Anatomy of a Composition – Fascination with You For A Variety of Instruments
The “Anatomy of a Composition” series of articles is for anyone interested in the composition process, or for Music Theory teachers and students. These articles will supply enough information to understand the basic elements of the song, while allowing for independent study of the particulars of each element. If you need more information, please Contact Us. We’re always glad to help people learn about composing and arranging.
This article contains some technical music theory terms. If you need help remembering a term or two, there is a glossary of terms at the end. There may be more definitions than you need.
This month’s song is Fascination With You. Usually, a composition, especially for a solo instrument, is confined to a single instrument. However, as I tried different instrument sounds, I discovered that this song lends itself well to a variety of instruments, both wind and string. So, I spent some time arranging it for a variety of instruments, sometimes transposing by octaves so that all the instruments would sound their best and not have to stretch or sound unappealing.
Click HERE to go to the Salt Cellar web page with info about Fascination With You. There, you’ll find links to the YouTube video, print samples and purchase options for the variety of instruments available. And, if you don’t see your instrument, please CONTACT US, and we’ll develop one for you.
History and Reason for Name: This piece was originally just for trumpet, having been inspired by a recital piece I had played in college called Romance in E Flat by Leroy Ostransky. It is a schmaltzy tune with a number of jazz and blues elements. It’s not difficult to play, just a bit tricky. But, there were a few thigs about it that I didn’t like, so I decided to write such a tune for myself.
Key Choice: Fascination With You is in the key of concert Bb. I chose this key because it centers the melody just above the middle of the staff, allowing for the lower notes to still be somewhat bright and the higher notes to be bright without being shrill. Also, I wrote it for me to play, and C is just about the easiest key in which to play for a trumpet.
Time Signature Choice: As I mentioned above, the Romance in E flat has a few elements that I don’t like. One of them is that it’s in 4/4 time. For me, that’s not a very romantic time signature. The best meter for a romantic song is 6/8. The time signature of 4/4 might be a good romantic meter if it’s a slower, folk-style song. Still, I chose 6/8 for the more passionate feel.
Chord Structure: I won’t reveal all of the chord progressions, but the piece is packed with jazz chords, suspended modal insertions, false cadences, and an unusual set of suspensions that could be called false cadences as well.
In the example below, you can see that the chord progression quickly goes I, Isus2, Isus4, I and repeat. Then it goes to IVm7, Vsus4, V. Meanwhile, the melody weaves its way around the piano part with some intentional half step dissonances as passing tones.
In the next example below, you can see another quasi-modal insertion. The melody is on a concert F. Meanwhile, the chords are a flat III7, then a IV7, with the 7s being added as a walking bass line. The last two measures are a flat VIsus4 that resolves to a flat VI, followed by a Vsus4 that resolves to a V. As the music repeats, the V chord acts as a true dominant chord to the I chord at the beginning of the melody line. When the music goes on after the repeat, the melody makes a perfectly smooth transition to the new, temporary, key center. In this instance, what would normally be a true cadence now acts as a false cadence, but with no artistic repercussions.
Here’s one more example to demonstrate the hidden intricacies of the piece. Below, you see a few measures after the repeat sign, where the key center has been temporarily shifted. The melody needs to get back to the original key center. Here’s how it’s done, using a secondary dominant as the final “push” to the original key.
Form and Description: Fascination With You might be considered a micro-Sonata. It consists of the A section, which is repeated verbatim, an Aʹ section which is the A section in a new, temporary, key center, with a few added passing and escape tones, etc. This could be the end of the exposition section of the micro-Sonata.
This section ends with a cadence that brings it back to the original key center. The next section is an Aʹʹ since it’s the main theme with a lot more development. It’s followed by a B section, the chords of which are a variation on a modal phrase found in Bach’s Cantata and Fugue in D minor. It ends with another cadence of suspended flat VI and its resolution followed by a suspended V and its resolution.
That suspension cadence returns the piece to the original key center and a final statement of the theme, with a few added bits for interest.
Secret(s) in it: There aren’t any real secrets in this piece as there are in others – No borrowed chord structures or purely academic activities. The main theoretical secret is that, despite all of the jazz chords, false cadences and odd chord movement, the strongest cadences are still the true cadences, even if they aren’t voiced exactly right. This gives the piece the distinction of being a work of art, and not merely a piece of music since it contains Beauty and Power – Tension and Release. For more on what it takes for music to be considered art, see my Blog Article entitled What Is Music? Is It Art?
Fascination With You is a great piece for Intermediate music students, both the solo parts and the piano accompaniment are of an Intermediate skill level.
When a teacher and a student play together, the student learns more about the skill involved in playing music in general, more than just counting and correct notes. And since the piano accompaniment is not-so-hard, the teacher can play it (if that’s appropriate) and be able to “conduct” the student through any difficult spots.
When two students play together, they encourage each other and provide moral support for each other. They also learn how to react and respond to other musicians.
Salt Cellar Creations has a growing library of original works and arrangements that not only sound great when you, your students or ensemble plays them, but are equally suited to music theory analysis. Find out more about the available music Salt Cellar Creations HERE.
SCC can also compose an original piece for you or do a custom arrangement for you. There are two ways that this can be done; one is much more affordable than the other. And SCC is always looking for ideas of pieces to arrange or suggestions for original pieces.
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