Exercise 2
Consider the same clips in the table once more. Discuss how Mahler uses the two opening notes as a tonic and dominant to establish the key that follows and the melodies heard. The skeleton score will help you understand how Mahler’s mind works as a composer and how he achieves TWO things:
- He places many melodies and counter-melodies to be played together in sync and he makes sure that they all harmonise by linking them to the tonic and dominant notes at the beginning.
- He therefore achieves a round until the middle section appears in 02:46.
Now, use two notes, a tonic and a dominant. Then compose a melody to be played with them. The melody should therefore be able to create a round or a canon, the correct term for this.
Canon
One voice or instrument imitating the other by an entry on the same note some beats later.
This is an example in C major but you may compose your own. Mahler builds his music from the lower to the higher notes, but you don’t have to keep to that pattern.
