After looking at the similarities, there are still some elements of music that are left out. This is because of the differences between the music. Since these songs are from two different cultures, the differences are inevitable. Keep in mind that although the Japanese and Filipino cultures are from the Eastern World, they may be influenced by very different cultures, such as Britain for Modern Japanese Music and Spain for Filipino folk songs.
Link to the sheet music for "Theme of SSS"
Link to the sheet music for "Carinosa" (Video)
Elements of Music
Rhythm:
"Theme of SSS" (Japanese Modern)
- Meter: 4/4
- Tempo of A: 82
- Tempo of A Prime and following: 95
- Slows down at the last repetition of A
- (Tempo really depends on the player)
- Meter: 3/4
- Tempo is very constant throughout the song, except for the beginning/intro.
- Also, the tempo is waltzy because it is used in the traditional Filipino dance called "Carinosa," as also known from the song's name.
Dynamics:
"Theme of SSS"
- Depending really on who plays it. Intro (or A) can be played as piano or pianissimo or the same volume as the rest of the piece. However, in the music sheet provided, A is in mezzopiano. The repeat in A is in mezzoforte and the rest is in fortissimo, until the end, which is the last repeat of A which is in mezzoforte. There is a crescendo in measures 23-24 building up to another repetition of A, however, it’s in a higher key.
- It is mostly played in forte. Most likely because of its used in dances and parades. There is not much dynamics to it because of its repetitiveness, just variations of the same melody.
Melody:
"Theme of SSS"
- In the Key of Gb, changes to the key of Ab
- It is conjunct in A then turns a little bit disjunct with the other instruments on top of repetition of A (A Prime).
- Uses the minor scale.
- Changes keys towards the end, approaching the repetition of A in a new key.
- Chords in:
- A: single notes (only a few double and triple notes)
- A': mostly double notes
- B: Mostly double to triple notes
- C: Double and Triple notes
- C': Quadruple notes
- A" (A in a higher key): double notes
(A, which is the intro, is repeated throughout the song, with different variations, making it the focused, or soul of the whole song.)
(A''', last repetition of A (ending of the song), but is in a higher key. It went from the key of Gb up to the key of Ab.)
"Carinosa"
- In the Key of F, although in some other versions, it is in a higher key.
- It is conjunct throughout, complimenting the harmony, no improvisations, just repetition.
- Key change in the last repetition. It went from the Key of F down to Bb.
- Predominantly repetition of B and C throughout the song, although some areas sound different only because of the harmonies used by other instrumentation.
- Does not repeat A in the end, but the harmony does.
Harmony:
"Theme of SSS"
- Chords in:
- A - no chords, rather using single notes as a backing track for the melody
- A' - mostly double note chords, making a variation of A
- B - over A, using double note chords and some single notes
- C - Double note chords until it's repetition which is...
- C' - usage mostly of triple note chords
- A"(A in a higher key) - two double-note chords but using mostly single notes to make harmonies, very similar to A, although in a higher key
- Tonality of the harmony focuses on the "home" key, which is Gb, however changes to Ab in the key change. The harmony stays mostly the same throughout the song, using variations of the main harmony in A.
"Carinosa"
- Chords in:
- A (intro) - triple-note chords
- B - triple-note chords
- C - triple-note chords
- B" - triple-note chords
- C" - triple-note chords
- B''' - triple-note chords (key change)
- C''' - triple-note chords (key change)
- A" - repetition of the harmony (only bass line) for A in the end (but in a different key)
- Chords used by:
- Backing guitar/piano - triple-note chords
- Strings (besides guitars)/violin - single-note harmonies
- Bass - single-note harmonies
- The tonality of the harmony focuses on the "home" key, having almost the same harmony throughout the whole song.
(Bass line for the intro)
(Bass line for the ending)
*note that the bass lines for both intro and the ending are similar, but in different keys.
Tone Color:
"Theme of SSS"
- The timbre for this song sounds mostly light/bright, although sounding melancholic due to the use of minor keys. These contrasting features make the song sound hopeful, as if in a battle, when one thinks about his/her painful past but still continuing on with his/her life, fighting through the obstacles he/she approaches. The timbre gives the song more mixed emotions, although leaning towards sadness.
"Carinosa"
- The timbre is light/bright, and it sounds sophisticated. The song/dance itself is supposed to be sophisticated, considering that carinosa means loving/affectionate one. This song is meant for courting, dancing with a lover. The emotion behind it is pretty happy, although it just mainly shows sophistication.
Instrumentation:
"Theme of SSS"
- Dominantly piano
- Violin
- Synthesizer for percussion
"Carinosa"
- Melody: guitar/piano
- Harmonies: multiple guitars or a piano, bass, and sometimes some other string ensemble. Traditionally, the song only uses multiple guitars as instrumentation and maybe a bass.
*Compared to the amount of similarities, there is a larger amount of differences.
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