Comparison-Secular and Sacred
I chose “Gloria” for the sacred from chapter nine and “when I am laid to Earth” secular from chapter ten.
- How do the melodies compare? Are they “singable” – easily remembered?
I find it harder to identify the melody in “Gloria” because there are so many other voices singing the harmony, it’s difficult to hear which one is supposed to be the melody of the piece. In “When I am laid to Earth,” it would be easier to sing because there is only one singer. As for remembering lyrics to sing, that too would be difficult because of the slow pace of the song. Both recordings I imagine would be very hard to sing
2 – What is the beat/pulse like? And the tempo?
Gloria doesn’t have a real steady beat in the song since it is acapella, so the vocalists carry the tempo in the rhythm of which they sing. Is it slow, but also hard to hear exactly how the pace keeps adjusting to their voices? “When I am laid to Earth” the pulse is not steady, and is continually fluctuating throughout the song. The main reason is because of the vibrato used in “When I am Laid to Earth” to show emotion. As for the tempo of the two, both are very slow.
3 – Describe the timbre and texture in both examples. (You need to know the word timbre – pronounced like”tamber,” not “timber.” Timbre and texture are different concepts).
The texture of “Gloria” I hear a choir, I understand the very high sopranos who add the beautiful ringing sound to the song as well as I hear the very low basses who add the rich tone to the song. For the other song, the singer’s voices are loud, and there are lots of vibratos, producing an exciting timbre that is very vivid and allows her to express the emotion of the song powerfully. The texture of this song is homophonic as the instrumentation, and her voice works together throughout the song.
4 – What is the purpose for which these compositions were composed, and did they satisfy this purpose? How? Why?
The purpose of “Gloria” is a prayer to God, thanking him, praising him, asking for forgiveness while glorifying the Lord in church. They most definitely satisfy this purpose because the song isn’t even in English, but when translated, it is all a prayer to God. As for “When I am Laid to Earth,” it is an aria meaning it was a song produced for one voice and most likely part of more significant work, such as a play in a theatre. This piece was also clearly a lament and would have a more definite meaning with more contexts behind it. Overall, both songs achieved their stated purpose.
5 – Of the two, which one did you prefer? Why?
Honestly, I wasn’t too fond of either, because of the slow tempo and lack of rhythmic impulse. Both were hard to get into because lyrics were hard to understand well without the context of the performance. If I had to choose the one I liked better, though, I would pick “When I am laid to Earth” only because it seemed to have more meaning behind it than a simple prayer-like anthem. Overall though, it definitely would be something I would go back and listen.