Excerpt+16

1. Biber (1644-1704) was a violinist and composer. Describe the ways in which the elements of structure/form and melody are used in this excerpt. media type="file" key="16 Track 16.m4a" align="center" width="300" height="50"
 * Track 16: Biber ‘Passacaglia for Solo Violin’**

**Structure/form:** Throughout the excerpt, a 4 bar descending motif in triple metre can be heard, with variations played over it with each repeat of the four bars. This variations tend to get gradually more complex, until a height of complexity is reached (usually after 3 or 4 variations) after which the original idea is varied in a different way, in a less complex way. The melody is varied in the following ways throughout the excerpt: -through changing the rhythmic patterns -through adding virtuosic scalic runs -through adding trills -through adding double stops -through adding large jumps in register **Melody:** The excerpt starts with a minor chord, immediately alerting us that the melody is in a minor key. The melody that repeats the whole way through, and which variations are built upon, is very simple. It consists of just four notes descending from the tonic, each held for one bar. The phrase lengths are regular throughout the whole piece, even with the addition of variations: each macro-phrase is 4 bars long within which there are 4 micro phrases. The variations are based around the minor triad and/or scale which creates a very strong sense of the tonal centre. In each variation, the melody can be heard clearly, with the ornamentation only beginning once the note of the melody has been sounded. Emily Sheppard

**﻿** **Mati:** **﻿**  **Notes: -solo violin - chords/stops****﻿**  **-lengthy notes**  **-variation with runs**  **-even more elaborate variation**  **-1st theme played & varied simply - ornaments arpeggios**  **-new variation of 1st idea - arpeggios varied**  **-each exploring new facets of technique**  **-repeated notes & stops - first a pedal point as osinati/repetition** **Answer:﻿** **The form is that of theme & variation. A slow, even-note value theme is heard, very simple descending line with a medium range and few stops. What follows is a series of variations, each series introducing a new idea and method of variation and then elaborating and finding all possibilities with this idea, before trying a new one and developing that idea into a series of variations.** **The first group of variations focuses on runs and short note valutes -from the long, even note theme comes long, ascending runs from each original note, before becoming even more complex with slightly more arpeggiated runs and consistant fast note values * *wide range - higher tessitura**  **The next group does not drop back in complexity immediately but introduces the theme with much ornamentation and arpeggiation. Arpeggios are the next focus and a series of complex and simple variations occur, the countrou is now less smooth than the scalic section prior, which featured mostly 2nds & 3rds. The tessitura becomes lower and range less wide, leading into the next idea:** **Whcih begins as a simple pedal - point idea added to the original theme, creating voice-leading. The pedal point begins as an ositinato but as the variations increase in complexity it loses this quality. These variations add repeaded notes (ti-ka ta) and various stops to the theme whilst conintuing hte voice-leading quality, giving the music a jagged but step-like contour, smooth within each voice, but overall perhaps jumpier. Similarily there are greater tessitura jumps and the excerpt finishes with a wide range.** **-Natural minor scale is used** <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**-Even phrase lengths﻿**  <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">﻿Notes: <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Broken chords begin  <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- descending motif introduced  <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- running ascending scales  <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- variation with alternating scale  <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- double stops providing harmony  <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- then more simple quaver alterations  <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">then tik-ka ti motif introduced becoming more complicated    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- then the tik-ka ti rhythm is more frequent towards the end of the excerpt. Wider register through large leaps   <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Structure:   <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The excerpt's form is that of theme and variation, beginning with a descending motif of 4 bars in a 3 metre, which is then varied through a series of variations. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Biber uses Melody to vary each section   <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Melody:   <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Theme: descending step-wise motif in a minor key, medium register and range, very smooth contour. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Variation 1: added ascending running passage at the end of each bar. the range now rather large and frequent register changes from high to medium registers. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Variation 2: added an ascending extra scale before the previous ascending scale creating a hiccup effect. Melody becoming more complex. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Variation 3: now varied back to the original theme but with added quaver passages on top with an arch-like contour and mordant and trill ornamentations. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Variation 4: now the original descending line is harmonized with double stop chords. Simple rhythm   <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Variation 5: next the rhythm remains simple with quaver movement with even phrases and smooth contour. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Variation 6: added tik-ka ti rhythm each bar disturbs the peace of the previous simple rhythms. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Variation 7: the tik-ka ti rhythm is more frequent now in each beat, and a wider range is heard through jumps in the melodic line, jagged contour. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Troy Rogan   <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">