2.

The Musical links investigation

This personal investigation is an opportunity to look at the musical

connections between pieces and in particular between two different
cultures. You need to always focus on the musical elements involved,
rather than look at historical or plot based features.
As part of the study, you need to describe, analyse and examine
differences within two or more different musical pieces from those
cultures. These are likely to be shorter pieces, or extracts from larger
pieces, so that they can be covered in enough depth.

The requirements
You need to write a media script of no more than 2000 words.
It must focus on the music itself.
You must include a list of quotations, citations, bibliography and discography
(which isn6t included in the word count). Internet sites should be included in
this.
You must submit the paper copy of the study by Easter holidays in the U6
(although it is likely that you will have given in your draft version well before
this date, to individual teacher deadlines)

Advice
Your teacher can comment on your first completed draft, but can6t comment
on any other study after this. Therefore, it6s really important that you give
everything you can to produce a superbly written, well thought out 1st draft,
so you can take in the comments at this stage and adapt and refine.
You need to make sure that the work is entirely your own. It is quite obvious
when sections have been copied off websites or books, and the likely
punishment from the exam board would be disqualification.

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Mark scheme

The study is marked on the following five sections:

A. Musical cultures, examples and links (3 marks)
Have you picked two appropriately identifiable and distinct musical cultures?
Do they share enough significant musical links?
B. Analysis and comparison of musical elements (6 marks)
Are you able to analyse, examine, compare and contrast musical elements K
eg duration, pitch, timbre/tone colour, texture, dynamics, form, structure K
using good examples?
C. Musical terminology (4 marks)
Do you use good musical vocab?
D. Organisation and presentation (3 marks)
Do you present material well, including use of references, quotations,
bibliography and discography?
E. Overall impression (4 marks)
Is the work intellectually sound, showing good knowledge, creativity and
engagement?

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 3. How to analyse: A checklist

What are the examiners looking for in trying to dissect a piece of music? You
might use this handy checklist in order to start looking into how, why and
what.....

Form
Binary, ternary, fugue, passacaglia, ritornellos
Rondo, arch form, variations, minuet and trio
Sonata, sonata rondo, scherzo and trio
Da capo aria, strophic, through composed, cyclic

Harmony
Diatonic, chromatic, functional, non functional, harmonic rhythm
Consonant, dissonant
Essential/unessential notes, passing notes, auxiliary notes, acciaccaturas,
appoggiaturas
Suspensions, false relations, pedal, drone
Cadences, Tierce da Picardie
Identification of chords (using Roman numerals) including inversions, sevenths,
added note chords, diatonic/chromatic discords, note clusters, circle of fifths

Instrumentation and Timbre

Name single instruments, combinations of instruments; particularly note instruments
used in concertos, symphonies, chamber groups and in jazz/pop music
Timbre K the way the sounds of specific instruments are exploited or manipulated.
Includes the use of technology, synthesised and computer generated sounds, and
sampled ideas
Dynamics
Instrumental techniques K how the instruments are played K eg pizzicato, arco, con
sordino, staccato, spiccato, col legno, double stopping

Melody
Intervals: conjunct, disjunct, triadic, use of blues notes
Diatonic, chromatic, pentatonic, whole tone, note rows

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Augmentation, diminution, fragmentation, inversion, retrograde, sequence, motivic
development
Slide/glissando/portamento, ornamentation
Ostinato/riff
Phrasing and articulation

Rhythm and metre

Pulse of the music
Regular, irregular, additive, free rhythm, isorhythm, polyrhythms
Augmentation, diminution, hemiola, cross rhythm, dotted rhythm
Tempo, rubato, accentuation

Texture
Homophonic, polyphonic/contrapuntal, heterophonic
Imitative, fugal, canonic, layered
Unison, octaves, single melody line/monophonic, melody with accompaniment,
melody dominated homophony, antiphonal writing

Tonality
Tonal, atonal, bitonal
Major, minor, modal, use and identification of key or keys
Modulation K tracing key structures

Composer, Performer and Audience

Intention of the music, use, purpose, stimulus of first performance and subsequent
hearings
Patronage, commission
Technical and emotional demands
Amateur/professional intentions, performance practice, interactive media
Interpretation, improvisation

Occasion, time and place

Sacred or secular?
Private/public? Media, concert, live or recorded? Internet hopes?
Performing conventions and resources

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Opportunities for hearing the music then and now K why is this piece a product of its
time?
Influences stylistically K where does this fit in a timeline of musical tastes and
developments?
Style K eg baroque, classical, early romantic, late romantic, nationalism,
impressionalism, neo classicism, serialism
Genre K eg oratorio, concerto grosso, opera, aria, chorus, concerto, symphony,
chamber groupings , lieder
How do we know that this piece fits that style or genre? Does it break our
expectations in any way?

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