Something's coming by Bernstein

Background

• The song comes from the musical West Side Story, based on Romeo and Juliet
  
• The piece was composed in 1957

Instrumentation

• The piece is for a solo tenor (Tony) accompanied by a band
• Jazz instruments include the saxophone, drum kit and electric guitar
• Other instruments include strings, woodwind, brass and percussion
• To avoid overpowering the vocalist, the accompaniment uses quiet dynamic, soft timbres and a homophonic texture
• Playing techniques are used for effect, such as the strings using harmonics and playing tremolo during the lyrics "The air is humming"

Structure and melody

• The melody is almost entirely syllabic and made of three main themes
• Theme one is the quiet, syncopated opening
• Theme two, introduced in bar 21, is a…