Leonard Bernstein Somethings Coming From West Side Story
Slide 2
Task: Copy and complete the glossary below WordMeaning
Extravaganzas Melodramas Minstrelsy Dissonance Blue notes
Syncopation Push rhythms Interval Tritone Riff Cross rhythms
Texture Tonic Dominant Word painting Neapolitan chord duet aria Key
words Something s Coming
Slide 3
How was this musical different to the previous musicals made?
Name some different types of musical: Musical theatre Some famous
West end musicals are:
Slide 4
Musicals set out to entertain through a combination of: Catchy
music in a popular style Solo songs, duets, choruses and ensembles
Orchestra or band accompaniment Spoken dialogue Dance sequences,
stage spectacles and magnificent costumes Performers compete for a
musical theatre role in the BBC's 'Any Dream Will Do' These are all
held together by the plot. Musicals are usually performed in
theatres, most famously on Broadway and in the West End of London.
Broadway is also used as a general term to refer to American
musicals. Every musical has a: Libretto - the overall text
including the spoken and sung parts Lyrics - the words to the songs
Most songs are either: Action songs, which move the plot forward or
Character songs, which enable a character to express their
feelings
Slide 5
Additional instruments: The orchestra....... There are a large
number of instruments in the West Side Story orchestra with
particularly large woodwind, brass and percussion sections. As is
common in theatre pit orchestras (or bands), the players in these
sections often play more than one instrument. This is known as
doubling. Complete the following: ____ woodwind players ____
violins ___ horns _____ cellos ____ trumpets ____ double basses
____ players in total.
Slide 6
Theme A Look at the first theme. Notice the tritone between the
bass note C and the F sharp in the vocal line. The F sharp resolves
onto a G. Listen to Theme A. The mood is quite tentative. Notice
the tritone.
Slide 7
Slide 8
Theme B Look at the contrasting second theme. Notice the
declamatory repeated notes and the use of accents. Listen to Theme
B at its first appearance. The mood is much more confident with a
loud dynamic and accented notes.
Slide 9
Theme C Look at the third theme. Notice the use of long
sustained notes, legato phrases and rising intervals. Listen to
Theme C at its first appearance. Notice the lyrical melody and the
optimistic mood.
Slide 10
Key techniques used.... Cross rhythm Push rhythms Syncopation
Jazz based harmony Interval of the tritone Short riffs Polyphony
Sustained notes
Slide 11
1. How does Bernstein create a sense of excitement and
expectancy in this song? 2. Mention two techniques or devices that
the composer uses in this song and throughout the music itself 3.
Describe the harmony used in the song. 4. What is a push rhythm?
Give an example. 5. What is a blue note? Give an example. 6.
Describe the orchestration of the piece. 7. How are the words the
air is humming depicted by the orchestra? 8. How does the piece
end?
Slide 12
9. This is a solo song or aria. Name two other types of vocal
forms used in a musical. 10. What makes the subject matter of West
Side Story different and new from other Broadway musicals of the
time?
Slide 13
1. Bernstein uses a fast tempo (crotchet = 176) and driving
rhythms to create a sense of excitement. 2. Bernstein uses several
techniques and devices in Somethings Coming, these include word
painting, cross rhythms, push rhythms and tri tones. 3. Bernstein
uses jazz based harmony (added blue notes) to create dissonances.
He also uses tri tones and neoploitan chords. 4. Push rhythms are
notes that anticipate the beat by being tied on to the beat
(usually in this piece by a quaver). 5. A blue note is a note from
a blues scale. It has a minor interval when a major one is
expected. These create dissonances as the notes do not belong in
the home key. 6. The orchestration of the piece consists of 5
woodwind players doubling (playing more that 1 instrument i.e.
flute and sax), 2 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, 7 violins, 4
cellos, 2 double basses, + drum lit, 2 extra percussionists, guitar
(electric and bass), and piano. 30 in total.
Slide 14
7. 8. The piece ends with an ad lib fade. 9. Other vocal forms
in musicals include, duets, trios and chorus numbers. 10. It is
based on a Shakespears play Romeo and Juliet.