Embedded Files
Evans Chou
Key(s): C major, C minor, F major and D minor
Time: 6/8
Type: Secular classical
Instrumentation: Solo Piano
The story
The initial four bars of my piece were present in a composition guide originally intended to be played on a piano. Inspired by the simple four-bar melody and a chat I had with a friend about modulations, I developed a minor “rhapsody” loosely based on its original melody and chords. I have decided to keep the piano as the solo instrument due to its versatility and its ability to play complex melodies and harmonies. I experimented with modulations as seen between the different sections of the piece from C major to C minor to F major and D minor.
Composing this piece allowed me to grow my understanding of tonality in terms of relationships between different keys, making it easier for me to write key changes and experiment with more chords.
Analysis
Theme, bars 1-12
Key: C major; Time: 6/8
I was inspired by a four-bar melody from my music teachers at school. The initial four bars of my piece were present in a composition guide originally intended to be played on a piano, explaining how we could harmonise a simple melody. Inspired by such a simple melody, I developed the four bars of melody into a simple theme derived from a Theme and Variations structure. Hence, bars 5-12 of the Theme section are a variation of the initial melody itself.
However, I am unsatisfied with such a simple and jolly theme in C major. Inspired by a chat about modulations I had with a friend of mine, I’ve experimented with modulating the simple yet versatile C major melody into a minor key. Hence bars 9-12 act as a bridge between the C major theme and the C minor “Rhapsody”. I’ve used quavers for the bridge initially and augmented the B, G and B notes from the bass line from quavers to dotted crotchets in bar 11, further emphasising the suspension of the G7 chord with a ritardando before the C minor subject in bar 13.
Rhapsody "Allegro molto vivace" , bars 13-47
Key: C minor; Time: 6/8
I have chosen C minor as the key for my first “rhapsody” part because it is the parallel minor of C major, making it easy to modulate from C major by a G7 chord while loosely resembling the original C major melody in terms of rhythm and basic structure. C minor also allows me to emphasise the solemn and unsettling nature of the theme in a minor key.
The theme then develops into a minor subject starting in bar 13, marked as “Allegretto molto vivace”, suggesting that it should be played in a very lively, moderately fast pace. I paired the RH melody with an Alberti bass comprised of semiquavers on the left hand. I’ve decided to use Alberti bass to emphasise the chaotic yet elegant “variation” of the theme in a minor key. The melody I bars 13-16 also fits into the chord sequence i (Cm) —> V (G) —> i (Cm) —> iv (Fm) —> V7 (G7), with the dominant 7th chord causing a deliberate clash to emphasise the solemn and unsettling nature of the theme in a minor key. The following bars 17-20 complete the unfinished tone set out by bars 13-16, and creates a perfect cadence from chords V (G or G7) —> i (Cm).
The following bars 21-28 are a variation of the initial minor melody in bars 13-20, which further develops the context in a solemn minor flavour. The following bars 29-36 is yet again a variation of bars 21-28, but with the melody and harmony lines flipped between the left and right hands, giving a low yet dramatic tone to the melody when it is played with the left hand with lower notes.
Then the unsettling melody develops into sequences of arpeggios in bars 37-46 to anticipate the modulation to another key, with the left hand playing off-the-beat semiquavers (and sometimes for just half a bar starting in bar 41) to create suspension, in which the suspension ends with sudden C minor and E diminished chords, where the E-dim chord is derived from a C7 chord, the dominant 7th of F major. Hence the E-dim chord brings us to a short 16-bar dance written in F major, giving us a break between the unsettlingness of the minor melodies.
Dance in F major, bars 48-64
Key: F major; Time: 6/8
I decided to put in a “Dance” section so we could take a break from the solemn nature of the minor section, with the following being a short intermission written in a major key.
I have decided to make the Dance section contrast greatly with the minor melodies, with dotted syncopated quavers being played on the left hand and a simple yet elegant melody being played on the right hand. The left-hand quavers contrast with the semiquaver Alberti bass while the simple F major melody contrasts greatly with the solemn tone of the minor rhapsody earlier.
I have also decided to create a slight contrast in bars 56-59 with the “espressivo” mark. This F major dance ends with a perfect cadence from V (C) —> I (F) in bars 62-63, where a sudden A7 chord appears in bar 64 to modulate the F major melody to its relative minor, D minor. This brings us to the finale, starting from bar 65.
Finale, bars 65-88
Key: D minor; Time: 6/8
The “Finale” part is a modulated version of the C minor “rhapsody” before the dance, but instead of a one-to-one copy of the last section, I composed ascending and descending quick passages of arpeggios on the left hand instead of pure Alberti bass. The right hand is also comprised of octaves and double stops (3rds, 4ths, 5ths and 6ths), making the melody line more interesting and more virtuosic.
The piece returned to its “Allegretto molto vivace” tempo, with more show-off bits in the D minor modulation of the rhapsody. The Alberti bass on the left hand has evolved into quick passages of ascending arpeggios, while the right-hand melody is now played in octaves. I have decided to make these changes so to make the finale more impressive and less of a modulated repeat of the C minor section of the piece earlier.
The octaves on the RH evolved into thirds in bars 67-68 with arpeggio runs on the LH. The following bars 69-76 also make use of double stops comprised of octaves, thirds and fourths on the RH and arpeggio runs on the LH.
In bar 78, inspired by Liszt’s piano works, I’ve decided to include a triplet to go against the semiquavers on the LH.
I have also put the notes from bar 81 onwards (on the RH) an octave higher than they were used to, taking advantage of the higher notes available in an 88-key piano. This also contrasts with the low-pitched tune played in octaves on the left hand, reminiscent of bars 29-36. The piece ends when a ritardando is played on bar 87 and ends with an arpeggio of a D minor chord on bar 88.
To conclude, I enjoyed composing this piece and it was fun experimenting with modulations, chord changes and swapping melodies and harmonies around between both hands. Composing this piece also allowed me to grow my understanding of tonality in terms of relationships between different keys, making it easier for me to write key changes and experiment with more chords.
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