Deane – Seachanges

The Work and Related Definitions

The background to this work has many layers. The melody came to Raymond Deane when he was
walking on a beach in Sligo. He also thought of the melody again while in Mexico and decided to
merge the two.

The work has many influences:

Mexico – Deane was influenced by the Mexicans preoccupation with death. The use of the Danse
Macabre and dies irae music (Comes from catholic mass for the dead). He also uses instruments
that are found in Mexican mariachi music (guitar, marimba, guiro and maracas)

The ocean – the ocean had a major impact on Deane’s compositional techniques – there are a lot
of changes to time signature in the section. This is to represent the changing tides in the
pacific and Atlantic Ocean.

Twentieth century music:

By the time the 20th Century had came along – musicians felt as though they had exhausted all
routes in terms of ‘new music’ (see how each of these set works are innovative in their own
ways?)

20th century composers decided that they were going to move away from traditional ways of
organizing music (example: tone, form, harmony , instrumentation etc) As a result of this..
features of 20th Century music include:

 Abandoning tonality (major and minor keys were gone)

 Using new and different instrumental techniques

 Making up of new forms

 Using new composition techniques

 Coming up with new ways of organising music (note cells, 12 tone rows)

Atonality

Music that is not based on a major or minor scale is atonal

In most sections of the piece there is one note which occurs frequently or is used to accompany
the melody – this is called the tonal centre or anchor note.

Instruments in Sea Changes

The piece is written for five instruments – known as a quintet. These included piccolo, flute,
piano, violin, cello and percussion (maracas, cymbals, marimba, tambourine, gong, bass drum, guiro
and rain stick)
Form:

Instrumental techniques

Compositional Techniques

 Subtraction – when a melody note is repeated each time a note of the melody is taken
away

 Augmentation – when note values are lengthened (a melody wrote in crotchets and
quavers is now written using minims and crotchets)

 Diminution – When note values are shortened

 Inversion – a mirror image of the melody is played. The notes are flipped upside down.

***** ITS SO IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE IN COMPOSITIONAL AND

INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUES******