Defying Gravity Study Guide
Element Of Music How Schartz uses it….
Tonality • In the opening the tonality is ambiguous with chromatic movement and
unrelated chord progressions
• It is in D major.
• At bar 20 it is in B major for two bars before arriving in F major at bar 22. At
bar 32 it arrives in the tonic key of D major for the verse. It remains in D major
until bar 88 when it moves to G major. In bar 103 it returns to D major. At bar
115 it returns to the chromatic melody of the opening. At bar 132 it returns to
the tonic key of D major. For the nal Maestoso section, bar 168 it is in B minor
until we nish on a chord of D major.
Harmony • Chords are in root position
• Chord progressions are often unrelated and in the opening we can see
shifts downwards in parallel semitones. For example, a D chord to a C minor
chord to a C major chord
• There is some use of dissonance (e.g. bar 30)
• At the end there is a pedal at bar 168.
Melody • The text setting is syllabic throughout with rhythms moving in a speech-like
manner
• There is vocalisation at the end in bar 175 to the word ‘aah’
• The melody starts in a conjunct/stepwise manner
• Bars 6 and 7 show an ascending sequence
• The verse and chorus combine conjunct and wide angular leaps in the
melodic line
• Leaps often feature a rising perfect fth (e.g. bar 34). There are some
exceptionally large leaps such as a compound perfect fourth (e.g. bars 39–
40) and a compound perfect fth (e.g. bars 140–141).
Texture • The opening shows a sparse texture with punctuating instrumental chord
stabs (e.g. bar 1) with some monophonic unaccompanied bars (e.g. bar 3)
• In the verses there is a melody and accompaniment or melody-dominated
homophony texture where the singer is accompanied by chords in the
orchestra
• There are homophonic chordal moments (e.g. bar 132)
• Ostinato accompaniment at bar 88 with repeated semiquavers
• Elphaba and Glinda usually sing separately but sometimes sing together in
unison (e.g. bar101) or in harmony such as thirds (e.g. bar 127)
• The ending is contrapuntal with three different musical ideas with different
lyrics (e.g. bar168)
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Tempo, metre an There are numerous tempo changes through this song and they are important to
rhythm the overall structure:
- Bar 1 - Free Temp
- Bar 20 - Andant
- Bar 49 - Allegr
- Bar 88 - Moderat
- Bar 103 - Allegr
- Bar 111 - Andant
- Bar 129 - Allegr
- Bar 162 - Andant
- Bar 168 - Maestos
• There are rallentandos used particularly at the end of sections to go from
Allegro to Andante. Sometimes there are ralls followed by an a tempo. There is
also a rall used at the end of the piece
• The time signature changes from 3/2 triple time to 2/2 duple time in the
opening section and remains there until bar 88 where it changes to 4/4
quadruple time. At bar 115 it returns to 2/2 duple time
• Syncopation is frequent throughout (e.g. bars 67–70)
• Dotted rhythms are used throughout. For example, in bar 82 on the word ‘gra-
vi-ty’
• Triplets are used. These are both quaver triplets (e.g. bar 96) and crotchet
triplets (e.g. bar60)
• Rhythms are predominantly crotchet and quaver based, although there are
some notes of longer duration particularly at the ends of phrases
• Rests are often used to break up phrases
• Each phrase starts with an off-beat entry after a crotchet rest (e.g. bar 15)
• Pause marks or fermatas are used to lengthen and give freedom to longer
rhythms, for example at the end (e.g. bars 174 and 176).
Instrumentation • ‘Defying Gravity’ is a duet for the characters Elphaba and Glinda with some
spoken dialogue in addition to the singing.
• Wicked uses a large orchestra: woodwind section (including additional
instruments such as piccolo, bass clarinet and cor anglais), brass and string
sections with a harp and three keyboards. It includes a wide variety of
percussion instruments: drum kit, tubular bells and timpani. Electric guitars
create a modern sound and in this song they are required with over- drive, a
distortion effect.
• The brass section plays homophonic chordal music in an almost fanfare-like
manner (e.g
• bar 20)
• Strings use tremolo effect to add tension (e.g. bar 34)
• The closed hi-hat of the drum kit plays constant crotchet rhythms in bar 51
to add rhythmic momentum.
• There is a cymbal roll to add excitement as the piece moves into a key
change (e.g. bar 122)
• The full band plays at the climax of the song at bar 135
• Synthesisers and glockenspiel are used to good effect with the high
magical-sounding repeated quaver accompaniment to the chorus
• Tubular bells give an ethereal sonority at bar 147.
Structure • There is a distinct verse–chorus form
• Verse: bar 34, bar 63, bar 135
• Chorus: bar 50, bar 79, bar 103, bar 151.
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