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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
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