BIMM Dublin

Written Score and Arrangement Notes 2

Arrangement Notes

Student Number: C17378671/1086777

Course: BA in Commercial Modern Music
Module: Advanced Music Theory and Arrangement (DN/MM701)
Tutor: Paul Moore
Submission Date: 14th May 2020
Word Count: 547
String Arrangement

This arrangement has a long, flowing feel, with lots of slurs and held notes. I felt this mood

best suited the melody. The first four bars move between D Major and G Major, the tonic and

subdominant chords, with the cello holding a pedal D. The second violin and viola parts aim

to add a sense of movement to the accompaniment, arpeggiating the chords.

The next two bars deviate from the consonant feeling of the opening section. The cello and

viola play a descending figure in the first 2 bars, creating tension which is released at the start

of bar seven. The second violin imitates the melody, adding another layer to the overall

texture. Modal interchange is used here, with the Gm(maj7)/Bb chord being borrowed from

the parallel Harmonic Major Scale. To transition to the Bm at the start of bar 9, I used a ii-V

chord pattern, but inverted by a tritone. I found that this added an uncertainty while still

sounding musical.

In the following four bars, I introduced lots more

movement as I felt this was the climax of the piece. I

took the semiquaver motif in the melody and

imitated it across all four voices, shown here. This

adds to the excitement of the section. These bars

build to a fermata at the end of the thirteenth bar, creating a break before the final phrase.

The last four bars is a reiteration of the first melody, and I decided to return to a more

peaceful mood for this section. The first violin starts unaccompanied, followed by staggered

entries from the second violin, viola and cello. The first violin begins the final phrase, and the

rest of the ensemble finish on a minor plagal cadence, creating a somewhat wistful release of

tension.

String Quartet Roman Numeral Analysis

Bar 1 2 3 4

RN Analysis I IVb I IVb

Bar 5 6 7 8

RN Analysis I – V7b/vi vi – ivM7a Ib – ii7a - Ia iv7 – V7sub/vi

Bar 9 10 11 12

RN Analysis vi7 - Va iii7-IVM7 ii9 - Ia IVM7

Bar 13 14 15 16

RN Analysis I IV I – ii7 - Ia Ivb - I

Composition and Harmonisation

My melody for the pre-chorus of this piece consists mostly of chord tones. However, some

non-chord tones are used, most notably an appoggiatura in bar two and a retardation in bar

three.

I started the chorus section with the subdominant chord, mainly because the final chord of

the pre-chorus was the tonic, which resolved any tension present, and I wanted to

reintroduce some feeling of movement from the home chord. I used a rootless secondary

dominant (B7/D#) at the start of bar six

to add interest and direction, leading

into the E minor chord. This is followed

by a bVI – bVII – I progression. I used

this to resolve to G major in bar eight,

but also to prepare the listener for the

following section. Eb Major and F

Major are not diatonic to G Major, but

are borrowed from the parallel minor scale. This is the key I modulate to in bar 9, so I used

this modal interchange to hint at the material ahead.

Bar 8 is where the modulation occurs, starting with a G Major chord but then following a

VIIM7 – ii7b5 – V7 progression in G Minor, to land on the new tonic in bar 9.

After two bars in G Minor I modulated back to G Major, using a secondary dominant to C

Major. At the end of the piece, I used a tritone substitution break up the perfect cadence,

while also using extended chords to facilitate a chromatic movement in the uppermost voice.

Composition/Harmonisation Roman Numeral Analysis

Bar 1 2 3 4

RN Analysis I - Va vi7 - Va I - IVb I

Bar 5 6 7 8

RN Analysis IVmaj7 – ii7 III7(b9)a – vi7 bVI - bVII I – bVI – ii7b5 – V7

(modulating to G Minor)
Bar 9 10 11 12

RN Analysis i - bVI bVII – bIII – I7a IVmaj7 – ii7 – V9 – bII13

Iadd9b
Bar 13

RN Analysis Imaj7