Popular at weddings and funerals alike, this perennial favourite has some interesting changes within its meagre 63 bars of music. Its not too difficult to play either making it a staple of the student repertoire.
The key signature is E Major and that is where it stays until bar 8 introduces a D natural:
(E Major mode VII) D# Locrian (-1) = D Lydian (A Major mode IV)
This is the modulation back a fifth to A Major which is followed by successive moves back through the circle of fifths using the same alteration as shown above. Over the next few bars, beginning with the G natural, the music moves into D Major, then C natural moves it into G Major which culminates in a B7sus4 – B7 – E Major change. So we have so far, the structure of:
E Major – A Major – D Major – G Major – E Major
The music now stays in E Major for another four bars before an A# appears in bar 19. This is a move in the other direction forward through the circle of fifths:
(E Major mode IV) A Lydian (+1) = A# Locrian (mode VII of B Major)
So far so good, and we return to E Major again two bars later and stay there for 4 bars until we see the D natural once more signalling the move into A Major, back a fifth. This is where the music now becomes more dramatic, as other scales are introduced into the score. Bars 26 – 42 are shown in the example below.
First, is the A#, which is the B Melodic scale making a perfect cadence using its mode F#7 chord (F# Mixolydian b6), resolving into B Major with the D# in the next bar. The D natural moves us back into B Melodic and then the C and G natural give us mode II from B Neapolitan minor – C Lydian #6 which is where we are when the chord is reached in bar 31.
The A# is flattened to A natural in the next bar, leading us into G Major:
(B Neapolitan minor mode VII) A# Alt bb37 (-1) = A Dorian (G Major mode II)
This now takes us into page 2 of the music (bar 36) with another 6 bars of changes before the calmness of E Major returns. The first change is back to the A#, taking us back into B Neapolitan minor:
A Dorian (+1) = A# Alt bb37
Then the C# makes B Harmonic minor, you can see the incremental process gradually moving the music back to E Major:
(B Neapolitan minor mode II) C Lydian #6 (+1) =
C# Locrian nat 6 (B Harmonic minor mode II)
Now an interesting change, instead of B Harmonic minor to the relative Major of D Major, the music takes an unexpected turn to Db Major. The Enharmonic equivalents being instrumental in the radical change as A# = Bb and F# = Gb. What is happening, at least to my mind, is that the music has a clever twist of the parallel change of B minor to B Major.
B Major = B C# D# E F# G# A# and Db Major is an Enharmonic Equivalent of B Major, Db Major = Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C. Change all of the notes with sharps in B Major to their equivalent flats and the result is Db Major:
C# D# F# G# A# = Db Eb Gb Ab Bb
This is accomplished in two stages, first B Harmonic minor to Eb Melodic (Eb F Gb Ab Bb C D) and then the D is lowered to Db for Db Major:
D Altered (mode VII of Eb Melodic) (-1) = Db Ionian
This was discussed at length recently in my post on Enharmonic Equivalents here:
You can see the idea clearly though, Myers obviously had the change in mind and decided to go for the multiple-notes-at-once alteration as opposed to the incremental approach of one at a time.
The next alteration is forward a fifth to Ab Major by raising the Gb to G:
Gb Lydian (+1) = G Locrian
The final change is another Enharmonic Equivalent one, again with a twist. The Cb in bar 41 moves us into Ab Melodic and then the En. Eq. begins with the G# taking the place of Ab, moving the music into E Major, over the G# bass:
Ab Melodic = Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F G – E Major/G# = G# A B C# D# E F#
The change is over the Eb in the bass, making Eb Mixolydian b6 to E Major, which is a nice surprise and when we look at the four notes in bar 41 we have Ab, Bb, Cb, Eb. Enharmonic Equivalents = G#, A#, B, D# and as the D#/Eb is in the bass it is functioning as a VII7 to I Maj, or D#7 to E Major. So, basically the Eb7 (D#7) from Ab Melodic is being interrupted by resolving to the third of E Major instead of the expected perfect cadence of Ab minor. An interrupted cadence whilst at the same time using an Enharmonic Equivalent change, very inventive.
The rest of the piece is a recap and coda without new changes but the middle section with its novel sequence make the whole piece a way above average composition.
2 points for anyone who gets the photo link.
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