Peter Walsworth

Drama in Song Final Analysis

Finishing the Hat
1. At its core, this song is about isolation. As he paints his masterpiece, George focuses on the
characters he is creating an gets stuc! on the image of Dot. As he thin!s of her he reflects on
the impossibilities of life as an artist. George notes that no one e"er unerstans him an that
he is always separate from others by his artistry# no matter where he is or what he is oing,
there is always some aspect of him that is acting as a painter an he cannot ri himself of that.
$n this way, he is always isolate from those aroun him because of his compulsion to obser"e
an create in his own manner. %e is always etache an no matter how he wishes or tries, he
cannot force his boy an soul to be what they are not.
&. A'mm. 1(11) Gb *a+or, -'mm. 1&(1.) /'mm. 10(&1) D'mm. &2(12) D3'mm. 1.(22) 4'mm. 22(
.&) D33'mm. .1(00) D333'mm. 05(50) 43'mm. 55(62) D3333'mm.6.(76) F'mm. 77(18.)
1. 9ntil measure &2 the accompaniment ha been mostly choral with a "ersion of George3s
painting theme, but then the painting theme is replace with a mo"ing line with tight harmonies
an a small range. $t hear!ens bac! to a theme that we ha"e hear before in the song 3/olor an
:ight3 an in the titular song. $t often comes as one of the characters is reflecting on something
or in a particularly eep thought. ;he mo"ement gi"es this accompaniment a sense of swelling
an mo"ement e"en while there are notes an chors being hel for eight beats at a time# so that
+ust li!e George, there is a great eal going on beneath the surface, but there is also a stillness.
2. 4"ery time that this gesture occurs, George is referring to a winow. ;here is also a
rallentando or tenuto mar!ing accompanying it each time. $t creates a suen musical pause in
the mo"ing line almost as if George were pausing from his painting to loo! out that winow
into the worl outsie him, or stepping from his own worl into the worl of the painting.
.. *easures .8 through .6 are in Gb *a+or but follow an unusual progression an hea"ily
emphasi<e the thir instea of tonic.
a= mm. .8(.1 are a $>
a 7
chor
b= mm. .&(.1 are a iii
5
chor
c= mm. .2(.. are a "i chor
= mm. .0(.5 are a $>
a 7
again
e= mm. .6 resol"es bac! to the iii
5
0. ;he music con"eys George slowly an subtly coming to the unerstaning that he will always
be isolate by the way he thin!s an wor!s. %e also slowly an subtly points the blame at Dot
for not unerstaning his ways an nees, especially when he says, ?$ gi"e all $ can gi"e@ nearer
to the en of the song. ;he song starts by reflecting on the characters in the painting, then shifts
o"er to a focus on Dot an how he ha hope that she coul ta!e him as he was, e"en though he
ne"er belie"e she woul. %ere, the music begins its mo"ement that is both nostalgic an
unsettle. $t also a"ois lingering on the !ey center, placing the Gb3s throughout the piece on
offbeats an ening many of the phrases on 3*i3. ;his helps to show that George feels "ery
unsettle about his isolation, an is paine by it. $n the en, he ecies that he must follow his
art an essentially says, ?so be it@ to the iea that he3ll ne"er fin anyone close to him. An in
the en, the song turns bac! to the painting, though the nostalgia an melancholy in the
accompaniment continue.
Move On
1. -y the en of the first act, both George an Dot were unfinishe characters. ;hey ha mae a
ruin of their relationship an coul not gi"e to each other what the other one neee. $n the
secon act, George3s +ourney has continue, but he is about to once again gi"e up on something
he lo"es. ;his song brings them bac! together an Aespite it being a ifferent George= allows
Dot to come bac! an tell George that she always lo"e him an ne"er forgot him. $t allows her
to imbue her har(earne wisom on George so that he will not ma!e these same mista!es an
can instea grow as a person an an artist. ;he song states that Dot an George will always
belong together because she was his muse. She was an inspiration to him an will li"e on in his
paintings, so that where"er George3s wor! goes, there also will go Dot.
&. $t starts with a slowe own re"erie moti"e from 3/olor an :ight3 an other sections. $t goes
on to inclue the long sustaine notes that are foun in so many of the other songs. ;he
arpeggiate rhythms mo"ing throughout har!en bac! to the pointillism moti"e that occurs while
George paints. ;he soun that accompanies the placement of the new trees in the secon
number returns as well.
1. ;he accompaniment in this piece is full of the pointillistic approach that Sonheim too! to this
musical# the repeate eight notes are meant to be the abs of paint. ;hey also help, by their
repetition to create a steay bac!groun of soun that feels as if it has no beginning or en. As
he often oes, sonheim also has long hel out notes in the accompaniment that also contribute
to this feeling of a phrase that ne"er ens, but +ust eBists. As the song continues, the teBture of
the accompaniment thic!ens, aing more an more layers an broaer chors until the climaB,
at which point things begin to settle bac! own to normal.
2. ;he "ocal line is especially Sonheim(esCue in that it ta!es the form of a con"ersation as much
or more than that of a uet. ;he phrases cannot be neatly i"ie into 6 or 10 bars, but rather
go on for as long as they nee to. ;he rhythms an meloy accompany the normal speech
patterns of a spea!er, going higher or lower base on the intensity an importance of the
statement, an the rhythms are paire with the wors so that there aren3t any strange wor
stresses hanging about. $t3s also important to note that the meloy is mostly the same set an
orer of inter"als throughout, though mo"e about on the scale a little here an there. ;he
repetition of an iea to really bring it across is also a big part of Sonheim3s wor!s.
.. ;he "ocal line comes to a climaB here by way of change. Where the rest of the piece has been
characteri<e mostly by fast mo"ing lines an wors, measures 1&0 to 111 ha"e long, sustaine
notes. $n both the accompaniment an the meloy, measures 1&0 to 118 are in the !ey of a
raise > chor, an then resol"e own by a half step to the ominant. ;his gi"es a sweeping
sense of correctness an positi"ity to the listener.