Learning Objectives

MUST be able to name key features of the melody of SC SHOULD be able to refer to the score and describe the key features of the melody of SC COULD be able to make musical links between the different melodic sections and explain how Bernstein uses influences of other musical genres in his melodic writing

Recap from Yesterday

Listen to the song and look at your scores:

What is the key of the piece? What type of voice (soprano, alto, tenor bass) is Tony? What is the first note that Tony sings? What is the vocal range (lowest note to highest note of the melody line)?

Is the melody line syllabic or melismatic?

Is the melody diatonic or chromatic?

Recap from Yesterday

Listen to the song and look at your scores:

What is the key of the piece? What type of voice (soprano, alto, tenor bass) is Tony? What is the first note that Tony sings? What is the vocal range (lowest note to highest note of the melody line)?

D Major (2 sharps) Tenor D 10th (E to G) Syllabic one note per syllable Diatonic melody

Is the melody line syllabic or melismatic?

Is the melody diatonic or chromatic?

Somethings Coming from

West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein, 1958)

MELODY

GCSE Music: Area of Study 2

Somethings Coming: Melody

Bar 17-18: shows sung on a blue note, C natural

(flattened 7th in D Major)

Melody until bar 20 is based on opening riff (melody &

rhythm)

Word painting bars 21-24 It may come cannonballing down through the sky) and bars 128-136 (long notes and leap on the air is humming reinforced by tremolo and harmonic strings in accompaniment)

Bar 31-39: Me sung on sustained E highest and

longest note of the piece so far

Somethings Coming: Melody

Bars 44 & 48: Melodic Tritones (now F# to C music

has modulated to C Major)

Bar 48: B flat blue note (flattened 7th in C Major) Bars 72-105: Lyrical melody with sustained notes -

contrast to the syncopated, syllabic and driving rhythms heard in the piece up until this point

Bar 83: Down highest note of the piece (top G)

ironic

Somethings Coming: Melody

Bar 89: C natural blue note (flattened 7th in D major)

Bar 144: Melody returns to the opening melody returning back to the beginning of the piece

Bar 144-145: Tritone (D to G#)

Bar 153: Tritone last melodic tritone

Bar 153-end: Tonys last note is a C natural Blue note
the vocal melody ends in the air, unfinished, like Tonys future