Les Augures
Melody
4-note ostinato in bassoon at b.93-109. Fragmentary and repetitive.
Evokes ritual and tightly ordered motifs, clockwork-like. Alludes to the modern machine age and action of the humans being clockwork, unnatural and machine-like nature- evokes continuity and repetitiveness.
W.L.- Tom Johnson- Narayana's Cows
Musical evolution of Fibonacci sequence- conveys the same machine like predictability.
New fragmented melody based on Russian folk tune enters at b.164 on the French horns. It is taken up and embellished with semiquavers and figure quarter and acciaccaturas at b.168, then alto flutes.
Adds melody to the mechanical ostinato dominated nature of the piece.
W.L.- Hindemith- "Turandot" scherzo from Symphonic Metamorphosen
Recurring motif with augmented and reordered variations adds complexity of textures, drives the music forward.
Russian hymn enters at b.194-215 in the trumpets and harmonised in parallel motion.
Adds to the layers of complexity in the movement. Provides a variety of melody against the driving ostinato woodwind and strings. Adds a further texture in order to contrast with the homorhythmic and homophonic nature of the final bars of the movement.
W.L.- Tchaikovsky- 1812 Overture.
Used to evoke Russian patriotism. Adds colour and variety to the complex interwoven melodies.
Sonorities
Aggressive, repeated down bows and double-stopped chords. b.76-144 in violins II violas, celli and basses.
Evokes the barbaric and visceral effect of the music to convey the pagan, primitive style action on the stage and the aggression of the war-games, in preparation for the violence of the "Jeu Du Rapt". Repeated, ugly, violent sound of down bows were very unusual and evoked a passionate response from the audience.
W.L.- Bernard Herrmann- Psycho "Prelude" and "The Murder"
Used in a similar way to convey threatening, stabbing action, implying violence and foreshadowing the brutal murder...
Use of col legno b.158-189 in violins II, violas, celli and basses.
Disturbing primeval sounds to evoke and foreshadow the violence of the "Jeu Du Rapt". Synchronised nature alludes to the synchronised movements of the dancers.
W.L.- Berlioz- Dream Of A Witches' Sabbath
Used to convey the dark character of witches- evokes the rattling of skeletons.
Horns stamp out the accents from b.78 with a mechanised, clockwork response from the cor angles and bassoon from b.84-87.
Evokes the clockwork, almost machine-like response of the tribe and juxtaposition of their emotionless, mechanical actions with the actions of the machine age of the early 1900s. Matches the angular movements of the dancers.
W.L.- Borodin "In The Steppes Of Central Asia"
The French Horns punctuate the melody, evoking the dramatic landscape.
Rhythm
3 against 2 rhythms from b.91-101 triplet quavers in the solo trumpet part against pairs of quavers in the string chords.
Synchronised with the diverging movements of the old woman running around and a group of stamping young men.
W.L.- Tchaikovsky- Waltz from Swan Lake
Different groups of dancers doing different movements to different rhythms.
Woodwind from b.93-109 play repetitive cells.
Piston-like representing the tribe as a heartless machine.
W.L.- Jerry Goldsmith- "The Hunt" from Planet Of The Apes
Evokes a tribal atmosphere and primeval character of the Apes.
Syncopated French Horns
Reinforces the accented quaver chords at the start- synchronised with the dancers in the group of young men.
W.L.- Debussy- Golliwog's Cake Walk
Used to convey the idea of jazz and elements of African-American rhythms.