Pousseur and Clements - Stravinsky by Way of Webern I

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Stravinsky by Way of Webern: The Consistency of a SyntaxAuthor(s): Henri Pousseur and Marcelle ClementsSource: Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Spring - Summer, 1972), pp. 13-51Published by: Perspectives of New MusicStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/832330.

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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNThe Consistency f a Syntax

HENRI POUSSEUR

"I hope thatyou are completelywell again?Thatmustbe,formusic needsyou too much."(Debussy to Stravinsky, /18/1913)

ITO MY knowledge, nothingto this day that has been said aboutIgor Stravinsky'sharmonyhas been anythingbut verysimplistic,verypartial, if not verynegative.Even PierreBoulez, in his Stra-vinskydemeure (without a doubt one of themost importanttextsabout the Sacre and itsauthor,at least withrespectto certainfrag-mentaryaspects, rhythm,melodic development-especially in thefirstntroduction),does nothingmore thanbringthe incontestableoriginalityof thisharmonyback to traditional, f not to academic,notions, which of course can only rob it of its richness and itsnovelty.Boulez had already expressedhis opinion on thissubject on sev-eral occasions. He had spoken, as earlyas in 1949 (in Trajectoires),of "temporarysolutions" lacking the "coherent constitution of alanguage," and of solutions "which would become more and moreschematic, arbitrary, tereotyped,until they are no longer solu-tions, but only tics," and even (citing the automatic use of themajor-minor hird,diminishedor augmentedoctaves,displacedbasslines), "of a diet ... of avoided notes, of bad disposition,of defec-tivecadences" (p. 249).1 And in 1951 (inMoment de Bach) he hadbeen almost more severe,assertingthat "the failure of Stravinskyresided in the inconsequence-or the inconsistency-of his vocab-ulary" and that "havingexhausted a certainnumber of expedientsdesigned to palliate tonal collapse, he found himselfresourceless,and no syntaxhad emerged" (p. 12).In that same year,however,Boulez was completinghis articleonthe Sacre which would not appear until 1953, and in which he took

1Thepagenumbers efer oRelevesd'Apprenti, euil,Paris,1966.13-

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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICa positionwhich was not as bluntlydestructive.n it,he recognizes,forexample (as he would once more in 1957 in "Tendances de lamusique recente," p. 224), the usefulness of "simple and easilymalleable" materials for attemptingto compose "a rhythmic x-periment . . . in a much more acute manner" (p. 78). In fact,hegoes even further; he necessities of his formal and rhythmic nal-ysis lead him to describe,with a great deal of precision,an entireseries ofpitch structures; n passing,he praisesseveralamong themfortheir"chromatic sensitivity" pp. 90 and 93). But most of thetime he reduces as much as possible what he bringsto some "com-plexities graftedon the existing organization," which he criticizesfor their "timidity or failure," as compared with "experimentsmade in Vienna during the same period" (p. 77). They are only"powerful attractions around certainpoles, these poles being themost classic that are: namely, the tonic, the dominant, the sub-dominant"; and again,"unresolved appogiaturas,""passingchords"(later-p. 102-he will even speak of "embroidery on the embroi-dered chord"), "superimpositionsof severalmodalitieson the samepolar note," and the "disposition of several kinds of chords incompartmentalizedlayers" (p. 77); these last points,as we will seelater, are not so trivial,but, however, our analyst does not feelthat they deserve to be considered as a "syntax" or as the "co-herent constitution of a language." Boulez also remarks on the"very primitivelydiatonic" characterof the "great themes of thework" (not only to condemn it, in fact,since he defends-p. 141-its melodic originalitynd connects the pretonalarchaism and anti-Wagnerianism f itsauthor to his abilityforrhythmic xperimenta-tion), insistingon the fact that some of these themes are in factbased on "defective five-tonemodes" (My italics emphasize thatcurious proscriptivenotion which measures that venerable and souniversal,so fundamentalpentatonic organizationin termsof hep-tatonism-or would it be dodecaphonism-as ifthiswas an absolutenecessity )2

He does also mention "a frequentplay on the major-minor"(havingnothingbut contemptfor he"parallelism n thirdsor sixthsin which either the top or the bottom note is raised a semi-tone"),as well as the opposition, in the entirescore, of "a certain horizon-tal diatonicismwitha verticalchromaticism,withoutexcludingthe2ConstantinBralldoou, a metabolepentatonique,Melangesd'histoire t d'esthbtiqueI, Paris,1954. 14-



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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNopposite disposition." All of this does not seem to deserve thequalification of originality, nd especially not that of legitimacy.Withrespect to the "polymodality" of the Danse de la terreor ofthe ambiguitywhich, in the Introduction of the second part, sep-arates the "polar notes" from the other notes, "which thus takeon a characterof alteration and transition" thisrefers, suppose,to that extraordinary uperimposition of a steady D-minor har-mony with alternatingC# and Dt chords, also minor-we willreturnto this, Ex. 65), he will recognize that "we are as faras canbe frompolytonal gratuitousness" and that "very fortunately, heSacre is freefromthese absurdities" (p. 140). This, however,stilloccasions no mentionotherthan thatof"contrapuntal attempts ..[which are] extremelyweak" and even of"a greatdecline in level."(As compared to what? Doesn't Klee's work,whichBoulez appre-ciates so much, represent"a greatdecline in level" fromthe pointof view of the en ronde-bossestyleof paintingstillpracticed in theacademies?)It is only too clear that there is more here than a negativeapriori, n irrationalrefusalto consideras valid anythingwhich doesnot conformto criteriaof validitywhich one has put forth o one'sself as indisputable. Boulez also has, at least duringthis period, adifficultyn grasping travinsky's cquisitions in their pecificities,and therefore n gaining nsight nto theirprospective usefulness.On the one hand, he refersus to a tonal languagedefined in scho-lastic terms (and in which there has not been a profound enoughanalysis of the articulations and theirpoetic meaning,and there-fore theirpsycho-socio-culturalmeaning). On the other hand, weare dealingwith a post-dodecaphonic serialmethodwhose position(although applied "to all dimensions": this deals especially withrhythmand other unused parameters) still mainly follows, espe-cially on the harmonic level, the edicts (if not the anathemas) ofthe Viennese School, as transmittedby Leibowitz (even if thereis an opposition, a reparationof certain njustices,one cannot helpbut be struckbythe very imilartone and contentof the invective).Caught between these two possibilities,which are generallycon-sidered to be irreconcilable (the acknowledgmentofDebussy is atthe very different evel of the large form,whereas his harmonicdevelopment appears to still lend itself to being conceived of inmostlytraditionalterms,which allows us to value it as well as tominimize its influence),Boulez is obviously still ackingconceptual

15-



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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICmeans, theoretical tools which would permithim to write less ar-bitrarily, o defineStravinsky'sharmonic structures n an adequatemanner,and thus to discover the extremely cute, extremelymod-ern coherence and syntacticaloriginalityn theirconstructivepow-er. We will have to wait for the transcending f the prejudicesandthe exclusions of Viennese atonality, for the transcendingof adefinition of the new order of sound which is too simplisticallyantithetical and oppositional (to tradition); we will have to waitfor the search for (if not the discoveryof) a much more generalharmonic system which will allow us to integratethe chromaticharmonyof theViennese as well as themore consonant harmoniesof our history, ncluding all the attemptsof preserialmusic, andto open the way to envisioningthe integrationof extra-Europeanharmonies, as well as the opening up (now partiallyreclosing) ofpossibilitieswhich are new by virtueof theirverymaterial (non-tempered scales, relationshipsof "harmonic" containingprimaryfactorsgreater han 5; micro-intervals: ll thingswhose explorationdoes to my knowledge absolutely require the aid of simple con-sonances); we will have to wait forthatsynthetic tage,well beguntoday by a whole group of composers3 and more generallyper-formers for we know of the importance of experimentationinnew musical practices such as collective improvisation),in orderto understand the extraordinarily remonitorycharacter of Stra-vinsky'sentirework, the extremelyadvanced stage of his researcheven when it dealt with "historic" materialsand withtheirdistor-tion or deviation (when is this not the case?). We will thenbe in aposition to receive the innumerable and irreplaceablelessonswhichthiswork continuesto holdfor us today.I am well aware that Boulez, even today unfortunately,has atendency to label all this with "antique dealer's mentality"4butI then must ask-must oppose-a question. As early as in Trajec-toires (preceding the following admission: "one can explain thematerial aspect of a score, one is powerless toward the poetic ofwhich it is the key," and followinga declaration of preference fBoris to Tristan),he expressedthe followingparadox (my punctua-tion): "By comparisonwith Schoenberg, Stravinsky, lthough heuses a vocabulary devoid of usefulness ), a morphologydenuded

3CelestinDeliege, "L'inventionmusicaleaujourd'hui," Syntheses,No. 276, Brussels,June1969.4VH101, No. 4, Paris,Winter 0/71,p. 7.* 16



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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNof all consequence ( ), a syntaxwhich is practicallynull ( ), pos-sesses, it seems to us, a poetic of an overwhelmingbeauty ( )"(p. 251); and he continues, speaking of a "still unknown sensibi-lity" (my italics),expressinghimself n terms, mong others,of the"elliptical conciseness" of the forms,comparable only to someworks, especially to early works, of Webern. But tell us, PierreBoulez, is such a total separation of form and content reallypos-sible? Can a noveltyand a beauty which are so fascinatingbe basedon such a radical inconsistencyof writing?Might it not be morelikely that the "uselessness," the "inconsequence," and the "nul-lity" which are attributedto Stravinsky'smorphologyand syntax(a metaphoricdistinctionwhich itmay in fact be usefulto define)finallyapply to the description and especially to theappreciationbroughtto his work? How can one explain it other thanthatStra-vinskyone fine day was able to assimilateso happily,to absorb sousefullyinto the arsenal of his compositional resources(neverthe-less preservingo manyof his earliercharacteristics,venharmonic)methods selected precisely from the syntactical regionsto whichhe was supposedly opposed, fromwhich he was supposedly ex-cluded? Is it merely, as you victoriouslywrite with respect to"a conjunction" (p. 276), because, after he had "reflected," he"changed hismind"? Couldn't it be also that,or ratherbecause, anextraordinary elationshipwas revealed to him (withoutwhich onecannot see how it would be possible to have that "practical geo-desism," of which you laterdeclare that the two musicians consti-tute the referencepoints foryou), because his own language (for-giveme, am goingto attemptto prove that he had one) containedin its verynature, n its mostfundamentalprinciple (and thatalso,I will attempt to define, for you cannot have one without theother) potentials of absorption and development fecundated andexalted by contact withthework of theViennese musician?Didn'tthe latter allow him to discover and to manifest themore generalnature of his own discovery, nd don't the fruits f thisencounterthrow a brightretrospective ighton the totalityof hismovement,on the material traces which it left, and on the direction of thewholewhich theyfinallydepict?In allowinghim to realize all of hispotential, didn't the author of Das Augenlichtin some way showhima shortcut,didn't he offer he means of developing,ofextend-ing and generalizinga search which he himself, fter a period ofindispensableascetism,had wished and already startedto enlarge?

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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICLet us put an end to the polemics Only solid arguments, arvedfrom concrete proofs, can possess any persuasive value. Let usthereforego to work I propose to submitStravinsky'sharmony,that is his treatment horizontal as well as vertical)of intervals ndgroups of intervals,to an examination which will be at least ascareful as that with which rhythmicphenomena are treated inStravinskydemeure. Let us turn first nd foremost oAgon, land-mark work, in which Stravinskytakes and gives the measure ofhis past as well as of his future, nd which,despite the seventy-fiveyears of its author, vouches at once forsuch exuberantyouthful-

ness,and for a most dazzling (a most sensitive)intelligence.5IIThis score,whichapproaches the "Webernian domain" in a num-ber of ways, contains one page which is almost a literalpastiche ofit: I am speaking of the Pas-de-Deux whichbeginson p. 65 of thescore and continues-throughvarious stylistic stages"-until p. 74.It announces the Four Duos and theFour Trios,which interweave

in a most marvelouswaywiththe verydifferent eneralCoda, itselfa reprise of the Pas-de-Quatre which had served the work as averitableouverture.If one examines the whole a bit closely,one is struckby the per-manentpresence,at least fromm. 417 on, of a typicallyWebernianfigure,a group of intervalswhich can be presented in all sorts ofdispositions for example with a not-so-Webernian egistration) utwhichneverthelessdenotes evidentfamiliarity. he "feminine"pas-sage of p. 70 (Ex. 1) is based on it (presented in the tightest nd

Ex. 1thereforemost recognizableway, but also in variousinversions ndtranspositions),but itwas alreadythisgroup, n a larger isposition,which we found as earlyas m. 417 (Ex. 2), and it is ust thisgroup

5Booseyand Hawkes,London,No. 18, 336.* 18-



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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERN

Ex. 2which governsall of these thirteenpages, in all sorts of combina-tions,whichwe will closely examine.Before doing so, however,we must recall that this same groupof intervalsplays an importantrole in the constitutionofWebern'sset of Variations for orchestra,Op. 30. In order to conduct ourinquest in as pertinenta manner as possible, it is useful to beginby examiningthat set, in its internal tructure s well as in certainuses of it which it permits nd which have been made of it (Ex. 3).

Ex. 3To beginwith,we remarkthat it is extremelyclose to the pure andsimple chromaticscale: one onlyneeds to invert he temporalorderof the two groups of three tones: 3-4-5 and 8-9-10, to find it.However, that simple "twist" already begins to introduceremark-able properties nto the scale. Let us begin by mentioningthewell-known fact that because the two invertedgroups are at an equaldistance fromthe center,the entireform s perfectly ymmetrical,that the second partof the set is an invertedretrograde f the first,and that the retrogrademovement of the entire set is constitutedof the same succession of intervals s its inversion.This symmetryextends further: he first even notes (and therefore he last sevenas well) have similarpropertiesto that of the set: theyare consti-tuted of the assemblage, due to a common (pivoting)note, of twoseparate formsof our characteristicfour-tonegroup,which there-fore is presentfour times (overlapping) in the set. This also meansthat the last seven notes are a pure and simple transposition tothe fourthdegree) of the first even,withwhich theynevertheless

19-



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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIChave two notes in common, the last two of one being the first woof the other. It follows that the last two notes of the latter (andtherefore fthe set) can againopen up a newgroupof seven(whichwe will be able to interpret s the last seven of a serialformwhichstarted on the sixth note of the preceding form), and that thisinterlinking an be continued ad infinitum. t will not come backto its point of departure until it will have traveled, fourthbyfourth, the twelve transpositionsof the initial double figureofseven tones.In at least one of hisVariations,Webernsystematicallyuses thispossibility of circular generation. But even in that instance, histreatment s still almost exclusively characterizedby a divisionofthe set into three four-notesegments (Ex. 4). As a result of the

Ex. 4set's symmetrical tructure, wo of these,one at each end, are iso-morphic,one being an invertedretrograde f the other,of course.We can immediately see that they themselvespossess an internalsymmetry, ince they are constituted of two symmetricalmicro-segments:a semi-toneascending,thendescending or inversely) t atotal distance of minorthirds.Therefore,one need only invert heinternalorder of each of these two semi-tonesto obtain the retro-grade inversionof a givensegment Ex. 5a), that is, a transpositionof the symmetricalfour-note egment; on the contrary,one needonly invertthe total orderwithout alteringthe internalorder,toobtain its inversion Ex. 5b), these two operationsyielding simpleretrogradedmovement (Ex. 5c). In otherwords, if one does nottake the segments' nternalorder into account (forexample, ifoneuses them, s Weberndoes in anotherof his.Variations, n the form

_ ?-^ T | >r'^Ex.,Ex. 5* 20 ?



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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNof four-note hords), the third s a simple transpositionof the first,this time to the fifthdegree (or to the opposite fourthof the onementioned above), and their use as "pivoting chords" will allowanother circulargeneration, lso based on the cycle of fifths.The centralsegment s different:we are definitelydealingwithaperfect major-minorchord, a figurefor which the later Webernshowed a great predilection it is present,forexample, in a slightlydifferent hronological disposition, in the set of the Second Can-tata; Ex. 6). In fact, it not only contains two symmetricalperfect

Ex. 6chords, one major, the other minor (havingthe fifth n common),but also two of those figures n which themajor and minor thirdsgo in contrary direction, thereforegenerating,when "added tothemselves," a semi-tone (instead of a fifth)which is of coursecommon to our two figures.This three-tonefigurewas favoredbyWebern in all of hiswork;we already find t as the themeof a veryearly stringquartet whichwas published posthumously,as well as,for example, of the first iece ofOp. 5; and the set ofOp. 31 con-tains fiveexamples of it,whereas that ofOp. 30 only contains four(as well, in fact, as that of Op. 24, which we will examine later-Ex. 22-and inwhichtheycorrespondto the divisionof the set intofoursegmentsof threenotes).As a result of the system of circular generation already men-tioned, Webernwill thus be able to dispose of groups of major-minor chordsat a distance of fifthsor fourths,and it will be par-ticularlyremarkable n the first ystem,for,as a resultof the inter-penetrationof the serial formswhich will have up to seven notes incommon ("pivots"), these chordswill be separated fromone an-otherbyonlyone note, as alien as possible,to be sure: forexample,C between Ft and B major-minor, between B and E major-minor,etc. (Ex. 7). It is clear that this possibility,carefullyexploited, isadmittedly intended to employ the "natural" propertiesof inter-vals, to reintegrate heirconsonant potentialsas much as possible.There is certainlyno question of creatingpoles ofweight inwhich

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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIC

Ex. 7harmonic energyand "melodic" energy-depending upon registra-tion-would converge6);the principleofalles schwebt,of what maybe called "bi-polarity" (for simple intervals), if not "multi-" oreven "omnipolarity" (for groups of more than two tones) remainscarefullypreserved,7due, for example, to the fact that fifths reavoided in the bass and more generally ll "fundamental" disposi-tions,and because the dispositionsof "sixths" and of "fourths andsixths" are used in a privilegedmanner (Ex. 8). But once this is

T aT - v^

Ex. 8assured, it is evident that Webern had wished to be able to oncemoremanipulateharmonic characterizers nd differentiators hichhad too long been lacking,on the greatestscale, even ifhis use ofall the non-polar consonant intervals thirds,fourths, nd sixths)early on showed a care to counterbalance and even to attenuate,on the lowest level,excessive chromaticneutralizations.In spite of its differences, his centralgroup is not absolutelydisparate fromthe group defined by the two exterior segments.If we consider (hors-temps) all of the intervalswhich constituteboth of them,we discoverthatboth contain two minorthirds, t atotal distance of eithera semi-toneor a major third.Webern'sregis-tration will emphasize thisresemblance,thusbringing he harmonyof these two figurescloser (and not necessarilyin the dissonantsense; Ex. 9). If these groups of four notes can be visualized as

6Henri Pousseur,"L'Apotheose de Rameau, essai sur la question harmonique," nMusiquesnouvelles,Vol. XXI, Nos. 24 ofLa Revued'Esthetique,Paris, 1968; especiallypp. 111-16.7HenriPousseur, AntonWebern's rganische hromatik," ie Reihe,No. 2; Vienna,1955.? 22 ?



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iA i

Ex. 9quadrangles,or parallelograms which one could extend in the formof bi-dimensional networks),8we see that the exploration takesplace on different aths in the two groups (Ex. 10). This can also

_

_

IA _

UK 5 -_ x_ ~~~~I

Ex. 10be expressed by the following schematizations: semi-tone/third/semi-toneor third/semi-tone/third,symmetrywhich in fact canonly be obtained by this disparityof exploration. We find thistechnique again, subjected to an extremelyrefinedvariation, n thework of Stravinsky. do not know if he had analyzed Webern'sVariations. If he did so, he could not help but have been struckbywhat he found there. Otherwise, the coincidence is all the morestriking

IIIWe have already observed the presenceof the characteristicfour-note groupstraddlingmm. 417-18. We will have no trouble (takinginto consideration notes and groups of notes which are more orless repeated) pinpointing he different orms nd transpositionsofthis group which organize the entirefirstpartof thewhole whichwe are considering,let us fornow say up to m. 456. I will leavethis task to the reader, advisinghim not to fail,of course, to look8"L'Apotheose," p. 155.

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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICto differentnstrumentsfor the notes which make up the variousfigures I will at any rategivea fewexamples along theway). I willparticularlydeal with representative ases or facts on a high evel.To begin with, various ways of assembling several figuresof thistype.The first ppearance mentioned,mm. 417-18 (Ex. 2), presentsitself as the overlapping of two figureswhich have two notes incommon (ascending semi-toneDb-D), the two final notes of thesecond figurebeingthe same (and in the same order: Cb-Bb) as thetwo initial notes of the firstfigure,by virtue of the possibilityof permutationdemonstratedin Ex. 5. This givesus a typical caseof notes repeated withina short span (one of them changingoc-taves), the repetitionbeing justifiedby the systemof generation(which immediately evokes, abstractingthe number of notes em-ployed,four nstead of twelve,certainprocesses encounteredin theConcerto, Op. 24, ofWebern,especially the end of the thirdmove-ment). We will find other examples, in which themethod of gene-ration ogicallyproducesvarioustolls of repetition;thatis,differentdegrees of fixity of stasis or dynamism). It is clear thatthe maxi-mum degree (of stasis) will be obtained by the immediate and un-varied repetitionsof certain notes or certain intervals, methodwhich Stravinskyveryfrequentlyuses (in a "gratuitous" manner,but which is related to the logical system, by virtueof the othercases), in particular the measures which immediatelyfollow (Ex.11). The second figure s presented a second time, its first two

oco; c1eML r / tot,H Le. 6.t? ? b / 0Ex. 11

notes being abundantly repeated (introducing a "Stravinskian"touch into this pastiche which would otherwise be almost tooliteral),and the two finalnotes are alreadypresent n a thirdregis-ter.The latter, fone adds the precedingnote, second in thegroup,produces a figurewhich is typical of theWebernConcerto,whereasits firstpresentation,m. 418, was in a tighterposition,and its last* 24 ?



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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNtwo notes (Cb-Bb), in their first ppearance at the end of m. 417,formed another Webernian figure, bundant in the Variations fororchestra (major seventh and minor third n the same direction).What is heard fromthe violin in the next two measures (421-22)is again veryremarkable for tsnuances of degreeofrepetitionanddispositions of octaves (the finalfigurebeing another echo of theConcerto, Op. 24), as well as the veryrefinedcounterpointwhichthis establisheswith the two figuresplayed by the low strings: heviolas define,fromthe two Cs of the cellos and in a new transposi-tion, the two Webernian figures already mentioned: minor thirdand major seventh, in identical or contrarymotion (Ex. 12). If

a,~L ^ _ WjaS, If.L

- t _ 1_ ,' L,, ?,.,I. 1=^Jr^ r~:~~~~~PI ILCro; r-. tC . i )j

Ex. 12these two figuresdo not, rightly peaking,have a note in common(pivot), they neverthelesspossess two of the same notes (the thirdC-Eb), one of which is in the same octave (the repeated C of thecellos) whereas the other changes octave because of the logic ofthe figures (the conditions of a "relativization" of the octave, orpresence of chromatic degrees, are then perfectlyfulfilled).Thisthirdcan be combined, in order to form our characteristic igure,with another third, ither ower (B-D, in factestablishing he samerelationshipwith the figuresof the violin), or higher Ct-E). Theviolin's figure n m. 423 again uses the same possibility,employing,however, one of the notes common to the third B) as pivotingnote, while its other note (D) situated at each end of the groupof

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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICseven, changes octave. We note in passing that the last fournotesform,with those of m. 424, what Messiaen calls his "Mode II"(Ex. 13), with whichwe will later concern ourselves.What follows

Ex. 13

contains analogous formationswith, however,numerous nuancesof variation, with respect to which one can only recommend adetailed examination. Let us also note the phenomenon of pro-gressiveverticalization in mm. 427-28, the verticalgroup of fournotes havingone note in common with each of thegroupsof fournotes just played by the solo violin (respectivelyB and Bb, thelatter being the only one in the same octave as the violin's). Be-cause of these long holds, and because of the grouparticulatedbythe solo or tutti stringswith appogiaturas, the general climate infact approaches that of the Symphony,Op. 21, more than that ofany otherwork ofWebern's.Aside fromthe "irregularities" owhichwewill come back later,there is nothingabsolutely new, fromthe "serial" point of view,afterthe repeat sign.The viola part inmm. 452-56 again containstwo groups of four tones with no notes in common, and whosetotal formsMessiaen's "Mode II" by virtue of the fact that thelast two notes of the firstgroup make up an identical figurewiththe first wo notes of the second (Ex. 14). Meanwhile, the partofthe second violins is equally remarkable: fourfigures f four notes

ax. vv;reir.1_ _Ex. ,4..

Ex. 14* 26 *



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A

Ex. 15

,-- IC".a

. t yri ,I' ' r

o PV- 2P44+i 164 L1 r11 ? I1r.i r.

Ex.

Ex. 16

a I_s _ I L & r 9M f -4 I E. J f:Mro ('"). i1"'



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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICinterlinkeach time with one pivoting note, and the result is ex-tremelyclose to Webern's set.At first ightone could evenmistakethem, if it weren't for the fact that the first nd last notes are thesame (D). Once the verifications made, there s in factan "extra"note in the center,the two isomorphicfigures f seven notes inter-link not with two but with one pivotingnote, and of course, thecentralfigure s no longera major-minor hord but there snothingto fear: the latter will soon come back in strength ), t is a groupof fivenotes hidingan "augmented fifth" two superimposedmajorthirds) as well as a minor seventh (E-G-A-C,two minor thirds t adistance of a fourth; Ex. 15a). It is, of course, warmly recom-mended that the reader compare the various dispositions in theregistersof our "characteristicgroup" (already of three notes),first n thisphrasebut also in the entirepiece (Ex. 15b).An analogous structure s found as a base forthe homophonicfinale (of this firstpart) which begins at the end of m. 458. Hereis that serial base, composed once more of four segmentsof fournotes, linked with each other each timeby one pivotingnote, butemploying differentdispositions and retrogradesof dispositionsemployed in the preceding example, which resultsin a differenttotal material. If the notes at each end are again the same, they"overflow" "upward" or "downward" (these "additional" notesare in fact filling"gaps" left at each end of the chromatic scale;Ex. 16a). In the text, this serial structure s employed on two oc-casions, first n retrogrademovement,then in primemovement, na perfectharmonicmirror,which,however, s contradictedby thedynamic structure(Ex. 16b). Here also it will be interesting oexamine the various dispositionsof the chords. Notice the F$ -G-Ain the "upper voice" (violins I), which thus reproduce one of thecharacteristicthree-notefigures that which we had rather asso-ciated with Webern's Variations and which is also typical of hisQuartet, Op. 28); if we add the B, it formsa tetrachord fromwhich we will soon examine severalvariations.Let us now proceed to the "irregularities"of this first ectionwhich is played exclusivelyby stringnstruments; hat is,the struc-tures which do not bear a direct relationshipto our initial four-tone figure.As we will see, they are all connected to the major-minorchordLet us begin by examiningthe measures precedingm. 458 (Ex.17). A serial structurewhich is identical to the one developed in

28



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81 'X3

_, w-,-sr ' ' ' 'I F _3:- I-I

O '' I /.r_

zP w *%,I~~~~~~Po0

L 'X3

o LZf, ,_ ~d~ /

>3cn

~~~~~~ - . -p--^rr)< *f' c FI^ .__. -^ , c ^J^83.,Wi -1m-k IZOO1UII-_-j "pmj 1k-WrM J4L7 =t -N"c* 111#4(4-1 l

I.^fl. *


19/40

PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICthe followingmeasures itselfpreceded,in the second violins,cellos,and double basses, mm. 455-56, by an equally interesting truc-ture which connects it to the phrase of the firstviolins) is dis-tributedmainly to the cellos (two notes are forthe violas, two forthe double basses,and the finalB, if one doesn't want to "go back-wards," is the same as the B with which the followingstructurebegins,the top note of the four-note hord; Ex. 18a).On this sequence are superimposed, in the violinspartiallydou-bled by theviolas, threeminor thirds n greater nd greaterdisposi-tion: C-Eb, E-G (major sixth), Gt-B (minor tenth). They form nequally well-known scale to which we will come back later (seeEx. 19), and which can be expressedas the overlappingof at least

-fL LEx. 19

two major-minorchords, respectivelyon C and E (the one on G$,disjointed at the two ends of the figure, emainspurelypotential).Since we know of the presenceof thischord inWebern's set in ourattemptto complete it from our two examples,we will have littletrouble, by means of a few intervallic nversions,finding he twocomplete formsburiedunder the structural urface Ex. 18b). Oneshould note the rather arge number of octaves produced by thisdouble structure which also integratethemselves like the simplerepetitions) into a systemof various "legitimizations" concerningthisinterval.Let us go back, to m. 444. There,we will find, n the cellos anddouble basses, two figureswhich are nothing but major-minorchords at a distance of a tritone D-Ab). The scale which theycon-

t^ I v&-t^ S_> r-ai y"iEx. 20*30 ?



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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNstitutetogethercan again be defined as "Mode II" (of Messiaen),of whichtheythusgivea new "analysis of combinatorypotential"(Ex. 20). Our initial four-tonefigure s therefore lso buried, tothe profitof this othercharacteristic nd related figure.The entirestructure s grafted, r rather uspended (by a common note), fromthe fifthwhich extendsthe two preceding figures:Bb-Eb.One willnote this fifth and others,as in m. 446) as an example of not-so-Webernian verticaldisposition: it is in factdevoid of any consider-able polarizingpowerbecause of the context theE-B fifth s in thelower octave); it establishes a color relationshipbetween thispieceand others, n which thereexistsa moreStravinskianharmony.The followingmeasures presentanalogous reasons for concern.A whole series of major-minor chords is superimposed on andgrafted onto "melodic" figureswhich are perfectly ustified bythe firstfour-tonefigure solo violin,m. 446, two solo violas,mm.445-50; Ex. 21a). The firstones (formedby threemajor thirds:E-G#, G-B, Bv-D) are combined with the F of the solo violinandthe Ct of the first olo viola (withwhich the first wo notes formyet another major-minorthird) to complete a "Mode II." The lastone (Ft -D-Dt -B) seems more isolated (Ex. 21b). But ifwe considerthat its final note connects it to the C of the second solo viola, toform,with the two followingnotes (A-G#),our initialfigure, ndifthe last two notes are considered as an echo of the last two notesof the first olo viola, m. 450, which formed a similarfigurewithF# (already present in our major-minor hord) and especiallywitha long-held F, we once more obtain that mode in another of itstranspositions Ex. 21c).All of this work on the major-minorchords is prepared fromthe beginningof the piece, especially fromm. 416, in which wefind, n the solo violin and viola, two verydifferent resentationsof the scale mentioned in Ex. 19. This figure, omposed in fact oftwo augmentedfifths,t a distance of a semi-tone and fromwhichtherefore, f the octaves are abstracted,there exist only four dif-ferent ranspositions, hromaticallycomplementaryby twos), con-tains threeoverlappingmajor-minor hords,while "Mode II," com-posed of two diminishedseventhchords (and of which thereforeonly three different ranspositionsexist) contains four (there areactually twelve in the chromatic scale: one on each degree).We have already seen that the major-minorchord contained, instrength,either perfect chords or "Webernian" chords of minor

31



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Ex. 21



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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNthirds+semi-tone.That is even truerof the six-note scale (which,curiously,Messiaen does not mentionamong his "Modes with lim-ited transposition" and which we may therefore entitle either"Liszt Mode"-the Faust-Symphoniemakes greatuse of it-or Hun-garian" or "Mode I bis," since "Mode I" is nothingbut the scale inwhole tones). In fact, it can reallybe divided (in three differentways) either in two complementaryperfectchords (one major andone minor), or in two symmetricalWebernian chords (that is, ofcontrarytones). It is this last possibilitywhich is employed in theset of the Webern Concerto, Op. 24 (Ex. 22),9 in which perfectchords are carefully voided.

Ex. 22On the contrary, hetwofiguresfromAgonwhichwe are consid-ering Ex. 23) exhibit two opposite possibilities,one more conso-nant,the other more chromatic,one closer to the initialfigure, he

" I' lt,,.. tor,

Ex. 23other to the central figure n the set of Variations, Op. 30. Theyneverthelessdo not complete each other to form the chromaticwhole; havingin common an augmented fifth A-F-Db in two dif-ferentregistrations), hey constitute "Mode III" ofMessiaen (reg-ular alternation of one tone and two semi-tones, nine-notemode,whichalso has fourtranspositions).

9For a muchmore detailed nalysisofthis et and ofsomeofWebern'susesofit,seeHenri Pousseur,Musique, Semantique,Societe, to be publishedby tditions Casterman,Paris-Tournais.* 33-



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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICWe still must analyze the very beginning of the piece, whereeverythingtillseems to be in the embryonic stage.The first semi-

tone" (in fact a minor ninth),Bb-Cb,which will be repeated,heldlonger,formsour initialfigurewith the notes Bb-D,exhibited later,semi-vertically, y the cellos and the violas. The latter had firstplayed a C, filling he chromatic "gap" in thisfigure, nd coupledto the D which had been isolated. This can probablybe explainedby recallingthe fundamentalC on which the preceding piece ended(and which is a sort of veryrelative "tonic" of the entirework).Let us recall that the chord built on this C was, from the lowestnote up, C-B-C-G-C.Here, we have an example of the verycarefulinterweavingwhich Stravinsky stablishesfrompiece to piece, evenwhen they are in a different style" and seem not to have much incommon.To the verticalposition of our four-tonefigure, wo three-tonefiguresare partially superimposed, in the solo and firstviolins,whose internalorder does not permitthemto be as simplyassimi-lated to our initial figure and which, together,formhalf a chro-matic scale; Ex. 24). However, we recognize,hors-temps, he two

Ex. 24Weberian figuresmentionedabove: minorthirdand semi-tone, nthe same direction or in contrarydirection without registration).As to the Eb of the double basses, ifwe associate it,as seems legiti-mate to do, with the five-notegroup of the beginning includingC), we obtain an ensemble of twelvetoneswhich,expressedin theform of a set, shows the progressive ppearance, starting rom heinitial chromaticism, f otherintervals nd groupsof intervals Ex.25). Next come two "orthodox" figures n the cellos, C-B (in thesame register s in the end of the precedingpiece)-D-Eb; F-Gb-A inthe solo violin)-Ab(in the double basses), which trigger he entiredevelopmentthatwe have alreadyexamined.Certainly,one should go back to it fromhigherup, tryto findout if the laying-outof the figuralelements in the entire form

* 34 -



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I r '_ _ _T411- . 1

Ex. 25corresponds to some-even overall-serialization, or if it has beenobtained throughmore empiricalkind of montage (but there s noincompatibility). In any case, one discovers a total phraseologybased on articulatorytypes, degrees of repetition,etc. I thereforeleave the task of further esearch to the reader,and presentlypro-pose to extend our investigationto the following(and preceding)pages. We are indeed still farfrom the end of our discoveries andour marvel.

IVThe following section, pp. 69 to 71, contains three parts,thethirdbeing a varied repriseof the first.We have already spoken ofthe second (Ex. 1), and a quick glance at the entire flutepartsuf-fices to show that they are made up of a verysimple developmentof our initial four-tonefigure which beginswith the held note ofthe horns terminating he firstpart: the D interlinkswith the COof the first nd second flutes, he A with theGt of the thirdflute).The two layers (in eighth and quarter notes) define two distinctchromatichexachords untilm. 479),whose two extremenotes arenevertheless eparated by an octave,while the centralG ismissing.We find it, however, in mm. 480-81, and especially in the chordrepeated by the stringsin accompaniment (while the C of thischord is gone from the higherhexachord, and the Bb and A arelower registrations f it): a chord whose repetitioncannot but re-call the second section of theVariations,Op. 30 ofWeber, whichindeed has a surprisingly travinskianappearance. The fournotesof this chord, broughtback into tightposition (their dispositionsin the registers ould easilybe Weber's), form regular etrachord,already mentioned above (two tones separated by a semi-tone,oragain: two minor thirds now at a distance of one tone ). (See Ex.26.) We will soon discover tsoriginand will atersee its mportance.

35



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Ex. 26The first nd thirdsections,with their fourthsdistributed n acanon between the hornsand the piano, may be a bit of an enigmaforus at first. ut ifwe follow each of the instrumental arts,with-

out beingdiscouragedby the repetitionsofminorsevenths,we dis-cover that we are dealing with our "initial figure"now expressedin slightly greater ntervals not consideringregistration;Ex. 27).or.IC ,ordA.

A *_ .M'ter m,.^" ah tej

_..-i.l I__ _ _ U

Ex. 27We are dealinghere witha veritable"transposition" in the scale bywhole tones of what originallybelonged not so much to the chro-matic scale as to "Mode II." Whereas in the formercase we weredealing with minor seconds and thirds, n the latter case they aremajor, in other words, they have been augmented by the same"added value": a semi-tone. However, the figures, uperimposedin differentnstrumentsat a distance of a fourth), s well as juxta-posed within one part (at a distance of a minor third,takingthepermutation into consideration,as conforming o our Ex. 5), be-long to scales by complementarywhole tones (producing chro-maticism or diatonicism,at least for a while). Similarly, he figuresof the preceding section, derived from "Mode II" (includingthe

* 36 ?

A

ft "-~~~ Jts

^ ~~~~~~~d Airi ii ."- AP,w}I.. l. 1tV ,? )*.+F'ri= J


26/40

STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNmajor-minor hords), were integrated o a space definablein termsof the "total chromatic".The latter,however, can have a harmonicappearance which varies a great deal according to its modes andspeed of generation(for example, cycle of fourths, r addition ofaugmented fifths r diminishedsevenths,or cycleswhich more orless produce repetitionsof sounds before engendering ll twelve).It will again be profoundlyalteredby the disposition of its com-ponents in the registers, dispositionwhich can be more or lesstight,more or less heavy (as in Stravinsky?)or suspended (as inWebern ) and containsmore or feweroctaves,not only "potential"but also real, perceptible,and effective. n our case, we will onlynote that the progressionof fourths s accomplished on a major-minor chord (Ex. 28). It follows that the two neighboring hords,

Ex. 28within theregion nwhichtheyinteract,form superimpositionofminor thirdsand major seconds, a harmonywhich we will findagain and ofwhich Berg,forexample, makes ratherfrequentuse inWozzeck.Since the piano partof the thirdsection again takes up thehornpart, permuted differently, f the first ection (examine the dif-ference n articulation ), the missingnotes are the same inboth. Itis preciselythose notes (of which two are stillpresentin the twoothergroupsofmissingnotes),which form hechordof the strings,repeated all along the central section; we will soon see that thistetrachord lso contains othermuch more general implications.Finally, the third section ends with a littleCoda, entirelybuilton a triple counterpoint of our initial figure,once more derivedfrom "Mode II" and in large position. Two parts, given to the

* 37 -



27/40

PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIChorns, end respectivelywith the two notes F#t nd G#, still inthe position of a minor seventh. The flute,althoughit had not par-ticipated in the first ection, is now superimposedon it in ordertomake a third formheard (Ex. 29).

Ex. 29On this subject, let us not forgetthat this entirethree-part ec-tion, itself the center of the Pas-de-Deux, is the only one in theentire work in which we can see, alternating,one dancer movingat a time,masculine horns-or feminine flutes thereare only two

other solos: Sarabande-Step,masculine,and Bransle Gay, feminine,but they are separated). Should we see in this animus-anima alle-goryan image of the competition (Agon inGreek), in Stravinsky'smusical conscience, of the two universeswhich were initiallydif-ficult to reconcile? The appearance of a last flute figure whichcould almost be a direct quotation from the WebernVariations)in thelast "masculine" sectionwould then take on a veryparticularmeaning,which would shine on thewhole of thePas-de-Deux andeven ofAgon.This bringsus (m. 495) to the generalCoda of thePas-de-Deux,itselfcomposed of three parts,of which the third s not, however,as simple a variationof the first.We note in passingthatthe oiningof thisnew partand the precedingone is partlyaccomplished withtwo common notes (in identical register),B and Bb (or theiren-harmonics). The same B in fact,had already linked the firsthornpart to thatwhichpreceded, and it is also present n the beginningof thePas-de-Deux.The firstpartof the Coda develops almost entirelyfromthe fig-ure of seven tones which was the determining actor n Op. 30, aswe have already pointed out, and which up to thispoint appearedonlyepisodically(Ex. 30). It is employed in a mirrormage,comingand going,and the play of the repetitions s veryremarkablethere.

* 38 -



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(41 - -L 1r- ,aAl . V_so= _ . 1I rEx. 30

We find t in threedegrees: immediaterepetitionwith no change ofoctave (Cb-Bb, the latter note nevertheless doubled two octaveslower),a retrogradedrepetition, yvirtueof the mirror mage,withorwithoutchangeof octave (with: C-A-Bb-B;without:G$t-G, s farapart fromone another as possible).The central part,doppio lento, is perhaps the most suave in its"Webernianism." Stravinskyconfessed to Craftthe preferencehehad for it. If its harmonyis obviously related to the later Webern(but, as we will see, "burgeoning" in a new way), it is of the earlierworks, of Op. 10 forexample, that its instrumentation emindsus.Thus, we may hear it in the symbolicperspectivedescribedabove:animus and anima seem to have attained in it a point of veryhighfusionIn this small section, we do in fact encounter several figureswhich are difficultto relate back to the serial systememployeduntil the present (which does, however,account for the majorityof elements); upon close examination,we see that we are stilldeal-ingwith the tetrachord which had emancipated itselfin the formof a repeated chord,mm. 471-83 (Ex. 31). Here, Stravinsky eemsto thus discreetly indicate the manner of extendingthe pointillewhich is suggested by the relationship of the four-notefiguresissued fromWebern's set (minor thirds at various distances andtheirharmonic variation). Let us not linger, et us follow this tracefromwhichwe are surewe will be led to significant iscoveries Wecan rapidly skip over the Quasi stretto,for a briefglance sufficesto show us that it is constituted of the group of seven notes men-tioned in Ex. 30 (the firstnote,G, is at the bottom of p. 73), andthat, up to a point, it is therefore repriseof thebeginningof the

* 39 -



29/40


7-1I&I kA.^ . l4 _;- . *iUdQ, *_V ,i?~ I I-i i.l

II

* 40 ?

I

I



30/40

STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNCoda. Beginningwith the G which ends m. 515, anothertransposi-tion of the same structure gain unwinds tselfdownward. It windsup, after a repetition of the notes D and Ct, by a descent of anadditional semi-tone,on the C with which the followingsection,Four Duos, begins. We then realize that, n fact,thisQuasi strettowas also a transition oward the characterof Four Duos.From the start, somethingnew is revealed to us which will al-most exclusivelystructure he next two pieces (at any rate this onein its entirety),that is, everythingwhich precedes the repriseofthe much more diatonic part, this sort of "modal" fanfarewithwhichthe work had begun.We are dealingwith a set of twelve tones, employed systemat-ically, which contains only one minimal differencewith the set ofWebern's Op. 30: the first hreetones (in otherforms t is the lastthree: because of the symmetricalstructure t does not producenew combinations) are found inverted n time (Ex. 32; cf. Exx. 3and 4 ). This inversionhas several consequences of great interest.

(t A C H)

Ex. 32Ex. 32

First,the firstfour-tonefigure s now different romthe last as tothe order in which the notes are exhibited. The mode of explora-tion (see Ex. 10) has in a way been subjected not only to an inver-sion, which the structureof the group already allowed, but also toa 90? rotation (Ex. 33), and the two minorthirds re now actual-ized, whereas one of the semi-tones (C-B) is relegatedto a deeper

B1L 1-Ex. 33*41 ?



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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIClevel,morehidden or "implied." But there s another consequence.In Webern'sset,the tones 3 to 6 formeda complete segmentof thechromatic scale (C-B-B%-Db),whereas here,by virtueof the inver-sion, they compose the tetrachord of which we have alreadyspoken, presented in such a way that the two minorthirdswhichit contains are veryapparent, separatedby a semi-tone n the con-trarydirection see commentaryto Ex. 10 ).This tetrachord,as we may now assert,relatesback to at leasttwo scales which are familiarto us. It may come from"Mode II"where it alternates,depending on the degreeon which one begins,with the more chromatic tetrachord ("Spanish" tetrachord) onwhich our initial figurewas based (1/2-l-1/2,ll in the same direction,Ex. 34a); but it can also belong to a diatonic scale, that is, hepta-tonic, to the major scale, for example (II-V or VI-II), or to someother ancient mode (such as the medieval "Dorian" composed oftwo of these tetrachordsdeveloped on both sides of the tonic; Ex.34b). Finally, it can also be related to the chromaticwhole, notonly by virtue of the fact that consistent diatonic interweavingengenders it very progressivelyby veritable modulation of fifths(Ex. 34c), but also because three tetrachordsof thistype at inter-vals of major thirdsdirectlyconstituteit, as we have already seenin Ex. 27, and as Ex. 38 will once more demonstrate;we are infact dealing with the division of two complementarywhole-tonescales into threetwo-notesegments Ex. 34c).

I~ _

2(+-e .2)rr7 ^^i^o^SM^crl~Ex. 34* 42 ?



32/40

STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNIn Four Duos, aftera verysimple exposition of three differentforms,repeated or not, immediatelyor at a distance, retrograded

or not (so that there are seven sets in all), the followingpiece,FourTrios (whose first two notes, G-Bb, stillbelong to the precedingserial ensemble, as is emphasized by the dynamics) contains thequadruple entrances of a fugue, in which the principal parts,sub-ject, etc., conformto this serial order,whereas some of the counter-points employ all sorts of combinationsof our "initial figure";wehave already found most of them in the firstpart of the Pas-de-Deux (e. g., mm. 547-49, in thebass, the one which was describedin Ex. 16a, transposeda minor third ower).And here is where the miracleoccurs Startingfromm. 549, thefourvoices move in a verypropellingcounterpointand then endupon the followingnotes: G for the first rumpet retrogradedformhavingstartedon C), A forthe trombones (invertedform on D), Cforthe strings prime form on G), and for the second trumpet asuccession of overlapping figureswhich ends with the one begin-ningwith Bb and A): the two notes Ft and G. Stravinskygivesallthese notes to the horns. A, G, and C are immediatelysuperim-posed. He adds an E to F$-G, taking advantage of the A whichpreceded them, realizing a new appearance of the diatonic tetra-chord (which, as such, will soon pass to the foreground);this ap-pearance "shows" all the more because it is "accompanied" (bythe horns) in a similarmanner,which is also diatonic (withoutpoly-modality;Ex. 35). The definitely stablished chord (A-E-G-C,

l, r r, .e'.jMd r'c.

Ex. 35minor thirds at a distance of a fourthfrom each other ) will berepeated in small rhythmicfiguresof unequal lengthbut of prac-tically equal speed, separated by rather ong silence in which thelow strings,pizzicato, again play two formsof our set (one willnote their oining, around m. 558: G-Bb-C-Eb,a transpositionof

*43 *



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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICour chord down a minorthird).The final note of thispizzicato se-quence is the low F which is added to the chord,presently akenup by the trumpetsand doubled by the harp, the piano, and theother strings, izzicato and forte (until now it had been piano). Itis the departureof the reprise, he initialfanfare an burst out oncemore, but although it contains no other difference han this firstchord and some notes in m. 564, we will now hear it in a com-pletelynew way.

VWhat will in factdominate thispiece is its treatmentof diatonicfigureswhich are for the most partdirectlybased on our "emanci-pated" tetrachord,or on more extensive scales which can be de-duced from them. Melodically, however, these figureswill veryfrequently dopt a contour directlyrelated to that of our "initialfigure" (Ex. 36). In its most regularversion it will thus take thefollowingform: tone (ascending), minorthird,tone (descending).

ft,l .


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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNa last hour listeningto a rehearsal-conducted by Pierre Bartholo-mee-of Requiem Canticles ) had once told me that this figurecame from a song (lullaby?) sungby Stravinsky'snurse. Truth orlegend? A fabulous coincidence in any case. And we should not'fail to note that a great number of the melodic figuresused byStravinsky for example the song of the shepherdin the Nightin-gale) rest on the same tetrachord or portions of it, especiallythe minor third (Symphonies d'instruments vent, "ostinato" ofOedipus-Rex).In this definitiveversion, the fanfareappears as a play on allsorts of extensions and manipulations of the diatonic universe,which of course brings it closer, in varyingdegrees,to the chro-matic universe and its differentmanifestations.Thus, one goesfromalmost purely heptatonic superimpositions except one C$)of mm. 547-80, to the rough polymodal frictions fmm. 590-95,or mm. 610-15. On the pathwhich leads fromsome to the others,let us pointout the charming nd verycharacteristic assage inmm.570-73 (repeated, slightlyvaried, in mm. 583-85; Ex. 37). Should

WEPEx. 37-lt .~i~J~r l t4

Ex. 37this be tossed aside withtheback of the hand,while speakingcon-temptuously of "displaced basses" or "bad dispositions" or "de-fectivecadences"? The notion of "superimpositionof severalmo-dalities" (Based on a singlepolar note? Whichone?) and especiallythat of "disposition of differentypes of chords in compartmentallayers" appears to me to be much more acceptable, on the condi-tion that there is no pejorative connotation (we will be helped inthis fwe recognize that thecompartmentalizations farfrombeingabsolute, that there are all kinds of connections). Indeed, we cansee the role that is played here by the overlappingof tetrachordsand other familiarand more or less divergingfigures that dear

*45 ?



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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIC"universe in expansion," so much more perceptible with suffi-ciently simple elements), as well as the major-minor,fifths- ndfourths-chordsas in the chord A-E-G-C ); figureswhose presencewe have seen in a different ontext, in which other elements hadbeen subjected to analogous treatments;figureswhich, evenhere,function ess as thereinforcement f "classical" (?) polarities, han,on the contrary,their distribution distributionof the polarizingenergywhich had constitutedthem), the attenuation of their ex-clusivecentralization, o as to alwaysallow for he possibility,with-out a necessary ransition, f the delectable surprise fa jump from

1 z#*- J- 4 4.0 -i IV7=t71T -= LIT I T -{f~~~ L S

? iI?l 1 I~ ~[ ".T .l_ . ? _ I I I I I i U[LI I .LI I I l

Ex. 38*46 ?

a 1I.- I,, I

fs..PIA



36/40

STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNone pole-from one degreeof polarity-to another;of creating,notonly in abrupt succession, but even in superimposition,oppositepoles, rival tensions, between which the harmonicmatter is tornasunder and maintained in a state of perpetual alert. The separa-tions preservedfor a time, "compartmented layers," are thus thesigns of a greatformativevirtue,which all thebetterpermita well-constructedorganization,fortheycan be transformed t any time,and there existsonlyone unifying rinciple,underlying ll of them.Should I also point out the astonishingmm. 586-89, in whichthe matter,even though still issued fromthe same elements,takeson a sort of acidic softness, polished by virtue of the numerousrelationshipsof "diminished or augmented octaves" which consti-tute it, and of thesemajor-minor tructuresmultiplied n the mostrefinedway (Ex. 38)? Like it or not, thisseems to me to be muchcloser to the spirit and the matter ) of a Webern,than the latterwas close to, for example, Schoenberg (except fora fewworks).A poetic of an "overwhelmingbeauty," yes, but due to a reallyveryrarescience ofwriting.

Let us recommend the detailed (and compared) examinationofeach of the horizontalparts,of each of the resulting ertical forma-tions,and evenof theoblique relationshipsbetween different oicesand chords, nd finally, f the extraordinarilywell-controlled truc-ture, in which the most transparent groups (octaves and majorthirds),paradoxicallyare found especially n the treble,the tightestchromaticism specially in thebass.Finally, should I mention the greatchords which punctuate thispiece, and whose echoes are foundthroughoutthework,themajorpillars nd landmarks?The one withwhichthe work starts, o beginwith, and which, at the beginningof the reprise, s replaced by thechord whose unforgettable ppearance we have analyzed (Ex. 39):

Ex. 39* 47 *



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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICC, even though it is a melodic "pole," doubly contradictedby Fits fundamental,and B, its leading tone, itself a tritoneof F andthereforecontradicting t A "heavy" yet expansive,dazzling har-mony, a veritable tree of sound. A second formof it appears asearly as m. 7 (or m. 567), which will again reappear in m. 19, andunderwhich the batteryof major thirdG-B in low octaves will beunfurled Ex. 40). It is the cycle offifths,principleof divergence,

coltocf~,(a,

k IEx. 40

expansive, which here rules the distribution,naturallyassisted byoctaves and, sometimes, major thirds (B). It will be yet anotherformof it, tighter,more curled upon itself,which will close thefirstfanfareas well as its finalreprise Ex. 41), while a more com-plex development will appear in the course of the piece and will

Ex. 41propose, on this very solid base, an expansion which is alreadymore considerable: it is to a harmonyof Eb-Bb-F (with some oc-taves), brought by the counterpointof our more or less diatonicfigures,that is suddenly superimposed, imperturbable, the G-Bthird,which will bringforththe reappearance of the chord F-C-G(in a different isposition), and then the supplelybalanced alter-nation of two fifths-linkedby a common note, F, in a differentoctave, thereforecarrying o five, pentatonic structure, he num-ber of different otes-still on the ostinato of a G-B third Ex. 42).

* 48 ?



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-9_W_ -

o ~~~~~~~~_ ,- L II T( I . It^.trP-? ^trEx. 42

For another application (particularlyclear and developed be-cause it is exclusive)of the principleof distributionwhich is put towork here, we must turn toward the Prelude (p. 28), which willreappear twice, slightlyvaried,under the title of Interlude (pp. 46and 61).There we firstfind an ascending figure,abundantly repeated,which we could analyze as an "octave containinga dominant sev-enth" (invertedand, especially,broken), but it seems to me that itwould be more in keepingwithStravinsky's yntaxin general,andwith that which we have just heard, to conceive it as the over-lapping (deployed simultaneity) of two three-tone chords: C-F-Cand D-G-B, the latter having the possibility of "resolving' itselfon the former though,of course,it does not do so) in the mannerof medieval cadences (which so oftengive the impressionof ter-minating on the sub-dominant"),and whichStravinskywho tookhis practical education wherever he could get it) did not fail to lis-ten to withattention. The persistentrepetitionof thisfigure,with-in a closer and closer span, leads to a kind of frantic scent of thetrumpets,which finallyend up on this G major chord,in the posi-tion of a 6 (see m. 131), played sf and staccato, but which is heldmuch ongeras harmonicsofthe double basses,piano, in the octavebelow, and which will linkup to theverycontrastingMeno mosso.Duringall of thisfirstpart, nwhich everything hich has just beendescribed occurs with a "sharpness," in the percussion, n the tim-pani and tom-toms,but also in certain"melodic" instruments, helowest voices produce a verydifferent armony-firstof Bb, thenof Eb minor. On the other hand, in the beginningof the Menomosso a G major chord alternates with a D chord, either in itsfundamentalposition (also major), or in the position of a seventh(without the third),while the harmonyofBb minor n the bass re-appears again for a moment (to give a sort of menuet rhythm, rrathergavotte,the meter is deceptive). It therefore eems thatwe

* 49



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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSICare dealingwith a whole based on the cycle of fifthsEb-Bb-F-C-G-D-A, a heptatonic group); here,the thirds, he means of confirma-tion and reinforcement n the classical cadence (in which theyarepart of the heptatonicwhole), do not appear on the central"polarnotes," but only, symmetricallyminor or major (and contrarytowhat they would be in tonality),at each end of thiscycle, extend-ing the latter toward the exterior(Ex. 43) and reinforcingts ex-pansivevirtues.

Ex. 43Our impressionis confirmed once more by the final"cadence"(starting t m. 140). A brief flirtwiththegrandsiecle is combinedwith more and more medieval sonorities, in particularthe inter-linkingof a G major (its fifthbeing itselfpreceded by CX) to an"empty" F (fifth nd octave), end of m. 142, and ofD-Ft on thefinalchord with "maintained tension") C-B-C-G-C a chordwhich,at its thirdreappearance, in fact precedes thebeginningofPas-de-Deux).We should also point out the presence of our melodic figure n

its diatonic form(s) in the Gailliarde (pp. 34-39). The entirecanonbetween harp and mandolin (sometimes doubled again by one ofthe flutes) s abundantlywoven from t(Ex. 44), and it appears in a

_F J . ,i n l r. I T Tt- \ .t+ II ( RI r?7T-I _L r-77_-A a -

Ex. 4450



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STRAVINSKY BY WAY OF WEBERNremarkablemanner in the little canons in augmentationof the pi-ano (Ex. 45), mm. 166-67, 177-78, and 182-83 (let us also pointout the parallel sixths n the second and thirdflutes,mm. 172-73).

j r-... ..- -iF^-7

Ex. 45As for the very "consonant" harmony (but so astonishinglyor-chestratedand even disposed ) which accompanies these counter-points, I thinkthat, aside from ts intrinsic"beauty" (that is, its"poetic"), we will not have too much trouble justifying t as a"special case" of that which has just been presented.One can de-duce it,ad libitum,fromthe major-minor tructureswhich are pre-sent as far as inWebern'sset (elided, amply repeated,and registeredaccording to a principlewhich has been logicallyestablished),andalso the cycle of fifths nd thirdsevoked an instantago (again as atypical case of all the cycles and networks lready spoken of, eventhe more chromatic ones), and from some perfectchords whichdetach themselves from it and which may particularly ttract ourattention: the GI chord in thePrelude, forexample, or itstranspo-sition a fourth ower (with a bass ofBb-e. g.,m. 287-correspond-ing to the Eb in m. 131), which articulatesthe different phrases"of theBransle Simple.

-(First of two parts;translatedby Marcelle Clements)

Documents

Pousseur and Clements - Stravinsky by Way of Webern I