Composing a Melody; New Melodic Resources; Impressionism, Exoticism
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Composing a Melody! Terminology! n ! Texture" n ! Phrase" • Monophony" •! Antecedent" •! Polyphony" •! Consequent" •! Homophony" n ! Period" n ! Contour" •! Conjunct (e.g., scalar)" n ! Cadence" •! Disjunct (e.g., chordal)" n ! Climax" n ! Accent" n ! Balance" •! Dynamic" •! Agogic" n ! Unity vs. Variety" •! Tonic" •! Metric" n ! Text setting" •! Syllabic" •! Melismatic" n ! Range " n ! Tessitura" n ! Word painting" Anatomy of a Melody" The Star Spangled Banner! Conjunct motion" Disjunct motion" Contour" Range" Tessitura" Anatomy of a Melody" The Star Spangled Banner! Period" Phrase 1 (antecedent)" Phrase 2 (consequent)" Harmonic " implications:" I V I V I Cadence" Cadence" (imperfect authentic/" (perfect authentic)" half-cadence)" augmentation" variation" Rhythmic motive:" Anatomy of a Melody" The Star Spangled Banner! Metric accents" Dynamic accents" Agogic accents" Tonic accents" New Melodic Resources! Various types of nontonal scales: modes, synthetic, and non-Western scales" From David Cope, Techniques of the Contemporary Composer, p. 27." Impressionism/Exoticism—Influences! Balinese gamelan and # African drummers." Precedents:" n ! Paris Exposition (1889) " n ! Chicago World Fair (1892)" Impressionism/Exoticism! Claude Debussy (1862-1918)" Impressionism/Exoticism! Maurice Ravel # Igor Stravinsky # (1875-1937)" (1882-1971)" Ravel and Stravinsky" Folk Music! Béla Bartók (1883-1945)# recording and transcribing folk songs of Hungarian peasants." Folk Music—Characteristics! n! Unusual phrase lengths (not restricted to 2, 4, 8, etc.)" n! Metric variety: frequent use of mixed and additive meters" n! Temporal fluidity: use of irregular rhythmic subdivisions and tempo changes." n! Modal rather than tonal melodies; not bound to “the tyrannical rule of the major and minor keys” (Bartók)." n! Not restricted by equal temperament: use of microtonal pitch inflections and scales based on natural tuning systems." n! Free from the expressive pretensions of 19th-century “art” music." Folk tune transcribed by Béla Bartók." Irregular phrases" Flexible tempo" Irregular rhythmic subdivisions" Microtonal pitch inflection" Diatonic Modes! “White note” version:! Mode name:! Starting on C:! Ionian# # Dorian# # Phrygian# # Lydian# # Mixolydian# # Aeolian# # Locrian" Diatonic Modes! Lydian:" Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F (1903)" Phrygian:" Ralph Vaughn Williams: Variations on a Theme of Thomas Tallis (1910)" Pentatonic Scales! The most familiar variety of pentatonic scale is the “anhemitonic” (I.e., without semitones); it may be easily realized by playing on the black keys of the piano." Derivation from diatonic scale:" Pentatonic Scales! Anhemitonic variety:" Claude Debussy: “Nuages” from Nocturnes (1899)" Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F (1903)" Pentatonic Scales! Other varieties:" Igor Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (1913)" P4" m2" Claude Debussy: String Quartet (1893)" m2" M3" Claude Debussy: “Pagodes” from Estampes (1903) " Maurice Ravel: Ma mère l’oye (1908)—“Laideronnette”" Whole-Tone Scale! A B Claude Debussy: “Canope” from Preludes Book II (1913)" Claude Debussy: “Voiles” from Preludes, Book I (1910) " Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos No. 136—“Whole-Tone Scales”" Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos No. 136—“Whole-Tone Scales”" Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos No. 136—“Whole-Tone Scales”" Octatonic Scale! Two versions:" “Major” (whole-half) " A “Minor” (half-whole)" B Three transpositions:" 1! 2! 3! Octatonic Scale! Structure:" Four overlapping [013] pitch cells " Two nested diminished 7th chords " Igor Stravinsky: Octet (1922)" Béla Bartók:# Mikrokosmos No. 99# “Crossed Hands”" Octatonic pentachord 1 (RH):" Octatonic pentachord 2 (LH):" These two octatonic pentachords combine to form a single octatonic collection." Olivier Messiaen’s Modes of Limited Transposition" Mode 1: 6 pitches, 2 transpositions" Mode 2: 8 pitches, 3 transpositions" "(“whole tone”)" "(“octatonic”)" 2 !2 !2 !2 !2 !2 ! 1 !2 !1 !2 !1 !2 !1 !2 !! Mode 3: 9 pitches, 4 transpositions" Mode 4: 8 pitches, 6 transpositions" 2 !1 !1 !2 !1 !1 ! 2 !1 !1! 1 !1 !3 !1 !1 !3 !1 !1 ! Mode 5: 6 pitches, 6 transpositions" Mode 6: 8 pitches, 6 transpositions" 1 !4 ! 1 ! 1 ! 4 !1 ! 2 !2 !1 ! 1 ! 2 !2 !1 ! 1 !! Mode 7: 10 pitches, 6 transpositions" 1 !1 !1 !2 !1 !1 !1 !1 !2 !1! From David Cope, Techniques of the Contemporary Composer, p. 27.".