Raffles InstitutionRaffles Academy (Music)2015 Text and Context

Guide to Commentary Writing

Step 1: Visual Scanning

Who is the composer? Think of musical traits/ stylistic features you know of the composer, his aesthetic, his contributions to the particular genre/time in France.

Is there a title of the work? Does it hint of a programme, an inspiration that can be linked to the music?

What is the genre? What do you know about the expectations of the genre and does it fulfill these expectations of thwart any expectations?

What is it scored for? What type of orchestra/instruments do you see? [Extremely large? Reduced Size? Any unique instruments used?] How are they grouped – please scan through the entire score carefully to pick out the instruments. Be careful of transposing instruments, and know your instrument names in different languages.

Step 2: Think. Plan. Listen

The general plan:

[Introduction]: Background of topic (What –ism comes to mind? What are the historical social and cultural background behind this –ism?), composer or piece (keep it concise and short)

[Main Body]: The musical parameters: instrumentation, orchestration, texture, melody, rhythm & metre, formal structure, harmony, tonality (in any order that ideally ranks from most important to least), stylistic features.

PEEL: Structure for each paragraph: main Point, Elaboration, Example (from the extract), Link to context/composer/ piece.

[Conclusion]: Does the music reflect the general impressions/style of the composer? Are there any main indicators of an –ism in the extract?

As you listen, what should you listen out for?

1) Listen to things that come easily to you first (e.g. melody, rhythm, instrumentation and texture, and circle portions that you want to take a listen again). Pause and play to suit your thinking time.

2) Try to mark down (in seconds) the start of each section, so that it is easier for you to return later to listen to those sections. Can you deduce an overall structure?

3) Annotate with abbreviations in your score for each parameter for ease of reference. Then pick out the significant points to be included in your commentary later. You have no time to write everything.

4) Highlight main melodies/motifs in the score and see how they are developed/how they return later5) Does a similar melodic return hint to you of the structure?6) Circle/highlight what you find interesting. It could be a motif that returns again and again. How is it

altered each time? Look at phrasing/ intervallic content/ rhythm.a. You may highlight the main melodyb. Notate on the score what parameter is important at that certain point

7) Anything interesting harmonically? Can you identify any clear tonal centres? This may help you deduce the structure of the work.

8) Highlight salient/significant points, which will form the anchors for your essay later on. Don’t waste time with the superficial details (but ensure you have looked in depth enough to find more interesting points to talk about).

9) In subsequent listenings, add in details. Remember to give specific examples/evidence of what you have to say. One main point can have a range of examples

10) Evaluate what you say. Do not merely point out facts.11) Remember that there are sometimes no single right answers to the commentary. Best thing to do is

to ensure that your analysis shows a pint of view, answers the perennial question of ‘So What?’ 12) Is what I am saying interesting, or does it make a difference in how the reader might listen to the

music? Is it significant enough to be talking about it?

Step 3: Get down to writing!

Form:

Where are the sections?o Listen out for the modulation, introduction of new material, changes in mood/texture

From the identified section, what is the form?o How many sections, do the sections recall of sections before or act as a contrasto Distinguish between main sections and sub-sectionso Binaryo Ternary

Is there anything unconventional/ interesting to talk about the sections of the form?o Very long or truncated sectionso How the section begins and endso The demarcations of the sections: How clear is it?o Is there a certain motif/idea that is used to unify the form? (link to Melody)

Melody (Motif, Theme, Contour, Phrasing):

What is the main motif (the smallest cell in the piece)? Describe the main motif through its defining characteristics

o Is there an interval that recurs?o Pitcho The contouro The rhythmo Can be represented graphically

How is the motif developed (with what devices)?o Sequence (ascending, descending, transposed at what interval higher/lower), inversion,

retrograde, augmentation, diminution, liquidation, decorated/elaborated with?o Same/different instrumentation?o Its role: in the melody/accompaniment?o Is it combined with anything else (another motif, a new material)?o Can be represented graphically

How many main themes are present in the music and how are the themes interrelated?o Monothematico Related by certain motifs or rhythmic characteristics

What is the character of the melody?

o Defining characteristic: e.g. lyrical, melancholic, folk-like, modal, angular, triadic, arpeggiac What is the melodic contour like?

o Arch (Symmetrical, asymmetrical)o Conjunct (Step-wise), disjunct (full of leaps)

How is the phrasing? Is there symmetry in the melodic structure?o Irregular (unequal): state number of barso Regular (equal): state number of barso Periodico Antecedent/ Consequento Is there overlapping of phrases?

Instrumentation/ Orchestra: (Make sure you recognize instrument names in different languages!)

Size of orchestra (for orchestral pieces): how big/small is the orchestra. How many instruments per part?

Grouping of instrument: conventional/ unconventional grouping of instruments. According to section/register?

Individual instruments: Any unique instruments used? Any special techniques used (extended technique)? For what effect? Consider individual range of instrument

What sort of effect does the orchestration bring about (in the context of the music of the extract)?

Texture:

What is the texture:o Homophonic: Must go into the details. Melody vs Accompaniment: where is the melody, how

many layers of accompaniment, role of the accompanimento Chordal/ homorhythmico Monophonic (single melody line: unison in the entire orchestra or certain sections?)o Contrapuntal (fugal/ canonic/ counterpoint/ polyphonic/ stretto)

What is the function of the texture: formal function, for colouristic purposes etc? What kind of effect does the texture produce?

Rhythm & Metre:

Any defining rhythmic motifs? Describe (can be graphically) Rhythmic manipulation

o Syncopationo Metric displacement (Displacement of the strong beat by shifting of accents/ stronger beats)o Phrasing across bar lineso Cross-rhythm, Hemiolao Polyrhythmo Use of rhythmic ostinato

Type of metero Simple/compoundo Any changes in metreo How strong is this sense of metre. If not strong, what is causing it? And what is the effect?

Tonality:

What is the tonic key of the music? How strong is it? Is it derived by traditional means/ is there an ambiguity of tonal centre (By What? Lack of tonic chord, lack of resoluytion, competing key?)

Are there modulation? How is it arrived? What is the relationship of the modulation to the tonic key? Is there a certain type of key relation that dominated the piece?

Is there any chromaticism/ dissonance? How is the dissonance defined in the context of the piece? How are the dissonances resolved?

Is there a use of modes? (Ionian, Dorian etc.) Is there the use of other scales (analyse the notes and derive the scale): Whole-tone, pentatonic etc. Is there a certain mode or scale that dictates the piece? What is its effect on the tonality? How is the sense of tension and ambiguity created and how is the sense of resolution created?

Tradition – cadential; Unconventional – melody, non-cadential means?

Note: tonality is a key factor in helping you identify your sections/ formal structure. Please pay attention to tonality, listen carefully, as the tonality may not appear as clear on the score.

Harmony:

Where are the notable end-points? What devices was used? What is characterized as dissonance in the piece? How is it dissonant, and how is it resolved? Is the harmony functional or non-functional? Is there pedal point or ostinato? Does it ensure stability in the harmony or cause ambiguity in the

harmony? Any interesting points in the music for harmony? (use your ears!) What type of harmony is typical of this genre/-ism?

o Eg. 9th, 11th, and 13th chords and parallel chords for impressionism