Referring to extracts from your anthology of scores, explain your incorporation of two different musical techniques within your composition.

Haydn's ornamental use of non-harmony échappée notes, such as the first A-flat in the first violin part of his second string quartet in E-flat (fourth movement, b.1), gave me the idea of using them to melodically develop the main theme of my first variation. For example, in bar 15 of my piece the D in the treble clef drops to a C-sharp a semitone below (which is not part of the D major chord) and then leaps by a minor third in the opposite direction to an E, which is the fifth of the dominant A major chord sounding on the second beat of the bar. This melodic decoration adds harmonic interest, in the form of momentary dissonance, to an otherwise dull conjunct musical line.

Chopin used tuplets as a means of unobtrusively incorporating chromaticism in his melodies and themes, such as the sextuplet in bar 94 of his second nocturne. During bar 73 of my fifth variation I used a triplet in the soprano voice to ascend by semitone invervals from the raised sixth degree to the raised seventh degree (the leading note) of the melodic D minor scale (B-natural, C-natural and C-sharp). This technique also provides rhythmic and motivic variation within the phrase.

Mozart's imaginative use of syncopation, such as the soprano voice descending line in his thirteenth piano sonata (first movement, bb.73-74), inspired me to use this device for rhythmic variety and momentum. For example, in bar 66 of my fourth variation part of a descending chromatic scale (E-flat, D, C-sharp and C-natural) occurs off of the strong crotchet beats, trailing one quaver behind. This incongruity between the written rhythms and the underlying pulse draws the listener's attention to the phrase.

It is generally sensible to add one or more additional points than asked for (unless warned otherwise), in case the examiner takes issue with your initial selection!

Answered by Thomas H. Music tutor

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