Bernstein – Something’ Coming
Style: Musical
Song from the musical West side story
Composed in the 1950s
Instrumentation: Written for a big orchestra with character Tony singing the solo part.
Tempo: Fast tempo (176 bpm), creates sense of anticipation and excitement.
Key: D major (sounds happy)
Rhythm:
The piece has lots of cross rhythms
Time signature 3 /4 but feels like 6/8
Accented off beats (creates sense of excitement)
Short repeated phrases
Syncopated rhythms
Melody:
Short phrases
Some accented notes (creates sense of excitement)
Catchy melody lines
Use of tritone (interval of two notes that are three whole tones, sounds evil and scary). This is used to
show that underneath the anticipation and excitement, something bad is happening.
Tritones are used in the harmonies as appoggiaturas (notes that clashes with the chord).
Song ends on the lyrics ‘maybe tonight’, on a long held note. There is no cadence.
Imitation between instruments e.g. oboe and flute imitating the sung lyric ‘to....night’.
Word tonight. Interval 5th.
Lyrics are Half- whispered / half sung e.g. could it be’ (creates a sense of excitement)
Dynamics
Use of crescendo (builds up excitement)
Start of the piece is Tony sings pp (pianissimo: very quietly)
Music fades out in the end / diminuendo
Texture
Cross rhythms
The music style Jazz has influenced the music of the song.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Other notes: solo character song, simple structure, written for a big orchestra, use of Latin
American rhythms and instruments to reflect the background of the Puerto Rican gang.