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Chorus - from bar 50

Tempo

The tempo of the chorus is allegro, which is faster than the andante of the verse.

Rhythm

The accompaniment features a very high-pitched three-note ostinato played by the synthesiser and wind instruments. The ascending three note shape is syncopated, starting on the second half of the first beat of the bar, and this creates an interesting cross rhythm with the regular beat played by the drum kit.

The vocal melody is often syncopated and the held chords in the band all move a quaver before the strong beat. The triplet in bar 60 'Can’t I make you…' creates a cross-rhythm with the syncopated quaver pattern in the band parts.

Verse 2 - from bar 63

Tonality and harmony

The final note on 'grandeur' at the end of the previous section is an A. The first chord of verse 2 is a D, which produces a confident perfect cadence ready for the line 'I’m through accepting limits'.

Metre

In bar 75 the drum kit augments the rhythm, which gives the sense that the tempo is reduced by half.

Chorus - from bar 79

Melody

Although the melody is the same as in the first chorus, there are some embellishments in the performance. For example, in bar 83 on the word ‘goodbye,’ Elphaba briefly touches the note above F#, which didn’t happen in the same part in chorus 1.

Bridge - from bar 88

Tempo

The tempo in this section is moderato.

Instrumentation

In all of the spoken sections, including this one, there are long held chords in the band, almost as if they are waiting to hear what is being spoken before striking the next chord.

Melody

The leitmotif heard at bar 93 is the unlimited theme and is based on the melody of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Both the leitmotif and melody begin with an ascending octave leap, which adds to the sensation of anticipation and flight.

Metre

Bar 101 is the only bar in the song with a tempo that has three beats in a bar.

Chorus - from bar 102

Melody

This is the first time Elphaba and Glinda sing the chorus together in unison and in harmony to the words 'with you and I'.

Variations in sections

The structure of Defying Gravity is:

1. introduction
2. verse 1
3. chorus
4. verse 2
5. chorus
6. bridge
7. chorus
8. introduction reprise
9. verse 3
10. chorus
11. coda

As the song progresses, sections are not an exact repeat of the previous rendering of the music.

The first verse is relaxed, with long chords held by prominent guitars and tremolo strings. The second verse has a driving, syncopated rhythm and maintains a strict tempo throughout. Verse three is different again - even though the melody and rhythm are similar, Elphaba sings at a much higher pitch, the accompaniment is more heroic, and the tempo includes a rallentando, or rall.

Coda – from bar 161

Instrumentation

Idina Menzel sings the part of Elphaba alone while the rest of the band rests, again at the very top of her powerful chest range.

The ensemble sings 'look at her, she’s wicked', a line that was sung at the start of the musical, to end the first act. They sing this with the marking maestoso.