1. Fourth Form Composition
Setting Words to Music
Fourth Form Composition

2. Learning Objectives
To understand the concept of strong and weak beats and know where they are in common time signatures
To be able to identify stresses in poetry
To be able to write a rhythm for a text
To begin to write a melody to fit a text

3. Stresses Which are the strong syllables in this passage?
Slowly, silently, now the moon Walks the night in her silver shoon; This way, and that, she peers, and sees Silver fruit upon silver trees. Walter de la Mare Silver

4. Strong and Weak beats

5. What is wrong with this setting?

6. Improvements

7. QUICK revision What is a cadence? Name the four types
Which chords make a perfect cadence?
Imperfect?
Interrupted?
In C major which notes are in Chord I?
Chord V?
What cadence is implied here?

8. Task
Use one of the given openings to write a MELODY for the text.
Complete the rhythm
Start your melody on the tonic
Finish for prep!
Upbeat (posh term: anacrucis)