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Mozart G

p> The second movement as a whole may be said to harmonize with the first and third, inasmuch as it is in C major, while the other two are, as the title of the work shows, in G major. It is an example of unified tonality, inasmuch as each of the movements resolve in their major key. Additionally, the fact that the natural G is part of the basic C scale establishes an association between the two keys, with the result that the sequence of key change from G to C and back again conveys the impression of continuity and resolution (LaRue 55) rather than contingency.

2. In the first eight measures of "Dido's Lament" the ground bass establishes long notes held under the melodic vocal line. After that, the bass becomes a downward chromatic movement from F sharp down to B flat, a pattern that repeats throughout the rest of he piece. Equally important for the effect of the ground bass in th piece is that, after the introductory verse, the tempo of the piece changes from 4/4 to 3/2. Once the 3/2 time is established, it captures within the chromatic scheme a sustained series of half notes and whole notes on the bass line. The repetition takes shape as four measures of one whole and one half note, then one measure of three half notes. The orchestration shows that, in measures where one instrument may have three half notes as values, another part in the has either one half plus one whole or one whole plus one half. That pattern, too, is sustained.

The point is that the funereal tone of the "Lament" is reinforced in the orchestration by the ground bass. That leaves to the vocal part the ornamentation of the melody. In this piece, the ornamentation is not excessive or peppy, but its general sweetness keeps the "Lament" from becoming boring. When, however, the vocal line progresses to a high G, on the second syllable of remember in the repeated phrase ("remember me, remember me, but ah! Forget my fate"), the suggestion of a mournful, despairing scr...

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Mozart G. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 06:32, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689395.html