The idea behind Emoticons is to symbolically represent emotions, in this case, loneliness. I do that by using a slow tempo, minor modes, wandering chromaticism, and frequent descending melodic lines. One way to understand this movement is to observe the four groups of musical ideas that are use. The first is measures 1-4 which uses the wandering chromaticism. The second is measures 5-9 that has the descending line with the triplet figure, often in imitation. The third group is the eighth-quarter-eighth syncopation that is more vertical in structure utilizing minor chords, chords in 4ths, and extended tertian harmony. Much of the harmony in this section is derived by letting each part find the direction it wants to go while keeping in mind the overall vertical structure. These ideas first appears at measures 10 and 11. The last idea is the sixteenth note minor melodic line that is accompanied by the syncopated harmony. It first appears at measures 12-15.
The overall form is ABA. The first two sections mentioned above form the A. The order of these sections is reversed and extended when A returns at the end. The bulk of the movement is development of sections 3 and 4 during the B section. This B section builds in intensity through increased dynamics and tempo. It is as if the lonely person is becoming full of regret at what might have been. The intensity is finally spent when the music transitions back to the A section.
Your comments are always appreciated.
Dr. B
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