2. |
The period around 1908 can be seen as
a 'breaking point' in the work of all three important composers of the
Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern). Around this year in the work
of all three we encounter the transition from a style which can still be
heard and analysed as 'late romantic' to the socalled 'free atonality'
('Wiener
espressivo'). Before this transition Schoenberg wrote pieces like 'Verklaerte
Nacht' - pieces that, though essentially tonal, have moments that are
hardly explainably whith traditional means of harmonic analysis.
The first piece that partly can be seen
as non-tonal is probably the last movement of the second string quartet
of Schoenberg (op.10). Within the work of Schoenberg ths 'free a-tonal
period' lasts untill the invention of the twelve-tone- technique in 1924
(but ended in fact earlier, because Schoenberg stopped composing for several
years after op.22).
a |
Looking into bars 40-45 of 'Verklaerte Nacht' a vienesse music
theorist (I'am happy I forgot his name) declared: "Der Schoenberg beherrscht
seine Harmonielehre nicht" (Schoenberg does'nt know how to wrie harmony).
Explain:
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why the man thought Schoenberg could not write correct harmony
-
why he is wrong, nevertheless..
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b |
-
Explain why the beginning of the last movement of Schoenberg's opus
10 is definitely non-tonal.
-
However: the way Schoenberg uses sequenses in this beginning does
remind
of tonality.. why?
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The moment the voice comes in (around bar 20) we can feel a conflict
between on the one hand the part of the singer, and on the other hand the
accompaniment (at least: part of it), and interprete this 'conflict' as
a conflict between atonality and tonality. Explain why.
-
After the line "ich fuehle luft vom anderen planeten' Schoenberg
uses in the string parts the same chords as before, around bar 20. But
in a different order... In Philosophie der Neuen Musik Adorno states
the technique Schoenberg uses here is typical 'modern', and would be impossible
within a traditional tonal context. Explain why.
-
The same is true for the beginning of 'ich loese mich in...', but
here the accompaniment of the strings seems to play the tonal role, whereas
the singer has a rather non-tonal line. Eplain this.
-
What is the (intervallic) relation between the notes of the singers part
and the notes of the first 'gesture' in bar 1?
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c |
The piano pieces opus 19 of Schoenberg are typical 'free-atonal' pieces.
Though there is no such thing as a system (tonal, twelve-tone or whatever..)
used to compose them, it is not entirely impossible to analyse them...
-
At lots of places within these pieces we can find the use of a 'principle'
that is indeed not only typical, but also rather logicalwithin a non-tonal
context: the role of consonance and dissonance is inverted: a (more
ar less) consonant situation (a chord, an interval) resolves to
an (more) dissonant situation. Find one or two examples for this in the
first piece of opus 19.
-
We can state the effect of resloution in these cases is achieved by
suggestion only, and not by 'facts'. Explain why.
-
In the second piece Schoenberg makes rather 'systematic' use of major and
minor thirds (and of the diminished and augmented triad). Explain how.
-
Make a copmplete analysis of one of the opus 19 pieces. (I asked you
to do this before, so maybe you have done this already)
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d |
In the Altenberg-Lieder of Alban Berg probably the first twelve-tone
chord of musical history is written.
-
Explain why this chord has in itself nothing to do with twelve-tone technique
-
In the melody of the singers part ther seems to be a tendency to use all
chromatic steps too; though this as not a twelve-tone row either, this
kind of situations (also to be found in works of Webern around the same
time) can be seen as the first steps towards twelve-tone technique. Explain
why.
-
The situation in the beginning of this movement can als be called Klangfarbenmelodie.
Explain this.
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e |
-
Tell something about the role of the differnt figures (persons) acting
in Pierrot Lunaire, and try to describe in which way the figure
of Pierrot develops during the piece.
-
Give a short description af the relation between the original comedia
dell'arte figures and the way they 'behave' within Pierrot (in fact:
in the poems of Giraud/Hartleben).
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What relation can be found between Pierrot Lunaire and Stravinsky's
Petrouchka?
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