Musical Analysis of ‘Festival Overture on Australian Themes’
This analysis of ‘Festival Overture on Australian Themes’ written by Colin Brumby in 1981; will use the knowledge of the musical elements to explore how Brumby has created each of the characters in ‘Festival Overture on Australian Themes’ and how all of the themes in the piece have been linked together to create the work.
The intro of the piece ‘Festival Overture on Australian Themes’ is uncertain in tonality, starting with a flourish of notes for six bars, using woodwinds and strings, over bass tritones that go lower, coming to a rest on B, the dominant of E.
The first subject; theme A, is a song called ‘Jim Jones’. It is written in E minor. The piece has a very easy flowing melody which is in 6/8 time. It is heard firstly on a solo bassoon, with music written in tenor clef. The melody is then passed on to violin and flute, with violas and cellos doing a running semiquaver accompaniment. The them has a thin texture, contributing to the calm and undisturbed character of the theme. The song Jim Jones is about a convict that is being sent overseas to Australia from England. Listening to that gloomy feel of the piece, it would seem that the convict was very unhappy to go.
The Transition goes from bars 61 – 90, it is a passage of modulation between ‘Jim Jones’ and ‘The Lime Juice Tub.’ It has a Forte dynamic and has a very thick orchestral texture. It links the two themes together by changing gradually from the feeling of Jim Jones into the pleasant theme of The Lime Juice Tub. The transition ends on the dominant chord of G, with a break before starting the second subject, which is shown in the score.
The second subject; theme B1, is a piece called ‘The Lime Juice Tub’ which is written in G major, the relative of E minor. The pleasant theme is first played on upper strings, playing together in harmony for a thinner sound, the melody is then passed on to the oboes, playing a variation, with a syncopated chordal accompaniment played by lower woodwinds. A
The intro of the piece ‘Festival Overture on Australian Themes’ is uncertain in tonality, starting with a flourish of notes for six bars, using woodwinds and strings, over bass tritones that go lower, coming to a rest on B, the dominant of E.
The first subject; theme A, is a song called ‘Jim Jones’. It is written in E minor. The piece has a very easy flowing melody which is in 6/8 time. It is heard firstly on a solo bassoon, with music written in tenor clef. The melody is then passed on to violin and flute, with violas and cellos doing a running semiquaver accompaniment. The them has a thin texture, contributing to the calm and undisturbed character of the theme. The song Jim Jones is about a convict that is being sent overseas to Australia from England. Listening to that gloomy feel of the piece, it would seem that the convict was very unhappy to go.
The Transition goes from bars 61 – 90, it is a passage of modulation between ‘Jim Jones’ and ‘The Lime Juice Tub.’ It has a Forte dynamic and has a very thick orchestral texture. It links the two themes together by changing gradually from the feeling of Jim Jones into the pleasant theme of The Lime Juice Tub. The transition ends on the dominant chord of G, with a break before starting the second subject, which is shown in the score.
The second subject; theme B1, is a piece called ‘The Lime Juice Tub’ which is written in G major, the relative of E minor. The pleasant theme is first played on upper strings, playing together in harmony for a thinner sound, the melody is then passed on to the oboes, playing a variation, with a syncopated chordal accompaniment played by lower woodwinds. A