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Music for a While - Henry Purcell (Melody (Range of a 9th, Mostly conjunct…
Music for a While - Henry Purcell
Texture
The main feature of this piece is the ground bass
Melody dominated homophony
Ground bass (some figured bass used) provides accompaniment
RH harpsichord is an elaborate realisation and provides some counterpoint with the vocal line.
Tonality
In A minor but there is a Tierce de Picardie (unexpected major chord) on 'till the snakes..'
Sometime ambiguous due to the chromatic nature
Music returns to tonic key of A minor in bar 28
Central section modulates to close keys
Modulations are confirmed by perfect cadences
Harmony
Diatonic and functional chords
Perfect cadences at end of ground bass and into next playing of ground bass
Suspensions occasionally used (e.g at start)
Dissonance is not common but is used for word painting
False relation (e.g bar 1 with F and F#)
Tempo,Metre & Rhythm
4/4 quadruple time
Uses a variety of rhythms but quavers and semiquavers are the most prominent
Slow tempo
Dotted rhythms mostly in RH harpsichord but sometimes in vocal part
Occasional syncopation
Ground bass entirely in quavers
Structure
Ground bass structure
Rounded Binary form (ABA')
Based on Da Capo Aria structure
Melody
Range of a 9th
Mostly conjunct
Frequent passing notes
Small leaps generally no greater than a fourth
Rests used to break up phrases
Some descending sequences
Ornaments in soprano line and harpsichord like trills, appoggiaturas, grace notes, mordents
Mostly syllabic
Use of countertenor