) sound the most familiar to us; the Ionian mode shares all the same notes with the C major scale and the Aeolian mode is very similar to A minor with the exception being the flattened 7th.

The Lydian (F-F) and Mixolydian (G-G) are similar though, as they are both very closely linked to they equivalent major scales; the Lydian mode is just F major with a sharpened 4th and the Mixolydian mode is just G major with a flattened 7th.

Therefore is only really the Dorian (D-D) and Phrygian (E-E) modes that a more distant from traditional western scales. Both the Dorian and Phrygian modes have a minor feel to the them, but the pattern of notes in the scale sound distant from the conventional melodic or harmonic minor scales. This is most likely why these modes seem to be the most commonly used when doing modal writing.

Project 3: Accompaniments

Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill

I chose this example as I thought the major key would make it easier to derive a harmonic progression. For the introduction, I took a few bars towards the end of the folk song and added a bass part to create contrary motion between the two parts. I was then able to use this same bass part when the vocal line sang that melody. I felt the important thing for this song was to create a piano accompaniment which had a lot of movement, but didn't over power the vocal line. This was easier for the bass line than the treble line of the piano, and I regularly found that block chords were easier in the write hand rather than an elaborate counter-melody.

I repeated the introduction as a bridge passage between the two verses, then kept the majority of the music the same for the second verse. The dynamics are different and the chords leading up to the fermata have more chromatic notes added to create tension; this is something I've found that Peter Warlock does to good effect in his strophic songs. The introduction is repeated to create a coda, but the melodic line is altered to create a definite end to the song.

Research Point: Word Settings (Rhythm of Words)

For this research point I decided to look at the word settings of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. I've always liked their works and used perform one every two years at school. I also own the scores for Iolanthe and Princess Ida, which made this task easier.

In Iolanthe, one movement I've always admired is the 'Entrance & March of Peers'. Here, Sullivan writes a song in the style of a march and fanfare while perfectly fitting the words to the notes. More over, the rhythm of the words makes it feel remarkable natural, as the libretto was written with a pomp and circumstance style march in mind. There are also very percussive passages, with the tenors and basses singing words such as 'tantantara' and 'tzing boom' to create the impression of trumpet calls and drum beats.

In Princess Ida, the movement 'I am a maiden, cold and stately' is written as a dance for the three male leads. Again, the lyrics perfectly fit the style of the song whilst the correct emphasis is given to the text. Sullivan is also able to give bounce and a lightness to the vocal line, in keeping with the dancing theme. In contrast to this song, in Act III there is the song 'This helmet, I suppose' which Sullivan write in the style of Handel. Here, the rhythm of the words is few different to other songs in the operetta with much more emphasis on the vocal line and the style of the song than the word setting; there is much more use of melisma creating a very elaborate melodic line on to which the words are fitted. In his other songs, it feels as though Sullivan does it the other way round; he fits the melody around the intended rhythm of the words.

Equally, there are a lot of patter songs in their operettas; there is nearly always a comic baritone role to sing these parts. These patter songs are written to sound as though they are spoken, so the vocal rhythm fits the style of a spoken line. Not only are these songs perfect for getting through a lot of text quickly, they often have a comic element to them, creating a lighter movement to the operetta.

Peter Warlock - Yarmouth Fair

This is one of the songs I'm singing for my DipABRSM in December, but I thought it would be relevant to the research point on folk-song arrangements as it is an arrangement of a Norfolk folk-song.

The interesting thing about this song is what Warlock does with the accompaniment. The song itself repeats a very similar melody over and over again with different words. Instead of repeating the accompaniment, Warlock changes the accompaniment each time; the chords are the shape, but he changes the shape and style of the counter melody in the right hand and the bass line in the left.

 Of particular interest is the start of the fourth verse, where the harmonies in the accompaniment become very elaborate. Warlock is renowned for writing almost unplayable piano accompaniments, and this becomes very evident here. First hand accounts say that he was an alcoholic and used to marvel at the harmonic changes he could write in his pieces, but he would play them at a very slow pace so that those listening could fully appropriate the harmonies he was creating. Unfortunately, when you play it up to speed (minim = 108 in this case) it becomes very difficult to play.

That aside, he's able to put a very modern element into this traditional folk-song and it creates a very effective climax to the song. Because he changes the accompaniment each verse, it doesn't become monotonous, nor does it feel like a strophic song; as the story evolves through the lyrics, so too does the accompaniment.

Research Point: Folk-song Arrangements

Six Studies in English Folk Song - Vaughan Williams

This particular example of folk song arrangements by Vaughan Williams was written for cello and piano. Vaughan Williams takes advantage of the continuous bowing action of cello by writing very long held notes at the ends of phrases which wouldn't be possible on a wind instrument or for a singer. In each movement, the cello plays the folk-song, the replays it with elaboration and ornamentation.

i. Adagio

The first movement is based on the folk-song 'Lovely on the Water'. Vaughan Williams stay true to the original folk-song by writing it in E modal minor. The piano accompaniment is only minimal throughout the movement; quaver rising broken chords adding texture to the cello melodic line. These interjections are provided at the end of each phrase, where the cello is on a held note. In the middle section the piano take over the melodic line along with involved accompaniment; rising arpeggios in the bass and chords under the melodic line in the right hand.

ii. Andante sostenuto

The second movement, based on the folk-song 'Spurn Point', is arranged differently to the first movement. The piano provides a more elaborate counter melody throughout the movement; in particular it occasionally mimics the cello line a few bars later, particularly when the cello is on a held note. This creates movement and flow when the cello line is static. To avoid the piano overpowering the cello, the piano dynamics are also marked one notch down throughout the movement; the piano is marked pp when the cello is marked p.

iii. Larghetto

The third movement is based on the folk-song 'Van Dieman's Land' and like the first movement is written the original mode of the folk-song; D modal minor. The cello provides an opening motif before the piano and cello enter in a homophonic passage. This creates a much fuller texture compared to the previous movement, so makes it feel a lot heavier and the D model minor setting gives it a dark feel; this is fitting given the folk-song is about poachers being deported to Tasmania (originally known as Van Dieman's Land). Like previous movements, Vaughan Williams uses the piano accompaniment to link the phrases together.

iv. Lento

The fourth movement is based on the folk-song 'She Borrowed Some of her Mother's Gold' and features a very flowing piano accompaniment; there is a counter melody in the right hand and rising arpeggios in the left hand. There are regular triplets in the left hand against duplets in the right hand. Vaughan Williams increases the range of the piano accompaniment and adds a lot of pedal to create a rich texture.

v. Andante tranquillo

The fifth movement, based on the folk-song 'The Lady and the Dragoon', is one of the movements where Vaughan Williams heavily elaborates the melodic line when it is replayed. Initially the piano part features chords in the right hand under three note bass motif which repeats every bar. As the melodic line is ornamented, Vaughan Williams uses hemiolas in the piano part to create contrast to the opening. At the end, there is a conversive passage between the cello and the piano.

vi. Allegro Vivace

The sixth movement, based on the folk-song 'As I walked over London Bridge', is a real contrast to the other movements as it's the only movement at a faster tempo. The melodic line and accompaniment are also very staccato, whereas the previous movements all featured long, legato lines. It opens with fast, staccato chords in the piano right hand whilst the cello plays the melodic line. The piano right hand then repeats the folk-song whilst the left hand plays a bass pedal and the cello plays a broken chord motif. The cello then takes over the melody, embellishing it with triple and quadruple stops. The piano right hand plays legato crochet chords on the beat while the left hand plays detached quaver chords off the beat for contrast. This theme continues, with the melodic line swapping between the piano and cello while deminuendoing. As the music dies away, parts are removed from the texture until we are left with just the cello. The movement concludes with a final, short quiet chord.

Project 2: Reviving skeletons

Vivaldi's Four Seasons

To create a contrast from Vivaldi's setting I decided to create a faster example but also one where the time signature altered between 6/8 and 4/4. I wrote the bass line as a walking motif whilst using the changes in time signature to create a contrast in the melodic line.

Schubert's Du bist die Ruh

I wanted to use a Schubert song for this example as I've always thought it was very clever what he was able to compose from the basis of a simple chord progression. I started by taking the introduction and first two local lines of the song and doing a harmonic reduction. This can be seen below; the introduction in particular is build around a simply chord progression with added notes for colour.

Like the Vivaldi example, I created contrast by making my version faster and with a much larger dynamic range. I wrote the 2 parts so that there was always movement; in particular I made use of the Alberti bass motif to give the music a Classical era feel.