Sunday Morning Revival PDF - Kevin Olson

Sunday morning revival Kevin Olson Title This piece is a representation of a “gospel” style of church music that is particularly associated with the southern states of the USA. The faithful who attend the church service are th...

Sunday morning revival Kevin Olson Title This piece is a representation of a “gospel” style of church music that is particularly associated with the southern states of the USA. The faithful who attend the church service are thought to have undergone a spiritual revival. Key Sunday morning revival is in the key of F major, using bluesy harmonies. In gospel and blues music, the 3rd and 7th notes of the scale may be flattened. So, in this piece, Af and Ef are often used, in addition to A and E, without changing the key. There is no modulation. Form Sunday morning revival consists of a slow introduction followed by two verses. SECTION: Introduction Verse 1 Verse 2 BARS: 1-9 9-25 25-46 MAIN KEY: F major Signs and terms (Italian and English) rubato means with expressive rhythmic freedom (i.e. not in strict time). con pedale means with sustaining pedal, at the performer’s discretion. g indicates an arpeggio (i.e. the notes of the chord are to be played one after another). A pause or fermata (U) means hold for longer than the written value. poco riten[uto] means hold back the speed a little (i.e. immediately a little slower). “Driving swing” means that paired quavers would be played unevenly (i.e. [ep ]r ), with a strong and constant underlying crotchet beat. q = c[irc]a 144 indicates a suggested speed of around 144 crotchet beats per minute. > (accent) means emphasise the note;. (staccato) means short and detached. - (tenuto) means hold and slightly emphasise the note. A caesura (//) indicates a slight break. æ indicates a tremolo (a rapid alternation between two notes or chords). Style This piece is in a 20th-century gospel style, characterised by: predominantly major keys, conveying a sense of joy, though also using flattened (i.e. minor) 3rds and 7ths. uplifting bluesy harmonies, including 7th and 9th chords, with some “blue note” clashes (e.g. 3rd beat of b.5). catchy melodies, often based on a pentatonic scale (i.e. 5-notes, F-G-A[f]-C-D). driving swing rhythms (i.e. [ep ]r , with a strong and constant underlying crotchet beat). syncopated (i.e. off-beat) accents. keyboard effects such as arpeggios, tremolos and bass walk-ups (linking two chords). improvisation (intro and ending) and call and response effects (start of each verse). Copyright © 2018 by R. A. Hamilton Prepared for Bek Fischer. Order: 56057  Background information (exploring the piece further) Composer Kevin Olson is an American pianist, composer and teacher. He was born in Utah in 1970, and began composing at the age of five. He is currently a member of the piano faculty at Utah State University. He has written many pieces for student pianists.1 Olson’s contemporaries include Wynn-Anne Rossi, Sonny Chua, Elissa Milne and Mike Springer. Analysis Church hymns are usually strophic songs (i.e. repeating the same music for each verse). An underlying strophic structure is evident in this piece, but in keeping with the exuberant gospel style, the second verse contains some variations. The introduction provides a hint of the verse, without quoting it directly. b.1-9 Introduction, F major, in a free, almost improvisatory style, based on the second half of the verse. The bass line and chord progressions are very similar to bars 18-25. The melody uses similar pitches to bars 18-25, but usually in a substantially different rhythm, except for b.5, which is very similar to b.22. In gospel and blues music, the 3rd and 7th notes of the major scale may be flattened, without changing the key. In this passage, the 7th note is always flattened (Ef), and the 3rd note is sometimes flattened (Af or Gs). The melody is based on a pentatonic scale (F-G-A[f]-C-D). Bf and Ef are not used in the melody line, although they are used in the accompaniment. 9-25 Verse 1, F major. Bars 9-14 are in “call and response” style, with the calls perhaps suggesting the band or keyboard, and the single line responses suggesting the choir. The calls consist of a series of major chords, rising by semitones to the tonic. Both call and response are syncopated, containing off-beat accents, as well as rests or tied notes on strong beats. There is a brief hint of C major (the dominant key, with a bluesy flattened 3rd) in b.16, but this key is never fully established. Apart from b.16, the melody is entirely based on the F pentatonic scale, with both A and Af/Gs used according to the gospel/blues style. Bars 15-25 mostly dispense with the call and response style (i.e. the melody and bass are heard together now, rather than in alternation). The harmony contains jazzy 7th and 9th chords (e.g. G-Bn-D-F-Af in b.23). The bass line rises, mostly by semitones, in b.19-22, and the melody also gradually rises in pitch. The climactic pitch of the verse (3rd beat of b.22) is given special prominence due to the “blue note” clash in the harmony (i.e. Fn and Fs heard simultaneously). This chord initi- ates a “circle of 5ths” chord progression in b.22-23 (indicated by the bass notes: D-G-C), which leads strongly to the tonic in b.24. 25-46 Verse 2, F major. This verse follows a similar harmonic plan to the first verse. There are significant variations in the treble responses in bars 26, 28, etc., which now contain 3-note chords, descending by step to the tonic each time. Bars 32-33 and 35-39 contain only slight changes (compared to bars 16-17 and 19-23), but the final tonic note and tonic chord are delayed by repetition (b.40-43) and a short improvisatory-style cadenza (b.43-44). The song ends with a typical gospel cadential 7 7 progression, IV -I (a type of plagal cadence) in b.44-46. 1 For further information about the composer, see www.fjhmusic.com/composer/kolson.htm. Copyright © 2018 by R. A. Hamilton Prepared for Bek Fischer. Order: 56057