GCSE Music 9-1 - AoS3 Defying Gravity - Flashcards in GCSE Music

When was 'Defying Gravity' first performed, and who wrote it?

2003 in the musical 'Wicked', composed by Stephen Schwartz

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Who is Stephen Schwartz?

an American music theatre composer, who won a Grammy for 'Wicked'

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What is song about in the play 'Wicked'?

Elphaba (wicked witch) wants to fight the Wizard of Oz and be free; Glinda (the good) tries to stop her; about the nature of good and evil

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DYNAMICS

varied in intro; quiet in V1, loud in chorus, suddenly quiet in bridge, very loud in coda. (frequent cresc. and dim.)

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TEMPO

colla voce and andante (intro&bridge); allegro; maestoso (coda); rallentando just before coda

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METRE

3/2 and 2/2 in intro; 4/4 bar 88 (bridge); 2/2 bar 115 (revised intro)

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RHYTHM

syncopation ('some things'), dotted rhythms, triplets ('can't I make'), off-beat entry (15, in intro), rests, fermatas (coda)

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TEXTURE

melody-dominated homophony, but brief monophonic intro, and some polphony in coda

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STRUCTURE

intro, V1(34), C1, V2, C2, Bridge(88-103), C3, Revised intro ('now that you're'), V3, C4, Coda (168)

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MELODY

mostly syllabic, based on motifs transformed throughout, high vocal range (eg:V3)

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MELODY - intervals

starts conjunct; 'and leap' - perfect 5th; 'un-limited' - octave leap (used in 'S.O.T.Rainbow' but syncopated here)

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INSTRUMENTS

duet: Elphaba = mezzo soprano, Glinda = soprano; large orchestra (incl. piccolo, cor anglais, bass clarinet, tubular bells, timpani and harp)

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INSTRUMENTS - techniques

b.34 tremolo strings, b.122 cymbal roll to key of F, b.135 full band, b.147 tubular bells (ethereal, 'to those')

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TONALITY

tonic is Dmajor, some sudden but related keys like B-F in b.22 ('you can still'), intro = ambiguous, bitonal in bridge (G&C), coda is in Bm until the finish on D majot chord

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HARMONY

root, 1st inversion and sus chords; some dissonance; circle of 5ths D-G-C (b.69 'till I try'); warmer intervals of a 3rd in Revised Intro

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HARMONY - cadences

perfect b.62-63 ('grandeur' - confidence); imperfect A-B ('time to try'), interrupted V-VI (in coda 'bring me down')

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GCSE Music 9-1 - AoS3 Defying Gravity

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