Musical Analysis of Tomás Bretón's La Verbena de la Paloma

Musical Analysis of La Verbena de la Paloma

Rhythm

The piece is in a binary 2/4 time signature, with the quarter note as the unit. The tempo indication specifies a slow Habanera. Indeed, most of the orchestral accompaniment is a constant repetition of the Habanera rhythm, shared among different instruments. The perceived accent pattern can be schematized as follows:

• An eighth note
• Two sixteenth notes
• Two accented eighth notes

Melody

The melody is a regular eight-bar phrase, divided into two four-bar periods. The singers alternate in a simple question-and-answer format. The key is D Major. The first period (the 'question') is sung by the tenor and has a cadence on the dominant. In turn, the soprano's response provides the expected closing cadence on the tonic. In successive iterations of the tune, the main key is briefly abandoned during a modulation on the words '¿Y si no me da la gana de que vayas con él?' (What if I don't feel like letting you go with him?), which the soprano immediately redirects back to the tonic.

Texture

The texture is a melody with harmonic accompaniment, making it a case of homophonic texture. The melody is carried by the voices and accompanied by the orchestra. However, it should be noted that in the first repetition of the melody, the first violins (previously silent) play successive notes of the chord in a series of connected quarter notes, doubled by the cellos an octave lower. This attempts to create the impression of a second melodic idea contrasting with the main one, a technique often used by Verdi.

Instrumentation and Timbre

The voices of the tenor and soprano are the protagonists of this fragment. The orchestra strictly maintains its accompanying role. Throughout, the string section provides harmony for the voices. During the tenor's interventions, an oboe is introduced to reinforce the cadence; a flute serves the same function during the soprano's parts. In the first full repetition of the melody, the violins and cellos, playing legato, once again provide timbral brightness. Here, bassoons are also introduced to supplement the cellos in reinforcing the rhythmic bass formula. The tuba plays a single note to fill out the harmony, and the bass drum marks the final accented eighth note at the end of each bar.

Form and Structure

This piece is a set number, often called a concertante, from the zarzuela genre. After a three-bar introduction where the orchestra presents the Habanera rhythm, the piece's structure consists of a series of melodic repetitions. This is followed by a short, allegro orchestral sequence that accompanies a fight scene, performed by the singers in a parlando style.

Compositional Context

Genre

Vocal, stage music of the castizo type.

Artistic Period

Costumbrista Romanticism.

Timeline

Late 19th Century.

Title

La Verbena de la Paloma.

Author

Tomás Bretón.