Canary PAU Music Analysis II cheat sheet

Clef reading rules: treble clef fixes G4 on the second line from the bottom; bass clef fixes F3 on the fourth line; alto clef fixes C4 on the middle line; tenor clef fixes C4 on the fourth line.

Interval quality decision rule: count diatonic steps first (unison, 2nd…octave), then compare semitones with the major/perfect reference; one semitone less = minor or diminished, one more = augmented.

Metre classification: simple metres divide the beat into 2 (2/4, 3/4, 4/4); compound metres divide the beat into 3 (6/8, 9/8, 12/8); irregular metres mix groupings (5/8 = 3+2 or 2+3).

Rhythmic devices to name in commentary: syncopation (stress off the beat), hemiola (3:2 regrouping, typical of 6/8 vs 3/4), augmentation (values doubled), diminution (values halved).

Melodic contour vocabulary: conjunct (stepwise) vs disjunct (leaps); arch, descending, ascending, undulating; ambitus = total range; tessitura = prevailing register.

Harmonic reduction procedure: label bass note, then chord quality and inversion (figured bass 6, 6/4, 7, 6/5, 4/3, 4/2), then function (T, S, D) in the prevailing key.

Texture types: monophony (single line), homophony (chordal or melody-plus-accompaniment), polyphony (independent simultaneous lines), heterophony (simultaneous variants of one line), antiphony (alternating groups).

Timbre descriptors must be tied to evidence: instrumentation, playing technique (arco, pizzicato, sul ponticello, flutter-tongue), register, dynamics and articulation written in the score.

Score-reading order: clefs and key signature, tempo and character marking, metre, then phrase-by-phrase texture, dynamics and instrumentation before drawing formal conclusions.

Functional syntax in common practice: tonic (I, i, VI in minor) → subdominant/pre-dominant (IV, ii, VI) → dominant (V, V7, vii°6) → tonic; retrogressions (D→S) are marked as such in commentary.

Cadence decision rules: perfect authentic (V–I, both in root position, soprano on tonic); imperfect authentic (V–I with inversion or 3rd/5th in soprano); half (ends on V); plagal (IV–I); deceptive (V–vi).

Phrase labels: antecedent (ends with half cadence or imperfect authentic) + consequent (ends with perfect authentic) form a period; a sentence = presentation (basic idea + repetition) then continuation (fragmentation, cadence).

Modulation methods: pivot chord (diatonic in both keys), chromatic pivot (e.g. common-tone diminished seventh), direct/phrase modulation (new key at a phrase boundary), and tonicisation of a degree by its own dominant.

Key-area plan of a sonata movement: first theme group in tonic, transition (often modulating), second theme group in dominant (or relative major in minor keys), closing section, development, recapitulation with second group in tonic.

Sequence and circle-of-fifths progressions: descending-fifths root motion (vi–ii–V–I) is the standard engine of prolongation; a sequence repeats a model at a new pitch level and must be identified by interval of transposition.

Thematic development operations: motivic fragmentation, inversion, retrograde, augmentation, diminution, stretto, pedal point, and liquidation (removal of motivic profile before a cadence).

Rondo and binary/ternary schemes: ABACA rondo with refrain in tonic; rounded binary (||: A :||: B A' :||); simple ternary ABA; identify the scheme from tonal closure, not from letter count alone.

Minor-key markers: raised leading note (harmonic minor) in dominant-function chords, Picardy third at a final cadence, and Neapolitan sixth (bII6) as a pre-dominant colouring.

Non-diatonic scale resources: whole-tone (6 pitches, no leading note, symmetrical), octatonic (alternating semitone–tone, 8 pitches, 3 transpositions), pentatonic (5 pitches), and modes of limited transposition (Messiaen's seven).

Set-theory basics: reduce a motive to pitch classes (0–11), transpose to normal order, then to prime form; interval vector [a b c d e f] counts interval classes 1–6; Z-related pairs share a vector but differ in content.

Serial technique checks: a twelve-tone row must state all twelve pitch classes once; operations are P (prime), R (retrograde), I (inversion), RI (retrograde-inversion), each transposable to 12 levels; combinatoriality pairs rows whose hexachords complete the aggregate.

Atonal versus tonal criteria: absence of a diatonic key centre and of dominant–tonic resolution; identify instead axes of symmetry, pedal points, recurring interval cells (e.g. minor third, tritone) and registral framing.

Rhythmic procedures of the period: additive metre (Bartók, Stravinsky), changing metres written bar by bar, ostinato and isorhythmic layering, metric modulation (old subdivision becomes new beat), and proportional tempo relationships.

Textural procedures: Klangfarbenmelodie (timbre as melodic parameter), pointillism (isolated events across registers), micropolyphony (dense canonic web), sound-mass clusters, and aleatory or graphic notation.

Extended instrumental techniques to name from the score: sul ponticello, col legno, harmonics, multiphonics, prepared piano, flutter-tongue, and vocal sprechgesang.

Formal strategies without tonal closure: arch form, process form (gradual transformation), moment form, mobile/open form, and collage or quotation; justify the label from the score's own repetitions and transformations.

Harmonic vocabulary of the century: quartal and quintal chords, added-note and extended tertian chords (9th, 11th, 13th), polychords, and pandiatonicism (diatonic pitches without functional progression).

Chronological anchors: Renaissance c.1450–1600; Baroque c.1600–1750; Classical c.1750–1820; Romantic c.1820–1900; modernism c.1900–1975; post-1975 includes spectralism, minimalism and polystylism.

Genre–function pairs: mass and motet for liturgy; madrigal and chanson for secular courtly circles; concerto and suite for court and public concert; symphony and string quartet for the emerging public concert and domestic chamber music.

Baroque markers: basso continuo, figured bass, terraced dynamics, ritornello form, dance suite movements (allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue), and affect-based expression.

Classical markers: periodic phrase structure, sonata form, string quartet as elevated chamber genre, public subscription concerts, and the composer as independent professional.

Romantic markers: expanded orchestra, chromatic harmony and delayed resolution, programme music and symphonic poem, character pieces for piano, and nationalism via folk-derived material.

Twentieth-century contexts to cite: Second Viennese School and serialism; neoclassicism between the wars; Soviet socialist realism and its constraints; Darmstadt post-war avant-garde; spectralism and minimalism after 1970.

Notation and performance-practice evidence: figured bass implies improvised realisation; Baroque ornaments are realised from the sign; nineteenth-century tempo markings relate to the metronome; recording-era scores may fix timings.

Composer–work attribution caution: attribute a work only when the source is certain; otherwise describe style markers (scoring, harmonic language, formal plan) and mark the attribution as provisional.

Standard commentary structure: context (composer, date, genre, forces) → formal map with bar numbers → harmonic and motivic detail → texture and timbre → conclusion linking means to expressive effect.

Every analytical claim needs a locator: bar numbers, rehearsal marks, or a named section; claims without a locator are treated as unsupported.

Terminology precision rules: use 'modulation' only for a change of key confirmed by cadence or prolonged dominant; use 'tonicisation' for a brief local emphasis; use 'chromaticism' for inflected pitches within a key.

Cadence and function labels must be justified by the actual chord succession quoted, not by the phrase's position alone; state the key of reference for each label.

Personal judgement must be argued: state the observation, the musical evidence, and the effect claimed (e.g. 'the delayed tonic in bars 40–48 sustains tension because the dominant pedal is held for eight bars').

Comparisons should be organised by parameter (melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, timbre), not by work, so that contrasts are explicit and parallel.

Avoid impressionistic vocabulary without technical anchor: replace 'beautiful' or 'emotional' with the parameter and device that produce the effect.

Written accuracy checklist: consistent work titles and catalogue numbers, correct clef and transposition awareness for transposing instruments, and agreement between the formal diagram and the prose.

Clef reading rules: treble clef fixes G4 on the second line from the bottom; bass clef fixes F3 on the fourth line; alto clef fixes C4 on the middle line; tenor clef fixes C4 on the fourth line.

Interval quality decision rule: count diatonic steps first (unison, 2nd…octave), then compare semitones with the major/perfect reference; one semitone less = minor or diminished, one more = augmented.

Metre classification: simple metres divide the beat into 2 (2/4, 3/4, 4/4); compound metres divide the beat into 3 (6/8, 9/8, 12/8); irregular metres mix groupings (5/8 = 3+2 or 2+3).

Rhythmic devices to name in commentary: syncopation (stress off the beat), hemiola (3:2 regrouping, typical of 6/8 vs 3/4), augmentation (values doubled), diminution (values halved).

Melodic contour vocabulary: conjunct (stepwise) vs disjunct (leaps); arch, descending, ascending, undulating; ambitus = total range; tessitura = prevailing register.

Harmonic reduction procedure: label bass note, then chord quality and inversion (figured bass 6, 6/4, 7, 6/5, 4/3, 4/2), then function (T, S, D) in the prevailing key.

Texture types: monophony (single line), homophony (chordal or melody-plus-accompaniment), polyphony (independent simultaneous lines), heterophony (simultaneous variants of one line), antiphony (alternating groups).

Timbre descriptors must be tied to evidence: instrumentation, playing technique (arco, pizzicato, sul ponticello, flutter-tongue), register, dynamics and articulation written in the score.

Score-reading order: clefs and key signature, tempo and character marking, metre, then phrase-by-phrase texture, dynamics and instrumentation before drawing formal conclusions.

Functional syntax in common practice: tonic (I, i, VI in minor) → subdominant/pre-dominant (IV, ii, VI) → dominant (V, V7, vii°6) → tonic; retrogressions (D→S) are marked as such in commentary.

Cadence decision rules: perfect authentic (V–I, both in root position, soprano on tonic); imperfect authentic (V–I with inversion or 3rd/5th in soprano); half (ends on V); plagal (IV–I); deceptive (V–vi).

Phrase labels: antecedent (ends with half cadence or imperfect authentic) + consequent (ends with perfect authentic) form a period; a sentence = presentation (basic idea + repetition) then continuation (fragmentation, cadence).

Modulation methods: pivot chord (diatonic in both keys), chromatic pivot (e.g. common-tone diminished seventh), direct/phrase modulation (new key at a phrase boundary), and tonicisation of a degree by its own dominant.

Key-area plan of a sonata movement: first theme group in tonic, transition (often modulating), second theme group in dominant (or relative major in minor keys), closing section, development, recapitulation with second group in tonic.

Sequence and circle-of-fifths progressions: descending-fifths root motion (vi–ii–V–I) is the standard engine of prolongation; a sequence repeats a model at a new pitch level and must be identified by interval of transposition.

Thematic development operations: motivic fragmentation, inversion, retrograde, augmentation, diminution, stretto, pedal point, and liquidation (removal of motivic profile before a cadence).

Rondo and binary/ternary schemes: ABACA rondo with refrain in tonic; rounded binary (||: A :||: B A' :||); simple ternary ABA; identify the scheme from tonal closure, not from letter count alone.

Minor-key markers: raised leading note (harmonic minor) in dominant-function chords, Picardy third at a final cadence, and Neapolitan sixth (bII6) as a pre-dominant colouring.

Non-diatonic scale resources: whole-tone (6 pitches, no leading note, symmetrical), octatonic (alternating semitone–tone, 8 pitches, 3 transpositions), pentatonic (5 pitches), and modes of limited transposition (Messiaen's seven).

Set-theory basics: reduce a motive to pitch classes (0–11), transpose to normal order, then to prime form; interval vector [a b c d e f] counts interval classes 1–6; Z-related pairs share a vector but differ in content.

Serial technique checks: a twelve-tone row must state all twelve pitch classes once; operations are P (prime), R (retrograde), I (inversion), RI (retrograde-inversion), each transposable to 12 levels; combinatoriality pairs rows whose hexachords complete the aggregate.

Atonal versus tonal criteria: absence of a diatonic key centre and of dominant–tonic resolution; identify instead axes of symmetry, pedal points, recurring interval cells (e.g. minor third, tritone) and registral framing.

Rhythmic procedures of the period: additive metre (Bartók, Stravinsky), changing metres written bar by bar, ostinato and isorhythmic layering, metric modulation (old subdivision becomes new beat), and proportional tempo relationships.

Textural procedures: Klangfarbenmelodie (timbre as melodic parameter), pointillism (isolated events across registers), micropolyphony (dense canonic web), sound-mass clusters, and aleatory or graphic notation.

Extended instrumental techniques to name from the score: sul ponticello, col legno, harmonics, multiphonics, prepared piano, flutter-tongue, and vocal sprechgesang.

Formal strategies without tonal closure: arch form, process form (gradual transformation), moment form, mobile/open form, and collage or quotation; justify the label from the score's own repetitions and transformations.

Harmonic vocabulary of the century: quartal and quintal chords, added-note and extended tertian chords (9th, 11th, 13th), polychords, and pandiatonicism (diatonic pitches without functional progression).

Chronological anchors: Renaissance c.1450–1600; Baroque c.1600–1750; Classical c.1750–1820; Romantic c.1820–1900; modernism c.1900–1975; post-1975 includes spectralism, minimalism and polystylism.

Genre–function pairs: mass and motet for liturgy; madrigal and chanson for secular courtly circles; concerto and suite for court and public concert; symphony and string quartet for the emerging public concert and domestic chamber music.

Baroque markers: basso continuo, figured bass, terraced dynamics, ritornello form, dance suite movements (allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue), and affect-based expression.

Classical markers: periodic phrase structure, sonata form, string quartet as elevated chamber genre, public subscription concerts, and the composer as independent professional.

Romantic markers: expanded orchestra, chromatic harmony and delayed resolution, programme music and symphonic poem, character pieces for piano, and nationalism via folk-derived material.

Twentieth-century contexts to cite: Second Viennese School and serialism; neoclassicism between the wars; Soviet socialist realism and its constraints; Darmstadt post-war avant-garde; spectralism and minimalism after 1970.

Notation and performance-practice evidence: figured bass implies improvised realisation; Baroque ornaments are realised from the sign; nineteenth-century tempo markings relate to the metronome; recording-era scores may fix timings.

Composer–work attribution caution: attribute a work only when the source is certain; otherwise describe style markers (scoring, harmonic language, formal plan) and mark the attribution as provisional.

Standard commentary structure: context (composer, date, genre, forces) → formal map with bar numbers → harmonic and motivic detail → texture and timbre → conclusion linking means to expressive effect.

Every analytical claim needs a locator: bar numbers, rehearsal marks, or a named section; claims without a locator are treated as unsupported.

Terminology precision rules: use 'modulation' only for a change of key confirmed by cadence or prolonged dominant; use 'tonicisation' for a brief local emphasis; use 'chromaticism' for inflected pitches within a key.

Cadence and function labels must be justified by the actual chord succession quoted, not by the phrase's position alone; state the key of reference for each label.

Personal judgement must be argued: state the observation, the musical evidence, and the effect claimed (e.g. 'the delayed tonic in bars 40–48 sustains tension because the dominant pedal is held for eight bars').

Comparisons should be organised by parameter (melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, timbre), not by work, so that contrasts are explicit and parallel.

Avoid impressionistic vocabulary without technical anchor: replace 'beautiful' or 'emotional' with the parameter and device that produce the effect.

Written accuracy checklist: consistent work titles and catalogue numbers, correct clef and transposition awareness for transposing instruments, and agreement between the formal diagram and the prose.