Assignment 5

My tutor report for the final assignment has now arrived. I felt comfortable enough with score reading to opt for this assignment choice, and I thought it would make a nice contrast to the previous essay-based assignments. For the first score, my tutor confirmed that I was correct in my assertions that it was from Bach's collection of preludes and fugues, The Well Tempered Clavier. There are two main issues I should consider in my revised essay; that of the style and background of the work, and that of the technical elements. My interpretation of the assignment brief was that it was asking for technical elements only, but I can certainly see the value in analysing and discussing the historical and stylistic aspects, particularly where my tutor asked me to consider the difference between Bach's manner of composition and that of his contemporaries. This is not something I could currently answer with any conviction, so will require further research. A (now) somewhat obvious point made in the report was that I should describe how the fugue's theme changed with each iteration. Having already pointed out in which voice the theme appears, and the changes of key, I will look more closely at this, having been giving a nudge in the right direction with regards to the intervals used in the theme.

In the second score, I made an error in analysing the tonic chord, forgetting that the natural horns in D sound a 7th lower than written. This is something I did know from Grade 6/7 theory of music exams, but for some reason eluded me here! In this score it was suggested that I discuss in further detail the changes of mood within the piece, indicated by changes in playing technique, such as arco to pizzicato, and the arrival of a new theme.

Score three I certainly found the most difficult to analyse as it was the most unfamiliar type to me. In my essay I had concluded that the score was modal, due to the supposed age of the work, and due to there being no key signature, but a myriad of accidentals littering the score. My tutor suggested that perhaps the work is in G major, as there are multiple F sharps in the work, it begins on a I chord in G major, and ends in a perfect cadence in that key. The other accidentals in the score could indicate temporary changes of key. My own thoughts had been that this work preceded key signatures, and I couldn't ascertain what key these other accidentals indicated. This is certainly an issue that warrants further investigation. The final observation from my tutor was that I could include more detail regarding the interaction of the voices with each other.

This tutor feedback highlighted some easy to fix and some not so easy to fix issues which will considerably improve my assignment before sending for official assessment.

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