Julie Chiem Dr. Zvonimir Nagy MUSC 202-02 25 April 2016 Final Project Paper For this project, my group has selected to analyze and perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise;
Hoa Pham did harmonic analysis, which is an enormous undertaking in a piece which
modulates as often as Vocalise does, and I did formal, rhythmic and textural t extural analysis. This project was comprehensive in that it forced us to use various skills that we had developed throughout Musicianships I-IV and make use of terminology that we had learned during this time. Examples of this include the complex roman numeral analysis and the ability to detect a shift in the hypermeter. This piece, originally composed for voice (as may be indicated by its title), is constructed in a simple continuous binary form with a brief b rief coda at the end. In this particular score, arranged by Maurizio Machella for violin and piano, it is not immediately clear that the A section and B section are both repeated, as the arranger has chosen to write the music out again instead of using repeat signs. Upon closer inspection, however, this is found to be true. While the B section se ction is repeated exactly, down to even the dynamic instructions, the A section is actuall y transposed down an octave the second time. This was a very intelligent move on the part of the arranger, as it provides more variety to the listener’s ear and a dded depth and warmth to the melody, as the lower pitched strings on the violin are not no t so bright in their timbres as the higher ones an d have a considerably richer sound. The decreased tension on these strings also technically allows for a physically wider vibrato, potentially allowing for a wider palette of expression expression for the violinist. This piece is known for its emotionally compelling qualities--many listeners agree that Vocalise,
which is more or less written in the key of e minor (more on this later), somehow
evokes a powerful and unsated yearning, and that there is a sense of melancholy present because of the unsatisfied nature of this yearning. Tonality has a lot to do with this (minor keys are often associated with sadness in the present day), but mu ch of it is also due to Rachmaninoff’s strategic use of rhythm. While the piece is written largely in c ommon time, which is often considered the simplest possible time signature, it incorporates several different rhythms, many of which are displaced (i.e. phrases that b egin on offbeats) to give a feeling of uncertainty. The opening theme, which is extremely well-known even among those who do not study music, also employs the usage of mixed meter, sandwiching a bar of 2/4 between two bars of 4/4. This creates an expanded sense of time and elongates the phrase, as there seem to be two extra beats and the hypermeter is disrupted. In addition, the rhythmic and pitch changes occur faster in this bar of 2/4, creating a sense of urgency and motion. The composer also uses the repeated motive of an anacrusis consisting of two sixteenth notes leading into a longer sustained pitch which gradually tapers off (the first four bars contain many examples of this), giving the impression that there are brief senses of direction, but that the soul depicted in the music quickly becomes disillusioned and lost. There are very few pauses in the melodic line of this piece, and there is only one prolonged rest at measure 18--the music runs on, desperately seeking a comfortable point of repose but unable to find one. There are also small intervals between adjacent pitches, contributing to the sense of constant motion and yet close confinement as if something is trapped. In addition to all of these aspects of the music, Vocalise cannot seem to decide on a key-many tonalities are used in this piece, including b minor, f# minor, and d minor, and this helps to convey the sense of constant motion and attempting to escape the feelings of sadness and yearning. The piano line also features many chromatically descending lines, which are highl y
dramatic and evoke a quick collapsing from both harmonic and psychological standpoints. Harmonic because distantly related keys are easily accessible b y means of chromatic descent, and strange harmonies may occur between multiple chromatically descending lines; psychological because the rapid downward harmonic motion can convey a destruction, such as a shattering of one’s beliefs or the collapsing of everything around someone. Texturally, this piece is fairly stagnant--this arrangement is for violin and piano, and the violin remains legato and bowed throughout the duration of this piece. There are variances in the dynamics, as well as moments that call for a more thick and fluid sound (such as the recapitulation of the A section which is down an octave), while other moments are more vulnerable and exposed, evoking a desperate thin high-pitched pleading (e.g. m. 15), but otherwise there is minimal textural variation in the violin line--for instance, there is no usage of extended techniques such as pizzicato, col legno and double stops which composers often employ to provide textural variation. Most of the textural interest is found in the piano lines; at first, the right hand plays a straightforward triad accompaniment while the left hand plays a single pitch at a time to help establish tonality, but the left hand part gradually incorporates additional voices. The right hand line also thickens considerably, so that the p iano part becomes increasingly complicated and sounds as many as six different pitches at a time during the more dramatic moments (i.e. chromatically descending lines). Dynamic differences also contribute to the listeners’ perceived change in texture when it comes to the piano part. When the piano plays softer, the ear does not perceive the texture to be as “thick” or heavy as it does when the piano plays louder. This project has deeply informed the way we look at performing music, because so much of this analysis could be applied to our interpretation and expressive choices in bringing the
piece to realization. It is sometimes argued that theory and aural skills classes like Musicianship are unnecessary to be a great musician, and this may be true in some cases, but the knowledge and skills that we have received in these classes are extremely helpful to understanding the intents of the composer and helped us to create a more engaging and well-prepared performance. It may be time-consuming and unrealistic to approach every new piece with such care and attention, but in the future, I know that I will personally spend some time analyzing my solo repertoire in order to develop a stronger understanding of the pieces and to play them with more accuracy and musicality than I would if I did not understand the music on a deeper level. In this way, the series of Musicianship courses so far has well-prepared me for later performances in my life--with less physical work and more cerebral work!
