Capercallie: Skye Waulking Song (2000, Celtic fusion)

Texture:

• Homophonic
• Instrumental break with uilleann pipe solo is heterophonic
• Countermelodies in other melody instruments are polyphonic ?

Harmony:

• Diatonic, in G major
• Simple chord sequence, G, Em and C
• Pentatonic melody
• No dominant chord (D) used – therefore no perfect cadences to confirm the key – this gives the overall piece a modal feel

Instrumentation:

• Traditional folk and pop based instruments:
• Pop instruments: Drum kit, Electric bass, Synthesizer
• Folk instruments: Accordion, Violin, Violin, Wurlitzer piano, Uilleann pipes, Bouzouki

Rhythm:

• 12/8 time signuature – compound quadruple time
• Gives momentum to music
• Ambiguous at start, with feel of 3/4 or 6/4
• Syncopation in voice and other melody instruments

Melody:

• Vocal melody is pentatonic (5 note scale)
• Low vocal range (tessitura) for female voice
• Syllabic
• Call and response – call is in Gaelic, response is vocables (nonsense syllables)
• Instrumental melodies decorated differently to form heterophonic texture

Form:

• 4 phases of 1 bar each – call (high D), response (mid B), call (low D), response (high E)
• Introduction: instrumental
• Verse 1: Voice and accompaniment
• Verse 2: Voice and accompaniment
• Instrumental break: Uillean Pipes lead melodic solo
• Coda: Short vocal phrases echo the end of refrain 1; Accompaniment then fades out