By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Demonstrate further proficiency sight-reading, improvising, and transcribing excerpts that incorporate chromatic harmony from Unit 3.
Sight-read and aurally identify rhythms that incorporate 2:3 and 3:2 polyrhythms in simple and compound time.
Aurally analyze a musical excerpt that includes a fugue using an audio annotation tool such as BriFormer; identify key sections and components including the exposition, episodes, middle entries, subject, answer, and counter subject by ear without the use of a score.
Polyrhythms (Developing Musicianship Through Aural Skills, p. 346–350)
Using Polyrhythms in Improvisation (Eric O, Donnell, JazzAdvice) - start at “Approaching the basic polyrhythm”
Online Polyrhythm Generator: Simple visual tool that plays different polyrhythmic layers with adjustable timbres and tempos.
Mnemonics: Skye Løfvander has a playlist of visual polyrhythm metronomes on YouTube with helpful Mnemonics for each part. The 2:3 video is provided to the right. Click the gear icon on YouTube to adjust the playback speed.
Melodic Sight-Reading (Fugue & Unit 3 Continued): Sight-read a fugue in groups of four or as a class. Identify the different components of the fugue before you begin (e.g. subject, answer, counter subjects, exposition, episodes, etc.). Two of J. S. Bach’s fugues from Little Preludes and Fugues are provided below, arranged for 4 voices.
Fugue in C Major, BWV 553: PDF | MuseScore | Original Score
Fugue in G Major, BWV 557: PDF | MuseScore | Original Score
Continue practice with chromatic harmony, embellishing tones, and modulation.
See the melody link to the Singing Anthology
Practice from Developing Musicianship Through Aural Skills: Augmented 6ths (pp. 357–362), Neapolitan 6ths (pp. 349–354), Mode Mixture (pp. 311–321)
Rhythm Sight Reading (2:3 Polyrhythms): Sight-read rhythms in the “Two Against Three” section of the anthology. See additional exercises and warmups below.
Warmups:
Nos. 1–2 on the Rhythm Worksheet here (from Integrated Musicianship)
Looped Warmups: Basic 2:3 patterns in 3/4 and 6/8, and Variations (from Learn Jazz Standards)
Exercises:
Developing Musicianship: Solos, duets, trios (See the 2:3 examples on pp. 451–455)
Rhythm: Advanced Studies: Triplets (with a review of other simple meters), pp. 27–28; 2-part exercises: pp. 133–135; Hemiola: p. 29; Duplets: p. 39
Rhythmic Improvisation (2:3 Polyrhythms): Select a simple or compound time signature, load up a backing track, then improvise a 1-4 bar rhythm that incorporates a 2:3 or 3:2 polyrhythm. Use the rhythmic syllables specified by your instructor and conduct while you improvise. For additional practice, take turns doing call and response. Improvise one measure using a neutral syllable; the class responds by singing back (or transcribing) the rhythm with correct rhythmic syllables to ID the rhythm.
See also the rhythm improvisation exercises in Developing Musicianship on pp. 454–455.
Melodic Improvisation (Chromatic Harmony, cont.): Continued practice improvising with mode mixture, Neapolitan 6ths, and Augmented 6ths. See the improvisation exercises in Unit 3.
Large-Scale Listening (Fugue): Use BriFormer to diagram the sections of a fugue by ear, without the use of a score. Use examples from your theory class as models for your diagram. (See directions for using BriFormer in Lesson 2-1). Label the following sections in your diagram: Exposition, episodes, middle entries, final entry, coda, where applicable. In the exposition mark where the subject, answer, countersubject, and entry of any other voices begin. Work together in groups, then compare your work with the class. Discuss any differences in analysis. The following provides a few examples to choose from. YouTube recordings are readily available for each:
YouTube Playlist of Fugues Written by Women (curated by Music by Women)
J.S. Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier (1722–1742) or The Art of Fugue (1740–1750). Select a fugue from either collection.
Wolfgang Mozart, Jupiter Symphony, Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 (1788), final movement.
Ludwig van Beethoven, Gross Fugue, Op. 133 (1825) or Fugue in D major, Op. 137 (1817)
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Fugue in E-flat major (ca. 1825)
Clara Schumann, Fugue in D minor for Organ (ca. 1845) - if you didn't already study this in your theory class
Felix Mendelssohn, Prelude and Fugue, Op. 35 (1827)
Johannes Brahms, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 (1861) or German Requiem, Op. 45 (1865–68), final movement (“Selig sind die Toten”)
For an added challenge, try a more recent example:
Lili Boulanger, Deux fugues à quatre voix (1912)
Amy Beach, Prelude and Fugue, Op. 81 (1913). The fugue starts at 4:22.
Elsa Barraine, Prélude and Fugue No. 1 in G Minor (1929). The fugue begins at 5:45
Dmitri Shostakovich, 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 (1951)