METER - Mo Li Hua Meter/Tempo/Rhythm - IB Music Presentation. Mo Li Hua is composed in 4/4. It is meant to be played with "beauty and grace". The tempo ranges from 68 to 76 in the song.Jan 9, 2021
MELODY - It uses the five note (pentatonic) scale ubiquitous in Chinese music. The tune is one of xiaodiao ("short tunes"), popular in Chinese urban areas. In 1804 a British diplomat, John Barrow, noted that the tune seems to be one of the most popular songs in China.
Sakura:
Melody: the main melody of this song begins at 0.24 after a solo by the traditional Japanese Koto. The melodic line is made up of fourteen bars and nine phrases (seen in Image A). This main melodic line, or recurring motif, is repeated often throughout the solo. The repetition of this motif is what makes this song possess folk song-like qualities: simple melodic line and use of repetition. The melodic line consists of conjunct notes, as notes typically move by one tone. Aside from the fourth, sixth, and eighth bar when the notes move two tones.
Metre: This piece is in duple metre 4/4, and moves at a very slow tempo, adagio. There are sections in the piece where the rhythms are very simple and times when they can be more complex. In the main melodic line (0:23-1:39 part A in form chart) the notes and rhythms are conjunct and simple, with quarter notes and eighth notes. Then while the Koto is playing (1:39-2:49 part B in form chart), there are sixteenth notes playing conjunct.
Form:: This piece is in binary form. The entire song is made up of two main sections, where the motif is featured and where there is a Koto solo playing an interlude between the repetitions of the motif
