Question 1
MELODY WRITING
Either
- Continue the given phrase to form a melody of not less than 12 and not more than 16 bars. Modulate to the relative minor in the course of the passage and return to the home key.
2. Set the text below to a suitable melody. Indicate the tempo, phrasing and dynamics marks. Credit will be given for originality of the composition and proper alignments of texts to the notes.
Nobody understand my tears,
For the smile I wear is empty.
Nobody understand my silence,
The joy I share is actually noise.
Observation
(1) The overall performance in this question was below average. Some candidates wrote melodies which were meaningless. In most cases, without any form and structure. Some neglected the time signature and wrote notes less or more than necessary in the bars. In addition, many candidates did not show evidence of modulation to the relative minor as required. A few who modulated indicated no understanding of how to modulate and almost all candidates failed to show any phrasing in the melody. These wrong responses made the candidates to lose substantial marks.
OR
(2) A few candidates who attempted the question were unable to set the given texts to a suitable melody. Some candidates assigned two or more syllables to a single pitch, while some set the text without recognising their importance in the melody. These led to poor performance in the question.