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******

Analysis

Introduction (Bars 1- 20) 0:00 – 1:47

 The introduction is based on the three note cell – G,A,C

 Shrill notes are used – create harsh Mexican sun.

 Strings Harmonise – while piano and percussion play two octaves higher than written.
Piccolo also introduced.

 Deane uses a mix of bars of music with different time signatures and bars of silence
to create an uneasy effect in the music.

 A single note G is played – the crotales are introduced.

 The music having changed time signatures six different times it now settles into
7/4.

 A new note is introduced on the piano – A Flat.

 Descending chords begin on G based on an inversion of the three-note cell. The new
A flat is also added. A sustained G on the cello is heard.

 This is followed by an A on the strings and percussion is added.

 A restless rhythm (Low G) is heard on violin, this brings the introduction to a close.

Main Melody A (Bars 21-45) 1:47 -4:01

 The main melody is made up of the three-note cell – inverted. It is played by cello in 7/4.
It is accompanied by the cymbals and a glissando on violins centred on G.

 There is a fast-ascending passage on the marimba.

 This leads to the first complete statement of the main melody on violin and at the same
time it is inverted on the cello.

 The subtraction principal is then used. The Six note phrase we hear is reduced by one
each time (6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) until we hear one singular note, G.

 Descending broken chords on piano lead to a second statement of the melody. This time
the inversion is played in crotchets on piccolo while the crotales has the first four notes
of the melody in diminution.

 As in the previous melody, each phrase gets shorter each time we hear it.

 A restless rhythm of violin and cello, playing of strings at the bridge and introduction of
maracas signal a change in the music which brings the main melody to a close.
Section 2 – Danse Macabre (B) (Bars 46-68) 4:01 – 5:06.

 The Maracas introduce the Danse Macabre rhythm.

 The strings take up the rhythms on fifths on violins – scraping rhythm on Guiro.

 The strings then move up above the bridge

 Chords on piano are added – these are constructed from the three note cell

 The piccolo and marimba enforce the rhythm.

 The music rushes towards a frenzy – It is stopped in its tracks by a bar of silence. It
rushes on again but is stopped.

 Out of this comes the main melody and its inversion for the third time.

Section 3 – A2 Main Melody (5:06)

 The main melody is not heard softly on violin and is inverted on the cello

 Subtraction principal is applied again to the melody. Against the melody there is a lively
counter melody on flute – this sounds like improvisation, but it is actually based on the
three note cell which is inverted, distorted and transposed.

 The clusters on piano are based on the same three note cell.

 Cymbals and crotales add to the rhythm.

 Descending figure on flute and addition of rain stick over broken chords (begin to
subtract)

 Just as the music seems to die away the main melody and its inversion are heard on piano
above tremolo strings.
Section 4 – Dies Irae (7:11)

 Bars 92 -127 are based around the intervals of a second and third

 A bar of repeating seconds on violin anticipated the Dies Irae Idea.

 The Dies Irae idea is a variation of the three-note cell.

 Cannon for marimba and violin.

 The marimba followed by the violin begins with a version of the Dies Irae theme which is
transposed. The Dies irae theme is then heard directly on cello in fifths.

 The piano joins in with a cannon based on the same material.

 Dies Irae theme is played on cello Sul pontecello to convey a ghostly effect.

 The Dies Irae idea is heard on violin then piccolo – marracas and bass drum are heard.

 The music begins to change character as it anticipates what is to come while making
reference to the music we have already heard.

Section 5 – Main Melody (A3)

As before subtraction principal is used.

 Main melody played once

 Augmented, low pitch

 Three note cell used again G Ab Bb – the anchor note = Eb

 Triplets
Section 6 – Danse Macabre and Dies Irae

 Elements of both the Danse Macabre and the Dies Irae theme are heard in this section.

 The strings from the Totentanz (Danse Macabre) and the Flute countermelody from the
Dies Irae theme.

 The Anchor note is C then A

 The music gradually builds up

 Ending – there is no finality only dissolution. All players play A then maracas.