Year 9 Music

Task 4: Performance – Australian Music Topic

Concept Analysis Template
Name:
Please note: You are analysing the piece itself, not your performance or arrangement of the piece.
Where relevant, you need to provide examples to support the observations you are making. These
could be in the form of score excerpts, or referring to timestamps in a recording. If referring to a
recording, you must provide a link to the recording you are using.
You may like to refer to the Concepts of Music sheets and the Concept Mind Maps to help you in
working out what to listen for

Title and composer of the piece you are performing

Jewish Folksong – Larry Sitsky

If you will be referring to a recording of the piece to provide examples, please paste a link to the
recording here. (if you will be referring to sheet music excerpts and not to a recording, you do not
need to provide a link to a recording)
STRUCTURE
Outline the overall structure of the There are distinct sections, ABCBCA with no
piece modulation, Arch form.
 Are there distinct sections?
A: 1-9
 Identify when the sections begin
 Are there repeating sections or is it
B: 10-17
through-composed? C: 18-25
 Does it follow a particular formal B: 26-33
structure (e.g. Ternary, Rondo, C: 34-41 with slight variation
Sonata form, verse-chorus form A: 42-50
etc..)

TONE COLOUR
Identify the performing media used Folk songs are often sung unaccompanied or with slight drone
in the piece and describe their tone accompaniment. The only instrument this piece is piano, a
colour (including electronic sounds) chordophone. The tone colour of the left hand for the entire piece is
 How do each of the performing muddy achieves this by using low register in the left hand. This muddy
media produce their sound and sound quality is produced by arpeggios and the slurring of the first two
what sort of sound do they notes of each arpeggio in section c. The quality of the sound produced
produce? (you may like to refer to by the right hand in this piece is warm, through slurs, tenuto and
the suggested Tone Colour Words middle to high register. All the effects on the quality of the sound in this
 Are there any techniques used that piece are best achieved on an instrument like the piano.
alter the tone colour of any
performing media? (e.g. playing
techniques, use of pitch and
dynamics, electronic effects…)
Note: if your piece is composed for a solo
instrument, think about how the composer
has achieved particular tone colours from
that instrument
How is tone colour used? C section uses different registers, both between hands and also
 Is there anything notable about in the second half of this section, the melody is up an octave
how tone colour is used? E.g. which creates such tone colour contrast too.
unsual combinations of tone
colours, a specific type of ensemble
(orchestra, jazz band, electronic,
etc. etc..)

PITCH
Tonality Scale-based melodies on the notes of the E harmonic scale,
 Describe the tonality of the piece –
sometimes conspicuously featuring the augmented 2nd interval
is it major, minor or something D#-C (typical of Jewish music). The harmony of the C section is
else? Identify the key if you can
 Are there any moments where the
largely based around the B major chord (the V / dominant if E
tonality changes? minor)
Melody The melodic contour in this piece is ascending. There are two
 Describe the melodic contour. times in the piece (both section Cs) the melody in the right hand
 Are there any patterns or recurring is repeated and played an octave higher.
melodic ideas? In section a, the melodic contour is moving in skips going
 Are there any moments in the piece
upwards. In section b, the melodic contour is moves upwards in
where something notable happens
with the melody? (E.G. sequence, skips and downwards in steps twice. In section c, the right hand is
recurring themes, development of a
melodic idea. . .)
Harmony • some use of chords containing notes foreign to the key, and of
 Describe the use of chord dissonance.
progressions in the piece
 Are there any moments where
• use of a wide keyboard range.
something notable happens with
the harmony? (e.g. pedal point,
drone, dissonance and resolution
etc. . .)
Range & Register The chords in the left hand are in a low register. The range in the
 Describe how range and register of left hand is narrow staying in that low register. The right hand is
different performing media are in the middle to high register and the range is medium.
used

TEXTURE
Layers of sound There are two layers of sound in this piece.
 Identify the different layers and The right hand is providing the melody and the left hand is the
describe their role accompaniment. The melody consists of short plucking notes and
 Are there any notable changes in
the use of different layers?
some long held notes. The harmony consist of mostly chords and
Note: Don’t forget that pieces for solo arpeggios. At the start of both section As in bars 1 and 42, only
instruments can still have more than one the accompaniment is present, playing 4 single crotchet beats. It
layer of sound prepares the audience for what to expect and helps slow down
and regather thoughts to end of the piece, without it the piece
feels incomplete.
Interaction between layers There are two instances of rhythmic unison, where the single
 Do the layers interact with each note, ‘e’, is played by both hands. There is an octave difference
other in any interesting way – e.g. between them.
call and response, staggered entry,
unison, rhythmic unison,
Although, there is only one instrument in this piece, the effect of
dovetailing? a staggered entry in section c after the first two sections when
the rhythm picks up and there seems to be more layers.
Types of texture The first section in this piece is homophonic and stays
 Are there sections where the homophonic throughout the piece.
texture is monophonic,
homophonic, polyphonic or
heterophonic? Does this change
throughout the piece or stay the
same?

DURATION
Beat There is a steady underlying pulse from start to finish. In sections
 Is there a steady underlying pulse, a and b, single crotchets are played 4 times in a bar in the left
or is it undefined? Does this change hand, which where occasionally played with a staccato. In section
at all? c, arpeggios in the harmony provide a steady beat which is
 Has the composer done anything to
emphasised by slurs.
emphasise or obscure the beat?
Tempo The tempo in this piece is fairly slow, appropriate for a pace of a
 Describe the tempo of the piece folk song. There are no signs of change in tempo indicated in the
 Are there any change in tempo? sheet music.
Metre Simple quadruple
 What metre is used in this piece? No, there are no changes in the metre
Are there any changes in metre?
Identify time signatures if you can.

Rhythm The dominant rhythm in section a which recurs in the end

 Identify and describe the rhythmic consists of the notes with quaver values and crotchets in
patterns used between.
 Are there any unusual or recurring
rhythmic ideas?
In section b, the first half has a marching/assertive rhythm.
In section c, the rhythm is picks up in an exciting way through the
introduction of a new rhythm consisting of notes with shorter
note values and a faster tempo (that I implemented).
DYNAMICS & EXPRESSIVE TECHNIQUES
Dynamics The is not much use of dynamics in my piece. It only indicates to
 Describe the use of dynamics in the play in ‘p’ in the beginning and remains soft for the entire piece.
piece There are no moments when something happens in the dynamics
 Are there moments where
of this piece.
something notable happens (e.g.
sudden changes, gradual changes,
dynamics used for particular
instruments. . . )
Expressive Techniques Notable uses of expressive techniques include tenuto in section a
 Is there any notable use of exclusively and staccato in all sections. There is a short break
expressive techniques to between the transition from section b to c for the first time which
manipulate the sounds of the
performing media? (e.g. electronic
provides a short silence. Accents and slurs in section a and c help
effects, staccato, accents, rubato, with definition and the waltzing rhythm of the piece. Pedalling
ritardando, vibrato, muting etc. etc. may have been indicated in section c in the left hand for the
. .) arpeggios.