This next piece of music is entitled The Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie. Although I’ve not seen this movie before, I’m a fan of the Muppets, especially of Sesame Street, as this is my most memorable childhood television programme. The Muppets are a group of puppets and costume characters created by Jim Henson. The word "Muppet" itself was said by Henson to have been created by combining the words "marionette" and "puppet". Unlike traditional puppets, Muppets are able to not only animate their face and head, but also move their arms and other features. They are independent from the puppeteer, who usually hides behind the set or is outside of the camera frame.
The Rainbow Connection was probably sung by Kermit the Frog in the movie, as his picture is shown on the front cover of the score. I will now go on to discuss the modulatory aspects of this piece. 
This piece starts in the key of A maj, but later modulates to Bb maj. Note the first 6 bars and the descending bass line. I think this helps to build up tension for the modulation that is to come later. I will now provide a Roman numeral analysis of bars 1-10.
In A maj:
I -- V6 -- vi -- I(6/4) -- IV -- I6 -- IV (sort of) -- IV (sort of, in Bb maj) --
In Bb maj:
V (9-8 sus?) -- I (in b.10)
The harmony in b.7 and b.8 sounds like a whole cluster of notes and I can't seem to label it in the conventional way we always do. Nonetheless, I'm quite sure they are pre-dominant in nature, that's all I can say about them.
The chord in b.7 moves up a semitone in b.8. The 'G' note in the chord in b.8 acts as the pivot note connecting to the suspended note 'G' in b.9 beat 1. I'm not sure if I can call this a suspension, since the preparation does not make a consonant interval (Fnat-G is a ninth). Anyway, just assuming that it's a suspension, the 9-8 suspension over the F maj chord resolves in the third beat of b.9. This creates a perfect cadence in Bb maj, firmly establishing the key of Bb maj at b.10. I think the biggest driving force in the music to the new key was brought about by the 9-8 suspension because of the movement of the tendency notes. The suspension makes the music move in a certain direction.
Something aside from modulations, looking at b.11 and b.13, I would not have indicated the chords like what I've copied from the original score. In the original score, it actually indicates the harmony as "F/G" and "Eb/F" on the first beats of the respective bars. I would think that the notes on beat 1 of the bars are appoggiaturas in thirds. So there should be no need to indicate the harmony in this manner.
6 comments:
Hi jean!
Nice song here! The 9-8 suspension does really works well for the song to establish to Bb Maj. Hmm.. I don't quite understand about the part where the 1st beat of b.11 and b.13 are appoggiaturas. Actually they can be heard as a chords by themselves. But of course if you look at it in an overall manner, the main notes are on the 3rd beat. =)
Meihui, you mean 2nd beats? :)
Concerning bs. 11 & 13, both of you are right. The downbeat chords can indeed be HEARD as chords over a dissonant bass and the guitar chords indicate so, otherwise the guitarist may strum a Gm7 chord on the first beat, thereby clashing against the melody. However, Jean is right to INTERPRET them as arising from an appoggiatura (actually an accented C and a suspended Bb) doubled in 3rds.
The 9-8 suspension applied to V of Bb is correct.
Now, a challenging question: why are the voice-leading tendencies of the D6/E chord? On what basis does it move to Eb6/F? Having pondering this, return to the 9-8 suspension issue--is the suspension prepared by a consonance?
Hiya!
As mentioned in my blog entry already, the suspension is not prepared by a consanance. It is unusual for this to happen.
Although it it's not prepared by a consonance, the effect of the dissonance in the suspension is still clearly felt. I wonder why this is so. I would think the reason why suspensions are prepared with a consonance is so as to make the dissonance of the suspension to be felt more prominently.
Hey jean!! I love the muppets!! they are my fav! yup! i know abt miss piggy and kermit. I remember reading this news abt miss piggy leaving kermit. Weird what muppets do with their lives these days. haha.
Anyways, I shall attempt to answer Dr Chong's qn abt the voice leading tendencies of the D6/E chord. As jean said, it moves up a semitone to Eb/F. I think it is because the transistion from A maj to Bb maj is a semitone that's why there is this voice leading tendency.
This is so interesting!!
Regarding Dr Chong's point, I'm not sure how to go about doing this: "Now, a challenging question: why are the voice-leading tendencies of the D6/E chord? On what basis does it move to Eb6/F?"
I understand the question, but I don't know what to look out for, listen out for. Anyone got any ideas?
Ops, I now discovered my carelessness in the typo: the question should read "what are.." and later "Having pondered .."
Anyway, here's the cue: play bars 8-9 to hear the voice-leading resolutions, then bear in mind the chromatic shift from b. 7 to 8, can you now figure out the voice-leading tendencies in b. 7? Now can you see the "magic"?
Post a Comment