Cheek to Cheek - Ella Fitzgerald

Musical Context

• Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
• Jazz, Contemporary jazz
• Jazz duet

Musical Elements

• 4/4
• Female jazz vocals and male jazz vocals singing melody
• Muted trumptet
• Walking bass (played by double bass)
• Piano playing ??
• Scat

Musical Structure

• 0:00 - 0:07 = introduction
• 0:08 - 1:09 = verse 1 - sung by Louis Armstrong (male jazz vocals)
• 1:10 - 1:40 = verse 2?
• 1:41 - 1:56 = chorus
• 1:57 - 2:25 = verse 1
• 2:26 - 3:30 = Verse 3. sung by Ella Fitzgerald - change of feel (more like swing)
• 3:31 - 4:02 = Verse 2
• 4:03 - 4:18 = chorus
• 4:19 - 4:49 = verse 3 again
• 4:50 - 5:34 = Louis and Ella duet, singing Verse 1/3
• 5:35 - 5:50 = outro

Derniere Danse - Indila

Musical Context

• French popular music
• Dernier Danse (title of song)
• Indila (artist)
• Released in 2013

Musical Elements

• 4/4 time
• Female vocalist - singing in French
• ostinato played by bass
• xylophone?

Musical Structure

• Verse-chorus structure
• 0:00 - 0:15 = introduction =
• 0:16 - 0:49 = verse 1 =
• 0:50 - 1:22 = chorus
• 1:23 - 1:41 = bridge? link?
• 1:42 - 2:13 = chorus =
• 2:14 - 2:28 = instrumental section but has a small choir singing over the top.
• 2:29 - 2:46 = link
• 2:47 - 3:20 = chorus
• 3:21 - 3:32 = outro

Unheard track

Recently in my music lessons, we have been preparing for the IB music exam by doing practice Section B questions. I thought I would upload my analysis for one of the unidentified songs as I achieve 17/20 for this question.

This question was from the IB Music Higher and Standard level exam from May 2013, and it was question 6.

(The writing in red is the corrections that were written on my paper.)

Musical Context

• Latin music / Latin American
• Dance music
• Argentine tango (Argentinian dance music)

Musical Elements

• 4/4 time
• Fusion music - use of traditional latin music instruments (e.g. guitar, maracas), but also uses an accordion.
• Use of the accordion gives the feel of the Argentine tango.
• Use of drums (djembe / cajon)
• Contemporary
• Female vocals in the verse, chorus and link. Joined by male backing vocalists in chorus and female backing vocalists in the link. Backing vocalists are adding harmonies.
• Pulls in guitar (sitar) part, especially solo (0:54 - 1:24 and 2:01 - end).
• Clear defined sections
• Improvisation in guitar (sitar) solo.
• Descending glissando at the beginning of the extract (0:00 - 0:01)

Musical structure
0:00-0:15 = introduction
0:15 - 0:30 = verse 1 (strophe)
0:30 - 0:46 = chorus
0:46 - 0:53 = link
0:54 - 1:24 = Guitar solo (sitar solo)
1:25 - 1:38 = verse 2
1:39 - 1:54 = chorus
1:55 - 2:00 = link
2:01 - end = guitar solo

Verse-chorus form.