Back to Noriko Manabe's article

Revista Transcultural de Música
Transcultural Music Review
#10 (2006) ISSN:1697-0101

Table 2 - Catalogue of Rodríguez's Musical Devices

Device Metaphor, affect, purpose Song Date Specifics
Structure:        
Multipartite   Differing points of view Ese hombre 1967 Public view = ungrounded (V/G), his view = grounded (G=I)
  Differing emotions Fusil contra fusil 1968 Mourning vs. rallying cry to carry on in Che's honor
  Different points of view La era está pariendo un corazón 1968 Static verse-mourning; more dramatic chorus - Che's legacy
  " Debo partirme en dos 1969 Rodriguez's narrative (Gm) vs. public's expectations (Bb major)
  Differing emotions Ojalá 1969 D major/minor for remembering, C major for the wish to forget
  " Aunque no esté de moda 1969 First three sections on wooing; chorus on paranoia
  Differing perceptions Como esperando abril 1975 Fantasy/light in C, reality/blindness/darkness in Cm
  Differing subjects La gaviota 1976 C# minor for dead soldier, E for seagull
  Differing points of view Abracadabra 1992 Misused powers vs. singer's beliefs
  Differing emotions El necio  1991 Resignation (Em, verse) vs. nostalgia (G, Chorus)
Strophic One subject/message Canción del elegido 1969 Abel Santamaría
    Playa Girón 1969 Writing one's own history
    Resumen de noticias 1970 Single message
    Oleo de mujer con sombrero 1970 Lost love
    Yo soy de donde hay un río 1980 Décima for grandfather
    Unicornio 1981 Loss
    Me quieren 1996 Demands of critics, fans
    Olivia 1999 Solitude
    Cita con ángeles 2003 Atrocities and assassinations
Harmonic devices obfuscating tonality      
Unresolved dominant  Unfinished situation Debo partirme en dos 1969 Chorus, “Y no importa que luego me suspendan la función”
  Unanswered question Aunque no esté de moda 1969 Phrase endings in F#, leading to Bm (Pre-chorus) or cycling back to F#m (Chorus--> Verse)
Lack of authentic Unresolved situation Aunque no esté de moda 1969 No authentic cadence in A, F# major
cadences Ungrounded, fluttering beings Mariposas 1972 Only two authentic cadences, in Bb major
  Inconclusiveness La gaviota 1976 No final authentic cadence at end of chorus/song
Deceptive cadence/ unexpected progression  Change in focus from flight of seagull to death La gaviota 1976 Beginning of chorus
to minor Pessimism La era está pariendo un corazón 1968 Chorus, iii for "porvernir," "por vivir"
  Resignation El necio  1991 Chorus: "Yo me muero como viví"
Rapidly shifting harmonies Turbulent/mixed emotions Ojalá 1969 Verse
  Mixed emotions Te doy una canción 1970 Chorus, shifting from F major to D minor
  Turbulent times Al final de este viaje 1970 Bridge; diminished chord sequence prolongs the progression, iii-VI-I-II-V
  Excitement Aunque no esté de moda 1969 Throughout song
  Shifting clouds, shifting perceptions Como esperando abril 1975 Steps down by thirds
  Taking of life La gaviota 1976 Chorus vacillates between F#m and E
  Fleetingness Flores nocturnas 1991 Momentary non-diatonic, common tone progressions; Verse (D->G, Bm->Bb, D->F)
  Ungrounded, fluttering beings Mariposas 1972 Verse: Bb-Ab-Fm, Pre-chorus: F-Bb
Rapid shifts between  Magic La primera mentira 1969 Verse E-C#-Eb-C
unrelated tonalities Macabre (Poe) Trova de Edgardo 1992 C-Ab-F-Bb-G-C (vs. C-Am-F-G-C)
  Magic Abracadabra 1992 Verse C-Eb; D-Ab-F-G-C (vs. Dm-Am-F)
Harmonic devices of clear tonality      
Statement in dominant answered by statement in tonic "Questionable" vs. "Grounded" Ese hombre 1967 Beginning of Verse, "Ese hombre"
Repeating progression Anthem; concrete message Resumen de noticias 1970 Defiance against censure; principles (I-V-vi-iii-IV-iii-ii-V)
  Anthem; concrete message Días y flores 1975 Anger (V-IV-I)
  Anthem; concrete message Testamento 1975 Rally for soldiers (I-V-vi-IV-I-V; ii-VII-IV-I-V)
  Anthem, concrete message Canción urgente para Nicaragua 1980 Praise for Sandinistas; anti-imperialism (I-V with bass filling in scale from A to E and back)
  Message Cita con ángeles 2003 World atrocities and assassinations; I-V6-vi-V-ii-I-iii-V-IV-I-(bVII-V65-I)
  Message  Me quieren 1996 Conflict with critics (I-IV-I-V-IV-I)
  Anthem El necio  1991 Defiance, Chorus (G major: I-V-IV)
Double-plagal progression Cycle of life/death Al final de la segunda luna 1968 Beginning of verse (VI-III-VII-I#)
Double-plagal  Reincarnation Mariposas 1972 "Tu tiempo es ahora una mariposa" (VII-IV-I-V)
cadences/circle of fourths Never-ending struggle Sueño con serpientes 1974 Double-plagal (I-v-VII-IV-I)
  Admiration/enchantment Mujeres 1975 "Me han estremecido/un montón de mujeres" (B maj: I-V-VII-IV); "Pero lo que me ha estremecido/hasta perder casi el sentido/son tus ojitos divinos"  (E maj: VII-IV-I) 
  Memories Hoy mi deber 1979 Cricle of fourths (VI-III-VII-IV), as reminisces about lover
  Criticism; ongoing issue Abracadabra 1992 Prechorus ("Yo no sé/cómo hay quien malversa la vida")
  Never-ending situation Reino de todavía 1996 Verse, double-plagal (I-v-VII-IV-I)
Plagal cadences Reality, weariness Y nada más 1965 Verse:"la brisa vieja/de por la mañana," "un caudal de siglos/por viejos caminos"(VII-VI-III-iv-i)
  Dissatisfaction Ese hombre 1967 “se cuide de sí, se cuide de él solo”(I-V-IV-I)
  Anger over injustice Días y flores 1974 Chorus, over "la rabia" (V-IV-I) 
  Resignation El necio  1991 "Yo no sé lo que es el destino" (I-V-IV); "Yo me muero como viví" (i-VII-VI-iv-I, i-VII-VI-#ivo-I)
  Demands (critics, fans) Me quieren 1996 V-IV-I (in blues form)
  Solitude, passing the time Olivia 1999 V-IV-I
  Tragedies Cita con ángeles 2003 V-IV-I, followed by bVII-V65-I
Confirmation of tonic Truth Ese hombre 1967 “se cuide de sí, se cuide de él solo”(I-V-IV-I)
  Resolve Ojalá 1969 Chorus: Perfect authentic cadences (PACs)
  Optimism, confidence Al final de este viaje 1970 Numerous PACs in verse, beginning of bridge, refrain
  Clarity Abracadabra 1992 "Yo no se/si el mal tiempo trae mala fe. . .un colibri"
Stepwise rising harmony Flight La gaviota 1976 Prechorus ("Gaviota, gaviota")
Modal mixture        
Chromatic substitutions Provocation Debo partirme en dos 1969 bII (Ab), Verse
Nondiatonic progressions Confusing times, detours Al final de este viaje 1970 Pauses on nondiatonic harmonies (bVI, VI)
Major-minor substitution        
  I for i, Picardy third Optimism/rally Fusil contra fusil 1968 "Fusil contra fusil," "despierta la verdad"
  I for i Happy memory Ojalá 1969 “ojalá que la lluvia/deje de ser milagro/que baja por tu cuerpo,”
  V/V for ii Happy memory Te doy una canción 1970 “cuando más quiero tu luz”
  VI for vi Excitement Aunque no esté de moda 1969 "baja," Verse; end of Lift, Pre-Chorus, Chorus
  IV for iv Add color, motion El necio 1991 Verse
Minor-major substitution        
  iv for IV Sadness La era está pariendo un corazón 1968 Verse, “para reírme,” “como mi llanto”
  iv for IV Sadness Ojalá 1969 "la sonrisa perfecta"
  iv for IV Sadness Te doy una canción 1970 "gasto papeles recordandote"
  iv for IV Plaintiveness La gaviota 1976 "cancion de la brisa," "fines de guerra"
Melodic devices        
Leaps, arpeggios in melody Hope/optimism Como esperando abril 1975 Verse
  Resolve El necio  1991 Chorus
  Hope Al final de este viaje 1970 Refrain, "en plena luz"
  Contrast Debo partirme en dos 1969 Chorus: Descends from D to low G for "Unos dicen que aquí," rises from D to high G for "Otros dicen que allá"
  Lament La era está pariendo un corazón 1968 Chorus
Bass pedal supporting: monotone melody Resignation El necio  1991 Verse
Monotone/chromatically declining melody Resignation La era está pariendo un corazón 1968 Verse
Chromatically declining accompaniment  Resignation Ojalá 1969 Verse
Chromatically rising harmony: melody in octaves to bass Excitement Aunque no esté de moda 1969 Lift
melody in fifths to bass Paranoia Aunque no esté de moda 1969 Chorus
Antecedent-consequent, different keys Two sides of same emotion Te doy una canción 1970 Chorus, shifting from F major to D minor
Trivial melody Banality Debo partirme en dos 1969 Refrain; simple I-vi-IV-V harmony; melody follows bass line
Melody outlining scale descent Certainty Abracadabra 1992 "Yo no se/si el mal tiempo trae mala fe. . .un colibri"
  Resolve, confidence Al final de este viaje 1970 Refrain: "Quedamos los que puedan sonreír"
Undulating melody Uncertainty, magic Abracadabra 1992 Verse 

 

Licencia de Creative Commons
Los artículos publicados en TRANS están (si no se indica lo contrario) bajo una licencia Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 2.5 España de Creative Commons. Puede copiarlos, distribuirlos y comunicarlos públicamente siempre que cite su autor y mencione en un lugar visible que ha sido tomado de TRANS agregando la dirección URL y/o un enlace a este sitio: http://www.sibetrans.com/trans/index.htm No utilice los contenidos de esta revista para fines comerciales y no haga con ellos obra derivada. La licencia completa se puede consultar en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/es/deed.es

All the materials in TRANS-Transcultural Music Review are published under a Creative Commons licence (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5) You can copy, distribute, and transmit the work, provided that you mention the author and the source of the material, either by adding the URL address of the article and/or a link to the webpage  http://www.sibetrans.com/trans/index.htm.  It is not allowed to use the contents of this journal for  comercial purposes  and you may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. You can check the complete licence agreement in the following link : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/es/deed.en