Musical description - rhythm, texture and melody
Rhythm and metre
The metre is 4/4. This differs from Brahms鈥檚 original theme which was in triple time 3/8.
The opening two-bar rhythm is played by drums and The term is used to describe the ensembles of Cuban musicians and performers. . The snare plays on the backbeat and the bass drum plays a semiquaver on the very last beat of the bar. This kick leads into the first beat of bar 3 and gives the music a strong sense of drive. There is rapping over the top.
There is Rhythm patterns where stressed notes are placed off the beat. heard throughout. The first example can be found in the guitar melody during the introduction tot he song.
In Brahms鈥 original melody, the two-note An upbeat. is constructed from a A dot after the note increases its value by half again. quaver/semiquaver rhythm leading to the long notes - dotted minims - on the first beat of the next bar. Santana changes the dotted rhythm into two straight quavers followed by a third which is tied over the bar line and represents the long note. This creates Rhythm patterns where stressed notes are placed off the beat..
Santana changes the rhythm from the original theme by adding rhythmic A rhythm that is repeated with longer durations. . This creates rhythmic balance in the phrase.
Here is Brahms鈥檚 original melody:
You can hear that in Santana's reinterpretation of this, where certain notes are made longer (augmented). For example, in verses 1 and 3, the rhythm is elongated on the words 'me' and 'free' through the use of minims and semibreves to add emphasis to the words.
The chorus has a Rhythm patterns where stressed notes are placed off the beat. feel and there are A group of three equal length notes played in the space of two, eg three quavers played in the space of two quavers. at the end of the phrase.
The Music that originates from Spanish or Portuguese speaking countries, in particular, those in the Caribbean and United States. Strongly influenced by dance styles, rhythmic grooves and loud brass accompaniments. instrumental features strong, syncopated Afro-Cuban dance rhythms influenced by merengue and a A lively dance music with many different styles. It originated in Cuba and has African and Spanish influences. style piano dominated by A dot after the note increases its value by half again. and syncopation.
An excerpt from the Latin instrumental section of syncopated piano and bass
Texture
The texture is mainly A type of texture where there is only one clear melody and an accompaniment that plays different notes and rhythms but is supporting the melody.. At the end of each two-bar vocal phrase, Santana plays a short guitar response. There is Where one melody is answered by another. between the guitar and voice in verse 2. There is imitative texture between the two guitars in the instrumental verse before they play in Two parts with matching rhythms and pitch or played in octaves. an Interval of eight notes, eg middle C to the C above. apart.
Melody
The melody is based on the cello theme heard in the third movement of Symphony No. 3 in F major by Brahms. The melody has a quadruple metre instead of triple and Santana only uses the first eight bars of the twelve-bar theme. The vocal melody has an Composing music on the spot or during a performance. feel. It has a limited pitch range only using notes between a perfect fourth. It revolves around the interval of a minor third - G and B鈾.
At the end of verses 1 and 3, the vocal line jumps up an Interval of eight notes, eg middle C to the C above. and Santana sings in a The upper range of a man鈥檚 voice. register. This gives greater emphasis on the words 'me' and 'free'. This is also an example of Several notes sung to one syllable..
The chorus is very short and based on the final four bars of the original melody. The guitar plays the same melody as the vocal line.
There is an imitative melody between guitars 1 and 2 in the instrumental verses.
In the Latin instrumental, Santana plays a guitar solo accompanied by the rhythm section. His melody is heavily syncopated and sequential before becoming improvisatory and extremely complex.
Santana uses ornamentation to decorate his melodies and uses Note played as quickly as possible before the聽note that follows. and A type of ornament which suggests the performer plays the printed note, immediately the one immediately above and then the printed note again.. As well as When the pitch played slightly rises or falls but returns to original pitch.; Santana applies a A trembling sound created by fast repetition of the same note. picking technique to certain notes.