Expanded Listening Exercise #5

ExpandedListening Exercise #5

Excerpts fromThe Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps) Igor Stravinsky

Question 1:(2:26-3:03)

  1. The oboe at 2:26 has a clear and penetrating voice. It has a rich timbre whatsoever. The pitch is also secure. Therefore, it was quite audible over the other instruments.

  2. The flute entering at 2:26 is smooth and rather subversive in the background. The timbre is homogenous with oboe and thus they produce a relaxed rhythm as they progress. The tone is also smooth.

  3. The clarinet that enters at 2:31 is enriched with overtones of each tone. The attack sound and potential vibrato make the instrumental rather interesting as it heightens a sense of suggestibility within a listener.

  4. The low-pitched instruments entering at 2:39 are of low frequency as compared to the subversive instruments playing with a high-pitch. The instruments have a warm temperature and a soft sound dynamic. So, the melody slowly progresses to an uplifting state.

  5. The trumpet entering at 2:49 has a high pitch that comprises notes of different frequencies to form part of harmonic series. The tone quality is rather piercing and so, the tempo is rising quickly as other instruments enter the ensemble.

Question 2.(3:37-4:02)

  1. Rhythm- The rhythm is unsteady as it progresses through time. It is instead broken into unsteady smaller bits that create distinct tides.

  2. Dynamics- The loudness of the music changes as the velocity is also alternating. It is also intense throughout. So, the dynamic is alternating forte, that is, loud and strong with force. It follows a decrescendo up to 3:45 then pick a crescendo quickly.

  3. Harmony- The interval is comprised of a dissonant variation. It causes tension and desire to be resolved into a stable chord progression.

  4. Texture- The music follows different combinations of texture. For instance, it starts with a homophonic texture up to 3:55 where it picks a polyphonic texture.

Question 3:(5:41–6:12)

  1. The two layers (melodic line) follow two different chord arrangements. The melodic line is superior in both layers, as the chord stimulate a background accompaniment. Layer 1 uses windpipe instruments while layer 2 uses brass instruments.

  2. At 5:52, a new percussion instrument is added. It is Timpani. It begins a new layer where the pitch rises and the sound dynamic becomes louder.

  3. At 5:56, a brass instrument is introduced and it introduces a new layer. The layer is enriched with different melodies all creating a ticker texture. Melodically, it differs from the previous layers because it comprises of diverse timbres that create a brassy musical color. This layer has smaller intervals of melody hence it can be said to be conjunct.

  4. At 6:03, a percussion instrument has been used. It sounds like a bell.

Question 4.(6:57–7:33) and (7:33–7:42)

Both of the segments have a dissonance harmony as they are in tensionand seem to constantly find a point of agreement. They have a highpitch and are very loud. The dynamic can be said to be forte, asthey are both forcefully loud. Similarly, they utilize a wide varietyof instruments as both segments have windpipe, brass and percussioninstruments. They both have a constantly changing activity andtimbre.

They also have distinct differences in their progression. The(7:33–7:42) has a higher pitch and is louder than the 6:57–7:33.In (7:33–7:42), the trumpet takes the center stage against otherinstruments, whereas the 6:57–7:33 is enriched with multipleinstruments that are not necessarily distinct.