Musical Analysis of Carmina Burana: I Was a Youth So Well-Behaved

Extract

[...] The poem I was a child so well-behaved, is pastourelle where a young girl tells how a boy abused her"3". Upon listening to the musical excerpt, we can identify several characteristics that define this song. First, a rhythmic and instrumental introduction sets the tone, then the fundamental structure of couplet/refrain comes into play, supported by several specificities. The first stanza is introduced by a solo female voice (it could also be a high male voice in falsetto) to which a second female voice (same thing) responds from the second verse. [...]

[...] In the analyzed excerpt, the interjection seems to be outside the rhythm and pulse of the melody, it is sung more slowly and marks a short pause before the arrival of the refrain. Finally, in terms of musical characteristics, we can note both the simplicity of the melody and the systematic repetition that rhythms this song, which are fundamental principles of medieval music with a refrain. We can also identify forms ofostinati rhythmic patterns that structure the piece. The instrumentation is simple, consisting of several percussion instruments, I seem to identify a drum, castanets and a triangle, as well as a wind instrument, a medieval recorder. [...]

[...] The continuation of the song follows the following structure: a verse of male voices with alternating antecedents (verses / consequences (verses with two different voices, then a refrain with a mixed choir and a sequence to the next verse with female voices repeating the model of the first. Thus, the eight stanzas that make up the entire song are linked. The structure can be defined according to the following plan: C1-R-C2-R-C3-R-C4-R-C5-R-C6-R-C7-R-C8-R. We can also note in the aesthetic form the importance of the verseToday and the day after tomorrow Here introduces the refrain. [...]

[...] II - Prolongements pédagogiques Here are three pedagogical extensions related to the musical characteristics of the sung poem I was a child so well-behaved. In a first time, we could study the couplet/refrain form, learn to identify it, understand its structure and be able to recognize it in several different pieces. It may also be interesting to work on the alternation of solo voice/choir. Similarly, for the previous point, working on its analysis, understanding its structure but also the stakes (for example, how the interjection plays the role of calling the crowd to sing the refrain). [...]