Baris Melampahan Study

The instruments are made by the community for the community and the instruments are not owned by individuals but instead are owned by the community. The instruments tunings can vary due to the handmade nature of them. This will create a beating clash called Om Bak. Each Om Bak is unique to a Gamelan. The music is not notated but is taught by a Sekaha. A Baris is a war dance and there are different ones depending on the type of warfare. This piece describes general warfare.

Rhythm and meter

• Kempli keeps the pulse for the whole piece, a horizontal gong
• Each instrument has a particular rhythmic role that it plays
• A colotomic structure; Rhythmic role does not change throughout the piece
• Gong is used in rhythmic cycles, an anticipatable beat

Instrumentation

• Kempli - A vertical gong, keeps the time of the piece
• Kemong - A small hanging gong
• Kempure - A larger version of the Kemong
• Jegogan - A type of metallophone
• Calung - A higher pitch Jegogan
• Ugal - Another metallophones which plays the melody
• Gangsa - Larger metallophone
• Reyong - Sets of Kempli, play the off beats
• Kendhang - a double headed drum with two different pitched ends
• Ceng-ceng - Little symbols
• Suling - A bamboo flue (plays same as the calung

Melody

• The melody is always played on the Ugal
• The core melody is called the Pokok
• When it gets to U on the score, the Pokok can be heard
• Embellishments on the jegogan and calung occur to enhance the Pokok
• Minor changes occur to the Pokok by embellishment or omission such as at A+ where pitches of the Pokok are ommitted
• Jegogan stays the same when the Ugal changes but the Calung changes following the Ugal but the Ugal is always going back to the Pokok
• Gangsa and Reyong also act as an embellishing instruments

Harmony

• You cannot say that there is any traditional harmony
• Harmonies that are formed are because of embellishments over pokoks and various other gongs
• The only thing that is harmonically important is when in the repeated sections the tuned instruments all play a D (2 as written on the score)
• Gongan - an 8 beat phrase
• Keteg  - A split Gongan, worth half a Gongan; beat 4 in the first Keteg is given the second pitch (2/D) and the second Keteg has the 4th beat given pitch (6/A)
• Pelog Selesir is the scale they use. A Pelog has 7 notes and Selesir is the 5 notes they have chosen from it making the accidental harmonies pentatonic

Tippett

Texture:

Opens in octaves
Counterpoint bar 1-4
Polyphonic mostly e.g bar 1-4
Antiphony bar 5-12
Homorhythmic bar 37
Homophonic bar 90


Melody

Close Imitation with inversion bar 138 in second orchestra

Tippett Harmony & Tonality Essay

The Harmony in Tippett's Concerto for Double String Orchestra is derived mostly through his use of counterpoint between the highly independent melodies as there is a lack of block chords. Instances of harmonic punctuation are unconventional such as augmented triads beginning at bar 118 showing his use of non-functional harmony. In bar 91 in the changeover to the key of F minor, Tippett uses added Sixths. Tippett's use of modes in this piece reflects the harmonic language of his writing with many false relations such as in bar 5. His modality is present in the cadences, which are sparse in this work, with a phrygian cadence in bar 20 and an extended modal cadence based around a flattened 7th leading to the tonic chord with no thirds. This also demonstrates tonal ambiguity. Ambiguity of key is also demonstrated in bars 85 to 89 when pandiatonicism is used, removing the focus of any key despite C sharp minor being established. Despite the harmony being mostly non-functional, occasions of traditional harmony are present such as a perfect cadence in G at bars 45 to 47.
 The tonality that Tippett employs is one which relies heavily on modes, and the lack of certain characteristic pitches causes tonal ambiguity. He uses atonality with tonal centres  beginning on A  then moving to C at bar 21, G at bar 39 then E at bar 68. The piece opens in the Aeolian mode then the transition that follows is in the phrygian mode. E flat major is shown in bar 97 which moves to A flat at bar 107. The whole tone scale is used in some melodic patterns after this. The piece expresses variable tonality by having alternative notes within a standard mode, shown in the opening where the Aeolian and Mixolydian mode play as well as hints of pentatonicism. Despite this, the piece still displays diatonicism such as at bar 90-91 when a clear movement from the tonic to the dominant occurs.

Very well written, as for the contents all accurate and well put with the exception of you comparing augmented triads to harmonic punctuation. Points well illustrated. Confident

Safe