MT1 KS5 Edexcel A2 Instrumental 2011

Music Teacher January 2011 1

KS5KS5 Edexcel A2: instrumental 2011 (Shostakovich, Ellington, Davis) by Alan Charlton

Approaching the set works

The aims behind the list of chamber music works and Section C questions are to familiarise students further with

musical analysis and enable them to spot harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, textural and formal features through

the study of a musical score. The sort of points students will need to make in the exam paper are detailed (for

example, mentioning specific beats and bar numbers, keys and so on) and will therefore be difficult to learn

by heart. Therefore, students should look at devising ways of recognising different features by just looking at

the score. For instance in the Shostakovich, they should be able to spot that there are pedal notes in the left

hand from how these appear on the page, even if their bass clef is a little shaky. Similarly, syncopations have a

certain look about them and features such as chord symbols in the jazz pieces and the labelling of the different

sections in the Miles Davis give away a lot of information without the student having to read staff notation.

Therefore, encourage the students to learn facts using the score as a prompt, rather than trying to learn the

same facts by rote. They should aim to be able to refer to three or four detailed points on each musical element

(form, tonality, etc.) for each set work.

The background information on composers and their works will not be tested in Section C of the paper, but is

provided here to help place the musical features of the works in context, making them easier to absorb.

Exam rEquirEmEnts

The Edexcel A2 Instrumental set works for 2011 are tested in Section C (Continuity and Change in Instrumental Music) of the Unit 6 exam paper, Further Musical Understanding. Section C is worth 36 marks out of the 90 marks for Unit 6, or 40% of the marks for the paper. Edexcel recommends that students spend 50 minutes answering this question in the exam.

Students are given a choice of two questions. In each of these, students are asked to compare one or more of resources, form, texture, tonality, harmony, melody, and rhythm and metre, of specified instrumental set works. Questions so far appear to show that each question refers to three set works. Quality of written communication is taken into account when marking this paper.

Alan Charlton is an examiner for Edexcel and a freelance composer.

Music Teacher January 2011 2

ShoStAKovich: PrEluDE AnD FuguE in A, oP. 87 no. 7

24 Preludes and Fugues for piano (1950–51)

There had been a further denouncement of Shostakovich’s music in 1948, along with several other composers,

and in order to regain acceptance, he produced several works that were more conservative in style. The 24

Preludes and Fugues were created as part of this process and look back to the 48 Preludes and Fugues of

J. S. Bach in exploring all the major and minor keys, in their use of contrapuntal techniques and in their musical

language.

Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues are arranged by key signature, following the circle of 5ths, with each

major-keyed prelude and fugue followed by a prelude and fugue in the relative minor. So the sequence begins

C major, A minor (no sharps), G major, E minor (one sharp), D major, B minor (two sharps), etc. The Prelude

and Fugue in A major is the seventh in this cycle.

Technical scope

Shostakovich’s Prelude and Fugue is written for solo piano. As it is modelled on Bach, the writing isn’t especial-

ly adventurous compared with that of other 20th-century composers. Features of the piano-writing include:

Prelude – �

A limited range (F � # below bass clef–F§ above treble clef)

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–75) was born in Russia and experienced the most momentous period in the country’s history, including the Bolshevik Revolution, the rise of communism, repression under the regime of Stalin, the Second World War and the Cold War. After studies with the Russian composer Glazunov, Shostakovich made his name in the late 1920s and early 1930s with symphonies, operas and ballets that were distinctively Russian in style but which were also influenced by modernist developments in the west. Although he was always a committed socialist, his music came under criticism from the Stalinist regime in 1936 as being bourgeois (reflecting western capitalist values) and ‘formalist’ (too experimental), both of which jarred with Stalin’s regime’s communist ideals. As a result he had to withdraw many works (such as the opera Lady MacBeth of the Mtsensk District) and remodel his style into something more audience-friendly to please the authorities. During this period, he produced symphonies 5 and 7 (the ‘Leningrad’), which was vital in sustaining Russian morale in the face of the German advance in the Second World War. In his subsequent career Shostakovich’s music faced regular attacks by the Soviet authorities and it was only after Stalin’s death in 1953 that he could return to the more experimental ideas of his earlier years. He is best known for his cycle of 15 symphonies and also wrote 15 string quartets, ballets, operas, chamber music, piano music and film music and pieces in a lighter style.

Several composers, including Chopin and Rachmaninov, have composed sets of preludes in all 24 keys and there are many oth-er sets of preludes by composers such as Debussy and Messiaen.

PrEludE and fuguE

A prelude and fugue is a composition consisting of two separate pieces. The prelude is a short piece that introduces the fugue. It is often based around a short motif with a distinctive rhythm, or on a pattern of notes such as a broken chord, or may explore a particular mood. A fugue is a contrapuntal composition in two or more voices. It uses fugal techniques and often alternates fugal sections with freer passages called episodes. Tonally, it is usually based around the tonic and its related keys.

Dmitry Shostakovich

3 Music Teacher January 2011

contrapuntal writing in a neoclassical, Baroque-influenced style �

Some use of the sustaining pedal in some performances (but this is not marked in the score) �

Fugue – �

A limited range (c � # below bass clef–F# above treble clef)

use of dynamic contrast �

Some performances may use sustaining pedal (for example, tatiana nikolayeva) �

the third pedal is required at 62–65 if the sustaining pedal is not used (this sustains only the notes that �

are depressed when the pedal is pressed down).

Form

Prelude

the main melody is based on the turn-like semiquaver figure at bar 1 beat 1 (‘a’) and the broken chords/ �

scale figures in groups of three quavers (‘b’)

When the melody is in the right hand, the left hand has a pedal note �

When the melody is in the left hand, the right hand has triads in dotted crotchets �

the whole piece is based around the alternation of these two textures �

however, the respective phrase lengths of each of these textures varies, leading to an unpredictable phrase �

structure, maintaining the listener’s interest.

Bars 1.1–3.1

3.2–3.4

4.1–5.1

5.2–8.1

8.2–11.1

11.2–12.4

13.1–16.1

16.2–18.3

18.4–20.4

21.1–22.3

23.1–18.1

r.h. melody chords melody chords melody chords melody chords melody chords chords

l.h. pedal melody pedal melody pedal melody pedal melody pedal chords melody

length (beats) 9 3 9 8 12 7 13 10 9 7 18

Fugue

Fugal technique is complex and students will not need to know every detail of its workings. However, they will

need to know about its main features, so start by giving them a general introduction to the features found in

fugues.

There are two main aspects to fugues: the contrapuntal technique and the overall structure. Strictly speaking

‘fugue’ refers to the contrapuntal techniques used.

A typical fugue will open with a melody in a single line. This is called the subject.

A second part then joins in with its version of the subject in a different key (usually the dominant). This is called

the answer. The first part has a different melody against the answer, called a countersubject. After the answer

has been stated, there may be a short transition that takes the music back to the tonic key.

The third part then enters with the subject, usually in the tonic. The second part now has the countersubject,

while the first part plays a part in free counterpoint.

This whole section is called a fugal exposition.

4Music Teacher January 2011

There then follow passages called episodes which alternate with sections known as middle entries. Episodes

are usually based on material from the exposition and often modulate to a new key. Middle entries resemble

the fugal exposition, but are often in a different key and often swap around the voices playing the subject,

countersubject and so on. They are usually in at least two parts: the parts are not added one by one as in the

fugal exposition.

The first episode is at bars 15–20 and the first middle entry at bars 21–28. Students should note that the first

episode develops material from bars 9–10, has a faster harmonic rhythm than the fugal exposition and modu-

lates to the relative minor; and that the first middle entry is in F# minor (the relative minor).

Point out that the material is now played by different voices to those in the corresponding passage of the ex-

position.

Fugues continue with an alternation of episodes and middle entries. Other important features of a fugue in-

clude:

Stretto � entries – where entries of the subject appear closer together, creating a feeling of excitement

Pedal � notes – often dominant or tonic pedals are used towards the end of a fugue.

activity

Ask students to try to identify these features in the Shostakovich (answers in brackets):

Subject (bars 1–4) �

Answer (bars 5–8, in left hand) �

Countersubject (bars 5–8, in right hand) �

Transition (bars 9–10) �

Subject (bars 11–14, left hand) �

Countersubject (bars 11–14, right hand, lower part) �

Free counterpoint (bars 11–14, right hand, upper part). �

activity

In bars 21–24, ask students to identify which part has:

The subject (lower part of the right hand) �

The countersubject (upper part of the right hand) �

Free counterpoint (left hand). �

activity

Ask pupils if they can spot examples of stretto (bars 70–78) and pedal notes (dominant pedal bars 62–69, tonic pedal bars 96–99).


The overall plan of the fugue is summarised in the following table:

Bars Section Key degree of scale

Contrapuntal features Other features

1–14 Fugal exposition

A tonic S: v.1 (1–4)S: v.2 (5–8)cS: v.1 (5–8)S: v.3 (11–14)cS: v.2 (11–14)Fc: v.1 (11–14)

1–4: tonic harmony5–8: dominant harmony9–10: transition11–15: tonic harmony

15–20 First episode use of sequence: 15–16 is repeated a minor 3rd lower at 17–18

21–28 Middle entry 1 F# minor (relative minor)

Submediant S: v.2 (21–24)cS: v.1 (21–24)Fc: v.3 (21–24)S: v.1 (25–29)cS: v.3 (25–29)Fc: v.2 (25–29)

29–32 Episode 2 in two-part counterpoint, based on transition material

33–40 Middle entry 2 A major tonic S: v.3 (33–36)cS: v.1 (33–36)S: v.1 (37–40)cS: v.3 (37–40)

41–46 Episode 3 in two-part counterpoint, based on transition material

47–54 Middle entry 3 F major Flat submediant

S: v.1 (47–50)cS: v.2 (47–50)A: v.3 (51–54)cS: v.2 (51–54)Fc: v.1 (51–54)

note that the parts cross for cS in 47–50

55–61 Episode 4 First bar of S:v.3 (58) in c minorv.2 (59) in Bb major;v.3 (60) in Eb major;v.3 (61) in F# minor

First bar of S used in sequence

62–65 Middle entry 4 A major tonic S: v.1 (62–65)cS: v.2 (62–75)

Dominant pedal

66–69 Episode 5 Dominant pedal

70–75 Stretto entries of subject combined with other material

A major tonic S: v.2 (70–73)S: v.3 (70–71)S: v.1 (72–75)

the stretto entries of the subject are often altered in pitch to fit in with the harmony

76–91 Episode 6 S: v.1 (79–82) Motifs from the subject and cS are freely developed and combined with new material

92–99 coda A major tonic S in v.1 (95–98) tonic pedal

Students need not memorise the information in this table, but it is useful for them to be able to give a summary

of the overall form (column 2) and to give examples of: fugal exposition; subject; answer; countersubject; free

counterpoint; an episode; a middle entry; pedal notes; stretto; an example of a middle entry in a different key

and with the order of voices changed.

Key: v.1 = highest voice; v.2 = middle voice; v.3 = lowest voice; S = subject; CS = countersubject; FC

= free counterpoint


Texture: activity

Ask students to identify the following textures used in NAM 25:

Prelude – �

Pedal note plus melody line (e.g. bars 1–2) �

homophonic texture (e.g. bar 7) �

homophonic/chordal (bars 21–22) �

Fugue – �

two-part contrapuntal texture (e.g. 29–50) �

three-part contrapuntal texture (e.g. 51–61) �

Monophonic texture (bars 1–4) �

use of pedal notes (e.g. bars 62–69). �

Tonality

The work uses diatonic harmony and is in the key of A major.

Prelude

This passes through a number of keys, including some remote ones. Keys are not defined by perfect cadences

but rather through the music passing suddenly from the notes of one key to another. For instance, at bar 19,

the notes of the Ab major scale are suddenly introduced. Here are the keys that the music passes through in

the Prelude, some of them only briefly:

Bar nos. Key degree of scale

1–3 A major tonic

4–5 F# minor relative minor

6–9 E major Dominant

11–12 A major tonic

13–15 c# major/minor Mediant major/minor

17.4 –18.3 F major Flat submediant major

19 Ab major Flattened leading note major

21 Db major Enharmonic mediant major

23–28 A major tonic

Fugue

The tonal scheme of the fugue has already been included in the table under ‘form’. Note that it is less adventur-

ous than that of the Prelude, being based mostly on the tonic and related keys.

Harmony

The Prelude and Fugue in A major uses diatonic tonal harmony, but there are occasional added-note chords

(for example in the Prelude, bar 6.3, bar 7.1, 11.1, 17.3).

Most dissonances are resolved by stepwise movement (for example, bar 17.4 resolves onto 18.1). Triads dis-

sonant with a pedal note are used in the Prelude at bar 10.3 and 11.1.

Most of the harmonic interest comes through slightly unexpected chord progressions, sometimes using enhar-

monics, for example:

Prelude – �

the move to c major in bar 10 �

the move to the A � b major second inversion chord in bar 19

the move from D � b major to A major bar 23


Fugue – similar moves happen at �

Bar 43 (A major–F major) �

Bars 60–62 (E � b major–c# major–F# minor–A major)

� Bars 84–85 (A major–c# major).

CAdenCeS

The prelude generally avoids conventional cadences. Examples are at bar 11.1, cadencing into A major on

beat 2 (a perfect cadence but with an 11th chord as the preparatory chord); and the cadence from bar 20.4

to bar 21.1 into Db major (but a second inversion chord is used as the preparatory chord and there is no 5th in

the ‘arrival’ chord).

In the fugue, there are many examples of tonic harmony alternating with dominant harmony, which creates

perfect cadences, as at bar 69 going into bar 70.

HArMOniC rHyTHM

This is a very important aspect of the fugue. Because the subject, countersubject and free counterpoint are all

formed from the notes of a major triad, the harmony of the fugal exposition and middle entries only changes

once every four bars. To compensate for this, Shostakovich speeds up the harmonic rhythm in the episodes

to two chords per bar (see for example bars 9–10), or sometimes four per bar (for example bars 20 and 46).

On the final page, long passages based on tonic harmony (bars 70–75, 79–82, 89–90, 92, 94 and 96–99) are

balanced by a variety of harmony and faster chord changes in the intervening sections. This helps to bring a

feeling of closure to the movement while sustaining harmonic interest and momentum.

Melody

Prelude

The main melody is based on a turn-like figure (‘a’), quaver movement that outlines triads, scale fragments or

other stepwise ideas (‘b’), and semiquaver scales towards the end of phrases (‘c’). The rhythm is more impor-

tant than the pitches in defining the material. Phrases are of variable length, being extended or shortened by

varying the length of the section in quavers. There is melodic fragmentation in the last four bars.

Melodies are mostly diatonic, but there is some chromatic movement (bar 13 beats 2–4) and octatonic material

(bar 14.2 to bar 16.1).

Fugue

The subject, countersubject 1 and the free counterpoint are arpeggio-based melodies; this gives them a fan-

fare-like quality. Much of the melodic material in the episodes uses triadic ideas derived from the material in the

fugal exposition. The material is made memorable through its strong rhythmic character, with dotted rhythms in

the subject and syncopated dotted rhythms in the countersubject. Leaps of a 3rd, 4th and 6th, both upwards

and downwards, feature strongly in all the material used.

The fugal exposi-tion and the middle entries use almost entirely triadic har-monies: few notes are dissonant with the harmony.

activity

To demonstrate the point about the octatonic scale, ask students to write out the note names of bars 14.2–16.1 (including bass notes). Arrange these in ascending order, starting on a C#. What scale does this form? Explain that it’s the octatonic scale and that it alternates intervals of tones and semitones.


The fugue uses invertible counterpoint. This is counterpoint which works equally well if the vertical order of

the parts is changed (for instance the lowest part swapped with the highest). This is because the intervals

largely comprise 3rds and 6ths, which are 6ths and 3rds respectively when inverted and so still sound conso-

nant.

Metre

Prelude

This is in compound quadruple metre, with bars 22 and 25–28 in compound triple metre. However, the main

beat of the bar is sometimes displaced within this metre: the first theme starts on the first beat of the bar in bar

1, but on the second beat in bar 8. The movement is in a steady tempo, but with a rit. at the end.

Fugue

This is in 22 (simple duple metre) throughout.

Rhythm

Prelude

The opening melodic idea (a) starts with an anacrusis. Syncopation is also used (bar 16.4 to bar 18 in the

bass).

Fugue

Dotted rhythms are used in the subject, giving it a military, fanfare-like quality �

Syncopation occurs in the countersubject �

the subject and countersubject are designed to create effective rhythmic counterpoint – one moves when �

the other is still, and vice versa

Shostakovich combines the contrapuntal parts to create constant quaver movement throughout (apart from �

in the first four bars, bars 71.3–72.1 and bar 99); this lends the piece a strong sense of rhythmic momentum,

as might be found in a toccata.

DuKE Ellington/BuBBEr MilEy: BlAcK AnD tAn FAntASy

activity

If there are two or three players of suitable melody instruments in the class (for example a cello, clarinet and flute), get them to arrange the fugal exposition for those forces and then perform it. If it works well, they could consider arranging and performing the whole piece.

The composer, pianist and bandleader duke Ellington (1899–1974) was one of the key figures in jazz history and was one of the prime developers of the big band that was to dominate the swing era of jazz (from the late 1920s to the late 1940s). In his formative years, his piano style was heavily influenced by ragtime and in 1923 he joined a band called the Washingtonians, who were based in the Cotton Club in New York. As the band grew, its sound became more distinctive, with the trumpeter Bubber Miley and the trombonist Tricky Sam Nanton creating what became known as the ‘jungle sound’, through the aid of plunger mutes and other effects. Ellington’s willingness to experiment in his compositions and to create large-scale pieces such as Black, Brown and Beige (1943) served to enhance his reputation, and his band continued to expand through the 1930s and 1940s. The remainder of his career was marked by frequent international tours and as a composer he branched out into genres such as film, incidental and sacred music.

Early successes include Black and Tan Fantasy (1927) and East St. Louis Toodle-O.

Duke Ellington


Black and Tan Fantasy

Black and Tan Fantasy was recorded three times by Duke Ellington in 1927 for different record labels. These

vary considerably in terms of the solos and the rhythm section, and critics disagree over which is the best. It

was immensely successful and a short film of the same name was released in 1929, featuring a woman on her

deathbed asking for the Black and Tan Fantasy to be played.

rEsourcEs

There is footage of Duke Ellington’s band and of Arthur Whetsol (rather than Bubber Miley) rehearsing the

trumpet solo on YouTube.

The score in NAM is a transcription of the recording found on The Golden Years of Jazz Vol. 6 (Prestige Elite

Jazz, 2007), available on iTunes or here on Spotify.

line-up

trumpet (Bubber Miley) trombone (Joe ‘tricky Sam’ nanton) Alto sax (otto hardwick)Piano (Duke Ellington)Double bassDrums Banjotenor and baritone sax (both doubling on clarinet)

Various instrumental techniques are used in the solo sections:

Muted trumpet and trombone (bars 1–12) �

Pitch bends/glissandi on trumpet and trombone (bars 3 and 7) �

Pitch bends during the saxophone solo (for example in bar 17) �

Plunger mutes on trumpet (bars 29–52) and trombone (65–76) �

growls, produced by flutter-tonguing (rolling an ‘r’ while playing – bar 43) �

horse whinny in trombone bar 73, produced with the aid of a plunger mute �

rapid tonguing in the trumpet (bar 83) �

Spread chords on banjo in bars 39–40 �

tremolo strumming on the banjo in bars 87–89. �

Various different instrumental combinations are used in different sections in the piece (see the section on

texture).

activity

Play the recording and ask students to identify which instruments they can hear. (Some of these are not notated in the score.)

This is for the 26 Oct 1927 recording. Some recordings also contain a tuba.

If you have any trumpet or trombone players with the appropriate mutes, ask them to bring in their instruments and try to recreate these effects.

A plunger mute is a rubber mute which can be inserted into the bell of a trumpet or trombone, closing off the bell and muting the sound. Using this mute, a skilled player can produce the characteristic ‘wah wah’ sound that was common in swing bands of the 1930s, and can also produce growls and imitations of animal noises. The use of this mute and the animal-like nature of the effects Ellington’s brass players produced spawned the term the ‘jungle sound’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy4CL2L0ono

http://open.spotify.com/track/3bowIBCz3G0B9rEp5sEZxY


Form

Section Barslength in bars

Solo instrument Key signature Section name

1 1–12 12 trumpet/trombone Bb minor theme

2 13–20 8 Alto sax Bb major 16-bar section

3

4 Solo 1

5 Solo 2

6 Solo 3

7 Solo 4

8 Solo 5

9 coda

Answer:

Section Barslength in bars

Solo instrument Key signature Section name

1 1–12 12 trumpet/trombone Bb minor theme

2 13–20 8 Alto sax Bb major 16-bar section

3 21–28 8 Alto sax Bb major

4 29–40 12 trumpet Bb major Solo 1


6 53–64 12 Piano Bb major Solo 3

7 65–76 12 trombone Bb major Solo 4


9 87–90 4 trumpet/trombone Bb minor coda

Point out that several sections are 12 bars in length. Ask them what musical forms they know that are based

in 12-bar sections? (12-bar blues.) How can the sections that are not 12 bars long be explained in this struc-

ture?

Sections 2 and 3 do not use the 12-bar chord sequence around which the rest of the piece is based, so they

can be described as an interpolation, a passage inserted to break up the structure and give it more interest. It

also allows the music to modulate from Bb minor to Bb major.

Section 9 is based on a quote from a piece of classical music – ask if anyone recognises it. (It is from Chopin’s

Funeral March, from Piano Sonata No. 2 in Bb minor.) This passage uses the chords that would be in bars 10–12

of the 12-bar blues sequence anyway, so is a way of extending this final statement to provide a convincing

ending, as well as giving the piece deathly, sombre associations.

activitiEs

Having played a recording of the movement to the class, ask them how they think it is structured: is it through-composed or sectional? (It’s sectional.) In the score, which musical symbol shows the border between each section? (Double barlines.)

Next, ask the students to complete the following table by filling in the missing information from the score. The answers are provided in the second table.

This link is exploited in the 1929 short film.


Tonal structure

Students should also take note of the tonal structure of the piece. It starts in Bb minor, before modulating to Bb major in the first eight-bar section. It stays in Bb major for the solo sections before returning to Bb minor in the

final four bars.

Point out that the tonality is often ambiguous, being neither in the major or minor. What scale produces this ef-

fect? (The blues scale). For instance the trumpet solo at bars 41–43 contains Dbs even though the underlying

chord is Bb major, which contains Ds.

Harmony and harmonic structure

The harmonic structure of the majority of the piece is based around the 12-bar blues chord sequence. Students

should have come across this from GCSE, but it is a good idea to give them a quick reminder:

Substitution chords are used frequently in Black and Tan Fantasy. The clearest way to see how and where they

are used is to write out the chords used in each of the 12-bar sections:

Statement no. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1 (1–12) Bbm Bbm Bbm Bbm Ebm Ebm Bbm Bbm F7 F7 Bbm–Ebm Bbm

i i i i iv iv i i V7 V7 i–iv i

(16 bar interlude)

2 (29–40) Bb Bb Bb Bb7 Eb7 Eb7 Bb Bb cm7 F7 Bb-Eb Bb

i i i i7 iV7 iV7 i i ii7 V7 i–iV i

3 (41–52) Bb Bb Bb Bb7 Eb7 Eb7 Bb Bb cm7 F7 Bb - Eb Bb

i i i i7 iV7 iV7 i i ii7 V7 i–iV i

4 (53–64) Bb c7–F7 Bb7 Eb Eb7 Edim7 Bb7–D7 g7 c7 F7 Bb–Bbdim Bb–gb9–F7

i ii7-V7 i7 iV iV7 iV7 dim i7–iii7 Vi7 ii7 V7 i–i dim i– bvi9–V7

5 (65–76) Bb Bb Bb Bb Eb7 Eb7 Bb Bb F7 Eb7 Bb Bb

i i i i iV7 iV7 i i V7 iV7 i i

6 (77–end) Bb Bb Bb Bb Eb7 Ebm7 Bb g7 c7 F7 Bbm–Ebm alternating

Bbm

i i i i iV7 iv7 i Vi7 ii7 V7 i–iv–i–iv i

From this table, it can be seen that some chords in the sequence are more frequently replaced than others.

Disregarding the fourth section:

Bars 1–3 in the sequence are always i or i �

Bar 7 is always i or i; bar 10 is always v7 �

Bar 12 is always i or i. �

Looking at where the key signatures change is a good way of reminding students of the tonal structure.

12-bar blues

The 12-bar blues is a chord sequence lasting 12 bars that is usually repeated for the length of a blues composition. In its simplest form, the chords used are as follows, each chord lasting for one bar:

I–I–I–I–IV–IV–I–I–V–IV–I–I

However, this structure is often modified by using 7th chords and substitution chords. A substitution chord is a chord that replaces one in the original 12-bar chord sequence that forms the basis of the composition.

Chords in lower case roman numer-als represent minor chords, those in upper case major chords. Note that in this table, bars 87–89 are treated as forming the 11th bar of the sixth state-ment of the 12-bar structure.


Common substitution chords are used in:

Bar 4 of the sequence, where i7 replaces i twice �

Bars 5–6, where iv7 or iv7 is often used �

Bar 9, where ii7 or ii7 often replaces v7. �

The one 12-bar section that deviates substantially from the opening harmonic structure is the fourth, which is

the piano’s solo (bars 53–64). Because the piano is a polyphonic instrument, piano solos in jazz pieces often

exploit harmonic improvisation to a greater extent than in solos for monophonic instruments. In Black and Tan

Fantasy, the wind instruments drop out, allowing the piano to change the chord sequence without creating har-

monic clashes. In this section, more adventurous harmonies and chord sequences appear, such as diminished

7th chords (bar 58), the use of two or three chords per bar rather than one (such as bar 64 and the circle of

5ths chord progression in bar 58.2–63.1).

Other notable harmonic features include:

circle of 5ths chord progression from 19.2–21.1 �

Parallel harmonic movement in bars 27–28 �

chromaticism in both of the above locations �

the use of g � b7 in bars 13–14 and 21–22 – if the accidentals of this chord were respelled, this would form an

augmented 6th chord (a german 6th), common in classical music.

Texture

Melody-dominated homophony makes up the majority of the piece, in which there is a melody line or solo of

some sort and a harmonic accompaniment. The harmonic accompaniment mostly consists of repeated crotch-

ets played by the rhythm section, dropping out for the piano solo at bars 53–64.

There is a short homorhythmic texture in bars 27–28.

Melody

Melody comes in two different forms in Black and Tan Fantasy. First, there are the composed melodies in the

opening section and in the 16-bar section that follows it. These feature the repetition and development of short

phrases. The opening 12-bar melody on the trumpet is mostly based around harmony notes: the notes of the

accompanying chords. It is harmonised by a second part, moving in near-parallel movement, which also uses

harmony notes. Interest is added through the use of pitch bends in bars 3 and 7. The march-like dotted rhythm

in bars 5, 10 and 11 anticipates the Chopin quote in the final four bars of the piece.

The alto sax solo in bars 13–19, repeated in bars 21–27, is more lyrical and rhythmically freer, and is mostly

based on stepwise movement, with triadic patterns in bars 17–18. There is a melodic sequence in bars 19–20

built around the underlying circle of 5ths chord sequence.

The improvised melodies in the solo sections are much freer rhythmically and more loosely structured. The

notated rhythms are only an approximation of what is played. The function of these sections is primarily to show

off the player’s technique and improvisation skills.


There are also two quotations in the melody line. As has already been mentioned, Chopin’s Funeral March ap-

pears in the final four bars. The melody of the opening 12 bars is a paraphrase of an 1892 spiritual by Stephen

Adams called The Holy City (see below). The Holy City is in the major rather than the minor and its rhythms

have been changed in Ellington’s piece.

Rhythm

Rhythmically, Black and Tan Fantasy has two layers in the solo sections:

The accompaniment, played by rhythm-section instruments. Apart from in the piano solo, where it is ab-1.

sent, this maintains a steady crotchet movement throughout.

The melody line. In the solo sections, this is rhythmically often very free and falls in and out of sync with 2.

the accompaniment, often having a very loose sense of pulse. Features that give it this sense of rhythmic

freedom are:

Quaver triplets (for example in bar 37, trumpet) �

crotchet triplets (for example in bar 33, trumpet) �

Syncopations (for example bar 34 beats 1–2, trumpet). �

Other rhythmic features found in Black and Tan Fantasy that are common in jazz include:

cross-rhythm (bar 17–18.2 in alto sax, where the melodic pattern is in � 38 and the accompaniment is in 44 – this

type of rhythm probably derives from ragtime)

A swung rhythm (note the indication ‘steady swing’ at the start) �

Syncopation, as in bars 54.4–56.1 in piano lh, where the beat is anticipated �

regular pulse in accompaniment and much freer rhythms in the melody line. �

activity

Listening to a recording, ask students to find examples of the following features in the score:

The blues scale and blue notes, particularly: �

The augmented 4th/diminished 5th (E � s/Fbs in bars 34, 38, 41)

Flattened 7th (for example, the A � b in bars 48–50)

The use of both major and minor 3rds (bar 35) �

Microtonal inflections – notes played deliberately out of tune for expressive effect � (especially Dbs)

Bending of notes (for example, bar 81) �

Ornamentation (this is not all written out in the score): �

Mordents (for example 83.3) �

Acciaccaturas (for example the upbeat to bar 77) �

Trills (for example bar 77) �

Unusual effects (for example the horse whinny effect in bar 73). �


MilES DAviS: Four

Four

The performance of Four from which the anthology excerpt is tran-

scribed is from a live concert given by the Miles Davis Quintet at the

New Philharmonic Hall on 12 February 1964. The faster numbers from

the concert, of which Four is one, were released on an album called

Four and More and the slower ones on another entitled My Funny Val-

entine. Perhaps owing to nerves and also anger over the payment ar-

rangements for the concert, the faster numbers come across as rather

rushed and there is a loss of precision in the ensemble as a result.

There are some symbols used in the trumpet part in the score that may be new to students:

location Description Meaning

Break, beat 3 c with a cross through it Approximate pitch (these are notes that Miles Davis split)

1.15 Wavy line glissando between the two notes

1.18 Wavy line Fall-off

1.19–1.20 Arrows Pitch bends – the notes are lowered slightly

2.1 note in brackets A ghost note – it doesn’t sound properly

2.3 § with an arrow pointing upwards

Played a quarter-tone higher

3.32 Diamond noteheads with ‘1/2v.’ written above them

the note is ‘half-valved’ – the valves are pressed down half-way, producing a different sound from a normally fingered note

miles davis (1926–91) was one of the leading jazz trumpeters of his day and played a major part in some of the most significant developments in jazz. In 1945 he was in the Charlie Parker quintet that pioneered bebop, a fast, frenetic style that contrasted strongly with the lush big band arrangements of the time. In the late 40s he formed a nonet whose album Birth of the Cool created cool jazz, a more laid-back, melodic style with a much slower harmonic rhythm. After a break, his groups of the mid to late 1950s – the first Miles Davis Quintet and the Miles Davis Sextet – recorded some of his most well-known albums, representing a style that incorporated melodies and harmonies based on modes, a technique that became known as modal jazz. His second quintet (which is the one performing NAM 50) was notable for its tight rhythm section and experimental approach, particularly harmonically, where they departed from a set harmonic scheme in favour of a freely improvised one. Later in his career, Davis also experimented with jazz fusion, a style combining jazz and pop elements.

line-up

trumpet (Miles Davis)tenor sax (george coleman)Piano (herbie hancock)Bass (ron carter)Drums (tony Williams)

notE on thE scorE

The version of Four in NAM is a transcription of the live performance. However, it is impossible to notate performances such as this accurately, so what is given is an impression of what is played. The actual rhythms and pitches in the performance are much more complex than what is written down. Many parts are missed out, including the piano and drums in choruses 1–3 and the bass in choruses 2–3. Therefore, the music cannot be analysed in the same way as, for instance, the Shostakovich.

Miles Davis

© Tom

Palumbo, from

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Instrumental techniques

Make sure that the students can identify from the recording and the score the following techniques:

Piano –

Staccato chords (for example h1–2) �

held chords (for example h3) �

comping (throughout solo section) �

Short melodic fragments (for example h11) �

double bass –

Pizzicato (walking bass) throughout �

drums –

open and closed hi-hat �

Snare, snare rolls and grace notes �

Snare rim-shots �

Also uses toms, kick drum and other cymbals �

Trumpet –

Played open �

Pitch bends (for example bars 1.18–1.20) �

Flutter-tonguing (for example in the break) �

grace notes (for example 1.17 beat 4) �

notes not ‘speaking’ (for example 2.23–2.24) �

Extreme high notes (for example bar 3.2) �

Extreme low notes (for example 2.23–2.24) �

Microtones (for example 2.31 – notice the upwards arrow on the � § sign to this note, which indicates a note

played slightly sharp)

trill between two different fingerings of the same note (for example bars 3.32–4.4). �

Because it is a live performance, there are also some inaccuracies, such as split notes and notes not speaking.

Davis was not as technically proficient as a trumpeter such as Dizzy Gillespie, and is better known for expres-

sive playing in the middle register.

Form

Four is a head arrangement. The head is a tune or idea that has been composed in advance and which the

players have memorised. The head is stated at the beginning of the piece. A series of sections called choruses

follow: these are based on a sequence of harmonies that is usually similar to that of the head. In the case of

Four, each chorus is 32 bars long. Soloists take it in turn to improvise over this harmonic structure; their impro-

visations may last for several choruses (as does the trumpet solo in Four).

The overall form in the 1964 recording of Four is as follows:

introduction (bars 1–8)

head (h1)

trumpet solo (break; choruses 1.1–4.4)

tenor sax solo

Piano solo

Drum break

head


The form of the extract in NAM is as follows:

Bars length in bars instrumentation

introduction 1–8 8 Drum solo

Head h1–h32 32 All

Chorus 1 1.1–1.32 32 trumpet solo with bass, piano and drums

Chorus 2 2.1–2.32 32

Chorus 3 3.1–3.32 32

Chorus 4 4.1–4.32 32

Texture

There are several textures used in Four:

the head has a homophonic texture – a melody is played over a harmonic accompaniment. �

the second bar of the break has a monophonic texture – there is just one line. �

choruses 1–3 could be described as having a contrapuntal texture, with the trumpet solo being in counter- �

point with the double bass’s running bass line. Although the piano adds harmonic material, the three parts

are so rhythmically independent that the whole effect is contrapuntal rather than homophonic.

Tonality

The head uses diatonic harmony, but this is coloured by the use of chromaticism. The key of the work is Eb major, but the extensive use of chromaticism and dissonance obscures this key, especially in the choruses.

The choruses feature the free use of dissonance (a result of the trumpet and bass ‘playing away from the

chord’), weakening the sense of key.

As with Black and Tan Fantasy, the tonal scheme of Four can most clearly be seen when the successive state-

ments of the chord sequence are written out one under another.

In the diagram below, the numbers at the top represent the bar numbers of each 32-bar section: so 16 refers

to the 16th bar of the head, the 16th bar of chorus 1 etc.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

HeadEb Eb Ebm7 Ab7 Fm7 Fm7 Abm7 Db7 gm7 F#m7

–B7Fm7 Bb7 gm7 F#m7

–B7Fm7 Bb7

Ch. 1 Eb Eb Ebm7 Ab7 Fm7 Fm7 Abm7 Db7 gm7 gm7 Fm7 Bb7 gm7 gm7 Fm7 Bb7

Ch. 2 Eb Eb Ebm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Fm7 Abm7 Abm7 gm7 gm7 Fm7 Bb7 gm7 gm7 Fm7 Bb7

Ch. 3 Eb Eb Ebm7 Ab7 Fm7 Fm7 Fm7 Fm7 Eb Eb Fm7 Bb7 Eb Eb Fm7 Bb7

KEy words

Make sure students are aware of these terms:

comping � (the piano’s use of sporadic chords, often on weak beats and frequently syncopated, and melodic snippets based on the underlying harmonies)

walking bass � (a bass line consisting of a stream of fast, even notes, usually based on stepwise movement).


17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

HeadEb Eb Ebm7 Ab7 Fm7 Fm7 Abm7 Db7 gm7 Fm7

–B7Fm7 Bb7 gm7–

Fm7–B7Fm7 –Bb7

Eb Eb

Ch. 1 Eb Eb Ebm7 Ab7 Fm7 Fm7 Abm7 Db7 Eb c7 Fm7 Bb7 Eb Bb7 Eb Bb7

Ch. 2 Eb Eb Ebm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Fm7 Abm7 Abm7 Eb c7 Fm7 Bb7 Eb Bb7 Eb Bb7

Ch. 3 Eb Eb Ebm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Fm7 Abm7 Db7 Eb Eb Fm7 Bb7 Eb Eb Fm7 Bb7

From this, it can be seen that the harmonies of the head may be divided into two broadly similar 16-bar se-

quences, forming one 32-bar overall sequence. The harmonies notated above the choruses also follow 32-bar

chord sequences, which are also made up of two similar 16-bar harmonic progressions.

Common substitution chords are Eb for Gm7 (bars 9 and 25 of each sequence) and Ebm7 for Ab7 (bars 4 and

20).

Notice also that the harmonic rhythm is slower in the choruses that in the head, in which there are often two

and sometimes three chords per bar.

Harmony

The piano’s harmonies in the choruses are not written out in the score and only follow the notated chord sym-

bols loosely. However, the notated piano part in the head gives a good indication of the range of harmonies

used.

These are all typical of rich jazz harmony, with added-note chords, parallel harmonies, chromaticism and free

use of melodic dissonance (in jazz, this is called ‘playing away from the chord’). As has been seen above, there

is also frequent use of substitution chords.

In the chorus sections, both the double bass and trumpet are often dissonant with the underlying chord se-

quence notated in the score. They tend to become more consonant with these harmonies at important struc-

tural points, such as at the ends of phrases.

In the trumpet solo, there is also a use of microtonal notes, such as at bar 2.31, adding extra colour to the

harmony.

Note that bars 1–3, 5–6, 17–18, 21–23, 11–12, 15–16, 27–28 are unchanged in the head and the first three choruses.

activity

Ask students to find examples of the following in the head (answers in brackets):

A major 9th chord (upbeat to H1) �

A diminished 7th chord (last quaver of H1) �

An 11th chord (H5 beat 1) �

A 13th chord (H14) �

Harmonies moving in parallel (H10 beat 4) �

A chromatic bass line (second time bar and following bar of head) �

Parallel 5ths in the piano’s left hand (H5–6) �

Blue notes in the trumpet melody (D � b at H3, Gb at H7).

Davis’s quintet was at this time becom-ing more experi-mental harmonically: this was to lead to a style called ‘time no changes’, in which the players used no set harmonic scheme, making up the harmonies as they went along.


Melody

The head melody uses balanced phrasing: bars H1–3 are answered by a similar phrase in bars H4–H7, while

H8–H11 are answered by H12–H15.

In the head, the first three notes are developed motivically, being repeated (H1), inverted (H2), transposed (H5)

and having their pitch content changed (H2 beats 3–4).

There is a different approach to melody in the choruses. In the trumpet solo, there are two types of melody:

Fast, virtuoso runs of quavers, often based on scale patterns. this type of material is consistent with the ‘bop’ �

style of jazz (for example 1.10–1.15).

Short motifs in longer note values (for example 1.17–1.23, 2.30–3.8 and 3.19–3.24). these are quickly de- �

veloped, with pitches and rhythms being changed, before moving onto another bop-style passage.

Note that the melodies of the choruses bear little relation to those of the head, although the underlying chord

sequence is similar. This device is called thematic substitution.

Rhythm and metre

Four displays many rhythmic features typical of jazz generally. These include:

very fast bop-style quavers in trumpet part (for example bars 1.10-1.14) �

Syncopation (for example piano bars h1–h2, trumpet bars 1.18–1.22) �

Dotted rhythms (for example trumpet bars 1.27–1.28) �

‘Pushes’ (anticipations of the beat) �

Syncopated accents and short fills in the drums (for example at the end of each phrase in the head) �

Syncopated accents and staccato chords in the piano part (comping). �

Four maintains a great sense of rhythmic vitality throughout. There are several reasons for this:

the very fast tempo �

the regular pulse of the drum and double bass parts �

the use of syncopation to undermine this regular pulse. �

In the trumpet’s solo, there is a general alternation between solo passages that reinforce the pulse established

by the drums and bass (for example at 1.10–1.15) and those that are more syncopated, weakening the sense

of pulse (for example at 1.17–1.23).

Documents

MT1 KS5 Edexcel A2 Instrumental 2011