Birth of a Penguin - Pt I

Dynamics

• Aggressive forced crescs (p < sfz) create tension as the parents prepare to throw the baby

• Wide Dynamic range(in the opening) - (from pp to f) / Sudden Contrasts

• Crescendos and Diminuendos

• dynamic swells - depicting the swerling snow

• starts soft with the batman theme and

• sfortanzo in bar 16 which again is dramatic

• lots of rapid crescendo lots of drama, pushing the narrative forward

Rhythm, Metre and Tempo

• Detached onbeats as the parents throw the child build up the tension

• 3/8 bar in bar 13 so it can move in the right time with the film

• often there are 2 bar rhythmic cells/units that are repeated, varied and woven together very Stravinsky

Texture

• celeste plays heterophony

• Texture develops through layering, with constant changes as instruments enter and drop out, creating variety and maintaining tension

• Polarising effect is created through octave unison between low woodwind, brass and timp with the contrasting high synth part.

• The penguin motif develops heterophonically with PnA and PnB on top of each other

• Pedal Notes

• constant varying texture,ittl go from very thick layered to the occasional polyphony

• they are moments where theres unison across 4 octaves

• theres occasional polyphony

• melody dominated homophony

• the celeste has a thin venerable/delicate texture

• the thick organ/choir menacing texture

Instrumentation

• woodwind
  • two flutes where sometimes they play the piccolo
  • two oboes
  • 2 clarinet including bass clarinet
  • 2 bassoon including contrabassoon

• brass
  • 3 trumpets
  • 4 horns
  • 3 trombones and a tuba

• string section
  • Violin 1 Violin 2
  • Cello Viola Double bass

• 2 harps

• piano

• electric organ/synthesiser

• percussion
  • Timpani
  • xylophone
  • slay bells
  • tam-tam
  • tubular bells
  • Chinese temple blocks
  • bongos
  • cymbal
  • glockenspiel
  • tambourine
  • snare drum
  • bass drum
  • celeste - Bartok wider listening

• quite a lot of colour in it

• organ juxtaposed by celeste(ethereal)

• timpani rolls create sinister aspect

• children choir is singing their vocalisations - uncanny yet innocent

• violins double in octaves

• pizzicato by the double bass creates a kind of lightness

• the celeste semiquavers which create this bright sonority which contrast with synthesis organ

• harp glissandi

• detailed performance direction: pizicato,gliis, arco,tremolo,con sordino, Rolls full range - gives cinematic colour and programmatic specifity(adding to the storyline) compare this to hermann as he uses some but he had a limited orchestra

Melody

starts of with the batman theme(3 minor 3rs,and a rising minor 7), low tessitura, theres a (bits)secondary theme in the strings which is based on the first three pitches of the cat woman theme, then augmented version of the penguins theme(not the entire theme),it doesnt play the entire theme, plays parts of it which creates a glimpse of the theme.

harmony Tonality

key sig is F minor but that first chord is the Bb minor

opens in Bb minor

tertiary modulations and harmony is used a lot

mostly tonic and dominant

lot of sideslip modulations( far harmonically but actually close by phsyisically)

passing modulations but ultimately tonic dominant

cadences are mainly functional

shifting modulations are very colourful

the modulations which on which they are are unprepared

there are dominant 7ths,parralelet chords, there is a plagal cadence(bar 1-3)

chromatic shifts

this harmony creates a menace, this uncertainty,muddy unclear

ironic plagal cadence

a tone cluster in bar 6(an ambigious/non identifying chord)

dominatn seventh chord in bar 45

structure

through composed

follows cinematic action

the scenes are often marked by tempo changesn

1 to 2 is 1 event/scene

3 to 6 is another scene

bar 7 to 13 another

14 to 26