complete analysis four suites...

CompleteAnalysisoftheFourSuitesforHarpsichordbyBernarddeBury © Ruta Bloomfield, D.M.A., 2016 1

CompleteAnalysisoftheFourSuitesforHarpsichordbyBernarddeBuryAnalysisofPremierlivredepiècesdeclavecinbyBernarddeBury

InordertogainasenseoftherangeofmovementsfoundinthefoursuitesbyBernardde

Bury,thefollowinglistidentifiesthegenreofeach.

PremiereSuiteLaMinerve characterpieceSarabande,LesRegrets sarabandeLesgracesBadines gavotteLaTendreAgitation characterpieceLePlaidoyerdeCithere1erRondeau rondeau2eRondeau rondeau

SecondeSuiteLabelleBrune characterpieceSarabandeLaPrude sarabandeL’Enfantine characterpieceLaCitherée1erRondeau rondeau2eRondeau rondeau

TroisièmeSuiteLesAmusemens1erRondeau rondeau2eRondeau rondeauSarabandeLa***oulesSentimens sarabandeZephir1erMenuet minuetFlore2eMenuet minuetLaPithonisse characterpieceLoure loureLaSéduisante1erRondeau rondeau2eRondeau rondeauDoubledu1erRondeau rondeauDoubledu2eRondeau rondeau

QuatrièmeSuiteLaBrillante rondeauLaDampiere allemandeLaMichelon gigaLaJeunesse minuetChaconne chaconne


PremiereSuiteLaMinerve

ThefirstsuiteofBernarddeBury’sPremierelivredepiècesdeclavecinhas“A”asitshomekey,movementsbeingineitherAmajororAminor.InthetitleoftheopeningmovementdeBurymakesreferencetotheRomangoddessofwisdomandarts.InFrançoisCouperin’sLaRégenteouLaMinerve(XIV),theRegent,accordingtoJaneClarkandDerekConnon,isPhilipped’Orléans(1674-1723)whoservedasRegentofFrancefrom1715to1723.Hewasa“highlyculturedman...[who]waslikedandrespectedbybothmusiciansandartists...HecreatedtheofficialtitleofOrdinairedelaMusiqueduRoiforCouperin,apostthatcarriedwithitapension...Couperin’sportraitisanotherexampleofhisevidentsympathyfortheman.”1CouperinthushonoredtheRegentwithatitleofgreatrespect,LaMinerve.

WhetherornotdeBuryalsoreferencestheRegentormoregenerallythegoddessofwisdomandarts,hesucceedsinusingtheopeningmotiveinan“artful”way,astheopeninggestureisimitatedinthebasstwomeasureslater.

Ex.3-B.deBury,LaMinerve(I),mm.1-5

Thisisthenrepeatedinthedominantminorandsubsequentlyimitatedagaininthebass.Thethemealsoopensthesecondhalf,andathree-notedescendingmotivederivedfromitcanbeheardsprinkledthroughoutthesecondstrain.

AfteropeninginthehomekeyofAminor,thereisamodulationtothedominantminorofEminortwo-thirdsofthewaythroughthefirsthalfofthebinaryform,beforeacadenceonEmajor(thankstoaPicardythird–acommoncharacteristicinthismusic)toendthesection.ThesecondhalfstartsrightawayinthemediantkeyofCmajorandreturnshalfwaythroughtothehomekeyofAminor.

Sarabande,LesRegrets

Awistfulaffectinthemusicreflectsthetitleofthismovement.Characteristicsofthesarabandeheardinclude:triplemeter;balancedphrasesineachhalfofthebinaryform;

1JaneClarkandDerekConnon,‘Themirrorofhumanlife’:ReflectionsonFrançoisCouperin’sPiècesdeClavecin(UK:King’sMusic,2002),84-85.

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occasionalaccentsonthesecondbeat.Themusicissimple,bothintermsofthemelodyandtheharmony,whichmovestotheexpectedkeyofthedominant,andreturnstothetonickeytostartthesecondhalf.

LesgracesBadines

Dividedintotwopartie,thefirstinAmajorandthesecondinAminor,thismovementisanunnamedgavotte.Thebalancedphrases,duplemeter,simpleharmony(nomodulationsinpartoneandonlyakeychangetothemediantinthesecondhalfofparttwo),andupbeatbeginninginthemiddleoftheanacrusismeasureallidentifyitassuch.Thefirstpartie,inparticular,seemstoemulatethetitleof“playfullove”.Inelucidatingthisdesignation,JaneClarkandDerekConnonquoteAntoineFuretière(1619-1688;Frenchscholarandwriter):Iln’yarienplusagreeablequ’unamourbadin(“Thereisnothingpleasanterthanplayfullove”).

TwoexamplesofItalianmusiccharacteristicscanbeheardinthisgavotte.First,thedesignationofLégèrement(“lightly”)seemstoindicateanItalianstyle,theimplicationof“lightly”thusbeing“lightlydetached”.EvidenceforthiscomesfromCouperin’sL’artdetoucherleclavecinwhere,speakingaboutItalianmusic,hewrites,“ItistherapidmovementsoftheSonataswhicharethemostsuccessfulonthisinstrument[theharpsichord].”2Thewordtranslatedas“rapid”islégèretés,awordrelatedtolégèrement,andonewhichisprobablybettertranslatedas“light”.Second,theleft-handoctavesinthesecondepartiealsocouldbeseenasappearingduetoItalianinfluence.Asaresult,onecouldplaythismovementwithoutnotesinégalestoreflecttheItaliantraits.Thefreedomallowedbybongoût(“goodtaste”)mayalsoleadaperformertousenotesinégalesinthefirstpartie,butnotinthesecond.

LaTendreAgitation

Wonderfullyinventive,thisbinarymovementisanothercharacterpiece.ThekeyisagainAmajor,withamovetothekeyofthedominanttowardtheendofthefirsthalf.AnunusualmodulationtotheVIkeyofF#majorsixmeasuresintothesecondhalfisfollowedbyarunthroughasuccessionofkeys(Bminor,F#minor,F#major,Bminor,Eminor)beforelandinginBminoratthehalfwaypoint.Twocircleoffifthsprogressionsfollow,aharmonictraitoftheItalians,beforeareturntothetonickey.AlsoItalianatearethearpeggiatedsequencesineachhalf.Thefrequentshiftsthroughvarioustonalitiescouldbethekeytounderstandingthetitlereferencing“tenderagitation.”ThisgenrepieceisanexampleofadistinctlyFrenchmovementflavoredwithItaliantraits.

2FrançoisCouperin,L’artdetoucherleclavecin,ed.andtrans.byMargeryHalford(ShermanOaks,CA:AlfredPublishingCo.,Inc.,1974),47.


LePlaidoyerdeCithere1erRondeau

TworondeauxinthePiècesdeclavecinbyBernarddeBury,eachwithanaccompanyingsecondrondeau,makereferencetotheislandofCythera:LePlaidoyerdeCithere(I)andLaCitherée(II).FrançoisCouperin,inhisthirdOrdre,writesaworkcalledLesPélerines.JaneClarkinformsusthatthiswas“originallyavocalpiece.ThepilgrimsarepilgrimsofloveboundfortheIslandofCythera.”3TheartistWatteauproducedtwosimilarpaintingsonthesubjectofthisisland:l’EmbarquementpourCythère(1717),whichhangsintheLouvre,andLePelerinageaCythère(1721),housedinCharlottenburgPalace,Berlin.AccordingtotheOxfordDictionaryofArtandArtists,“...underlyingthefrivolity[inWatteau’spaintings]isafeelingofmelancholy,reflectingthecertainknowledgethatallthepleasuresoftheflesharetransient.Thispoeticgravitydistinguisheshimfromhisimitators...”4ThisbackgroundhelpsexplainthedifferentemotionalfacetsofthetwosetsofrondeauxreferencingCytheraintheirtitles.Eachpairhasonerondeauinamajorkeyandtheotherinaminorone.Thedifferingemotionsevokedcouldbereflectingthe“melancholy”and“poeticgravity”referencedabove.

TurningnowtothemusicofBernarddeBury,thefirstrondeauofLePlaidoyerdeCithere,inAminor,ismarkedbythematicintegration.Theopeningdescendingthree-notefigureisrepeatedimmediatelyinsequencetwice,andthenthesefirstfourmeasuresarerepeatedtocloseouttherondeautheme.Theharmonicsequenceisbuiltonadescendingchromatictetrachord,movingfromAminortoGmajortoFmajorandbacktoAminor.ThesametypeoftetrachordisfoundinCouranteofthec.1729-30NouvellessuitesdepiècesdeclavecinbyJean-PhilippeRameau(1683-1764).

Ex.4a-B.deBury,LePlaidoyerdeCithere,1erRondeau(I),mm.1-5

3Clark,TheBackground,8.4TheOxfordDictionaryofArtandArtists,ed.IanChilvers,s.v.“Watteau,Jean-Antoine,”OxfordUniversityPress2009OxfordReferenceOnline.OxfordUniversityPress.Master’sCollegeandSeminary(accessed31May2012).

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Thecombinationofdescendingsequentialmelodicmotiveandsorrowfuldescendingchromatictetrachordevokesamelancholyaffect.Thesamemotivecanbeheardprominentlyinthefirsttwocoupletsandininversionanddiminutioninthethird.

ThethirdcoupletalsosurprisesthelistenerwithItalianatepassageworkofsixteenthnotesthroughoutinthetreble.Inaddition,thefirstfourmeasurescontainsequencesinbothhands.Here,then,isanexampleofjuxtapositionofFrenchandItalianstyles.

ThismovementismarkedGracieusementsanslenteur.InapremisepresentedbyEdwardParmentier,anexaminationofL’EnharmoniquefromthesamesuitebyRameaumayprovideaclueastothemeaningofgracieusement.5Notonlyisitlabeledassuch,butthedesignationalternatesthroughoutwithhardiment,sansaltérerlamesure(“boldly,withoutalteringthebeat”).Thespecialgracieusmentsectionscontainverychromatic,harmonicallynebulousareas,whilehardimentsectionsarestraightforwardandcontainsixteenthnoteruns.Thus,itseemsthatsincehardimentgivesinstructionstoplaytherhythm“straight”,thengracieusementimpliesthefreedomtochangethebeat,ortoapplyrubatoinaccordancewiththeaffect.Especiallyifthisistrue,thecontrastbetweenFrenchandItalianstylesisseenevenmoreclearlyindeBury’smovement.Therondeauthemeandfirsttwocoupletsareindeedelegantandgentle,thoughtingedwithsadness,andyetthesesectionsdoincludeimitation,sequence,andevencirclesoffifths,characteristicsmoreassociatedwithItalianmusic.Thethirdcouplet,asnotedabove,addstotheItaliantraitswithpassagework.

2eRondeau

Despiteborrowingideasfrom1erRondeau,thismovementcontrastsgreatlywithit.ThemodeshiftsfromAminortoAmajor.Afterhearingmanychangesofkeyinthefirstrondeau,thereisnotasinglemodulationinthesecond.Also,althoughtherondeauthemestartswiththesameopeningmotiveheardinthefirstrondeau,itbeginsonthebrighterthirdscaledegreeratherthanthefifthdegree.Theopeningbassideaisalsorepeatedhere,thoughonlytwiceand

5EdwardParmetier,Personalnotesfrom“HarpsichordMusicofFrançoisCouperinandContemporaries,1720-1740,withEmphasisonCouperin,BooksIIIandIV,”HarpsichordWorkshopattheUniversityofMichigan,1998.

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withouttheresultingdescendingtetrachord.Thoughderivedfromthesamesourcematerial,thisrondeauthemehasanentirelydifferentsoundthanitssistertheme.

Thefirstcoupletopenswitharisingarpeggiatedfigure(acharacteristicassociatedwiththeItalians)accompaniedbyoctavesinthebass.Thismotiveisthenimitatedinthebass.Theopeningfour-notedescendingmotiveisthenpresented,repeated,andextended,whilethelefthandjoinsinontheextensionattheintervalofathirdbelow.Awiderangeoffouroctavesisheard.

Thesecondcoupletisbuiltfromthedescendingfour-notemotiveandthebassfeaturessomeoctavesagain.SecondarydominantsonIVandVinthethirdcouplethelppreparethelistenerforthefinalreturntotherondeautheme.

SecondeSuite

LabelleBruneThesecondsuiteisinCminor,withonlythefirstrondeauofLaCitheréebeinginCmajor.

Thefirsteightbarsoftheopeningmovementaremirroredthematicallybythesecondeightmeasures.Acommonrhythmicmotivefoundinmostofthemovementisaneighthrestfollowedbyfiveeighthnotes.Avariantonthismotivestartsneartheendofthemovement.

Ex.5-B.deBury,LabelleBrune(II),mm.31-32

Thisdelicatetrillfiguremayberepresentativeofthe“prettybrunette”referencedinthetitleofthischaracterpiece.Harmonically,neartheendofthefirststrainthereismovementfromCminortotheminordominantkeyofGminor.ThesecondhalfstartsimmediatelyinthemediantkeyofEbmajor.Thehomekeyisreachedhalfwaythroughthestrain,withachangeofmodetoCmajoratthetrillfigurewhichremainsuntila“reverse”PicardythirdinafinalCminorchord.

SarabandeLaPrude

Thoughhermarriagetothekingwasneverofficiallyannouncedoradmitted,Françoised'Aubigné,MarquisedeMaintenon(1635-1719),becamethesecondwifeofKingLouisXIV

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(1638-1715)andsubsequentlywasknownasMadamedeMaintenon.Herreligiousausterityledtochangesinthecourtwhichwerenotappreciatedbyall.Forexample,theDuchesseduMaine(LouiseBénédictedeBourbon,1676-1753;marriedtoLouisAugustedeBourbon,DucduMaine,1670-1736,legitimizedsonofLouisXIV)“couldnotbearthecourtasitwasunderMadamedeMaintenon.‘TheCourtisbecomingsotedious,itishardlytobeendured.TheKingthinksheisbeingpiouswhenhearrangesforpeopletobeeternallybored.’”6Someformsofentertainmentwerealsocurbed.AccordingtoDerekConnon,“...thetruereasonfortheKingdisbandingthe[Italian]trouperemainsunclearbutitdoesseemlikelythatthepruderyofMadamedeMaintenonhadsomethingtodowithit.”7Madamewas,asaresult,subjecttosatire,includinginFrançoisCouperin’sLaPrude(Sarabande)(II).Itseemslikely,then,thatthesamereferenceisbeingmadebyBernarddeBuryinSarabandeLaPrude.

Thisbinarysarabandeisseriousintoneandcomplexharmonically,characteristicsofthisdancethatweremissingfromSarabande,LesRegrets(I).Onetraitthetwomovementsshareistheoccasionalaccentonthesecondbeatofthemeasure,inadditiontothosecreatedbyhemiola.

Theopeningmotiveofupbeateighthandquarternotesfollowedbyadottedquarternoteisfoundthroughout.

Ex.6-B.deBury,SarabandeLaPrude(II),mm.1-2

ThisistrueevenduringasequentialmovefromEbmajorthroughFmajorandGmajoraccompaniedbydramaticrolledchordsinthebassduringthesecondhalf.Thissamemotiveappearsnextinparallelmotioninthetenorandbassvoicesandissubsequentlyimitatedinthesoprano.

HarmonicinterestisanimportantfeatureofSarabandeLaPrude.DirectlyfromthefirsttothesecondmeasurethereisaprogressionfromV/IIItoIIIinthekeyofCminor.ThefirsthalfofthemovementendswithaPhrygiancadence,beforejumpingimmediatelytothemediantkey

6Duchessed’Orléans,LettersfromLiselotte,ÉlisabethCharlotte,PrincessPalatineandDuchessofOrléans,trans.anded.byMariaKroll(London:Gollancz,1970)asquotedinClarkandConnon,“Mirror”,12.

7ClarkandConnon,“Mirror”,20.

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ofEbmajortostartthereprise.Thereisastrikingdissonancecreatedbysimultaneous9-8and7-6suspensionsoverthebassnoteinm.15.

Ex.7-B.deBury,SarabandeLaPrude(II),mm.14-16

Theabove-mentionedsequencefollowsbeforeamovebacktothehomekeyofCminor.Thepetiterepriseproducesmoresurprises,asitcommenceswithadeceptivecadence.BeforethefinalcadencebackinCminor,anappoggiaturaoveradiminishedseventhchordprovidesevenmoredissonance.

L’Enfantine

This“child-like”characterpieceisillustratedassuchinseveralways.Therearefrequentshiftsofrange,asanumberoftimesthelefthandappearsinthetrebleclefbeforeskippingbacktoitsnormaltessitura.ThedesignationofGracieusementlikelyimpliesfreedominperformance,suggestingperhapsthetakingofextratimewhencalledupontomakesuddenchangesincompass.Also“infantile”aretheparalleltritonesinthefirstfewmeasuresofthesecondhalf.

Ex.8-B.deBury,L’Enfantine(II),mm.8-10

InthisbinarymovementtheopeningsectionstaysinthehomekeyofCminor,endingwithaPhrygiancadence.TheopeningofthesecondpartshiftsmodetoCmajor,whichisthefrontendofacircleoffifthsprogression(Cmajor-Fminor-Bbmajor-Ebmajor).Halfway

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Themostprominentmotiveisanopeningrisingintervalofafourth.Itappearsinverted(atathirdinsteadofafourth)toopenthereprise(seeExample8),andagainalsointhebassline.

LaCitherée1erRondeau

Apairedsetofrondeaux,thesecondbydeBuryreferencingtheislandofCythera,closesoutthesecondsuite.ThesettingoftherondeauxinfirstmajorandthenminorkeysagainreflectsthetwosidesoflifedepictedinWatteau’spaintings.

BoththefirstandsecondrondeauxofLaCitheréeareunnamedgavottes.Eachbeginstheupbeatinthemiddleofthemeasure,has(withoneexception)four-barphrases,andusesfairlysimpleharmonies(especiallythesecondrondeau).ThedesignationofGracieusementsanslenteurimpliestendernessandexpressiveness,alongwithfreedomtoperformtherhythmwiththoughtfulflexibility.TheopeningmovementofthispairedsetisinCmajor.Therondeauthemeconsistsofasyncopatedtreblelineaccompaniedbyawalkingbassline.

Ex.9-B.deBury,LaCitherée,1erRondeau(II),mm.1-4

Thisoff-beatrhythmisalsofeaturedprominentlyinbothcouplets,thefirstofwhichis

heardentirelyinthebassstaffrangeoftheharpsichord.Thisfirstcoupletmovesimmediatelytothekeyofthesub-dominantandthentothatofthedominantbeforeashifttotheminormode.Thesecondcoupletismadeupofmostlydescendingstaggeredchordsinfirstinversionandisentirelyintheminorkeysofthevi,ii,andvibeforetheabovereferencedarrivalbackinthetonickeyofCmajor.

2eRondeau

Thesamerhythmicmotiveofsyncopatedrighthandandsteadyquarternotelefthandheardinthefirstrondeauisemployedthroughoutthismovement,thoughintheparallelmode

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ofCminor.ThefirstcoupletmodulatestothemediantkeyofEbmajor,whilethesecondquicklyshiftsfromCminortotheminordominantkeyofGminor,endingwithaPicardythird.Theseriousnatureofthisrondeaucomespartlyfromtheheavyuse(nearlyafourthofallharmonies)ofdiminishedchords.

TroisièmeSuiteLesAmusemens1erRondeau

Sixoftheelevenmovementsofthissuite,thelongestofthefour,arerondeauxwhichbookendthiscollection,thefirstapairedsettoopen(LesAmusemens)andlateranotherpairedgroupingplusdoublesforeach(LaSéduisante)toclose.Centeringon“G”,sevenoftheelevenmovementsareintheminormode.Nexttothechaconnewhichclosestheentirelivre,thecentermovementofthissuite,LaPithonisse,isthelongestwritteninthissetofsuitesbyBernarddeBury.

TherespectiveLesAmusemensmovementsbyBernarddeBuryandFrançoisCouperin(VII)shareanemotionallink:cheerfulin1erRondeauandsadinthe2e.ForCouperin,thisevidenceshis“preoccupationwiththetwosidesoflife...[his]magnificentpieceintwopartsmaywellbeareferencetoLesAmusemenssérieuxetcomiquesby[Charles]Dufresny[1648-1724;Frenchdramatist].”8AntoineFuretière(1619-1688;Frenchscholarandwriter)notes,Ilestbond’egayerlatristessedesleçonsetdelesdeguiserenbadinage(“Itisgoodtolightenthesadnessoflessonsandtodisguisetheminplayfulness.”)9

Thespirited1erRondeauofLesAmusemensbydeBuryiscertainlyengaging.Ornamentshelpprovideforwardmotionfortheopeningcheerysyncopatedrondeautheme.

Ex.10-B.deBury,LesAmusemens,1erRondeau(III),mm.1-4

8ClarkandConnon,“Mirrors”,70.9Ibid.

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œJ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œn j œj œ œ œj œj œ œ œj œj œ œj œœJ œ œ˙œ ˙ œ Œ ˙ œœœ ŒŒ˙ ™ ˙Œ œ œ ™ Œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ<n> œ‰ œ

j

œœ œ œ ™œ ™ œj ˙œJ œœœ œ œ œœ ‰ œ œ œj œj œ œ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œjœ

œ‰ œj ˙œ œ ˙ ™˙ œŒŒ˙ Œ œŒ ˙ ™ ˙ œ œ ˙# œ ˙œ œ œŒ

‰ œ œ œj œj œ œ œj œj œ œ œj œj œ œ œ#J œJ œ œ œj œj œ œ œj

Œ ˙ œ ŒŒ˙ ™˙ ™ Œ œ ˙ ˙ Œœ ŒŒ˙ ™ Œ œ Œ ˙ œ Œ œ# œœ


Thefirsttenmeasuresarethenessentiallyrepeatedtocompletetherondeausection,allinthehomekeyofGmajor.Anotheragreeablemelodyagainusingsyncopatedrhythmisheardinthefirstcouplet,andfeaturesanearlymodulationtothekeyofthedominant.Thesecondcoupletdividesintothreeparts.Thefirstfourmeasurescontinuetheoff-beatidea,butwithadescendingmelodythatsurprisinglyisinthemajorsub-mediantkeyofEmajor.Next,adifferentsyncopatedideawithagentlyrockingtenorlinefinishesinEminor.ThelastfourbarsconsistofadescendingseriesoffirstinversionchordswhichmodulatebacktothetonickeyofGmajorhalfwaythroughtheprogression.

2eRondeau

ThemelancholysyncopatedmelodyofthesecondrondeauthemeisintheparallelminormodeofGminor.Thetwelve-measurefirstcoupletisentirelyinthedominantminorofDminor,endingwithaPicardythird.Twoshortsequencesarefeatured,thefirstconsistingofarpeggiateddiminishedseventhchordsandtheirresolutions.Thesecondcoupletagaindividesintothreeparts:fourmeasuresinGminor;fourmeasuresinthemediantkeyofBbmajor;eightmeasureswithsuddenItalianatetraitsincludingasequentialcombinationofshortarpeggiosandrunningsixteenthnotescalepassagesmovingthroughacircleoffifths(fromBbmajorthroughFmajor,Cminor,andGminor).

SarabandeLa***oulesSentimens

SarabandestitledLesSentimensbybothCouperin(I)andherebyBernarddeBuryaretender,expressiveworks(Couperin’sismarkedTrestendrementanddeBury’sGracieusement).Typicalofasarabande,deBury’stripletimeslowseriouspiecewithbalancedphrasesandcomplexharmoniessometimesplacesanaccentonthesecondbeat.TheopeningsectionofthisbinaryformmovementmodulatesfromthehomekeyofGminortotheminordominantofDminor,endingwithaPicardythird.ShiftingimmediatelyatthestartofthesecondhalftothemediantkeyofBbmajor,thereisabriefmodulationtoitsdominantkeyofFmajor,beforereturningtoBbmajor.Thefinalsevenmeasures(whichalsomakeupthepetitereprise)begininGmajorandmovequicklytotheparallelmodeofGminoruntiltheend.

Zephir

1erMenuetZephirreferstothegentlewestwindofspring.Themusiccreatesthesenseofasoft

breeze.Zephirconsistsoftwohalvesofonlyeightmeasureseach.Thesopranolineinthefirsttwomeasuresofthesecondpartisthenrepeatedinsequence.Thefollowingtwomeasuresfeatureaseriesoffirst-inversionchordswitharisingstep-wisebass,leadingthentothefinalcadence.Typicalofaminuet,themovementisharmonicallysimple,beingentirelyinGmajor.


Flore2eMenuet

Flore,namedforthegoddessofflowers,andsharinganamewithCouperin’sLaFlore(V),isamoredramaticminuetthanZephir.Rolledchordsandsomeoctavesinthelefthandinthefirsthalfandmorecomplexharmonyinthesecondstraincontributetothischange.ThefirstpartisentirelyinGminorwithtwofour-barphrasesendingwithaPhrygiancadence.Thesecondhalfistwiceaslong,furtherextendedanothereightmeasuresduetoapetitereprise.Anopeningtwo-measuremeasurelongsequentialfigureinthesecondstraininCminorisrepeatedinBbmajor.ThehomekeyofGminorisreachedviathekeysoftheminorsub-dominantandthedominant.

LaPithonisse

ThePythoness(orPythia)wasthepriestesswhopresidedovertheOracleofApolloatDelphi,locatedonMountParnassus.Itiscommonlybelievedthatthevaporsrisingfromthegroundinducedthepriestessestodelivertheoraclesinafrenziedstate.ThisintensityisconveyedinthecentralmovementofSuiteIIIconceivedonagrandscaleof132measuresinlength.

ThemusicinLaPithonisseisbuiltfromthreemainthemes:fullchordunderupwardscalarsweepandsubsequentdramaticV/4/2chordwithoctavesinthebassandaddeddissonancecreatedbysuspensions(A);piècecroiséeidea(B);repeatedtoniclefthandpedalchordswitharpeggiatedfigureintherighthand(C).TheeffectofJean-PhilippeRameauontheyoungBernarddeBurycanbenotedinthismovement,asRameau’srondeau,LesCyclopes(1724Piècesdeclavecin)isalsoagrandshowpiecewhichfeaturesarpeggiation,scalepassagesand,mostanalogous,thepiècecroiséeidea.

Ex.11a-B.deBury,LaPithonisse(III),mm.1-4

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wwww ˙ ™˙ ™˙ Ó œœ ˙ ˙ wwœj ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰

‰ œJ ‰ œbJ ‰ œJ ‰ œJ ‰ œJ ‰ œJ ‰ œJ ‰ œJ ˙# œj˙ ‰ œJ ‰ œJ ‰ œJ ‰ œJ

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‰ œbJ ‰ œJ ‰œJ ‰ œbJ ‰ œJ ‰ œJ ‰

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w™ ˙ ™ ˙ œ ww ˙ ™˙ ™ Œœ ˙ ˙ ˙œ œ œ œ ˙œ œ œ œ

∑ œ œ œ# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ ™ œJ œ œ œ œ ˙# œn j˙

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Ex.11b-B.deBury,LaPithonisse(III),mm.5-7

Ex.11c-J-P.Rameau,LesCyclopes(1724Piècesdeclavecin),mm.15-17(Bärenreiterrevisededitionof2000)

Ex.11d-B.deBury,LaPithonisse(III),mm.40-43

Thefollowingchartsummarizestheentiremovement.Measure# 1 16 25 40 47 55 70 77 85 100 111Theme ABB Atrsn ABB C AB ABB C C ABB trsn ABBCKey g g d d Bb c c cir5 Eb cir5 g

BernarddeBurykeepsthepiècescroiséesectionsfreshbyhavingdifferentharmonicpurposesforthem.Alternationofdiminishedchordswiththetonicismostoftenheard.However,piècescroiséearealsousedtomodulatefromBbmajortoCminor,tomovethroughacircleoffifths,andtoalternatebetweentonicanddominantseventhchords(inEbmajor).

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LoureAccordingtoMeredithEllisLittle,“The18th-centurylourewasaslow,virtuosoFrench

theatredanceofanoble,majesticbutlanguidcharacter,oftenassociatedwiththepastoraltradition.”10Shenotesfurther:

Thelourewasoftendescribedasaslowgigue...Themusicisindeedsimilartothatofaslowgiguesetinslow3/4or6/4timewithanupbeat,usingphrasesofirregularlengthinacontrapuntaltexture,andcharacteristicrhythmicmotifssuchasthetypicaldottedfigureofthegigue,syncopation,hemiola...11

TheloureofBernarddeBuryiscompletelyconsistentwiththisdescription,savetheupbeat.ThestatelycharacterofthismovementisreminiscentofthattypicallyheardintheFrenchoverture,whichinvitesover-dotting.

Thisbinaryformmovementin6/4meterischaracterizedbymanylow-rangingthickchords.Eachtimetheopeningideaisheard,itisimmediatelyimitatedintheoppositehand.

Ex.12-B.deBury,Loure(III),mm.1-3

Thephrasestructureisirregular,thefirsthalfcontainingelevenmeasures(7+4)andthesecondhalfanunbalancedtwenty-two(5+6+4+7).Theharmonythroughoutthemovementisrichwithdiminishedseventhchords.ThefirsthalfopensinGminor,withamodulationtotheminordominantkeyofDminor(endingwithaPicardythird).ThekeystowhichdeBurytravelsinthesecondhalf,somefarafieldfromthehomekeyofGminor,are:Cminor(iv);Bbmajor(III);Ebmajor(VI);Fmajor(VII);Bbmajor(III);Fmajor(VII);Gminor(i).

Theopeningthemeisheardonelasttimetoopenthesecondstrain.Anewdottedarpeggiatedthemeappearsfourtimes.Afternumerousharmonicexcursions,thehomekeyofGminorisreachedwithdramaticdescendingchromaticoctavesinthelefthand,characteristicsofItalianmusic.

10MeredithEllisLittle,“Loure,”GroveMusicOnlineed.L.Macy(Accessed16June2008),http://www.grovemusic.com.11Ibid.

64

64

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œœœ ™™™œ ™ ‰ Œœj œ œb œ# œ ˙ ™™˙ ™ œ œ ™ œœ œ ™˙ ™™™˙ ™ ˙ ™™˙ ™ ˙

bœœœ ™™™œ ™ œj œ œb œ# œ œœ ™


Ex.13-B.deBury,Loure(III),mm.28-30

LaSéduisanteDiscussionaboutthissetofmovements,especiallywithreferencetoFrançoisCouperin’s

LesAmusemens(VII),canbefoundunder“InfluenceofFrançoisCouperinonBernarddeBury”.TheformeralsowroteapieceentitledLaSéduisante(IX).TheretheseductressisthoughttobetheeasilyboredaforementionedDuchesseduMaine.ClarkandConnonnotethat,“IntimetheDuchessfeltshehadtohaveherownfairylandandinDecember1699theMainesboughtthechâteauofSceaux...Heretheboredcourtflockedtowatchtheentertainments...”12DeBurypictureshistemptressinthemusicaselusive.Forexample,phraseendingsarenotalwaysclear-cut.Onlyabout30%ofallthechordsheardareinrootposition,creatingafeelingofbeingunsettledorincomplete.Therearecomparativelyfewauthenticcadences,providingasenseofrestlessness.

WhilethefirstrondeauanditsdoubleareinGmajor,theothertwomovementsareinGminor,apatternwhichhasbeforebeenobserved.TheimpliedflexiblerhythmnotedfromthetermGracieusementisimportantinperformingthismusic,astherepetitivenatureofitcouldotherwisebecometiresome.Theuseoftriplemeterwitheachphrasestartinginthemiddleofthemeasurepointstothesemovementsbeinginthestyleofagavotte.Thephrasestructureofeachoftheopeningrondeauthemesisidentical,anditissimilarbetweenthecoupletsoftherondeaux.Asnotedearlier,bothrondeauthemesarecharacterizedbyquarter-notemovementinthetreblestaff,andstilebrisébrokentwo-notechordaccompaniment.

QuatrièmeSuiteLaBrillante

ThefourthsuitebyBernarddeBuryisforthemostpartinEmajor,withonlythesecondmovementandthemiddlesectionofthefinalmovementbeinginEminor.Thoughonlyconsistingoffivemovements,thissuiterequiresalmostasmuchtimetoperformasthe12ClarkandConnon,“Mirror”,13.

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œ ™ œj œœ œœ ™™œ ™ œj œœ œœ ™™œ ™ œj œœ œœœ œ œ œ ™˙ ™˙ Œ

ŒŒŒ œ#œ# ˙n˙n œœ ˙b˙b ˙ œœ ˙


previousonewithitselevenmovementsduetothelengthoftheconcludingChaconne.Inhisfinalcollection,deBuryagainsuccessfullyintegratesthenewerItalianmodesintohisownnativeFrenchstyle.

LaBrillanteiscertainlyabrilliantopeningpiece.Almostallofthefirstthreesections(rondeauthemeandfirsttwocouplets)arewritteninthebrightupperrangeoftheharpsichord,bothstavesrequiringtrebleclef.RightawayItaliancharacteristicssuchassequenceandbriefimitationareheard.

Ex.14-B.deBury,LaBrillante(IV),mm.1-5

Onefurtherexampleofsequenceisheardinthefirstcouplet.Thesoundofthismovementthroughthesecondcouplet,however,isdecidedlyFrenchwithitscheerfulaffectandattractiveornaments.Thethirdcouplet,however,introducesrunningItalianatesixteenthnotes,aswellasmoreextensiveimitationandsequence.

Theharmonyissimplethroughout,usingmostlytonicanddominantchords.ThefirstcoupletstartsoutinthetonickeyofEmajor,beforemodulatingtothekeyofthedominant.Thesecondcoupletdividesequallybetweenthesub-mediantkeyofC#minorandEmajor,whilethefinalcoupletmovesfromthekeyofthetonictothatofthesub-dominantbeforeareturnagaintothehomekey.

LaDampiere

ThefourthsuitecontinueswithanunnamedFrenchallemande.ThoughcharacterizedbymajesticFrenchoverturedottedrhythms,themusicisseasonedwithItalianspices.Severalsequencesresultinfrequentmodulation.Lefthandoctavesandchromaticismarealsosprinkledin.

ThisexpressivemovementmovesharmonicallyinthefirsthalffromEminortotheminordominantofBminor,endingwithaPicardythird.ThebasicmovementinthesecondhalfisfromthemediantkeyofGmajortothetonic,Eminor.Inbetween,though,asequentialprogressionmovesthekeysupbystepfromGmajor(III)toAmajor(IV)toBmajor(V).ThenexttwosequentialpassagesmovefromthekeysofEminor(i)toAminor(iv)toDmajor(V)beforeagainreachingthehomekeyofEminor.

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LaMichelonMovementsthreeandfour,LaMichelonandLaJeunesserespectively,contraststyles

commontoItaly(theformer)andFrance(thelatter).LaMichelonisalivelyItaliangigamarkedVivementandfeaturesrunningsixteenthnotesandfrequentuseofsequence,especiallyinthesecondhalf.Characteristicsofagigafoundinthismovementincludebalancedphrases,melodicsequences,andsimplehomophonictwo-partstructure.Theharmonicschemeisalsostraightforward,thefirststrainmodulatinghalfwaythroughfromEmajortothekeyofthedominant.Areturntothetonickeystartsthesecondhalfofthisbinaryformmovement,beforemovingtothesub-dominantkeyofAmajorandthenbacktothetonickey.

LaJeunesse

LaJeunesse(“Youth”)isthethirdminuetinthePiècesbyBernarddeBury(theothersbeingZephirandFloreinIII).ThisquintessentialFrenchdanceismarkedbytonalclarity,balancedphrases,andmuchrepetitionofmelodicideas.Thefirstpartofthisbinaryformmovementismadeupoftwoeight-barsections.Inthesecondhalf,thefirsteightmeasuresarealmostexactlyrepeatedinthefinaleightbars.Harmonically,thisshortpieceisverysimple,movingfromEmajortothedominantkeyofBmajorneartheendofthefirststrain,withareturntothehomekeyofEmajorfortheentiresecondhalf.Notonlyisthekeystructureuncomplicated,butmostofthechordsheardareeitherthatofthetonicorthedominant.

Chaconne

Chaconne,thefinalmovementofQuatrièmeSuite,andindeedtheentirePremierlivredepiècesdeclavecinbyBernarddeBury,isinEmajor,withanextendedmiddlesectionofeightymeasuresintheparallelmodeofEminor.Theformisbuiltofgroupsoffourmeasureswhichareimmediatelyrepeatedforatotalofeightineachunit,thefirstofwhichincludesadescendingchromaticbasstetrachord.

Ex.15-B.deBury,Chaconne(IV),mm.1-4

Noparticularharmonicpatternisconsistentlyrepeatedandnomodulationsareheard.Recurrenceofearlierunitsisanimportantpartoftheoverallstructure,especiallyinthefinalMajeursection.AnotherexampleofapreviousunitbeingrecalledisfoundinFrançois

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Couperin’sL’Amphibie,amovementdepassacaille(XXIV)inwhichtheopeningNoblementthemereturnstocloseoutthesectionalpiece.

ThisfinalmovementisdecidedlyFrenchincharacter.InaseemingnodtohisheritagedeBurycomposesinavariationformthathadbeenpopularinthepreviouscentury,andevendoessointhearchaicFrenchviolinG1clef.YetevenheresomeItaliantraitscanbefoundintheguiseofAlbertibass(ThemeF)andarpeggiatedmelodyinsequence(themeG).Otherexamplesofsequencearealsonoted.

Duringthemiddlesectionofthisvariationform,theindicationsofLouréandLouréceCoupletarefound.Louréisthenameofabowingtechnique:“Thisexpressivere-articulationorpulsingofnotesjoinedinasinglebowstrokewasdescribedby[Francesco]Galeazzi[1758-1819;theorist,violinistandcomposer]as‘neitherseparatenorslurred,butalmostdragged.’”13Theexpressive,flowingmelodiclineshouldthusimitatethisbowstroke.IntherepeatofLouré,thewordisplacedunderthestafftomakeclearthatthecomposerisinvertingbothlinesofmusic,theflowingmelodynowinthebass.When“Louréthiscouplet”isencountered,slursgrouptogetherfourandthentwoeighthnotes.Theexactsamemelodyisthenfoundinthebass.Theendingofthislouréleadsbacktothemajorkey.

Thefollowingsummarizesthislengthymovementbymeasurenumberandtheme,with

selectedcomments.Measure Theme Comments1 A descendingchromaticbasstetrachord8 A mm.5-16essentiallyrepeatmm.1-816 B RHdownwardscales;bassmovesupathirdinthreemeasures24 C downwardscalesinbothhandsinm.27borrowedfromB32 D bassrisesafourthintwomeasures40 E endsinahalfcadence;bassdescendsaseventh48 D1 samemelodyasDathigherpitch;LHfigurationfromE56 F importantmelodywithintervalofrisingfourth;Albertibass13WernerBachmann,etal."Bow."InGroveMusicOnline.OxfordMusicOnline,http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/03753(accessedAugust4,2011).


risesafourthoverfourmeasures64 G arpeggiatedmelodyinsequence;chordsinbass 72 F1 Albertibassnowinsixteenthnotes80 G1 sameLHchordsandharmonyfromGMineur88 H bassdescendsasixth96 I bassreminiscentofAwithdescendingchromaticfourth104 F2 anotherideausingrisingfourth;sameAlbertibassasFLouré112 J bassrisesdiminishedfourthoverfourmeasures;sequential melody120 J1 inversionofJ;Lourémelodynowinbass;decoratedbass risesadiminishedfourth128 A2andF1 sequentialRHderivesfromA;LHrepeatsF1136 K richvi7chordinm.138144 K1 similarmelodynowinLHLouréceCouplet152 L expressive“bowed”melody160 L1 melodynowinLH;ninthchordsinmm.162,163Majeur168 A Majeursectionincludesmuchrepetitionofearlierthemes


176 M bassdescendsafourthoverfourmeasures184 D 192 N eachhandmovesupsequentiallyafourththreetimesinthree measures200 F 208 G216 F1224 G2 sameharmonyandbassasG1withnewRHfiguration232 G3 G2figureisinverted240 E 248 D1 D1isrepeatedthroughapetitereprise

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WiththewaveofpublicationsforharpsichordinFranceinthe1730’s,itisunderstandablethattheyouthfulworkofBernarddeBurywouldbeoverlookedtoday,inparticularsincehiscareertookhimfromcomposingforkeyboardtowritingforthetheater.AmoreextensiveinvestigationofhisPremierlivredepiècesdeclavecinreveals,however,thatthiscollectionisofconsistentlyhighqualityandcertainlyworthyofperformance.14Harmonicinterestissustainedthroughavarietyofmodulations,movementtotheminordominantbeingalmostasrecurrentastothemajorV,withthemajormediankeynextinfrequency.PhrygiancadencesandPicardythirdsaddtotheharmonicpalette.DeBuryskillfullyincorporatesItaliancharacteristicssuchassequence,arpeggiatedfigures,passagework,imitation,chromaticism,circleoffifthsprogressions,andsometimesfrequentmodulationsintohisclearlyFrenchsuites,withtheirtendermelodies,simplemusicaldesign,andexpressiveornamentation.TheItalianandFrenchtraitsareintegratedsometimesbyjuxtaposingthestyles,butmorefrequentlyby14Aneditionhasbeenpreparedbytheauthorandisseekingahomewithapublisher.Arecordingofallfoursuiteshasalsobeenreleasedbytheauthorandisavailableatcdbaby.com.


integratingtheminatastefulmanner.HethusachievesthemusicalidealdescribedbyFrançoisCouperinwhenhewrotethat,“...thebringingtogetherofFrenchandItalianstylesmustcreatemusicalperfection,”15(L’Apothéosecomposéàlamémoiredel’incomparableMonsieurdeLully,1725).ExaminationofthePremierlivreprovidesamorecompletepictureofanoftenover-lookedcontributiontoclavecinmusicafterFrançoisCouperin.Moreover,itallowsBernarddeBurytotakehisrightfulplaceinalonglineofdistinguishedFrenchharpsichordcomposers.

15Couperin,GoûtsRéunis,asquotedinTunley,‘ThePerfectionofMusic’,ii.

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