Struggling to answer questions for GCSE Music Defying Gravity? Well, struggle no longer – this is the place to be!
Struggling to study for GCSE Music: Defying Gravity?
Panicking that there are only a few months left to revise absolutely everything?
Then this is the place to be!
As a grade 9 ex-GCSE music student myself, I know all the best tips and tricks for doing well in your exam. Using this Brandenburg Concerto analysis, you can boost your grades as quickly as possible!
I have tried to make this information as concise as possible so you can get the best value for your time spent reading. Make sure you write everything down and learn it thoroughly. Reading alone will not help you absorb this information!
This article is all about how to pass Edexcel GCSE Music Defying Gravity.
GCSE Music Defying Gravity
To start with, here is my favourite recording of Defying Gravity.
I’m tentatively assuming most of the people reading this will already have the GCSE Anthology of Music recommended by Edexcel. If not, here is a link to where you can buy it.
Unfortunately, the anthologies are very expensive. However, if you are lucky, you can find a second hand one on amazon or ebay.
Even more unfortunately, Defying Gravity is not yet out of copyright, and won’t be for a VERY long time. That means you can’t find it for free online anywhere. Legally, that is!
Context of Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity was written for the massively successful musical Wicked, which premiered in 2003. The rather multi-talented Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics.
The plot of the musical is based on the Wizard of Oz, and follows Elphaba (Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda the Good, who form a friendship against all the odds. Elphaba sing the song at the end of Act 1, when she has discovered that the Wizard of Oz is… well, problematic! Lyrical themes include freedom and independence.
Structure of Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity begins with a long Introduction, with some dialogue between Elphaba and Glinda and some singing.
Verse 1 begins at bar 34, whilst Chorus 1 begins at bar 50. There is a brief link at bar 60, when Glinda takes over again, before Verse 2 begins a few bars later in bar 63. Chorus 2 then arrives in bar 79.
Bar 88 brings about a change in mood. This is the Bridge, which begins with dialogue before the singing re-starts in bar 93.
The bridge is followed by Chorus 3, which begins in bar 103. This is followed by a short, 4-bar link at bar 111.
In bar 115, Schwartz brings back some material from the introduction. This reminds the audience of the material from the beginning of the song.
At bar 129, the vamp section begins. A vamp is a section which is repeated for however long is necessary. During these few bars, Elphaba runs to the back of the stage and is hooked up to a hydraulic machine which will later make her fly.
Verse 3 begins at bar 135. Interestingly, however, this verse does not use the same melody as the previous verses. This helps maintain the audience’s interest at the end of a long act. We see one last chorus, Chorus 4, at bar 151.
The song ends with a link at bar 162, leading into a powerful Coda at bar 168.
Instrumentation of Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity is a duet between Elphaba and Glinda, with backing from the chorus (i.e. the rest of the ensemble). The two singers switch back and forth between speaking and singing.
Defying Gravity is notated in short score, which means that most of the instruments aren’t included in the score. Other instruments not notated include brass, winds and percussion. Synths are also used throughout the song, most obviously in a repeated motif (melodic idea) first seen in bar 21. These have a magical quality to them.
The full band joins in bar 135, creating a huge, powerful ending to the first act.
Here are some other interesting points throughout the song:
- Bar 11 makes use of a guitar with overdrive, which adds a harsh, distorted sound to the music
- The strings use tremolando (rapid repetition of a note) in bar 33, which creates a sense of excitement and tension
- A cymbal roll in bar 122 increases the drama and excitement yet further
Tonality of Defying Gravity
The overall tonality of Defying Gravity is D major. However, the key changes a lot, and at some points it is quite ambiguous.
The song begins with a D major chord, immediately establishing the tonic key. However, the Introduction as a whole moves through lots of different keys and never really settles.
The first well-established key arrives in bar 20, where we arrive clearly in B major. However, this doesn’t last long, as by bar 22 we have already moved to F major, an unrelated key. These rapid modulations create an unsettled mood, reflecting Elphaba’s mood at this point in the song.
We finally arrive in our tonic key of D major in bar 32, and we stay here for a long time. The major tonality reflects Elphaba’s excitement at her new-found freedom.
In bar 88 we get some more tonal ambiguity. The key signature suggests we have moved to G major. However, the bass instruments are playing a C major chord. This suggests we have a moment of bitonality here, which means when there are two keys at the same time. This perhaps reflects Glinda’s conflicted mood here – she wants to go with Elphaba, but also wants to stay in Oz.
We return once more to D major in bar 103. But not for long! We modulate up a semitone to bar 113, arriving in Eb major. Two bars later, however, we return once more to our tonal ambiguity introduced at the beginning – the key here is not clear.
By bar 123, we arrive in Db major. We move to C major in bar 129 for the vamp section, and three bars later we are back in D major.
Nearly at the end! We arrive in B minor, the relative minor, in bar 168. This is interesting, as composers overwhelmingly use the tonic key at the end of songs. The choice of B minor, however, perhaps reflects the arrival of the cruel townspeople, as signaled by the ensemble joining in bar 169. It certainly makes the final return to D major, right in the last bar, even more dramatic!
Phew, that’s a tricky section! Luckily you will not have to learn bar numbers for these keys off by heart. The only time you might need bar numbers are when writing an essay, but you will be given a score if that is the case.
Texture of Defying Gravity
Schwartz uses texture to create drama and excitement throughout the song.
The introduction opens with stab chords and a solo voice (Glinda). This creates a monophonic texture.
However, the sustained chords of bar 6 mean the texture is now melody dominated homophony (i.e. melody with a chordal accompaniment). This is the main texture used throughout the song.
Here are a few more interesting moments throughout the song:
- Elphaba and Glinda sing in unison at bar 103
- The two singers sing in harmony as well: for example, they sing a 5th in bar 106, and 4ths in bar 109
- Elphaba and Glinda sing in 3rds in bar 127
- There are some homorhythmic moments (e.g. bar 132), which is where all the instruments move at the same time whilst playing different notes
- At bar 168 we have some brief polyphony, with lots of independent lines (Elphaba, Glinda, the Ensemble and the full band)
In general, the texture thickens the further into the song we get.
Melody of Defying Gravity
The melody of Defying Gravity is generally syllabic. However, there are some short melismas, for example in bars 160 and 175.
Much of the introductory and linking material is conjunct (i.e. stepwise). However, the verses and chorus, whilst still mostly conjunct, use lots of leaps to keep the audience interested. A common melodic interval includes the perfect 5th (e.g. bar 34). However, there are some wider ones, including a compound perfect 4th in bars 39-40 and a compound perfect 5th in bar 134. These wide intervals add to the emotion of the song.
The range of Elphaba’s part is very wide, covering almost two octaves, from a low G to a high F#.
The introduction uses lots of melodic chromaticism (e.g. bars 13 and 14). This creates an unsettled feeling, reflecting Elphaba’s mood early in the song.
An altered ascending sequence can be found in bars 6 and 7. This helps to reinforce the melodic idea.
Elphaba’s final word is “Aah”, which is a vocable, or nonsense syllable.
Dynamics of Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity opens with accented stab chords. These are marked sf, which means sforzando, or accented. This creates a dramatic, emotional opening to the song.
The whole song employs lots of changes in dynamics to increase the drama. The quietest points include the p (piano) in bars 24 and 89. The loudest point is the ff (fortissimo) at bar 168, which is fitting as this is when the full band and ensemble are playing.
Schwartz also uses lots of crescendos and diminuendos. Examples include the long crescendo across bars 6 and 7 and the diminuendo in bar 23.
Harmony of Defying Gravity
The harmony of Defying Gravity tends to be quite chromatic. For example, the song opens with a series of chromatically descending parallel chords.
You can find dissonant chords in bars 30 and 41.
Naturally, Defying Gravity uses lots of perfect cadences. However, more interestingly, there are also some interrupted cadences. An example includes the interrupted cadence of bars 50-51, which repeats throughout the choruses. This creates a sense of surprise to start the chorus.
The bridge at bar 88 uses an ostinato, or a repeated melodic idea. This creates a magical, almost hypnotic feeling.
Towards the end of the song, at bars 162-166, Schwartz uses an inner pedal, which continues the hypnotic feeling of the song here. There is another pedal at the very end (bars 168-173), which emphasises the key of B minor.
Rhythm, metre and tempo of Defying Gravity
The tempo at the beginning is Colla voce. This means follow the voice, which allows for the singer to take some freedom with the music. However, the tempo changes quite a lot throughout the song.
By bar 20 the tempo is Andante, which means walking pace. The other main tempo of the song is Allegro, which begins in bar 49. This variety in tempo helps maintain the audience’s interest.
The bridge (bar 88) is Moderato, which means at a moderate speed. The coda (bar 168) is Maestoso. This means majestic, and it makes for a powerful ending.
Bar 33 is marked rall., which means slow down. You can also hear some rubato, which means there is some give and take with the tempo. This makes the song more emotional.
The metre of Defying Gravity changes frequently. The Introduction moves between 3/2 and 2/2, creating an unsettled mood. Most of the song after this stays in 2/2.
There is one bar of 3/4 (bar 101), although bar 102 changes to 4/4. However, we return to 2/2 in bar 115, where we stay until the end of the song.
Schwartz uses lots of syncopation (e.g. bars 50 and 64), as is typical of modern music. There are also some push rhythms, which means rhythms which anticipate the beat. Examples can be found in bars 50 and 51.
Some other interesting points include:
- Dotted rhythms (e.g. bar 53) create interest for the audience
- In bar 60, the triplets add some rhythmic variety
- Schwartz also uses cross rhythms, for example in bar 61, which is when triplets conflict with duplets
Coda
And there we have it! A rather detailed dissection of everything you need to know for the GCSE music Defying Gravity questions, from harmony and texture to structure and instrumentation.
This article was all about GCSE Music Defying Gravity.
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