Western Classical Music
Covers; Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Symphony No.40, Movement 1 and Chopin, Prelude No. 15, Op. 28 (The Raindrop Prelude)
- Created by: Gemma
- Created on: 13-03-12 17:59
And the Glory of the Lord
Background etc.
- Written in 1741
- A chorus for SATB choirs
- It is about the birth, life and death of Jesus
- In the Baroque era
- Instruments playing are: trumpets, timpani, harsichord continuo, strings, horns, oboes and bassoons.
- There are four main motifs:
And the Glory of the Lord
Shall be revealed
And all flesh shall see it together
For the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
And the Glory of the Lord
The Motifs
Motif 1 is syllabic
Motif 2 is melismatic and uses sequences which descend
Motif 3 has the same five-note idea repeated used
Motif 4 has long notes (pedal points) at mostly the same pitch-emphasises words
All are introduced simply and then woven into the music so that parts overlap and play in canon and also imitate each other.
And the Glory of the Lord
Tonality, texture and tempo
- A major, modulating to E major and B major- joyful
- Mainly homophonic but occasionally polyphonic
-
- Written as Allegro so it is quick and lively
- In 3/4 but feels like 2/4 at times-a hemiola
Symphony No. 40
Background etc.
- Written in 1788
-
- Written for:
flutes, oboes, bassoon, clarinets, horns, violins, cellos and double basses
- Movement 1 is in sonata form
-
Exposition-Development-Recapitulation
Symphony No.40
Exposition
First Subject:
- Marked Molto Allegro
-
- In 4/4
- G minor
- Piano
- Question and answer phrasing, four bars each
- dark intense mood
- Second four bar phrase ends in a perfect cadence-sounds finished
Symphony No. 40
Exposition:
Bridge/Transition passage:
- forceful, lots of sforzandos
-
- violins play a descending sequence over low string tremolo
- Bb major plus chromatic chords for tension
Second Subject:
- Bb major
- longer note values
- more relaxed mood
- has falling phrases
- First four bar phrase ends in an imperfect cadence and the second ends in a perfect cadence
Symphony No.40
Exposition
Codetta:
- G minor again
- Fnishes off the exposition by replaying it
- Imitation between clarinets and bassoons
Symphony No. 40
Development
- altered melodies
-
- rapid key changes (modulation)
- imitation
- contrapuntal textures
- Much use of the falling semitone motif.
Contrapuntal means having two or more independant but harmonically related melodic parts playing together.
Symphony No. 40
Recapitulation
This is basically a repeat of the Exposition although it is slightly different and a bit shorter.
It begins in the key of G minor and opens with the first subject. The second subject then follows but is now in G minor.
The whole movement ends with a coda where the whole orchestra plays repeated perfect cadences giving it a finished sound.
Symphony No. 40
Development
- altered melodies
-
- rapid key changes (modulation)
- imitation
- contrapuntal textures
- Much use of the falling semitone motif.
Contrapuntal means having two or more independant but harmonically related melodic parts playing together.
Symphony No. 40
Recapitulation
This is basically a repeat of the Exposition although it is slightly different and a bit shorter.
It begins in the key of G minor and opens with the first subject. The second subject then follows but is now in G minor.
The whole movement ends with a coda where the whole orchestra plays repeated perfect cadences giving it a finished sound.
The Raindrop Prelude
Background etc.
- Chopin composed during the romantic period
-
- This prelude was completed in 1839
Basic Structure:
ABA1 Bars 1–27 Bars 28–75 Bars 76–end Major key, long melody heard several times Minor key, new melody heard mainly in the bass A shorter version of the opening A section
The Raindrop Prelude
Section A
- 4/4
-
- Db Major
- A fully written turn is featured, (or septuplet)
- Homophonic
- Repeated A flat quavers begin in this section and are played throughout (raindrops), can be called the pedal note because they play constantly and against changing harmonies.
- Ends with and imperfect cadence
The Raindrop Prelude
Section B
- C# minor- enharmonic modulation because D flat is the same as C#
- sotto voce- in an undertone
- raindrop note now in treble clef
- long melody mostly crotchets and in the bass part
- Mood is darker
- Tension created by dissonant harmonies
The Raindrop Prelude
Section A1
D flat major
septuplet replaced with 10 semi-quavers
Raindrop note stops briefly for the first and only time
Eight-bar coda follows which is monophonic
Final sounding ending with a perfect cadence at a pianissimo dynamic
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