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STRAVINSKY'S
NEWEST WORKS
byColinMason
and the 'Querimonia' of the same work (trombones only, bars 188-192, or
a characteristicdivergence from the strict
chorus only, bars 179-I83-with
in
the
first
two
notes
the
order
of
series); and in the 'Bransle Simple' (on a
a
five-note,not twelve-note,series), in Agon.
In the Epitaphium
thismethodis maintainedthroughout. The work consists
of eight statementsof the twelve-noteseries (Ex. I), in seven phrases played
alternatelyby the harp and by the pair of wind instruments. (The sixthphrase,
played by the fluteand clarinet,containstwo statementsof the series.) All four
Ex.1
gaM"#im "
--
F... lop..
4i
"-
'-
formsof the series are used, withouttranspositions,in the followingcarefullyplanned order: basic set (hp), basic set (fl & cl), inversion (hp), retrograde
inversion(fl & cl), retrograde(hp), retrogradefollowed by inversion(fl & cl),
retrogradeinversion (hp). The harp part is mainlyharmonic (chordal), not
contrapuntalin style, and the contrapuntallines in the sections for fluteand
clarinetare seriallycomplementarythroughout,never independent. There is no
completemelodic statementof the seriesin any one part,and onlyin fourplaces
does a singlepart containas manyas three consecutivenotes of the series. Two
consecutivenotesoccur more often,but equallyoftenthe seriescrossesfromone
serial worksthere
partto theotherwitheverynote. As in severalof Stravinsky's
is a single divergencefromthe strictserial order at one point (the beginningof
STRAVINSKY'S
NEWEST
WORKS
the fifthstatement). Exx. 2 and 3 are the last two sections. The work is in effect
Ex.2
64=880)0
4"1
a miniatureset of alternatingvariationson two themesor 'inventions'of quite
differentcharacter, derived from the same series. It belongs to the line of
magically self-containedminiature vocal and instrumentalmasterpieces that
Stravinskystarted writingin the second decade of the century,and took up
again, aftera lapse of thirtyyears,under the influenceof Webern's music. In
is closer
tone and manner,and in its delicate instrumental
colour, the Epitaphium
to the works of the earlier period than any of the new miniaturesof his serial
period, and is one of the most beguilingto the ear of themall.
The DoubleCanonis much more severe, in formand expressionas in instrumental colour. It is canonic in the stricttraditionalsense, not in the sense in
which Stravinskyused to use the word 'canonic', as a euphemismfor 'serial'.
and the note-valuesare unalteredthroughout.
There are no octave transpositions,
It is based on a very characteristictwelve-notetheme, in which the firstfive
notes are almostidenticalwith the series of the In Memoriam
Dylan Thomas(in its
five
which
next
the
and
notes,
again are all within the
retrogradeinversion),
remote
are
a
more
a
of
major third,
permutationof it (see Ex. 4). The
compass
Ex.4
A0:60
:.
v.antaie
VIa.
'FA-"
TIM
n --"--..
T
...
--- ,lay
-x
..I
. . .-- --''
- ', ,"
? :-
me
IL
:' """';
: "
-
"
'..
._
Vio.l-'--'cop
' -- --M
V'cello-.-I
nin mf
caantabile
'
TEMPO
series is used here only melodically. There are twelve statementsof the theme,
of which only three formsare used (i.e., not the inversion). The two violins
playthe themein canon fourtimes,firstthe basic set at the major second (below)
and at the unison,then the retrogradeinversionat the major second (above) and
at the unison. Againstthe middle pair of thesecanonsthe viola and cello playthe
retrogradeformof the theme in canon firstat the minor seventh(below) then
at the octave. Ex. 4 shows the firsthalfof the piece.
The combinationof these inflexiblelines of counterpointis wonderfully
harmoniousand expressive,but the beautyof the piece is strikingly
unlike that
of Dufy's own bright,pretty,light-heartedart. The writingfor the stringsis
sober. The firstentryin each part is markedcantabilein mf,and the only other
dynamicindicationsare tiny diminuendosand crescendos to mark the end or
beginningof some of the later canonic entries. No instrumental'effects' of
scoringare used. No one part has a compassof more thana major ninth,and all
fourpartsare containedwithina compassof threeoctaves. In its gentleeuphony
it recallstheparadoxicallysereneunaccompaniedvocal canonsofthe 'Querimonia'
in Threni,not at all the tormentedinstrumental
dirge-canonsof the In Memoriam
Thomas.
memorial
works
it is closer in mood to the
Dylan
AmongStravinsky's
for
viola
solo
that
he
wrote
for
Germain
in memoryof Alphonse
Prevost
Elegy
Onnou.
In Movements
breaksnew ground. Unless Agonis considered (as,
Stravinsky
like most of his ballets, it quite legitimatelymay be considered) primarilyan
orchestralwork forconcertperformance,and onlysecondarilya ballet, Movements
is his firstmajor instrumentalwork since the Septet(I 953). It is also his first
work of any size. The Septethas serial passages (the
wholly serial instrumental
firstto appear in Stravinsky'smusic), and much of Agonis composed in this
technique, but there are importantnon-serialsections in both.
For a concerto,Movements
is on a smallscale. Thereare fiveshortmovements,
Each
bars.
movement
193
totalling
except the lastis followedbya shortorchestral
a
few
in
of
which
the
bars,
passage
piano is silent. These passageswere originally
marked 'interludes',but these markingswere later struckout, so thattheynow
appear in the score as detachedcodas to the precedingmovements-thoughthey
are in factmore closelyrelatedin each case to thefollowingmovement,the tempo
of which theyprepare. The work is scored fora fairlysmall orchestra(without
horns, timpanior percussion) which is never fullyused. There are two flutes
(second doubling piccolo), oboe, cor anglais, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon,
two trumpets,threetrombones(two tenor,one bass), harp, celesta and strings.
Each movement,and each of the short sections originallycalled interludes,is
scored fora different
combinationof instruments.The oboe and cor anglaisare
used only in the thirdmovement,the bassoon only in the first,and the celesta
only in the firstand last.
The most radicallynew featureof Movements
in Stravinsky'swork is its
mainlynon-thematicconstruction. The jagged instrumentaltexture has been
or new in the
anticipatedin partsof Agon,and mostof whatmayappear different
serialtechniqueis merelya resultof the non-thematicconceptionof the musicthough the composer does juggle with the series more freelythan in other
recent works. Symmetryof formand far-reaching
thematicdevelopmenthave
rarelybeen part of Stravinsky'smusic, the continuityand formalcoherence of
which lie in the repetitions,variationsand changingjuxtapositionsof alternating
shortsections,phrasesand motives. In Movements
thereare hardlyanydistinctive
STRAVINSKY'S
NEWEST
WORKS
:'
=.. . . k= ::;0VPq
in thefourth
makesa plainstatemovement.Stravinsky
particularly
prominent
the
of
series
at
the
followsit
but
of
the
ment
work,
immediately
beginning
withan exceedingly
and
one
Ex.
6). Manypassagesof
garbled
confusing (see
in the first,
bothkindsoccur throughout
ones chiefly
thework,the confusing
of
theseries
thirdandfifth
forms
where
the
various
of
movements,
permutations
intouse.
the
last
note
of
each
come
the
hexachord
transferred
to
(with
beginning)
alone
from
hexachord
in
these
of
one
use,
sections,
Stravinsky's
fairlyfrequent
andsome
theseries,without
itsconsequent
addsto theconfusion,
or antecedent,
thatneed
of serialconstruction
passagesappearto concealotherrefinements
further
analysis.
Ex. 6
Flauto I
T baI
Piano
Pioliri .1
48 con sord.
C?L
;4
43
Piano
--
='*
3
32
8f1
.piz
..
8
ostave
lower
ev4o+
Piano
pirg.
Pi~ano
:..
S
This content downloaded from 193.2.8.229 on Tue, 24 Feb 2015 10:34:47 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
16
TEMPO
Ex.
7trem.
-=J ,~-~ -t
mpw
Piano
48
4647
solo
co c-.1
VC._Solo_________=4-7___
,P
arco
con sord..
R
Ar,"
STRAVINSKY'S
WORKS
NEWEST
(Ex. 8). This passage is seriallyperhaps the most elaborate and the most dense
has yet written,thoughthereis a near-precedentforit in Threni,
thatStravinsky
where threeformsof the series are combined in much the same way (bars Io8III).
Ex.8
(I
3;
piano
4
:-8
2K2
1
...
!
.~~~
-~I
i: j
3......47
Trr.
I
II
tt
S.
.......
...
.......
..................................
\:
C.B.
41-"
:rco
Solo
;.-!
,7
I\
(C,'.'
l~r,__;, :'
\~~'
,,ij?li
I'
. I ".
'9
14
S-
itt
.....,
...,
. .
/ tt';
1'O
. ...
--_...
"
'8\
:-"
I\
..---
'o
f
aco46\t
Rizz,
?
Vc.
,"
,,-"o
V4 ,
Solo
7
,1l
.olo)
Ippm
.
A
Co
- -- -
"'
'7
14
TEMPO
Piano
a ? - --4--ZZI
...._
tarc.
CI----.
ArpaL
ma
85
84
83
832
Ob.
ce-ma-
P acsfo'(p
p
Cl,
bas.
Arpa
(table)
dl ,..
$of"
_pcfimr?
Ex.10
t80
2
.7,
d'.
Viols
FI. 11
IFI picc.
............... ..............""5
"..........................................
:"
"
........................................
I.........................
'
. :
4'
45
............... ....
...................
....
vao
-.--?
IA
... ..
90
3
3,f,
13
8
"lauti
Piano
.....
97
" ".5
98
'3
"
99
L. ]
....... .
101
100
. .......
.. "
'
33
102
'0
..... ......,,.......
. ....
'-. v -,-.-............................
4:
VC.
div....
.......
..
..........................
it
"
fir..'i
POCO
t
;' v
STRAVINSKY'S
WORKS
NEWEST
p le Iall-.
Piano
31431
.,
8,
??????
"3....???????-
a
po*ob
107
106
105
104
103
8,.
109
108
altacca
aiubita
Vie.
div.
168"
w
Vc
. .... . .
.... ......~...~....
8~_
Ex.
11.
uI
~---8
8 s
19f~ub
I-t
--I-------
Tboen
Coarietto baseAt
f
Clarinetta
lato ba
138
137
136
139
140
II
Tromlbni
m.1p -ac
tent
tba
ton.u
i
137
136
a11Ps
138
139
140
Vialini I. Hi
Viole
3r >.
--
4Q-t
CaIiirAbani
rni
/f
TEMPO
Io
oboe,coranglaisandbassoon),ingeneral
(omitting
(Q= o04), ininstrumentation
whichis 'dynamic'ratherthan
andin itsmethodofstructure,
musicalcharacter,
the density
but maintains
almostthroughout
'formal',to the firstmovement,
of harmony
thatin thatmovementoccur onlyat the
of textureand intensity
of notesand chordshere than
climaxes. Thereare more dynamicrepetitions
are swallowedup in more
and the perfectintervals
in anyothermovement,
2
1
shows
thevehement
harmonic
constructions.
Ex.
dissonant
repetitive
complex
a fewbarsbeforethe workends in sudden
chordalclimaxof the movement,
oftheseries(Ex. 13).
witha simplemelodicstatement
serenity
12
Ex.
if
Piano
184
.183
61
-'FA-C
16Iel. pf
rrh.i
zp
9
Orch.
qHp. ...
Str.
2j
S''
Ex. 13
*f
TI
Piano
(o:104)
:mare.
Arpa
Cel.
I
,I
7-"I
V1.
'
VI.
SoliTutti
III
'
ve.
Solal
IV&4I
I
BolSolo
f.
..p.p.zz.
uni
f
Fiz.
I
Tutti unis.
pizz. if
C.
B,
1010
___
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....
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....
i...
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ii-i-+I:.....
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