An Analysis of the First Movement of the Concerto for Orchestra (1943)

7/27/2019 An Analysis of the First Movement of the Concerto for Orchestra (1943)

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Bela Bartk (1881-1845)

An Analysis of the first movement of the Concerto for

Orchestra (1943)by Andrew Kuster

Bartks Concerto for Orchestra has proven to be an extremely attractive work for

music analysts. It is by a prominent mid-twentieth century composer, and in an

accessible style with clear formal divisions, and observable areas based on pitch

collectional units and cyclic progressions. Also, various themes in the work have a folk-

music character engaging for those analysts with ethnomusicological interests.

Therefore, there exist many copious analyses from diverse points of view shedding light

on the Concerto for Orchestra.

Three analyses representing divergent but useful viewpoints (for this analytical

overview) are those by Suchoff, Wilson, and Antokoletz. Suchoffs and Wilsons

provide detailed formal and pitch collectional analysis. But whereas Suchoff extracts the

kernel of important collectional information from each phrase, Wilson presents these

important collections and relates them to larger formal units in the tradition of

Schenkerian graphic analysis. Antokoletz spends virtually no time discussing the formal

aspect of the Concerto for Orchestra, but instead considers the symmetrical and cyclic

aspects of the works material.

Bartk himself provides a page-long analysis, which is (in his usual manner of talkingabout his work) brief and sketchy. It offers the critical analyst few clues to the structure

and compositional process of the Concerto for Orchestra. The analysis below will

crystallize the main points of the analyses mentioned above, as well as those listed in

the bibliography on the last page.

The first movement of Bartks Concerto for Orchestra is in sonata form and includes

an extensive introduction. The introduction (ms. 1-75) is in three sections (ms. 1-34, 35-

50, 51-75). The exposition (ms. 76-230) presents two main thematic areas (ms. 76-148,

149-230. The development (ms. 231-395) divides into three sections (ms. 231-271, 272-

312, 313-395). And the recapitulation (ms. 396-521) presents the two thematic sec-tions

of the exposition in reverse order (ms. 396-487, 488-521).

The first six measures of this stern introduction (Bartk, 431) are a pentatonic

assemblage of perfect fourths (Wilson calls this collection 5-35 ) played by the

low strings beginning and ending on C#. The upper strings respond with a tremolo

wedge beginning on C and extending to an Ab-E augmented fifth before converging

back on C. The flutes lead from this unison C down to an F# and up to F which will be

where the strings land in m. 16. The lower strings reenter with a passage similar to the

opening in m. 12 landing on F# in m. 16 while the upper strings begin another wedge

centering on F and extending to the augmented fifth Db-A before reconverging on F. In

m. 21 the flutes again enter with a wedge-like flourish. At. m. 22 the lower strings begin

again for the third time on C#, moving more quickly (almost like the recitative inBeethovens ninth) to a string tremolo in m. 29 and a flute line in m. 30 which forms the
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melodic basis for the other two sections of the introduction. In ms. 35-50 the strings

play a pattern of fourths based on the opening low string melody with a strong tonal-

center of E-minor (Antokoletz points out that this is a rhythmic diminution of the first

motive in the first theme of the exposition, 528). Beginning in m.39 the trumpets forge

the flute melody from m. 30 into an antecedent and consequent phrase in E-minor. At

m. 51 the upper strings and woodwinds play an elaboration of the trumpet melody fromm. 39. Wilson points out that the G in the outer voices does not hide that the harmony

contains prominent C-minor and C7 chords which break down into more ambiguous

harmonies by m. 58. At m. 58 a strong climax is reached with the tonal center (and

lowest note) of Eb. This Eb continues through the building crescendo and accelerando

beginning in m. 63 and proceeding to the last bar of the introduction m. 75. Wilson

(172) observes an important background step progression in the introduction from the

C# (m. 1) to D# (m. 29) and finally F when the exposition begins (m. 76).

The exposition begins tonally centered on F (m. 76) with a jagged theme made of

ascending fourths (as the opening of the introduction). The motive of measures 76-78 is

inverted in ms. 79-81. Wilson (174) points out that the first few measures provide thelocal dominants C and Eb. The violins play a black-note pentatonic pattern in ms. 85-

90. In ms. 90-91 is a V-I cadence in F, which is followed by a downward scale

progression in the bass and sweeping flourishes in the winds from the first measure of

the exposition. There follows a measure of rest (m. 94) which Cooper points out is

dictated by a golden section (Cooper, 91). At m. 95 the second subsection of the first

theme group be-gins using the first theme motive and moving down by whole-step from

C (m. 95) to Bb (m. 102) and Ab (m. 122). The bass then moves down chromatically to

Eb in m. 131 before an interruption at m. 135 by the trombone in C# (which was the

first tonal area of the introduction). The trombones theme will be taken up extensively

in the development. A transition to the second theme group continues with the

downward gradually slowing melody in the flute at m. 142.

At m. 149 the strings play an open fifth C-G which chromatically links the C# of the

end of the first theme area to the B center of the second theme (m. 155 ff). The tonal

area of B is significant in light of Lendvais axis theory, B being the counterpole of F,

which was the tonal area of the first theme. The melody of the second theme, in the

oboe at m. 155, is extremely narrow in range compared to the first theme. The theme

seems to progress in three-measure units. Here also, the pitch compass of the harp

gradually expands, creating a forward momentum. At m. 175 a shortened repeat of the

melody begins with the clarinets in octaves over a B tonal center. From ms. 192-209 the

colors of punta darco muted upper strings are mixed with high flute and oboe creating asequence descending a perfect fifth in three, three-measure long statements. At m. 204

parallel thirds in the flutes lead to a B-major cadence with an added sixth (in a fleeting,

but interesting overlap with G# in the 2nd violins). At m. 210 the violins intone the

opening of the second theme followed by a woodwind descent in parallel triads to the

tonally central B at m. 223. At m. 224 the low strings descend octatonically to F at m.

231, the beginning of the development.

The first of three sections in the development begins with an extension of the first theme

motive and its inversion (as at the beginning of the exposition), each played in the

violins and trumpets followed by flourishes in the woodwinds and strings. At m. 242

ascending flourishes in the strings which step up each successive entry by whole-toneare answered by descending ones in the woodwinds creating a giant whole-tone wedge


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lead-ing to another golden section point at m. 248 (Cooper, 71). Here interlocking

fourths (as at the opening of the introduction) are treated canonically, first in two parts

at m. 248, then in three parts at m. 254 leading to two areas of stretto entries at m. 258

(entries one measure apart except for last entry two measures apart) and at m. 265

(entries two beats apart creating a hemiola effect).

The second developmental section begins in the tranquil character of the second theme

at m. 272, but uses melodies based on the fourths of the first theme. Throughout this

section the bass line descends from Ab (m. 272) to E (m. 289) and C# in m. 301 where

the melody is augmented in the bass clarinet. A solid Ab in the bass (m. 308) closes the

section.

The final section of the development begins with three flourishes (from the first

measure of the exposition) proceeding into a fugal exposition with the trombone theme

from m. 134 in the trombones and trumpets. The fugue theme seems to come regularly

in three-measure groups, but this is offset by the tutti punctuations in ms. 323-324 and

the entry of the first trumpet cut short by the strings playing the first theme motive at m.340. At m. 342 the fugue theme is inverted, and a counter-exposition begins in the

brass. At m. 363 the theme reverts to its original form and a six-part stretto ensues, each

entry a measure apart and stressing Bb. At m. 376 the brass pattern becomes

harmonically static, cen-tering on notes from the black-note pentatonic scale (Bb-Eb-

Ab-Db). This stasis is broken up by the tutti first theme motive at m. 376 which leads

up, by way of a hemiola, to a unison Ab climax (significantly on Lendvais secondary

branch of the axis of F-B, Ab-D) held for six measures at m. 390.

The order of themes presented in the exposition is reversed in the recapitulation. Where

the second theme had been arrived at in the exposition by half-step descent, at m. 396

the Ab climax of the development ascends to A for the second theme in the recap. The

basses outlining solidly the A center by playing E-A three times (ms. 402, 407, 414). At

m. 424 the second theme melody is repeated in lengthened phrases over a polyrhythmic

background (3:4:5) on a G center. At m. 456 F#-major is landed on by way of a clear

V7-I cadence. The glassy muted upper strings and winds again play the colorful link

from m. 192 moving through C-major (at m. 462) to the retransition beginning in m.

467 made up of a continuous E and F# alternation. The retransition contains

Beethovenesque interruptions of the first theme and the second theme, but finally the

first themes ascending flourish wins out and leads to the recapitulation of the first

theme at m. 488 on an F center.

After the initial motive of the first theme and its inversion (ms. 488-493) there follows a

sequence based on the 4-cycle pattern: F (highest note in strings m. 494), C# (m. 497),

A (m. 500). Another sequence ensues at m. 500 (A), m. 503 (F#), and m. 506 (D). At m.

509 a Bb subdominant pedal is held under growing textural density. At m. 514 a C in

the bass acts as dominant resolving to tonic F in two measures as the brass play the

trombone fugue theme fortissimo. The work ends with a swooping down (from the

inver-sion of the first theme motive) to a unison F except for the trumpets who close on

an F-minor chord.

Documents

An Analysis of the First Movement of the Concerto for Orchestra (1943)