Music 2 Resource Kit – Listening Guide

Listening Guide to “Hectic Jacaranda” – Damien Ricketson

Section A

Bars : 1-20

Cells :  1-3

Cell structure : 1 1 1 1 1 1   2 1 2   2 2 2 2   3 2 3 2 3 3 3 

Notes

• Pipa and Classical Guitar are introduced, creating a monophonic texture as they never play simultaneously
• Static pitch on C# – Pipa and guitar play C# in different octaves and each remain on one pitch
• Consistent forte dynamic used throughout the section
• Compound time signature of 12/8 is introduced and remains consistent – Made clear by the initial repeated bar (cell 1) using both the pipa and guitar to play alternating phrases of six notes (to equal 12)
• The even rhythm is interrupted by new phrases which remain on the same two pitches (of each instrument) but create new rhythms to have more interaction between the two parts, with single notes being traded on certain beats
• Similar tone colour between the two instruments as both are acoustic stringed instruments, and both use plectrums to play the strings.

Section B

Bars : 21-32

Cells :  3, 4a/b

Cell structure : 3 4a 3 4b   3 4a 3 4b   4a 4b 4a 4b

Notes

• New cells of music are introduced to contrast the melodically static earlier phrases (cell 4 parts) – new cells use a mix of 3rds and 4ths in each instrument’s part, and create an overall angular melodic contour due to maintaining the separation of an octave or so between parts
• Some sense of a minor, even phrygian tonality in the melodic phrases, although this is obscured by the angular contours.
• The new phrases also include more back and forth rhythmic structure, several single notes trading between the parts with some groups of 3 notes in each part to maintain the 12/8 feel
• Structurally these new phrases are juxtaposed with the original earlier phrases until the new melodic phrases take over completely

Section C

Bars : 33-48

Cells :  4a/b, 5a/b, 6a/b

Cell structure : 5a 4a 5b 4b   5a b a b   5a 6a 5b 6b   6a b a b

Notes

• Forte dynamics, 12/8 time signature and monophonic texture continue
• New phrases introduced continue to obscure a sense of tonality due to the extreme angular contours, and the back and forth single note hocket effect between instruments
• Bar 42 onwards : new phrases (cell 6 parts) introduce piano dynamics, along with some chromatic tonality, and the register of the two instruments is brought much closer together which juxtaposes the roughly octave separation of prior passages
• Sense of pulse and beat, namely the 12/8 compound triplet feel, becomes hard to hear amongst the new phrases which use softer dynamics, complete single note by note hocket texture and which don’t use a high note to accent the start of bar

Section D

Bars : 49-64

Cells :  7, 8a/8b, 9a/9b

Cell structure : 7 7 7 7 7   8a 7 8b   8a b a b   9a b a b

Notes

• The main phrase repeated at the start of this section (cell 7) gives a strong sense of pulse and the 12/8 compound feel, as forte dynamics are used to accent the start of bars
• This opening repeated phrase uses groups of 3 quavers in each instrument which neatly fits into the 12/8 feel
• This section is highly chromatic. The opening repeated phrase uses a limited pitch set between the two parts, all notes within a semitone. Following phrases continue with the angular contours heard earlier in the piece, although maintain a limited range and pitch set
• Forte dynamics and Piano dynamics are used to create accents in many phrases. The guitar accents tend to stand out over the pipa and obscure the strong beats of the bar, making it hard to hear the pulse correctly.

Section E

Bars : 65-80

Cells :  9a/b, 10a/b, 11a/b, 12abcd

Cell structure : 

9a 10a 9b 10b    10a b   11a 10a 11b 10b   11a b    12 a b c d

Notes

• The phrases here mimic earlier passages of using some movements of 3rds and 4ths in the melodies, which is again hard to decipher amongst the angular contours between the two parts. 
• The parts continue to have very little relation melodically, other than in terms of rhythms which create a hocket and do not play simultaneously.
• Several bar long phrases in here create a highly chromatic feel as both instruments play notes in their own melodies which are all semitone movements (cell 11 parts)
• Dynamics continue with rapid changes between forte and piano to create accents and give the listener a weak sense of pulse.
• The interlocking rhythms between the two parts do not give a clear sense of compound 12/8 time or any kind of triplet/swing/shuffle feel typical of 12/8

Section F

Bars : 81-101

Cells :  13a/b, 14abcd, 15abcd

Cell structure : 

13a b a 14a   13b 14b c d   14a b c 15a   14d 15b c d   a b c d d

Notes

• The first new phrase (cell 13 parts) introduced here returns to the completely note by note trading/hocket effect heard earlier which further obscures the 12/8 time signature. 
• This new melody has both instruments starting in a similar register and moving outwards to different registers, continuing with a chromatic tonality, individual notes themselves seemingly unimportant compared to the overall contour.
• Another new phrase heard numerous times here (cell 14 parts), returns to the rhythmic feel of groups of 3 quavers clearly on the strong beat and making the 12/8 time easy to hear and to sense the pulse. These phrases also use a wide range between the two instruments, alternating low pipa melodies with high guitar melodies
• Dynamics become in creasingly varied, changing several times a bar to create accents with the rapid changes.
• By this late stage in the piece, it is clear that the homophonic, hocket texture of two instruments never playing simultaneously is consistent throughout.

Section G

Bars : 102-115

Cells :  16abcd, 17a/b, 18a/b, 19a/b

Cell structure : 

16 a b c d    17a b a b   18a b   18a 19a 18b 19b   

Notes

• This section retains some elements of the prior section, which are the juxtaposition of single note by note hocket phrases which make it hard to sense the pulse, with phrases that have the two instruments trading groups of 3 notes which makes clear the 12/8 time.
• Dynamics here are mostly piano with some forte used again for accents among the piano dynamic.
• The melodies used here remain largely chromatic, although each instrument seems to have it’s own sense of melody apart from the other, which ultimately creates the chromaticism and angular contour.

Section H

Bars : 116-135

Cells :  19a/b, 20a/b, 21a/b, 22, 23, 24

Cell structure : 

19a 20a 19b 20b    20a b 21a b   21a 22 21b 22   22 22 22 23   23 23 24 23

• The first passage alternates between cell 19, 20 and 21 parts which all maintain high variance in dynamics, again used as rhythmic accents in weak beats of the bar
• High melodic notes are used to further accent weak beats of the bar, and to stick out from the moderate pitch register used mainly by both instruments.
• Cell 22, first introduced at bar 125, brings back the groups of 3 quavers on strong beats rhythm heard many times earlier. Each instrument uses far more angular melodies and far wider intervals in their parts here than before. Again, these bars are alternated with the bars that do not give as strong of a sense of pulse.
• Cell 23, first introduced at bar 131, returns to the note by note hocket rhythm style, and uses melodies in the two parts which when combined create a tonal melodic ostinato, compared to the high chromaticism and disconnecting parts heard earlier throughout.
• Cell 24, first introduced at bar 134, mimics some of the opening phrases from the piece. Both instruments stay on a single pitch (the pipa is on a C# as per the intro and guitar uses an F#) with a rhythm that is similar, not exact, to the hocket phrase of cell 3.

Section I

Bars : 136-155

Cells :  24, 25, 26, 27, 28

Cell structure : 

24 24 25 25    27 25 26 25    26 25 26 24    26 27 26 27    28 27 28 28

Notes

• All cells of music used here mimic the style of cells 1, 2 and 3 from the intro to the piece. 
• They all have both instruments on a single pitch (various used, not only C# as per intro), and all cells except 24 are using rhythms directly taken from cells 1, 2 or 3.
• Dynamics here are mainly piano, to create a smooth texture and overall tone colour, compared to the use of forte to create unexpected accents in many earlier phrases.
• Cell 26 uses rhythm of cell 3, cell 27 uses rhythm of cell 2, and cell 28 uses rhythm of cell 1 to create a sense that the piece finishes by returning back along the path it started from.
• However the single pitches used in these cells are all different, to indicate a sense of narrative and development within the piece, instead of using cells 1-3 exactly as they were in reverse.
• The last several bars use an SF as an accent on the last of each six notes as opposed to accenting the start of the bar.
• By the end of the piece, it is clear that the overall structure is through composed. Although there are rhythmic structure motifs which get recycled with new pitches, the overall arc of the work does not show any larger sections in original or close to original form returning. Only on a micro level there are returning sections with bar long cells alternating between each other. All cells of music have their place in the piece, alternate back and forth with other cells for a longer passage or so, and are replaced by new music in a constant cycle.