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Musical number from West Side Story
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SOMETHINGS COMING FROM WEST SIDE STORY (LEONARD BERNSTEIN, 1958) LESSON 1: CONTEXT & BACKGROUND
GCSE Music: Area of Study 3
Learning Objectives
To be able to explain the context of musicals
To be able to demonstrate your understanding of the context of West Side Story
Keywords
Syllabic Melody Word Painting Sustained Notes Blue Note Tenor Voice Jazz Harmony Tritone Musicals Riff Syncopation Push Rhythm Legato C Major (Tonality) D Major (Tonality) 3 / 4 2 / 4
Modulation Lyrical Cross-Rhythms Tremolo Harmonics Motif Diatonic Tonal Solo Character Song Musical Homophonic Solo & Accompaniment Orchestration
Quick Recap Context (Bernstein)
Bernstein was born in America in 1918
He was a highly skilled musician, pianist, conductor, broadcaster and composer.
Bernsteins first musical was On The Town.
Bernstein had a wide range of musical tastes, but particularly Jazz (which is evident in West Side Story, as well as Latin American rhythms, as his wife was from South America)
Context (Musicals)
Musicals came from lighter versions of opera = Opera Comique or Operetta (Gilbert & Sullivan)
Broadway New York Musical Theatre hub from 1920s onwards
Musicals singing, dancing and acting
The style of the musical is normally reflective of the genre of the time (i.e. West Side Story is based on Jazz harmony, Jazz being a prominent genre of the 1930s-1950s, when Bernstein was around).
Orchestras provide accompaniment and incidental music/underscoring (background music like the opening scene (prologue) in West Side Story)
Some musicals are made into films some films are made into musicals.
Some pop songs are collated to make musicals (Moulin Rouge, Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You)
Context (West Side Story)
West Side Story composed in 1958 = made into an award winning film in 1961. Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for the musical (Sweeny Todd) Based on tragic love story of Shakespeares Romeo & Juliet Maria (Juliet) and Tony (Romeo) Jets (Capulets) and Sharks (Montagues) Famous balcony scene is mirrored on the stairs of a New York apartment fire escape The themes (racism, immigration, love, tragedy, rivalry) are still relevant today
Revolutionary not about happy, sweet things (like Rodgers & Hammerstein) a story of doomed
love, extended dance scenes, underscoring, use of tritone Somethings Coming is sung by Tony solo character song sung quite early on in the musical Excited about the future and sings it before he meets Maria dramatic irony
SOMETHINGS COMING FROM WEST SIDE STORY (LEONARD BERNSTEIN, 1958) LESSON 2: MELODIC INTERVALS
GCSE Music: Area of Study 3
Learning Objectives
To be able to recall musical keywords and features associated with Somethings Coming
To be able to demonstrate your understanding of melodic intervals
Starter Activity
Write down 5 keywords/facts you can remember about Somethings Coming
Pair up with someone else and think of as many more keywords/facts that you can remember
Share ideas with the rest of the class
Somethings Coming: Melody
Listen to the song and look at your scores: What type of voice (soprano, alto, tenor bass) is Tony?
What is the first note that Tony sings?
What is the vocal range of the melody line?
Is the melody line syllabic or melismatic?
Is the melody diatonic or chromatic?
Somethings Coming: Melody
Listen to the song and look at your scores:
What is the key of the piece?
What type of voice (soprano, alto, tenor bass) is Tony?
What is the first note that Tony sings?
What is the vocal range (lowest note to highest note of the melody line?
Is the melody line syllabic or melismatic?
Is the melody diatonic or chromatic?
Tenor
D
10th (E to G)
Syllabic one note per syllable
Diatonic melody
D Major (2 sharps)
Somethings Coming: Melody
Strong opening melody (questions) falling from tonic to dominant (D to A)
Bar 8-9: first melodic tritone heard in the melody line (D to G# - the tritone has so far been heard harmonically in the accompanying riff pattern)
Bar 17: Melodic tritone soon as it shows
F-B is a tritone. This is because F-G is one whole tone, G to A is one whole tone and A-B is one whole tone = an interval of 3 whole tones, which is a TRITONE
What is a Tritone?
Somethings Coming: Melody
A tritone is an interval spanning three whole tones, also known as diabolus in musica: the devil in music. It is also known as a diminished fifth or an augmented 4th.
Somethings Coming:
What is an interval? An interval is the distance between 2 notes.
TASK: Identify the intervals. You have 5 minutes.
Somethings Coming: Melody
What is the difference between a melodic tritone and a harmonic tritone?
What is this interval?
Minor 3rd
What is this interval?
Major 3rd
What is this interval?
Perfect 5th
What is this interval?
Major 6th
What is this interval?
Major 2nd
What is this interval?
Minor 6th
What is this interval?
Major 7th
What is this interval?
Perfect 4th
What is this interval?
Octave
What is this interval?
Diminished 5th
SOMETHINGS COMING FROM WEST SIDE STORY (LEONARD BERNSTEIN, 1958) LESSON 3: MELODY
GCSE Music: Area of Study 3
Starter Activity
Pass The Parcel
What do you remember about the context, melody and intervals from Somethings Coming?
BLUE QUESTIONS: EASY (ONE WORD ANSWERS)
GREEN QUESTIONS: SLIGHTY MORE DIFFICULT
RED QUESTIONS: CHALLENGING (DEFINITIONS AND HIGHER ORDER ANSWERS)
Learning Objectives
To be able to identify melodic features of Somethings Coming
To be able to analyse the structure of Somethings Coming
Somethings Coming: Melody
Bar 17-18: shows sung on a blue note, C natural (flattened 7th in D Major)
Melody until bar 20 is based on opening riff (melody & rhythm)
Word painting bars 21-24 It may come cannonballing down
through the sky) and bars 128-136 (long notes and leap on the air is humming reinforced by tremolo and harmonic strings in accompaniment)
Bar 31-39: Me sung on sustained E highest and longest note of the piece so far
Somethings Coming: Melody
Bars 44 & 48: Melodic Tritones (now F# to C music has modulated to C Major)
Bar 48: B flat blue note (flattened 7th in C Major)
Bars 72-105: Lyrical melody with sustained notes - contrast to
the syncopated, syllabic and driving rhythms heard in the piece up until the point
Bar 83: Down highest note of the piece (top G) ironic
Somethings Coming: Melody
Bar 89: C natural blue note (flattened 7th in D major)
Bar 144: Melody returns to the opening melody - returning back to the beginning of the piece
Bar 144-145: Tritone (D to G#)
Bar 153: Tritone last melodic tritone
Bar 153-end: Tonys last note is a C natural Blue note the vocal melody ends in the air, unfinished, like Tonys future
SOMETHINGS COMING FROM WEST SIDE STORY (LEONARD BERNSTEIN, 1958) LESSON 4: STRUCTURE
GCSE Music: Area of Study 3
SPEED DATING
Think of 3 FEATURES of Somethings Coming Go on a speed dating journey around the room to
build up your ideas.
Learning Objectives
To be able to recall the melodic features of Somethings Coming
To be able to demonstrate understanding of the various musical parts of Somethings Coming
To be able to deconstruct the musical features of Somethings Coming
Group Vocal Performance
To perform Somethings Coming as a class To perform a part of Somethings Coming as a small
group To independently perform a part of Somethings
Coming Experiment with timbre, dynamics and different
parts To interchange between the different parts during
your performance
Learning Objectives
To be able to recall the melodic features of Somethings Coming
To be able to identify and locate melodic themes used in Somethings Coming
Analysis Activity: Structure
How many main sections do you think there are in the piece?
When do the sections start and end?
Listen to the song and look at your scores write down the bar numbers where you think there is a new section.
Do any of the sections sound the same?
Structure
Broadly, the structure of the piece is:
Introduction: Bars 1-3 (bar 3 is repeated ad lib)
Section A: Bars 4-39
Section B: Bars 40-105
Section B1: Bars 106-140 (shortened version of B)
Section A1: Bars 141-157 (shortened version of A)
Outro: Bar 158 (slow fade out)
Melodic Themes
There are three melodic themes in Somethings Coming.
What is a melodic theme?
In pairs, looking at your scores and listening to the track can you work out what the three melodic themes are?
Somethings Coming: Melodic Themes
Theme A opening melody based on the riff Theme B it may come cannonballing... etc bar 21 Theme C Around the corner... bar 73
ANALYSIS ACTIVITY:
Listen to the song and list the order of the sections next to the bar numbers on your worksheet.
Transfer the information to your scores using a pencil- highlight THEME A, THEME B, OR THEME C depending on which theme you think it is.
Listening Activity
Listen to the following extracts. Hold up one card for the section you can hear
playing and another card for the melodic theme being sung.
Final Activity: Pass The Parcel
SOMETHINGS COMING FROM WEST SIDE STORY (LEONARD BERNSTEIN, 1958) LESSON 5: STYLE & INSTRUMENTATION
GCSE Music: Area of Study 3
Listening Activity
Listen to the piece and identify as many instruments as you can.
Where do these instruments come from?
What other styles of music may include these
instruments?
Pair up with someone else and share your ideas have you got the same instruments?
Style & Instrumentation: Analysis
Tony: Tenor Voice Maria: Soprano Voice WESTERN INSTRUMENTS: Strings, Brass, Wind
(traditional), saxophone, piano, electric guitar, mandolin, celeste, percussion including timpani, glockenspiel, police whistle and drum kit
LATIN AMERICAN INSTRUMENTS: castanets, guiro,
maracas
Style & Instrumentation
Instrumentalists double up instruments (play more than one instrument throughout the musical)
Instruments are not marked in the score, but note the
following: First 15 bars: clarinets, bass clarinet, pizzicato strings, bass
drum (wire brushes on snare and hi hat) End of Bar 17 to Bar 28: Muted trumpets From Bar 32: Minims in accompaniment played by clarinets,
and brass added for louder section at bar 52
Style & Instrumentation
Bridge *Theme C*: Sustained accompaniment played by high strings and flutes join in whistling in bar 82
Second bridge *Theme C* : high violins tremolo and sustained
harmonics on the air is humming Soft dynamics in accompaniment. There were no radio mics in
the 1950s for the stage performers so the accompaniment had to be soft in order for the vocalists to be heard over the music.
For the same reason as above (not to over balance the singer):
Wire brushes on drums Mutes on trumpets
Plenary: Quiz
SOMETHINGS COMING FROM WEST SIDE STORY (LEONARD BERNSTEIN, 1958) LESSON 6: HARMONY & TONALITY
GCSE Music: Area of Study 3
TRITONE 3
INTERVAL AUGMENTED 4TH/5TH
SYLLABIC
BEATS NOTES
SYLLABLES ONE
BLUE NOTE
SCALE JAZZ FLAT
OSTINATO
RIFF REPEAT
PATTERN
SYNCOPATION
OFF BEAT ON BEAT RHYTHM
LEGATO
SMOOTH STACCATO FLOWING
D MAJOR
SHARPS TWO FLATS
KEY SIGNATURE
3/4
CROTCHETS BEATS BARS
TIME SIGNATURE
WORD PAINTING
LYRICS PICTURE
MEANING
C MAJOR
NO SHARPS FLATS
KEY SIGNATURE
TREMOLO
STRING BOW
SHAKE SAME NOTE
2/4
CROTCHETS BEATS BARS
TIME SIGNATURE
FLATTENED 7TH
BLUE NOTE SHARP JAZZY
Tonality & Harmony
The piece starts in D Major, but it does modulate to C Major and back to D Major
Harmonic tritones in the accompaniment Jazz Harmony (i.e. bar 1, beat 3 B minor with 11th B, D,
F#, A C#, E bar 2 beat 4, D major with added 9th D, F#, A, C#, E)
First chord in accompaniment = harmonic tritone (G#
enharmonically A flat, flattened 5th in D major, Blue note)
Tonality & Harmony
Ostinato Bass (2 riffs working at the same time in accompaniment)
Bars 21-26: Orchestra chords punctuate the recitative
like, punchy phrase Bar 32: Piece modulates to C Major Bars 32-39: C & G in bass (with E, F# and G minims
F#s suggesting D major, tritones and blue note (enharmonic G flat) in C major)
Tonality & Harmony
Bars 52-72: C Major (52-58), G Major (59-62) (repeated a tone higher at bars 63-73)
Bars 52-58: F major 6 chord Bars 59-62: Minim riff in G Major this time (takes the
music back for a repeat with a click) Bar 63 (second time bar) music one tone higher in G
Major
Bar 70: Music modulates back to D Major
Tonality & Harmony
Bar 70 onwards: Quaver beats in bassline outline chords of D Major, A major and G major but middle parts of harmony are chromatic (including parallel 4ths) (bars 77-81 etc)
Bar 95: Neopolitan chord (flattened supertonic (E flat in D) in
first inversion) dramatic chord, temporarily out of key Bars 97-98: Shift to C Major with a perfect cadence (G-C) Bar 98: C major alternating quaver bass against four note
minim riff in G major (F sharps) bitonality (also at bar 106)
SOMETHINGS COMING FROM WEST SIDE STORY (LEONARD BERNSTEIN, 1958) LESSON 7: RHYTHM, TEMPO & METRE
GCSE Music: Area of Study 3
Rhythm, Metre & Tempo
The piece starts and ends in 3 / 4 but fleets back and forth into 2 / 4 :
bar 1: 3 / 4 bar 21: 2 / 4 bar 58: 3 / 4 bar 59: 2 / 4 bar 69: 3 / 4 bar 70: 2 / 4 bar 124: 3 / 4 bar 125: 2 / 4 bar 141: 3 / 4)
Rhythm, Metre & Tempo
Driving rhythms sense of urgency and excitement Syncopated push rhythms accompaniment and riff push
on third beat of the bar (Tonys first note comes in with a syncopated push on the 3rd beat)
Bars 23-25: syncopated push on sky and eye and due
and true Bars 52-72: mixture of straight rhythms (somethings coming)
and syncopated rhythms (I dont know what it is)
Rhythm, Metre & Tempo
On beat crotchets confirm that something is going to happen at the dance push rhythms indicate uncertainty
Bars 72-105: fluidity of the melody line is achieved
through use of triplets free of 2 beat harmony of accompaniment. Bass plays on beat quavers throughout this section.
Bar 141: Back to - sense of going back to beginning,
also recalling the music from the opening bars 4-20
Somethings Coming from West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein, 1958)LESSON 1: context & backgroundLearning ObjectivesKeywords Quick Recap Context (Bernstein)Context (Musicals)Context (West Side Story)Somethings Coming from West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein, 1958)LESSON 2: MELODIC INTERVALSLearning ObjectivesStarter ActivitySomethings Coming: MelodySomethings Coming: MelodySomethings Coming: MelodySlide Number 13Slide Number 14Somethings Coming: MelodyWhat is this interval?What is this interval?What is this interval?What is this interval?What is this interval?What is this interval?What is this interval?What is this interval?What is this interval?What is this interval?Somethings Coming from West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein, 1958)LESSON 3: MELODYStarter ActivityLearning ObjectivesSomethings Coming: MelodySomethings Coming: MelodySomethings Coming: MelodySomethings Coming from West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein, 1958)LESSON 4: STRUCTURESPEED DATINGLearning ObjectivesGroup Vocal PerformanceLearning ObjectivesAnalysis Activity: StructureStructureMelodic ThemesSomethings Coming: Melodic ThemesListening ActivityFinal Activity: Pass The ParcelSomethings Coming from West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein, 1958)LESSON 5: Style & INSTRUMENTATIONListening ActivityStyle & Instrumentation: AnalysisStyle & InstrumentationStyle & Instrumentation Plenary: QuizSomethings Coming from West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein, 1958)LESSON 6: HARMONY & TONALITYSlide Number 50Slide Number 51Slide Number 52Slide Number 53Slide Number 54Slide Number 55Slide Number 56Slide Number 57Slide Number 58Slide Number 59Slide Number 60Slide Number 61Slide Number 62Tonality & HarmonyTonality & HarmonyTonality & HarmonyTonality & HarmonySomethings Coming from West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein, 1958)LESSON 7: RHYTHM, TEMPO & METRERhythm, Metre & TempoRhythm, Metre & TempoRhythm, Metre & Tempo