Excerpt+22

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= Track 22: Abess Hildegarde of Bingen – ‘O Ecclesia’ (1:50) = This music was written for contemplation. Do you think it is effective? Justify your response. David Soo

The piece sounds like it's written for contemplation The melody is modal and-
 * Spans an extremely wide range. When it reaches the peak, we can hear that there is a sense of questioning towards the melody, and this is seen through the meandering mood in the lower half of the voice
 * Very simple, and spans an octave which shows rise and fall. Pulse is quite free which again contributes to a reflective piece
 * Melody is often conjunct.
 * The constant repetition of the melody between the solo voice and the other voices which provide an answer creates a sense of wishful thinking. The melody is repeated several times with the first melody being sung as a group, and the second melody, longer sung by solo voice. The solo voice moves up and down constantly.
 * Small dynamic range, which is often terraced. This is done effectively except in the beginning where there is use of a crescendo

Overall, there is a sense of freedom and contemplation

Grace Went

This excerpt is effective as a piece of music for contemplation. The use of a drone creates a static sense of of harmony. This creates a very meandering character to the melody as it winds around a mode, always resolving to the drone note. The steady harmony contrasting with a winding melody creates a very contemplative mood. The phrase lengths and shapes also contribute to this mood. Phrases form question and answer phrases. This creates a questioning feel to the melody, encouraging contemplation. The repetitive nature of the melody also creates a sense of simplicity, allowing thoughts to wander with the melody. The lack of strict pulse complements the static harmony, also contributing to this sense of directionless meandering. The tone colour created is very warm and resonant, creating no sense of tension, rather relaxation. The use of melisma in the melody again contributes to the shape of the phrases. A sense of freedom is created through the ebb and flow of the melody. The small dynamic range and lack of extremes in tone colour, register and rhythm emphasise the feeling of contemplation.