M. 9: V65/IV
M.10:iv
M.11:I64
M.12:V7
M.13:bVI , V43/III , III
M.14: I6, VII, III
M.15:i6, v42/viidim43
M. 16:I954-853
M.17: I
M.18: I
M.9 V65/IV goes to the minor iv.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
music history test tomorrow
ok so fanny wrote another song. It's a sad one. The part the book said to analyze, measures nine to sixteen, is the part that repeats some lyrics. The first time around the words "somber, milds, dream-like, unfathomably sweet night" are sung. The second time, the words "so that above my life, you alone will float for ever and ever" Obviously both times the same chords are used, you could figure it out sense it has a repeat. She uses some completely insane chord progressions. She adds ninths all over the place, not to mention all the modal mixture. It works really well with those words, things like "dream like" and "unfathomably" and "float" work well with chords that mess with your idea of tonic.
chords:
I6 I65, iv b7 b6, i64 add b9, II, bVI v iv, i II biv6, i6, I
I'm not a huge fanny fan. Right now in fact, I'm listening to the I'm not there soundtrack. Look at this picture of Cate Blanchett in "im not there", can't you just tell that the music is better?
Jeanie
Stephen Foster's "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" is a good example of the popular song's quaternary form. It has two similar and equal sections at the beginning and then goes into a bridge and returns to the original four measure motif. In this particular piece measures 1-4 could be labeled as "a," measure 5-8 as "a'," measures 9-12 as the bridge or "b," and measures 13-17 as "a''." The harmonic analysis travels hand in hand with this form. An example of this is the chord progression in measures 13-17. They are V7 - I - I V65 vi - V/V Vadd6 IV - V64 V7 I.
The "Ah" section would be best performed with a large crescendo or swell into measure 14. Since there is a repeat of this repetitive chorus Stephen Foster had to make this last one even more climactic. He toys with the listeners sense of the dominant chord and brings it to a very satisfying but interesting cadence at the end.
I believe it is important for the singer to mimic the sweeping effect of the melodic line especially because it is doubled so often in the piano. Many times it seems like Stephen Foster continues the thought process and motion of the song. For example, by using a half cadence after the first four measures he lets the audience know that there is much more of this song to come. The bridge section is very recitativo in comparison with the rest of the piece. He also splices the legato effect he created earlier by making the rhythm more choppy and creating large leaps for the singer. The return of the legato "Ahs" is a beautiful relief and this is accompanied by the rich chords in measures 13-17.
Although the lyrics and subject matter of this song are simple, it is well thought-out. Foster creates a beautiful text painting with his lyrical line and sets up the popular style form in a successful way.
The "Ah" section would be best performed with a large crescendo or swell into measure 14. Since there is a repeat of this repetitive chorus Stephen Foster had to make this last one even more climactic. He toys with the listeners sense of the dominant chord and brings it to a very satisfying but interesting cadence at the end.
I believe it is important for the singer to mimic the sweeping effect of the melodic line especially because it is doubled so often in the piano. Many times it seems like Stephen Foster continues the thought process and motion of the song. For example, by using a half cadence after the first four measures he lets the audience know that there is much more of this song to come. The bridge section is very recitativo in comparison with the rest of the piece. He also splices the legato effect he created earlier by making the rhythm more choppy and creating large leaps for the singer. The return of the legato "Ahs" is a beautiful relief and this is accompanied by the rich chords in measures 13-17.
Although the lyrics and subject matter of this song are simple, it is well thought-out. Foster creates a beautiful text painting with his lyrical line and sets up the popular style form in a successful way.
did you ask for some more analysis? ...oh you did?!?
Let's start with the roman numeral stuff first...
Key: Eflat Major
m.13 : V, ii, V+9
m.14 : I, IV7
m.15 :I7, IV65
m.16 : IVhalfdim7/vi, vi42...fermataaaa...ii43
m.17 : I64
m.18 : V7
m.19 : I
Alright it's phrase time! The form for this piece is aaba...so basically it's QUATERNARY! Why is not rounded binary you ask? because it doesn't " ba ba" like a sheep! Oh man, i am hilarious! Also, there is one main cadence that I found in this nice little tune. It occurs right at the end of the second a section, and the cadence is a, believe it or not, a half cadence! Shocking, I know.
And did you see all that contrast going on in bridge section? There were all these rhythmic differences AND a key change! What a nice refresher from that boring ol' a section! If you want to hear an midi rendition of this song, which I know you do, that features midi guitar, flute, violin, and some indistinguishable instrument check it herre yo!
Key: Eflat Major
m.13 : V, ii, V+9
m.14 : I, IV7
m.15 :I7, IV65
m.16 : IVhalfdim7/vi, vi42...fermataaaa...ii43
m.17 : I64
m.18 : V7
m.19 : I
Alright it's phrase time! The form for this piece is aaba...so basically it's QUATERNARY! Why is not rounded binary you ask? because it doesn't " ba ba" like a sheep! Oh man, i am hilarious! Also, there is one main cadence that I found in this nice little tune. It occurs right at the end of the second a section, and the cadence is a, believe it or not, a half cadence! Shocking, I know.
And did you see all that contrast going on in bridge section? There were all these rhythmic differences AND a key change! What a nice refresher from that boring ol' a section! If you want to hear an midi rendition of this song, which I know you do, that features midi guitar, flute, violin, and some indistinguishable instrument check it herre yo!
"Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair"
Chord Analysis:
m. 13: V7
m.14: I
m. 15: I V6 vi6
m. 16: V7/V Vadd6 ii43
m. 17: I64 V I
The structure of this piece follows the form aaba, or quaternary form. This song has a simple chordal progression, and the "a" and "b" sections mainly differ because of rhythm. The difference is not extremely significant because the B section still has that flowing quality to it. In addition, it ends on a half cadence. The new harmony that is apparent in this piece is the Vadd6 chord. I really like the placement of this chord in measure 16. Foster places it in the second half of the second beat, then has a pause, which then leads to the final cadence of the song. This formation definitely emphasizes the jazz sound of that unique chord.
If I were to perform this, I would make sure to place a lot of emphasis on dynamics due to the simplicity of the song. I would also try to give it as much as a flowing and light-heardted feeling.
m. 13: V7
m.14: I
m. 15: I V6 vi6
m. 16: V7/V Vadd6 ii43
m. 17: I64 V I
The structure of this piece follows the form aaba, or quaternary form. This song has a simple chordal progression, and the "a" and "b" sections mainly differ because of rhythm. The difference is not extremely significant because the B section still has that flowing quality to it. In addition, it ends on a half cadence. The new harmony that is apparent in this piece is the Vadd6 chord. I really like the placement of this chord in measure 16. Foster places it in the second half of the second beat, then has a pause, which then leads to the final cadence of the song. This formation definitely emphasizes the jazz sound of that unique chord.
If I were to perform this, I would make sure to place a lot of emphasis on dynamics due to the simplicity of the song. I would also try to give it as much as a flowing and light-heardted feeling.
ummmmm
Well…. Here Goes Nothing
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel is plain nuts. I can’t believe that this song was written in the 1800’s the harmonies are so wacky I just don’t even know what to do. The poem “ Bitte” was written by the Austrian poet Nikolaus Lenau. He was born in 1802 and died in 1850 during the Romantic era. His inspiration for his are lie in his inability to separate his life, and his depression, from each other and his words. The poem
(Rough Translation of Text by: Carly LaForest)
Weil' auf mir, du dunkles Auge, While on me you dark eye
Über deine ganze Machht, Over your whole being
Ernste, milde, träumerische, Sincere, mild, dreamy
Unergündlich süße Nacht! ?????? sweet night
Nimm mit deinem Zauberdunkel ???? with your magic dark
Diese Welt von hinnen mir, this world from ???? me
Dass du über meinem Leben that you over my life
Einsam schwebest für und für. once floating for and for (forever?)
The poem has a very sweet and perhaps ethereal mood when read with out music, however the harmonies which are written by Hansel tint this mood greatly. The music is written in Ab Major key but rarely sound that way. She frequently uses borrowed chord as well as secondary dominants and which make the poem turn into something completely different from what it began as. In measure 9- 16, Hensel repeated the ending stanzas of each verse (sweet night and once floating forever) accompanied by a variant of very strange harmonies. In measures 13 and 14 on the words night and (for)ever the harmonic rhythm triples and the effect is one which is both eerie and peaceful simultaneously.
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel is plain nuts. I can’t believe that this song was written in the 1800’s the harmonies are so wacky I just don’t even know what to do. The poem “ Bitte” was written by the Austrian poet Nikolaus Lenau. He was born in 1802 and died in 1850 during the Romantic era. His inspiration for his are lie in his inability to separate his life, and his depression, from each other and his words. The poem
(Rough Translation of Text by: Carly LaForest)
Weil' auf mir, du dunkles Auge, While on me you dark eye
Über deine ganze Machht, Over your whole being
Ernste, milde, träumerische, Sincere, mild, dreamy
Unergündlich süße Nacht! ?????? sweet night
Nimm mit deinem Zauberdunkel ???? with your magic dark
Diese Welt von hinnen mir, this world from ???? me
Dass du über meinem Leben that you over my life
Einsam schwebest für und für. once floating for and for (forever?)
The poem has a very sweet and perhaps ethereal mood when read with out music, however the harmonies which are written by Hansel tint this mood greatly. The music is written in Ab Major key but rarely sound that way. She frequently uses borrowed chord as well as secondary dominants and which make the poem turn into something completely different from what it began as. In measure 9- 16, Hensel repeated the ending stanzas of each verse (sweet night and once floating forever) accompanied by a variant of very strange harmonies. In measures 13 and 14 on the words night and (for)ever the harmonic rhythm triples and the effect is one which is both eerie and peaceful simultaneously.
Stephen Foster, “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair”
The piece is in quaternary form, a a’ b a’’, which is typical of popular culture music. The first phrase, a (m. 1-4), is ends in half cadence in the tonic key, E flat Major, with a V7 (B flat 7) chord. The phrase lasts four measures total. For the second phrase, a’ (m. 5-8), one is likely to hear the cadence as a perfect authentic cadence in the key of the fifth scale degree, B flat Major since there is the presence of emphasis on B flat Major created by chord progressions in m. 7-8 (F43 to B flat Major in m. 7 and especially E flat Major to F864-753 resolving to B flat Major in m. 8, for example). I can see a listener as hearing a’ as ending in half cadence with a V (B flat Major) chord, although the emphasis on B flat major as stated before would weaken this perspective. This phrase is also four measures long. The third phrase, b (m 9-12), marks the bridge of the piece and feels dependent on a. The key remains in the tonic key, E flat Major, and ends in half cadence with a V (B flat Major) chord. Unsurprisingly, the phrase is four measures long also. m. 13 is a short pick up to lead in to the fourth phrase, a’’ (m. 14-17). This final phrase ends in a perfect authentic cadence in the tonic key with a I (E flat Major) chord, marking the end of the piece.
This piece is pleasant and easy to listen to for several reasons. First, the musical shaping of each phrase is short and simple, with most subphrases lasting no longer than two measures and the phrases themselves not exceeding four measures in length. Second, the notes of the vocalist’s line seem to go well with the natural speech inflection of the lyrics the vocalist is singing. Third, the piece is harmonically simple and never leaves the feeling that the tonic key of the piece is E flat Major, with the exception of the perfect authentic cadence in the dominant key in m. 7-8. Other factors include the dynamics never reaching much higher than probably mezzo forte or più forte (there are some crescendos, but no place in the score specifically writes any higher than mezzo piano) and that the piece is about dreaming of a pleasant girl named Jeanie.
The harmonies of the piece present in the piece that are most foreign to classical music are Vadd9+5 (B, D, F sharp, C) in the fourth beat of m. 13 and the IVadd97 of vi (IIadd97) (F, A natural, C, E flat, G) in the third beat of m. 16. More specifically, the presence of the add9 and the augmented 5th are not common in classical music. In the case of The F9 chord, the Roman Numeral Analysis labeling of the F9 chord does not really fit if IIadd97 is used since there is no II in major or minor keys. Harmonically, it feels like it is leading to the vi42. The bass movement of the bass from F to B flat helps make the harmony movement more convincing like a V to I movement. The relationship between the two harmonies could be interpreted as plagal, like a IVadd97 of vi.
Roman Numeral Analysis: Stephen Foster, “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” m. 13-17
m. 13-15: V7 (V7 when counting all chordal notes in ascending scales, chord is literally ii on third beat of m. 13), Vadd9+5, I, IV64, I, V65, IV6, vi
m. 16-17: IVadd97 of vi (One may be tempted to put IIadd97, but since II does not exist in major or minor keys, I prefer IVadd97 of vi), vi42 (one may hear it as I64, but I find it unlikely with B flat only lasting one sixteenth in the third beat of m. 16), IV6, V864-753 (The 4-3 resolves one eighth note earlier than the 64 and 53 suspensions), I
The bridge of the piece, b, creates contrast from a by using different melodic material and shaping. For example, the dotted eighth note – sixteenth note motif at the beginning of measure 9 that recurs throughout the bridge is a nice contrast from the dotted half note a, a’, and a’’ begin with (m. 1 and 5, for example), encouraging more motion in the beginning of each subphrase in the bridge than what the subphrases of a, a’, and a’’ have. Also, while b remains in the tonic key of E flat Major, b still feels less bound to the tonic key than a. An easy way to notice b’s farther stretch from tonic is by observing the bass notes. The bass notes of a are more frequently fixated on E flat (m. 1-first beat of 4, m. 5-third beat of 6), suggesting to the listener a desire to remain close to tonic at all times and only use inversions of other chords. In contrast, the bridge only plays E flat in the bass in m. 10, while the rest of the bass notes in the bridge travel harmonically from the tonic chord except for the I6 in the third beat of m. 11.
This piece is pleasant and easy to listen to for several reasons. First, the musical shaping of each phrase is short and simple, with most subphrases lasting no longer than two measures and the phrases themselves not exceeding four measures in length. Second, the notes of the vocalist’s line seem to go well with the natural speech inflection of the lyrics the vocalist is singing. Third, the piece is harmonically simple and never leaves the feeling that the tonic key of the piece is E flat Major, with the exception of the perfect authentic cadence in the dominant key in m. 7-8. Other factors include the dynamics never reaching much higher than probably mezzo forte or più forte (there are some crescendos, but no place in the score specifically writes any higher than mezzo piano) and that the piece is about dreaming of a pleasant girl named Jeanie.
The harmonies of the piece present in the piece that are most foreign to classical music are Vadd9+5 (B, D, F sharp, C) in the fourth beat of m. 13 and the IVadd97 of vi (IIadd97) (F, A natural, C, E flat, G) in the third beat of m. 16. More specifically, the presence of the add9 and the augmented 5th are not common in classical music. In the case of The F9 chord, the Roman Numeral Analysis labeling of the F9 chord does not really fit if IIadd97 is used since there is no II in major or minor keys. Harmonically, it feels like it is leading to the vi42. The bass movement of the bass from F to B flat helps make the harmony movement more convincing like a V to I movement. The relationship between the two harmonies could be interpreted as plagal, like a IVadd97 of vi.
Roman Numeral Analysis: Stephen Foster, “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” m. 13-17
m. 13-15: V7 (V7 when counting all chordal notes in ascending scales, chord is literally ii on third beat of m. 13), Vadd9+5, I, IV64, I, V65, IV6, vi
m. 16-17: IVadd97 of vi (One may be tempted to put IIadd97, but since II does not exist in major or minor keys, I prefer IVadd97 of vi), vi42 (one may hear it as I64, but I find it unlikely with B flat only lasting one sixteenth in the third beat of m. 16), IV6, V864-753 (The 4-3 resolves one eighth note earlier than the 64 and 53 suspensions), I
The bridge of the piece, b, creates contrast from a by using different melodic material and shaping. For example, the dotted eighth note – sixteenth note motif at the beginning of measure 9 that recurs throughout the bridge is a nice contrast from the dotted half note a, a’, and a’’ begin with (m. 1 and 5, for example), encouraging more motion in the beginning of each subphrase in the bridge than what the subphrases of a, a’, and a’’ have. Also, while b remains in the tonic key of E flat Major, b still feels less bound to the tonic key than a. An easy way to notice b’s farther stretch from tonic is by observing the bass notes. The bass notes of a are more frequently fixated on E flat (m. 1-first beat of 4, m. 5-third beat of 6), suggesting to the listener a desire to remain close to tonic at all times and only use inversions of other chords. In contrast, the bridge only plays E flat in the bass in m. 10, while the rest of the bass notes in the bridge travel harmonically from the tonic chord except for the I6 in the third beat of m. 11.
Jeanie
Because this song is composed of the sections AABA, it is close to the rounded binary form of classical music but is actually a quarternary form. The BA section is not repeated, therefore it does not qualify as rounded binary. However, the whole piece is repeated as is indicated by the presence of a second verse. The harmonic analysis of measures 13 to the end is as follows:
m. 13: V7
m. 14: I
m. 15: I, V6, VI6-5
m. 16: V7/V, Vadd6, ii43
m. 17: I64-53
To create contrast in the bridge section, Foster uses different rhythmic patterns. He also varies the accompaniment rhythmically. He also includes a half cadence at the end of measures 12-13 to change it up a bit.
Because of the monumental lack of text in this week's blog, I decided to supplement it with the ever so lovely Amy Winehouse. Enjoy!
m. 13: V7
m. 14: I
m. 15: I, V6, VI6-5
m. 16: V7/V, Vadd6, ii43
m. 17: I64-53
To create contrast in the bridge section, Foster uses different rhythmic patterns. He also varies the accompaniment rhythmically. He also includes a half cadence at the end of measures 12-13 to change it up a bit.
Because of the monumental lack of text in this week's blog, I decided to supplement it with the ever so lovely Amy Winehouse. Enjoy!
Stephen and Jeanie sittin' in a tree...
Chord analysis for “Jeanie with the light brown hair” is as follows
m.13 V ii
m.14 I vi64 ii6
m.15 I V IV
m.16 V7/V Vadd6 I64 IV
m.17 I64 iii6 V I
This songs format is ----a aprime b a----
The new harmony present in this piece that i is discussed in chapter 26 is the Vadd6. The simple I IV V I makeup of this song emphasizes the beautiful simplicity of the mainly stepwise melody. This also emphasizes idea of the dream stated in the text.
I wouldn’t say that Foster contrasts in the b section so much as he uses it in a way as to climax into the repeated, final a section. This section is definitely dependent on the a section.
There really isn’t anything more to say about this song. It is very pretty. If I were to perform it, which I would never do, because of the issue of gender (!), I would make sure to create a very long phrase line. That’s about it….There should be more songs about blondes…the end.
m.13 V ii
m.14 I vi64 ii6
m.15 I V IV
m.16 V7/V Vadd6 I64 IV
m.17 I64 iii6 V I
This songs format is ----a aprime b a----
The new harmony present in this piece that i is discussed in chapter 26 is the Vadd6. The simple I IV V I makeup of this song emphasizes the beautiful simplicity of the mainly stepwise melody. This also emphasizes idea of the dream stated in the text.
I wouldn’t say that Foster contrasts in the b section so much as he uses it in a way as to climax into the repeated, final a section. This section is definitely dependent on the a section.
There really isn’t anything more to say about this song. It is very pretty. If I were to perform it, which I would never do, because of the issue of gender (!), I would make sure to create a very long phrase line. That’s about it….There should be more songs about blondes…the end.
I dream of Theory
I dream of Jeanie chords, Eb major, m. 13 - 17. New chords (from this chapter) in bold:
13: V7... V9#5 (Bb aug add 9...?)
14: I
15: I V65 vi
16: V/V Iadd6 IV
17: V64 V7 I
This piece is in quaternary form, with the structure a a' b a''. Foster creates contrast in the bridge section (m. 9-12) by starting on the beat rather than using an anacrusis like the other sections. He also starts lower in the singer's tessitura, on F (re) rather than on C (la), and stays fairly close to this melodically, rather than leaping as much as a sixth, as in the other sections. In fact the largest jump in the bridge is a fourth (m. 11, 'the blithe', Eb-Bb).
In a performance of this piece, I would use dynamics to express this section change, as well as the change in mood. The tessitura helps, but I think the bridge works best at a dynamic much softer than the a sections. It makes the words stand out more, too; giving them a color change and increasing the intensity. The softer dynamic in the bridge would also lend itself well to a crescendo on the 'ah!' in m. 13, and then returning to mf or so on the return of the a.
13: V7... V9#5 (Bb aug add 9...?)
14: I
15: I V65 vi
16: V/V Iadd6 IV
17: V64 V7 I
This piece is in quaternary form, with the structure a a' b a''. Foster creates contrast in the bridge section (m. 9-12) by starting on the beat rather than using an anacrusis like the other sections. He also starts lower in the singer's tessitura, on F (re) rather than on C (la), and stays fairly close to this melodically, rather than leaping as much as a sixth, as in the other sections. In fact the largest jump in the bridge is a fourth (m. 11, 'the blithe', Eb-Bb).
In a performance of this piece, I would use dynamics to express this section change, as well as the change in mood. The tessitura helps, but I think the bridge works best at a dynamic much softer than the a sections. It makes the words stand out more, too; giving them a color change and increasing the intensity. The softer dynamic in the bridge would also lend itself well to a crescendo on the 'ah!' in m. 13, and then returning to mf or so on the return of the a.
"Bitte" by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
This is a very beautiful piece. Hensel uses text painting very well in this strophic song. She keeps the melody the same and uses two different verses of text. The text itself is already sweet and melancholy and the harmonic structure underneath the singer truly reflect it. Even though Hensel sets the piece in Ab Major, she uses minor chords, like the i chord in mm. 9, to really help bring out the text. The harmony is mm. 9 is with the words "night" and "(for)ever". This setting gives the somber feel for "night" and an otherworldly feel for "(for)ever" This is set up by the previous measures of "somber, mild, dream-like, unfathomably sweet night" and "so that above my life you alone will float for ever and ever." Both of these phrases then repeat in mm. 10-16, indicating that they are the most important lines of the poem. Not only is the melody line on these phrases different, but the harmony as well. Rather than dotted quarters and moving eighth notes in the piano, Hensel wrote dotted halves with two eights and a dotted quarter for mm. 9-13, and then slow moving dotted quarters, quarters, and eighths until pretty much then end until the final chord. The minor chords in mm. 13 help propel the song forward by wanting to bring the song to a sweet/melancholy close and pushing the melodic line to make its final descent with a plagal cadence in mm. 16-17 that resolve to I chords til the end.
Performance wise, I would take these harmonic structures into great consideration. Hensel does a fabulous job of setting the text with the piano and the singer must understand how to move the line of text with the music. One must find the right combination of sweet and melancholy to go with the poem and to make the performance moving. The different moods must be reflected with the text and the chromatic notes, such as the Fb and Cb in mm. 10 can be used to really bring out the mood of the piece. They should not be sung heavily, but enough to really let the text shine through and help bring the piece to life.
Performance wise, I would take these harmonic structures into great consideration. Hensel does a fabulous job of setting the text with the piano and the singer must understand how to move the line of text with the music. One must find the right combination of sweet and melancholy to go with the poem and to make the performance moving. The different moods must be reflected with the text and the chromatic notes, such as the Fb and Cb in mm. 10 can be used to really bring out the mood of the piece. They should not be sung heavily, but enough to really let the text shine through and help bring the piece to life.
"Bitte" by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
This is a very beautiful piece. Hensel uses text painting very well in this strophic song. She keeps the melody the same and uses two different verses of text. The text itself is already sweet and melancholy and the harmonic structure underneath the singer truly reflect it. Even though Hensel sets the piece in Ab Major, she uses minor chords, like the i chord in mm. 9, to really help bring out the text. The harmony is mm. 9 is with the words "night" and "(for)ever". This setting gives the somber feel for "night" and an otherworldly feel for "(for)ever" This is set up by the previous measures of "somber, mild, dream-like, unfathomably sweet night" and "so that above my life you alone will float for ever and ever." Both of these phrases then repeat in mm. 10-16, indicating that they are the most important lines of the poem. Not only is the melody line on these phrases different, but the harmony as well. Rather than dotted quarters and moving eighth notes in the piano, Hensel wrote dotted halves with two eights and a dotted quarter for mm. 9-13, and then slow moving dotted quarters, quarters, and eighths until pretty much then end until the final chord. The minor chords in mm. 13 help propel the song forward by wanting to bring the song to a sweet/melancholy close and pushing the melodic line to make its final descent with a plagal cadence in mm. 16-17 that resolve to I chords til the end.
Performance wise, I would take these harmonic structures into great consideration. Hensel does a fabulous job of setting the text with the piano and the singer must understand how to move the line of text with the music. One must find the right combination of sweet and melancholy to go with the poem and to make the performance moving. The different moods must be reflected with the text and the chromatic notes, such as the Fb and Cb in mm. 10 can be used to really bring out the mood of the piece. They should not be sung heavily, but enough to really let the text shine through and help bring the piece to life.
Performance wise, I would take these harmonic structures into great consideration. Hensel does a fabulous job of setting the text with the piano and the singer must understand how to move the line of text with the music. One must find the right combination of sweet and melancholy to go with the poem and to make the performance moving. The different moods must be reflected with the text and the chromatic notes, such as the Fb and Cb in mm. 10 can be used to really bring out the mood of the piece. They should not be sung heavily, but enough to really let the text shine through and help bring the piece to life.
I'm sad I don't get to mention hair color in mine!
Fanny Hensel's "Bitte" looks to be a love poem at first glance, but when you read through it and listen to the mysterious chords of the piece, you realize that the "dark eyes," "power," and "magic darkness" the speaker discusses are actually those of deaths. The music illustrates the dark quality of the work, the mysterious workings of death, and the sweetness the narrator seems to feel about his or her fate. The poem does not complain about what is to come, but embraces it, asking death to take them.
I believe that the music is better understood once the poem is translated. Beginning in measure 9, the mysterious atmosphere begins right away on the word "night." Though it is described as "sweet," the music has a mystery behind it, enforced by the V65/IV chord. While it could be conceived as some form of I chord, it is better seens as a V of IV to emphasize the eternal nature of death, as it prolongs the pre-dominant before reaching the climax of V7 in measure 12. The piece then moves to iv, as the line "somber, mild, dream-like, unfathomably sweet night" is repeated again...further emphasizing the lasting nature of death with a pre-dominant.
At measure 11, there is a i64 chord, on the word dream-like...and, if you think about it, a i chord would fit nicely as a dream...for it is sweet, but not bright. It is more of a hazy sound.
The climax comes in measure 12 with a V7, emphasizing the "unfathomably sweet night" of the narrator. It is done with a bright V chord to let the listener know that the narrator does not regret his or her passage to another world. This statement is reiterated in the next few measures, adding even more emphasis to her wish to leave this world. For the final repeat of this lines, the piece goes into a minor mode with a i6 in measure 14 and a i64 in measure 15. This is done, again, as a hazy but comforting sound to her departure. Then, the music takes a turn as it finishes on a major I chord, creating a subtle picardy third, so that you know the "night" she is about to enter into, is a good, cheerful place, where she wishes to go.
Please note...I used the first verse of the poem for this analysis. However, the words coorespond, as well, with the second verse. The second verse is when it is revealed that the narrator is speaking about death, and the lines repeated are "so that above my life you alone will float for ever and ever." This line, too emphasizes the eternal nature of death, which works with the pre-dominants in the earlier measures, and then the final "ever" returns to major to again reiterate that the narrator wishes to depart.
Although a lovely piece, I'm still sad I didin't get to talk about the brunettes!
I believe that the music is better understood once the poem is translated. Beginning in measure 9, the mysterious atmosphere begins right away on the word "night." Though it is described as "sweet," the music has a mystery behind it, enforced by the V65/IV chord. While it could be conceived as some form of I chord, it is better seens as a V of IV to emphasize the eternal nature of death, as it prolongs the pre-dominant before reaching the climax of V7 in measure 12. The piece then moves to iv, as the line "somber, mild, dream-like, unfathomably sweet night" is repeated again...further emphasizing the lasting nature of death with a pre-dominant.
At measure 11, there is a i64 chord, on the word dream-like...and, if you think about it, a i chord would fit nicely as a dream...for it is sweet, but not bright. It is more of a hazy sound.
The climax comes in measure 12 with a V7, emphasizing the "unfathomably sweet night" of the narrator. It is done with a bright V chord to let the listener know that the narrator does not regret his or her passage to another world. This statement is reiterated in the next few measures, adding even more emphasis to her wish to leave this world. For the final repeat of this lines, the piece goes into a minor mode with a i6 in measure 14 and a i64 in measure 15. This is done, again, as a hazy but comforting sound to her departure. Then, the music takes a turn as it finishes on a major I chord, creating a subtle picardy third, so that you know the "night" she is about to enter into, is a good, cheerful place, where she wishes to go.
Please note...I used the first verse of the poem for this analysis. However, the words coorespond, as well, with the second verse. The second verse is when it is revealed that the narrator is speaking about death, and the lines repeated are "so that above my life you alone will float for ever and ever." This line, too emphasizes the eternal nature of death, which works with the pre-dominants in the earlier measures, and then the final "ever" returns to major to again reiterate that the narrator wishes to depart.
Although a lovely piece, I'm still sad I didin't get to talk about the brunettes!
"Bitte" by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
This is a very beautiful piece. Hensel uses text painting very well in this strophic song. She keeps the melody the same and uses two different verses of text. The text itself is already sweet and melancholy and the harmonic structure underneath the singer truly reflect it. Even though Hensel sets the piece in Ab Major, she uses minor chords, like the i chord in mm. 9, to really help bring out the text. The harmony is mm. 9 is with the words "night" and "(for)ever". This setting gives the somber feel for "night" and an otherworldly feel for "(for)ever" This is set up by the previous measures of "somber, mild, dream-like, unfathomably sweet night" and "so that above my life you alone will float for ever and ever." Both of these phrases then repeat in mm. 10-16, indicating that they are the most important lines of the poem. Not only is the melody line on these phrases different, but the harmony as well. Rather than dotted quarters and moving eighth notes in the piano, Hensel wrote dotted halves with two eights and a dotted quarter for mm. 9-13, and then slow moving dotted quarters, quarters, and eighths until pretty much then end until the final chord. The minor chords in mm. 13 help propel the song forward by wanting to bring the song to a sweet/melancholy close and pushing the melodic line to make its final descent with a plagal cadence in mm. 16-17 that resolve to I chords til the end.
Performance wise, I would take these harmonic structures into great consideration. Hensel does a fabulous job of setting the text with the piano and the singer must understand how to move the line of text with the music. One must find the right combination of sweet and melancholy to go with the poem and to make the performance moving. The different moods must be reflected with the text and the chromatic notes, such as the Fb and Cb in mm. 10 can be used to really bring out the mood of the piece. They should not be sung heavily, but enough to really let the text shine through and help bring the piece to life.
Performance wise, I would take these harmonic structures into great consideration. Hensel does a fabulous job of setting the text with the piano and the singer must understand how to move the line of text with the music. One must find the right combination of sweet and melancholy to go with the poem and to make the performance moving. The different moods must be reflected with the text and the chromatic notes, such as the Fb and Cb in mm. 10 can be used to really bring out the mood of the piece. They should not be sung heavily, but enough to really let the text shine through and help bring the piece to life.
Once at IMEA Distict I Regionals, a 9-10 choir sang a really awful arrangement of this song
"Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair"
"I Dream of Genie with the Light Brown Hair." That is incorrect. If I am not mistaken I believe Barbara Eden had very light BLONDE hair. I think I can look past the falsehoods of the song however, and appreciate it for what it is, despite how incorrect it is. The form of this song is NOT rounded binary, although prior to this week, it would have been rounded binary. The reason it is not rounded binary is because I learned this week that quaternary is like rounded binary. And hence, this piece is in aa'ba'' form, or quaternary form.
Despite the horrid choral arrangement that first introduced me to this song years back, I do believe it is a good example of popular music. The meter is simple, There aren't any crazy cadences, and the melodic line flows without running on too long. The musical phrases that make up the periods complement each other with very clear antecedent and consequent phrases. In addition, the text is represented very well in the form of falling lines on phrases like "blithe birds .... warbled them over .. ah!" and most importantly, there is a home base, or a recognizable phrase that the song constantly returns to, which is the gentle falling and rising of the melody when we are reminded that the genie has light brown hair.
The bridge section in contrasted by rhythmic and melodic variation. For example, the rhythm at the start of m.9 differs from the previous rhythmic patterns in that we see the appearance of sixteenth notes. In addition, the harmonies although they remain in E flat major, seem to deviate from the tonic key and dabble amongst other harmonies especially in the bass. So, it seems to be a typical bridge, sans a key change, where the line is shaped rhythmically and melodically different giving in a legitamate "b" section feel.
Key:E flat Major
13 V7, ii
14 I V64
15 I, V6, VI6-5
16 V7/V, Vadd6, ii43
17 I64-53
"I Dream of Genie with the Light Brown Hair." That is incorrect. If I am not mistaken I believe Barbara Eden had very light BLONDE hair. I think I can look past the falsehoods of the song however, and appreciate it for what it is, despite how incorrect it is. The form of this song is NOT rounded binary, although prior to this week, it would have been rounded binary. The reason it is not rounded binary is because I learned this week that quaternary is like rounded binary. And hence, this piece is in aa'ba'' form, or quaternary form.
Despite the horrid choral arrangement that first introduced me to this song years back, I do believe it is a good example of popular music. The meter is simple, There aren't any crazy cadences, and the melodic line flows without running on too long. The musical phrases that make up the periods complement each other with very clear antecedent and consequent phrases. In addition, the text is represented very well in the form of falling lines on phrases like "blithe birds .... warbled them over .. ah!" and most importantly, there is a home base, or a recognizable phrase that the song constantly returns to, which is the gentle falling and rising of the melody when we are reminded that the genie has light brown hair.
The bridge section in contrasted by rhythmic and melodic variation. For example, the rhythm at the start of m.9 differs from the previous rhythmic patterns in that we see the appearance of sixteenth notes. In addition, the harmonies although they remain in E flat major, seem to deviate from the tonic key and dabble amongst other harmonies especially in the bass. So, it seems to be a typical bridge, sans a key change, where the line is shaped rhythmically and melodically different giving in a legitamate "b" section feel.
Key:E flat Major
13 V7, ii
14 I V64
15 I, V6, VI6-5
16 V7/V, Vadd6, ii43
17 I64-53
Hensel "Bitte"
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel's "Bitte" is a strophic song. I think that Hensel is trying to portray the ambivalence of the poem through her song. Just looking at measures 9-16, measure 9 has the harmony of I, but also has some chromatic passing tones to text paint both the sweetness and the night. The next measure's neopolitan6 chord portrays the somber, mild, dream-likeness while also providing text painting for the next verse "above my live" by descending the melodic contour. The next few measures just continues the ambivalence of what has been started by providing a minor i and a V. I interpret measure 13 as just a big I chord because of the two prominent As in the melody and accompaniment. I think the rest of the notes around it are just harmonic decorations adding to the somberness of this piece which Hensel set in a major key. The next measure goes totally minor by way of a minor i6 and ii. Measure 15 returns back to the core "sweetness" of this piece by using only one minor chord and ending with a plagal cadence. How fitting for the text "unfathomably sweet night."
I think the biggest trick to performing this would be having a definite interpretation. I think you would have to pick a character that either leans more toward the "sweet" interpretation or the "somber" one. Or maybe you could have one for each verse. Because there's two sets of lyrics to the same music, the words are obviously an important part of this piece. I would also say that because of the rhythm of the song already emphasizes the chromatic notes (for instance in measure 10, the fb is a quarter note while the d is only an eighth) Hensel would probably want those notes to have more inflection. But I would suggest that the singer not "swing" too much in order to keep a nice line to the end of the consonant cadences.
I think the biggest trick to performing this would be having a definite interpretation. I think you would have to pick a character that either leans more toward the "sweet" interpretation or the "somber" one. Or maybe you could have one for each verse. Because there's two sets of lyrics to the same music, the words are obviously an important part of this piece. I would also say that because of the rhythm of the song already emphasizes the chromatic notes (for instance in measure 10, the fb is a quarter note while the d is only an eighth) Hensel would probably want those notes to have more inflection. But I would suggest that the singer not "swing" too much in order to keep a nice line to the end of the consonant cadences.
Analysis B
080306
Blog #6
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, “Bitte” (poem by Nikolaus Lenau)
Roman numerals in the Key of A-flat Major:
m.9 – I65
m.10 – iv
m.11 – I43
m. 12 – V7
m.13 – iv
m.14 – ii
m.15 – I V
m.16 – I
This is a song for voice and piano set to a poem by Nikolaus Lenau called “Bitte.” In measures 5, 9, 13, and 16 they end with half, authentic, and perfect authentic cadences. In measure 13 the harmony uses parallel octaves descending in major seconds and minor seconds in the soprano, tenor, and bass voices of the piano accompaniment, also an a-flat held out in the alto voice. I think this part really sticks out because of the moving parallel octaves. In measures 9-16 it repeats the text that translates to “somber, mild, dream-like, unfathomably sweet night” and “so that above my life you alone will float for ever and ever”. The melody for these lines in the poem has similar melodic contours as it reoccurs in the song. This song is 19 measures and an anacrusis, but it repeats to fit the text of the poem. In measures 15-19, for the last part of the text it’s translated to “for ever and ever” and Fanny wrote out that a I chord is just kind of held out for a few beats and it gives the text painting of going on for ever and ever.
Blog #6
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, “Bitte” (poem by Nikolaus Lenau)
Roman numerals in the Key of A-flat Major:
m.9 – I65
m.10 – iv
m.11 – I43
m. 12 – V7
m.13 – iv
m.14 – ii
m.15 – I V
m.16 – I
This is a song for voice and piano set to a poem by Nikolaus Lenau called “Bitte.” In measures 5, 9, 13, and 16 they end with half, authentic, and perfect authentic cadences. In measure 13 the harmony uses parallel octaves descending in major seconds and minor seconds in the soprano, tenor, and bass voices of the piano accompaniment, also an a-flat held out in the alto voice. I think this part really sticks out because of the moving parallel octaves. In measures 9-16 it repeats the text that translates to “somber, mild, dream-like, unfathomably sweet night” and “so that above my life you alone will float for ever and ever”. The melody for these lines in the poem has similar melodic contours as it reoccurs in the song. This song is 19 measures and an anacrusis, but it repeats to fit the text of the poem. In measures 15-19, for the last part of the text it’s translated to “for ever and ever” and Fanny wrote out that a I chord is just kind of held out for a few beats and it gives the text painting of going on for ever and ever.
The Everlasting Gob-Hensel
Fanny Cäcilie Mendelssohn-Hensel, was born in Hamburg on November 14th, 1805. The eldest sister of the would-be famous composer, Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny and Felix were prominent in music from an early age. While the practice of women in education was not supported publicly, Fanny’s father was tolerant of her excursions in music. Felix, on the other hand, supported her and eventually arranged to have some of her music published under his own name. In 1829 Fanny married the painter Wilhelm Hensel, who was very supportive of her musical endeavors. Her public debut was in 1838, playing her brother’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Fanny Hensel died on May 14th, 1847 from complications due to a stroke suffered while rehearsing one of her brother’s compositions.[1]
The work entitled Bitte (op. 7.5) by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel was composed in 1846. Originally a poem composed by Nikolaus Lenau, Hensel arranged the poem for a vocalist with piano accompaniment. The following is the chord progression she used:
Ab major:
Pick-up: I
m1: iii6 vii*(half)
m2: I I6/4 vii*(half)7 I
m3: ii*4/2 vi6 vii*7/vi vi
m4: ii Vadd6 ii ii*7
m5: V v
m6: bIII7 V7
m7: I bVI
m8: bIII4/3-7/5/3
m9: V6/5/IV
m10: iv
m11: i6/4
m12: V7
m13: bVI V4/3III III
m14: i6 VII III
m15: i6 v4/2 viio*4/3
m16: I9/5/4-8/5/3
m17: I
m18: I
m19: I
The structure of this piece is surprisingly complex. Contrary to previous pieces I’ve had the opportunity to deconstruct this work is a harmonically dense and structurally varied. The overall form of the piece is relatively easy with there being four distinct sections that are each about four measures long each (the only exception being the “outro” the piano has with the 2nd ending, extending the phrase length to six measures). The entire piece seems somewhat tonally ambiguous because of the continuing shifts from major to minor, the presence of secondary dominant areas and non-chord tones (measures 3 and 4 give good examples of all these).
The text of the first phrase reads, Linger on me, dark eyes, exert your entire power. Lingering is the description of everything but what Hensel does. The vocalist sings flowingly but the movement is a constant quarter eighth quarter eighth in each measure, almost like eye movement; look one place, stay for a second, quickly move again and again, always twitching and readjusting. The second phrase incorporates a minor v and bIII, both completely out of the norm from a major key. The text here reads somber, mild, dream-like, unfathomably sweet night. I question if Hensel was trying for sarcasm in her interpretation because the harmonic progression is unorthodox and is mild but eerie as well – not something you’d want a lover to express during the “sweet night.”
With your magic darkness take from me this world… now all this minor is starting to make sense. She craves, yearns, for someone to tonicize her V6/5 of IV in measure 9…but wait! Instead, it’s a minor iv that follows in measure 10. Deceiving tricksters, we be, Ms. Hensel. However, it works and continues to create an increasingly awkward and creepy aura. The kind of creepy one gets from a clown entrusted with an axe. But back to Hensel, for she in her last phrase takes the cake with the line so that above my life you alone will float for ever and ever. And ever and ever and ever… how long can one play a I chord? Well, as long as you’re doing suspension, release, suspension, release, suspension…forever. Well, at least four measures (m.16-19). Shockingly, instead of floating upward, as one might expect, Hensel has the vocal line moving downward…down into the ground. Foreshadowing, anyone? And so with this Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel has succeeded at creating one of the weirdest descriptions of a love/death relationship that will cause me to lose sleep.
Arg…text painting…
Jeanie!
M13: V, vi, viidim, I, ii, Vaugadd9
M14: I8-7, IV64, ii42
M15: I, V65, vi
M16: IV9/vi, vi42, IV6
(if this measure has a Vadd6, could you point it out to me?)
M17: I, iii, V7, I
The overall form of this excerpt of Stephen Foster's "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" is a a' b a''. The first phrase a, is four bars and ends in a half cadence. The second phrase, a' is also four bars ending in a half cadence. Phrase b ends in a half cadence after four bars. Then there is an expansion in Measure 13 that doesn't really fit into any phrase. It is almost as if the singer pauses between phrases to "sigh", and then continues to a'', which is also four bars but ends on a PAC.
As for new harmonies, I have found two. At the end of measure 13 we have a B flat, D, F sharp, C chords- or a Vaugmentedadd9 chord. Also, in measure 16, the first chord is F, A, (C), E flat, G, or a IV9/vi which tonicizes the vi7 chord on beat three.
Finally, at first glance, the bridge section doesn't seem to differ from the rest of the excerpt that much. However, it does have a much different rhythm. Also, after looking at it harmonically, it is almost as if we have switched to Bflat major as it is so heavily tonicized, especially with the V/V in measure 12. Also, even though we have a strong Eflat chord in measure 10, it in no way sounds the slightest bit final. We must continue to the next part of the phrase.
If I were to perform this, I would probably perform the a sections heavier than the b. To me, the a phrases seem much stronger, whereas the b part seems more mysterious and soft.
M14: I8-7, IV64, ii42
M15: I, V65, vi
M16: IV9/vi, vi42, IV6
(if this measure has a Vadd6, could you point it out to me?)
M17: I, iii, V7, I
The overall form of this excerpt of Stephen Foster's "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" is a a' b a''. The first phrase a, is four bars and ends in a half cadence. The second phrase, a' is also four bars ending in a half cadence. Phrase b ends in a half cadence after four bars. Then there is an expansion in Measure 13 that doesn't really fit into any phrase. It is almost as if the singer pauses between phrases to "sigh", and then continues to a'', which is also four bars but ends on a PAC.
As for new harmonies, I have found two. At the end of measure 13 we have a B flat, D, F sharp, C chords- or a Vaugmentedadd9 chord. Also, in measure 16, the first chord is F, A, (C), E flat, G, or a IV9/vi which tonicizes the vi7 chord on beat three.
Finally, at first glance, the bridge section doesn't seem to differ from the rest of the excerpt that much. However, it does have a much different rhythm. Also, after looking at it harmonically, it is almost as if we have switched to Bflat major as it is so heavily tonicized, especially with the V/V in measure 12. Also, even though we have a strong Eflat chord in measure 10, it in no way sounds the slightest bit final. We must continue to the next part of the phrase.
If I were to perform this, I would probably perform the a sections heavier than the b. To me, the a phrases seem much stronger, whereas the b part seems more mysterious and soft.
In Stephen Foster's song, Jeanie with the light Brown Hair, the chord analysis is:
m.13 Ab
Baug6
m. 14Eb
Eb
m.15 Eb
Bb7
Ab
m.16 F7
Eb/Bb
Ab
m. 17 Eb/Bb
Bb7
Eb
Foster's use of these chord are a clear use of the typical pop song. Where as you have mostly a tonic to dominant motion. He uses alot of passing tones in the piano part of the song when shifting chords such as Eb/Bb to Ab. This gives a somewhat doo-wop feel. The chord move into each other very smoothly, mostly because of the IV V I motion. Foster brigde section still goes between Eb and Bb, but he has a typical pop motive, by using the voice in piano moving by thirds to a chord that can jump right back in the melody. This occurs at measure 13. The brigde is helped along by the use of an F major chord. This chord helps the feeling that there is a difference between the two sections by the use of A natural. It is in quarternary form. The performance of this piece is had to pin down. This being a pop piece there aren't that many strict rules about how it should be performed. No text painting need be excentuated, or any thing else like that. However, an effective way would be to perform it with as much innocence and fun the performer could muster. If you were to use back up singers, you would want them to sing all the chord changes accuratly to give a more collective feel.
m.13 Ab
Baug6
m. 14Eb
Eb
m.15 Eb
Bb7
Ab
m.16 F7
Eb/Bb
Ab
m. 17 Eb/Bb
Bb7
Eb
Foster's use of these chord are a clear use of the typical pop song. Where as you have mostly a tonic to dominant motion. He uses alot of passing tones in the piano part of the song when shifting chords such as Eb/Bb to Ab. This gives a somewhat doo-wop feel. The chord move into each other very smoothly, mostly because of the IV V I motion. Foster brigde section still goes between Eb and Bb, but he has a typical pop motive, by using the voice in piano moving by thirds to a chord that can jump right back in the melody. This occurs at measure 13. The brigde is helped along by the use of an F major chord. This chord helps the feeling that there is a difference between the two sections by the use of A natural. It is in quarternary form. The performance of this piece is had to pin down. This being a pop piece there aren't that many strict rules about how it should be performed. No text painting need be excentuated, or any thing else like that. However, an effective way would be to perform it with as much innocence and fun the performer could muster. If you were to use back up singers, you would want them to sing all the chord changes accuratly to give a more collective feel.
Stephen Foster and Jeanie
Excerpt in Eb Major
m. 13 – V ii
m. 14 – I iv64 ii6
m. 15 – I V V-7
m. 16 – V7/V Vadd6 I64 iv
m. 17 – I III V7 I
Stephan Foster’s “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” is in quaternary form (AA1BA). The first line “ I dream of Jeanie..” ends with a half cadence in measure 4, which begins the second phrase (A1) which ends in a half cadence in measure 8. The bridge has a cadence at measure 10, however the piano part continues through the held cadence with an ascending scale to complete the bridge at measure 12 with another half cadence. The last phrase begins with the pick up to measure 14 and continues to then end of the song ending with a perfect authentic (V-I) cadence. I did not feel a shift change throughout the song. In the basic sense all of the cadences leading up to the bridge had been half cadences and then suddenly in the middle of the bridge there is a perfect authentic cadence. He also kept the same rhythms in each measure of the bridge as if to tie it all together and make it truly its own section. However this section could not stand alone without the A section. In measure 16 there is a new chord represented from chapter 26, a Vadd6 chord, where the extra note in the chord is a major sixth above the bass.
I absolutely love Stephen Foster songs, as silly as that may be. As a child I went to see the Stephan Foster Story performed in Bardstown, Kentucky. I fell in love with “Beautiful Dreamer,” and the story of Stephen Foster. His songs are something that hit home for me, and this one is another one that is a classic.
Check out the song performed in the movie “Stephen Foster”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4rHE1nIVdo
yay for youtube!
m. 13 – V ii
m. 14 – I iv64 ii6
m. 15 – I V V-7
m. 16 – V7/V Vadd6 I64 iv
m. 17 – I III V7 I
Stephan Foster’s “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” is in quaternary form (AA1BA). The first line “ I dream of Jeanie..” ends with a half cadence in measure 4, which begins the second phrase (A1) which ends in a half cadence in measure 8. The bridge has a cadence at measure 10, however the piano part continues through the held cadence with an ascending scale to complete the bridge at measure 12 with another half cadence. The last phrase begins with the pick up to measure 14 and continues to then end of the song ending with a perfect authentic (V-I) cadence. I did not feel a shift change throughout the song. In the basic sense all of the cadences leading up to the bridge had been half cadences and then suddenly in the middle of the bridge there is a perfect authentic cadence. He also kept the same rhythms in each measure of the bridge as if to tie it all together and make it truly its own section. However this section could not stand alone without the A section. In measure 16 there is a new chord represented from chapter 26, a Vadd6 chord, where the extra note in the chord is a major sixth above the bass.
I absolutely love Stephen Foster songs, as silly as that may be. As a child I went to see the Stephan Foster Story performed in Bardstown, Kentucky. I fell in love with “Beautiful Dreamer,” and the story of Stephen Foster. His songs are something that hit home for me, and this one is another one that is a classic.
Check out the song performed in the movie “Stephen Foster”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4rHE1nIVdo
yay for youtube!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair
'Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,' one of the many catchy American folk-songs by Stephen Foster is a really great example of augmented dominant chords, not to mention the subtleties of the different phrases in the quaternary form. Foster's song consists entirely of two bar phrases, which demand a lolling simplicity from the performer. It is extremely necessary that the work is not over-performed, as it was most likely intended for ameture entertainment.
Quaternary form can be described as aaba, the first a is up through measure 4, the next a through measure 6, b through measure 13, and the final chorus through until the end. One interesting thing about this quaternary form is the second 'a' which only lasts 2 bars is only a small recap of the original a secion.
The chordal analysis for measures 13-end goes as follows:
m. 13 V7
m. 14 I
m. 15 I V6 IV6-5
m. 16 V7/V Vadd6 IV6
m. 17 V64 53 I
The b section of this work is contrasted from the chorus because of two distinct characteristics. Firstly, Foster begins temporarily tonicizing V with V7/V chords that include Fi (A natural). This helps enforce the feeling of the b section, or the bridge, because we really know that V (Bb major) is not the true tonic. This further creates a desire to return to the final a chorus. Additionally, another deviation in the bridge lies in the rhythms which begin to include dotted-eigth and 16th note figures. The combination of increased rhythmic complexity, and the temporary tonicization of V through the use of Fi both are key elements in contrasting the b section from the a section in Foster's 'Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair.'
As I mentioned earlier, this song contains many elements of American folk tradition such as simple melodies, simple harmonies, and a great deal of repetition. While this work isn't entirely complex, it is important to emphasize the cool chords in each of the songs!
Quaternary form can be described as aaba, the first a is up through measure 4, the next a through measure 6, b through measure 13, and the final chorus through until the end. One interesting thing about this quaternary form is the second 'a' which only lasts 2 bars is only a small recap of the original a secion.
The chordal analysis for measures 13-end goes as follows:
m. 13 V7
m. 14 I
m. 15 I V6 IV6-5
m. 16 V7/V Vadd6 IV6
m. 17 V64 53 I
The b section of this work is contrasted from the chorus because of two distinct characteristics. Firstly, Foster begins temporarily tonicizing V with V7/V chords that include Fi (A natural). This helps enforce the feeling of the b section, or the bridge, because we really know that V (Bb major) is not the true tonic. This further creates a desire to return to the final a chorus. Additionally, another deviation in the bridge lies in the rhythms which begin to include dotted-eigth and 16th note figures. The combination of increased rhythmic complexity, and the temporary tonicization of V through the use of Fi both are key elements in contrasting the b section from the a section in Foster's 'Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair.'
As I mentioned earlier, this song contains many elements of American folk tradition such as simple melodies, simple harmonies, and a great deal of repetition. While this work isn't entirely complex, it is important to emphasize the cool chords in each of the songs!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
The Early Bird Gets the Worm...or in this case gets to sleep :)
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair by Stephen Foster is a very light and lovely piece. It fits the definition of Quaternary form almost to a T. The quaternary form means that the song consists of the form a a b a. Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair is made up of the form a a' b a. The b section is the bridge. Foster makes this section different by having a different feel and style. The harmonic rhythm also changes to one chord a measure, along with the general melodic line. Instead of having arpeggiations combined with descending scale times the melodies is closer just eighth notes and more stepwise motion. The listener can definitely tell that this is the bridge section because it is not closely related to the a sections.
The Chordal Analysis for measure 13 until the end is as follows.
m. 13 - V7
m. 14 - I ( I see this as a held out one with embellishments over the top )
m. 15 - I V65 V-7
m. 16 - V7/V Vadd6 IV6
m. 17 - I64 III V7 I
At first the Vadd6 chord really threw me off. I knew that the chord that preceded it had to be a secondary dominant but could not figure out how I could have a secondary dominant without a V chord for it to resolve to. In closer looking at the book I remembered the two new chords that were introduced in this chapter. Sure enough the Vadd6 solved the problem of the secondary dominant.
The phrase analysis really just follows the same break down as the overall form. The first two phrases conclude with a half cadence and the bridge as well, it is not until the final verse or chorus or whatever you choose to call it that we have a PAC.
That is pretty much all I have to say about this piece. It is very simple and there were few prompting questions. I can't really comment on how I would perform it because I'm not really dreaming of Jeanie with the Light Brown hair. I also found it interesting that when I searched for this song on youtube all of the recordings had pictures of BLONDE women in the background while the song went over it. Last time I checked blonde and light brown were in completely different categories.
The Chordal Analysis for measure 13 until the end is as follows.
m. 13 - V7
m. 14 - I ( I see this as a held out one with embellishments over the top )
m. 15 - I V65 V-7
m. 16 - V7/V Vadd6 IV6
m. 17 - I64 III V7 I
At first the Vadd6 chord really threw me off. I knew that the chord that preceded it had to be a secondary dominant but could not figure out how I could have a secondary dominant without a V chord for it to resolve to. In closer looking at the book I remembered the two new chords that were introduced in this chapter. Sure enough the Vadd6 solved the problem of the secondary dominant.
The phrase analysis really just follows the same break down as the overall form. The first two phrases conclude with a half cadence and the bridge as well, it is not until the final verse or chorus or whatever you choose to call it that we have a PAC.
That is pretty much all I have to say about this piece. It is very simple and there were few prompting questions. I can't really comment on how I would perform it because I'm not really dreaming of Jeanie with the Light Brown hair. I also found it interesting that when I searched for this song on youtube all of the recordings had pictures of BLONDE women in the background while the song went over it. Last time I checked blonde and light brown were in completely different categories.
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