Auric - Passport to Pimlico: The Siege of Burgundy

• Composed in 1948 for Ealing Studios Comedy film

• Buried treasure found in Pimlico belonged to Duke of Burgundy. Pimlico is found to be part of Burgungy. Inhabitants declare independence. British authorities border Pimlico

• This piece is then used to show sympathisers throwing food to break blockade

• Auric - french composer + pianist

• Member of Les Six known for sense of humour and avant-garde ideas (anti-romantic)

• Moved away from romanticism and expressionism

• Influences came from circus music + Jazz

• Standard symphony orchestra with extra tuned percussion

• Tuned percussion double melody lines b55 celeste doubling piccolo

• Tubular bells to represent church bells b31

• Timapni and clash cymbals for climax points b49

• Full use of strings b7

• Strings 'chugging' chords b31

• Pizzicato b11

• Misses out lower instruments b31 or uses them on their own b15

• Woodwind/string trills

• Trumpet fanfare figures b1 with muted trumpet b41

Rapid changes in texture. 

• b1-4 brass fanfares with trills and decending scales

• b5-8 homophonic texture

• b9-10 polyphonic texture

Misses out/uses only lower instruments to give high low pitched texture b11/b15

Bass dominated homophony b21-2

Melody dominated homophony b55

Tutti at end homophonic

Antiphonal b27 with brass, upper strings + woodwind

Structure based on scenes.

• Fanfares + trills b1 anounce headline 'Burgundy Bombared with Buns' 

• Theme in E b5

• Theme in G maj b 9 (new accomp + countermelodies)

• Fanfare b13 another newspaper headline

• 2nd theme b15 low bass shows seriousness of political meetings

• 3rd theme b22 pizz strings and basoon. Forte chordal intervention b27 then bassoon tune b33

• b39 music from b9 returns in E flat maj => E maj

• Fanfare b49 suspense music b53 is altered version of motif b9 then jaunty tune in piccolo + celeste over pizz stings leads to conclusion

• Tonal harmony b9

• Complicated by dissonant notes, C appogiatura at beginning of bar

• Chromatic notes in accomp b10-11 cloud harmony

• Parallel 5th + 8vtes b5

• Added note harmony b7 added B in 1st chord

• Powerful chords b49 9th chord - added A to G 7th

• Perfect cadence b8

• Final cadence added F# complicates

• Inverted tonic pedal b13-14

• Melodic ideas in major key b5-8 only b15 hints at minor

• Occasional chromaticism b21 chromatic F double sharp

• Some melody lines purely diatonic b55

• 4 note bell chime motif from upbeat to b7 in decending sequence

• Motif essentially triadic with 2nd to 4th notes outlining chords

• Opening phrase b5 outlines notes of E chord

• Scalic music b1 found in horns

• Final tune b55 ornamental in character

• Opens in fanfare style - long dotted notes by pairs of demisemiquavers

• Melodic lines based on quavers and semiquavers

• Opening decending scale in rhythmic diminution b3

• b48 build up to main climax of triplet rhythm

• Melodies begin of 1st beat of bar b15 some begin on anacrusis b22

• Rests added to produce staccato feel

• Single bar of triple time b51 to fit events on screen.