Nocturne No. 19 in E-Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (Analysis) – Friederich Chopin
A complete analysis of Nocturne No. 19, looking at form, structure, harmony and melody.
Nocturne No. 19 in E-Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (Analysis) – Friederich Chopin Read More »
Concert Music
The Lark Ascending (Music Composition Analysis) – Ralph Vaughan Williams (Article 1 – Lessons in Harmony)
An analysis that looks at modality (modulation & interchange), pedal points and chord voicing in RVW’s The Lark Ascending.
How to repeat melodies without them getting boring… [Video]
A video composition lesson looking at textural variation as a device for melodic development.
How to repeat melodies without them getting boring… [Video] Read More »
Salut D’amour – Edward Elgar (Music Composition Technique Analysis)
An analysis of Elgar’s Romance for Violin and Piano: Salut D’amour. Harmony, melody and structure go under the microscope.
Salut D’amour – Edward Elgar (Music Composition Technique Analysis) Read More »
Nocturne from Scénes de la Fôret – Mélanie Bonis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RYl4GcKe5Y&ab_channel=AnyOldMusic Today, I thought we’d take a look at a piece that captured my eye, because it was recently uploaded by Cmaj7 as a score video, to YouTube, and score, to IMSLP. The piece is the opening Nocturne movement from Scènes de la Fôret (Forest Scenes) by French composer, Mélanie Bonis. A composer with a
Nocturne from Scénes de la Fôret – Mélanie Bonis Read More »
Arvo Pärt – Für Alina (Bitesize Music Composition Analysis)
In their 1976 composition, Für Alina, for solo piano, Arvo Pärt introduced the world to his algorithmic technique, tintinnabuli. At first glance, the technique’s use in Für Alina looks similar to a two-part first-species counterpoint exercise. On closer inspection, however, one can see the two voices move in similar or oblique motion. Using two types
Arvo Pärt – Für Alina (Bitesize Music Composition Analysis) Read More »
Bizet – Guiraud – Farandole from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2 (Bitesize Composition Analysis)
In posthumously arranging Bizet’s Farandole [L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2], Ernest Guiraud takes half of the primary theme, Le Marche de Rois, and exposes it twice in D-minor. First, the theme is heard in homophonic texture, then a two-part canon. Modulating to the parallel D-major, Guiraud introduces part of the farandole melody, gradually increasing its intensity in the
Aaron Copland – “Simple Gifts” (Appalachian Spring / Ballet for Martha) – Bitesize Music Composition Analysis
In his 1944 Ballet for Martha, also known as Appalachian Spring, Aaron Copland uses the melody of the shaker song “Simple Gifts”. In the orchestral concert suite arrangement, Copland sets the melody six times. For the first two settings he places the theme against a pedal tone that oscillates between the fifth and first degrees
George Frideric Handel – Overture from Music for the Royal Fireworks – Bitesize Music Composition Analysis
George Friedrich Handel’s “Overture” to the Royal Fireworks Music boasts a majestic stately opening that presents a melody and homophonic texture. Repeating this melody immediately in a similar form, Handel provides a subtle but poignant reharmonisation of the melody. Where the first statement presents more triadic harmony, the second adds more extensions or tension notes
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 2 “Little Russian” – Orchestrating Variety – Bitesize Orchestration Analysis
Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony, nicknamed “Little Russian”, opens with a melody presented on its own on solo french horn. Tchaikovsky then uses this melody as his only material for the opening three to four minutes, presenting it in three full re orchestrated forms, and then several fragmented forms. The first full version sees bassoons take up