Copland: Simple Gifts
Text Melody Accompaniment Harmony
Intro -Melody prefigured in -Melody prefigured in upper woodwind with anacrusis -Tonic of Ab
upper woodwind with -Closes with perfect cadence that closes as voice begins
anacrusis
Verse -Spans one octave -Sustained chords in strings and wind -Chords change off the beat creating momentary
-Monosyllabic -Phrased across bar line dissonances
-Chordal harp acc. Added for closing phrase of verse
-Harmony mostly root position
Chorus -Loud dynamic -Still off beat -Perfect cadence in opening bar
-Muted tonic triad in Brass -Root harmony with momentary dissonances continues
-Tonic dominant harmonics in Harp and viola
-Tonic pedal in lower strings, repeated Eb in flute and Ab
-Quaver ostinato in violins imitated between 1st and 2nds
in Bassoon (in upper register for both) creating strong
sense of Ab
Interlude -Viola and clarinet in unison prefigure melody again
overlapping with re-entry of voice in
Verse -Double basses added to texture -Perfect cadence in opening bar
-Recall to chorus in closing moments with muted brass, -Harmony same as before
harmonics in harp and viola, pedals, imitative violins and
prefiguration now in bassoon and cello
-Changing time signatures at close after prefect cadence in
final four bars
Copland: I Bought Me A Cat
Accompaniment Variation Animal Noises
Bars Musical feature Orchestration Vocal
Trombone glissando, no double basses, Animal Musical feature Orchestration
sound
1-7 (Cat) Staccato bass line and chords clarinet chords and bassoon doubles
Quaa, Dissonance (Ab, E,
Muted brass, sul ponticello
cello Duck
quaa A♮) and sforzando
violas and double basses
8-11 Muted trombone doubles bassoon at
(Duck) cadences Muted trumpet and
Quaw, Increased dissonance
16-19 Hand stopped horn doubles bassoon, Goose trombone, hand-stopped
quaw (D, Eb, F, Ab)
(Goose) upper string glissandi horn
25-28 Acciaccaturas Double stopped pizzicato chords in Hen Shimmy Alternating D minor Secco upper strings and
Text Melody Accompaniment Harmony
Intro -Melody prefigured in -Melody prefigured in upper woodwind with anacrusis -Tonic of Ab
upper woodwind with -Closes with perfect cadence that closes as voice begins
anacrusis
Verse -Spans one octave -Sustained chords in strings and wind -Chords change off the beat creating momentary
-Monosyllabic -Phrased across bar line dissonances
-Chordal harp acc. Added for closing phrase of verse
-Harmony mostly root position
Chorus -Loud dynamic -Still off beat -Perfect cadence in opening bar
-Muted tonic triad in Brass -Root harmony with momentary dissonances continues
-Tonic dominant harmonics in Harp and viola
-Tonic pedal in lower strings, repeated Eb in flute and Ab
-Quaver ostinato in violins imitated between 1st and 2nds
in Bassoon (in upper register for both) creating strong
sense of Ab
Interlude -Viola and clarinet in unison prefigure melody again
overlapping with re-entry of voice in
Verse -Double basses added to texture -Perfect cadence in opening bar
-Recall to chorus in closing moments with muted brass, -Harmony same as before
harmonics in harp and viola, pedals, imitative violins and
prefiguration now in bassoon and cello
-Changing time signatures at close after prefect cadence in
final four bars
Copland: I Bought Me A Cat
Accompaniment Variation Animal Noises
Bars Musical feature Orchestration Vocal
Trombone glissando, no double basses, Animal Musical feature Orchestration
sound
1-7 (Cat) Staccato bass line and chords clarinet chords and bassoon doubles
Quaa, Dissonance (Ab, E,
Muted brass, sul ponticello
cello Duck
quaa A♮) and sforzando
violas and double basses
8-11 Muted trombone doubles bassoon at
(Duck) cadences Muted trumpet and
Quaw, Increased dissonance
16-19 Hand stopped horn doubles bassoon, Goose trombone, hand-stopped
quaw (D, Eb, F, Ab)
(Goose) upper string glissandi horn
25-28 Acciaccaturas Double stopped pizzicato chords in Hen Shimmy Alternating D minor Secco upper strings and
