music for a while

• instrumentation:

  • bass viol
  • lute
  • harpsichord
  • basso continuo
  • solo soprano voice
• harmony:

  • dissonance
  • perfect cadences
  • chords are diatonic and functional
  • figured bass
  • suspensions in bar 3 (harpsichord)
• tonality:

  • outer sections: A minor
  • middle section: C major
• texture:

  • melody dominated homophony
  • ground bass in the LH of the harpsichord accompanies the voice along with the bass viol
• melody:

  • small leaps, no greater than a 4th
  • conjunct
  • ornamentation in harpsichord
  • soprano has a range of a 9th
  • word painting (e.g. drop)
• rhythm, tempo & metre:

  • dotted rhythms
  • syncopation in bar 20
  • time signiture = 4/4
  • no tempo