Same Song, Different Styles: Musical Elements Analysis

Table of Contents

History, Context, and Setting of Recordings
Musical Elements Analysis
Melody, Rhythm, Harmony
Timbre, Texture, Dynamics, and Form
Conclusion
References

Throughout its entire existence, music has performed many functions in peoples lives. It is intended not only for entertainment but also for education and development. With one type of music, a person rejoices and relaxes, while with the other feels complicated emotions and reflects on both personal and general social problems. Peoples perception of the world is reflected in the music. Due to it, emotions and feelings are revealed, and aesthetics and a sense of harmony develop. Music always reflects the historical context and personality of the composer, performer, conductor, producer, or arranger. However, not every musical piece is capable of performing such roles. There are several elements and factors that make the song emotionally exciting and engaging. To study these mechanisms, it is advisable to consider and analyze two different stylistic versions of the same song. The song Unforgettable by Irving Gordon from the Great American Songbook was selected for analysis. The first recording is a vocal rendition is Unforgettable by Natalie Cole (Cole, 2011). The second one is a jazz instrumental arrangement of Unforgettable by Papik, Fabio Tullio (Poggi, 2018). A comparative analysis of these two different stylistic versions of the same song is important for studying whether shifts in style change the songs overall meaning.

History, Context, and Setting of Recordings

The original Unforgettable was created by Irving Gordon and is his best-known work. He is the author of the lyrics and music for this song, published in 1951 (Friedwald, 2020). The most popular version of it was recorded by Nat King Cole and released on the album Unforgettable with an arrangement written by Nelson Riddle. Gordon admitted that he didnt think too much about his song when he wrote it but changed his mind when Cole sang it (Friedwald, 2020). He beat his creation and made it one of his signature hits. Late in his life, Irving Gordon won a Grammy for Song of the Year when Natalie Cole re-recorded her father Nat Coles earlier hit. This performance brought the greatest recognition to work since, in addition to talented performance, it had a deep emotional meaning for singer.

Due to technological advances and an idea from Joe Guercio, the original recording was edited to create a duet with the artists daughter. This helped to put additional meaning into the song and create a special emotionality in Natalie Coles performance. Critics and listeners appreciated this step, and the song managed to win great recognition and many awards, including reaching number 14 on the Hot 100, coinciding with the peak position of the original version on the Billboard Best Selling Pop Singles chart, and also ranked third on the Hot 100 chart on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart (Gurza, 2022). The song also won Grammy Awards as Song of the Year and Record of the Year (Recording Academy, 2022). This recording was produced by Andre Fischer, David Foster, Tommy LiPuma, and Natalie Cole (Gurza, 2022). The song belongs to the genres of pop and jazz.

The second entry to analyze is a jazz instrumental arrangement of Unforgettable by Papik, Fabio Tullio. It is much less popular but also talentedly performed and deserves attention. Papik is a musical project born from the idea of the Roman arranger and composer Nerio Poggi, author and producer in various genres from pop to nu-jazz. His work on the original work is notable for the fact that he managed to transform the mood of the original in an exciting way.

Musical Elements Analysis

Music has seven fundamental characteristics that are sound, melody, rhythm, harmony, texture, and growth. Although the timbre is a quality of sound, it is adequate to add it to this group. These aspects vary widely depending on the culture and historical period of the song. Some of these elements may also change in some covers, significantly changing the original work while retaining key features and leaving it recognizable.

For Natalie Cole, the reason for creating the cover is personal. The original song got its meaning and popularity due to her father (Friedwald, 2020). For this reason, her voice on the cover acquires a special emotionality, and the performance in a duet with her father brings a completely new meaning to the words of the song. Even though the cover version uses the same lyrics, and they have not been altered in any way, this gives them a whole new meaning. In the original piece, the work is perceived as love, directed to the object of romantic affection, which is inaccessible due to distance or breaking the relationships. On the cover, the words become more significant for family relationships, and the reason for separation is not distance but the death of the family member. This new meaning is much more personal and emotional for both the performer and the listener, so this cover fundamentally changed the meaning of the original, making it more relevant, and completely changing the emotions that this song evokes.

Unforgettable by Papik, Fabio Tullio is an instrumental arrangement, so the main focus is on the melody, rhythms, harmony, and other characteristics of the music. This cover is notable for changing the mood of the original piece. In the original, the melody is romantic and dreamier, but when performed by Papik, the work conveys calmness, peace, and light melancholy with a rather active rhythm.

Melody, Rhythm, Harmony

An important component of the formation of the work is the melody. The core melody of the composition is made up of a series of tones and rhythms. The melody can be constructed independently or with thematic and motivic components related to other parts of the composition. It is one of the most important indications of the songs shape. The most significant aspects of Unforgettables Melody by Natalie Cole can be described as active, artistic, deep, dreary, lyrical, and tuneful. The melody of Unforgettable by Papik, Fabio Tullio is significantly different and can be described as comforting, easy, energetic, flowing, joyful, smooth, soothing, and staid. Rhythm is a crucial component that shapes a works perception and indicates the length of the sound linked with the songs rhythm. It is rarely heard on its own unless performed by pitchless percussion, but they are an essential part of the melody. One of the most appealing aspects of melody and accompaniment is rhythm. In the cover by Natalie Cole, rhythm can be described as long, smooth, catchy, slow, flexible, and gentle. In the second cover, rhythm is easy, accented, connected, tip-toeing, happy, and calm. Harmony, in music, is defined as the sound of two or more notes heard at the same time. In practice, this broad definition may also include several notes sounding one after the other. Harmony refers to a widely developed system of chords and the rules that allow or prohibit relations between chords.

Harmony in jazz has a special character and is slightly different from other genres, although it obeys the same rules. Harmony in music refers to the succession of chords or chordal progressions made by two or more parts or voices playing or singing together. In the two versions of Unforgettable, there are several similarities in the use of Harmony. Both songs have an overall consonant sound, which means it sounds pleasant. The underlying chord pattern is also similar, although it is easier to hear in Natalie Coles version. In each song, the harmonic rate of change is the same, with the chords being played for approximately four beats, then the chords change quicker at the end of the phrase. The difference between the two versions comes from the instruments used to provide harmonic support. It is important to have differences in the use of Harmony between versions of the same song because it allows for the song to sound unique and original.

Timbre, Texture, Dynamics, and Form

Musical mediums of performance are defined as the voices, instruments, and other entities needed to perform a piece of music. These two songs mediums may portray the most heartfelt emotions and can be played indefinitely without tiring. They employ improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swing note, as well as elements of European harmony, American popular music, the brass band lineage, and African musical components like blue notes and African-American traditions like ragtime. There are four contrasting sections in the second song. They repeat several times and last about thirty seconds. There are no pronounced contrasting sections in the Natalie Cole cover.

Conclusion

Covers are an excellent tool for developing and improving the work, allowing it to develop separately from the original authors. In the presented examples, you can make sure that changes in style change the overall meaning of the song. Alterations can change the mood and meaning and add new perceptions through minor changes to the original work while maintaining its main features and recognizability. Covers can be a great way to learn how a writer, arranger, performer, or producer works. Stepping into someone elses work helps you understand what makes it special and successful and understand how you can change the message of a song by changing its individual elements.