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Duet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Duo (music)" redirects here. For a band or musical act featuring two members, seemusical duo.
For other uses, seeDuet (disambiguation)andDuo (disambiguation).
The Duet(1628), byHendrick ter Brugghen

Aduetis amusical compositionfor twoperformersin which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from aharmony,as the performers take turns performing a solo section rather than performing simultaneously. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is a "piano duet"or"piano four hands".[1]A piece for two pianists performing together on separate pianos is a "piano duo".

"Duet" is also used as averbfor the act of performing a musical duet, or colloquially as anounto refer to the performers of a duet.

Amusical ensemblewith more than two solo instruments or voices is called atrio,quartet,quintet,sextet,septet,octet,etc.

History[edit]

WhenMozartwas young, he and his sisterMarianneplayed a duet of his composition at a London concert in 1765. The four-hand, described as a duet, was in many of his compositions which included fivesonatas;a set ofvariations,two performers and one instrument, and a sonata for two pianos. The first published sonata or duet was in 1777.[2]

InRenaissance music,a duet specifically intended as a teaching tool, to be performed by teacher and student, was called abicinium(seeÉtude).

In opera[edit]

Duets have always been a part of the structure ofoperas.Early 16th-century operas such asL'OrfeoandL'incoronazione di Poppeainvolve duets throughout the performance. In 17th-century Italy duets were often used in comic scenes within serious operas. In Baroque France the duet was popular in tragedies, such as songs of vengeance and confrontation. The love duet was characterized by singing inclose harmoniesof 3rds and 6ths, symbolizing unity after conflict.[3]

Famous operatic duets[edit]

In pop music[edit]

Johnny Cash&June Carter

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, duets have been common in the popular music of their respective eras. In addition to a standard vocal duet, some songs have been written to be heard as conversations; for example, "Baby, It's Cold Outside".Other songs are performed around a theme; for example,New York Cityin "Empire State of Mind".Occasionally, duets are animprovisationbetween artists; for example, "Under Pressure"byQueenandDavid Bowie.Bowie and Queen frontmanFreddie Mercuryreportedly composed the lyrics in a day by improvising together.[4]Duets are also common inmusical moviesandmusical theatre;"Fit as a Fiddle"for the 1952 movieSingin' in the Rainand its corresponding play of thesame name.[5]

Virtual duets[edit]

In addition to traditional duets performed live—either in front of an audience or recorded in a studio—a so-called virtual duet can be created by having a singer (or musician) perform over the top of a pre-existing recording. Such a duet is a form ofoverdubbing.A virtual duet is sometimes done when the singer (or musician) of the original recording is deceased; for example, a live performance byPaul McCartneyon "I've Got a Feeling"with anisolated vocalrecording ofJohn LennonfromThe Beatles' famousrooftop performance,[6]or a recording ofJudy Garlandbeing dubbed over by her daughterLorna Lufton "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".[7]It can also be done with an earlier version of oneself (such asYusuf / Cat Stevenson "Father And Son");[8][9]incidentally,Ronan Keatingdid his own virtual duet with Yusuf on the same song.[10]Virtual duets may also be done live viavideo link(such asShaun Escofferyduetting with the lateEva Cassidy's videotaped performance of "Over the Rainbow"in honour of the late SirTerry Wogan)[11]or be constructed manually from two pre-existing recordings, generally where each singer/musician can have their own isolated audio channel in the form of astem.

Entire albums of virtual duets have been created, including albums byFrank Sinatra(DuetsandDuets II).

Theoretically, a duet could be constructed from any two pre-recorded singers or musicians so long as there are isolated audio channels from each artist. With the advent ofaudio deepfaketechnology, it is now possible to create virtual duets using anAIfacsimile of a singer (or singers) who never sang the song in the first place. A famous example of this is "Heart on My Sleeve"by ghostwriter977, who wrote and produced an original song using voice models ofDrakeandThe Weeknd.

Notable pop duets[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Christensen, T. (1999). "Four-Hand Piano".Journal of the American Musicological Society,52(2) 255–298
  2. ^Miller, H.-M. (1943). The Earliest Keyboard Duets.The Musical Quarterly,29(4), 438–457.
  3. ^Tilmouth, Michael."Duet".Grove Music Online.Retrieved2014-10-12.
  4. ^"The Making of Queen and David Bowie's 1981 Hit" Under Pressure ": Demos, Studio Sessions & More".openculture.Retrieved2015-01-10.
  5. ^Top 10 Best Movie Musical Duets,retrieved2022-12-01
  6. ^Paul McCartney- I've Got a Feeling (Virtual Duet- John Lennon) 6/4/2022 Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY,retrieved2022-12-01
  7. ^Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Lorna Luft Music Video,retrieved2022-12-01
  8. ^"Father & Son: A Duet 50 Years in the Making".Yusuf / Cat Stevens.Retrieved19 April2021.
  9. ^Martoccio, Angie (10 September 2020)."Yusuf/Cat Stevens Duets with His Younger Self in 'Father and Son' Video".Rolling Stone.Retrieved19 April2021.
  10. ^Ronan Keating, Yusuf - Father And Son,retrieved2022-12-01
  11. ^Richards, Will (2022-08-17)."Julian Lennon was" shocked "by Paul McCartney's virtual John Lennon duet".NME.Retrieved2023-06-13.

External links[edit]

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