Essay
'The Duchess' - Rachel Portman. A* Essay plan
A* Essay Plan about Rachel Portman's 'The Duchess', with Wider Listening Examples
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Portman- The DuchessContext
English composer, born in Surrey and educated in Oxford (where she first wrote incidental music for student
film)
She has composed over 100 TV, film and theatre scores including ‘The Duchess’ and ‘Oliver Twist’
She has stated that some of her main influences are Ravel, Satie and Bach- she has also stated that her music
is mainly influenced by Classical composers
She composes at the piano and does most of her own orchestration
Her scores are notable for ‘natural’ sound sources rather than synthesised effects
The Duchess was filmed and released in 2008, and was directed by Saul Gibbs
It is based on the controversial life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Portman’s music is a pastiche (imitates an earlier style) of the 18 th century style
The score also includes music by Beethoven (German Dances No.10 in D) and Haydn (String Quartet in D
No.13) - there are 18 cues in total
Portman avoids specific pastiche- the underscore is light in terms of content but provides attractive
background music
Instrumentation and dynamics
The Duchess-Opening
Written for classical instruments- not virtuosic: Used in ‘Emma’- Portman
Harp
Subtle but frequent dynamics
Mistake of Your Life
Strings- Danish Girl- Desplat
Timpani
Six Years Later
Strings (played pizzicato) and harp- instrumental techniques such as tremolos also used in ‘Danish Girl’
Bassoon, horn
Never See your Children Again
Strings and harp
Timpani and bass drum
Quiet dynamics
The Duchess- Closing Titles
Melody
The Duchess-Opening
Theme A- lower auxiliary note, small range
Theme B- syncopated, suspension, ascending, flattened leading note
Theme C- frequent lower auxiliary notes
Mistake of Your Life
First melody played in low violin range
Use of theme C
F♮ creates modal feel
Six Years Later
Arpeggiac melody, broken chords- ‘Finding Neverland’- Jan Kavzmarek
Melodic sequence
Lower auxiliary notes- chromaticism: tonal ambiguity
Melodies from Cue 1
Never See your Children Again
Melody not dominant
Tritones- foreshadow bad news (Something’s Coming- Bernstein)
The Duchess- Closing Titles
Same as Opening Titles
Harmony
The Duchess-Opening
Tonic based around tonic and dominant- D major and A minor
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