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A Poetical Analysis of Queen¡¯S Bohemian Rhapsody

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A Poetical Analysis of Queen¡¯s Bohemian Rhapsody
This paper looks at Queen¡¯s Bohemian Rhapsody from a poetic perspective. Bohemian Rhapsody was written in 1975 by the British rock band Queen, whose lead singer Freddie Mercury died in 1991 from AIDS. The song is one of the world¡¯s most popular all-time songs. It is an epic work that belongs to the musical genre ¡®Rock-Opera¡¯. The song is part of the band¡¯s Night at the Opera album that was released in 1975. This period is the so-called ¡®Golden Era¡¯ for Queen in which they came to be known as amongst the best in the music business.
There are a number of possible themes to Bohemian Rhapsody. It could be about the singer¡¯s religion. Freddie Mercury¡¯s religion was ¡®Zoroastrianism¡¯. …show more content…

anyone can see" till the end shows an almost textbook example of this. Note the difference between ritardando and rubato. The latter is a whole branch of musicology and studies the way a performer should increase or decrease the tempo in certain moments from a musical work. For instance, Chopin's pieces usually require such approach although he never put down in writing where he wanted to hurry up and where he wanted to slow down. That's why rubato is one of the most sophisticated techniques in music and demands a quite considerable musical sense and talent.

In ¡°Bohemian Rhapsody¡± certain chord progressions are used frequently. The heavy and looped use of such chord progressions often results in a very predictable song. For certain listeners this is good, and it even helps them to memorize the piece. For many others, though, the clich¨¦-based songs get boring very quickly, especially if the melody is also predictable. Queen use a very limited and tasteful use of clich¨¦s, a very nice example of this is Bohemian Rhapsody and the clich¨¦s in the verses.
The tone and mood of Bohemian Rhapsody varies throughout the song. It begins with a slow and pitiful chorus that only murmuringly hints of the possible explosion later. Mercury¡¯s first verse gradually builds ¨C it is interesting to note the emphasis he gives to the word ¡°Mama¡± not only in this verse but also throughout the song. Despite the addition of various

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