From: dam@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (David Morning)
Newsgroups: rec.music.newage
Subject: Re: Tubular Bells II
Date: 9 Sep 92 12:05:44 GMT
Organization: Glasgow University Computing Science Dept.

br@Germany.EU.net (Bodo Rueskamp) writes:

>In article <18ig1uINN6il@disaster.Germany.EU.net> br@Germany.EU.net (Bodo Rueskamp) writes:
>>In article <Bu9Gr2.2yD@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk> dam@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (David Morning) writes:
>>>
>>>>There is no old melody. None of the melodies from TB1 are used in TBII.
>>>>But the arrangement and instrumentation follows very close to TB1.
>>>
>>>The opening piano piece is the same (after the added on guitar intro)
>>>The part where the instruments were introduced was *very* similar though it
>>>had a few extra bars thrown in.

>No! The repetive melody is not the same.
>TB1 uses a 30/8 melody (7/8, 7/8, 7/8, 9/8),
>but TB2 uses a 32/8 melody (4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 4/4).

Tinkering with the timing is hardly significant.

>theme... (Tubular Bells)

>  1       2       3       4
>  1234567 1234567 1234567 123456789
>D ....... ..*.... ....... ..*......
>C ....... *....*. ....... *....*...
>B ..*.... ....*.. ..*.... ....*..*.
>A *....*. ....... *....*. .........
>G ....*.. ....... ....*.. .........
>F ....... ....... ....... .........
>E .*.*..* .*.*..* .*.*..* .*.*..*.*

>...and variation (Tubular Bells 2)

>  1        2        3        4        5        6        7        8 
>  12345678 12345678 12345678 12345678 12345678 12345678 12345678 12345678
>D ........ ........ ........ ........ ........ ........ .......* ........
>C *....... ........ *....... ........ *....... ........ *....... .*..*...
>B ..*..*.. .*...... ..*..*.. .*....*. ..*..*.. .*...... ..*..*.. ...*..*.
>A ....*..* ....*.*. ....*..* ....*... ....*..* ....*.*. ....*... ........
>G ......*. ...*.... ......*. ...*.... ......*. ...*.... ......*. ........
>F ........ ........ ........ ........ ........ ........ ........ ........
>E .*.*.... *.*..*.* .*.*.... *.*..*.* .*.*.... *.*..*.* .*.*.... *.*..*.*

I haven't looked at this in any detail since:-

a) I don't understand the format
b) I don't understand music theory very well

Asuuming the transcription you've given is correct (and I've no reason to
doubt it)....

Bars 5,6 and 7 appear to be a repeat of Bars 12&3 which collapses the whole
theme to just 4 bars as in TB1 with a small variation in the last bar, hardly
significant.

Taking Bar1 of TB2, drop note 1 (the C) to an A, snip out 5 and 6 and your back
to TB1 requring only the addition of the E pedal(?) note that runs through it.
..or try a logical shift left by 2 notes beetween Bar 1 note 5 and Bar2 note1
Notes 5 and 6 of Bar 1 disappear (into the carry :-) ) Recognise it now?
hmmm...wonder if Oldfield was using a computer program to tinker with his
music? :-)
The key is the same, as is the mode. Bars 1 &3 repeat as does TB1

Having said all this, it's really nit-picking to imply it's quite different

I was more concerned with the piece as a whole and pointed to 2 instances
where the themes were very close to the original.

Having not heard TB1 for a few years now, I found it very difficult to
distinguish between the two parts I mentioned in TB and TB2.


Dave

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