Donis 143005 Page 1 of 2 AILEEN DONIS

143005 G1CS13

ASSESSMENT 2: COMPOSITION

INSTRUCTOR: STEVE HENDERSON 3RD APRIL 2016

Donis 143005 Page 2 of 2

ASSESSMENT 2: COMPOSITION My composition, Unrequited Desires, is based on the contemporary folk genre. A general description of the song is that it is to be played at a tempo of 70 beats per minute, and it is in a compound duple time signature. There are reasons as to why I chose to write and present my song in this manner. Using a compound duple time signature allows my composition to have more room in its harmonic structure and phrases. I was inspired by Bob Dylan’s ‘Just Like a Woman’, where he has also employed a compound duple time signature in said song. It allows for more space in my music, which is important given that the lyrics is a key element to this song. As with a lot of folk music, the song serves its purpose as a storybook, where my lyrical content is the driving force behind its creation. The form of my song is straight-forward, where it starts with an intro, followed by 3 sets of verses and choruses, followed by a little break, and ending with a final chorus. This pattern of form is reminiscent to a lot of other contemporary folk music, such as Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ and ‘Just Like a Woman’. The subject matter is based on ‘Unrequited Desires’, where I have written a great deal about the pain and perils of being hurt by love. My lyrical content is the main purpose of this composition. Harmonically, the changes are kept simple, with emphasis on the use of secondary dominants to phrase a build or transition onto the chorus or another part of the song. A lot of the chords are kept within a diatonic movement, with further emphasis on chords I and IV. The reason why I kept the harmonic changes as simple as I can be, so that the focus of the song would be on the lyrics. This is common with many other folk songs, where a lot of the focus and emphasis of the composition is based on the lyrical content. This song can be played with a band, with a full acoustic setup, and it can even be performed by a vocalist with just a guitar accompaniment.