Composer: Stephen Foster Date: 1826 – 1864
Song: “Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair”
Melody: • Phrases are short and strophic • Range: C4 – F5 Tessitura: D4 – D5 • Melody is very tonal • Lyric Recitative
Harmony: • Harmony is very tonal and remains in the same key • Song is in the key of F major
Rhythm: • Tempo is Moderato • In common time 4/4 • Uses a lot of dotted rhythms especially in the melody
Accompaniment: • 4 measure prelude, 4 measure interlude, and a 4 measure postlude • Uses primarily block chords during verses, but uses running eighth notes on the prelude, interlude, and postlude • Linear texture with contrapuntal texture on certain areas
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Stephen Foster • The song was written for his wife during their separation and then was published when they got back together
Composer: Stephen Foster Date: 1826 – 1864
Song: “Beautiful Dreamer”
Melody: • Phrases are fairly short • Range: D4 – F5 Tessitura: Eb4 – Eb5 • Melody is tonal minus the use of the E natural in the melody • Lyric recitative and strophic
Harmony: • Song is in the key of Eb major • Primarily tonal and voice hangs with the accompaniment
Rhythm: • Tempo is Moderato • In triple compound meter 9/8 • Uses dotted rhythms but not as a stutter rhythm, just as extended notes
Accompaniment: • 4 measure prelude, no interlude, and 3 measure postlude • Linear texture • Broken chord accompaniment
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Stephen Foster • The song is about a beautiful woman and her waking up from sorrow and pain to the peace of the words from the poet
Composer: Charles Griffes Date: 1884 – 1920
Song: “Symphony in Yellow”
Melody: • Phrases are medium length • Range: F#4 – Gb5 Tessitura: F#4 – E5 • Melody primarily tonal • Song seems like a recitative but at the 1st tempo change it breaks away until the next tempo change
Harmony: • Song is in the key of B major • There are a lot of augmented and diminished chords in the accompaniment that make it seem chromatic but it it primarily tonal
Rhythm: • Tempo starts Languidamente, then changes the rhythmic value and returns back to tempo 1 • In common time then switches to ¾ then back to common • The vocal line is written in triple meter but against the accompaniment it seems like its in two
Accompaniment: • 1 measure prelude, 4 measure interlude, and a 10 measure postlude • Recitative like with the use of all the block chords • Very linear texture
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Oscar Wilde
Composer: Ned Rorem Date: 1923 - present
Song: “The Lordly Hudson”
Melody: • Phrases are short • Range Eb4 - G5 • Melody follows the tonality of the accompaniment
Harmony: • Song is in the key of F minor • Harmony is semi chromatic but follows the accompaniment
Rhythm: • Tempo is 144 bpm • In compound triple meter 6/8 • Uses a lot of dotted rhythms between voice and piano
Accompaniment: • Uses hemiolas and dotted rhythms to add a sense of off time • Contrapuntal texture with a walking accompaniment using variations of eighth notes, and dotted quarters
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Paul Goodman • The text is a question to a driver reminding him of his times in Manhattan
Composer: Ned Rorem Date: 1923 – present
Song: “Early In The Morning”
Melody: • Phrases are fairly lengthy • Range: octave between D4 and D5 Tessitura: D4 – B4 • Melody is pretty straight forward harmonically, very tonal
Harmony: • Harmonically the accompaniment and the voice follow each other in a tonal way • Song is in the key of Bb major
Rhythm: • Tempo is moderato • In simple triple meter 3/4 • Uses dotted rhythms and halfstep eighth notes to keep the movement going
Accompaniment: • Contapuntal texture at some points, but also uses recitative like chords at certain sections with block chords • On contrapuntal sections, right hand plays moving eighths and quarters while left hand plays single notes or 2 notes with big gaps
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Robert Hillyer • The text depicts a lovely summer day at a cafe with a young person who is in love and enjoying his or her day
Melody: • Phrases are very short • Range: F4 – F5 Tessitura: F4 – F5 • Melody is stophic
Harmony: • Harmonically the accompaniment and the voice follow each other in almost a hymnal sort of way • Song is in the key of Bb major
Rhythm: • Tempo is 72 bpm • In simple duple meter 2/4 • very straight forward rhythms, prelude uses fast 16th notes
Accompaniment: • Primarily uses block chords in right hand, with the occasional use of block chords or single notes in the left • Very linear in motion and strophic
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Joseph Brackett • First used in Appalachian Spring in 1944 then was used in his Old American Songs cycle
Melody: • Phrases very slow and very fast, theres not much in between, somewhat lengthy too • Range: E4 – F#5 Tessitura: G#4 – E5 • Melody is stophic
Harmony: • Straight forward, tonal song with not many harmonic changes • Song is in the key of E major
Rhythm: • Tempo istarts at 63 bpm but on the B sections it is faster at 100 bpms • In simple duple meter 2/4 • A few dotted rhythms but very simple rhythmically
Accompaniment: • A section uses block chords and B section uses a polka dance rhythm with eighth notes in the bass and eighth to two sixteenth notes in the right hand • Very linear in motion and strophic
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Dan Emmett • It is a celebration of Ohio boatmen
Composer: Ralph Vaughan Williams Date: 1872 – 1958
Song: “The Vagabond”
Melody: • Phrases are medium in length • Range: A3 – Eb5 Tessitura: E4 – E5 • Melody uses lots of chromatics and rhythmic variations • Seems to be a recitative
Harmony: • Lots of chromatics and a couple modulations to related keys (V) • Song is in the key of E minor
Rhythm: • Tempo is Allegro moderato • In common time 4/4 • Lots of dotted rhythms and uses duplets in the melody
Accompaniment: • Starts with block chords and primarily stays that way through the song with little embellishments and eighth notes to move from chord to chord • Linear texture • 6 measure prelude, two 4 measure interludes, and a 4 measure postlude
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Robert Louis Stevenson • The text introduces the protagonist to the cycle, the wanderer who is monologuing with himself
Composer: Ralph Vaughan Williams Date: 1872 – 1958
Song: “Let Beauty Awake”
Melody: • Phrases are fairly lengthy • Range: E4 – E5 Tessitura: G4 – D5 • Melody is set strophically in two stanzas
Harmony: • Harmony is tonal, but modal because of the Dorian scale • Song is in the key of E major (technically F# Dorian)
Rhythm: • Tempo is Moderato • In compound triple meter 9/8 • Lots of dotted rhythms, use of duplets, and fast running 32nd and 16th notes
Accompaniment: • Uses broken chords in 32nd and 16th notes, also has a few sections where right hand plays chords doubling the melody • Linear texture because it is either doubling or playing the broken chords • 1 measure prelude, 3 measure interludes, and a 5 measure postlude
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Robert Louis Stevenson • The text talks a bout a beautiful woman waking to the kiss of her lover in the beauty of the day and how everything is beautiful around her
Composer: Roger Quilter Date: 1877 – 1953
Song: “Love's Philosophy”
Melody: • Phrases are sweeping and lyrical • Range: D4 – A5 Tessitura: G4 – F5 • There are a few melismas in the melody
Harmony: • Harmony is tonal with the use of only a couple chromatic notes • Song is in the key of F major
Rhythm: • Tempo is very quick and passionate • In simple triple meter 3/4 • Rhythm is very simple, lots of fast 16th notes in accompaniment
Accompaniment: • Mix of 16th notes and quarter note chords in left hand, right hand it fast 16th notes in broken chords/ arpegiations • Contrapuntal texture • 2 measure prelude, 2 measure interludes, and a 3 measure postlude
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Percy Bysshe Shelley • The text a natural mingling of nature's elements inspiring a romantic rush in a metaphor form
Composer: Roger Quilter Date: 1877 – 1953
Song: “Now Sleeps The Crimson Pedal”
Melody: • Phrases gracefully shaped and syllabic • Range: Eb4 – Gb5 Tessitura: Gb4 – Gb5 • Very tonal melody that flows well with the accompaniment
Harmony: • Harmony is tonal with the use of only a couple chromatic notes • Song is in the key of Gb major
Rhythm: • Tempo is slow with emphasis • In simple triple meter ¾ and switches to 5/4 • Rhythm is very simple with no dotted rhythms or polyrhythms
Accompaniment: • Starts with a melody but then becomes simple and doubles the voice melody using primarily block chords with the occasional eighth note run to embellish the chords • Contrapuntal texture with the use of the eighth notes • 3 measure prelude, 2 measure interludes, and a 3 measure postlude
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Alfred Tennyson • The text paints a picture of nature fading to where it came from as the poets lover (either dying or sleeping) falls into the poets chest in rest
Melody: • Phrases are calm and small ranged • Range: C4 – Eb5 Tessitura: D4 – D5 • Very tonal melody that flows well with the accompaniment, very simple
Harmony: • Harmony is tonal with the use of only a couple chromatic notes • Song is in the key of Eb major
Rhythm: • Tempo is Allegretto Tranquillo • In simple quadruple meter 4/4 • Rhythm is very simple with no dotted rhythms or polyrhythms
Accompaniment: • Rocking ostinato rhythm in left hand with a wandering 8th and 16th note right hand • Linear texture
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by William Blake • The text depicts a sleeping baby in perfect piece and harmony • From A Charm of Lullabies op. 41
Composer: Benjamin Britten Date: 1913 – 1976
Song: “At Day-Close In November”
Melody: • Phrases are long and based of a 3 note cell • Range: D4 – A5 Tessitura: D4 – A5 • Very serial melody that flows well with the accompaniment, yet is very complex chromatically
Harmony: • Very chromatic, and almost a 12 tone feel to it. • Starts with all 12 notes of the chromatic scale • Song is in the key of D minor
Rhythm: • Tempo is quick and impetuous • In simple triple meter 3/4 • Rhythm is simple with no dotted rhythms or polyrhythms
Accompaniment: • Very recitative like with mainly block chords in both hands, but occasionally uses running 8th notes in both left and right hands • Linear texture but very complex due to the chromaticism
Poet/Text: • Poetry written by Thomas Hardy • The text depicts a place were trees used to be but no longer exist and the place feels dead and empty • From Winter Words op. 52
