Analysis Assignment: Putting Things Together
The principles of Unity and Variety apply to all music, regardless of composition style or historical period.
Now that you are familiar with the concepts in the first section of the course, and you have seen how they work in different pieces of music, try your hand, mouse, and ears, at finding how they operate in a piece you haven't heard yet in this course (although you may have elsewhere). Analyze The Shadow of Your Smile performed by the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra.
Your analysis should include:
The number of different musical ideas in the piece (for example, can we say that there are two ideas A and B? Or is there only one?)
The timings (start and stop times) of the different sections of the piece. (Hint: Listen for changes in musical ideas and timbre, for example, points when different instruments come in or give way to others.)
How unity and variety are exemplified in those sections through the use of:
Dynamics (Listen for changes and use Italian words; when is the piece louder than at other times?)
Timbre (Listen for changes in timbres as well as the constants that are always there). What instruments are present?
Pitch-does it vary widely or stay constant and within a narrow range?
Rhythm (What is the meter? Duple (two- or four-beat) or Triple (three-beat)? Is it constant throughout? What is the tempo? Is this tempo constant throughout?)
Melody - is there a recognizable or singable melody present? Does it recur in whole or part? If so, where?
Harmony (is the harmony major or minor?)
Whether, although there are sections that feature one instrument over others, you think this is this is a piece for solo performer or for an ensemble. What solo instruments are featured over others? What other instruments are present?
A list of the characteristics of the musical style closest to the one this piece exemplifies. (Hint: Look at the lecture on Folk Music, Art Music and All that Jazz in the first section of the course). Discuss how this piece matches that style.
Whether you think this piece serves, or could serve a specific purpose. What purpose would that be?
Whether or not it has any specific connotation/s for you.