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4 - Synopsis – analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Kenneth Gloag
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Cardiff
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Summary

The following synoptic outline provides a brief indication of the individual identity of each number. As an integral part of this process, close analytical attention will be given to certain details which emerge through the consideration of the large-scale harmonic character of each number, with specific intervallic relationships, principally the minor third and perfect fourth/fifth, providing a point of recurring reference for the analysis. The focus on these selected factors is based on the importance attached to them by Tippett himself, the specific intervals of the minor third and fifth being extracted from the context of the spirituals to construct the main source of the attempted unification of the diverse musical materials. In chapter 5 the accumulation of these details will be viewed through a wider perspective which will take as its starting point Tippett's own comments.

Part I

Part I consists of eight distinct and clearly demarcated numbers with an interludium providing a point of connection between the second and third. Each number features its own unique texture as well as harmonic identity, often standing in a somewhat disjunct relationship to its surrounding contexts.

1. Chorus

The world turns on its dark side.

It is winter.

The initial orchestral texture reflects the extra-musical image of descent, with the chromatically descending bass line moving from the opening C# to a point of arrival on E in bar 0: 6. This motion is covered by the E minor sonority in the trombone parts, which then initiates its own descending motion, arriving on the dyad formed between C and E in bar 0: 5.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1999

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  • Synopsis – analysis
  • Kenneth Gloag, University of Wales College of Cardiff
  • Book: Tippett: A Child of our Time
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139164184.005
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  • Synopsis – analysis
  • Kenneth Gloag, University of Wales College of Cardiff
  • Book: Tippett: A Child of our Time
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139164184.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Synopsis – analysis
  • Kenneth Gloag, University of Wales College of Cardiff
  • Book: Tippett: A Child of our Time
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139164184.005
Available formats
×