Summary Set work revision: Anoushka Shankar, Breathing Under Water
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Course
Unit 3 - Appraising
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
A comprehensive revision resource for the Edexcel Music A-Level set work Anoushka Shankar, Breathing Under Water.
Packed with ALL the content you need to know about the set work and comes with detailed wider listening examples to help you write top essays! Very well-formatted - the perfect revisio...
Breathing Under Water Burn (Shankar) Easy (Shankar)
(Shankar)
Context Anouska Shankar: daughter of Ravi Shankar, brought up in London, Delhi and California, studied sitar
with her father, first three albums were Indian Classical performances, first fusion album = Rise
Breathing Under Water album: grew out of improvised sessions between Shankar, Kale + Delhi
musicians, released in 2007, some programmed tracks + much live playing, main collaborator = Karsh
Kale (Indian musician/composer, co-founder of Tabla Beat Science, contributed dance music
textures/technical expertise + played table/drums/guitar)
Performing Sitar: main sonority, solo, English vocals (soulful jazz/R+B Sitar: fluid, solo, dialogue +
Forces + playing line based on vocal line style), cinematic orchestral articulated pedal Db,
of Sea Dreamer, heavily uses strings, sitar + sarangi (bridge, independent/detailed, meend,
Sonority
meend/kan, characteristic resembles human voice, rich) acciaccaturas, glissandi
Western and
Indian shimmery resonant sound, Guitar: understated plucked
instrumentation mainly an octave range until Programmed percussion beats ostinato-like accompaniment,
very skilfully bass clef at refrain 3 (simple snare patterns in verse, simple, twangy contrast
handled + mixed (contrasting sonority) demisemiquaver hi-hat in chorus, Piano: subtle understated, high
together Strings: mid-range block dance beats), Indian percussion chords in verse 2, inverted pedal
chords, higher register in 3rd (manjira = finger cymbals, high Db
section, lush basis for sitar pitched bell like shimmery sound), Vocals: relaxed R&B style, low
Wordless vocals: delicate, add synthesised bass + analog-style tessitura, vibrato, melisma,
warmth, link the string + sitar synthesiser lines (repeated bass portamento, stylistic tension with
timbres by singing elements of pedal C#s with octave leaps + fluid sitar
each, link to second main solo wide portamento give a jittery Electronic drums, synth bass
section, low as a harmonic effect) emphasising guitar ostinato lines,
filter in the second section, Solo cello + flute at end shaker/majira (bright)/ drums
high descant to third section, added in link
final resolution
Keyboards, table, cello at end
Structure Verse 1, refrain 1, middle 8, Intro 1 + 2, verse 1, chorus, Most conventionally structured
Embraces link, verse 2, refrain 2, verse 3, bridge, verse 2 (similar to verse 1), Intro (4 bar sitar melody repeated
Western song refrain 3, coda verse 2 extension, bridge, link 1, with slight variation), verse 1,
structures Instrumental paraphrase of verse 3 (exactly the same as verse verse 2 (piano/synth bass added),
Indian: Alap song Sea Dreamer immediately 1), link 2, verse 3 extension, link (sitar solo + vocals),
(free), Jhor after it (acts as an extended chorus, coda instrumental (sitar solo), middle 8,
(pulse), Jhala intro), exact order of elements Orchestral strings from intro verse 3 (new vocal material), coda
(rhythmic)
is different repeated underneath verse 2 +
, instrumental
Texture Sitar accompanied by Intro: orchestral strings provide Focus on sitar/vocal line
Indian music homophonic block chords (mel slow-moving chordal texture under Homophonic textures feature
employs three dom hom) sitar with some melodic material + heavily (warm pad chord, piano
textural Vocal: short monophony when independence (mel dom hom) chords, guitar + synth bass)
elements: enters, sings a melody mainly Verse 2/3: more polyphonic More complex textures: vocal in
melodic doubling the strings, then acts elements, dialogue between sitar polyphonic dialogue with sitar
instrument/ as descant in short polyphonic + vocals lines (e.g. link, middle 8 + verse 3)
voice, rhythmic
phrases with the sitar in verse Final chorus: most polyphonic,
accompaniment
+ drone
3 three vocal lines, string
countermelody, sitar + rhythms
Tonic pedal texture of synth bass
used extensively
Tonality Db major for majority of piece C# minor (enough use of raised 7th Transposed Mixolydian mode on
No obvious use Middle 8: tertiary modulation (e.g. sitar) to suggest true Western Db
of Indian to Lydian-inflected A major, minor, not strictly, anchored by Equivalent of Rag Khamaj
Classical raga or then returns after voice enters pedal textures) Consistently flattened seventh (Cb)
functional Coda: passing modulations of A
tonality minor + F major
Asian-inflected
non-functional
tonality
Harmony Most chords have added notes, Intro: all chords have same notes Harmonies derived from
Western-style e.g. verse 1 (oscillates between + rich harmony (C♯madd4/G#, A transposed Mixolydian mode (no
chords + chord Bbm(add 9) + Ab(sus 4) (VI-V) + maj7(#4), C#m(add9)) dominant chords, as no true
progressions, but coming to rest on an Dissonance freely used with no leading note of C)
very far from inconclusive Dbsus4 chord) conventional Dominated by a three-chord
conventional Middle 8: modally inflected A preparation/resolution sequence with inversions giving a
functional with adjacent chords of B, A Dominant chords, but effect strong stepwise bass (Bb, Cb, Db)
diatonic harmony
and G#m7 in various orders, diluted by sounding of 4th or – Gbsus2/Bb–Cbsus2–Dbsus4
Pandiatonicism –
harmonies built
uses slash chords, maj 7ths + a omission of 3rd Middle 8 reorders this sequence
freely from any dim chord (e.g. D#o/F#) Verse/chorus/bridge 1: static Sus4 chords: often sound 3rd at
note of the scale Coda: Gbm6 used in coda with harmony C# pedal chord, C# same time creating dissonance,
Indian: tonic + repeated IVm-I progressions articulated pedal, lead vocal using give tonal ambiguity reflecting the
subdominant (variation on plagal cadence first six notes of C# minor, lead lyrics telling of ambivalent feelings
drone, rag common in pop), Fb + Cb used synth using mainly C#/F#/G# towards love
scales prominently in sitar line similar to Indian raga (all notes of Ends on unresolved Dbsus4
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