ol 0002 -T-E CHACONNE AND PASSACAGLIA IN TVVENTIETH CENTURY ORGAN MUSIC THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF MUSIC By U3arney C. Tiller, Jr., B. M., B. A. Denton, Texas January, 1966 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION . II. THE HISTORY OF THE CHACONNE AND PASSACAGLIA . 5 III. ANALYSES OF SEVENTEEN CHACONNES AND PASSACAGLIAS FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. 34 IV. CONCLUSIONS . 116 APPENDIX . 139 BIBLIOGRAPHY. * . * . * . .160 iii LIST OF TABLES Table Page I. Grouping of Variations According to Charac- teristics of Construction in the Chaconne by Brian Brockless. .. 40 TI. Thematic Treatment in the Chaconne from the Prelude, Toccata and Chaconne by Brian Brockless. .*0 . 41 III. Thematic Treatment in the Passacaglia from the Passacaglia and Fugue by Roland Diggle. 45 IV. Thematic Treatment in the Passacaglia from the Moto Continuo and Passacglia by 'Herbert F. V. Thematic Treatment in the Passacaglia from the Introduction and Passacaglia by Alan Gray . $4 VI. Thematic Treatment in the Passacaglia from the Introduction and Passacaglia b Robert . .*. -...... .... $8 Groves * - 8 VII. Thematic Treatment in the Passacaglia by Ellis B. Kohs . 64 VIII. Thematic Treatment in the Passacaglia from the Introduction and Passaglia in A Minor by C. S. Lang . * . 73 IX. Thematic Treatment in the Passacaglia from the Passaca a andin D Minor by Gardner Read * . - - *. -#. *. 85 X. Thematic Treatment in the Passacaglia from the Introduction, Passacgland ugue by Healey Willan . 104 XI. Thematic Treatment in the Passacaglia from the Introduction, Passacaglia and F by Searle Wright . #. 0.0. 0... 0.. .*.0.113 TIIabl1e .rage XII. Comparison of Forms in the Twentieth Century Examples of Chaconnes and Passacaglias. 117 XIII. Thematic Characteristics in the Twentieth Century Examples of Chaconnes and Passacaglias. 119 XIV. Techniques for Creating Continuous Structure in the Twentieth Century Examples of Chaconnes and Passacaglias. 126 XV. Thematic treatment in. the Twentieth Century Examples of Chaconnee and passaca.1as. 128 V LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Traditional Ground Bass Melodies. 10 2. Bergamask Ground Bass . 11 3. Purcell, Ground Bass . 12 4. Chaconne and Passacaglia Bass Patterns. 21 5. Chaconne and Passacaglia Bass Variants. 22 6. Two Chaconne and Passacaglia Themes . 22 7. Melodic Bridging--Bach, Passacaglia, Measures * * * * * . * * * * * * * . 23 31-33 . 8. Rhythmic Increase in Successive Stages.--Muffat, Ciaconna. * . 24 9. Rhythmic Increase by Plateau Construction--Handel, Chaconne 21 Variations . 25 10. Repetition by Variation--Louis Couperin, Passa- caille sol mineur, Measures 17-25 ,.# . 27 11. Continued Figural Pattern-Handel, Chaconne 62 Variations , Measures 105, 113 and 121. * 27 12. Repetition by Double Counterpoint--Louis Couperin, Passacaille sol mineur, Measures 41-49. 28 13. Ascending Tetrachord Variant--Dietrich Buxtehude, Ciacona, Measures 81-89. 29 14. Transference of Theme to Another Voice and Trans- posed--Louis Couperin, Passacaille sol mineur, Measures 49-56. 30 15. Rhythmic Development in the Chaconne by Arnell. 36 16, Rhythmic Development in the Passacaglia by Diggle 44 vi Figure Page 17. Rhythmic Development in the Passacaglia by Ellingford. * . .. * * * o 48 18. Rhythmic Development in the Passaca a by James . 61 19. Rhythmic Development in the Passacaglia by * 71 Lang . 20. Arrangement of Counterpoints with Thematic Appearances in D by Moore . * . 78 21. Rhythmic Development in the Passacaglia by Read . 82 22, Use of the Row in the Toccata alla Passacaglia .i91 by Searle . , 23. Rhythmic Development in the Passacaglia by Wright .0 .0.0.0.4.0. .0.0.0.0.9.9.0 0 .0.0.*.010 24. Melodic and/or Rhythmic Bridging . .. *. 123 25. No Bridging Device--Diggle, Passacaglia, Measures 95-97. * * . 124 26. Theme Begun Alone--Read, Passacaglia, Measures 39-41 . .* . .125 27. Rhythmic Alteration of the Theme--Ellingford, Passacagla, Measures 64-72 . 130 28. Rhythmic Alteration of the Theme--Brockless, Chaconne, Measures 85-91. 130 29. Rhythmic Alteration of the Theme--Sowerby, Chacony, Measures 111-115. * . 131 30. Rhythmic Alteration of the Theme--Kohs, Passacaglia, Measures 77-81 . 131 31. Pitch Alteration in the Theme--Groves, Passacaglia Measures 156-164 . .#. 133 32. Contrapuntal Variant of the Theme-.-Wright, Passa- caglia, Measures 201-208 . 134 33. Theme Transferred to Another Voice--Moore, Dirge, Measures 56-60- * *. .* .135 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Musically speaking, the twentieth century has been a witness to the recrudescence of the most important basso os- tinato forms of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: the chaconne and passaclia. Except for isolated examples in the nineteenth century a hiatus of approximately one hundred and fifty years has occurred since the forms fell into disuse about the middle of the eighteenth century. Today, however, even a cursory cross section of the chaconnes and 2 assacaglias written during the past half-century would yield over one hundred examples. The following, only repre- sentative, list of twentieth century composers who have utilized the forms gives an indication of the international scope of an important trend: Samuel Barber, Alban Berg, Ernest Bloch, Benjamin Britten, Aaron Copland, Luigi Dalla- piccola, Norman Dello Joio, Ernst Dohnanyi, Paul Hindemith, Art ur Honegger, Gian Francesco Malipiero, Frank Martin, Douglas Moore, Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli, Maurice.Ravel, Arnold Schoenberg, Fumphrey Searle, Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Valton and Anton Webern. An important question to consider at this point is what salient features of the two eighteenth century forms 1 2 would be valid for the twentieth century? The following sum- marization by Leon Stein may best answer the question. The aesthetic-constructive principle of the passacaglia is that of repetition, a repetition which provides continuity, coherence, order and symmetry. These elements become the more sought after in order to compensate for the lack of that organization which was previously provided by to- nality and by the use of accepted and established forms. .. * Musical styles are based on aesthetic prin- ciples derived from the following fundamental concepts: the mathematical, the architectural, the philosophical, the psychological, the poetic, the dramatic. In the passacaglia form, the mathematical and architectural are of paramount importance. .. From this standpoint, the revival of the form at this time is a reflection of the architectonic ten- dency which is likewise expressed in the theories and practices.of Schoenberg, Schillinger and Hauer, among others. During the Baroque period the forms ". attracted the attention of the organ and harpsichord composers, with whom the construction of elaborate passacaglias and chaconnes be- came a favourite exercise for contrapuntal skill." The nature of the instrument itself may explain, partially, the particular interest that composers for the organ have had in the forms. With the advent of the twentieth century, how- ever, it is doubtful that any other musical medium has contri- buted more examples of the chaconne and passacaglia forms than the organ. Leon Stein, "The Passacaglia in the Twentieth Century," Music and Letters, XL (April, 1959), 152. 2 William Barclay Squire, "Passacaglia," Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 3rd ed., edited by H. 0. Colles (New YOJrk, 193WT. 3 The object of the present study is to determine the re- lationship between twentieth century examples of the forms and their prototypes in the seventeenth and eighteenth cen- turies. Seventeen works by twentieth century composers were chosen. Due to the lack of available information on many of the current composers from the continental European countries, the selection was limited to those composers from England, Australia, Canada and the United States about whom biograph- ical information was available and whose works were obtain- able. A biographical sketch of each of the fifteen composers is presented in the Appendix. Two of the authors, Leo Sowerby and Healey Willan, are each represented by two works. Pre- ceded by a summary of the genesis and development of the two forms, Chapter II concludes with a discussion of their salient characteristics. Chapter III contains the analyses of the seventeen twentieth century examples based on the general fea- tures enumerated in the second chapter. In the final chapter, -owever, each of the characteristics is treated singly, an at- tempt being made to draw conclusions from their relationship to the body of twentieth century examples. An effort to canvass the question concerning the differ- ence between a chaconne and a passacaglia in depth is outside the realm of the present study. Although many historians have attempted to distinguish between the two, the projected theories are often conflicting. Cedric Thorpe Davie maintains that "all attempts to define the difference between passacaglia 4 and chaconne are fruitless in the face of the somewhat indis- criminate use of the terms by the composers themselves." Hugo Leichtentritt sharesa similar view by stating ". the difference between the passacaglia and chaconne - if there really is any difference at all - has not yet been definitely determined." A corroboration of the preceding statements may be seen in the "Centro Partite sopra Passacaglia" from the first book of Toccate DIIntavolatura by Frescobaldi, which consistently alternates sections entitled Ciaconna