Ishmael Zghoul

An Overview Analysis Dance You Monster to My Soft Song composed and arranged by Maria Schneider

Melody:
Many notes of the melody fit within an A minor key center (natural, harmonic, and melodic minor, it is highly chromatic at times and it tonicizes E frequently. The ostinato figure in mm. 1 sets this up as it is highly chromatic, and due its polymetric implications, sets a very unstable and chaotic tone. It is played throughout most of the head by the rhythm section + bari. sax. The main theme occurs in the saxophones (minus the bari. sax) starting in mm. 9 in four 8 bar phrases followed by a 12 bar phrase that provides melodic closure.

Formal Attributes: INTRO mm. 1-9 - Ostinato in rhythm section + bari. sax. Implied polymeter. A - mm. 9-52 - Head B - mm. 53-96 Head C - mm. 97-112 - Interlude D - mm. 113-144 - Guitar Solo E mm. 145-208 Guitar Solo with backgrounds/transition F - mm. 209-262 - Trumpet Solo G - mm. 263-285 - Interlude H - mm. 286-336 Head + Tag Resulting OVERALL (oversimplified) FORM is as follows:
Intro - Head Interlude Guitar Solo Trumpet Solo (with Vamp) - Interlude Recapitulation/Ending

Style: Up-tempo straight eighth groove with implied 3 polymeter. Voicings: The main theme is in unison during A and voiced in fourths during B. The other horns
are usually voiced in clusters and have written glissandos and trills for effect. During the interlude (C), parallelism is used during most of the section (a voicing of a second and a fourth).

Harmony: Any clear triadic harmony is not really established until the interlude when an ensemble
voicing presents a clear Eb MA7(#5). This leads to the changes during the guitar solo. D section: 16 bars of BbMA7(#5), 16 bars of AbMA7(#5) E section: 8 bars of BbMA7(#5), 8 bars of EMI7(Aeolian), 8 bars of AbMA7(#5), 8 bars of DMI7(Aeolian) F section: all E Phrygian

Instrumentation & Orchestrational Techniques:

5 Saxophones 4 Trumpets 4 Trombones Guitar, Piano, Bass, Drums

Harmon and cup mutes are used in the brass during the Head to great effect both for instrumental color and balance concerns (as not to overpower delicate woodwind melodies). Glissandos and trills are used throughout all horns during the whole piece, and is one of the defining characteristics.