Anton Webern: ‘Sehr Rasch’
‘Sehr Rasch’ is is the third movement of a Concerto written for nine instruments. In this work, Webern arranges brief, seemingly truncated, instrumental phrases in a pointillistic fashion to create multi-timbrel melodies. melodies. These composite melodic lines often often feature large leaps and occasionally sharp contrasts in dynamics. At no point do all nine instruments instruments sound at once, they each interject sparingly, sparingly, creating a sparse soundscape. This arrangement, allows each minute gesture to unfold with clarity, enabling the listener to focus on variations in timbre which range from subtle tonal fluctuations to noticeable shifts in instrumentation. instrumentation. As a result of overlapping instrumental lines, monophonic phrases shift suddenly, suddenly, becoming polyphonic textures. In regards to rhythm, consistent pulse is difficult to distinguish and repeated rhythmic motifs are not immediately apparent. Arnold Schoenberg: ‘Gavotte’
In ‘Gavotte’, a dodecaphonic composition c omposition written for solo piano, Schoenberg attempts to achieve musical unity without the aid of tonality. tonality. Throughout the piece, he employs the repetition of various rhythmic motives or gestures, which gives the work work a noticeable consistency. consistency. Most evident, is his use of a repeated three note motif towards the beginning. The piece is largely polyphonic, often featuring two harmonically contrasting lines. Although these two lines are being played simultaneously, simultaneously, one is clearly supporting the other, possibly possibly representing Schoenberg’s atonal adaptation of contrapuntal techniques. The pulse remains apparent for the majority of the piece, despite occasionally being obscured by rubato. However, the meter meter seems to slow down towards the center of the piece, before returning to the meter set at the beginning. Aaron Copland: ‘Saturday Night Waltz’
Copland’s ‘Saturday Night Waltz’, Waltz’, originally scored for a ballet, is the third movement in an orchestral suite titled titled ‘Rodeo’. This composition features a melodic theme, inspired by the folk folk song ‘I Ride an Old Paint’, which reappears four times throughout the piece. Moreove r, the accompaniment includes numerous partial reiterations reiterations of this melodic theme. Aside from the first instance of the theme, which is played by a horned instrument, the violins handle the melody for the entire entire piece. In addition, this work features a mixture of textures. textures. A chordal accompaniment supports the melody, creating a predominantly homophonic texture, augmen ted by polyphonic textures created by the presence of independent melodic lines. Copland’s extensive use of traditional cadences, both perfect and imperfect, demonstrates the fundamental role of functional harmony within this composition. This piece maintains a consistent meter, meter, the only exceptions being; the opening section and the section following the key change.
Bela Bartok: ‘Allegro Molto’
The fifth movement of Bartok’s ‘String Quartet IV’ opens with loud bursts produced by the string quartet, which create a disorienting percussive groove. Bartok uses a mixture of textures to create a captivating soundscape. There are homophonic sections, where doubled melodies are underpinned by stuttering chordal accompaniment, as well as polyphonic sections, where many melodic lines converge to create a chaotic sonic jumble. Sections of the melody seem to be influenced by the principles of fundamental harmony. However, Bartok’s melodic vocabulary frequents chromaticism and atonality throughout the piece as well. The short attack on many chords throughout the piece, seems to lessen the dissonance, as the listener is drawn to the percussive rhythms that are being presented instead. In addition, he experiments with timbre, including extended musical techniques to create the ‘snapping’ sounds near the end of the piece. Igor Stravinsky: ‘Symphony in C’
Stravinsky’s ‘Symphony is C’ demonstrates neoclassical characteristics, specifically through the use of clear melodies, signifying his return to a more traditional sound. This set of four movements uses functional harmony to create movement, creating listenable dissonances followed by pleasing resolutions. In congruency with his other works, this symphony features abrupt changes from section to section. These startling shifts, seem out of place during the first listen, however, they fit nicely into the work at large. In contrast with the majority of Stravinsky’s work, the first movement seems to remain in the same time signature for its entire duration. However, Stravinsky returns to his disorienting rhythmic changes in the third movement. As this is a large work, monophonic, homophonic and polyphonic textures are all present at certain points throughout the piece.
