JMT series, part 3a (more on BWV 924 & 924a)

The Clavier-Büchlein vor Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1720 to 1725–6) has been described this way: "it is unlikely that this keyboard book reflects [the child's] very first systematic music lessons. . . . More plausibly it may be regarded as instruction in composition" (Christoph Wolff/Peter Wollny, "Wilhelm Friedemann Bach," Oxford Music Online). Wolff & Wollny place BWV 924a among "Friedemann’s own first attempts at composition."

Thus, we must once again be wary of the monumentalizing tendencies in analysis, radicalized in the notion of organic unity, of course, but also through an inevitable tendency in the rhetoric of analysis and its presentation or argument, intensified in the publication-oriented authenticist biases of the nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth centuries. (Not to mention the hardening of attitude about a particular reading that often results from classroom repetition.) Perhaps I am myself more than usually sensitive to this at the moment, having just recently finished an essay whose repertoire draws heavily on eighteenth-century Scottish fiddle tunes (link).

In any case, Urlinien and other abstract shapes for BWV 924 and 924a must be regarded cum grano salis. Not with respect to their basic legitimacy as readings—the piece, in either version, is so short that one really can hear some of these shapes—but with respect to subsequent claims that might be made. That is to say, the informal nature of the Clavier-Büchlein and the presence of BWV 924a undermine any conclusion that one's analysis demonstrates just how BWV 924 is another perfect, gleaming jewel in J. S. Bach's compositional crown, another example of German genius, or another instance of a musical genius manipulating the "tonal system." What we can say certainly is that the two versions are evidence of practice in performance, improvisation, and composition.

The collated block-chord reductions below are intended to show how young Friedemann might have developed his own composition out of his source. First, we assume that he learned to play BWV 924, probably as given in the score but also as its bass line, to which he supplied upper voices in the manner of the Neapolitan partimento pedagogy. From this point, he would be expected to use the musical materials to fashion original pieces, the best of which was written into the Clavier-Büchlein as BWV 924a.

It is worth asking if BWV 924 is an exercise in composition, what is the task? What is the student's assignment?

If it is the bass figure, as in the simpler partimento exercises, then this is a very odd one. The figure of the opening is the rising fifth, so C-G-D-A-E. Bach stops only when the next chord would be an undesirable diminished triad in root position (middle of bar 3 below). In the various documents available on Robert Gjerdingen's Monuments of Partimenti website (link), I found only one "rule" (sample progression) focused on a sequence of rising fifths (link), but no partimento compositions. The only composition that features rising fifths in its opening is the very last of 44 by Fedele Fenaroli (link) and that uses the Romanesca bass rather than a simple sequence of rising fifths. In this connection, it is interesting that Friedemann abandons his father's sequence almost immediately and converts the figure into the Romanesca bass--at (a)--but then breaks that after four notes to continue in A minor--at (b). Fenaroli has a rule for the Romanesca bass immediately preceding the one mentioned above: link.

It would seem, then, that the task is to take the given figures and combine them in a different way. Thus, the rising fifth of the opening becomes the Romanesca bass; the pair of 6/5s with stepwise bass has its upper voices rearranged at (b), continuing in sequence for 2.5 bars then merging with the version at bar 3 of BWV 924: see the arrows; at (c), Friedemann expands on bar 6 (literally present in his bar 7--see below) by preceding it with a transposition a fourth below, with the result that much greater attention goes to IV.

BWV 924 clearly also seems to be a lesson in suspensions, beginning with the "easy" ones -- 4-3 over root position triads -- then proceeding to the dissonant 6/5 pairs, then to 9-8. The positions for all these are shown with asterisks (*). (The only common type missing is the 2-3 bass suspension, which, of course, is prominent in the WTC I, C Major Prelude, a version of which also appears in the Clavier-Büchlein.) Note that Bach Vater continues the suspension work over the extended cadence dominant--see ** below; these are 7-6 figures between the upper voices. Friedemann, on the other hand, abandons suspensions altogether and has some fun with marching triads and dramatic arpeggios in the minor key.

BWV 924, ending:

BWV 924a, ending:

Here is another graphic to compare the two versions: the reduced upper line only, up to the first part of the dominant pedal. Note how the same materials are used in each section, until Friedemann turns to triads (section 3) and reverses the direction of the line (section 4).

JMT series, introduction, part 2

In yesterday's introductory post to this series, I did not include a list of compositions analyzed by others and only mentioned in my 1987 JMT article. That list is actually quite short:

J. S. Bach, Prelude in C Major, BWV 924  (Schenker)
J. S. Bach, Prelude in F Major, BWV 927  (Schenker)
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in A Major, Op. 101, first movement  (Schenker)
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, second movement   (Schenker)
Chopin, Etude in Eb Minor, Op. 10n6   (Schenker)
Schubert, Valse sentimentale, D779n2   (Salzer)

My intention was to comment briefly on each of these before proceeding, as promised, to discuss at greater length the pieces named in the article's endnotes. Immediately, however, I am faced with a small but significant literature on BWV 924. The revised plan, then, is to look at this one piece and its literature in some depth and then move on to music named in the endnotes.

There are two versions of BWV 924, both of them in the Clavier-büchlein vor Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. I have "disassembled" Pierre Gouin's excellent digital notation (link to Preludes page on IMSLP) and collated the two versions below.

In tomorrow's post I will reduce both versions to block chords and collate those.

JMT series, introduction

Recently I uploaded the 200th post to this blog. By way of celebration for another milestone—thirty years since the publication of my article, "The Ascending Urlinie" (Journal of Music Theory 31/2: 275-303)—I begin a series based on its examples and notes.

First, however, I would like to acknowledge the crucial role played by then-JMT editor Martha Hyde, who received conflicting recommendations from the editorial board's readers but decided to approve the article after the two of us talked by phone. The pattern of acceptance by one reader and ideologically driven disapproval by another reader has been consistent through the years since, even for my non-Schenkerian linear analysis articles. I am pleased to say that only once was an article actually rejected for publication. That was in 2008, again for JMT. The article was for the most part a response to, and extension of, Walter Everett's "Deep-Level Portrayals of Directed and Misdirected Motions in Nineteenth-Century Lyric Song," Journal of Music Theory 48/1 (2004): 25-58. Two of my principal examples were Schubert's "Die Nonne," D828, and Brahms's "Über die See," Op. 69n7 (this latter song was mentioned, though not discussed, by Everett (55)). For "Die Nonne," see this blog post: link. For "Über die See," see these essays published on Texas Scholar Works: link; link.

To start, here is a list of the examples discussed in the main text, with links where I have also discussed them in blog posts or essays on Texas Scholar Works:

Schubert, Valse noble, D969n7.       link
Schumann, Faschingsschwank aus Wien, op. 26, first movement.
Grieg, Pier Gynt Suite No. 1, “Morgenstimmung.”        link
Francois Couperin, Pièces de clavecin, 8e ordre, Passacaille (en rondeau).      link
Brahms, Waltzes, op. 39, n12.
Schubert, Valse sentimentale, D779n2.         link
Schubert, Valse sentimentale, D779n3 (counter-example).
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in Bb Major, op. 22, third movement .
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in E-Major, op. 14, no. 1, first movement.
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in A Major, op. 101, first movement.

The notes mention a larger number of compositions. This first list is by note number, with the original comments.

n28: The Menuet of Haydn’s Symphony no. 100 is a case in point. In the first period (measures 1-8, which stand for the whole), the initial motion is strongly downward, but the final cadence produces a clear ascent from ^5 to ^8 in the upper-most part.

n28: Other pieces that use the simplest form of the rising Urlinie include the following (qualifying comments in parentheses): 

J. S. Bach, cantata No. 11, soprano aria “Jesu, deine Gnadenblicke”
Haydn, Symphony no. 104, III
Liszt, Gnomenreigen (^7 strikingly extended)
Debussy, Suite bergamasque, Prelude (^5 is implied over the initial I; ^6 is actually given in m. 1!)
Schumann, Album für die Jugend, op. 68, no. 20, “Ländliches Lied”
Albumblätter, op. 124, no. 3, “Scherzino” (the first ^5 is somewhat muddled by registral confusion, but a rising motive is strong)
Schubert, Schwanengesang, no. 7, “Abschied” (the conclusion is strong, but ^8 could be the initial tone, and the piano overreaches the voice with a descent ^3-^2-^1). Pieces that appear to use a rising line from ^5 but in fact do not include Chopin, Prelude in E Major, op. 28, no. 9 (three-part Ursatz with line from ^3 above ^2 implied in the cadence)
Debussy, Ballade (1890) (in the cadence 9-11 bars from the end, the ascent is actually a doubled inner voice)
Debussy, Valse romantique (1890) (the ascent is literally the top voice in the structural cadence, but properly an inner voice in the Ursatz).

n29: ^5-^6-(^8)-^7-^8 model or one of its variants are 

Haydn, String Quartet, op. 76, no. 2, II
and Handel, Jephtha, aria “Waft her angels” (orchestra in the framing ritornello, not the voice).

n30: ^5-^6-(^5)^7-^8 

See also Drei deutsche Tänze, D. 973, no. 2
and Winterreise, no. 2, “Die Wetterfahne.”  

n31: the “waltz ninth,” 

Beethoven, Symphony no. 1, Scherzo (if the structural cadence is taken to be at the end and not in mm. 57-58)
Symphony no. 2, Scherzo (a very clear case)
Debussy, Deux Arabesques, no. 2
Grieg, “An den Frühling,” op. 43, no. 6
Lalo, “Chanson de l’Alouette” (ascent occurs in the piano)
Offenbach, Les contes de Hoffmann, Barcarolle (^5 is prominent in the upper octave as a cover tone, also)
Duparc, “Phidylé “ (in the piano, but quite clear).

n32: The form ^5-^6-(reg.)^7-^8 

Haydn, Piano Sonata in E-flat, Hob. XVI/52, II
Haydn, Piano Sonata in A-flat, Hob. XVI/43, Menuet (the large-scale structure is obscured somewhat by strong emphasis on ^3 in the Trio)
Haydn, String Quartet, op. 76, no. 2, II
Beethoven, String Quartet, op. 74, IV (where ^6 is somewhat extended).
Very occasionally register transfer is applied to other tones: in Corelli, Trio Sonata, op. 2, no. 8, Preludio, the variant ^5-^6-^7-(^8-^7)-^8 has a dramatic octave-leap downward applied to the first ^8.

n33: the “line” ^5-^7-^8 does occur in 

Schubert, Ländler, D. 681, nos. 1 & 2 (perhaps as ^5-(^8)-^7-^8)
Ecossaisen, D. 781, no. 9
and the “verlorener Bruder” Trio, D. 610.

n34: This double treatment of the fourth ^5 to ^8 occurs also in 

Saint Saëns, Le Carnival des animaux, “Le cygne”
and Telemann, Harmonischer Gottesdienst, cantata no. 9, first aria, where affect and tonal design are nicely linked, as the text is “Liebe, die von Himmel stammet, steigt wieder hinan.”

And here are the pieces from the notes in alphabetical order by composer.

Bach, cantata No. 11, soprano aria “Jesu, deine Gnadenblicke”
Beethoven, String Quartet, op. 74, IV (where ^6 is somewhat extended)
Beethoven, Symphony no. 1, Scherzo
Beethoven, Symphony no. 2, Scherzo
Chopin, Prelude in E Major, op. 28, no. 9 (counter-example)
Corelli, Trio Sonata, op. 2, no. 8, Preludio
Debussy, Ballade (1890)
Debussy, Deux Arabesques, no. 2
Debussy, Suite bergamasque, Prelude
Debussy, Valse romantique (1890)
Duparc, “Phidylé “ (in the piano, but quite clear)
Grieg, “An den Frühling,” op. 43, no. 6
Handel, Jephtha, “Waft her angels” (orchestra in the framing ritornello, not the voice)
Haydn, Piano Sonata in E-flat, Hob. XVI/52, II
Haydn, String Quartet, op. 76, no. 2, II
Haydn, Symphony no. 100, III
Haydn, Symphony no. 104, III
Haydn,  Piano Sonata in A-flat, Hob. XVI/43, Menuet
Lalo,  “Chanson de l’Alouette” (ascent occurs in the piano)
Liszt, Gnomenreigen (^7 strikingly extended)
Offenbach, Les contes de Hoffmann, Barcarolle
Saint Saëns, Le Carnival des animaux, “Le cygne”
Schubert, Drei deutsche Tänze, D. 973, no. 2
Schubert, Ecossaisen, D. 781, no. 9
Schubert, Ländler, D. 681, nos. 1 & 2
Schubert, Schwanengesang, no. 7, “Abschied”
Schubert, “verlorener Bruder” Trio, D. 610
Schubert, Winterreise, no. 2, “Die Wetterfahne”
Schumann, Album für die Jugend, op. 68, no. 20, “Ländliches Lied”
Schumann, Albumblätter, op. 124, no. 3, “Scherzino”
Telemann, Harmonischer Gottesdienst, cantata no. 9, first aria

My intention in this series of posts is to follow the order of the article's notes, as that makes for a topical sequence.

In 1987, the compositions discussed in main text or mentioned in the notes constituted nearly all of the music I had located and read as using rising-line background figures (with a few exceptions and counter-examples, as noted). After the article was published, I searched primarily through vocal scores of operas and operettas, in part because these are richly represented in the library of Indiana University's School of Music. The results formed the core of what became a table of rising lines, whose first version—so far as I can recall—was published on my university-supported personal web page in 2001 or 2002. Its most recent version can be found here: link. Shortly after 2000, library digitization projects in the United States and in Europe and the gathering power of IMSLP enabled the number of examples of ascending cadence gestures—most of them tied to focal notes and thus plausible as Schenkerian backgrounds—eventually to reach well and far beyond a thousand. And that number continues to rise (pun intended).

Essay on British Isles Dance and Song

I have published an essay titled English, Scotch, and Irish Dance and Song: On Cadence Gestures and Figures. It can be found on Texas Scholar Works: link.

Here is the abstract:

This is a documentation of ascending cadence gestures in some 260 songs and dances from the British Isles, taken from eighteenth and nineteenth century sources, with some emphasis on collections for practical use published between about 1770 and 1820 and on the later ethnographic collections of P. W. Joyce and the anthology of Francis O’Neill.

Music in 17th century Vienna, part 6; 200th post

"Margarita" is from Schmelzer's Balletti francesi, written in 1669 for a production of Cesti's opera Nettuno e Flora festeggianti. The numbers are Allemanda, Aria, Courente, Margarita, Sarabanda, Retirada.

I admit that I placed this piece here to allow a small joke on the occasion of the 200th post to this blog. But, surprise, "Margarita" does not refer to the cocktail—it is Margaret, far better known as the Spanish Infanta painted multiple times by Velasquez than as the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.

This is a bright and stately march that was most likely meant for the ingress of the Empress on stage (family members frequently participated in ballets and other staged events in the court). It is especially interesting for the sharp timbral distinction in tonal space between the trumpets and the first violin and for the three-part Ursatz design that results (note especially the ending).

This, incidentally, is the last in the 17th-century Vienna series.

Music in 17th century Vienna, part 5

Today another dance from Johann Heinrich Schmelzer's second ballet for a production of Cesti's Il pomo d'oro in 1667. The numbers in this ballet are Gran ballo, Aria, Branle di Morsetti, Sarabanda per la terra, Balletto per il mare, Trezza, Aria Viennense, and Gigue. In an earlier post I looked at "Trezza," today the Branle di Morsetti.

In what has become a recurrent theme in this series, the Branle opens with a clearly defined tonal space of ^5-^8, from which a line proceeds, but in this case extending from ^5 rather than ^8. Note that the first strain even works out an interruption form (^5 down to ^2 in the antecedent, ^5 finishing on ^1 in the consequent), a design that seems anachronistic for what was already then considered an old-fashioned dance.

In the second strain a largely simple ascent from ^5 to ^8 is preceded by a neighbor note figure.

Music in 17th century Vienna, part 4

Here is the sarabande from what is either a ballet or other stage piece: Fechtschule (Fencing School). The numbers are Aria I, Aria 2, Sarabande, Courente, Fechtschule, Bader Aria.

Typical features are the well-defined initial tonal space ^5-^8 (circled), and the continuation from ^5. The second strain is unusual, not only for Schmelzer but for the repertoire of music with ascending cadence gestures, in the expansion of ^7. Note the unfoldings that help justify this reading. Whether an Urlinie would be a primitive ^5-^7-^8 or ^8-^7-^8 depends on which note in the initial tonal space you take as the focal note for the whole dance.