Story and Characters
This composer wrote West Side Story.
What is Leonard Bernstein
A tritone spans this many whole steps.
What is 3?
This type of interval sounds stable and resolved.
Hint:_____ interval
What is a consonant interval?
This scene from the movie would MOST likely use the tritone.
The Rumble.
Demonstrate what a tritone sounds like.
(Sing/play)
These are the two rival gangs.
Who are the Jets and the Sharks?
Another name for a tritone.
What is an augmented 4th/diminished 5th?
This type of interval creates tension.
Hint: _____ interval (not tritone)
What is a dissonant interval?
This emotion is felt within "Something's Coming".
What is anticipation?
Explain why "Something's Coming" dances around the tritone instead of playing it right in the melody.
(Thoughtful explanation)
This Shakespeare play inspired this musical.
What is Romeo and Juliet?
This describes how a tritone sounds.
What is tense or dissonant?
A tritone would best fit this type of mood or moment within a story.
What is conflict or suspense?
This emotion dominates "Maria".
What is love mixed with tension?
Explain what Leonard Bernstein uses to represent the Sharks and the Jets within the music.
Hint: What styles of music?
Sharks: huapango, mambo, Latin influences, etc.
Jets: blues and jazz inspired styles.
These are the two main characters in love.
Who are Tony and Maria?
This famous love song begins with a tritone.
What is "Maria"?
"Tonight" feels romantic, but also contains this type of uneasiness underneath.
What is tension?
Even love songs use tritones because of this.
What is underlying conflict?
Name one reason Leonard Bernstein uses tritones in West Side Story.
- Inspired by his Jewish Heritage.
- To create tension/conflict
This event leads to the major conflict within the story.
What is the rumble?
This nickname was once given to the tritone.
What is "The Devil's Interval"?
Also accepted: What is "Diabolus in Musica"?
Composers use tritones to create this feeling.
What is instability or unresolved emotion?
Music helps tell a story by doing this.
What is creating emotion or tension without the use of words?
Explain how the tritone helps tell the story in West Side Story.
(Thoughtful Response)