Brief Summary
This video analyzes the musical structure of "West Side Story," focusing on how Leonard Bernstein uses a three-note motif to represent conflict, love, and the characters' relationships. The analysis shows how the arrangement and resolution of this motif, particularly the tritone interval, underscore the story's themes of division, reconciliation, and ultimate tragedy.
- The conflict between the Jets and Sharks is musically represented through variations of a central three-note motif, especially the dissonant tritone.
- Tony and Maria's love is portrayed as a resolution of this conflict, with their musical themes featuring more stable intervals like perfect fourths and fifths.
- The tragic ending is reinforced by the score's unresolved tritones, highlighting the failure of reconciliation and the persistence of hate.
Introduction to West Side Story
The video introduces "West Side Story" as a 1957 adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It emphasizes the musical's complexity and promises a step-by-step analysis. The video highlights the importance of a three-note motif that appears throughout the musical, calling it "crazy super important".
Opening Scene and the Conflict Motif
The analysis begins with the opening scene, focusing on a three-note motif that represents conflict or hate between the Jets and Sharks. This motif, characterized by a tritone interval, is introduced with intimidating snapping and menacing ballet. The narrator also introduces the Jets motif, which is an inversion of the conflict motif. The police force's anti-Puerto Rican stance aligns them musically with the Jets.
Character Themes and Foreshadowing
The Jets' theme is prevalent when they sing about being Jets, while Tony's initial introduction is marked by silence, signifying his detachment from the gang. When Riff convinces Tony to attend the dance, the Jets motif reappears. Tony's "Something's Coming" features a rearranged version of the conflict motif, foreshadowing his meeting with Maria.
The Tritone Interval Explained
The video explains the significance of the tritone, an interval that is dissonant and creates a need for resolution. The tritone is contrasted with more stable intervals like perfect fourths and fifths, which sound more consonant. The conflict motif contains a tritone, while Tony's theme resolves from a tritone to a perfect fourth.
Maria's Introduction and "Maria" Song Analysis
Maria is introduced, leading into the dance scene and the song "Maria." The song "Maria" is analyzed, revealing that it is a rearranged version of the three-note motif. The motif resolves to a perfect fifth, representing the resolution of conflict as Tony and Maria come together. The tritone in the conflict motif is considered the opposite of the octave, mirroring the opposite worlds Tony and Maria come from.
"America" and "Tonight" Analysis
The song "America" is discussed, noting the absence of the three-note motif, as it represents Anita and Bernardo's experiences in America, separate from the central conflict. Similarly, "Tonight" lacks prominent tritones, suggesting a world without conflict for Tony and Maria.
Musical Bias and the Jets' Role
The Jets' motif is heard repeatedly in "Gee, Officer Krupke," and one of the Jets uses the conflict motif as an alarm whistle. The analysis suggests that the Jets are the overt aggressors, with their motif being an inverted form of the conflict motif. The Sharks, on the other hand, do not have a strong relationship with either motif, suggesting they are fighting for survival.
"I Feel Pretty" and the Mock Wedding
"I Feel Pretty" lacks tritones and emphasizes perfect fourths, symbolizing an escape from conflict. During Tony and Maria's mock wedding, the music modulates from G flat major to C major, a tritone interval, highlighting their opposite backgrounds.
The Rumble and "Somewhere"
The rumble recaps the film's conflict musically, ending with the conflict motif. "Somewhere" is analyzed for its attempt to musically represent escape from conflict using perfect intervals. The song uses a minor seventh interval, avoiding tritones, to signify that the fighting is left behind when Tony and Maria are together.
Contrasting the Jets and Sharks
The Jets continue to be associated with the tritone and conflict motif even when alone, reinforcing their role as aggressors. This is contrasted with the Sharks during "America," who do not have any musical conflict with the Jets.
Sisterly Conflict and Tragic Finale
In "A Boy Like That" and "I Have a Love," Anita and Maria's conflict is musically represented by a modulation between D flat major and G major, a tritone apart. During Anita's assault at the drugstore, a distorted version of "America" is played, highlighting the villains' actions. The finale features an alternating tritone that never resolves, symbolizing the lack of a happy ending. Maria's unaccompanied singing of "Somewhere" is mocked by the score's ominous tritone, emphasizing the unresolved conflict and the survival of hate.
