Friday, April 18, 2014


Introduction

"Baroque" Bach vs. The "British" Beatles

The musical periods of Baroque and rock & roll during the British invasion may not seem to coincide usually, however they are linked in texture, similar mediums and rhythm. 



Baroque music tends to have attention drawn to is as being profound and connected to creative, new, complex musical techniques with deep emotion. This is seen especially with the amount of types of music that were created during this period: operas, concertos, suites, cantatas, oratorios, and sonatas dominated that repertoire of composers during this time period (roughly 1580-1730). Music during this time period was seen to be derived from Western European art music. Music was either secular or non-secular, but not specific to one type in itself. A few examples of exceptional classical composers include Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, and Arcangelo Corelli just to name a few. The most important part of this era was the start of shift from modal music to the use of tonality with major/minor keys with heavy use of ornamentation. The Baroque piece being studied here is Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major BWV 1007 by Johann Sebastian Bach.


On the other end of the spectrum there is the British invasion and the maturation of rock n' roll. This first occurred in the mid-60s when The Beatles and other various bands, such as The Rolling Stones, came to America, spreading British culture and spirit. throughout the country. This was seen to be one of the most influential moments in rock/pop genres. The Beatles used everything from classical to psychedelic rock to create the sounds and music they intended to create. Arguably the most commercially successful band, The Beatles changed the face of pop/rock music forever. The Beatles song that will be analyzed in this will be Blackbird.


Medium


The instrumentation of the pieces is fairly similar. In the Cello Suite the Cello is unaccompanied throughout the entire prelude. However, Across the Universe feature male lead vocals, acoustic guitar,  tambura, maracas, sitar, and a string section. These mediums create unique tone colors. In Bach's piece the cello creates a warm timbre that causes the listener to feel relaxed when listening to the flowing rhythm of the piece.

The instrumentation of Blackbird includes a male vocalist and an acoustic guitar. Another sound that seems like a metronome is present in the piece, but is simply Paul McCartney tapping his foot while recording the guitar tracks. The simplicity of the mediums invokes a feeling of interest into the listener. The performers of these pieces are required to harmonize themselves whilst playing the melody.

These pieces could both be played by soloists.
Cello Suite No.1 Prelude - Johann Sebastian Bach (Performed by Yo-Yo Ma)


Blackbird - The Beatles




Rhythm and Tonality in Melody

The link between the two pieces relates to the rhythm and form. The repetitive nature of the two rhythms as well the the shifts in tonality of the melody is similarly applied in both pieces.

Cello Suite No.1 in G Major

In the Cello Suite the primary rhythm is a consistent set of three slurred 16th notes and five 16th notes, repeated. To begin the piece from measures 1-4 the first three slurred notes are arpeggiated chords always starting on the tonic, G, and variating the second two notes (See Figure 1). This idea resembles a basso continuo, which is usually considered a harmonic part to a Baroque piece of music.
Figure 1

The first shift of rhythm and melody occurs at measure 6 as the bass note shifts up to a C#. In measures 5 and 7 the rhythm changes to only have the slur on the first set of notes, instead of both as before. From here the melody progresses to a sort of extensive exploration of scales ascending and descending with less repeated themes as the first 6 measures of the piece. This exploration sounds similar to improvisation, however it is notated. At measure 31 through the end an interesting bridge theme appears (See Figure 2).
Figure 2

In this this theme a drone-like note shifts from A to D (37) to descending arpeggiated chords and finally ending on an G-B chord. The rhythm loses the slurs that occurred earlier throughout the piece. The notation of the theme ends by ascending chromatically against the D-drone. This theme creates dissonance and a dark tone at this point in the piece, and it continues with the descending arpeggiated chords ending the piece opposite to how it started. 

Blackbird

This piece also begins with a repeating theme in the harmony part. The guitar begins in the piece with a theme inspired by Bouree in E minor by Bach. When writing the piece Paul McCartney said he had learned the Bach piece to show off skill at a young age and enjoyed one segment so much that he adapted it to the relative major key and used it to help create the theme for Blackbird. (See Figure 3 for theme)
Figure 3

This theme contains a change of meter in the middle of it from 3/4 time into 2/4 time. However, this rhythm is similar to the theme in the Cello Suite because it has an ascending pattern that concludes with a repeated rhythm of the same notes. Where as in the Bach piece the repeated rhythm was simply 16th notes between two notes, this theme features a syncopated rhythm with less tone change than the former. Specifically the repeated notes are B and D. Later on in the piece this rhythm is continued, but with changing notes instead (See Figure 4).
Figure 4


Homophonic Texture

In each piece a sense of homophonic texture is introduced. Homophonic texture in rock music is fairly common with a vocal melody being played over a chord progression with ornamentation. In Bach's piece the texture is an implied aspect to the piece. As it is a piece for the cello without accompaniment, "...the harmony plays out note-by-note like a musical journey, as chords are implied over the course of a bar rather than played," (Classic fM).  

The homophonic texture begins in the verse of Blackbird (See Figure 5).
Figure 5
The guitar compliments the melody sung. The interesting part of the harmony in this piece comes with the constantly changing time signature. In the 2/4 section the guitar is able to use ornamentation to highlight itself while the melody is sustained. This similar idea is seen in the basso continuo of the Cello Suite. 

The bass notes in the Bach piece mimic the idea of two instruments being prevalent throughout the piece, complimenting one another in a homophonic style through out. This is best seen towards the end of the suite with the drone-like idea (See Figure 2). The genius part of this is being able to use an instrument to compliment itself. If this was a simple melody it would only be monophonic, however the harmony in the bass creates the homophonic texture. 

The two pieces utilize homophonic texture to strengthen the melody and create a much more dynamic emotion to the audience. There is a clear musical link in the harmonies. The bass note in both pieces happens on the beat, every beat. This creates a progressive motion that pushes the piece forward. 

Conclusion

Bach to The Beatles
Baroque music and the British invasion were separated by time, region, composers, and much more. However, it is still possible to create a music link between the two. In the two examples, Cello Suite No.1 in G Major - Prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach and Blackbird by The Beatles, it is clear to see that the two pieces are connected by medium, rhythm and texture. The unique aspects in each piece create music that is timeless. The stylistic features allow them to exit in their own entities, however, when musically analyzed it can be seen that they are linked. 

References

Bibliography w/ Image References


"Bach - Cello Suites." Classic FM. Classic FM, n.d. Web. Apr. 2014. <http://www.classicfm.com/composers/bach/music/cello-suites/>.
"Bach Cello Suite No.1 - Prelude (Yo-Yo Ma)." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Dec. 2011. Web. Apr. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCicM6i59_I>.
"The Beatles - Blackbird." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Feb. 2008. Web. Apr. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAgceen153I>.
Beatles. Digital image. Showbiz411. N.p., 2012. Web. <http://www.showbiz411.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/beatles.jpg>.
Breiner, Peter. Bach + Beatles. Digital image. N.p., 2011. Web. <http://www.teatrocagnoni.it/la-stagione-teatrale/stagione-2011-2012/bach-beatles/Bach_Beatles2.jpg>.
Cello Diagram. Digital image. CHS. CHS, n.d. Web. <http://www.chs.helena.k12.mt.us/faculty/pstetzner/webstudents/semester1/aimeehobby/cellodiagram.jpg>.
"Cello Suite No.1 in G Major, BWV 1007 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)." - IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music. Leipzig: C.F. Peters, n.d. Web. Apr. 2014. <http://imslp.org/wiki/Cello_Suite_No.1_in_G_major%2C_BWV_1007_%28Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian%29>.
Costanza, Chirstopher. "Suite No. 1 in G Major." THE CELLO SUITES OF J.S. BACH. Stanford University, 2012. Web. Apr. 2014. <https://costanzabach.stanford.edu/commentary>.
JS Bach. Digital image. NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. <http://media.npr.org/assets/music/artists/js_bach-0d92dea327f2911819f17dc16f67ddd66fd2e7ec.jpg>.
McCartney, P. (1968). Blackbird [Sheet Music]. Sony/ATV Music,<http://www.guitar.ch/tabs/Beatles/Blackbird.pdf>

Discography
Bach, Johann S. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major I. Prelude. Perf. Yo-Yo Ma. Sony BMG Music Entertainment, 1983. MP3.
McCartney, Paul. Blackbird. Perf. The Beatles. EMI Record Ltd, 1968. MP3.