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Writer's pictureJ. Giunta

Episode #3: Morning Mood

Here are some of the techniques we learned from Mastering the Craft: Episode #3, Morning Mood, by Edvard Grieg.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdQ4LKojr-c

 

How to build intensity:


Let's first look at Bars 17-20




This is the first place we hear a build in intensity and this is due to fragmentation of the melodic line coupled with a crescendo and an orchestrated crescendo. The line moves between Flute and Oboe in 1 measure increments at first and then in half-measure increments. This fragmentation, as well as making the fragment smaller after the first two repeats will give that feeling of increasing intensity. Also, notice that the second flute, the horns, and the timpani are added to the harmony towards the end. This is an orchestrated crescendo. It's when, over time, you add new instruments into a line (as opposed to a regular dynamic crescendo where the instruments already playing simply play louder over time).



Next, let's look at bars 27-30




The bass line and harmony move upward in steps and at the same time, he takes a 3-note fragment of the melody and sequences it in ascending motion. This is a great technique that uses Ascending motion and Fragmentation to give our ears a sense of growing intensity. Just like using a sequence to change keys this effect should only be used a few times in a row or it will lose its power and become almost comical (which is actually effective if you want it to sound comical). Grieg, however, uses this to build up to this nice climax in bar 30.



 


Composing a melody from a small fragment or cell:


Did you know that you can compose an entire melody from a very small fragment, or cell, using Melodic Manipulation techniques?


A Motif ( or Motive) is a small musical idea. It can be melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic. This small idea can be manipulated using a few different techniques to create a large, cohesive melody.


Let’s use the motif from the Grieg example to demonstrate all these techniques.

Here is the 3 note cell that makes up the original motif in Morning Mood.



Now, let's apply our melodic manipulation techniques and see what happens (you can of course combine any of these techniques for a more complex manipulation).


Inversion:


An inversion takes the motif and changes the direction while maintaining the same intervallic relationships. The original motif moves down a minor third, and then down a major second. In this example, I started on the note G# and moved up a minor third and up a major second.


If I had started on the same note “B,” and maintained the diatonic key relationship, I would have moved to D# and E, which would have been up a major third and up a minor second. So the intervals would have changed (See Intervallic Augmentation and Diminution below).



Retrograde:


A Retrograde takes the motif and reverses it. On paper, it looks like an exact mirror image (Rests included). Since our original example ends with a rest our retrograde starts with a rest and moves backward through the motif.



Rhythmic augmentation and diminution:


Augmentation lengthens the note value and Diminution shortens the note value. Here I augmented the first note by lengthening it to a quarter note and I used a diminution on the second two notes by shortening them to sixteenths.



Intervallic augmentation and diminution:


Augmentation expands the distance between two notes and Diminution makes the distance smaller. The original moves downward by a minor third and then by a major second. I used a diminution on the first interval to shorten the distance and move down a major second and then augmented the second interval to move down a minor third.

I also spelled "Intervallic" wrong in this example : )




Changing or adding notes:


This technique is quite straightforward. It simply adds or changes a note.

I chose to diminish the first note's rhythmic value and then add in the C#.




Change of Mode:


This technique takes the motif and adjusts notes accordingly to change the modal quality of the passage. In the second example, I changed the G# to G natural and now we are in E minor instead of E Major (Don’t forget to change the harmony accordingly).



Sequence:


When a motif is repeated but begins on a different note (this can be over a new chord or in a new key).

A Real Sequence takes the melody and puts it into a new key by moving the motif up or down and maintaining the exact intervallic distance between notes. In this example, I modulated the motif up a major third to the key of G# major (notice that in order to keep the same interval relationships I had to add some sharps to fit the new key).



A Tonal Sequence takes the melody and starts on a different note with a different harmony underneath (usually diatonic). Notice that in the Tonal Sequence the middle note is now the minor third of the chord instead of the original major third. This is because the harmony has changed from E Major to F# Minor (II chord of the key) and that has a minor third.




 


Balancing the different tone colors of Woodwinds in a chordal structure


Balancing Woodwind chords can be difficult because of the extreme difference in tone color between the instruments. The best blends come from keeping woodwinds in their order of register, i.e. Bassoons on the bottom, then clarinets, then oboes, and finally flutes on top. If you put Flutes in their low register and Bassoons in their high register the chord will be very unbalanced. Also, each instrument has a particular carrying power in its comfortable register that balances well with the other winds. For example, the Flutes cannot play loudly in their low register. The last thing to consider is intervals. Consonant intervals are usually preferred in double-reed instruments such as Oboes. It's best to stick to consonant intervals such as thirds or sixths when using two oboes to avoid having them stick out like a sore thumb.


Below are the different techniques for balancing woodwind chords.


Juxtaposition

In a juxtaposed voicing, the chord tones are given to adjacent instruments in successive order.



Interlocking

In an interlocked voicing, the instruments cross each other in pitch range.



Enclosure

In an enclosed voicing, one instrument surrounds the other in pitch range.



Overlapping

In an overlapping voicing, the varying instruments play the same pitches.



 

Modulating through degree III to V and then back to I:


Don’t be so quick to use your II V’s to modulate to a new key. In Morning Mood, Grieg uses the melody to drive the harmonic change. He is using keys that have quite a few notes in common and simply finishes the melodic statement with some of the manipulation techniques, the types we covered earlier, over a new harmony. This new harmony then becomes the basis for the next repeat and the melody is simply sequenced accordingly. Only at the very end does he use the B7 (V7) to move back to the original key of E Major. This modulation to the III area and then to the V area and back to I was very common in the Classical and Romantic Era.



 


Keep things fresh by moving melodies to different instruments and using imitation in different octaves (and often with a different timbre).


From the first statement to the first repeat, he changed the timbre of the melody from the sweet, soft flute to the biting, nasal Oboe and the harmony from the more aggressive woodwinds to the very soft, velvety strings. There is a stark difference in the sonic quality of those two combinations.

Also, remember at the end of each melodic statement he takes an imitation of the last 4 notes and plays them in different registers and in different instruments (you don’t always need to write new music to keep things fresh).


 


Grace notes:


An ornamental note played quickly before the note (usually before the beat). When you listen to the melody in Morning Mood the grace notes make it so much more expressive. These are a great little tool to spice up any melody, but be careful not to get carried away and use too many. Grace notes can occur singly or in groups. Here are some examples.


 



Morning Mood is a great example of how to take a small melodic idea and get a ton of mileage out of it. Whether it's writing a four-bar phrase from a 3-note motif, using 3-note sequences to build intensity, or repeating an idea with a whole new orchestration.


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