I would like to start this blog by making it clear that I am not a music teacher, and there are many approaches to tackling aural accompaniment examples within the context of Dance. I do believe that an aural accompaniment essay question is imminent, and so recently I have spent some more time focusing on how to describe the aural accompaniment in a range of works, which my students tend to struggle the most on. When describing music for evidence, I tend to focus on one or more of the following:
- Identifying the instruments we can hear
- Pace/speed of the music
- Pitch of the instruments
- Volume and layering of instruments to create highlights/climax
- Rhythm/melody, and whether it is repetitive or not
- Found sound e.g. footsteps, breath, voice/speech
- How it makes you feel, and by extension, how it connects to the themes of the work
- Musical relationships evident e.g. direct correlation, music visualisation.
Using this as a base, I will analyse the aural accompaniment for the following works, identifying the key features and analysing the connections between music and themes, and music and the development of Rambert Dance Company.
- Pierrot Lunaire (1967) by Glen Tetley
- Embrace Tiger and Return to Mountain/ETRTM (1968) by Glen Tetley
- Lonely Town, Lonely Street/LTLS (1981) by Robert North
- Death and the Maiden/D&TM (1984) by Robert North
It’s important to note that these examples will not all be of A-grade quality, but I hope that they provide some alternative interpretations and a good base to gain confidence in analysing accompaniment. Some of them you will find have more than one piece of evidence, which is useful in strengthening your argument but not always necessary – particularly considering the time restraints students have when writing essays. But I did this in places just to provide a wide range of usable evidence examples which could be separated into 2 paragraphs where appropriate.
Pierrot Lunaire (1967) by Glen Tetley
Since the aural accompaniment is one of the starting points of this work, and it provides such fantastic evidence for the development of Rambert as it transitioned into the modern arena, it is important for students to be able to describe it. Let’s start with some key facts and context. The aural accompaniment is a 20th-century composition by Arnold Schoenberg, which is also called Pierrot Lunaire. His composition was inspired by a set of poems which were published in 1884 (Pierrot Lunaire: Rondels Bergamasques) which were popular with many composers, but Schoenberg’s was the most popular. It was composed for a chamber orchestra consisting of a piano, flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello, plus a Sprechstimme (German for a vocal technique which is a cross between singing and speaking, in which the tone quality of speech is heightened and lowered in pitch.) Sprechstimme is frequently used in 20th-century music.
The structure of the music follows three distinct sections/groups of poems. In the first group, Pierrot sings of love, sex and religion; in the second, of violence, crime, and blasphemy; and in the third of his return home to Bergamo, with his past haunting him. In terms of analysis, I use this clip on YouTube, which depicts the first poem Mondestrunken (Drunk with Moonlight) and is the opening scene of the work.
Point, Evidence, Explanation
- Connection to starting point/themes:
The aural accompaniment in Tetley’s Pierrot Lunaire (1967) supports the character development of Pierrot, a stock character from Italian renaissance theatre, commedia dell’arte. The work opens with a twinkling piano melody which descends in chords, before the narrator/Sprechstimme begins reciting the poem ‘Drunk with Moonlight’ in German. Her voice is high pitched and she constantly changes the volume and pace, stretching some of the words out and cutting some short. These changes are random and challenging for the ears, especially as she overlaps the orchestra which does not correlate to her melody. The piano melody is layered with a high-pitched violin which changes its speed rapidly, combined with the flute which sometimes repeats the original piano melody later on to create busier, louder moments. The title and intention of the poem depicts his personality as a daydreamer. The opening piano notes set a soft atmosphere and sound as though they twinkle; the melody is faintly reminiscent of a classic fairy-tale harp which you would hear when the story transitions into a dream. This is further portrayed by his upwards reaching gestures towards the moon and nonchalant swinging on the scaffolding. The chaos of the layered instruments and narrator singing out of tune and out of time supports the idea of Pierrots chaotic mind as he struggles with loneliness, heartbreak and being considered the fool, typical aspects of the stock character. - Connection to Rambert:
The aural accompaniment used in Tetley’s Pierrot Lunaire (1967) was composed by Arnold Schoenberg and it plays a large role in the development of Rambert Dance Company under Morrice’s directorship. The work opens with a twinkling piano melody which descends in chords, before the narrator/Sprechstimme begins reciting the poem ‘Drunk with Moonlight’ in German. Her voice is high pitched and she constantly changes the volume and pace, stretching some of the words out and cutting some short. These changes are random and challenging for the ears, especially as she overlaps the orchestra which does not compliment her. The piano melody is layered with a high-pitched violin which changes its speed rapidly, combined with the flute which sometimes repeats the original piano melody later on to create busier, louder moments. The 20th century music challenged Ramberts audiences in the early days of their transition to a modern company as it opposed the traditional, melodic compositions e.g. Stravinsky, typical of their ballet works pre-1966. The music does not appear to correlate with the movement, and therefore the work instantly challenged audiences perceptions of dance. The collaboration with Schoenberg, a popular composer in his field, ensured that Tetley, and by extension Morrice, followed Marie Ramberts original ethos for the company which was to modernise the company through collaboration. Altogether, the experimental accompaniment quickly pushed Rambert into the modern dance arena, challenging and increasing audiences.
Embrace Tiger and Return to Mountain (1968) by Glen Tetley
I love studying this work with students because it perfectly allows us to see Tetley’s experimental style and evidence the drastic modern changes Rambert Dance Company made in the late 60s. However, my students often find describing the aural accompaniment a great challenge. The aural accompaniment is a composition called Silver Apples of the Moon by Morton Subotnick, which is credited with anticipating electronic dance music due to it being the first album to feature a voltage-based synthesizer. I mention this because it means that Rambert were collaborating with a pioneer of electronic music, a fantastic piece of evidence for the development of Rambert Dance Company moving into a modern dance arena.
Silver Apples of the Moon is split into two separate parts, and the short clip of ETRTM we analyse on YouTube uses accompaniment from “Part II”, of which Subotnick explores rhythm and pulse. It has been described as opening with high-pitched “ding-y” sounds (which Subotnick referred to as the silver apples) and develops a pulse before climaxing with frenzied rhythms; beeps and bleeps play on top of sequenced phrases and the underlying track is an ever-rising whirring that varies in pitch against numerous sounds which “flash” in and out of the piece. (Wikipedia)
The sounds on Silver Apples of the Moon resemble “the byproduct of an experiment gone wrong: Its eerie tones, elliptical pulses, enigmatic thumps, and waves of cybertronic wails are still otherworldly.”
Kevin Lozano
Point, Evidence, Explanation
- Connection to development of Rambert:
The aural accompaniment used in Tetley’s Embrace Tiger and Return to Mountain (1968), composed by Morton Subotnick, plays a large role in the development of Rambert Dance Company under Morrice’s directorship due to its extremely experimental electronic sound. The music is created by a synthesiser and sounds robotic. In one section there is a repetitive, staccato melody which thumps and clangs, but as it is repeated it changes in speed and pitch every so often. This is accompanied by varying volumes of static noise in the background. Randomly there are multiple different types of beeps, bleeps, dings and metallic bangs layered on top of the repetitive melody, which sometimes join together to create a second or third melody, building a very chaotic piece of music. At times there are breaks in the pulsing noise where it returns to the base melody, or is filled by vibrating, high-pitched radio frequencies. This piece of music was highly modern at the time as Subotnick was experimenting with electronic music before electronic dance music became a genre. It greatly contrasted the classical, orchestral scores typically used in Ramberts ballets pre-1966 and therefore Tetley was able to challenge Ramberts audiences perceptions of dance and music. Overall, the aural accompaniment in ETRTM contributed to pushing Ballet Rambert into the modern dance arena. - Connection to themes:
Silver Apples of the Moon by Morton Subotnick accompanies Tetley’s Embrace Tiger and Return to Mountain and it supports one of the key messages of the work, which is to explore human relationships in an emotionless manner; more specifically examining the idea of men being in thrall to women. Additionally, it investigates gender identity, whilst suggesting that they are gender-less atoms in the science of mating. The music is created by a synthesiser and plays with unconventional sounds such as high-pitched radio frequencies, static noise, beeps, bleeps, dings and metallic bangs layered on top of a repetitive melody, building a very chaotic piece of music. There is a repetitive melody recognised in intervals throughout the piece, although it randomly changes in volume, pitch and speed as it is combined with other, clashing rhythms. Together, it sounds robotic and conjures sci-fi images which compliments the dancers use of groups and pairing off with each other, like atoms. The mood this piece sets is emotionless, further supporting this idea of emotionless relationships and the science of mating. The chaos of the layering sounds and melodies, combined with the violent throwing of female dancers between the male dancers, portrays the unnerving ideas of male power and gender stereotypes.
Lonely Town, Lonely Street (1981) by Robert North
The starting point for this work is an exploration of the music by Bill Withers, and therefore being able to describe the aural accompaniment and understand its value to the piece is important. Bill Withers most active years were in the 70s and 80s, and he was a highly popular artist. One of North’s key stylistic features is that he is described as a “populist” as he created a legacy, particularly with Rambert, for incorporating popular culture in his works e.g. music and jazz dance. He has a highly refined sense of musicality and enjoys exploring the relationship between dance and music – not dissimilar from Marie Rambert herself. LTLS (1981) is a work of 6 sections, separated by 6 different popular Bill Withers songs: Lonely Town, Lonely Street (1973); Another Day to Run (1972); Let Me in Your Life (1972) ; Who is He and What is He to You? (1972); Ain’t No Sunshine (1971); You (1974). In each section he closely follows the themes and mood of the lyrics, creating an episodic work which works as 6 separate clips, and together creates a loose story of isolation and rejection within an urban city and between people themselves.
Bill Withers music classifies as blues, soul and r&b which is another exciting step away from traditional, orchestral and classical scores that Rambert were known for pre-1966, whilst also providing variety in the midst of the post-modern era. The first song, Lonely Town, Lonely Street has a very repetitive but slow-paced 4-bar rhythm on the bass guitar, which is layered with a complementary melody by the acoustic guitar and the drums. It is soulful and provides a constant, casual beat for the dancers as they switch between jazz, contemporary and pedestrian gesture. The fifth song, Ain’t No Sunshine is acoustic and consists of guitar, keyboards, drums and percussion. It has a faster tempo, starting with a constant repetitive drum beat layered with acoustic guitar. It builds with the introduction of a keyboard melody which creates a climax in the middle of the song, then softens towards the end.
Point, Evidence, Explanation
- Connection to themes #1:
Section 1, also named Lonely Town, Lonely Street, opens the work by setting the scene of a run-down, urban city and explores the loneliness that people experience in these building blocks, despite being around people all the time. The relationships between dancers are portrayed through movement, groupings, and spacing, but are highly emphasised by the lyrics heard in the aural accompaniment. For example, we hear the line “when there ain’t no, ain’t nobody listening” the dancers form two lines facing each other, lifting their right hands to their right ear which initiates a contraction in their torsos to bend forwards, twisting their spines to lean to the left. Further on, we hear “you might as well be a lonely walker” as a female soloist runs towards the ensemble who create a wall with their backs to her. She walks along the wall, running her hands along their backs as if trying to find a way in. It continues with “in a lonely town, on a lonely street” as she appears to give up trying to get their attention, instead smoothly walking downstage in slow motion, before joining the others as they quickly disperse to walk in right angles, sharply changing direction at a chaotic pace in an effort to avoid and ignore each other on stage. The work relies on music visualisation, the visual connection between what we can hear and what we can see, to highlight the themes, and is used very effectively in this section to clearly portray the themes of loneliness within an urban city, a very modern reflection of American living. - Connection to themes #2:
Robert North has an exceptional interest in the relationship between movement and music, and uses both direct correlation and music visualisation within section 5, Ain’t No Sunshine, of his work Lonely Town, Lonely Street (1981) to emphasise loneliness, heartbreak and the low mood of the solo dancer. The section opens with the male soloist slowly walking on a diagonal pathway upstage left, away from where he was left by a female dancer in the previous section. The lyric ‘ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone’ accompanies a low-bass guitar repeating a slow but repetitive rhythm which accurately reflects its blues genre. The dancer matches the slow pace and sombre mood, walking slowly in circles with his head down with no apparent pathway or urgency. This instantly sets the scene of heartbreak and emphasises the low mood of the dancer. The lyric continues “it’s not warm when she’s away” and the dancer softly brings his arms up to embrace himself in a hug, visualising the lyric for the audience. As the song slowly builds, it adds a constant drum beat and a higher-pitched keyboard melody which increases the pace of the song, and the dancer responds by using his spine more fluidly as he runs short distances backwards and forwards allowing the momentum to freely curve and hyperextend the upper spine. This action directly correlates to the speed and fluidity of the keyboard. As a whole, the simple acoustic instruments set a sombre mood which rises and falls in speed and layering of instruments to highlight the rollercoaster of emotions the male soloist experiences as he works through heartbreak, loneliness and low mood. This allows the audience to connect to the themes on an emotional level as they connect what they can hear in the lyrics and feel in the instruments to what they can see on stage.
Death and the Maiden (1984) by Robert North
Death and The Maiden (D&TM) is another highly popular work by North, which would bear no resemblance to LTLS at all if it wasn’t for North’s obvious obsession with the connection between movement and music. Like LTLS, D&TM’s starting point is the aural accompaniment itself, a string quartet in D minor, also named Death and the Maiden, by Schubert. This composition was inspired by a poem titled ‘Death and the Girl’ which also forms the subject matter of Norths dance work. I have included the poem below, as it provides great context to the piece. It is important to note that there are a few English translations of this poem which all follow the two sections, a conversation between Death and a young girl. The one below is the version I sourced from a very old paper-copy of a Rambert resource which describes Norths choreographic process, which was passed down to me by a retired teacher:
Pass me by, pass me by,
Go away, wild skeleton!
I am still too young -go, dear Death,
And do not touch me.
Give me your hand, you lovely and tender creature;I am your friend and do not come to punish.
Be comforted! I am not wild.
You will sleep gently in my arms.
Matthius Claudius
The aural accompaniment is of the classical style, and was written by Schubert when he himself was unwell, and so this score is a reflection of Schubert’s state of mind. “Schubert creates a pattern where the dark and powerful opening is met by the soft lyrical reply of the maiden. Or is it the defiance and terror of the maiden, met by the gentle subverting caress of death? It’s a dialogue which continues throughout the quartet, and there’s little escape from the fear and the fury in the overall sombre tone of the music.” (Jane Jones) Key themes explored in this work include, fear, acceptance, relief and rejection (all of death). Leifmotifs are also used in this piece – a leitmotif is something which is repeated throughout a composition and is associated with a particular person, idea, or situation. In this case, we hear a single violin play a short, slow 4-bar melody which rises in pitch and volume to create a highlight in the music, before subtly falling down slightly.
Point, Evidence, Explanation
- Connection to themes:
In North’s Death and the Maiden the acceptance of death and subsequent relief is evident through the changes in music, connected by a leitmotif. Halfway through the piece the aural accompaniment is slow, almost lethargic, as we hear the string quartet play very long, drawn-out notes. The volume is low, creating a low mood which allows the focus to be on the dancers, as the maiden slowly duets with death in a manner which portrays she is slowly accepting the idea of death, as she begins to move towards him and engage in contact work e.g. when she contracts and curves forwards, reaching her hands behind her to hold onto deaths legs as she walks sideways, him following with his arms in a a wide, relaxed V shape creating imagery of wings, as though he is her guardian angel. As she walks towards Death, she bows her head in acceptance as we hear the leitmotif, a single violin playing a short, slow 4-bar melody which rises in pitch and volume to create a highlight in the music, before subtly falling down slightly. This short melody is often heard when the maiden accepts death by bowing or holding out her hand. After her bow of acceptance, the accompaniment picks up speed and pitch, with multiple layering melodies played by violin. The dancers perform a quick, fluid duet full of lifts which change direction swiftly. For example, she runs towards him and throws herself into the air, and he catches her by wrapping one arm around her stomach using the other hand to support her back, before rebounding her causing her to run SR as she lands. The faster paced movement directly correlates to the faster paced music, and her soaring, weightless energy in her lifts matches the higher pitched violin to create an atmosphere of relief and ecstasy, contrasting the earlier sections.
In summary…
Describing aural accompaniment is a tricky one, and students often avoid it, opting for movement examples instead. But it is important to be able to provide a variety of evidence examples, and aural accompaniment analysis can often support movement analysis, too.
Have you found any successful ways to teach, study or analyse aural accompaniment within the context of dance? Let me know through the ‘contact’ section!
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