Tupelo Honey - Van Morrison (AS Music - Edexcel)

Tupelo Honey - 1971

• Vocal set work
• Soul & Folk influenced
• Unusually long (many codas and repeats)
• Improvised gentle fills
• Not strictly following rhythm & lyrics

Genres & Features

- Skiffle
- Folk
- Blues
- Jazz
- Ballad, from country music

Melody

• Improvisatory Manner
• Add-libs (Vocal Ornaments)
• Slight Alterations in Rhythm, Lyrics, and Melody to keep variety and interest the audience
• Melodic variations in vocals
• Free
• Dictated more by the lyrics than the melody line
• Mostly Syllabic, with melismatic sections
• Based on a 5-note Bb pentatonic scale (Bb,C,D,F,G)
• 3 note motif/riff used, melodies based primarily around D,F,G. For example the "You can take" (from "you can take all the tea in china") uses D,F,G.
• Song is on the high end of the male vocal range
• Bb is the highest note, creates climactic point (yes it is CLIMACTIC; Climatic is to do with weather and climate, I looked it up. LOL)
• 

Rhythm & Metre

• 4/4
• Slow ballad (slow pace) allows plenty of room for improvisation and soulful decoration.
• Rhythmic Layering between parts (e.g.…