GCSE Edexcel Music 9-1 - AoS2 Queen

Questions on Queen's 'Killer Queen' from AoS 2 for GCSE Edexcel Music 2018. (including background, dynamics, rhythm, texture, structure, melody, instruments, tonality and harmony.)

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  • Created by: Spikettee
  • Created on: 01-06-18 15:42
When was 'Killer Queen' composed, and by whom?
1974, by Queen (part of their 3rd album, 'Sheer Heart Attack')
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Who were the band members in Queen and their roles?
Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano); Roger Taylor (drums); John Deacon (bass); Brian May (guitar, vocals)
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Wat was Queen's style?
rock blended with music hall, classic, operatic vocals and modern sound systems
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What style is this piece in?
Glam rock/ stadium rock/ progressive rock
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What is progressive rock and stadium rock?
1970s, classical influences, poetical. Appeals to large crowds, big choruses, vocal harmonies.
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DYNAMICS
starts quietly, but mainly depends on how many parts are playing
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TEMPO
moderately fast (112 dotted crotchet bpm)
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METRE
12/8 - compound quadruple. Bar 10 and 69 are in 6/8
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RHYTHM
swung, syncopated, anacrusis, steady pulse with piano chords playing quaver beats
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TEXTURE
thin intro, mainly homophonic and chordal, parallel 3rds in guitar after C1. Brief counterpoint ('hat she's as willing as')
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STRUCTURE
6 clicks, V1, C1, INST(23-26), V2, C2, SOLO (44-61), V3, C3, OUTRO
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MELODY - verses
2 bar phrase, repeated but end on climtic G. Initially stepwise. Octave leap ' insatiable'.
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MELODY - choruses
irregular phrases - 8 bars are split into a 3, 2, 3 instead of a 4,4. Word painting: 'laser beam' and 'wild'
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MELODY - word-setting
vocables (eg:18), half-spoken (eg: 'fastidious' in C2), mostly syllabic, portamento on 'Queen'
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MELODY - bar 12 ('caviar')
repeated and modified in a rising sequence, the same falling 5th motif used in the chorus ('recommended)
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INSTRUMENTS
extras (bell, windchimes, triangle); echo; call&response; layered and multi-tracked vocals+guitar; overdubbed harmonies
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INSTRUMENTS - electronic effects
flanger/phase shifter ('laser beam'), panning (bar19), reverb on lead guitar, distortion and wah-wah in guitar
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INSTRUMENTS - natural effects
falsetto, ottava(end), vibrato('built-in remedy...'), sliding, pitch bend(solo), palm mute(69)
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TONALITY
E♭major, sometimes ambiguous. VERSES=Cm(rel. minor), focus on C and G. CHORUS=B♭. Modulates quicky. Fade end on perfect cadence
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HARMONY - pedals and features
tonic pedal(C) starts each verse, dominant pedal(F) after each chorus. Circle of 5ths: A-Dm-G7-C ('recommended' bar20-21)
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HARMONY - chords
mostly root position, inversions or 7ths; diatonic but sometimes chromatic (eg: A♭m bar9); expressive dissonance (G-F in B♭7 in bar11)
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HARMONY - scales
falling chromatic scale I-V (bar 7-9 'remedy'); sequence V-I in Cm, then E♭, then Gm (bar 12-14 'caviar)
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HARMONY - other
bell chords (55), parallel harmonies (vocals, 15-17), VERSE3 starts on B♭7 but doesn't resolve to the expected tonic
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What is the nature of the lyrics?
explosive imagery, unusual, wordy - the syllbles dictate the rhythm
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Who were the band members in Queen and their roles?

Back

Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano); Roger Taylor (drums); John Deacon (bass); Brian May (guitar, vocals)

Card 3

Front

Wat was Queen's style?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What style is this piece in?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What is progressive rock and stadium rock?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

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