Rhythm
Throughout both pieces of music, many similarities between the rhythms arise. These rhythms are often syncopated which is where there is a temporary displacement of the regular accents where the weak beats are stressed rather than the strong beats being stressed.
The three main rhythms for the syncopation found in
Danzón No.2 are as follows:
♩♪♩♩♪ Figure 1.1
and
♩♪♩♪♩ Figure 1.2
and
♩. ♩. ♩ Figure 1.3
These rhythms occur many times throughout the piece, which characterize a "Latin" feel. The rhythm in Figure 1.1 first appears in the clarinet solo in measure 2 and continues to appear throughout the solo. It then gets passed on to many other instruments throughout the orchestra such as the flutes, horns 1 and 2, and violas in measure 35.
All while the rhythm in Figure 1.1 is occurring, the rhythm in Figure 1.2 is also occurring at the same time. In measure 2, when the clarinet solo plays the rhythm shown in Figure 1.1, and most every other time the rhythm is played, the violas come in at the same time playing the rhythm in Figure 1.2. This creates a greater sense of syncopation because of the way the two lines line up while they are being played.
Not only are the rhythms in Figures 1.1 and 1.2 being played at the same time, but so is the rhythm in Figure 1.3. The claves play the rhythm in Figure 1.3 usually every other measure from measures 1-32, adding in some extra rhythms to help out the piece feel more "Latin-like" and create more syncopation in contrast to the other lines.
On the other hand, in
The Entertainer, the two main syncopated rhythms found are:
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| Figure 1.4 |
and
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| Figure 1.5 |
The rhythm in Figure 1.4 appears all throughout the piece because it is part of the rhythm of the main melody. It first occurs in measure 5 and continues throughout the piece. While the rhythm is already syncopated, the part that makes it jump out is the fact that the left hand is playing steady eighth notes. By having the left hand playing steady eighth notes and the right hand playing syncopated rhythms, the syncopation is more noticeable and gives the piece a more playful feel.
The rhythm in figure 1.5 appears less often than the first, but it still appears. The first time this rhythm appears in the right-hand is in measure 58. While it does seem as though it is not as syncopated, the tie holds the sixteenth note over so the following sixteenth note does not occur on the beat, making it syncopated.
One similarity that was found between the two pieces are the rhythms in both Danzón No. 2 and The Entertainer. Danzón No. 2 is in a 4/4 time signature, while The Entertainer is in a 2/4 time signature. Danzón No. 2's rhythm in Figure 1.2 and The Entertainer's rhythm in Figure 1.5 are both almost the same exact rhythm, except they are written in two different time signatures. The rhythm in Danzón No. 2, has to spread its rhythm out over four beats, while The Entertainer's rhythm has to spread its rhythm out over two. If you take Danzón No. 2's syncopated rhythm in Figure 1.2 and take half of the value of each note, you end up with the same rhythm as The Entertainer's syncopated rhythm in Figure 1.5. This process is shown below:
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| Figure 1.6 |
This process shows how similar, in fact, these two pieces are when it comes to rhythm, specifically, syncopation.
Structure
The structures of
both Danzón No. 2 and The Entertainer are
very similar. Both pieces are in a modified rondo-form, meaning that they occur
in the pattern: A B A C A with variation. While The Entertainer still
fits this pattern, it adds in a variety of repeats, Danzón No. 2 adds
in a conclusion, and both pieces also add in an intro.
Danzón No. 2 begins with an intro from measures 1-33 featuring the clarinet and oboe. It then goes on to begin the melody of the piece, also known as A, from measures 34-51. A new section called B begins and goes from measures 52-73. Section A repeats from measures 74-120 and then C happens from measures 121-167. A then repeats again from measures 168-219 and a new section named D is introduced from measures 220-279, with section A following right after, repeating from measures 28-345. The piece then ends with a conclusion from measures 346-361(end). Therefore, the structure of Danzón No. 2 is: Intro A B A C A D Conclusion
An example of how the melody, or section A repeats in Danzón No. 2 is shown in Figure 2.1 and 2.2 below. Figure 2.1 shows how the horns carry the main melody in measures 74-77 and later on have the same melody in measures from measures 282-285.
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| Figure 2.1 |
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| Figure 2.2 |
Similarly, The Entertainer begins with an intro from measures 1-4 and begins the main melody of the piece whose section is called A, from measures 5-21. This section repeats once and then goes on to begin section B, which also repeats once from measures 22-38. The piece then repeats section A which is from measures 39-54, but only repeats once, and then from measures 55-71, goes into section C which repeats once. Intro 2 then begins from measures 72-75, and the last part of the piece named section D begins and repeats once from measures 76-92(end).
Therefore, the structure of The Entertainer is: Intro AA BB A CC Intro 2 DD
An example showing how section A also repeats in The Entertainer, is shown below in Figures 2.3 and 2.4. Figures 2.3 and 2.4 show how the main melody repeats from measures 5-7 (Figure 2.3) and also in measures 39-41 (Figure 2.4).
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| Figure 2.3 |
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| Figure 2.4 |
As shown, these two
pieces are very similar in their structures because they both follow a modified
rondo-form which is A B A C A with variations.
Texture
While throughout a few parts of Danzón No. 2, the texture is homophonic, the majority of it is heterophonic. The Entertainer also has a heterophonic texture, where there is only one melody playing and the rest of the parts are simply chords to support the melody.
The heterophonic texture of Danzón No. 2 is clearly shown, especially when there is a solo playing the melody of the piece. One example of this is the piccolo solo in measures 112-121. Figure 3.1 below, clearly shows that it is solely the piccolo playing with chordal accompaniment below it in the clarinets and bassoons in measures 114-119.
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| Figure 3.1 |
The Entertainer also has a very clear heterophonic texture where the right-hand plays the melody and the left-hand plays steady eighth notes that provide the chordal accompaniment. This is shown in Figure 3.2 in measures 47-51 where the right-hand is playing the main melody and the left-hand is supporting the melody.
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| Figure 3.2 |
Both pieces have a heterophonic texture where there is a clear melody playing with other instruments or parts supporting it and providing chordal accompaniment.
