Task 2: Art Inspired by Nature

(As supporting evidence, a 1 minute audio file of the development of bars 9-12 and 17-20)
Introduction:
This year, our unit is “Art Inspired by Nature”. I will now write a proposal for my composition based on the
above topic. The Global Context is “Personal and Cultural Expression”. This is based around how we
choose to express our beliefs/values, culture, nature, etc. I will apply this Global Context to my
composition, as I am choosing waterfalls as “nature” that will inspire my instrumental composition; this is
personal to me as it relates to my culture and country of origin (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The waterfalls
that particularly inspired me are the Pliva Waterfall, Jajce, and the Great Una Waterfalls, Bihač. The
Statement of Inquiry is “The observation of nature leads to creative expression”. This can be interpreted
with nature as a topic to inspire artists across the board, including music, drama, and visual art. In my case,
how waterfalls will inspire me to create a composition relating to my own country. Finally, I will compose for
a String Quartet. I will now complete 2 Inquiry Questions; 1 is factual and the other conceptual:
“How has nature been represented in art?” Nature has been represented through art in various ways. Art
can represent nature with positive or negative connotations. For instance, Vivaldi used music to portray the
seasons in different perspectives. For example, the 1st movement of “Winter Concerto” can be portrayed in
a negative light by illustrating it as aggressive and dangerous to experience through its minor key, faster
rhythmic patterns, and dramatic/harsher dynamics, while the 2nd movement can be portrayed as a
peaceful and tranquil atmosphere due to its major key, slower rhythmic patterns, softer dynamics,
and thinner texture. Other artists followed Vivaldi’s lead, for example Van Gogh, who painted
“Winter” to display his vision (shown in the image on the right).
“To what extent does art inspired by nature encourage audiences to protect our environment?”
The arts can inspire audiences to protect the environment (nature) to a large extent. Music resonates with
the listener; when audiences listen to performances by their favorite artists about nature’s impact and
beauty, they feel inclined to inquire more about nature in its totality. For example, Micheal Jackson’s “Earth
Song” was inspired by his desire to be the “voice” of the planet. “Earth Song” discusses the beauty of
nature, and persuades the listener to reflect on environment’s treatment People even reacted to the song,
such as a commenter on YouTube under the music video who said: “In my heart this song brings the
sadness of how humans have abused the earth to a point where I literally hurt inside…May we change
before it's too late.” In my country, pollution is a massive threat to nature. The aim of this composition is to
convey that the country is filled with a plethora of natural sights (waterfalls), and should be protected.

For task 1, I analyzed “The 4 Seasons'' (Winter: 2nd Movement) by Vivaldi, and “Swan Lake: Swan Theme”
by Tchaikovsky. However, most of my inspiration will come from Vivaldi. In terms of the elements of music,
the bright atmosphere of his composition will be visible in my composition, as I will also use a similar
tempo and timbre. Harmony will also be largely inspired by Vivaldi, as I will use a major key with multiple
chord inversions. However, I also plan to use some of the harmony of “Swan Theme”, where non key
related chords were used, particularly in section B, as well as 7th chords. Unlike the conventional methods
that were used to create the above compositions, I am going to use a software called flat.io to compose
on, but this will also generate a soundtrack for me as I will not be able to get musicians to perform my
composition with me. Through the elements of music, I will now display the development of certain skills
and techniques for a successful composition over a period of 4 weeks.
 Beginning: Week 1
Image 1

Structure:
Structure is the 1st element that I am working on, as it's the backbone of any composition. Currently, I
am planning on composing 3 sections, meaning a Ternary structure (ABA). In typical style, after the 2nd
section, the 1st section repeats again. However, this week I plan to complete only section A (bars 1-21).
Image 1 top right shows the beginning of the composition with the section A symbol above the Piano
accompaniment. The structure of my composition is largely based around the aspect of nature I have been
inspired by: waterfalls. Through my composition, I will represent the phases a waterfall experiences. The
1st stage is where the river flows peacefully through the forest, and this will be represented in section A.
For this section, I aim to compose a calm atmosphere to represent the “calm before the storm” that one
might imagine when the waterfall begins. The 2nd stage shows the waterfall when the chaos is at its peak;
the water spins out of control, and the once peaceful stream is now crashing down onto the plunge pool
below. This will be represented in section B. The 3rd and final stage is the aftermath of the waterfall, where
the water that was once falling has calmed down, and the composition returns to its original state and
atmosphere that it was in during the 1st section (A). This 3rd and final stage will be represented by section
C. For now, the composition will be 52 bars. I doubt that this will change, as this almost perfectly matches 3
minutes. Section A will be bars 1-21 with a tempo of 65 BPM. Section B will be bars 22-38 with a tempo of
78 BPM, and finally section C will be bars 39-52 with (again) a tempo of 65 BPM. I do not plan to modulate
to another key in any of the sections at the moment. However, section B may feature some “strange”
chords that are not pivot to the main key, to indicate a false sense of modulation.
Image 2 Image 3
Harmony:
The key for this composition will be F major (with key signature of B♭).
Image 2 on the right shows the key signature of F major. There will be no
modulation in this composition. However, section B will use chords indicating other keys (such as F minor
and F# major). Although for this week, I will only focus on planning the harmony for section A. I am going to
use a major key, as I want the listener to associate positive connotations with the waterfall, as Vivaldi has
done with his “Winter, 2nd movement”. I will also use numerous chord inversions in this composition;
mostly 1st and 2nd. Vivaldi has done this in “Winter, 2nd movement” to transform a simple melody into a
compelling harmony. Image 3 on the far right (above) shows bars 13-15 of chord inversions used on the
Piano. For this 1st section, I am using numerous primary chords (I, IV, V); this is done to establish the key (F
major), and the use of these common chord progressions will suit the tranquil atmosphere I am trying to
achieve in section A. Image 4 on the left shows bars 1-4 on the Piano, where
the primary chords are used. The chords planned in the key of F major are:
chord I (FAC), chord I 6/4, chord ii (GB♭D), chord ii6, chord IV (B♭DF), chord
Image 4 IV6 and 6/4, chord V (CEG), chord V6, and V7 (CEGB♭), chord vi (DFA), and
chord vii (EGB♭). Image 5 on the right shows chord ii6 (GB♭D) in bar
18. Image 6 on the far right shows bars 19-21 when chords V7, chord vi,
and chord vii. The chord structure beginning from bar 1 is: I - V - I - IV - I
- V - V6 - I - V6 - IV6 - I 6/4 - V - I, V6 - vi, IV6 - I, IV 6/4 - vi, V - I 6/4 - IV,
ii6 - V7 - vi - vii. Image 5 Image 6
 Image 7 Image 8
Melody & pitch:
I want the melody of section A to be quite lyrical. The majority of notes in the
melody will display the notes of the chords, but I am creating some jumps within. Since I am using
mostly primary chords for this section, the melody will be quite memorable. To mimic the smooth
movement of the water in the river, I plan to add a couple of slurs; this in turn creates a “softer” approach
for all the Strings. Image 7 on the right (above) shows bars 19-29 of the 2nd Violin’s melody. I will add
articulation such as staccato and accents to bring the music to life, and mimic features of the waterfall
such as the water hitting the rocks. Image 8 on the far right (above) shows bar 21 of the 2nd Violin and
Viola where I am using staccatos. In section A, I will also add melodic transformation. The 1st and 2nd Image 9
Violins are often playing the same (or similar) note intervals, but with different starting
notes. Image 9 on the right shows bars 18-20 of the 1st and 2nd Violins’ melodic
transformation with the similar note intervals. The highest pitch is C6 on the 1st Violin,
and the lowest pitch is C2 on the Piano. Image 10 on the far left side of the page
shows C6 in bar 9, image 11 on the left side of the page shows C2 in bar 2.
Image 10 Image 11
Dynamics:
The dynamics will not be added until the 4th and last week, since I’m working on different parts of section
A simultaneously. It's wiser to compose the dynamics in one go at the end when I have the overall picture,
and at the moment I consider mezzoforte as the dynamic platform I want to work from.
Image 12
Texture & timbre:
The instruments I am planning to use for this composition are 1st Violin, 2nd Violin, Viola, and Piano
accompaniment. Image 12 on the right shows the instruments on the stave. String instruments are my
strength in composing, but I also want to challenge myself by composing for a String Quartet.
Furthermore, the timbre of string instruments is bright and vibrant, which is what I’d like to achieve in
this piece. The texture of this composition will be thick, as multiple string instruments are being used.

Image 13 Image 14
Tempo/rhythm/metre: er:
In section A, the rhythms are not very “adventurous”, rather quite simple. At the
moment, for section B, the rhythms are becoming more complex, while for section C
will return to the simplicity of section A. For now, I am planning only the rhythms of section A.
However, I have already planned the tempo for all 3 sections. Section A will be adagio at 65 Image 15
BPM. Section B will be andante at 78 BPM. Section C will return to adagio at 65 BPM. The
time signature is 4/4, and will experience no changes. Image 13 on the right (above) shows Image 16
the time signature and tempo for section A. The note values planned as of now are semibreves, dotted
minims, minims, dotted crotchets, crotchets, and quavers (for all instruments). However, the Piano has
longer note values (i.e. semibreves and minims), and gradually builds up to shorter note values (i.e.
crotchets and quavers) to subtly build up to the pace of section B. Image 14 on the far right (above) shows
bars 12-13 of the Piano and the gradually decreasing note values. There are 2 rhythmic patterns. The 1st
pattern is 4 slurred quavers with a minim, this will be used by all of the string instruments. Image 15 on the
far right (middle) shows this in bars 13-14 of the 1st Violin. The 2nd pattern is a dotted crotchet, a quaver,
and a minim. Image 16 at the far right (bottom) shows this in bars 18-19 of the 2nd Violin.
Middle: Weeks 2 & 3 Image 17

Structure:
Over the next 2 weeks, I want to complete section B (bars 23-39). Image 17 on the right shows the
Piano accompaniment at the start of section B. This section will be the most out of my comfort zone in
melody and harmony, therefore it will be the most challenging. With section A completed, the composition
is 1 minute and 21 seconds long. Since last week, I am slightly altering the length of the sections. Instead of
the entire composition being 52 bars long, it will now be 51, which means that section A is 1 bar longer
(bars 1-22). Section B is still 17 bars (now bars 23-39), but section C will be 2 bars shorter (now bars 40-51).
Also, I am going to disregard the Ternary structure idea; I do not want to repeat any of section A again, as
the composition will become boring, and not give me enough scope to introduce new ideas. Furthermore,
by making section A and B longer, I am losing some space in section C to replicate section A.
Image 18
Harmony:
The key for the composition is not changing. It is still F major (B♭), and there will be no
modulation. I am happy with the decision to not modulate, especially after the chord
structure for section B that I have in mind. The majority of the chords from last week in
section A are still the same, however, some of the notes have changed to improve the
sound of certain chord. 7 bars have had their chords changed in section A: bar 2 is changing
from chord V to chord V6, bar 8 from chord I to chord vi, bar 12 from just chord V to chord V
and V6, bar 17 from chord I 6/4 to chord I, bar 18 from chord IV and ii6 to chord IV and IV6, bar 19 from
chord V7 to chord V6/V, bar 20 from chord vi to chord V, and the extra bar 22 will be chord I. The majority
of these chords are changing to have a better suited chord progression. Image 18 above (right) shows bars
18-19 on the Piano in week 1 in red and week 2 & 3 in blue. The chords of section B are more chromatic
and dissonant, including chords outside of the key of F major. This concept is slightly inspired by the chord
Image 19
structure of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”. I want to achieve the same during the climax of the
waterfall in section B (bars 35-37). I am using arpeggios in the chords to represent the droplets of
water and also enunciate the pitches. Image 19 on the right shows this in bar 37 on the Piano.
The chords planned are: chord I (FAC), chord I6, chord I 6/4, chord I# (F#A#C#), chord I# 6/4,
chord ii (GB♭D), chord iii (ACE), chord iiio (ACE♭), chord III♭6 (A♭CE♭), chord iv (intentional minor
chord) (B♭D♭F), chord IV (B♭DF), chord IV6, chord IV 6/4, chord v (intentional minor chord) (CE♭G),
chord V (CEG), chord V6, chord V 4/2, chord V# (C#E#G#), chord V6/V (GBD), chord vi (DFA), chord VI7
(DF#AC#), chord viio (EGB♭), and chord VII♭7 (E♭GB♭D♭). The chord structure begins in section A: I -
V 4/2 - I - IV - I - V - V6 - vi - V6 - IV6 - I 6/4 - V, V6 - I, V6 - vi, IV6 - I, IV 6/4 - vi, V - I - IV, IV6 - V6/V - V - viio -
I. Then, section B begins in bar 23: V - viio - I - vi, I 6/4 - iiio, IV6 - V6 - iii - I6
- iiio, iv - I# - v - VI7 - VII♭7 - VI7, V# - I# 6/4, I 6/4 - V6/V - III♭6. Image 20
on the left shows an example of the chords of bars 34-36 on the Piano.
Image 20
Melody & pitch:
Image 21
The melody of section B will be completely different from section A’s. It is
unpredictable, and more complex as I will make large use of accidentals. Image
21 on the right shows these accidentals on the 1st Violin of bars 35-36. Although
 I am using unusual chords, the pitches of the strings will still (mostly) fit in with the chords that the Piano is
playing. As mentioned last week, I am still using staccatos to mimic the sound of the water hitting the
Image 22
rocks as it falls. I am going to use this idea a lot more in section B. Image 22 on the
right shows bars 26-27 of the 2nd Violin and Viola playing staccatos. There will be
only 1 repetitive melodic pattern in section B, which are ascending and descending
chromatic scales (semiquavers) on the 1st Violin. Image 23 on the right shows
the chromatin scales in bar 25 of the 1st Violin. Usually, the 1st Violin will be
playing the main melody. The highest pitch is D6 on the 1st Violin, and the lowest Image 23
pitch is still C2 on the Piano (from last week). Image 24 on the far left side of the page
shows D6 in bar 36, image 25 on the left side of the page shows C2 in bar 23.
Image 24 Image 25

Dynamics:
I am still not adding dynamics at the moment, as I believe that the dynamics will become messy if they are
not planned all in one go. The dynamic changes will be more abrupt and dramatic in section B, meaning I
will not use many crescendos and decrescendos, but instead fortissimo to piano, etc.

Texture & timbre:

None of the instruments are changing from last week. Texture and use
of the instruments remains the same. I’ve found the combination of
the instruments to be easy to compose for, and they suit the genre of
the composition. Since last week, I am now filling the “silent spaces” Image 26 Image 27
for certain instruments to “thicken” the sound and texture. For example, image 26 on the right shows bars
9-10 on the 1st Violin, 2nd Violin, and Viola last week in red. Image 27 on the far right shows the same
bars and instruments this week in blue.

Image 28 Image 29
Tempo/rhythm/metre: er:
None of the rhythms of section A is changing. Furthermore, section B’s rhythmic
patterns include dotted rhythms, tied notes, syncopation, and more semi-quavers.
The time signature is still 4/4. The tempo of section B is still 78 BPM and andante
as mentioned before. Image 28 at the right shows the beginning of section B, the tempo, and performance
direction. The note values planned as of now are semibreves, dotted minims, minims, dotted crotchets,
crotchets, quavers, and semi-quavers (all instruments). There are not many repetitive patterns in section B,
since the rhythms are meant to be more diverse to create an element of suspense and turmoil. However,
there are a few patterns that stand out. For example, the 2nd Violin and Viola often play either 4 quavers
and 2 crotchets, a minim and 4 quavers, or 4 quavers and a minim. Image 29 at the top far right shows
pattern 1, 2, and 3 (bars 28-29) of the 2nd Violin and Viola playing all of these patterns. The 2nd Violin and
Viola also frequently play 4 crochets or 2 minims. The 1st Violin will rarely play any similar patterns. Each
bar, most of the time, has a unique rhythm that is not repeated, for example, a dotted crotchet slurred with
Image 30 a quaver, and a dotted crotchet slurred with 2 semi-quavers. Image 30 on the left shows bar 35
this pattern on the 1st Violin. In terms of the Piano, the rhythmic patterns are similar to section
A, and is usually playing semibreves and minims to balance the “busy” patterns of the Strings.
 Ending: Week 4
I have now decided on a name, which will be “Vodopad” (meaning waterfall in Bosnian). I feel this to be a
suitable title, as my composition is inspired by the waterfalls of Bosnia.

Structure: Image 31

In this final week, I am completing section C (bars 40-51). At this stage, the composition is stil 3 minutes
long. I am not making any changes to the structure of sections A and B. Section C will use similar
chords as section A, and will return to the same tempo of 65 BPM, however, the melody will be much
different. Due to section C being shorter, I am going to (at the same time) label it as the outro.
Additionally, I will add a Coda symbol in the last 3 bars of section C. Image 31 on the right shows the
beginning of section C of the 1st Violin.

Harmony: Image 32
The key of the composition is still F major (B♭), with no modulation. None of the chord
structure of sections A or B is changing at all, and this week I am focusing on
composing the harmony of section C. Section C’s harmony will have a simple chord
structure (like section A), and will not use any of the strange chords of section B.
Section C will also frequently include the primary chords I, IV, V (again like section A) with certain
inversions. Image 32 at the top right shows bars 47-48 of the Piano playing the primary chords. I Image 33

have also decided that the Piano will be played with pedal point at the beginning of the
composition. The pedal point will be continuously pulling the harmony in different directions,
creating an overall dissonant sound. Image 33 on the right shows bar 1 where I created a pedal
Image 34
point for the Piano. All of the chords planned from last week are remaining the
same. However, in section C I am planning to use 1 new chord which is chord
V7 (CEGB♭). I am not changing the chord structure of section A and section B from
last week. Section C begins in bar 40: I - IV6 - V - V - I, iii - III♭6 - I 6/4 - IV6 - I6, V7 - I -
ii - I. Image 34 on the left shows bars 49-51 of the Piano playing chords I - ii - I.
Image 35 Image 36
Melody & pitch:
The melody from last week remains unchanged, except for a couple of small ornaments
(appoggiaturas) added to section A. I am adding appoggiaturas to bars 15 and 17, but I
notice section A’s melody is still a little dull, and lacks movement. Image 35 at the top right
Image 37
shows the appoggiatura in bar 17. However, this week, I will primarily focus on the melody of section C,
which will be peaceful like section A’s. The melodies of this section will not repeat those of section A.
Section C has numerous ascending and descending patterns. For example, the descending pattern in bar
40. Image 36 at the top far right shows bar 40 on the 1st Violin. Another ascending and descending
Image 38
pattern is found in bar 43. Image 37 above (middle) shows bar 43 on the 1st Violin. When the
1st Violin is not playing a “busy” melody, or longer note values such as minims, the 2nd Violin
and Viola will reverse the patterns by now playing the more “busy” melodies. For example,
image 38 on the right shows bar 45 on the 1st Violin, 2nd Violin, and Viola. In terms of pitch,
the highest pitch is still D6 on the 1st Violin and the lowest pitch is still C2 on the Piano.
Dynamics:
This week, I am finally composing the dynamic which will be limited and somewhat similar
across all instruments and not sudden. In bar 1, the Piano is the only instrument that will
play in mezzoforte. In bar 5, the Viola begins in mezzoforte, and the 2nd Violin begins in
the following bar in mezzoforte as well. The 1st Violin will begin in forte in bar 8. In bar 12
there is a decrescendo to mezzoforte on the 1st Violin. In bar 15, there is a crescendo back
to forte in the following bar on the 1st Violin. In bar 17, the 2nd Violin and Viola have a
crescendo to forte. When section B begins in bar 23, the Strings instruments and Piano are
all playing in forte. In bar 25, the 1st Violin suddenly decreases to mezzoforte. In bar 28, the
1st Violin returns to forte. In bar 31, the 1st Violin experiences a crescendo to fortissimo in Image 39
the following bar. In bar 34, the 2nd Violin and Viola play a decrescendo to mezzoforte in the next bar. In
bar 38, the 1st Violin plays a decrescendo to forte in the next bar. In bar 39, the 2nd Violin and Viola play a
crescendo. In bar 40, the 1st Violin, 2nd Violin, and Viola play a decrescendo. Across bars 39-40, the Piano
also plays a long decrescendo. Image 39 on the right shows bars 42-43 of all instruments’ dynamics. In
bar 41, all instruments are playing in mezzoforte and the composition ends in mezzoforte.

Image 40
Texture & timbre:
I am not making any changes to the instruments, nor the texture which appears to be polyphonic,
where there are multiple independent melodies (bar 42).. Image 40 on the right shows this in bar
42. The genre of my composition is appearing to be a mix of the Baroque and Classical, as I am
taking large inspiration from Baroque, such as the use of a small String Quartet and polyphonic
texture, however, since I am replacing the Baroque Harpsichord with a Piano, this has transitioned the
composition into Classical.

Image 41 Image 42
Tempo/rhythm/metre: er:
I am happy with all of the rhythmic patterns from the previous weeks of sections A and B,
and this week I will focus on the patterns of section C. Section C’s rhythms are a mix of
sections A and B; it has the simplicity of section A, and the pacing (shorter note values) of section B. The
tempo of section C returns to the 65 BPM of section A, and it is played in adagio. The time signature is still
4/4. I am adding a tempo at the beginning of section C to signify that the tempo and directions should
return to those of section A. Image 41 on the right (above) shows bar 40 at the beginning of section C.
Furthermore, I am adding a dolce in bar 1 for all parts in section A, meaning “sweetly”. Image 42 on the far
right (above) shows bar 1 on the Piano. I am also adding a ritardando at the end of section A in bar 22, at
the end of section B in bar 39, and at the end of section C in bars 49-50. I am adding a fermata for all
Image 43
instruments in the last bar to finish the composition. Image 43 on the right shows bars
39-40 on the 1st Violin. The note values used for all instruments are semibreves, dotted
minims, minims, dotted crotchets, crotchets, quavers, and semi-quavers. In terms of
rhythmic patterns, the 1st and 2nd Violins frequently play a pattern including semi-quavers and quavers
combined without being repeated. Another example is 2 semi-quavers and 1 quaver on the 1st Violin. The
Image 44
most common rhythmic pattern in this section is 4 semi-quavers. Image 44 on the right
shows bars 41-42 of the 1st and 2nd Violins using these rhythmic patterns. The Viola and
Piano are often playing semibreves, minims, and crotchets.