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    GCSE MUSIC Somethings Coming Notes

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    lizziecoster98
    This document provides an in-depth analysis of the song "Something's Coming" from the musical West Side Story. It details that the song was written for a large show orchestra requiring players to play multiple instruments. It uses various woodwind, brass, string, percussion, and guitar instruments. The song structure includes two main sections A and B that are repeated with variations. Harmonically, it is in D major and incorporates jazz and extended chords. It reflects the excitement of the character Tony through its fast tempo, syncopated rhythms, and breathy vocal style.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    GCSE MUSIC Somethings Coming Notes

    Uploaded by

    lizziecoster98
    245 views1 page
    This document provides an in-depth analysis of the song "Something's Coming" from the musical West Side Story. It details that the song was written for a large show orchestra requiring players to play multiple instruments. It uses various woodwind, brass, string, percussion, and guitar instruments. The song structure includes two main sections A and B that are repeated with variations. Harmonically, it is in D major and incorporates jazz and extended chords. It reflects the excitement of the character Tony through its fast tempo, syncopated rhythms, and breathy vocal style.

    Original Description:

    Notes on the GCSE Music set work Something's Coming by Leonard Bernstein, from West Side Story

    Original Title

    GCSE MUSIC Somethings Coming notes

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    This document provides an in-depth analysis of the song "Something's Coming" from the musical West Side Story. It details that the song was written for a large show orchestra requiring players to play multiple instruments. It uses various woodwind, brass, string, percussion, and guitar instruments. The song structure includes two main sections A and B that are repeated with variations. Harmonically, it is in D major and incorporates jazz and extended chords. It reflects the excitement of the character Tony through its fast tempo, syncopated rhythms, and breathy vocal style.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    245 views1 page

    GCSE MUSIC Somethings Coming Notes

    Uploaded by

    lizziecoster98
    This document provides an in-depth analysis of the song "Something's Coming" from the musical West Side Story. It details that the song was written for a large show orchestra requiring players to play multiple instruments. It uses various woodwind, brass, string, percussion, and guitar instruments. The song structure includes two main sections A and B that are repeated with variations. Harmonically, it is in D major and incorporates jazz and extended chords. It reflects the excitement of the character Tony through its fast tempo, syncopated rhythms, and breathy vocal style.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    Instrumentaton

    Writen in 1957 for a large show orchestra


    Requires players to double up (play more than one
    instrument, e.g. clarinet in one song and saxophone in
    the next, then switch again in other songs).
    Includes woodwind, brass and strings
    Also uses a drum kit, 2 other percussionists , piano,
    acoustc guitar and electric guitar.
    The percussionists play tmpani, glockenspiel, xylophone,
    police whistle, castanets, guiros and maracas amongst
    other instruments
    The latn-style percussion instruments (castanets, guiro,
    conga, maracas etc) represent the Puerto Rican gang
    Saxophones, guitar etc make reference to Jazz (the
    popular music of the day) and represent the American
    gang
    This amounts to some 30 players.
    Strings sometmes play tremolo or pizzicato
    Brass players are sometmes muted
    Tony is sung by a tenor (a high male voice)
    Make sure you can name at least 6 instruments used you
    can score up to 2 marks for naming 4 instruments, you dont
    need to know the all!
    Piccolo, fute, oboe, cor anglais, clarinet, bass clarinet,
    bassoon, saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone), horns,
    trumpets, trombones, violins, cellos and bass, drum-kit,
    percussion, piano, celeste, and guitars (acoustc, electric and
    mandolin)
    Tonality/Harmony (i.e. chords used)
    D major throughout
    Jazz based harmony/dissonances
    Bi-tonal sectons
    Uses extended (jazz) chords with added 7th/9th/11th
    Also conventonal chords with added blue notes
    Sometmes chromatc
    Uses tritone /augmented 4th as part of chord (D major with
    Structure
    Starts with an intro
    Then two main sectons A and B with a varied repeat of each in
    the order: A B B1 A1
    Ends with an outro/coda which fades into an instrumental (for
    a scene change)
    It sounds unresolved at the end (like Tonys future) because it
    Purpose and Musical Style
    From a musical called West Side Story, which is loosely
    based on the story of Romeo and Juliet (Tony=Romeo)
    but is set in the ganglands of New York in the 1950s.
    Its about two rival gangs, the Jets (Americans) and the
    Sharks (Puerto Rican immigrants).
    It has two acts, with spoken dialogue between the
    songs. There are solos, duets, choruses and acton songs.
    It also has a lot of numbers that are just danced to.
    It was quite diferent to other musicals at the tme it
    had a tragic ending, lots of dance scenes and examined
    social problems in America.
    This is a solo song. Other types of song used in this
    musical are duet, trio, quartet, quintet and chorus.

    Structure
    See box lef

    Tonality & Harmony
    See box lef

    Timbre and Texture (see lef for instrumentaton)
    Melody and accompaniment
    Some use of imitaton

    Melody & Pitch
    Blues scale/notes
    Use of tritone/augmented 4th in melody line
    Higher tessitura in second secton than frst (or vice
    versa)
    Syllabic
    Short two bar phrases
    Longer eight bar phrases (around the corner)
    Contrasted lyrical sectons with longer notes
    Melodic rifs used and ostnatos in many parts
    Word paintng (eg cannon-balling down through the sky)

    Dynamics
    Sof at opening, use of crescendo is important

    Tempo & Rhythm
    Fast tempo refects
    Syncopaton and cross rhythms
    Push rhythm antcipatng the beat e.g Could be
    Driving rhythms
    Accents
    Frequent use of short rhythmic rifs/ostnat
    Some use of straight rhythms too e.g. oom-pah/oom-cha
    bass sectons
    In 3/4 but some layers feel like 6/8

    Jazz infuences
    Syncopaton and push rhythms
    Blues notes
    Jazz chords i.e. 7ths, 9ths and 11ths added
    Use of saxophones/guitar/pizzicato bass/drumkit
    Three musical points about this song that I like/dislike:
    Justfy your points and use musical vocabulary
    Somethings Coming
    How is Tonys excitement refected in the music?
    Fast tempo
    Push rhythms e.g. Could be
    Breathy singing style
    Syncopaton and rests between the notes

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