Satie: ‘3 Sarabandes’
‘3 Sarabandes’, a piece for solo piano, was harmonically adventuresome upon its conception in 1887 (Orledge, 557). Throughout the piece, Satie hints at conventional musical punctuation, through the use of half cadences, suggesting resolution but instead delivering unexpected harmonic twists. One might expect this approach to sound sound unpleasant, but Satie masks overt dissonance, in the tasteful manner of impressionist composers, composers, using rich chords. The piece maintains a homophonic texture, texture, consisting of a melody accompanied by chords. One exception, is the monophonic arpeggios found in the the third Sarabande. In regards to form, ‘3 Sarabandes’ often resorts to the the repetition of phrases and ideas ideas before moving in another direction. The consistent use of rubato, gives the piece a rhythmic fluidity, which is amplified when coupled with regular fluctuations of phrase length. Orledge, Robert. "Satie's Sarabandes and Their Importance to His Composing Career." Music & Letters 77.4 (1996): 555-65. Jstor.org Jstor.org . Oxford University Press. Web. Web. . (I thought it would be useful to have a source regarding the date of the composition.) Igor Stravinsky: ‘March de Soldat Suite’
Stravinsky’s Stravinsky’s ‘March de Soldat Suite’ is an orchestral suite with five parts. Four parts feature pulsating string ostinatos ornamented by melodic horn and woodwind lines, while the third part abandons blatant rhythms, favouring long flowing flowing phrases. The third part is largely homophonic, consisting of dissonant chords accompanied by a melodic line, in which various horn and woodwind instruments intermittently intermittently carry the melody. melody. Throughout the piece, the emphasis regularly switches pulses in a disorienting manner, as Stravinsky often uses multiple rhythmic motifs simultaneously to to create diverse polyphonic textures. For this reason, the resultant resultant textures often sound polyrhythmic. In order to maintain clarity, clarity, the harmonic content is significantly reduced, compared to the vast harmonic soundscapes of Debussy, allowing each rhythmic motif to be relatively relatively distinct. Stravinsky does not abandon functional harmony completely, completely, as ‘March de Soldat Suite’ makes use of both bo th straightforward and seemingly atonal a tonal melodies. However, convention resolutions are consistently avoided. Debussy: ‘La Mer’
In ‘La Mer’, Debussy Debu ssy concerns himself with creating colourful washes of sound, a clever evocation of the sea. Debussy exploits the whole orchestral orchestral range, utilizing shimmering highs and thundering lows to paint his expressive masterpiece. In true impressionist impressionist fashion, this piece demonstrates the careful arrangement of numerous melodic fragments, which coalesce to form vibrant instrumental mosaics. Moments of homophony, homophony, however brief, are often swallowed swallowed by polyphonic multi-timbrel waves. These musical waves, which appear throughout, have a nebulous rhythmic quality. quality. In this piece, Debussy augments functional harmony, harmony, utilizing
inventive unresolved progressions alongside conventional harmonic techniques. Repetition is used primarily to form a foundation, upon which additional instrumental lines are added. It is quite apparent that for Debussy, as well as many impressionists, the evocation of mood and creation of atmosphere have eclipsed the role of resolution. Webern: ‘Five Movements for String Quartet’
‘Five Movements for String Quartet’, as evidenced by its title, is written for a string quartet. It is a condensed piece, with virtually no repetition. Webern abandons musical tradition, inventing his own form of sonic vocabulary, which speaks through sudden variations in timbre, dynamics and pitch range. Webern uses the full tonal and timbrel range of the string quartet, manipulating plucked strings, jarring high tones, rumbling low tones and scratching harmonics to create a haunting sonic atmosphere. This piece is often rhythmically obscure, however there are sections driven by the pulse of an ostinato. Free from the constraints of functional harmony’s mandatory resolution, Webern embraces harsh atonality, suspending the listener in a disjointed musical space. Moments of monophony, homophony and polyphony are all present within this piece. Schoenberg: ‘Sehr Rasch’
This orchestrated version of Schoenberg’s ‘Sehr Rasch’, originally written for a string sextet, vigorously unfolds in fast-paced motion. For the most part, there is a clear melody, which an instrument will carry until being interrupted by another instrument and/or melody. Melodic lines in ‘Sehr Rasch’ use stepwise motion to build towards a climax or signify a diminuendo. The majority of the piece uses polyphony to create a dense soundscape, which manages to sound cacophonous yet meticulously structured at the same time. The rhythm changes sporadically throughout the piece, increasing the intensity and as a result, giving the listener an unsettled feeling. Schoenberg manages to maintain a sense of tonal ambiguity throughout the piece through his use of chromaticism and the absence of clear cadences. However, the piece still has forward motion, created by his use of dynamics and sudden changes in texture.
