Project 9: Descants

Overall I found this exercise a lot easier than exercise 8. I think this was because you didn't have to pay such close attention to what the different parts were doing as there were only 2 and you didn't have to work to a prescribed chord sequence; it might just have been that the melody was already written so I didn't have to start from scratch.


Quem Patores

I wrote this with an oboe playing the melody and a flute playing the descant. I left the oboe melody with no articulation markings as I wanted to mimic a singer with a syllable on every note. The flute, on the other hand, has a much more legato melody.

You Gentlemen of England

I wrote this with an oboe again playing the melody, but this time with a clarinet playing the descant. I wrote it for an A clarinet since the key signature was A Major. The clarinet descant mimics the oboe melody but then becomes more elaborate. This time both parts have legato lines except bar 7 for the oboe; this creates a nice contrast, as the clarinet interjections at the end of each section.

Na haste do castanheiro

I wrote this with a clarinet playing the melody and a bassoon playing the descant. I wrote it for an A clarinet since the key signature was D Major. I think using the bassoon provides an effective counter-melody, though it makes it difficult to set up the cadence at the end as you expect the bass line to lead it. The accents in the clarinet part are to give it a 1 in a bar feel whilst the bassoon gives accents to the other beats. The bassoon part, in particular, is detached and bouncy.