1. Provide at least two reasons
why Crumb chose to amplify the instruments.
2. Describe the type of meter used in the flute solo of the
opening Vocalise.
Even though the composer does not indicate it, what is the
implied meter of the initial 32nd-note passages?
3. Describe the pitch content and organization of the Vocalise.
How does it
relate to the pitch content of subsequent movements?
4. What is the rhetorical and thematic significance of the
parody of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" in the Vocalise?
What happens to the pitch content at this point?
5. Provide at least two reasons why Crumb chose the scordatura
tuning he used for the cello?
6. Describe the harmony in Variations on Sea-Time.
7. Describe the harmony in Mesozoic, Variation IV.
8. Describe the harmonic motion in Sea-Nocturne. How does
it relate to the opening Vocalise?
Performance
1-How reliable or predictable
are the effects that Crumb calls for? How much will the sounds
created vary from one performance to the next?
2-Similarly, how precise is the rhythmic notation? How much
flexibility is implied? How would a performer go about interpreting
the rhythms?
