Section Analysis – Melody, Texture, Tonality, Harmony,

Tempo, Metre, Rhythm

Free Tempo (bar 1-19)  (bar 1-5) Syllabic with rhythms moving in a
speech like manner
 Sparse texture with punctuating
instrumental chord stabs and some
monophonic unaccompanied bars
 Conjunct manner but verse and chorus lines
combine conjunct and wide angular leaps
 (bar 6-7) ascending sequence
 (bar 9, 11. 15) Each phrase starts with an
off-beat entry after a crochet rest
 (bar 9) Chords go down in parallel
semitones: Cm to Cb maj to Bb maj then B
maj. Chords in root position
Andante (bar 20-48)  (bar 20) B maj
 (bar 22) F maj
 (bar 21) Motific
 (bar 20) Motif B
 (bar 29) Fermata used to lengthen and give
freedom to longer rhythms also in bars 174
and 176
 (bar 31) Ascending minor 7th
linfinfavalluenced by ‘Somewhere’ – West
Side Story
 (bar 32) Tonic key of D maj till bar 88
Verse (bar 34)  ( bars 34-42) Use only 5 pitches
 ( bar 34) Perfect 5th (featured throughout
the piece)
 Melody and accompaniment or melody
dominated homophony (singer
accompanied by chords in the orchestra)
 (bar 39-40) Compound perfect fourth (an
octave plus a fourth)
(bar 49-87) Allegro  (bar 42) 5 new pitches
 Built on first 5 notes of D maj
Chorus (bar 50)  Metrically shifting 3 note quaver ostinato
 Ascending 4ths
 Glinda sings a crochet triplet-based melody
Verse (bar 63)  Elphaba sings syncopated version of the
verse, which leads to the chorus
 (bar 71-79) Hexatonic melody (6 note
diatonic scale missing the note C)
Chorus (bar 79)  (bar 83-86) Wide range moving by leaps
(very angular)
Moderato (bar 88)  Moves to G maj
 (bar 88-93) Homophonic. Ostinato
accompaniment at bar 88 with repeated
semiquavers
 (bar 88) Left hand – G maj Right Hand – C
 maj
 Unlimited theme built on the same notes as
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Chorus (bar 103)  (bar 100–107) Elphaba and Glinda sing in
unison (bar 101) or in harmony (bar 106)
Andante (bar 111)  (bar 115-12) Chords shift downwards in
parallel semitones like the opening section
 (bar 125-128) Sing together in 3rds
 Harmony of 3rds creates ‘warmer’ feeling
Allegro (bar 129-161)  (bar 129-133) Homophonic chordal music
Verse (bar 135)  Tonic key of D maj
 (bar 140-141) Compound perfect 5th
 (bar 142-143) Rallendo in bar 142
immediately followed by ‘a tempo’ in bar
143
 (bar 144-149) Syncopated
Chorus (bar 151)  Open 5th chords- feeling of space and
freedom
 (bar 155) Ostinato/metric shifting
Andante (bar 162-177 andante to maestoso)  (bar 160-161) Rall
Maestoso (bar 168)  Contrapuntal/polyphonic
 (bar 168) In Bm until we finish on D maj
 (bar 168-171) B tonic pedal note
 Melisma/vocal run
Extra Notes:  Rhythms are predominantly crotchet and
quaver based but there are some notes
with a longer duration particularly at the
end of phrases