AS Music Unit 3
Developing Musical Understanding
Vocal Music
John Tavener
The Lamb
Harmony & Tonality
Bars 1 to 6
What we will cover in this session
• Tavener The lamb harmony of verse 1
• Implied tonality & tonality
• Harmonic and melodic intervals
• Pitch organisation
• The Lamb: live performance
John Tavener
The Lamb
Harmony of Verse 1
Bar 1: implied tonality
Rigorously simple
Bar 1
F sharp
leading note
Tonal centre?
G
Implied key?
G major?
Why is there no
key signature?
The work is not
restricted to the
G major tonality
Tonality bar 2
G major
G tonal centre
E flat major
Tertiary relationship
Bitonal
Harmony bar 2: intervals
Melodic intervals
Dissonant
Consonant
Interval?
Interval?
Unison
Augmented 5th
Consonant
Consonant
Harmony bar 2: intervals
or
Dissonant
Interval?
Interval?
Major 3rd
Diminished 3rd
Dissonant
Consonant
Interval?
Unison
Harmony bar 2: intervals
Consonant
Dissonant
Consonant
Dissonant
Consonant
F sharp leading note to G (ascending)
A flat leading note to G (descending)
Intervals bar 3Bar 4 is the retrograde of bar 3 and so has theConsonant
same
Consonant
Bar 3
Dissonant
intervallic content of bar 3 only in reverse.
or
Dissonant
Dissonant
The important
feature of the two bars is that bar 3 starts on the G
tonal centre and closes on the upper leading note, A flat.
Consonant
Consonant
Consonant
Bar 4 therefore starts on the A flat upper leading note and
Closes on the G tonal centre. This is palindromic.
Major 3rd
Major 2nd
Augmented
2nd
Minor 3rd
Minor 3rd
Major 2nd
Intervals & tonality bar 3 & 4
Bar 4 is the retrograde of bar 3 and so has the same
intervallic content of bar 3 only in reverse.
The important feature of the two bars is that bar 3 starts on the G
tonal centre and closes on the upper leading note, A flat.
Bar 4 therefore starts on the A flat upper leading note and
Closes on the G tonal centre. This is palindromic.
Perfect symmetry
Bar 2
Harmony bar 5 & 6
Interval?
Interval?
Interval?
Interval?
Interval?
Interval?
Interval?
Unison
Aug. 5th
Maj 3rd
Dim. 3rd
Aug. 5th
Maj 3rd
Dim. 3rd
Intervals in retrograde
Harmony bar 5 & 6
Reduction of bars 5 & 6
Reveals chromatic modality
Crossing parts
John Tavener
The lamb
King’s College Choir
End