Thule, The Period of Cosmography
Line Text Texture Harmony Word Painting
1 ‘Thule’ - SSATTB choir - First appearance in dominant and are used to -Demonstrate the high island of
-Initially monophonic then pivot among Eb and Bb i.e. bb.8 mystery in the repeated
becomes mixed among semibreves
polyphony
- Order of voices: S1,S2,B, A, S1,
S2, A
2 ‘the period of -Imitative polyphony of dotted -Strong sense of Eb established by falling 8ves,
cosmography’ ascending scale motif. 4ths and 5ths used in anacrusis and beat 1 of
-Order of voices: T2, A, S2, S1, motif
T1,T2, S2, B+A... Note how bass is -Modulation through S2 in ‘cosmography’ to Bb.
absent until later series of entries Pivot back to Eb through S1 ‘Thule’ and again
-Parts move in parallel 3rds and back to Bb through S2 Pivot.
6ths at times -Section of text closes with perfect cadence in Eb
-Strong tonic dominant relationship sees move
from early Renaissance modality
3 ‘doth Vaunt of Hecla’ -Close imitation of text creates -Rosing fourths show further I/V relationship -Vaunt=boast and so rising
polyphony -Brief episode in Bb through T2 ‘vaunt’ but are fourths are very apt
returned to I 2 bars later
4 ‘whose sulphurious fire’ -Homophonic -Change to Cm on ‘sulphurious’ moves to GM -Eruption shown by running
-Note dovetailing of Sop parts chord on fire causing a false relation on whose quavers, contrary motion and
-Parallel 3rds and contrary (S2T2). This brings the second hearing of change to Cm
motion ‘sulphurious’ to Eb.
-Different vocal pairings in repeat
(S1+S2, A+T1 S1+S2, T2+B)
5 ‘Doth melt the frozen -Homophonic, more static due to -Block chords EbM, CM, Fm, DbM, AbM. Brief -More static texture due to
clime’ longer note values tonal shift to flattened 7th is a motif used block chords and note values
-Block chords throughout the piece and is very ahead of its shows contrast between ‘fire’
time. and ‘frozen’
6 ‘And thaw the sky’ -Overlap of sections -Section brings us back from Ab to Bb -Lack of Bass adds a lightness to
-Lack of Bass -Harmonic overlap at beginning of section texture and the increased
-Increased movement movement embellish ref. to sky
-Paired voices in third imitate in text.
each other (S1+S2, T1+T2, S1+S2,
Line Text Texture Harmony Word Painting
1 ‘Thule’ - SSATTB choir - First appearance in dominant and are used to -Demonstrate the high island of
-Initially monophonic then pivot among Eb and Bb i.e. bb.8 mystery in the repeated
becomes mixed among semibreves
polyphony
- Order of voices: S1,S2,B, A, S1,
S2, A
2 ‘the period of -Imitative polyphony of dotted -Strong sense of Eb established by falling 8ves,
cosmography’ ascending scale motif. 4ths and 5ths used in anacrusis and beat 1 of
-Order of voices: T2, A, S2, S1, motif
T1,T2, S2, B+A... Note how bass is -Modulation through S2 in ‘cosmography’ to Bb.
absent until later series of entries Pivot back to Eb through S1 ‘Thule’ and again
-Parts move in parallel 3rds and back to Bb through S2 Pivot.
6ths at times -Section of text closes with perfect cadence in Eb
-Strong tonic dominant relationship sees move
from early Renaissance modality
3 ‘doth Vaunt of Hecla’ -Close imitation of text creates -Rosing fourths show further I/V relationship -Vaunt=boast and so rising
polyphony -Brief episode in Bb through T2 ‘vaunt’ but are fourths are very apt
returned to I 2 bars later
4 ‘whose sulphurious fire’ -Homophonic -Change to Cm on ‘sulphurious’ moves to GM -Eruption shown by running
-Note dovetailing of Sop parts chord on fire causing a false relation on whose quavers, contrary motion and
-Parallel 3rds and contrary (S2T2). This brings the second hearing of change to Cm
motion ‘sulphurious’ to Eb.
-Different vocal pairings in repeat
(S1+S2, A+T1 S1+S2, T2+B)
5 ‘Doth melt the frozen -Homophonic, more static due to -Block chords EbM, CM, Fm, DbM, AbM. Brief -More static texture due to
clime’ longer note values tonal shift to flattened 7th is a motif used block chords and note values
-Block chords throughout the piece and is very ahead of its shows contrast between ‘fire’
time. and ‘frozen’
6 ‘And thaw the sky’ -Overlap of sections -Section brings us back from Ab to Bb -Lack of Bass adds a lightness to
-Lack of Bass -Harmonic overlap at beginning of section texture and the increased
-Increased movement movement embellish ref. to sky
-Paired voices in third imitate in text.
each other (S1+S2, T1+T2, S1+S2,
