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KING CRIMSON:
IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING
An Analysis by Andrew Keeling

Part I
An analysis of 'In the Court of the Crimson King' cannot possibly be included whole as it is
simply too complex. I have decided to present some of these things as a series over the
next few days. First, I will deal with structure and tonality, and then go on to talk briefly
about 'number', alchemical ideas which may be applied to the work, before concentrating
on 'I Talk to the Wind'. Other things may also come to mind in the meantime.
ITCOTCK is like a giant symphonic work in five movements, unified by a rising tone which
is included as a localised event in 'I Talk to the Wind' (E-F# in the chorus) and 'Schizoid
Man' (opening riff, Bb-C/F-G). This is reflected in the larger-scale structure as an ascending
step from the opening C minor mode of 'Schizoid Man', to the final D major of '...Court'. The
final 'Court' may be regarded as the resolution to the tension set up in the work.
Baroque imagery, included in Peter Sinfield's lyrics, is reflected in the ground-basses
(Epitaph, E-D-A-B, which is Passacaglia-like), and the many instrumental obbligatos.
Ritornello-like blocks are also included. These Baroque structural types may also have
something in common with jazz and rock structural types, which include refrains or
choruses. (I plan to discuss the idea of Medieval/Baroque imagery later.)
Baroque 'affect' (where keys are associated with psychological states) seem to be
employed. I am unsure as to whether this was originally intended. For example, 'Schizoid
Man' is in C minor/mode (tragic) (Purcell's 'Dido...' begins in C minor); '...Wind' is in E major
(pastoral-like); 'Epitaph' is in E minor/mode (lamenting); 'Moonchild' is in A minor/mode-A
major pentatonic (pastoral); 'Court' is in D major (triumphant), but also utilises E
minor/mode, which projects backwards to 'Epitaph'. The pitch 'E' seems to extend
throughout the work as a Schenkerian background, of sorts.
Looking more closely, the keys of the songs/pieces are: C minor (bVII to the tonic D major
of 'Court'); E major (II to D major); E minor (ii to D major or V/V to the following...); A
minor/major (V); D major (I). It seems to me that the idea of the number 5 (discussed next)
may also be present in this harmonic framework, with the seeming emphasis on cycles of
fifths included in both large-scale structure as well as in the minutiae of the localised
harmonic events (i.e. chords).
Part II
There seem to be references to the numerological significance of the number five in the
work: five pieces, five members contributing to the writing, instances of cycles of fifths both
at large and small scale positioning. Five is a magical number. It is the number of confusion
and quarrel, and of intense vibration. It represents the fusion of the mortal body to the
discipline of the spiritual. The pentacle has power as a talisman of protection. Occult
symbols include that of the Hierophant whose right-hand fingers are held with the first two
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bent, the next two straight and the thumb not seen (see inside cover of ITCOTCK). Five is
the number of fire, strife, competition andlight. It is regarded as the number of eveil, but also
of light. The ancient chinese also included five elements in their cosmology.
Each of the pieces may be symbolic of each one of the members of King Crimson, although
I would not like to hazard a guess as to which one equals which member.
Another small-scale example of 'five': the chorus of 'I Talk to the Wind' has five attacks in
sub-phrases 1,2 and 5. The phrases of the chorus are also broken down into five sections.
Part III
Crimson King = a Japanese tree. The tree, according to Jung in 'Alchemical Studies', is an
image which frequently appears as a symbol of the unconscious. He states that when these
fantasy products are drawn or painted (or composed/danced etc.?) they very often fall into
symmetrical patterns, which may take on the form of a Mandala. This symmetrical form is
seen in the structure of ITCOTCK, with 'Epitaph' is positioned in the centre of the structure,
the two 'pastoral' pieces ('...Wind' and 'Moonchild') on either side and the outer two pieces
('Schizoid Man' [C minor/mode] '...Court' [Dmajor]) separated by the step of a tone as
bookends.
The symbol of the tree is also found in alchemical literature representing the growth of the
arcane substance. It is illustrated in the woodcuts of the 'Rosarium Philosophorum' cited in
Jung's 'Psychology of the Transference', where the fruits of sun and moon are seen
hanging from its branches: symbols of the opposites found in the Lapis, or the Philosopher's
Stone. The tree is also found in the Judeo-Christian myth (the Garden of Eden), the Cabala
(the Sephirothic Tree), the Bhagavadgita and as Yggsdrasil from the Nordic mythic sagas.
The alchemical connection also continues into the second King Crimson album, 'In the
Wake of Poseidon'.
Robert Fripp has also suggested that the name King Crimson is a synonym for Beelzebub.
A connection may be made with Gurdjieff's 'Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson', which
examines human life on Earth from the viewpoint of beings belonging to a distant world, led
by Beelzebub. The sub-title of the work, 'An Observation by King Crimson', may be
associated with Gurdjieff's observations, in terms of its (the Gurdjieff) sub-title: 'An
objectively impartial criticism of the life of man'.
Jon Green, in 'Promenade the Puzzle - The Poetic Vision of Peter Sinfield'
(http://www.songsouponsea.com/Promenade/Court.html) also mentions Frederick II (1194-
1250) as the invisible presence of ITCOTCK. I also wonder if, particularly bearing in mind
the many woodwind textures - particularly flute - included on the record, if another another
'invisible' presence may be felt: that of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia (1740-1786)?
This would also be in keeping with the Baroque musical forms included in the work, besides
the Baroque having a 'romantic' connection to the Medieval world. Frederick the Great was
also a flautist, tutored by the great Baroque flautist and teacher J.J. Quantz, whose treatise
'On Playing the Flute' is dedicated to Frederick.
Whatever the case, I wonder if one of the many reasons we are drawn to ITCOTCK is
through its saturation of archetypal material? Archetypes are primordial, structural elements
of the human psyche, irrepresentable in themselves but their effects are discernible in
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archetypal images and motifs. They manifest themselves both on a personal level as
characteristics of whole cultures: as universal patterns or motifs which emerge from the
collective unconscious. Jung was able to discern several: the shadow, the child, the mother,
the maiden (the anima) and the man (the animus). The chief of these he termed the Self.
(Some of these may be seen on Tammo de Jongh's painting '12 Archetypes' on the cover
of 'In the Wake of Poseidon'). Others may include images of nature such as the tree, the
mountain, the river, the sea etc.
Part IV
'Twenty First Century Schizoid Man' is framed by two sets of 'noise': prelude - at the
beginning a distanza, dissonant mellotrons; coda - at the end a two section free-form blow.
These obliterate any allusions to tonality. The piece is in C minor/Dorian Mode transposed
into 'C', but is chromaticisized with the frequent addition of an F# (Pitch-Class 6).
The number three is important in this piece: three has often been regarded as a masculine
number. This may be worth bearing in mind as we progress through the piece.
The opening aggressive ritornello-like riff inncludes this pitch: 0, 10, 0, 3, 5, 7, 5 , 6, 7. The
harmonies which underpin it are: C minor, Bb major, C minor, F (5ths), C minor, F major,
Gb=F# major, G major. These chords, because they are often presented as complete
chords which include the third, sound full. The riff is presented three times in the opening
ritornello, the last time with the alto sax and guitar an octave higher,' screaming in unison.
All the phrases are directed towards G (7), V.
The first verse (the first of three), is underpinned by treated guitar playing a C minor
seventh chord with the 5th as root. The vocal part, besides also being heavily distorted,
oscillates around the pitch G (7), again emphasising the influence of the number 5 - V(5) is
the dominant of C minor. (see ITCOTCK Part 3)
The ritornello follows, simile, segued by Verse 2. The third ritornello is expanded by the
growling, low F (5), F# (6) and G (7) riff. This is played six times and serves as a bridge
passage into:
further riff episodes. This is where the King Crimson treatment of be-bop jazz becomes their
own. It is also the section which evokes the 'Mirrors' of the sub-title. The metre has now
been transformed into 12/8 (previously it was 4/4), with crotchet = dotted crotchet. During
section a) of this riff section: the guitar and sax are played unison with many syncopated
rhythms. The first phrase includes the pitch classes: 0,0,0,0, 3,4,5 mirrored by
0,0,0,0,11,10,7. (I will not refer to which octave these are placed in as, traditionally, pitch-
class analysis does not take in this dimension of thought). The second phrase 'mirrors' the
first phrase - 0,0,0,0,3,4,5,6,7,10,7,10,11. Section a) is repeated four times with a gradual
ascent each time, ending with rapid contracted versions of the final pitches of the riff. This
leads into section b): this is a duet between the guitar and sax, underpinned by bass and
drums. The guitar plays largely sustained pitches (7, 9, 11, 3)which, for the first time, make
allow the pitch A natural (9) to be heard prominently. This also brings out the the Dorian
tonality. At the end of each phrase there is a 'mirror': guitar playing ascending A, Bb, Eb
(9,11,3), while the sax plays F, Eb, C (5,3,0). Minor thirds, in all these riffs, seems to be an
important interval.
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Two solo episodes follow: the first is for guitar for twenty one bars. The solo is angular with
emphasis on F# (=Gb)(6) a tritone from C. A natural (9) is also brought out. There are small
symmetries (F#-G-D-C-G-F#)and much octave displacement, which became a feature of
Robert Fripp's subsequent style. A double saxophone treated solo follows, which refers
both backwards and forwards to the areas of noise. The feature of 'noise', at this point in
the structure, seems to be perhaps more important than the pitch content. This is played
over eighteen bars with a climax during the thirty-fifth bar, when the bass plays quaver C
naturals which seem to be the apex of the solo sections.
These solos seem to reach their zenith in the fast unison riffs which are punctuated by
silences. The first of these utilise the pitches G, Bb, C, Db, D, F, Db, D, F, G, Bb, Db, C, Bb,
G, Bb, C, D, F, D, Db, and G. The music, during this section is 'on' the Dominant G. The
music is very fast and fierce and played in semi-quaver sextuplets. It is probably the
moment the ear has been directed towards. There are dramatic changes in dynamic
tension in this section, probably the first time a rock band had been known to use the full
dynamic range and, more specifically, balancing crescendo and diminuendo which are also
employed as 'mirrors'.
Section a) riffs re-appear as a way to re-establish C minor/mode leading to:
the ritornello,followed by verse three, followed by a closing ritornello. The F, F#, G riff at the
end is repeated eight times as an anacrusis to the 'noise' of the coda.
The piece is tour-de-force in the building and slackening of tension, placed within a
brilliantly conceived structure. The pacing is acute, leaving one gasping for breath at the
end. The only solution is to follow it with a musical and lyrical polar opposite, which is 'I Talk
to the Wind'.
Part V
The only possible way in which to follow the ferocious music of 'Twenty First Century
Schizoid Man' is to move to the polar opposite. 'I Talk to the Wind' is a major third up from
the C minor/mode of 'Schizoid Man', and is set in E major/mode/pentatonic. One feels that
a dramatic shift in character has taken place in the opening bars. This is clearly a soft,
rounded song, as opposed to a 'work', and one gets the impression that it is Ian McDonald's
character which shines forth from the many compositional fingerprints included in it. The
pentatonic nature of the guitar part, in the chorus, is also in keeping with the many
instances of 'fiveness' in the work. This pentatonicism was to remain a part of Robert
Fripp's musical vocabulary for some years after.
'...Wind' includes an opening ritornello - two flutes played in thirds, accompanied by one
electric piano chord at the beginning of the bars, and the characteristic Michael Giles
fingerprint of gently struck bells of cymbals - of four bars which includes the majority of the
harmony in the song: E major, C major7, G major7, f# minor7 and B7. The last two chords
also include an 'unprepared suspension'. The dissonant pitch, within the suspension, is E
natural. The note 'E' is important in the structure. I feel it refers to the 'in between' of this
song and the 'in-between-ness' of the entire work, which could be regarded as an
outworking of the act of straddling the opposites. This would imply that, possibly, a
conscious (or unconscious?) reference to the Tao is being made. Taoism utilises the
opposites in its search for truth. The lyrics include also references to many opposites: 'here
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and there', 'outside and inside' etc. . E major/minor/mode and here, in the form of an E
'within' a suspension, crops up in '...Wind', 'Epitaph' and 'Court'. The song itself also lies in
between 'Schizoid Man' and 'Epitaph'. It is often a key which is set in between other keys of
pieces in the work. Verse one sets two vocals, in thirds, accompanied by one attack from
an electric piano at the outset of the bars. Occasional percussion makes its presence felt,
too. The verse is eight bars long, and two clarinets, in thirds, play from bars five to eight.
The vocal parts also take on the suspension in bars four and eight.
The first chorus, harmonised by the chords E major and B minor7 (I & v7) with an A minor7
in the seventh and ninth bars, is a fine example of King Crimson orchestration: one vocal
which outlines a 'step' motive (E-F#) at the end of phrases (an important unifying element in
the work); ascending flute playing one note per bar (E [0], F# [2], G# [4], A [5], B [7] C# [9])
up to the end of the sixth bar of the chorus); bass; drums; guitar (a descending pentatonic
phrase from C# [harmonic] down one octave to lower C#); soft, sutained organ to glue the
texture together. The vocal part is broken into three phrases, which are split into five.
The sequence of sections then follows: verse 2; chorus 2; verse 3 (vocals plus two 'active'
clarinets); chorus 3 (double-tracked flute?) plus a more active guitar part; flute solo over the
chords from the verse; guitar solo (in octaves) over the verse chords; chorus 4; verse 1
recap - initially the drums do not play, but then re-enter with the bass guitar during the
second half of the verse; ritornello from the opening as a substitute for the chorus; flute solo
over three complete verse sequences plus an additional three bars, before an overlap of
timpani playing a long, rolled B natural crescendo (dominant prolongation to provide
tension) obliterates the song; segue 'Epitaph'.
Wind = pneuma = spirit. Does the flute symbolise the wind and, therefore, the spirit in this
song? If so the wind 'cannot hear' and 'does not hear'. More to the point the speaker's
words are all 'carried away'. This suggests the spirit cannot and does not hear: the voice of
the counter-culture of the late '60's, or an ongoing concern in the life of mankind? It is also
interesting to note that the overlapping timpani roll obliterates the song. The confusion and
disillusion mentioned in '...Wind' are taken up in the confusion of 'Epitaph' which is, in turn,
picked up from 'Schizoid Man'. Indeed, confusion and disillusion are all around the speaker
in the surrounding form of these two pieces. Something is desperately being sought in this
work but, up to this point, never quite found. It as though '...Wind', and the later 'Moonchild',
serve as small islands or oases where some repose is found, even if only for a moment. It
needs to be said that without the interaction of the opposites wholeness is never to be
found, and this work, as a whole, suggests completeness.
Part VI
There is demo, or prototype, version of 'I Talk to the Wind' included on 'The Young Person's
Guide to King Crimson' (Island, 1976). There are several major differences in this version
as compared with the version that which is presented on ITCOTCK. I will refer to the
YPGTKC version as a, and ITCOTCK version as b:
1) YPGTKC version (version a): recorded on a second-hand Revox tape-recorder in the
front room of 93A, Brondesbury Road, London, NW6. Personnel: Judy Dyble, lead vocal;
Ian McDonald, acoustic guitar, clarinet, flute, backing vocal; Robert Fripp, electric guitar;
Peter Giles, bass guitar; Michael Giles, drums.
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2) Key: version a is in A major (different from the E major tonality of version b on
ITCOTCK). The accompanying verse chords are: A major, F major7, C major7, b minor7, E
susp., E7. The chords of the chorus are: A major, e minor7, d minor7 and E7. The
transposition has been done, possibly, for two reasons: Judy Dyble's vocal range is suited
to A major; the key of version b (E major) is suited to the structure of ITCOTCK, and are
more in keeping with Greg Lake's vocal range which would otherwise have been too high in
the original A major. However, both versions use Tertian harmony (i.e. chords which
employ a pivot note for modulation. This is a technique especially used by jazz musicians.)
3) Structure: Ritornello (version a uses flute and clarinet in thirds as opposed to the two
flutes of version b plus guitar etc.); verse one, drums enter immediately and play more or
less all the way through, except during the closing ritornello); chorus, highlights Robert
Fripp's fast, cross-picked arpeggio technique, and vocals in unison; verse two; chorus two;
verse three; instrumental section where the flute and clarinet play the melody of the chorus
in octave unison over the chords of the chorus; verse one recapitulation; ritornello as at
introduction. This illustrates a roughly symmetrical framework, whereas version b has a
lengthy coda for solo flute. The main structural and harmonic properties of the song are the
same. 4)Orchestration and timbre: version a sounds more 'folk-like' and, in terms of its
timbre, brighter. It is more four-square and less concerned with fitting into a structure or,
even, the Gesamtkunstwerke which ITCOTCK was destined to become. In these terms it is
an isolated song. The orchestration is, for want of a better term, an arrangement: the
instruments accompany the vocal line which is the main feature. However, it is performed
with precision and clarity. The vocal parts are particularly precise, with slight differences
from version b: for example, version a rises a perfect fourth on the words 'where have you
(been)' B natural to E natural, whereas version b rises a minor third, F# - A. (The difference
in pitch is due to the transposition). Version b is darker and slower, with an orchestration
which has been adopted to clearly heighten the words. For example, the flute, symbolising
'wind', is employed as an ascending line to rise to the words 'the wind does not hear'
creating both a structural-harmonic 'shock' and a point of focus for the listener at that point.
Electric piano and organ are used as sustaining instruments, in the same way as French
Horns may be used in a symphonic piece. Two clarinets are employed, during the verses,
to create a round, warm and feminine counterpoint enveloping the finely-wrought lyrics.
Flute and clarinets are separated in time from each other. The song is part of a structure
(as a 'opposite' to the masculine, jagged and aggressive 'Schizoid Man' and as an
anacrusis to 'Epitaph': it stands Janus-faced [see yesterday's analysis]), and any reference
to it being an isolated song has been removed. The guitar part has been thinned-out,
mainly playing a single-pitch pentatonic line in the chorus, as well as an evocative solo
following the flute solo of the central section. The vocals make an occasional reference to
the blues, with a quarter-tone glissando in the chorus on the the word 'to'.
Part VII
The symphonic grandeur and melancholic character of 'Epitaph', the third piece in
ITCOTCK, set a precedent for many of the so-called 'progressive' groups of the period. Not
only is the piece symphonic, but also refers back to the previous two pieces of the work. In
this way the structure, as a whole, makes a reference to the nineteenth century song-cycle,
especially a work such as Mahler's 'The Song of the Earth'.
There is unity forged between the melodic lines of 'Schizoid Man', 'I Talk to the Wind' and
'Epitaph'. The opening three pitches of the verse of 'Schizoid Man' are G, F and Eb (7, 5, 3)
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(on the words 'Cat's foot'); the opening three pitches of ITTTW are B, A and G (7, 5, 3) (on
the words 'Said the straight man, to the late man'); the opening three pitches in the melodic
line of 'Epitaph' are G, F# and E (3, 2, 0)(on the word 'wall'). In other words, the first two
outline major thirds, while the last is transformed into a minor third.
There are connections between 'Epitaph' and its sister-piece 'In the Wake of Poseidon'.
Both are cast in E minor/mode and both occupy similar central structural positions in their
respective works. Both begin with descending thirds ('Epitaph' G, F#, E; '...Poseidon' F#, E,
D) but, more importantly, both seem to deal with related ideas: they are concerned with
religio-philosophical issues - 'Epitaph', the breakdown of established order and subsequent
confusion; '...Poseidon', the possible breakdown of the natural order - as well as outlining
the Postmodern cultural condition: 'knowledge is a deadly friend, if no-one sets the
rules/The fate of all mankind, I see, is in the hands of fools'. In this way Peter Sinfield has
written lyrics into hymnodic-like structures (I would like to thank Peter Sinfield for referring
me to this last idea).
'Epitaph' is a strophic/symphonic structure set in E minor/mode. It is successful because it
is not only the reverse to the more optimistic obverse 'I Talk to the Wind' which, in turn, has
served as an anacrusis, but it remains unrhetorical: it understates rather than overstates
musical and lyrical ideas. For example, the chorus is only heard twice. There are things in
the piece which lead one to think that it may have been especially constructed to serve a
function in the structure, to close the first part of the work, but also to complete the mirroring
process: the microsmic-motivic connections pivot around descending thirds, whereas the
macrosmic, large-scale harmony ascends a third from the C minor mode of 'Schizoid Man',
through to the E major of ITTTW and E minor of 'Epitaph'. This harmonic ascent not only
tightly unifies the first half of the piece, but the shift upwards from C - E is felt as a 'shock': it
is though the listener is made aware of the lyrical concerns by well-founded, and compelling
musical means.
Structure
Opening Ritornello: 'Epitaph' is introduced by a timpani roll, which crescendos over a long
Dominant pedal (B natural). On the down beat we are launched into the first Ritornello, and
hear the icey crash of the full tutti: mellotrons, acoustic guitar, cymbals (reinforced timbrally
by an increase at the top-end of the harmonic spectrum) and bass guitar. Drums, as a
rhythmic motor, are absent at this point. The electric guitar softly introduces a variant of the
thematic material ([E, F#, G] F#~G~F#~G~F# [all bent/released notes] A, etc.). The
'roundness' of ITTTW has been superceded by a dark/light sound-world, but recalled by the
smooth guitar. However, it is as though we are faced with the archetype of death. The
subsequent lyrics clarify this. The opening ritornello last nine bars, with the acoustic guitar
playing arpeggios in the final pause-bar. The bass guitar underpins the texture with a
Passaglia-like bass, which again re-affirms the dark character of the music: E, D, A, B and
the chordal features are E minor(9), D major, A minor7 and B (b6) (G natural-F# 6-5
suspension). The cadential suspension is also a feature of ITTTW. The entire structure is,
more or less, based on these chords.
Verse 1: a) an open, empty and foreboding texture featuring voice, drums, bass guitar; b)
word-painting on 'Upon the instruments of death' - distant mellotron (mellotron, therefore,
associated with this dark, surreal landscape?); c) further word painting on 'When every man
is torn apart' from acoustic guitar played sul-ponticello, for an FFMinor 9th chord which is
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attacked as if to evoke the cutting action of a sharp knife (guillotine?); d) vocal line rises to
B natural (5th of E minor), during the last phrase.
Chorus: based on e minor and b minor (the reverse to the chorus of ITTTW). Here the
orchestration suggests 'still-movement', and one imagines a gallows scene: drums play hi-
hat (immediately closed), cymbal and pedal bass-drum, with the hi-hat once again struck,
followed by the bell of the cymbal (Berio-like percussion); organ glues the texture with long
sostenuto chords; piano in octaves in the left-hand (taken up in 'Forever and Ever' on
'Drivers Eyes' by Ian McDonald); bass guitar; fragile vocals; electric guitar single pitches B,
F# and E (7, 2, 2, 0, 0) which, again, connects with the guitar part in ITTTW. This eventually
leads to a flowing rhythmic texture at the end of the verse on the words, 'But I fear tomorrow
I'll be crying'. At the end of the chorus there is an important harmonic feature: C major to b
minor (i.e. Phrygian harmony 8, 7 or a semitone descent found at the beginning of the
Phyrygian Mode [F natural - E natural]), which becomes the basis for the coda of the piece.
Here the tension is heightened by this Phrygian oscillation, the acoustic guitar playing on
every beat of the bar, piano bass, plus a soaring, single-pitch mellotron line which serves as
a counterpoint for the intense vocal delivery which , in turn, outlines the pitches E, D and C
(another example of the third).
Ritornello X 1. More rhythmically flowing.
Segue, Verse 2: here the verse is organically related to the Ritornello by growing out of it.
The music is altogether more rhythmically flowing, possoibly heightening the words, 'And
watered by the seeds...'. The climax of the verse is at the words, ' ..in the hands of fools',
where the 6-5 suspension (G - F#) is stretched over two bars intensifying the V13 chord.
This leads into a huge anacrusis section which preapres the middle section. The anacrusis
consists of aa accumulating, mellotron-drenched, crescendoed diminished chord over a C
natural root (C, Eb, F#, A ) which sweeps upwards resolving to E minor, from which a solo
acoustic guitar emerges. The acoustic guitar passage, which could be regarded as a
bridge-passage, utilises variants of the harmonic structure: E minor, D major (first-inversion
[D/F#]), a minor9, B 6-5 suspension, B major.
Middle section: funereal. Drums attack second beats of the bar; acoustic guitar, sul
ponticello, is part and parcel of the rhythmic dimension, playing on the third beats; this
underlay accompanies a 'gooey' texture of two clarinets and bass clarinet. Everyting is
deathly grey, and close to total darkness. There are four complete statements of the
harmonic framework presented in the previous acoustic guitar bridge, from which a solo
clarinet emerges, gradually rising to the light at the end of the verse. One motivic feature of
this is the trill from G - F# played previously in the guitar bridge passage. The drums also
sometimes surprise, by playing on both beats two and four of the third complete statement
of the harmony.
Verse 1 recap: even more flowing. Electric guitar has more ornate line, especially a slurred
motive played in fourths (C - B [8, 7]) just following the words' when silence'.
Chorus 2, segue:
Coda: a) 'I fear tomorrow I'll be crying' 'pushed' and repeated to the fade; b) massive
Phrygian, symphonic play-out; c) timpani recalled from the opening anacrusis, therefore
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making a unifying feature; d) mellotron crotchet-triplet on B natural, sometimes rising to C
natural and back to B, reinforcing the Phrygian harmony by motive; e) piano left-hand, C -
B, in octaves, with large fanfare-like triads at the top in the treble; f) virtuosic drumming,
including a Nick Mason syncopated roll towards the end; g) the music remains unresolved
at the end. However, on turning the vinyl version over and continuing on to side 2, the
music resolves onto A minor/mode of 'Moonchild' and successfully disperses the tension
set up in 'Epitaph'.
Part VIII
'Moonchild' is perhaps one of the more remarkable pieces ever conceived in the history of
rock music. It is a visionary moment within the structure of ITCOTCK, and is placed fourth:
four is the quaternary, a number of significance for the ancient philosophers who identified it
with the feminine, and as a number of wholeness. Four was also associated with the moon
and with silver by the Alchemists. The Assumption of Mary is also wrapped up in the idea
that the feminine is finally taken into the Godhead as the fourth member of the prevailing
Trinity.
The music of 'Moonchild' may best be described as feminine, or anima dominated. It has a
certain 'lunar' nature: delicate, silvery and fleeting. This piece sees King Crimson in
experimental mode. There is a link with the stripped chamber music and subject-matter of
Schoenberg's 'Pierrot Lunaire' Op. 21, where the moon is seen as a symbol of madness.
However, King Crimson deal with the lunar aspect of the Schoenberg in a very different
way: the moon, in the case of the King Crimson, is not the nightmarish soundworld of
'Pierrot...' but more to do with 'play'. Both are outworking of their time and cultures: the
Schoenberg, Berlin cabaret of the early twentieth century and Freudian psychology; King
Crimson, the final vestiges of the counter-culture and the late 1960's and, in some ways,
Jungian psychology. However, both pieces are set in a heightened expressive style, used
to convey the language of the unconscious. Other pieces which may bear some relation to
'Moonchild' are Boulez's 'Le Marteau sans Maitre', Maxwell Davies's 'Almar Redemptoris
Mater' and 'Antechrist' and Berio's 'Circles'. These pieces all employ chamber music
ensembles.
'Moonchild' relies on the unconscious dimension for its success, and this aspect comes to
the fore in the central section of improvisation. The piece is, essentially, in two sections:
a)structured; b)improvised. There is an equilibrium between the composed and the
composed/improvised - between the corporeal and the spiritual. The second half is
wordless. It seems as though words are no longer the vehicle by which the anima can
reveal herself.
Section 1: is introductory, and set in A minor/dorian. Instantly, we are tranported into a
different musical realm from that of the preceding 'Epitaph'. A minor/Dorian is tonic (I) to the
E major/mode (V) of 'I Talk to the Wind', which is also to do with 'spirit'. The Dorian mode,
for the Greeks, was a mode associated with the passive, and the first thing we encounter as
listeners, is a reduced texture of soft, sutained, mandolin-like electric guitar which outlines
the motive of the vocal line (E, A, E. 7, 0, 7) underpinned by softly arpeggiated electric
guitar chords (A minor, A minor7, A minor#6, A minor6), counterpointed by a single line on
the mellotron (C, E-F [taking up the Phrygian semitone of Epitaph], C, E, F-E. 3, 7, 8, 3, 7,
8, 7). There is an absence of bass guitar throughout.
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Verse 1: the music continues in a soft, distant and metallic dimension. The vocal timbre has
also been treated to convey this, with the music designed to heighten the key words in
Peter Sinfield's lyrics: dancing, dreaming, drifting, waving, playing, sailing, waiting, which all
express tranquillity in one way or another. The vocal line begins E, A, E and then continues
downwards in step-wise direction, finally coming to rest on the pitches F - E at the end of
the first phrase, highlighting the Phrygian motive which is gradually emerging as one of
importance for the work as a whole. It is here that the bells of the cymbals are played,
reinforcing the gentle, metallic character of the piece. The opening E, A, E electric guitar
motive also comes at the end of the verse, but is placed on different beats in the bar (i.e.
beats 2, 3 and 4), framing the structure.
Chorus: consists of four balancing phrases. While the antecedent descends, the
consequent ascends. Muted, tabla-like percussion is introduced, with mellotron flute. The
accompanying chords are d minor, e minor7, a minor, G, a minor, F major7.
Introduction: extended guitar and mellotron counterpoint, plus more active percussion.
Verse 2: as verse 1, but now with more active percussion and mellotron strings.
Chorus: as chorus 1, and ending with the E, A, E motive from which emerges:
Section Two: improvisatory. This is, mostly, a jazz-like play on the motives presented in
Section One, and may be divided into sub-sections.
Section 2 a: 'The Dream' (?). Chordal cluster of A minor Aeolian emerges from the
preceding section on vibraphone with sustaining pedal. The texture has something in
common with a distant Gamelan. The electric guitar enters, soft and with a jazz-like timbre,
playing white-note harmony, which fits into the Aeolian mode of the vibes. There is
emphasis on the motives B-C, and E-F. The electric guitar also plays soft chord-clusters,
such as C mojor with an added ninth at one point. (This is an example of the way Robert
Fripp is able to use tonality within predominantly modal areas, which comes to full fruition in
pieces such as 'Pie Jesu'). The metre is free, with no strong accents. The music, like chant,
is liberating and ecstasy-inducing or, even, hypnotic. It is contrapuntal in terms of its
layering, based on a drone 'A'.
Section 2b: the vibes underlay recedes allowing the guitar to sound. The guitar is
prominent, with oscillating E's to F's (Phrygian) becoming more important. The vibraphone
also play octave E's and F's. The landmark in this section is the guitar ascent to a cluster
including A, B and D, followed by a suspension-like descending phrase. This section has
the atmosphere of a very soft organ voluntary, creating a magical space.
Section 2c: 'The Illusion' (?). The vibes re-enter plus muted percussion. The music becmes
more dissonant. Particularly prominent are E/F, B/C dyads in the guitar, followed by A-B
trills which lead to C naturals. The vibes play C#/A at one point. There are flashes of light
on the cymbals. The dynamic range is soft.
Section 2d: dialogue between guitar, vibes and drums, with sudden changes in timbre: i) sul
ponticello 'bends' in the guitar, with downward arpeggios, plus E-F oscillations; ii) sudden
'stabs' in the vibraphone; iii) drum rolls; iv) cymbals and sticks on drum-rims. The drums
sound like padded cardboard boxes. Sudden shifts in dynamic range.
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Section 2e: Landmark: guitar - B, C, B, C - G#; B, C, B, C - G natural; B, C, B, C, F#.
Silences and flashes of timbral light.
Section 2f: Vibes trills + percussion, guitar more sparing, but when it does play wide dyads
are heard.
Section 2g: Guitar - A pedal with high D and E important. This recalls the suspension-like
descents of Section 2b. Becoming playful, alluding to the song 'Surrey with the Fringe on
Top'. This idea is treated sequentially, eventually becoming scalic.
Section 2h: silence.
Section 2i: Coda - vibraphone plays very softly plus cymbal gong-like (like the coincidence
of events in Gamelan?). Guitar gradually ascends to top A natural. The music is
transformed into A major, A pentatonic and dominant seventh on A, creating a lengthy
Tierce de Picardie. Descending guitar chordal clusters based around 'A', sometimes
touching IV, but always over a tonic pedal. Guitar takes the weight of the music. Sleigh-bell
accompaniment. Eventually bass drum and sleigh-bells add a regular pulse, with the vibes
'breaking' across the beat, becoming unsynchronised. Resolves to A major at the very end,
which is the dominant (V) of the subsequent 'In the Court of the Crimson King'. If 'Epitaph' is
regarded as the anacrusis to 'Moonchild', then 'Moonchild' is the anacrusis to 'Court' setting
up an cycle of fifths through these pieces: e minor/mode V/V; a minor/Dorian/Aeolian V; D
major/mode I.
Part IX
The title piece of ITCOTCK was, according to Peter Sinfield (E-mail to Andrew Keeling,
April 9, 2000), already written: 'a complete Dylanesque song that I had written both words
and music for.' However Sinfield goes on to say that Ian McDonald rewrote the music to the
words.
The words of 'Court' give us a glimpse into an ancient past. Not only do these words seem
to touch on the mythical dimension - i.e. they contain references to archetypes such as the
King, the Black Queen, the Witch and the Jester relating, perhaps, to the cover-painting of
'In the Wake of Poseidon' which also includes a music quotation from 'Court' itself in 'The
Devil's Triangle' - but also project backwards to 'Moonchild' (the moon is now a 'prison
moon'), and to 'I Talk to the Wind', in terms of the opposites 'sweet and the sour' mentioned
in verse three. More than that is the relation 'Court' has to 'Schizoid Man': the lyrics of
'Court' seem to give us a picture of the ancient court of a despot, and each of the verses
focus on a particular facet of this:
Verse 1: ancient social structure anticipates that of 'Cirkus'. The dream
(unconscious/feminine) of 'Moonchild' is shattered by the sun of
'Court'(conscious/masculine); Verse 2: dreams are now shuttered (relating back to the
'shattering' by the sun). Enter two negative archetypes: the Black Queen and the Fire
Witch; Verse 3: religious symbolism (Garden of Eden (the tree), Tao, wheel (Buddhist
Wheel of Life); Verse 4: political scenario, especially conveyed by the lines 'pulls the strings'
and the Dance of the Puppets.
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In other words, the album is cyclic not only in the musical techniques employed, but also in
terms of the subject matter: 'Schizoid' is linked to 'Court' - 20th century to the 12th/18th
centuries - which seems to pose the idea that social structures, such as these, have always
been there. This idea would have been particularly appropriate to the ethos of the counter-
culture of the the mid to late 1960's.
The music is presented in refrain (ritornello) and verse structure. It is, like 'Epitaph', also
presented in a hymn-like form. Like the section 'Et Resurrexit' in J.S. Bach's Mass in B
minor, the ritornello sections are set in D major, which corresponds to the sun-like character
of some of the lyrics/words both in the Bach and King Crimson. The five attacks which
prepare the tutti, as well as the tutti itself, come as a complete contrast to the preceding
'Moonchild'. The opening ritornello is played twice. The material of this consists of a
complete melodic phrase set over the chords D major, C major and B major. Not only is the
falling minor third motives of the previous pieces/songs recalled in this harmonic
progression, but it is interesting in itself. The mellotron melody F#, F#, F#, F#, F#, G, E
outlines a suspension with an echapee (escape note), but is also sequential in the melody
over the second chord in bar 3 (E, F#, D#). To arrive back in D major there is a part
chromatic ascent: B, C#, D#, E, E# (also a filled-in tritone) which is later picked up by the
bass guitar at the end of the 'Fire Witch' section. It is also connected to the chromatic
ascent in the ritornello of 'Schizoid Man'.
Verse 1: this consists of four phrases. It is in E minor/aeolian, although the guitar alludes to
E minor/dorian. The vocal line, like 'Moonchild', consists of a leap from low B to higher B (7,
7) followed by a falling, conjunct line emphasing G-F#, connecting the motive to the
previous pieces. The guitar also includes, besides harmonics, the pitches B and C (7, 8)
which is Phrygian and connected to 'Epitaph' and, in the second phrase, a different
approach to the C natural from a C# above. The texture is empty. The third phrase is
transposed to A minor/mode, with the chords A minor, A minor6, A minor#6, A minor6
accompanying the voice. The flute obbligato, painting the words 'the purple piper', plays a
series of trills especially E - F, which forges a connection with the many semitones in the
work. The fourth phrase returns to E minor/mode.
Ritornello 2: as before but thickened.
Verse 2: As before but thicker texture. Here the drums are reminiscent of the 'gallows'
texture of 'Epitaph': tom-toms, hi-hat, sare-drum roll, tom-toms.
Ritornello 3: As before, but from this segue:
'The Return of the Fire Witch': a 'fantasy' on the material of the Ritornello, using the chords
from it and a mellotron line which is a melodic variant of the melody. There is a Farfisa-like
organ accompaniment on every beat, and the bass guitar plays semi-quavers D - A , C - G,
B - F# etc. This 'fantasy' anticiptes the flavour of some of the music from 'Birdman' on
McDonald and Giles. The music eventually reaches B major and the chromatic anacrusis in
the bass guitar (F#,G,G#,A,A#,B,C,C#) into:
Ritornello 4: as before but the guitar has more distortion and is played on every beat picking
up from the Farfisa in the preceding fantasy.
Verse 3: as before but the guitar is reinforced by harpsichord and bass guitar.
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Ritornello: as before, but drums more virtuosic.
Middle section: solo flute which employs falls of a fifth from A - D. Same harmonic structure
of 'Fire Witch', but thinned-out orchestration: flute, bass (single pitches), bells of cymbals,
guitar (especially semitone oscillations F#-G and wide leaps and dyads). Flute homes-in on
D,C,B,C,B,A semi-quaver sextuplet motive, over B major, and crescendo into:
Verse 4: a magical moment (point of Golden Section?). E minor sustained chord: mellotron,
flute trills, cymbal rolls with wooden sticks, acoustic guitar. Vocals over acoustic guitar and
'pillow' of ambient resonance (electric guitar/vibes? Picked up from Moonchild? 'Soft grey
mornings'=dawn of Moonchild?). Word painting: 'gently pulls the strings'=electric guitar
bends B-C.
Ritornello X3. Ends on huge E major Tierce de Picardie. Segue:
Cymbal bridge: attacks X3 roll on the final phrase.
'Dance of the Puppets': three-part mellotron flute fantasy played mechanically and
scherzando. Serves as a break to the gravitas, as well as being an influence on the
Genesis-strand of 'progressive' rock music. Repeated three times. On the final repeat a low
sustained line outlines the 5ths of the bass guitar part of 'Fire Witch'.
Ritornello: played six times. Huge series of countermelodies, extreme electric guitar
distortion, organ glissandi etc. The puppets have become sinister, and the mellotron is no
longer in the foreground but serves as a backdrop for the other sonorities. Ends with the
obliteration of tonality on B major connecting it to, as well as being a semi-tone lower than
'Schizoid Man' and remaining unresolved at the end. B major is also V to the e minor/mode
of 'Epitaph'.