Favorite song music analysis - Term Paper Example

BBC Radio 4 UK Theme The change in radio technology has impacted on the way radio medium is produced, delivered and consumed. While people tune in their radios to listen to news and other current affairs, many traditional broadcasters use music to entice an increasingly diverse audience. With the growing competition in the industry, broadcasters are increasingly playing dynamic and interesting orchestral popular music to command listener attention. The current paper gives a critical analysis of the UK Theme piece, played on BBC Radio 4.

The UK Theme Song is a five minute long piece incorporating popular British tunes. The song was recorded by the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra in 1973 and subsequently played on BBC Radio 4 until 2006. The UK Theme was mainly a start-up, introducing the BBC Radio Shopping Forecast, a broadcast dedicated to reporting weather and maritime forecasts along the British coast. Although Radio 4 does not play whole pieces of music, the UK Theme is an uninterrupted piece played before the introduction of programs.

The traditional tunes in the UK Theme piece represent not only the national maritime tradition but also depict the musical culture of the United Kingdom. The piece combines many tunes beginning with a brass air of Early One Morning. The first section of the UK Theme opens with the tunes of English trombones and horns followed by British strings and woodwind. The use of the English folklore tunes in the first section gives the piece its appeal and originality. This gives the song its patriotic tone.

The mood of the song changes in the second section with harp and Irish cor anglais accompaniments. A critical analysis of the rhythm reveals that the producer combined long and short sounds to come up with a unique British beat. There is a gradual drop in tempo and pitch just after the first 8 bars. The main beats are divided into twos, illustrating the use of simple meter composition and giving the UK Theme its unique mood and unusual appeal. The tone is combined with slow Scottish violin, giving the piece its characteristic timbre.

The tempo of the UK Theme slows in the second section. The mood changes further in the third section with tunes from the English strings and Scottish woodwind as well as air from the Royal Navy piccolo. The piece ends with an orchestral version played over the tunes of solo trumpet. A critical analysis of the UK Theme suggests that the song is simply a collection of traditional British and Irish tunes, symbolizing the tradition of the United Kingdom. The historical, political and social history of the UK Theme illustrates the significance of the British culture at the time of its production.

The producer chose to deliberately arrange the tunes in a progressive order that gives its appeal and conveys its general message. Although the original piece is not contemporary, it has simple chord structures encompassing solo tunes commonly used in contemporary pop songs. The combination of low and high pitch on one hand, and careful progression between loud and soft dynamics, make the UK Theme an entertaining masterpiece. There is a characteristic, but gradual change between crescendo and decrescendo within each section of the piece.

This is followed by sudden change between loud and soft pitch. Conclusively, the UK Theme song is a combination of several tunes arranged systematically to give its unique appeal. In each section of the piece, the tempo, pitch and rhythm changes gradually. The producer used short and short sounds to create an appealing rhythm illustrating the traditional British, Scottish and Irish musical culture.Works Cited Spiegl, Fritz (comp). “The UK Theme”. YouTube. 23, Nov. 1978. Retrieved April 13, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=rF7kzj4lCnE