Discography

Melanie Martinez, “Soap.” Cry Baby, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puj04mZjoHY&list=RDPuj04mZjoHY

Samuel R. Hazo, “Arabesque.” The Concert Works of Samuel Hazo Vol. 1, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9VDlFEUgnw

Bibliography

Editors, TheFamousPeople.com. “Who Is Melanie Martinez? Everything You Need to Know.” Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline, 11 May 2017, www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/melanie-martinez-32659.php.

“Samuel R. Hazo.” Samuel R. Hazo: Biography, Boosey & Hawkes, www.boosey.com/pages/cr/composer/composer_main.cshtml?composerid=16234&ttype=BIOGRAPHY&ttitle=Biography.

 “Soap.” Melanie Martinez Wiki, melanie-martinez.wikia.com/wiki/Soap. 

Pease, Andy. “Arabesque by Samuel R. Hazo.” Wind Band Literature, 3 Feb. 2017, windliterature.org/2017/02/03/arabesque-by-samuel-r-hazo/.

Conclusion

Through this Musical Links Investigation, I learned that two songs from two different cultures can have several similarities. I found that both songs have extremely similar form. They create and layer the themes of their songs identically. They both have different influence, but overall have homogeneous structure. This shows how similar the creation of music across the world is. People from all different cultures see music and its structure very alike. I also learned how important certain sections are in all types of music. All instruments have their own specific role and that role does not change dramatically even though the intent and culture of the song changes completely.
Overall, it was amazing seeing how two completely different songs can be written so similarly. Two completely different people with completely different backgrounds had corresponding ideas. This blog challenged me to discover and realize that people are not really that different from one another, we are all connected somehow.

Contrasts

Now that some similarities have been addressed, contrasts also need to be. First contrast is that Arabesque is created to mimic the Arabian Culture. Soap is more centered around Indie Pop and Bubblegum Pop. It, unlike Arabesque, does not have a dance feel to it. Instead it shows off modern day technology by implementing special effects. Another contrast is that Arabesque has several tempo changes. It switches between slow and fast, while Soap stays one tempo. Final contrast is that Arabesque has more key changes. It stars off in A flat major and then switches to B flat major. Soap is written in the key of F sharp minor and does not change.

Link #3

The percussion section in music is always an essential part of any band. They help maintain the tempo of the song. They help bring the entire ensemble together. The percussion section plays an important role in any song. For these two songs they both are key to keeping the tempo, but they also are extremely important in creating the melody for both songs. 

Arabesque is a song that presents the traditional Arabic line dance music. The drums are essential to create this dance like feel to the music. The tambourine, bass drum and timpani are highlighted through the entire song. There is even a percussion soli in the middle of the song. It starts at two minutes and forty-four second (2:44) and ends around two minutes and fifty-two seconds (2:52). The percussion section is essential in this song to create the overall theme. 

In Soap the most important part of the percussion section would have to be the special effects used. Martinez creates this sinister feel to the music by adding a childish twist to it. The bubbles contribute to this childish theme. It is vital in creating the message of this song. These special sound effects are highlighted throughout the song, nothing hides this sound. It, like in Arabesque. also gets a section to play by itself. It has its own solo. 

For both songs the percussion is highlighted. They both are very important in creating the overall theme of the songs. This shows another similarity between the two songs. They both rely heavily on the percussion to not only keep tempo, but also contribute to the overall theme. 

Link #2

Both Arabesque and Soap have two specific rhythms that are continuously repeated throughout their whole songs.
The rhythm that Arabesque repeats is:

This rhythm is present throughout the entire piece. Any time after a new section or melody is introduced in the piece, this rhythm eventually layers itself back into the music. It reoccurs in several different variations and moves around between instrument sections. 

The second rhythm that Arabesque repeats is:

This is first presented in the tubas and eventually goes to the percussion. Just like the rhythm above it is repeated constantly throughout the piece. It also has several different variations to it. These variations for both of these rhythms usually occur on the last or fourth beat. 

Soap repeats this rhythm:

This rhythm is present primarily in the electric sound effects that sound like bubbles. It is first presented at one minute and twenty seconds (1:20). After this it is constantly integrated within the song. It shows up in the second verse, after the chorus, throughout the instrumental bridge and throughout the closer. 

 The second rhythm repeated in Soap is:

This rhythm is presented by the singer. She makes variations of this rhythm throughout the song several times. Additionally, the dotted quarter note is utilized a lot by the singer.
Both songs have specific rhythms that are constantly repeated throughout. This allows for the development of several different variations and themes. The songs are alike in this way. They both have similar form and they are both polyphonic in nature. They both have more than one melody. and several instruments including vocal instruments play this melody.

Link #1

The first musical link that will be investigated is that both songs have similar form. For Arabesque the form is:
Intro
A
B
A
C
A
Closer

This piece often introduces a new theme and then layers theme A back in. Samuel R. Hazo does this by introducing the new theme then after a few bars having one section of instruments reintroduce theme A. Then other instruments join that one section and revert back to theme A. This theme is not always the same each time. It keeps the same basic rhythm but adds and changes several other elements of the music such as key changes, tempo changes and meter changes. Hazo layers this theme back into the song constantly in order to make sure listeners fully understand the intent and purpose of the song. He stays true to the original idea of the song. 

The form for Soap is:

Intro

A

B

C

B

Closer

After the small intro Melanie Martinez starts off with a verse. Then she goes to a chorus, continues to the second verse then back to her chorus before closing the song. She returns to the chorus because it makes the music repetitive. When music is repetitive it is easier for listeners to latch onto that repeated music. By doing this, listeners are more likely to remember the song. It makes to song more appealing and hopefully causes listeners to want to listen to the song again. 

Both songs have more than one theme, but both always come back to one of those themes. This one repeating theme makes the whole song sound very repetitive. However, it shows how both songs have a 'home base' they like to return to continuously throughout the whole song. This musical link shows how two very different songs can be structured very similarly based on the extent to which the composers wants to present certain themes. 

Links

Three comparisons were identified between Arabesque and Soap.
Two of the three links are focused on the structure of the piece.
The first link is that both songs they both have similar repetitive form.
The second link is that both songs have specific rhythms that are constantly repeated and layered throughout the songs to create themes.
The third link is that both songs seem to feature or strongly utilize the percussion instruments.

Arabesque Analysis

Arabesque by Samuel R. Hazo is written in A flat major and switches to B flat major. It has the instrumentation of a full concert band. Percussion instruments are very prominent in this piece imitating the sounds of Arabic line dance music. The tempo constantly switches from medium to slow. The meter starts out in simple quadruple time, then switches to a compound duple, and then back to a simple quadruple. The piece consists of harmonic minor chords and has a very large range for some instruments all three octaves are used. The rhythm is complex and is made up of sixteenth notes, eighth notes and thirty-second notes.
The piece has three different ideas presented with one theme utilized throughout. The first idea presented is like an improvisation. There is a flute solo with a free tempo and percussion accompaniment. The second part is more concentrated on creating this Arabic line dance feel. The percussion plays a large role in this section. The last part is a chorale. It repeats previous themes and brings the song to a closing. Lastly, Arabesque contains no lyrics.

Soap Analysis

Soap by Melanie Martinez is written in F sharp minor. The instrumentation of this song consists of singers, keyboard and synthesizer, guitar, and drum set. Through this instrumentation the artist is able to create a creepy or sinister feel to the music. She sets up a dark and sad tone but adds a childish feel to it through the special effects that sound like bubbles. She does this because as stated previously, Martinez was trying to express her fear of telling someone she loved them. She was afraid it would seem childish to the other person. She said it felt like she was washing her mouth out with soap. This is much like what could happen to a child by their mother if they were to say something wrong. She felt ashamed and vulnerable like a child. This is why she adds the bubbles sound effect and as a result of doing this the song has a darker tone to it.
The drums are often used to make the song sound like it is speeding up. It does this to increase the intensity and lead the song to a release or ending of a phrase. The song has fast tempo but can feel slow or as if the tempo is in half time due to the singer singing notes with longer note values than the instruments. The meter is a simple quadruple. The rhythm consists of mostly eighth notes, dotted quarter notes and half notes. The melody has a narrow range as it stays in one octave for most of the song and is conjunct. The form consists of the introduction, verse, chorus, second verse, chorus and closer. It is repetitive because it constantly circles back to one theme.

Purpose of the Blog

In this blog, two culturally different songs will be investigated. They will both be compared and contrasted. The first song that will be investigated is Arabesque by Samuel R. Hazo. Hazo has taught music to kindergartens all the way through college students. He has composed several pieces for television, radio and stage performances. He has also composed for universities and schools. Additionally, he has received several awards for his music. Arabesque is a reflection of the Middle Eastern background of his family. The second song that will be investigated is Soap by Melanie Martinez. She is an America Singer, songwriter, music video director and photographer. Several of her songs have ranked high on music charts across the world. Martinez became famous after she got onto The Voice, a vocal talent tv show. After she got eliminated from the show she began working on her own albums. Soap is about being afraid of expressing her feelings of love.
To see the full investigation, explore each of the pages.