New York Counterpoint

Mind map summarising the key features of Reich's New York Counterpoint. Feel free to ask questions/suggest improvements :)

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  • Created by: Nora
  • Created on: 18-02-13 09:12
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  • New York Counterpoint: Movement II
    • Structure
      • Evolves
      • Not a definite structure
      • Bars 1-12: Introduction of melodic material. Number of instruments increases
        • Bars 13-71: Unchanging three part canon
          • Bars 25-66: Live clarinet fades in and out with a solo line
            • Bars 27-65: Parts 7-10 fade in and out with four-part chordal semiquavers
    • Tonality
      • Key signature suggests B major
      • Never clearly established
      • Lack of key-defining cadence
    • Texture
      • Bar 3: imitation at distance of one quaver
      • Two bar units  repeated
      • Bar 9: doubling of parts
      • Staggered repetition of melodic material
      • Opening bars: homorhythm
      • Main texture is counterpoint
      • Bar 27: pulsating chordal homophony
    • Rhythm and Metre
      • Short rhythmic units of grouped semiquavers and long notes
      • Hard to discern metre
      • Gradually building rhythmic complexity
      • Simple triple
      • Syncopation barely audible
    • Melody
      • Mainly leaps, some stepwise movement
      • Uses hexatonic scale: E-F#-G#-A#-B-C#
      • Leaps outline broken chords or arpeggios
      • Diatonic
      • Live clarinet more disjunct
    • Harmony
      • Alternation of cords IV and V creates harmonic movement
      • Overlap of chords creates brief dissonances
      • Unprepared dissonances
      • Essentially diatonic
      • Use of added note chords in lower parts
      • Non-functional
      • Harmonies outline by overlapping melodies
    • Performing forces
      • Clarinets  7, 8, 9 and 10
        • very wide range (9 and 10 are bass clarinets)
        • Usually play persistent repeating notes
      • Clarinets 4, 5, and 6
        • lower register from A to A
      • Extremes of register mainly avoided
      • Clarinets 1,2 and 3
        • range of an octave C# to C#
        • Use same melodic material
      • Live clarinet has a wider range
      • One live clarinet + 10 pre recorded

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