ornamentation in atonal music - society for music...

�Ornamentation in Atonal Music �

�Society for Music Theory Annual Meeting�

November 7, 2014

Michael Buchler Florida State University College of Music �

mbuchler@fsu.edu

Schoenberg, Six Small Piano Pieces, op. 19, no. 6, mm. 1-6�(not that I needed to tell you that!)

neighbor tone���

appoggiatura���

Schoenberg, “Nacht” from Pierrot Lunaire, mm. 10-11

Paul Moravec, Tempest Fantasy, mvt. 4: “Sweet Airs” Passing between G & E (mm. 3-5) �

C as appoggiatura to Bb (m. 6)�

p��� p��� app���

Henze, Three Auden Songs, #2 (“Rimbaud”), mm. 13-15

neighbor tones���

Lutoslawski, Partita, mvt. I,

mm. 1-9

neighbor tones���

Lutoslawski, Partita, mvt. I, mm. 19-27 (section 2) �(lots and lots �of three-note �chromatic �passing �gestures) �

Lutoslawski, Partita, mvt. I, mm. 33-36 (section 3) (some quarter-tone chromatic passing tones) �

Ives, Three Quarter-Tone Pieces for two pianos, mvt. III, mm. 1-4

A¾s

D¾s

G���C

Ives, Three Quarter-Tone Pieces for two pianos, mvt. III, mm. 1-4 (renotated on one system using modern 24-tone notation)

Neighboring and passing motion in the first two phrases (top voice)�

dbl N about A¾s

���G¾s as N to A¾s

���

Ives, Three Quarter-Tone Pieces for two pianos, mvt. III, mm. 27.4 – 31 (renotated on one system using modern 24-tone notation)

Neighboring and passing motion... �and also a scale-step progression from one phrase to the next.�

A¾s As

���

dbl N about A¾s

w/PTs to the DN���dbl N about As

(As -C-A¼s -As)���

27� 30�

Schoenberg, Six Small Piano Pieces, op. 19, no. 6, mm. 1-6�(encore!)

neighbor tone���

appoggiatura���

[0,2,4,6]���

Fukushima, Requiem for solo flute, beginning Two passing tones: F-Fs-G and B-Bb-A �

Fukushima, Requiem for solo flute, beginning Alternate reading: in three segments �

D��� E��� B��� A���

I1���

IN?���

Fukushima, Requiem for solo flute, beginning Third reading (in four segments) in which �

pitch class is especially important.�

D��� F E��� Eb��� C��� G��� Bb��� A���

I7 I7��� I7 I7 escape tone ��� appog.���

Fukushima, Requiem for solo flute, beginning Two passing tones: F-Fs-G and B-Bb-A �

Fukushima, Requiem for solo flute, beginning A (slightly) hidden symmetry about D5 �

D���F��� G ���

B��� A ���

T3��� T2���

T-3��� T-2���

Burstein’s Example 8 (Mozart, K. 310) from SMT 2010.

Schubert, Piano Sonata in Bb Major, D.960, i, beginning

6���

Schubert, Piano Sonata in Bb Major, D.960, i

the beginning of a (very) long-range neighbor? �

42���

46���

50���

Example 7 (excerpt) from Straus, Joseph. 2014. “Harmony and Voice Leading in the Music of Stravinsky,” Spectrum 36/1: 1-33.

Stravinsky, Concerto for Two

Pianos, mvt. 3

Kaija Saariaho, Ariel’s Hail (2000)

For Soprano, Flute, and Harp

Analytical Approaches:

Pitch-class set classes

[0134] [01348]

[013478] (6-z19)

[012568] (6-z44)

[013478] [01458]

[01478]

[01458]

[013458] (6-14)

[013478]

[014579]

Kaija Saariaho, Ariel’s Hail (2000)

For Soprano, Flute, and Harp

Analytical Approaches:

Pitch class set classes Semitones (appoggiaturas?

escape tones?)

Kaija Saariaho, Ariel’s Hail (2000)

For Soprano, Flute, and Harp

Analytical Approaches:

Pitch class set classes Appoggiaturas, escape tones… highlighting elaborated triads?

GM?/m?

GM(7?)

LT? Gm

D aug (or DM?)

Gm7 Gm

Dm

Gm/Cm?

AM

Kaija Saariaho, Ariel’s Hail (2000)

For Soprano, Flute, and Harp

Analytical Approaches:

Pitch class set classes Appoggiaturas, escape tones… highlighting elaborated triads?

[0134] [01348]

[013478] (6-z19)

[012568] (6-z44)

[013478] [01458]

[01478]

[01458]

[013458] (6-14)

[013478]

[014579]

GM?/m? GM(7?)

Gm

D aug (or DM)

Gm7 Gm

Dm

Gm/Cm?

AM

Conclusions (finally—and a bit abruptly)

1.  Ornamentation need not entail longer prolongational structures.

2.  Obsessive justification gets in the way of doing and conveying analysis.

3.  These sorts of interpretive readings can help us foster the manner of critical dialog that tonal analysts enjoy.

the end

Select bibliography Agawu, V. Kofi. 1989. “Stravinsky’s ‘Mass’ and Stravinsky Analysis.” Spectrum 11/2: 139-163. Babbitt, Milton. 1952. Review of Structural Hearing by Felix Salzer. JAMS 5/3: 260-265. Boss, Jack. 1992. “Schoenberg’s Op. 22 Radio Talk and Developing Variation in Atonal Music.” Spectrum 14/2: 125-149. Boss, Jack. 1994. “Schoenberg on Ornamentation and Structural Levels.” JMT 38/2: 187-216. Buchler, Michael. 2010. “Are There Any Bad (or Good) Transformational Analyses?” SMT meeting. Burstein, L. Poundie. 2010. “Half, Full, or In Between? Distinguishing Half and Authentic Cadences.” SMT meeting. Burstein, L. Poundie. 2014. “The Half Cadence and Other Such Slippery Events.” Spectrum 36/2: 203-227. Hanninen, Dora. 2012. A Theory of Music Analysis: On Segmentation and Associative Organization. Rochester: University of Rochester Press. Hasty, Christopher. 1981. “Segmentation and Process in Post-Tonal Music.” Spectrum 3: 54-73. Kahneman, Daniel. 2011. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Kielian-Gilbert, Marianne. 2003. “Interpreting Schenkerian Prolongation.” Music Analysis 22/1-2: 51-104. Larson, Steve. 1997. “The Problem of Prolongation in ‘Tonal’ Music: Terminology, Perception, and Expressive Meaning.” JMT 41/1: 101-136. Lewin, David. 1993. Musical Form and Transformation: 4 Analytic Essays. New Haven: Yale. Lefkowitz, David and Kristin Taavola. 2000. “Segmentation in Music: Generalizing a Piece-Sensitive Approach.” JMT 44/1: 171-229 Morrison, Charles D. 1991. “Prolongation in the Final Movement of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4.” Spectrum 13/2: 179-196. Pearsall, Edward R. 1993. “Trees and Schemas: A Cognitive Approach to Music Analysis,” Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin–Madison. Roeder, John. 2009. “A Transformational Space Structuring the Counterpoint in Adès’s “Auf dem Wasser zu singen.” MTO 15/1. Tenney, James. 1988 (orig. 1964, 1977) Meta+Hodos and META Meta+Hodos. Oakland, CA: Frog Peak Music. Tenney, James and Larry Polansky. 1980. “Temporal Gestalt Perception in Music.” JMT 24/2: 205-241 Salzer, Felix. 1952. Structural Hearing. New York: Charles Boni. Saariaho, Kaija. 1987. Timbre and Harmony: Interpolations of Timbral Structures, Contemporary Music Review, 2/1: 93-133. Silberman, Peter. 2008. “Analyzing Tonal Embellishment in Post-Tonal Music” in Musical Currents from the Left Coast, J. Boss and B. Quaglia, eds. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholar’s Publishing. ______. 2011. “Transformation and Enlargement in Barber’s Four Songs, Op. 13.” MTSE Meeting. Straus, Joseph N. 1987. “The Problem of Prolongation in Post-Tonal Music.” JMT 31/1: 1-21. ______. 2014. “Harmony and Voice-Leading in the Music of Stravinsky.” Spectrum 36/1: 1-33. Travis, Roy. 1959. “Towards a New Concept of Tonality?” JMT 3/2: 257-284. ______. 1966. “Directed Motion in Schoenberg and Webern” PNM 4/2: 85-89. Vaïsälä, Olli. “Concepts of Harmony and Prolongation in Schoenberg’s Op. 19/2.” Spectrum 21/2: 230-259. ______. 2002. “Prolongation of Harmonies Related to the Harmonic Series in Early Post-Tonal Music.” JMT 46/1-2: 207-283 Watkins, Holly. 2008. “Schoenberg’s Interior Designs.” JAMS 61/1: 123-206