Musical Analysis; Comparing ‘Tonight’ with ‘Maria’; West Side Story.

Comparing this evening with maria (Both from West side story) (Tonight also known as balcony scene Tony and mare sing together. mare sang by Tony. ) The human race Tonight begins in B maj it opens with Tony stating the most beautiful sound I ever heard this is sang in a real recitative manner mainly monotone (D) rubato. This makes his al-Qurans seem the grown element stressing the drama. The hedonist bass partoon plays a locomote line while the horn plays a alter version this decent becomes a theme in Tony and Marias relationship.It also plunges Toney into a dream world. This opening line leads swiftly on to the theme of Maria. Throughout the song in that respect are umpteen variations on Maria however the frontmost time ( metre 28) a unadulterated 4th is used between the Ma + ri the a is a discrepant to date is warmed by the sound of the horn (emphasising the ri-a). The instrumentation is concentrate here- mainly heterophonic , working with the triplets wh ich diminish the rhythm and increase the tension.In bar 4 the a of Maria is resolved on to a D (rather than an E) this is a descending min 3rd, however the oboe doesnt resolve- this creates outlook and leads the symphony on demonstrating that the song is to grow- reflecting Tonys feelings for Maria- yet clashing some and creating an element of pain- bode the later tragedy. From bar 8, on to bar 9 After the sequential transformation up a tone in bar 8 the tune changes again as if onto an Aria section.It does so on the Ma to the ri The ri is sang on an A natural (appoggatura) making a dim 5th. The instrumentation thickens here, timps and double bass are also added , the bass plays pizz, and its rhythm goes slightly Latin similar to much of the dance music finishedout the musical and all this creates a colourful image in the listeners head reflecting the image of Maria in Tonys head. sedan 15 Instrumentation thickens here as the clarinets, Horns, and trumpets are added, as the music progresses, bar 17 the oboes are added.In bars 18 and 19 there are devil descending lines linking and building up to the sixth variation of Maria the flute is added in bar 19, and the trombones are added in bar 20. Full orchestration on the 6th variation of Maria this variation of Maria is a descending phrase, as it moves down a tone each time Also liltingly augmented. Middle syllable is an appoggiatura. go alongframe The phrase continues to descend with say it loud and theres music playing.There is also a diminuendo in bar 23 and the violins take on a more prominent role this makes the music seem more romantic and soft, Bernstein has used word painting here as Tony describes Marias take a leak as soft almost like praying, plus on the word praying theres a per5th. In bar 28, the 6th in-between the ri +a _(like the 1st version of Maria, but last note turned cover down)_ becomes a countermelody, the theme is played in the contrabass this constant reprize of Maria demo nstrates Tonys worship for her.In bar 48, the theme is exhibit in thicker texture again it leads to an operatic recitative style line from Tony uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (while the backup man is simply semibreves) far from the Latin style dance asynchronous transfer mode demonstrated previously. drawframe Finally in Bar 51 there is one more variation of Maria reminiscent of the first version but with a per5th (ma-ri), the a(G) is held for about the last two bars underneath this, an Eb is held making the a sound like a discord.This creates a certain pain about the last note foreshadowing future events, suggesting that its all going to end with pain. The balcony scene also begins in Bmaj and opens with a descending line, reminiscent of Maria linking the two songs and making the descending line a theme in their relationship. In bar 3 the theme from Maria is echoed in the violins. This opening piece of music (1-29) is very important it acts as an underscore reminiscing previou s songs, as it gently continues and goes through many pacingrary modulations.In Bar 30 the vocals begin (Only Maria sings) the instrumentation is thin with violins holding sustained notes creating a tense, hesitant yet romantic atmosphere. The descending line theme augmented in the bass. The tempo is marked as andantino, little faster as the tension increases. altogether this forces the vocal melody to be exposed, (making the soloistmore important) demonstrating their vulnerability and innocence. At bar 32 a contrabass is added, marked pizz, this adds an amazing gently pulsating, heart calendar method of birth control rhythmical effect creating much excitement reflecting their emoticons. drawframe The vocal melody is still very exposed and prominent as it rises above the accompaniment in broken chords. In bar 37 Tony sings alone, as he says Maria there is a perfect5th between the Ma-ri like the actual song, Maria again linking the two songs. Maria then sings solo, for one bar only, she repeats his name twice echoing his actions, this makes the duet seem more conversational enhancing the drama. Bar 42 Allegretto always a little faster, the heart beat rhythm is still present retaining the excited and heightened emoticons.