A Musical Analysis by Gwyneth Walker

Transcription

1 Simle Gits rom or Brass Quintet A Musical Analysis y Gyneth Walker Within the Walker catalog are orks hich are descried as contemorary adatations o re-existing sources (hymn tunes olk songs sirituals). These are not simly arrangements. or there are enough alterations and additions to the original material to ste eyond the deinition o arrangements. Rather these are musical excursions hich start ith a amiliar song and moe o into a creation o their on. These contemorary adatations alter the melody harmony and rhythm o the original. And they add ne material oten interludes eteen sections or stanzas. The cumulatie result is that the language o the ne comosition is that o the comoser (Gyneth Walker) rather than o the original source. The excursion is a ne adenture using the re-existing material as a starting oint. An examle o this genre is Simle Gits the last moement o the or Brass Quintet. This song is so amiliar and has een arranged so many times that it osed a challenge or ne adatation. Ho could this material e treated dierently enough to arrant the endeaor The ocus as on altering the tune enough to lace it at least a century into the uture rom its creation. The language ould e 20th-century American olk/rock/jazz. The concet as to enjoy the song and attemt to add ariety to its resentations. Perhas a discussion o the score ill illustrate this aroach. The iece oens ith the Tromone stating the irst hrase o the melody. The key o D Major as chosen so that the Tromone hich ended the reious moement on a sustained A could start this last moement on the same itch (the 5th ste o the scale) hence joining the to moements. The intended key or the majority o the moement as Major. And that arries at m.. In the oening section ords are laced aoe the instrumental lines to indicate the relationshi to the original song. By m. the melody is already slightly altered. The second note or Trumet 1 in this measure should e the leading tone C. Hoeer the C is relaced y the itch A as a means o aoiding the leading-tone and its associated tonal deinition. Thus a modal harmony (loered 7th ste) could e introduced later. The authentic last 2 eighth-notes in m. Tt. 1 should e Es (second scale ste) rather than the ritten -G in this sot. Lierties ere taken ith the melody in order to ring Trumet 1 u to the high D thus alloing room or Trumet 2 on C natural the ste elo. With the Tromone on G these three instruments could

2 orm a G/C/D sonority hich hen suerimosed oer the A rom the Tua (m. ermata) could orm an unresoled Dominant structure that ould gie the iece a 20th-century American sound ithin just the irst eight measures. [Harmonically the use o C naturals throughout laces the theme in a Mixolydian mode realent in Celtic and American olk music.] In this manner the oening section resents the original tune in a recognizale orm yet roides hints o melodic and harmonic changes. The listener ould kno that unexected eents might e orthcoming. At letter A a ne ery liely temo is set. Rhythmic atterns o eighths and sixteenths are introduced. These ecome the accomaniment or the theme hich aears at letter B in rhythmic diminution. This is an esecially energetic treatment o the theme. Emhasis is laced on idiomatic rass riting ith staccati articulation and raid searate tonguing o the 1th notes. Letter D rings the second hrase o the theme (reiously unstated). This resentation is comletely altered melodically and harmonically. There is only a slight resemlance rhythmically. Een the ords are changed! Hoeer this material lasts or eight measures as did the original. Thereore ormal exectations are ket in order. Letter E rings an Interlude section. This comrises reeated to-measure atterns characterized y a disjointed Tua line ansered y syncoations in the Tromone and Horn ith interjections o 1th-notes in the Trumets. The rhythms ring an element o jazz into the music. This Interlude seres to reare or the return o the theme at letter. The statement o the theme this time is in original note alues (comared to the diminution at letter B). Instruments are couled in thematic materials irst the Tromone and Horn at letter and then Trumet 2 and Horn at letter G. Letter H rings ack the second hrase o the theme sloly this time. This is the occasion or harmonic exloration. Dearting rom the home tonality o Major the ass line no descends steise to E lat and then D lat. The harmonies ecome increasingly less tonal. By m. an unusual sonority is reached. This is a G lat-7 harmony in the loer instruments ith a simle C/G Dominant o in the Trumets. By unctioning as a ariety o leading tones these itches guide the exloration ack to a home in Major at letter I. Letter J initiates another Interlude similar to the material at letter E excet that no the disjunct lines are gien to the Tromone instead o the Tua. Letters K and L ring a return o the theme more contrauntally deeloed than eore. Imitatie entrances o the melody are eatured irst in Tromone and Horn (mm mm. 2-) and then in Trumet 2 and Horn (mm. 5-). The cadence is

3 extended into a series o / measures hich initiate some strong harmonic andering. The ass line here descends steise rom the tonal center o to the Second Pole o B natural (at letter M). And indeed the section at letter M resents the most harmonically comlex structures o the comosition. The chord at letter M reresents a iolar tug o ar. or not all o the itches can e related to either the Major asic tonality or the B natural (erhas to e considered enharmonically as C lat) tonality. This might e a C lat Major-7 chord (thus exlaining the C lat E lat and B lat). Hoeer the cannot therey e exlained. It might e easiest to simly ie this as a dissonant art o the iece. The Polar extremes hae een reached. And the harmonies or this -measure section ill e arasie or erhas unsettling. The urose o this may e that the inal tonal statement o the theme ill soon e coming. So the section at letter M is needed to uild u to the inal statement. I mm. 92- are seen as a clash o Poles then mm. 9-7 may e seen as a uroseul increase in tension. Each instrument has its on role to lay. Trumet 1 ill e sustaining the itch o C the Dominant hich ill lead to the Tonic at letter N. Trumet 2 uilds riction y laying B lats (a major 2nd dissonance against the C) and then a B natural (the more intense semitone dissonance). The resolution comes in an uard semitone motion to the note C in m. 9. Meanhile the Horn and Tromone moe in arallel thirds u to their ositions o dissonance in m. 97. The Horn reaches a B lat (concert itch) to create a clusterclash ith the Trumets: C/B natural/b lat. The Tromone reaches G lat a tritone dissonance ith Trumet 1. Both instruments resole y semitones to the Major chord at letter N. The Tua has a course o its on. Rather than moing in small stes as the other rass lines do the Tua moes donard in leas o iths. This lands the Tua on a lo A hich is certainly dissonant ith the other rass. The A unctions as a seudo-dominant (a sustitute or a lo C) and resoles easily to the lo at letter N. The increase o dissonance through these six measures is intended to drie the harmonic motion oerully toard the resolution into Major at letter N. This is the alue o emloying a ariety o sonorities. Letter N rings a chorale-style inal statement o the theme as a return to traditional language and earlier times. A sense o oen sace is suggested ith the ansering o the theme (Horn in m. 99 Trumet 2 in m. 10). Perhas these are echoes coming rom aar. In m. 10 it might e noted that Trumet 2 holds the dissonance o E natural (E lats had een redominant as the loered seenth ste o the Mixolydian mode) against the in Trumet 1. This creates a articularly seet dissonance that seems in keeing ith the nostalgic mood o this inal statement o the theme

4 The original song has undergone many transormations. And ne material has een inserted in the orm o the arious interludes. The goal as to create a musical comosition ith contrast and groth hich related to ut did not stay ithin the oundaries o a re-existing source. The source as resected and enjoyed. But the endeaor as or creatiity. Coyright 200 Gyneth Walker.gynethalker.com

5 Simle Gits 'Tis the git toesim - le 'tis the git to e ree 'tis the git Elder Joseh Brackett Jr. -- Alred ME 1 to come don hereeought to e; and 5 heneind our-seles in the lace just right 'till e in the al - ley o loe and de- light. 9 - When true sim li - ci - ty is gained to o and to end e shan't e ash- amed. To 1 turn turn ill e our de - light 'til y turn - ing turn - ing e come don right.

6 1 V. Simle Gits Trumet 1 in C Trumet 2 in C Horn in ery reely tis a git to e ree m Tromone Tua B Tis a git to e sim-le tis a git to come don 5 here e ought to e and hen e ind our-seles in the. lace just right n.. it ill B

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9 1 o and to end to... j. J.. j o and to end.... j til y tur - ning tur - ning tur - ning tur-ning turn e came don right E j. j. j j J J j j. j J j j J J.... P j J P P () () j j j. j. j lutter» lutter» J..... j j J J..... J J j

10 5 2 Ÿ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ G j ()

11 5 j rit. j j j J j j. j. J. 5 H sloer more reely d. J n. j I j J j J. J n n n n

12 7 9 rit. J a temo = 12 n J n P.. 72 j j P j j j j P j j P j j j

13 79 K j.. J..... j j.. J J.. J.. m.. j.. J L J j Ÿ ~~~~~~~~~~~ J Ÿ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J... j j J j J..

14 9 9 M j j n n 9 rit. 9 N.. J. n n sloly stately d J J J J.. j.. n n n Ç Ç Ç n Ç j

15 0 102 J j J J J J n 10 J J.. Duration: 5