TY - JOUR AU - Ingólfsson, Árni Heimir PY - 2020/03/06 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - “Follow My Voice”:: Structure and Improvisation in Björk’s ‘Mouth’s Cradleʼ JF - European Journal of Musicology JA - EJM VL - 18 IS - 1 SE - Articles DO - 10.5450/EJM.18.1.2019.84 UR - https://bop.unibe.ch/EJM/article/view/6655 SP - 84-98 AB - <div id="app"><div class="ms-Fabric _2HTFmaDIVHVbnIkwPM9srx root-42"><div class="_3KAPMPOz8KsW24ooeUflK2"><div class="_2jR8Yc0t2ByBbcz_HIGqZ4"><div class="_1TpU2KF6f_EeQiytBaYj8I"><div class="_3mBjlqTqXMUiRuuWRKCPtX css-41"><div class="_1jw6v9zFEgnOiXShpU1qqM"><div class="_2a8RUrS_Rz9TgOuFOyVU2E _1o7uVfs1ooIN78PbtKWnd1 _2Vkn_hMDpPrPod82gSw_7g"><div class="mm4nCLKbIRtx5HvuorDWT"><div class="_1QDTZfBsizkS8O4Jej5a3A"><div><div class="_3Ad19uWCrJfZmaKfs-hR2p"><div class="_1fmZ_av0AzpX0WDUx7Rxsi" tabindex="-1" role="main" aria-label="Content pane"><div class="_2BDBxo-9kfOUcm02zcT5PR"><div class="aKEZUGyWi5haT6riFXgvp customScrollBar" tabindex="-1"><div class="_2le66D_cFAbkq67CrgZcmE"><div><div class="wide-content-host"><div class="B1IVVpQay0rPzznhParFr KcNy0Xfd9-is-_CEp3QOI" tabindex="-1"><div><div class="_3U2q6dcdZCrTrR_42Nxby JWNdg1hee9_Rz6bIGvG1c allowTextSelection"><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div id="divtagdefaultwrapper" dir="ltr"><div><div><div><p align="left"><span lang="en">'Mouth</span><span lang="en-US">’s Cradle'</span><span lang="en-US">, from Björk’s 2004 album <em>Medúlla</em>, combines a vocal line of considerable flexibility with a carefully outlined yet rather unusual structure. This article discusses the inspiration behind the song and analyze its structure. A particular focus is the interaction of structure and improvisation, the tension that exists between the inherent flexibility of Björkʼs melodic impulse and a formal scheme that is worked out in full only during the later stages of the creative process. In addition to the analysis of the song as it appears on <em>Medúlla</em>, the article also compares two later live performances that differ considerably in the treatment of a key moment in the song. By way of contrast, the article also discusses the ostinato-based 'Oceania', from the same album, which demonstrates a very different approach to the limits of structure and improvisation. </span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> ER -