I like the election of 1800 cuz it's a song that doesn't make me cry in between some very sad songs the I'm not a fan of because they make me cry they're like okay will cheer you up with the election of 1800 and a Teensy bit I'll be your obedient servant and then I just start crying on best of wives and best of women
Also can we talk about how in the very end song, Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story, the progression of harmonies reverses and they go from four-part, to three-part, to two-part, and back to a single melody again?
The "stuttering gunshot" is also historically accurate as a flintlock would set off the flash pan prior to the ignition if the powder in the chamber, resulting in two distinct pops.
Oh god I'm No stop I realized that you did a thing with the music for the count up You used the soundtrack count up all the way to number nine, like all the other times because they actually said ten in the middle of the count up (or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 NUMBER 10) And you did the same Number ten was the world was wide enough It's when Hamilton finds no beat or melody to follow in his moment of uncertainty before he shoots, there is nothing to tell him what to do You left number ten at an empty standstill as you said it, no song, no voices proclaiming number ten as the rest Just silence, and your voice talking Aka I'm crying Edit: whoa, likes what the-
I am a Hamilton fan but know very little about musical theory, but the way you explained everything was so clear, seriously impressed! Thanks for making a great video!!!
I saw your comment and i literally said "sofia! Oh my god! I feel proud!" And I literally dont know you but i see your comments from the Hamilton lyric videos and i just felt proud.
This video is your best so far! I wanted to add that it's worth noticing that the counting theme's not just staying the same from "10 Duel Commenandments" to "The World was Wide Enough" - it's actually recorded on the same track, so the two songs match one another perfectly. Listening to both on the same time reveals even more of Lin's briliant writing. The counting stays the same, but Burr's and Hamilton's solo parts sits on different parts of the beat, and "The World was Wide enough" is on a lower and grim register, so when you listen to it, you can always hear both songs pretty clear. My favorite part about it is the way the lines "Why, if not to take deadly aim" and "How many men died because Lee was inexperienced and ruined us" clash, and Burr reach his Forte just before Hamilton does. I really like your videos. It's always a commbination between "Ha! I noticed that thing as well!" and surprises. I can't wait to see what comes next. ;) (P.s, forgive me if my language is a bit off, English is a second langauge to me, and I'm always afraid to be misunderstood)
Inbar Naaman actually the 8 in the world was wide enough is a different, lower tone than in the ten duel commandments. It has more of an eerie pitch to it
I'll add as well that The World Was Wide Enough adds the My Shot anthem (lacking from 10 Duel Commandments, but interestingly not from the Workshop version) and the music for "9" differs a bit.
When you showed how the cabinet battle theme was in canon I was practically screaming! I knew it was the 10 duel commandments theme there but I never noticed the canon, that's so cool! Also, yes, screw gradus ad parnassum.
This video series is amazing. Not only does it point out the genius behind Hamilton but it shows how much you can express with music. I have neither the background or education to notice and qualify why Hamilton's music invokes the feelings it does it me, so I need someone like you to take me on this journey of appreciation. Thank you!
One thing I will always love about musicals is how each song borrows from the next. And the moment of recognition where I'm like "Is that from this song? I think it is." And it makes me go back to watch it all over again. You've opened my eyes (also Hamilton was like the 3rd musical I've seen so not too much experience) to a whole new world.
Fun fact: The "muffled" version of The Counting Theme" in "Washington on Your Side" actually first appears in "What'd I Miss"! It's just the last 4 notes. And this shortened version reappears at the end of "We Know" which is an "extended version" of the part of "Say No to This" where Hamilton reads James Reynolds' letter. "What'd I Miss" isn't about danger, but "We Know" is, as Jefferson, Madison, and Burr are accusing Hamilton of embezzlement. "Say No To This" is more or less about the dangers of infidelity. What else is dangerous? Duels. And where does this theme/motif originate? "The Ten Duel Commandments", which is all about duels.
One question I do have regarding this melody: why doesn't it show up in Cabinet Battle #2? Based on your reasoning as to why it shows up in Cabinet Battle #1, it would really make sense for it to show up in the second one too. The only reason I can think of is that Cabinet Battle #2 is a bit more serious and less flashy than the first, as Jefferson and Hamilton are arguing over whether to help one of Hamilton's friends, which hits a lot closer to home. I would really appreciate your input, either way!
A couple of observations: 1. Both songs following the Cabinet Battles also riff on the chord progression (Take a Break, Washington on Your Side). So it's not like the motif is completely lost in the context of even the second battle even if it's not there itself. (Side note: Cabinet Battle #1/Take a Break is one of the few cases where the same motif features prominently in consecutives songs, along with Reynolds Pamphlet/Burn that I recall offhand.) 2. Every time the 10 Duel Commandments motif shows up, it foreshadows some kind of fall for Hamilton (dismissal by Washington, initially losing to Jefferson in Cabinet Battle #1, Maria Reynolds and Philip in Take a Break, the SMFDRs' blackmail schemes in Washington on Your Side, Philip's death in Blow Us All Away, and the culmination of the decision to support Jefferson over Burr in Election of 1800 and The World Was Wide Enough). Cabinet Battle #2 was a bit of a brief full victory, with the eventual downfall hidden from sight, maybe that's why it differs.(Also, another commenter suggested that there might be a relationship between Stay Alive and the 10 Duel Commandments chord progression. Do you hear that? Or my potentially related hypothesis that the Say No to This version of the Stay Alive progression shows up in Washington on Your Side and Election of 1800?)
Yo. So Cabinet Battle #2 uses part of the My Shot chord progression. You don't hear the chords actually being played, but it still exists for it is outlined by the bass line of the song. The bass follows the minor to major pattern that is mentioned in Howard's My Shot vid (going up from the submediant note, to leading note, then to the tonic.) So if the 10 Duel Commandments motif leads to a loss for Hamilton, then the My Shot motif leads to his gains (Gaining camaraderie with the Sons of Liberty, becoming Washington's right hand man, winning the Battle of Yorktown, becoming Treasury/Secretary establishing his financial system, and now having Washington root for him by letting him drop the Statement of Neutrality winning the Cabinet Battle #2).
Dude I just found your videos and I just wanna thank you for opening my eyes to the beauty of music theory and its use in Hamilton. You're the first and ONLY youtuber I've turned on notifications for. THANKS FOR THE VIDEOS!!!
holy shit these videos never fail to impress me in both the enormous complexity of... well, everything, and in how you make it actually pretty easy to follow. amazing!
The heartbeat backing the reprise of Stay Alive is silent after Eliza says sept, mirroring the theme only reaching seven in the previous song before the gun went off.
Fun fact.. .the original sample of Chuck D was used by DJ premiere not for the 10 Crack Commandments but rather for a promo that he made for Hot 97''s Angie Martinez's Top 5 at 9 radio show. That's why the count-up only goes to 9. Puffy was riding around NY when he heard the promo and realized it was perfect for a new song he and Biggie were working on. So he called in to the show and on air was like "Primo call me!" So Primo does, Angie okays it, and they sell Puffy the promo. Kind of cool that the path from Chuck D to Lin Manuel has so many turns in it!
Just two days ago I added this song to my Spotify playlist because the "most disputes die and no one shoots" and "pick a place to die where its high and dry" got stuck in my head Now this is suggested to me on yt lol
Also if you listen to Blow Us All Away there are little segments where you hear the Ten Duel Commandments- Like, idk, after Eacker says, “I’m watching a show now,” he walks out and you hear the beat... dun dun dun dun dun dun dununun dunnnn
I’m not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but in Blow Us All Away at 0:52, isn’t that the version of the counting theme that’s played in Cabinet Battle #1, used to represent fighting with words? So... How George George Eacker fought with words by saying stuff about Alexander? I’m not sure if I’m right but- just thought I’d put it out there.
Another thing I just discovered while singing the French countdown after watching this video, going to get some cereal, then continue to watch your other videos: Despite it being written in the sheet music, I don't believe Eliza sings "sept" as a quaver, she just sings it as a crotchet, rather than the quaver "se - ept" Philip does. I think this further iterates Eliza's wish for safety, not being as daring and extra as Alexander or Philip. The fact that Philip goes and sings the quaver also causes it to exactly mirror the countdown motif, a foreshadowing of Philip's fate in duel. Also, I would just like to express my appreciation for this video! I love music theory (especially musical theatre theory) and learning about all these things. I've tried to detect all these little things myself, but I'm not very good at it (heck- I even did a viva voce for Cabinet Battle #1 for my HSC last year but I got nervous and forgot everything so I ended up impromptu performing Helpless instead 😂). I also aspire to write my own musicals one day, so these videos are not only informative as a Hamilton fan to truly appreciate this amazing piece of work, but also educational to help me see all the little things that go down in musicals, as inspiration to consider when writing my own!
I will say, sometimes I wonder if Lin and Lack actually thought all of this through, or if it was more like "I think this sounds cool here... Yeah let's go with that..."
I wonder that myself. But if it works this well, I tend to think they thought it through. Very few musicals get to this level without being really thoughtful.
lin: *takes a simple 10-note melody, then mirrors it, transposes it, duplicates it, and shifts it to create an entirely new melody (or at least that’s what this guy did), then builds an entire song around that me: “wait why is it f major if there’s a sharp?”
During What’d I Miss when the company is singing, “Oh lord he’s been off in Paris for so long”, sounds like this same melody going down. Idk just a thought.
Who da eff did this video?! Best Hamilton analysis I've ever seen. It's the level of depth Hamiltrashians have always wanted but didn't even know was possible!
I really enjoyed this! My family and i read the Hamilton biography which the musical was based off on, and we were confused as to why Lin Manuel Miranda cut it off Philip's duel at 7, when in reality the two boys were fearful and waited hours to eventually shoot. Now I understand because it was a reference to "Take a Break" and linking the foreshadow!
Your videos always leave me hella shook and contemplating an existential crisis- and I freaking love it! They're amazing and the hard work and dedication you put into the always shines through! Awesome job! P.S. At 13:33, I know that was the Cabinet Battle #1 melody, but it sounded modified and slowed down, if I'm not wrong? It's sounds very beautiful and haunting to me and I wanted to know if you got it from somewhere else or did it yourself or if I'm just an idiot and it's just the plain instrumental. Anywho, thanks for making these awesome videos!
The great things about rules in art is that they can be broken and the result is amazing! You wrote that the music should sound like what the lyrics are telling and I totally agree on that. But did you recognize what Lin did in "You'll be back" with oceans rise, empires fall? THAT MAN IS A GENIUS!!
Came back to this to throw in my two cents: In "Blow Us All Away" the counting theme is used several times. Mainly it shows up in the strings to represent Philip, the poet. The motif is thus playful and "highlight"-y. This happens throughout the song, except for the last part. There, Philip is finally ready to duel Eacker. The version that plays is almost identical to the version that plays in the original "Ten Duel Commandments", down to the same splitting voices and mechanical ticking behind it. The only differences are that it's significantly faster, it stops at 7 when Eacker shoots early (DISHONOR ON YOU, YOUR FAMILY, AND YOUR COW, EACKER.), and it's in the key of E rather than F. RUSHING: Earlier in the song Alexander tells Philip to "slow down". Philip also sings "The slowly and clearly aim your gun towards the sky!" So why is the music rushing? Probably because while Philip is taking it slow, and is calmly and confidently raising his gun to the sky, Eacker wants the kill badly and is rushing to pull the trigger on him. But also, Philip was aiming for the sky before 10, so he was kinda rushing too, in a sense. Which brings me to my next point: GUNSHOT AT SEVEN: The previous line ended with the word "sky". The audience might expect the rhyme "nine" to follow up, but it's cut short by Eacker. You've already discussed the reasons 7 is significant here, so I'll skip on that. KEY OF E: The theme is identical to TDC in orchestration. If this were played in the key of F I would say this represented a transition from Philip's POV of the duel, to an objective view. After all, both TDC and The World Was Wide Enough, the two other songs that include the "chorus version" of the theme rather than an instrumental or some other version, are both in the key of F. But no, it's in the key of E. And it's not just because the chord before the theme was E. In the song "Take A Break" the theme is ALSO sung, but not by the chorus. There, it's Eliza teaching Philip to play the piano. And the song happens to be in the key of E. Philip could be recalling Eliza here, right when it's too late. (in the very next track "Stay Alive" we hear Philip sing "Mom, I'm so sorry for forgetting what you taught me") In conclusion, the final appearance of the theme in Blow Us All Away represents what the two men are thinking and feeling in that duel. While Philip is heeding Alexander's advice and willingly forgoing Eliza's advice to just settle (Key of E, cutoff at 7), Eacker is panicking and rushing to get the kill (Rushed Tempo). EDIT: i got the key wrong oops
Exceptional work as always! It amazes me how you discover these small details, such as recurrences of "a beat without a melody." Lin is a brilliant composer, and you are a brilliant mind! Keep it up!
So on the use in Cabinet Battle #1 - given the Copious use of echo/delay in the show, it was probably achieved using a synchronized, dotted eighth note delay effect on the piano. It’s a common effect used in electric guitar playing (notably by The Edge from U2) that turns a basic arpeggiated melody into something far more Impressive sounding
The whistling part in blow us all away is that same tune and I think was added to foreshadow Phillip's death to those who weren't aware of the history.
Lin out did himself with all these deep meanings. I’m literally laying on my bed like WHAAAAAAAAT OMG WOAHHH. all in all Lin is an AMAZING writer. Even the single notes have meaning I-
Damn, we're visiting the US from Australia and I got tickets in LA for Sept :) Looking forward to it though. I love these videos, as a one time muso and music theory nerd, I'm loving reading/hearing/watching all the great analysis that's come out for Hamilton.
Oh, THANK you for this series. Every time I listen to the soundtrack I notice new things that I can't quite articulate because my music skill is only middling (I took college-level classes, but didn't major in it). It bugs me when I hear people talk smack about this musical just because I'm all like "...No, it's not just that, you don't understand" (It has layers! Ogres have layers!). You've hit on everything I've noticed and more details that I haven't. Bravo!
