Duchess

Question 1

Rachel Portman

Answer 1

• Born in 1960 and educated at Charterhouse School and Oxford University
• Her early work included writing music for student film and theatre productions which led to television work including music for ‘Oranges are Not the Only Fruit’,
• Has since written music for over 100 films, most famously for ‘Chocolat’ and ‘Cider House Rules’
• She won an Oscar for her score for ‘Emma’ also awarded an OBE in 2010
• She has also written a children’s opera - ‘The Little Prince’

Question 2

The Duchess key facts

Answer 2

• 2008 film, directed by Saul Gibb, staring Kiera Knightley
• It was based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
• Set in the late 18th Century, the score includes movements by contemporary composers Beethoven and Haydn, as well as her own music

Question 3

Instrumentation of the work

Answer 3

• Portman uses a fairly limited orchestral palate. Using instruments that might have made up the orcehstra at the time in which the film was set (Classical period)

. Woodwind
. Horns and Trumpet
. Timpani
. Harp
. Piano
. Strings

Question 4

Texture of the work

Answer 4

• Textures dominated by the string section as they have most of the melodies

Question 5

Use of the instruments in the work

Answer 5

• A solo violin is used in ‘The Duchess’ (from bar 17) and in the corresponding sections in ‘Six Years Later’ and ‘End Titles’
• The harp is used as an accompanying instrument throughout, playing quaver figures (The Duchess) or arpeggio figures (Mistake of your life)
• The piano plays a prominent part in the middle section of ‘Mistake Of Your life’ playing a mid-range melody over upward arpeggio figures
• Timpani are used to provide an ostinato pedal in ‘Misake Of Your Life’
• Horns and woodwind are used to provide harmonic filling/doubling. There is very little use of individual brass or woodwind timbres for important melodic ideas.
• Most of the writing is restrained and non-virtuosic, avoiding extremes of range and dynamics

Question 6

Describe the Rhythm, tempo and metre in “The Duchess”

Answer 6

• 4/4 at 120, However, the note values suggest a slow tempo, heard in minims here.
• Regular, clear pulse
• Few syncopations in melody (but accompaniment does use some)
• Quaver ostinato rhythm is uses extensivley

Question 7

Describe the Rhythm, tempo and metre in “Mistake Of Your Life”

Answer 7

• Slow 3/4 at 66
• Clear pulse from bar 19 onwards. Bars 1-18 are very slow moving and pulse is not clear
• Repeated rhythms in both A and B ideas give structure and unity

Question 8

Describe the structure in The Duchess

Answer 8

• Uses 3 ideas, all in D major

Bars:

1-16 (String melody with harp/string quaver accompaniment)

17-34 (Violin Solo)

35-43 (solo violin plays ideas based on bars 12-13)

Question 9

Describe the structure in Mistake of your life

Answer 9

Introduction (bars 1-18)
A section (19-34)
B section (35-42)
C section (35-36) developed from bar 2

Question 10

Describe the melody in “Six years later”

Answer 10

• Triadic ideas

- Decorated at time with chromatic lower auxiliary notes (bar 6)

Question 11

Describe the melody in Never see your children again

Answer 11

• Slow, rising stepwide idea

- ‘Rocking’ quaver figures throughout

Question 12

Describe the texture of the work

Answer 12

• Mainly homophonic textures, supporting the melody
• Ostinato textures used:
  . Quaver fifth accompaniment in ‘The Duchess’
  . Timpani texture at opening of ‘Mistake of Your Life’
• Pedal texutres - tonic bass pedal bass 17-34 in ‘The Duchess’