Zzzzzzzzzz
Excellent OP! Opening.
For further information, it was launched from this YKTTW
in 2009, virtually unchanged from the original write-up and with only seven comments, mostly suggesting examples, over the course of three days.
There's a tropable aspect here: when a song goes a capella (or nearly) for one verse. This contrast with the rest of the song places emphasis on the lyrics and (in theory) adds emotional weight and a serious tone.
However, the description is incredibly vague, and I think the name contributes to a lot of misuse. Last Verse Lone Voice or Sudden A Capella are suboptimal but way better than what we have now. I'm not sure non-vocal examples count either; to me this trope is a technique to underline the message and words in a song.
I don't think that something being part of a Signature Style takes away from a trope's narrative purpose. Almost any trope, if used with consistency and frequency, can build up to a signature style. If a creator uses Soprano and Gravel or Betty and Veronica in one work, those tropes don't become meaningless if they show up in most things the creator makes, and I think it's the same here. But artists that are exclusively a capella can't be using this trope (at least in a conventional manner) - it's all about the contrast within the song.
"It's just a show; I should really just relax"
Last Verse Lone Voice sounds tropable, though it misses some other common cases: where the bridge section is more intense than the rest of the song, or where the chorus is markedly harder and more rhythmic than the low-key, conversational verses. These probably weren't what "Rhythm Rise" was originally going for, but they probably would attract examples with better context.
Clock is set.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Just noting that users seem to mistake Last Chorus Slow-Down for this trope when the subdued part comes on at the end of a song, usually played as an outro.
Examples (currently listed on LCSD): [1], [2], [3], [4]
Since Subdued Section has a separate example section for subdued starts it could also have one for subdued endings.
useless legacy
Yes, I can see this. In music, this is called a "soft bridge." And judging by the number of examples, it's a useful mechanism for composers, similar to Mood Whiplash, just less severe. May I recommend a simple Comment-Out on those instances that have Zero Context or Insufficient Context? I'm sure the instances / examples are there (excepting the odd clunker or two), it's just a matter of clarifying how the instance meets the Trope Definition.
Zzzzzzzzzz
~oneuglybunny, since you seem to know what you're talking about music wise, (at least you have the terminology :P ) would you care to take a stab at doing a write-up for a Soft Bridge and whatever this is trying to be? (It's my personal opinion that many of the problems our music trope pages have is that they're written by people who either don't know what it is they're talking about ("I can't explain it, but I know it when I hear it!") or by people who do know the technical explanation, but can't put it into language the rest of us can follow.)
edited 18th Mar '17 8:14:23 AM by Madrugada
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
useless legacy
^ I could, though it would have to be a Useful Notes entry and nothing more. In such cases, the musicians see "pianissimo" above the stanza, to denote "quietly." For a singer, the term is "sotto voce," which is "soft voice." It's a fairly common arrangement for composers and songwriters. The opening stanza(s) ideally sets the tone, and declares either "here we are" or "here we go." A soft bridge tends to give details or backstory or some other element, almost like a whispered confidence to the audience. It can also be a deliberate tone shift to mark a period when things were quieter, more relaxed, less problem-prone; when the volume picks up, so does the tension / drama / grief.
By the way, is it okay to add an example to Subdued Section? I'm thinking of adding Creator.John Williams iconic Music.The Imperial March, which has a marvelous soft bridge that hints at innocence slowly being corrupted.
How sweet it is
Reclocking this one. If anyone wants to start a crowner, now's a good time.
she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report
How sweet it is
Clock expired; closing.
she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report
This trope's description seems fundamentally misconceived. It begins with an Example as a Thesis whose specifics are declared not to matter in the following paragraphs, which offer few specifics of their own. Even the first paragraph seems to be mistaken: in many songs, "giving the lyrics a little more weight" by dropping the backing instruments is what happens at the vocal climax, hardly befitting the trope name.
The lack of clarity in the description, which is only aggravated by the insistence on the trope's ubiquity and effectiveness, is undoubtedly to blame for the trope's severe Zero Context Example problem, even in comparison to other song-related tropes (which are often hard to explain without weblinks, and there's a reason why Weblinks Are Not Examples). Many of the wicks only mention song titles, and some don't even mention one. Some seem to be talking about songs that are subdued in relation to their albums, which seems like a common troping fallacy. Many others point to subdued sections being extremely common in Signature Styles, which I think argues against the trope as it stands having any specific dramatic meaning. If this description were on Trope Launching Pad now, I'd easily downvote it and question its tropeworthiness.
Wick Check
Zero Context Examples
Some Context (but probably still not enough in many cases)