UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
Date: 26 December 2007
I, Shu-Ting Yang, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Doctor of Musical Arts in: Piano Performance It is entitled: Salute to Bach: Modern Treatments of Bach-Inspired Elements in Luigi Dallapiccola’s Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera and Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4
This work and its defense approved by:
Chair: __Jeongwon_Joe,_Ph.D.______Eugene_Pridonoff,_M.M.______Elizabeth_Pridonoff,_M.M.____
Salute to Bach: Modern Treatments of Bach-Inspired Elements in Luigi Dallapiccola’s Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera and Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4
A doctoral document submitted to the
Division of Graduate Studies and Research of the University of Cincinnati
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
in the Keyboard Division of the College-Conservatory of Music
by
Shu-Ting Yang
16 November 2007
B.M., National Taiwan Normal University, 1999 M.M., Indiana University, 2002 P.D., Indiana University, 2003
Project Advisor: Jeongwon Joe, Ph.D.
Abstract
Being two of a few Bach-inspired masterpieces in the twentieth-century keyboard
repertoires, Luigi Dallapiccola’s Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera and Heitor Villa-Lobos’
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 contain the application of modern treatments on long lasting traditional subjects: the Baroque music style and the B-A-C-H motif. In this document, I discuss both composers’ multi-style blend (neo-Baroque/Serialism for Dallapiccola and neo-Baroque/Nationalism for Villa-Lobos) side by side through a close examination of their biographical background and stages of evolution, followed by a theoretical analysis of these two representative works. Dallapiccola’s mature dodecaphonic technique, along with the usage of symbolism and canonic writing are perfectly fused in Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, as the title suggests, shows Villa-Lobos’ ingenious combination of
Brazilian folk materials with a Baroque-like style. Finally, I compare the orchestral versions and piano versions in terms of the treatment of Bach-inspired elements through the orchestration.
iii
Copyright © 2008 by Shu-Ting Yang All rights reserved
iv Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have helped me to complete this document: to my piano professors, Elizabeth and Euguene Pridonoff, whose musicianship in piano performance and passion in piano education have been and will be the model in my musical journey; and to my advisor, Dr. Jeongwon Joe, whose profound musical knowledge and insightful guidance make it possible for me to complete this document.
Special thanks to my parents, their selfless love and support have always given me strength to pursue my goals. To my husband, whose companionship and assistance in computer technology have made the writing process a pleasant experience. To my daughter, whose arrival has been the biggest motivation for completing this document.
v Table of Contents
List of Tables 2
List of Musical Examples 3
Chapter 1. Introduction: Neo-Baroque as A New Twentieth-Century Musical Stream: Bach-Inspired Elements in Modern Music 6
Chapter 2. Luigi Dallapiccola and His Musical Style A. Biographical background 10 B. Stages of tonal transformation and connections with the serialist method 13 C. Piano output 15
Chapter 3. Modern Treatments in Bach-Inspired Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera A. Compositional background 17 B. Homage to Bach 17 C. Modern treatments: serial methods 18 D. Analysis of each movement 20
Chapter 4. Heitor Villa-Lobos and His Musical Style A. Biographical background 47 B. Stages of evolution and connections with folk materials 50 C. Piano output 51
Chapter 5. Modern treatments in Bach-inspired Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 A. Homage to Bach 54 B. Compositional background 55 C. Modern treatments: neo-classic method and nationalism 56 D. Analysis of each movement 57
Chapter 6. Comparison Between the Piano Originals and the Orchestrated Versions A. Dallapiccola: Variazioni per orchestra 78 B. Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 83
Chapter 7. Conclusion: Contributions of these Two Pieces Through Modern treatments of Bach-Inspired Elements 93
Bibliography 95
List of Tables
Table 3.1. Matrix of the row of Dallapiccola’s Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 19
Table 3.2. Diagram of the B-A-C-H motif in “Accenti” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 25
Table 3.3. Diagram of the canonic relationship of “Contrapunctus primus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 27
Table 3.4. Diagram of the B-A-C-H tetrachord in “Contrapunctus primus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 28
Table 3.5. Organization of the rows in “Contrapunctus secundus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 30
Table 3.6. The hidden tetrachords in “Contrapunctus secundus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 32
Table 3.7. Relationship of the rows in “Fregi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 34
Table 3.8. Presentation of the rows in “Andantine amorose e Contrapunctus tertius” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 36
Table 3.9. Detail formal diagram of “Ritmi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 38
Table 3.10. Usage of the rows in “Colore” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 42
Table 3.11. Structural analysis of “Ombre” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 44
Table 3.12. Structural analysis of “Quartina” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 45
Table 5.1. Analysis of phrasing in section A of “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 60
Table 5.2. Diagram of section B in “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 66
2
List of Musical Examples
Example 3.1. Innovative linear-styled chordal analysis of the B-A-C-H motif in “Simbolo” from Dallapiccola’s Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 2-5 21
Example 3.2. “Simbolo” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-5 22
Example 3.3. “Simbolo” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 9-16, for the relax-tense phrasing and the slow-fast harmonic rhythm 23
Example 3.4. “Simbolo” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 17-20 23
Example 3.5. “Accenti” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-4 25
Example 3.6. “Contrapunctus primus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-4 27
Example 3.7. “Linee” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-2 and mm. 6-7 29
Example 3.8. “Contrapunctus secundus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-3 31
Example 3.9. “Contrapunctus secundus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 5-6 31
Example 3.10. “Fregi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 35
Example 3.11. “Andantine amorose e Contrapunctus tertius” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-5 36
Example 3.12. “Ritmi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera mm. 1-9 38
Example 3.13. Sectional examples of “Ritmi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera 39
Example 3.14. “Ritmi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera mm. 41-44 40
Example 3.15. “Colore” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-3 (with circled notes) 41
Example 3.16. Section A and B of “Ombre” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-3 and 8-9 43
Example 5.1. The arpeggio motive in “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No.4 58
Example 5.2. The royal theme from Bach’s Musical Offering 58
3
Example 5.3. The arpeggio figures from Bach’s Toccata from Partita in E minor, BWV 830 59
Example 5.4. Application of the passacaglia melody in section A of “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 59
Example 5.5. “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 23-27 61
Example 5.6. “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 28-32 62
Example 5.7. “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 1-16 63
Example 5.8. “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 17-22 64
Example 5.9. Circle of fifths in “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 33-43 66
Example 5.10. Modern notation in “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 71-73 67
Example 5.11. Folk tune “Ó mana deix’eu ir” from Northeastern Brazil 68
Example 5.12. Introduction of “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 1-6 69
Example 5.13. Section A Part I of “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 7-22 70
Example 5.14. Section A Part II of “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 23-30 70
Example 5.15. Section B of “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 38-48 71
Example 5.16. Left-hand melody in Section B of “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 68-74 72
Example 5.17. “Dansa” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 12-25 75
Example 5.18. The “Black key versus White Key” technique used in “Dansa” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 66-72 75
Example 5.19. The “Sharp versus Flat” technique used in “Dansa” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 89-97 76
Example 5.20. “Dansa” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 120-134 76
4
Example 6.1. The 1st movement of Variazioni per orchestra, mm. 21-23 79
Example 6.2. The 3rd movement of Variazioni per orchestra, mm. 1-4 80
Example 6.3. The 7th movement of Variazioni per orchestra, mm. 1-6 81
Example 6.4. The 9th movement of Variazioni per orchestra, mm. 1-6 82
Example 6.5. First page of “Preludio” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 84
Example 6.6. Canonic writing in section B of “Preludio” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 85
Example 6.7. Cello section in the recapitulation of “Preludio” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 85
Example 6.8. Rehearsal nos. 1 and 2 of “Choral” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 86
Example 6.9. Rehearsal no. 7 for the continuity of the B-flat notes in “Choral” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 87
Example 6.10. Rehearsal no. 3 for the extra melody in flue and oboe sections of the “Aria” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 88
Example 6.11. Rehearsal no. 5 for the extra sixteenth-note figure in the bassoon section of “Aria” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 88
Example 6.12. Opening of “Danza” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 90
Example 6.13. Clarinet line after rehearsal no. 2 of “Danza” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 91
Example 6.14. Extra canon found in rehearsal no. 5 of “Danza” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 92
5 Chapter 1. Introduction
Neo-Baroque as A New Twentieth-Century Musical Stream:
Bach-Inspired Elements in Modern Music
In the history of Western music, fundamental stylistic shifts have occurred several times, yet these never happened all at once. Although they may appear as revolutionary movements to previous generations, most of the stylistic shifts have their roots in the past. At the turn of the twentieth century, the collapse of tonality appeared as a reaction to over-developed chromaticism during the late nineteenth-century Romantic period. The rise of nonfunctional harmony, atonality and later twelve-tone theory, the requirement of national identity, and the involvement of new technology brought about a huge diversity in musical styles throughout the twentieth century.
In the first half of the twentieth century, Nationalism, Neoclassicism, and Serialism stood out as the main streams. Nationalism in music continued as the result of national identity. Folk music continued to catch composers’ attention while searching for new compositional materials.
Neoclassicism, as a counter to Modernism and Expressionism, encouraged composers to look back to antecedents in the Baroque and Classic periods. Serialism was considered the alternative to the tonal system for future generations by the Second Viennese composers. As these styles existed side by side, the integration of multiple styles often occurs. Composers such as Bartók and Heitor Villa-Lobos, on the one hand, incorporated Neoclassicism in their Nationalistic style.
On the other hand, Schoenberg and Luigi Dallapiccola, synthesized Neoclassicism with their
Serialist method.
The term “neo-Baroque,” derived from Neoclassicism, is used specifically with artistic creations which display important aspects of Baroque style. Johann Sebastian Bach, the leading
6 representative of the Baroque, has been an inspirational source for modern composers. Both his
musical style and his name itself, the famous B-A-C-H motif, have received modern treatments
throughout music history. A published catalogue for the 1985 exhibition “300 Jahre Johann
Sebastian Bach” gives us a comprehensive study about works related to Bach and the B-A-C-H
motif.1 This list contains more than four hundred works by at least three hundred composers, from the earliest piece composed by Jan Pieterszoon Sweekinck in the seventeenth century
(obviously not after J. S. Bach) to the most recent piece Fantasy on B-A-C-H für Kalvier (1985) written by Jack Behrens. J. S. Bach himself also played with his own last name as the third subject in the last fugue of his Art of Fugue. Later composers, including J. S. Bach’s sons, C. P. E.
Bach and J. C. Bach, and later generations such as Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Liszt, Robert
Schumann, Brahms, Busoni, and Leopold Godowsky, followed J. S. Bach’s contrapuntal procedures and featured the B-A-C-H motif in their fugal writings. As for modern treatments of
Bach-inspired elements, Schoenberg’s Variations for Orchestra, Webern’s String Quartet, and
Penderecki’s St Luke Passion are noted examples. But one might notice that only a few well-known twentieth-century composers, such as Arthur Honegger, Vincent d’Indy, Charles Ives, and Francis Poulenc, used Bach-inspired elements in modern keyboard works compared to previous generations.
From these limited works, Dallapiccola’s Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera and
Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No.4 offer a valuable comparison of their modern treatments of Bach-inspired elements in piano repertoire: the multi-styled blend of neo-Baroque/Serilaism
(in Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera) and neo-Baroque/Nationalism (in Bachianas Brasileiras
No.4). Furthermore, some surprising coincidences between both composers’ lives and these two
1 Ulrich Prinz, 300 Jahre Johann Sebastian Bach: sein Werk in Hs. u. Dokumenten, Musikinstrumente seiner Zeit, seine Zeitgenossen (Stuttgart, Tutzing: Schneider, 1985).
7 works also triggered my intension to examine beyond their synthesis of styles.
While only a few writers have previously discussed either of these two pieces in any detail, none have yet compared these works side by side. Most of the scholars who discussed the pieces I will analyze in my document have different focuses. Raymond Fearn and Eero Tarasti’s books broadly cover each composer’s lives and individual works,2 yet none of them offer
insightful analysis of those specific pieces I have chosen. Sue Burnett Petito’s Ph.D. dissertation focuses on performance practices in five of Dallapiccola’s piano works (in different ensembles, not just for solo piano), while Roberta Rust’s DMA dissertation is devoted to the general structural/stylistic evaluation of Villa-Lobos’ middle period and the comparative study of
recorded performances, also focusing on the performing aspects of the pieces.3
Dallapiccola’s unique dodecaphonic system has been exposed to the theoretical microscope by numerous scholars. Discussion about individual movements, such as ”Simbolo” and “Ritmi,” or the whole set of Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, can be found in David Lewin,
Scott Norris, Armand Guy Qualliotine, and John Stephen Boccheri’s writings.4 However, the
pure analysis of Dallapiccola’s dodecaphony will fall outside the scope of my document.
In the following chapters of my document, I will first focus on the similarities and
2 Raymond Fearn, The Music of Luigi Dallapiccola (Eastman Studies in Music. Rochester, N.Y.: University of Rochester Press, 2003); and Eero Tarasti, Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Life and Works, 1887-1959 (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1995).
3 Sue Burnett Petito, “The Piano Works of Luigi Dallapiccola (1904–1975): An Analysis for Performance.” (Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1989); and Roberta Rust, “Piano Works from Hietor Villa-Lobos’ Middle Period: A Study of Chôros No. 5, Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, and Ciclo Brasileiro.” (D.M.A. diss., University of Miami, 1991).
4 David Lewin, Musical Forum and Transformation: Four Analytical Essays (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1993); Scott Norris, “An Analysis of Luigi Dallapiccola’s Simbolo and 17 Times for String Quartet.”(Ph.D. diss., Brandeis University, 1997); Armand Guy Qualliotine, “Extended Set Procedures in Two Compositions of Luigi Dallapiccola.” (Ph.D. diss., Brandeis University, 1986); and John Stephen Boccheri, “An Approach to Twelve-tone Music: Articulation of Serial Pitch Units in Piano Works of Schoenberg, Webern, Krenek, Dallapiccola, and Rochberg.” (Ph.D. diss., University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, 1975).
8 differences of both composers’ lives, backgrounds, styles, and works. Although they are close contemporaries, the Italian Dallapiccola and the Brazilian Villa-Lobos achieved their international recognition through different media. None of them received thorough and complete formal musical training, yet both of them were influenced by European composers from France and Austria, and were able to discover their own personal paths. Secondly, I will discuss
Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera and Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 individually and explore how
Dallapiccola and Villa-Lobos fused their personal backgrounds with Bach-inspired elements, followed by the analysis of the orchestral versions of both works. Coincidentally, both composers wrote an orchestral version several years after completing the piano version. The analysis of each composer’s method of orchestration and also the comparison of the original piano pieces with their orchestral versions in terms of the treatment of Bach-inspired elements will be included in my discussion.
9 Chapter 2. Luigi Dallapiccola and His Musical Style
Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-1975), with a mixture of conservative and progressive in his compositional style, possessed a settled position in twentieth-century Italian music history. His musical style changed as he struggled to search for the right way to express himself. His transition to freedom from tonality transformed from early stages of diatonic and modal-tonal, to chromatic, and then finally arrived at a serial method. Being fascinated by dodecaphony, he
“decisively established the twelve-tone techniques as the major dynamo of his music” during
World War II.5
For him, the twelve-tone system of composition was not only a technique, but also a
method of showing “expressive necessities.”6 According to Robert P. Morgan, Dallapiccola, as the first Italian composer to engage serialism, successfully created a personal style of expressive intentions by combining his own esthetic need with a re-digestion of the Second Viennese
school’s twelve-tone method.7
A. Biographical background
1. The Early Years (1904-1931)
Born in Pisino, a disputed territory with a complex political background, Dallapiccola’s
early musical training was disrupted. The multi-cultural influences of his hometown contributed
5 Raymond Fearn, The Music of Luigi Dallapiccola, Eastman Studies in Music (New York: University of Rochester Press, 2003), 50.
6 Ibid.
7 Robert P. Morgan, “Dallapiccola,” in Twentieth-Century Music: A History of Musical Style in Modern Europe and America (New York: W. W. Norton, 1991), 253.
10 to the “formation of his artistic personality” shown in his compositions.8 Changes of residency
during his early childhood might disturb his musical training, but the impact of broadened
contact with masterpieces heard outside of his birthplace was immense. Between 1917 and 1918,
while being exiled to Graz, he heard German masters’ music, such as operas of Wagner and
Mozart. The influence was so significant that he decided to be a composer and this was recorded
later in 1968 in a letter to Wagner’s grandson:
In the Opera House in Graz, in May 1917, when I was thirteen years old, it was The Flying Dutchman that made me make the decision to dedicate myself to music…. For years this opera seemed to me the very pinnacle of Richard Wagner’s operas….I first realized on that evening what landscape could be in music….And at the doorway of the theater, after the musical miracle, another miracle, but this time one of nature.9
In 1921, the impact of Debussy’s music made him take three years off to realize its meaning; in 1924, after the rudimental contact of Schoenberg’s music through his theory teachers at the Florence Conservatory, for the first time he heard works written by the Second Viennese
School in a concert performing Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire, and the influences of serial ideas shown later throughout his life; in 1930, during a trip to Vienna, Mahler’s First Symphony opened one more door for him.10
2. The Middle Period (1931-1945)
After an extensive study with Vito Frazzi in Florence, Dallapiccola’s fundamental music
training came to an end. From 1931, his exploration of all aspects of music became self-guided
8 Fearn, Luigi Dallapiccola, 1.
9 Luigi Dallapiccola, letter to Wolfgang Wagner, 15 April 1968, Dallapiccola Archive, Gabinetto Vieusseux, Florence.
10 John C. G. Waterhouse, “Dallapiccola,” Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy, http://www.grovemusic.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu (accessed November 10, 2007).
11 upon score studying and the influences of Berg and Webern became momentous. The first
encounter with Berg happened in 1934, the time he started to be known as a composer attributed
to another famous Italian musician, Alfredo Casella’s promotion.
Political disturbance again played an important role in this period. During World War II,
Dallapiccola’s non-political stand made it hard for him to keep a pleasant life. For a while, he had to seek refuge around the country. Surprisingly, this political suppression never fully stopped
him from musical activities. Instead, he concertized to non-Nazi occupied countries and met
Webern in Austria in 1942.
3. The Late Years (1945-1975)
Unlike the previous two periods, Dallapiccola’s life after WWII became more stable and
was “free from external disturbance.”11 With resuming a normal social life, his important role in the International Society for Contemporary Music in 1946 made him world-famous. Trips around the world in the 1950s brought him to the United States and Western Europe. With appearances in lectures and performance of his music around the world in the 1960s, his reputation culminated with the première of Ulisse in 1968. Thereafter, declining health dramatically decreased his compositional output but not his public activities. On the morning of February 19,
1975, he passed away with a relapse of pulmonary edema and left an unfinished work on his piano and desk.
11 Waterhouse, “Dallapiccola.”
12 B. Stages of tonal transformation and connections with the serialist method
Like so many of the twentieth-century composers, Dallapiccola’s works reflect his style shifts in searching for a personal use of dodecaphony. As “one of the first non-Germanic composers to use the twelve-tone technique,” he successfully carried over Italian music tradition which roots back to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.12
Much of his music during the early years related to his birthplace and was written for voices in various ensembles. Almost all remained unpublished and were considered by the composer himself as an “apprenticeship.”13 At the age of twenty, without actually being a student of Schoenberg, Dallapiccola’s musical horizons broadened by perceiving Schoenberg’s serial music and methods. From the mid-1930s, many works showed his attempts to incorporate serial materials, but not until the late-1940s did he truly reach maturity in the usage of serial methods. As Fearn noted:
Much of Dallapiccola’s music up to the end of the 1930s, when serialism began to emerge as an element in his musical language, was grounded in modal writing, and was thus to a large extent free of the chromatic saturation that had been evident in the pre-serial music of the Viennese composers. The influence of Frazzi was obviously dominant in many of these very early works from Dallapiccola’s apprentice period, but some characteristics that are relevant to the composer’s late compositions can also be seen.14
Music from the middle period was experimental using the serial method. The conjunction of modal, diatonic, chromatic, and serial elements in his writings became stereotyped. His unique ways of applying serial methods were different from the Second Viennese School. For him, the
12 Larry Sitsky, ed., “Luigi Dallapiccola,” in Music of the Twentieth-century Avant-garde: A Biocritical Sourcebook (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002), 117.
13 Ibid., 118.
14 Fearn, Luigi Dallapiccola, 7.
13 twelve-tone technique was not a strict and inflexible compositional method. On the contrary, as
Sitsky noted, “the freedom he allowed himself in the development of his thematic materials
enabled him to choose either a diatonic or twelve-tone directions or a blend of both.”15
Dallapiccola also once said, “I have used the 12 tones of the row as a general color, as an
atmosphere in the whole piece, not as a principle of construction.”16 Piccolo concerto per
Muriel Couvreux, a strong diatonic piece, written between 1939 and 1941, revealed
Dallapiccola’s atmospheric and colorific application of the serial idea. In Canti di prigionia, for
the first time Dallapiccola used the same row in all movements, but the function of the row as a
unifying component was not yet mature. Not until Tre poemi in 1949, did he use a single row as
“a thread running through the entire composition.”17
The influences of Berg and Webern were significant especially after personal
acquaintance with both of them. Works such as Volo di notte and Canti di prigionia shows Berg’s traits in vocal setting, instrumental writing, and also diatonic characteristics of the row. Webern’s influences appeared in his late years. Liriche greche, for instance, dedicated to Webern on his sixtieth birthday in 1943, represented his respect to the master of the Darmstadt school. In
Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, Webern-like pointillism, aphorism, and contrapuntal, canonic writings are detectable. With the maturity of his personal dodecaphonic technique, the refined balance between his personal lyricism and application of the tone rows makes his music unique.
As Wood noted,
15 Sitsky, “Luigi Dallapiccola,” 119.
16 Luigi Dallapiccola, letter to Vogel, 3 January 1940, Dallapiccola Archive, Gabinetto Vieusseux, Florence.
17 Fearn, Luigi Dallapiccola, 134 . 14 He is capable of the monumental, but I love best his gentle, delicate lyricism: his music sings. What he really learnt from Webern was not so much the enlargement of the musical language, but the paradoxical lesson which Webern’s own work shows so clearly: that lyricism, the singing line, on one hand, and the most skilful of contrapuntal devices on the other, are, the pair of them, bosom friends who help each other, not sworn enemies who have to be reconciled.18
C. Piano output
Under close examination, one can easily notice that Dallapiccola composed a fairly small amount of instrumental music. Works written for voices in different ensembles dominate most of his compositional territory. Although considered “quintessentially a vocal rather than an instrumental” composer, Dallapiccola proved his “sensuous Italianate lyricism” in his abstract instrumental works as well.19 Among his about four dozen works, those relatively limited
quantity of instrumental works are not “large-scale in design or ambition.”20 However, “they do
provide an illuminating perspective on his musical thinking as a whole.”21
In spite of being a good pianist himself and teaching piano lessons for over thirty years,
he composed only three pieces for solo piano: Sonatina canonica in E-flat Major on ‘Capricci of
Niccolò Paganini (1943), Tre episodi dal balletto ‘Marsia’ (1949), and Quaderno Musicale di
Annalibera (1952). The other two piano works in different ensembles are Musica per tre
pianoforte (Inn) (1935) and Piccolo concerto per Muriel Couvreux (1939-41).
Musica per tre pianoforte (Inn) is Dallapiccola’s first purely instrumental piece in a
three-part cycle. Influences of various composers can be detected: the Ravel-like Baroque
18 Hugh Wood, “Tributes to Dallapiccola,” Tempo 108 (1974): 17-18.
19 Fearn, Luigi Dallapiccola, 130-1.
20 Richard Whitehouse, Luigi Dallapiccola: Complete Works for Violin and Piano and for Piano CD Sleeve Notes. (Naxos Music Library 8.557676, 2006).
21 Ibid.
15 prelude, the Stravinsky-like non-developmental blocks, Mussorgsky’s “Promenade” theme in the beginning, and etc. Sonatina canonica in E-flat Major on ‘Capricci of Niccolò Paganini is his first solo piano work, written almost twenty years after he began to compose. With his profound background in piano, he was fully aware of the possibilities of the modern piano even with his first attempt. In all five piano works, the timbral expressions of piano, the characteristic polyphonic writings, and the unique lyricism in voicing enable him to proclaim a domain in twentieth-century Italian keyboard literature.
16 Chapter 3. Modern Treatments in the Bach-Inspired Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera
A. Compositional background
Composed in 1952, Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera [Annalibera’s Musical Notebook] is perhaps the most purely attractive instrumental composition among Dallapiccola’s non-vocal writings. Dedicated to his daughter on the occasion of her eighth birthday, this piece was written under the commission of the Pittsburgh International Contemporary Music Festival. With its complexity and depth of philosophy, this piece is not meant to be played by youths or beginners.
Being the first wholly dodecaphonic work and the last piano work of Dallapiccola, the strict application of a single row in all eleven pieces shows his uppermost personal taste in twelve-tone music. The selection of strong diatonic tone rows, the lyricism of melodic lines, and the symbolism of constructions flawlessly fuse together as Dallapiccola’s tribute to J. S. Bach. As
David Burge noted,
Dallapiccola’s masterpiece for the piano is the eleven-movement Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera…A far deeper link between the two composers is found in the superior and elegant quality of the counterpoint that dominates most of the eleven pieces. Every sort of canonic interplays is handled with apparent effortlessness… For the composer and performer both, this work is a marvelously clear and musically exquisite demonstration of a unique and gifted composer’s approach to the twelve-tone technique.22
B. Homage to Bach
From the title, Dallapiccola dropped a hint of Bach’s Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena
Bach [Anna Magdalena’s Notebook]. The musical terminology-based titles used for each
movement resemble keyboard etudes of the nineteen century. Besides, through those titles, this
22 David Burge, Twentieth-Century Piano Music, Eastman School of Music Studies in Musical Genres and Repertoires (New York, N.Y.: Schirmer Books, 1990), 159.
17 abstract work becomes a tool to express his personal feelings and this kind of compositional
attitude reminds us the musical philosophy of composers in the Baroque period. They may also
imply Dallapiccola’s intention to drill his mature dodecaphony by using a single row as a thread
for the whole set.
The groupings of movements, arranged by the composer himself in the indications of the
program page, suggest the suite-like Baroque style. All eleven pieces are divided into six groups
with “Simbolo” as the introductory movement and “Quartina” as the conclusive one. The middle
sections consist of four groups: Accenti – Contrapunctus primus, Linee – Contrapunctus
secundus, Fregi – Andantine amorose e Contrapunctus tertius, and Ritmi – Colore – Ombre.23
The alternation of non-contrapuntal movements with strict contrapuntal movements in three out
of those four groups might propose the Prelude-Fugue arrangement of Bach’s Well-Tempered
Clavier and the intervallic canonic design of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. As Fearn states, “the titles given to the contrapuntal movements (Contrapunctuc primus, secundus…) are indebted to those in the Art of Fugue.”24 More Baroque-like elements used in formal structure, texture, and
phrasing will be mentioned later in the discussion of each movement.
C. Modern treatments: serial methods
Besides those retrospective elements that remind us of music of previous periods (mostly
Baroque music), Dallapiccola, as a twentieth-century composer, showed his innovative ability in
his unique dodecaphony. Throughout the lifelong search for a proper adoption of serial methods,
Dallapiccola for the first time presented a single tone row for all movements to serve as a
23 Luigi Dallapiccolla, Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera (Milan: Edizioni Suvini Zerboni, 1953).
24 Fearn, Luigi Dallapiccola, 157.
18 unification device. Applied in all forms (prime, inversion, retrograde, and retrograde inversion), this row is often presented as a whole in different settings (see Table 3.1 for the matrix of all possible forms). The tonal/modal quality of the row selection alongside the free usage of repetition marks Dallapiccola’s personal serial methods. The applications of the forms vary from movement to movement according to the differences of the textures. For instance, chordal employments of the row are found in movements I, II, VII, and X while melodic employments permeate movements III and IV. Furthermore, within the linear textures of movements III and IV, each hand is dodecaphonically independent while in movements I and II, the same row consists in both hands.
Table 3.1. Matrix of the row of Dallapiccola’s Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera
A# B Eb Gb Ab D Db F G C A E
A Bb D F G Db C E F# B G# D#
F Gb Bb Db Eb A G# C D G E B
D Eb G Bb C Gb F A B E C# G#
C Db F Ab Bb E Eb G A D B F#
F# G B D E Bb A C# D# Ab F C
G Ab C Eb F B Bb D E A F# C#
Eb E Ab B Db G F# A# C F D A
Db D F# A B F E G# A# Eb C G
Ab A C# E F# C B D# F Bb G D
B C E G A Eb D F# G# Db Bb F
E F A C D G# G B C# F# D# A#
19 According to my observation, the B-A-C-H motif can be considered as Dallapiccola’s
choice of “cell” in his personal twelve-tone methods. This cell is used not only as the prominent
outline of “Simbolo,” but also as the main thematic material in all movements. The emphasis of
the semitone relationship can be found everywhere, even in the B-A-C-H motif. Detailed
analysis of the B-A-C-H motif and semitone relationship will be examined in the next section.
D. Analysis of each movement
I. Simbolo
Being the introductory movement, the prelude-like function is well preserved in
“Simbolo.” In this movement, the row and the B-A-C-H motif are stated clearly. Sometimes, the
B-A-C-H motif can be perceived very clearly but other times, it is not perceived yet serves as a structure basis. Samuel Morse Magrill stated in his thesis, “the B-A-C-H motif appears in seventeen guises and can be viewed as one of the structural elements of the movement.”25 Yet I
believe this is only partially correct. Magrill took the B-A-C-H motif into consideration only
when it appears in the melodic outline. In my document, I will include the B-A-C-H motif used
in the chordal structure as well. Both melodic analysis and chordal anatomy will enable me to
explain Dallapiccola’s personal concept of serial method more thoroughly. The chordal anatomy
I will present in this document is not in the traditional vertical format. The B-A-C-H tetrachord
(0123) is preserved in the layered linear format with two varieties (Example 3.1). Therefore,
according to my count, there are a total of forty-three presentations of the B-A-C-H motif in the
whole “Simbolo.” Furthermore, the row is presented in 2+2+2+3+3 groupings in vertical interval/chord format (Example 3.2). The first dyad is two semitones. Semitones play an
25 Magrill Samuel Morse, “The Principle of Variation: A Study in the Selection of Differences with Examples from Dallapiccola, J. S. Bach, and Brahms.” (D.M.A. diss., University of Illinois, 1983).
20 important role in the whole set and the B-A-C-H tetrachord as well since the tetrachord itself
contains two dyads of semitones in the original form (Bb – A and C – B). Therefore, the subtle
weaves are formed by the row in vertical division and the B-A-C-H tetrachord in horizontal
direction.
Example 3.1. Innovative linear-styled chordal analysis of “Simbolo” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 2-5.
Analysis of the B-A-C-H tetrachord in three layers and three varieties.
1. The original B-A-C-H motif
2. Variation 1 of the B-A-C-H motif
3. Variation 2 of the B-A-C-H motif
21 Example 3.2. “Simbolo” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-5.26
m.1 m.2 m.3 m.4 m.5
Vertical analysis: 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 12 tone
Horizontal analysis: m.1 Æ semitone dyad (A# B)
m.2-5 Æ 3 layers of B-A-C-H tetrachord (see above)
Several formal possibilities can be found by different analytical methods.
According to the groupings of the row, texture, and phrasing, this movement can be divided into
three sections. Section A (mm. 1-16) has the 2+2+2+3+3 divisions of the row with chordal
texture and the alternation of the relax-tense phrasing based on a slow-fast harmonic rhythm
26 Luigi Dallapiccolla, Quaderno. The rest of the music examples used in this chapter are from the same source with the permission of the publisher.
22 (Example 3.3).
Example 3.3. “Simbolo” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 9-16, for the relax-tense phrasing and the slow-fast harmonic rhythm.
Section B (mm. 17-37) has the 3+3+3+3 groupings, mostly melody-accompany texture, and the square four-bar phrasing (Example 3.4).
Example 3.4. “Simbolo” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 17-20.
23 Coda (mm. 38-46) returns to 2+2+2+3+3 division with chordal texture. According to the tempo changes, it has three sections as well. However, the divided point will be slightly different: section A (mm. 1-16) is the same as previous analytical method; section B (mm. 17-28) has a faster tempo; section C (mm.29-46) starts with a tempo.
The fusion of Baroque/Bach elements with modern compositional techniques is well presented in this movement. Baroque/Bach related elements include the symbol, which refers to
Bach’s name; the introductory spirit (introduces the row and the B-A-C-H motif), which matches the Baroque preludes; and ternary form, which belongs to one of the traditional forms of Baroque.
Modern treatments include the twelve-tone method, which is applied in the B-A-C-H tetrachord; and the frequency of meter changes, which is often used in modern music.
II. Accenti
As the title suggests, this is an etude for accents. Dallapiccola carefully noted different articulations and subtle changes of accents on almost every single note in this movement.
Precision of touch is required and is guided by the composer in the front page. Each measure contains half of the row in vertical direction. Therefore, a complete row is presented in every tow measures. With chordal textures permeate the whole movement, the linear B-A-C-H motif becomes the only horizontal part that can easily catch listeners’ attention. Different from the previous movement, the only tetrachord used in this movement is the variation 1 of the B-A-C-H motif. The rotation of prime and retrograde of the row forms the four-bar phrasing in the binary form. The interaction of chordal presentation of the row and the linear B-A-C-H motif in the inner voice again weave a unique web to show Dallapiccola’s creativity (see Example 3.5 and
Table 3.2 for the relationship of the B-A-C-H motif in variation 1 format and the row).
24 Example 3.5. “Accenti” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-4.
Table 3.2. Diagram of the B-A-C-H motif in “Accenti” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
measure row form B-A-C-H variation 1
mm.1-2 P0 Eb – D – Db – C
mm.3-4 R1 C# - D – D# - E
mm.5-6 P0 Eb – D – Db – C
mm.7-8 R3 D# - E – E# - F#
mm.9-10 P4 G – F# - F – E
mm.11-12 R1 C# - D – D# - E
mm.13-14 P2 F – E – Eb – D
mm.15-16 R1 C# - D – D# - E
In this movement, traditional elements include the binary form, the two-bar or four-bar
phrasings, and the meter. Modern treatments are: the usage of the B-A-C-H in variation 1 format,
the irregular accents, rhythmic unstability due to the irregular accents and rests, and also the
web-like dodecaphony.
25 III. Contrapunctus primus
Contrapunctus primus is the first contrapuntal writing of the whole set. Being the second
piece in the first inner group, its softness in dynamics and lyric lines offers a vivid characteristic contrast to the rigid, angular “Accenti.” The application of strict canons shows Dallapiccola’s profound foundation in polyphonic writings. For the first time, the row is presented in linear direction instead of chordal texture. According to the number of the voices, the whole piece can be divided into three sections: section A (mm. 1-8) is a two-part canon in unison; section B (mm.
9-12) is a three-part canon with outer voices in unison canon; and section C (mm. 13-18) is a
four-part canon with two pairs of unison canon.
The subtle rhythmic arrangements between/among contrapuntal voices show Dallapiccola craftsmanship. In section A, the left hand (dux) presents a complete row every four measures while the right hand (comes) follows with retrograded rhythm in three-fourths value (Example
3.6). In section B, the bottom line again plays dux 1 in the four-measure period while the middle voice plays dux 2 in the manner of inversion when compared to dux 1. The comes follows dux 1 in a unison canon with retrograded rhythm in three-fourths value just as section A. In section C, the dux 1 of the bottom line and the comes 1 in the middle voice interact the same way as section
A while the top line plays both dux 2 and comes 2 in consecutive order with retrograded rhythm in half rhythmic value (see Table 3.3 for the diagram of this canonic relationship). The procedure used in rhythm suggests Dallapiccola’s transitional experiments on rhythm, further theoretical analysis can be found in Edward Pearsall’s article talking about the set-theory approach to rhythm.27
27 Edward Pearsall, “Interpreting Music Durationally: A Set-Theory Approach to Rhythm,” Perspective of New Music 35, no. 1 (1997): 205-230.
26
Example 3.6. “Contrapunctus primus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-4.
Table 3.3. Diagram of the canonic relationship of “Contrapunctus primus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
section A section B section C
mm.1-4 mm.5-8 mm.9-12 mm.13-18
comes (P1) comes (R3) comes 1 (RI8) comes 2 (P4)
dux (P1) dux (R3) dux 2 (R6) dux 2 (P4)
dux 1 (RI8) comes 1 (I0)
dux 1 (I0)
The treble-clef notation of all voices offers a limited range for this polyphonic work. The
overlaps and crossovers increase the complexity for both performers and listeners to keep
tracking on the dux and comes. Amazingly, variation 1 of the B-A-C-H motif is detectable due to
melodic outline and rhythmic emphasis. Throughout the movement, the longer notes happen in
every three-note group in the dux state the chromatic B-A-C-H motif continuously (see circled
notes in Example 3.6). In section A, one single note from the tetrachord is pronounced measure
27 by measure. In sections B and C, with the appearances of the second dux, two statements of the
tetrachord occur in the same measure by different voices. Table 3.4 outlines the usage of
variation 1 of the B-A-C-H motif.
The canonic polyphony, brevity, and octave displacement of dodecaphony suggests the
influences of Webern. And yet the row-dominated four-bar phrasing and the clear-cut formal
division reserve the conservative part of Dallpiccola. The complexity of contrapuntal writing
alongside the rhythmic ratio between dux and comes make this serial movement a model for
combining tradition and modern.
Table 3.4. Diagram of the B-A-C-H tetrachord in “Contrapunctus primus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
mm. 1-4 mm. 5-8 mm. 9-12 mm. 13-16
dux 2 F# - G – G# - A G – F# - F – E
dux 1 E – Eb - D – Db Eb – E – F - F# E - D# - D - C# F – F# - G – G#
IV. Linee
“Linee” and “Contrapunctus secundus” form the second group of the inner section.
Forecasted by “Contrapunctus primus,” “Linee” continues the tranquil quality and linear texture.
There are only two statements of the row: one by the right hand (P11) and one by the left hand
(I10). Except for the application of the twelve-tone row in compositional material and five-bar phrasing, the usage of binary form and melody-accompaniment texture are traditional.
In this song-like movement, Dallapiccola’s specialty in writing vocal music is revealing.
The transparent melodic line is sung in long-note value while the motionless accompanying
28 ostinato is steadily played by the eighth notes. The diatonic/modal quality of the row arrangement in both melody and accompaniment again confirms Dallapiccola’s personal preference and also the influences of Berg. The prolongation of the tones in ostinato figure allows Dallapiccola to employ only two statements of the row for the whole piece. This ostinato figure also reminds us of the accompaniment used in “Simbolo.” However, the grouping of the ostinato is irregularly divided into 3+2+3 in this movement according to the meter marking and the legato groupings. In section A, the accompaniment played by the right hand uses the irregular grouping while the left hand melody part plays in regular 4/4 meter. Section B reverses this procedure. This contradictive design creates unstable pauses within serene atmosphere (Example
3.7).
Example 3.7. “Linee” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-2 and mm. 6-7.
mm. 1-2
mm. 6-7
29 The B-A-C-H motif, another special feature for all previous movements, here, for the first
time, is hard to locate either in melodic outline or accompanying ostinato. The simplicity of the
melody-accompaniment texture and the clear-cut binary form make this movement the easiest
piece in the whole set.
V. Contrapunctus secundus
Subtitled “Canon in contrary motion,” this movement is the second with polyphonic writing in the whole set. The mirror effect of contrary canon is achieved by inversions of the row used for dux and comes. In twelve-tone theory, the mirror effect exists between prime form and its inversion, also, it can be found between retrograde and retrograde inversion. Therefore, the quasi-decisive choices of the row for comes is based on the chosen row of dux. Binary in form, the two four-bar phrases are separated by a total silence in the middle of the piece. Furthermore,
sections A and B are exactly parallel in motion. Section A starts with the left-hand dux, which is a half-beat ahead of the right-hand comes (Example 3.8). Section B, on the contrary, starts with the right hand dux which is again a half-beat ahead of the left-hand comes (Example 3.9).
Organization of the rows is shown in Table 3.5.
Table 3.5. Organization of the rows in “Contrapunctus secundus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
mm. 1-3 mm. 3-4 mm. 5-7 mm. 7-8
R. H. P9 R5 P0 R8
L. H. I7 RI11 I10 R I2
30 Example 3.8. “Contrapunctus secundus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-3.
Example 3.9. ‘Contrapunctus secundus’ from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 5-6.
Texture changes with the choices of the row forms. In mm. 1-3 and 5-7, linear texture is presented while in mm.3-4 and 7-8, chordal texture becomes dominant. Degrees of perceptibility in the usage of the B-A-C-H motif vary according to the texture and choices of the row form. For instance, the B-A-C-H motif and its inversion are audible in mm. 1-3 and 5-7 when the prime and inversion of the row forms are used. In mm. 3-4 and 7-8, the B-A-C-H motif is hidden inside
31 the chords and is hard to detect (Table 3.6).
Table 3.6. The hidden tetrachords in “Contrapunctus secundus” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
mm. 1-3 mm. 5-7
R. H. C – B – D – C# Eb – D – F - E
(B – A – C – H) (B – A – C – H)
L. H. C – C# - Bb – Cb Eb – E – Db - D
(inversion of BACH) (inversion of BACH)
The analysis of the B-A-C-H motif enables us to peek into Dallapiccola compositional
plot. The chosen inversion form shares a common tone with the prime form when outlining the
B-A-C-H tetrachord. Same interval (T10) applies in both presentations of the tetrachord in mm.
1-3 (P9 versus I7) and mm. 5-7 (P0 versus I10). The common tones (C in m. 1 and Eb in m. 5)
serve a pivotal function for this canon in contrary motion.
VI. Fregi
The title of this movement, frieze, is an architectural term which means the center of the structure. Musically, being the sixth piece among these eleven pieces, this movement also serves a central role in the whole set. Many musical characteristics enhance this role by assembling traits from the previous movements. For instance, the chordal texture of “Simbolo” and
32 “Accenti” is preserved by the left- hand intervallic dyads. The linear and lyrical style of
“Contrapunctus primus” and “Linee” is shown by the right-hand melodic lines. The contrary motion of “Contrpunctus secundus” becomes its main sectional design.
Binary in form, the two six-bar phrases are inversions of each other in several aspects. In section A, the right-hand linear melody is later played by the left hand in section B in contrary motion. The intervallic dyads of the left hand in section A then move to the right hand in section
B (Example 3.10). Forms of the rows follow this mirror device. The groupings of the row change
according to the texture. Two statements of the rows happen in the melodic part in both sections.
However, the 3+3+3+3 groupings of the former statements (mm. 1-4 and mm. 6-9) differ from
the 3+4+3+2 of the later ones (mm. 4-6 and mm. 9-11). Only one statement happen in the
accompaniment voice and the 2+2+2+2+2+2 groupings remain the same throughout the
movement (Table 3.7).
The B-A-C-H motif is more detectable in the form of variation 1 (chromatic tetrachord)
in both statements of the prime form. With the 3+3+3+3 groupings of the prime form, the
tetrachord found in every three-note division resembles the usage of the B-A-C-H motif in
“Contrapunctus primus.” Besides the chromatic tetrachord, the semitone dyads also play an
important role in this movement. They can be found in the openings and closings of each section
as melodic or harmonic intervals. One more interesting discovery was found. According to my
observation, the missing tones in both sections also share a semitone relationship. In section A, E
is missing in row I10 while in section B, F is found missing in row P3. The emphasis of the
semitone dyads is now silently declared.
33 Table 3.7. Relationship of the rows in “Fregi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
section A section B
R. H. P0 R7 P3
L. H. I10 I1 RI6
| inversion |
| inversion |
| inversion |
The semi-conclusive quality also shows in other aspects. The frequent meter changes
remind us “Simbolo” and “Linee.” The rhythmic complexity recalls music of “Accenti” and
“Contrapunctus primus.” In the matter of texture, this movement again shares a common ground with “Simbolo” and “Linee.” The lyricism of melody and diatonic dyads of accompaniment
again prove Dallapiccola’s ability in poetic dodecaphonic writing.
34 Example 3.10. “Fregi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
35 VII. Andantine amorose e Contrapunctus tertius
Subtitled “Crab canon,” it is the third and most complex polyphonic piece in this set. The
red ink used for the canonic material is placed on the top of the page in an old-fashion way. At the end of the canonic material, the “2nd volta” indication suggests the backward motion of the
comes. Inside the movement, the crab part of the canon is played in the second half within a traditional binary form. Each section is comprised of two phrases and each phrase contains two statements of the row. The canonic material of mm.1-8 repeats in section B while the comes plays the canonic material simultaneously in a backward direction (Table 3.8). Similar to the accompaniment of “Fregi,” the row is divided by six dyads yet is shared by both hands (Example
3.11).
Table 3.8. Presentation of the rows in “Andantine amorose e Contrapunctus tertius” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
section A (mm. 1-8) section B (mm. 9-16)
Dux: P0 – R7 – I 5– RI1 P0 – R7 – I 5– RI1
Comes: I1 – RI5 – P 7- R0
Example 3.11. “Andantine amorose e Contrapunctus tertius” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-5.
36 The B-A-C-H motif, same as “Linee,” is hard to trace and is hidden inside the intervallic
texture. However, the semitone nature, derived from the B-A-C-H motif, suggested in the
opening ostinato of “Simbolo,” saturates the whole movement as “Fregi.” In this movement, both
sections start and end with the Bb – Cb semitone dyad.
The conservative formal structure and canonic polyphony alongside the complex
rhythmic design and crab row application again show Dallapiccola’s refined combination of traditional and modern treatments.
VIII. Ritmi
Suggested by the title, this is an etude for rhythm. By far the fastest tempo in the whole set, the energetic spirit, rhythmic patterns, and fragmented rows contribute to this complex movement. Dominant rhythmic patterns are shown in mm. 1-4. Mm. 1-2 is rhythmic pattern “a” and mm. 3-4 is rhythmic pattern “b.” Pattern “a” contains a half of the row and pattern “b” contains the other half. In mm. 5-8, fragments of the rows, rhythmic pattern “a,” and the F# pedal point made by repetition present Dallapiccola’s unique dodecaphonic writing (Example 3.12).
Divided by contrast textures, the rondo form is for the first time applied. Section A features a disjunct theme which later reappears in canonic setting. Section B uses one fragmented row as the long-note melody played by the left hand. Section C, in contrast to previous sections, is homophonic in texture (see Table 3.9 for detail formal diagram and Example 3.13 for sectional examples).
37 Example 3.12. “Ritmi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-9.
Table 3.9. Detail formal diagram of “Ritmi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
mm. 1-11 12-20 20-28 29-37 38-45 46-57 58-61
section A B A’ C A’ C’ A’
38 Example 3.13. Sectional examples of “Ritmi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
section A please see Example 3.12. section B (from m. 12)
section C (mm. 29-37)
39 In all three A’ sections, the disjunction of the theme makes it hard to locate the thematic
material. Example 3.14 shows the complexity of the canonic texture in mm. 41-44.
Along with the fragmentation of the rows and the canonic presentation, the B-A-C-H
motif is not always complete and audible. In section A, only one complete statement of the row
is found in mm. 1-4. The melodic outline brings out the B-A-C-H tetrachord one by one in each
measure. Section B contains only partial of the row on the left-hand melody, therefore, the motif
is not well preserved. In the following two A’ sections, the condensed canonic presentations of the rows makes the motif hard to be traced. Also, the tetrachord placed inside the homophonic texture of section C is not meant to be noticed. Instead of focusing on the B-A-C-H motif and semitone dyads as previous movements, Dallapiccola starts to experiment on the compositional possibilities made by segmentation of the rows in this movement.
Example 3.14. “Ritmi” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera mm. 41-44.
40 IX. Colore
In contrast to the powerful outer movements “Ritmi” and “Ombre,” “Colore” is the gentle
inner movement of the final group. As the composer indicates, the “affectionate, cradling”
characteristics are carried by simple melody-accompaniment texture. Unlike “Ritmi,” all five
rows used in this movement are complete ones. The prolongation of certain tones is made by
repeating intervallic dyads in the accompaniment instead of ostinato dyads used in “Simbolo”
(Example 3.15).
Example 3.15. “Colore” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-3 (with circled notes).
Binary in form, both sections are connected by common tones in m.8 (C and B for right hand, G and E for left hand). Section A (mm. 1-8) features two standard four-bar phrasing. Each phrase contains one statement of the row. The melody-accompaniment texture swaps between phrases. Section B has a faster tone-row rhythm since one statement of the row is presented in every two measures except the extended last one (Table 3.10). The B-A-C-H motif is more audible in the opening and closing phrases. The melodic online and repetitions of the segments guide audiences’ ears (see circled notes in Example 3.15 for the B-A-C-H tetrachord).
41 Table 3.10. Usage of the rows in “Colore” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
section A section B
mm. 1-4 mm. 5-8 mm. 9-10 mm. 11-12 mm. 13-19
P0 R1 I2 I0 RI4
The exclusive usage of treble clefs and soft dynamics offers a limited register and small contrast possibility. However, as Fearn stated, “the largely static harmony diverts the listener’s attention towards aspects of timbre.”28 The color Dallapiccola wants to show is a transparent,
delicate, yet affettuoso sound quality.
X. Ombre
Ternary in form, the shadow effects lie in the dynamic contrast of the outer sections and
the inner one. Section A is marked ff, the row is presented by dyads in repetition pattern. The
connection of section A and B is made by the common tones. Section B is marked pp, the
tremolo figure again reinforces Dallapiccola’s unique way of processing rows. The delicate and
transparent sound quality in section B forms a dramatic contrast with the violent and rigid
attitude in section A (see Example 3.16 for examples of section A and B).
The slow-fast rhythm of the tone-row change in section A later becomes retrograde.
Therefore, in the recapitulation, section A’ (Table 3.11), the tone-row rhythm is fast-slow and
28 Fearn, Luigi Dallapiccola, 167.
42 forms a symmetric arch structure in the ternary form. Section B can be divided into two equal parts according to the tone-row rhythm and the 1+1+1+2 phrasings. Table 3.11 shows the diagram of tone-row rhythm.
The B-A-C-H motif is often too hidden inside the chordal texture to be audible.
Sometimes, the fragmental presentation of the B-A-C-H motif in the melodic outlines remotely reminds us the symbol Dallapiccola applied from the very beginning.
Example 3.16. Section A of “Ombre” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 1-3.
Section B of “Ombre” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, mm. 8-9.
43 Table 3.11. Structural analysis of “Ombre” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
Ternary form section A section B section A’
Measures mm. 1-7 mm. 8-17 mm. 18-23
Tone-row rhythm slow-fast steady fast-slow
Phrasing 5+2 (1+1+1+2) 2 2+4
|______|
retrograde relation
(arch form)
XI. Quartina
Literally, the title means quatrain, a poem or a stanza of a poem which always contains
four lines of text. Dallapiccola had discussed the relationships between poetic quatrain and
melodrama in his own article writing about Italian opera. He wrote,
I should like to consider here what the poetic quatrain offered to the composer of the Italian melodrama as a basis for the construction of operatic forms, with specific reference to arias, ariosi, and cavatinas….The music of this quatrain is almost precisely in accordance with the formal scheme…. I have restricted my discussion to the structure of the aria in the melodrama as a musical quatrain, and to the analogy between quatrains in music and poetry.29
Therefore, in the last movement of this mature instrumental work, Dallapiccola’s “a song
without words” is formed. The singing quality in the melodic line reminds us of those beautiful
arias and recitatives written by his Italian ancestors. Furthermore, as the title suggests, the
29 Luigi Dallapiccola, “Words and Music in Nineteenth-Century Italian Opera,” Perspectives of New Music 5, no. 1 (1966): 121, 128.
44 four-phrase structure is predictable. There are two statements of the row in each phrase, one by
the right-hand melody and the other by left-hand accompaniment (Table 3.12). The wide-ranged
disjunct melodies are contrasted to the long-noted chordal accompaniment. The melodies in the
first two phrases are aria-like while the last two phrases resemble recitative by using repeated notes. As Fearn noted, they are “almost Monteverdian repeated-note palpitations.”30
The B-A-C-H motif is mostly hidden inside the chordal texture of the accompaniment.
The melodic line does not outline the motif in this movement either. Unlike the opening
“Simbolo,” the usage of the B-A-C-H motif apparently is not the main focus for Dallapiccola yet
it serves a background function in uniting the whole set.
Table 3.12. Structural analysis of “Quartina” from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera.
Phrase 1 Phrase 2 Phrase 3 Phrase 4
mm. 1-5 mm. 6-9 mm. 10-13 mm. 14-18
R. H. I0 R2 RI8 P2
L. H. R2 RI8 P11 I6
Conclusion
Being one of his mature dodecaphonic works, Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera reserves
Dallapiccola’s musical expression. The diatonic quality and lyricism of the row along with the
traditional formal structure and texture successfully assist Dallapiccola to combine personal
30 Fearn, Luigi Dallapiccola, 169.
45 tradition with modern composition technique. Influences from other composers are obvious. For
instance, the diatonic quality of the row is Berg-like and the brevity and the contrapuntal writing resemble Webern’s music. The B-A-C-H symbol, the Baroque-like traditional texture, and the formal structure suggest Dallapiccola’s retrospective attitude. The combination of Neo-Baroque elements, serial method, and symbolism make this work one-of-a-kind.
46 Chapter 4. Heitor Villa-Lobos and His Musical Style
In the following chapters, I will talk about Villa-Lobos, another modern composer who used Bach-inspired elements in his solo piano work Bachianas Brasileiras No.4. Although
Dallapiccola and Villa-Lobos both incorporated neo-Baroque ingredients into their solo piano works, the approach and outcome are very different. Compared to Dallapiccola’s ingenious combination of the serial method and the BACH motif, Villa-Lobos’ creative fusion of folk materials and Bach-styled elements also opened a new page for modern composers. Villa-Lobos was considered one of the most prominent figures in twentieth-century Brazil. In his book The
Music of Brazil, David P. Appleby states, “His attitude toward folk music was a pragmatic approach of a composer who has found useful raw material to be molded and re-created.”31
Villa-Lobos’ musical style derives from two main influences: the authentic heritage from
European masters and the folk materials from his native land. The distinguished sound of nationalism and the enormous amount of compositions in all genres make him a token of twentieth-century Latin music.
A. Biographical background
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Villa-Lobos’ early musical training came from his well-educated and music-lover father. It was his father who led him into the musical world by teaching him basic skills and cello. As Villa-Lobos recalled, he always joined his father in various musical activities when he was little. However, his mother wanted him to become a physician instead of a
31 David P. Appleby, The Music of Brazil (Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, 1983), 117.
47 musician. Therefore, when his father passed away, the eleven-year-old Villa-Lobos had to continue his musical journey secretly.
Similar to Dallapiccola, political disturbances affected Villa-Lobos’ childhood.
Surprisingly, in both cases, short-term political exiles actually brought positive impacts to them.
Dallapiccola got the chance to expend his musical horizons by acquainting himself with many classic music masters’ music. Villa-Lobos for the first time came into contact with rural music which “charmed him and made a definite imprint on his mind.”32 With these disruptions in life,
Dallapiccola still received interrupted formal musical training. Villa-Lobos, with his rebellious personality and intervention from his mother, withdrew from the School of Medicine at the age of sixteen and left home. He then stayed with his aunt. Being a pianist, aunt Zizinha taught him music of Bach. When he was eighteen, as Vasco Mariz noted, “he was seized with the desire to discover the country.”33 With those various trips between 1905 and 1913, he traveled around the northern and northeastern parts of the country. Popular tones and songs he heard from the streets deeply inspired his national feeling. Thousands of collected musical themes and rhythms later became the main compositional materials in his classical works. Music of Bach, which was introduced by his aunt, also fused with popular elements in the series of Brazilian Bachianas.
Back to his hometown, Villa-Lobos married the pianist Lucília Guimarães in 1913. Many of his new piano works in the 1910s and 1920s were premièred by her. As Béhague wrote,
Compositionally, the period 1912-17 was one of intense activity and marked the maturation of Villa-Lobos’s creative personality. By 1917 he had produced some 100 works, including chamber music, two symphonies, and the ballets….The first official
32 Vasco Mariz, Villa-Lobos: Life and Work (Washington, D.C.: Brazilian American Cultural Institute, Inc., 1970), 4.
33 Ibid., 7.
48 concert fully dedicated to his work took place on 13 November 1915 and established him at once as an enfant terrible of new Brazilian art music.34
The “Week of Modern Art” in 1922 played an important role in introducing Villa-Lobos music to his Brazilian audiences. The chaotic reaction from the public revealed the conservative attitude of his people. However, the boldness and freshness in his music attracted European audiences’ ears. They were fascinated by the “exotic” sound of this Latin American composer. In the 1920s, Paris was the capital for musicians. Villa-Lobos’ time in Paris gave him chances to be acquainted with top musicians such as Ravel, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Artur Rubinstein.
Despite his concert tours back in Rio and São Paulo being interrupted by political events in the early 1930s, Villa-Lobos was aware of the musical needs of his people. He proposed an educational plan and founded the “SEMA” (Super-intendency of Musical and Artistic Education) in 1932.35 As Mariz further indicated,
The educational activities of SENA proceeded intensively until the creation of the National Conservatory for Orpheonic Singing on November 26, 1942…Villa-Lobos was so indefatigable in organizing music teaching in Brazilian schools, in stimulating musicological research, and in recording Brazilian music that his educational work in Brazil is still highly regarded and deserving of the respect and appreciation of all music lovers.36
Musical education activities included not only founding schools but also teaching choral singing in the schools. Thousands of people learned basic music knowledge and were able to sing Brazilian music. The achievement of Villa-Lobos’ devotion to promoting musical standards in his native land was immense.
34 Gerard Béhague, “Villa-Lobos,” Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy, http://www.grovemusic.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu (accessed November 10, 2007).
35 Mariz, Villa-Lobos, 22.
36 Ibid., 23.
49 In the 1940s and 1950s, Villa-Lobos traveled a lot between continents as a conductor. His career also “took an upward turn internationally.”37 New York city even became the “center of his activities” in the last years of his life.38 In 1959, after a long concert tour around the world, his health condition worsened and he passed away several months later. Being a musical representative for Brazil, numerous celebrities including the president attended his funeral.
B. Stages of evolution and connections with the folk materials
With a total over seven hundred works, Villa-Lobos was considered one of the most prolific composers in the western music history. Giving the credit to the effort of his second wife,
Arminda Neves d’Almeida, who founded the Villa-Lobos Museum in 1960, a completed catalogue of his work was released in 1989. Even with such prolific examples, the quasi-improvisation quality in his music and rebellious personality make it hard to find a clear trait of evolution. He once told Mariz, “As soon as I feel someone’s influence on me, I shake myself and jump out of it.”39 It is this kind of attitude that distinguishes him from most composers. Dallapiccola, for instance, has a continuous thread in finding personal usage of dodecaphony. Therefore, the developmental stages can be divided according to the maturity of his twelve-tone techniques.
According to the manner he handled folk materials, tripartite division can be found:
37 Béhague, “Villa-Lobos.”
38 Mariz, Villa-Lobos, 26.
39 Ibid., 10.
50 1. The early years (1887-1920): during the exile period, young Villa-Lobos for the first
time had the chance to be in contact with the popular music he heard from the young companions
from the street. During the teenage period, trips around the country helped him to collect folk
songs and rhythms. Without much compositional experience and formal musical training, he happily accepted all kinds of folk materials and arranged them literally.
2. The middle period (1920-1945): mostly self-taught, he studied scores of many
composers ranging from Bach and Wagner, to his contemporaries and French impressionist composers. In this period, his writing skills were more mature and he was able to add more personal taste while approaching folk elements. The famous sets of Choros and Bachianas
Brasileiras are two representatives of this period.
3. The late years (1945-1959): after a long period of self-exploration, Villa-Lobos already
mastered the technique of employing folk music. Without direct quotation, the spirit of
nationalism is naturally contained.
C. Piano output
Being an extremely prolific composer in all genres, Villa-Lobos composed 727 works in
total. Within the 287 instrumental pieces, 65 are written for solo piano. Most of these solo piano works contain more than one small piece and those small pieces are grouped in suites or collections. As André Loss counted, the result is to raise “the number of piano compositions to an actual of 217 individual pieces.”40 Although Villa-Lobos was not a pianist, the refined and
40 André Loss, “The Villa-Lobos Changes in the Prole do Bebê no 1 and in his Piano Works: A New Approach to the Study of his Evolution.” (D.M.A. thesis, University of Cincinnati, 1996), 9.
51 energetic quality of his piano works make them first-rate and some of the most popular in
contemporary piano literature.41
Composed in the first stage of his folk-related evolution (1887-1920), A Prole do Bebê
Suites Nos.1 (1918) is a result of Villa-Lobos’ friendships with the famous pianist Artur
Rubinstein. Along with Series 2, they are his most famous works for solo piano. Within these
suites, authentic Brazilian elements are well preserved in the rhythmic-oriented flavor and
folk-like simple form. Brazilian folk music and “imaginative impressionistic flavor” are
successfully blended together.42 Premiered by his first wife Lucília, Carnaval das Crianças
Brasileiras (1920) was dedicated to his nephews and nieces and consist of eight pieces depicting scenes of Brazilian carnivals.
Many piano works were composed in the second period (1920-1945). As I mentioned before, in this period, Villa-Lobos’ usage of folk materials was getting mature and his personal style started to be noted. Rudepoêma (1926), the largest, most virtuosic and powerful of his solo piano pieces, was dedicated to his friend, the famous pianist Artur Rubinstein. Other pieces based on Brazilian folk stories, Brazilian Indian, popular Brazilian children’s songs, or popular
Brazilian themes are found in Ciclo Brasileiro, Cirandas, Ten Pieces on Popular Children’s Folk
Tunes of Brazil, and etc.43 Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 is the best illustrations of Villa-Lobos’
personal response to modern and traditional elements. The musical atmosphere of Bach’s style is
fused with the vivid rhythmic patterns and energetic melodic lines of Brazilian folk music.
Works from the late years (1945-1959) contain much less direct quotation of folk tunes.
41 Appleby, The Music of Brazil, 57.
42 Maurice Hinson, Guide to the Pianist’s Repertoire (Indiana University Press, 1973), 663.
43 Ibid., 662-5.
52 The unconscious fusion of folk elements, modern techniques, and personal approaches make his music the highest aesthetic in nationalism. As Hinson noted,
This great Brazilian artist began composing in a post-romantic style, moved to impressionism and folklore, later experimented with classicism, and finally synthesized all these elements. Some works are simple and easily understood while others are abstract and highly complex….His keyboard style often involves a wide dynamic range, complex cross-rhythms, improvisatory sweeps, lush sonorities, and a unique manner of handling the pedals.44
44 Hinson, Guide to the Pianist’s Repertoire, 661.
53 Chapter 5. Modern Treatments in Bach-Inspired Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4
A. Homage to Bach
Throughout his life, Bach’s music had always been an important inspiration to Villa-Lobos.
From his early contact with Bach’s music via his pianist aunt, until his later arrangements of
Baroque music including Bach’s Preludes and Fugues into a series of transcriptions during the middle period (1941), Villa-Lobos had shown his devotion for Bach’s music. A clear statement about his attitude toward Bach’s music is found in a letter to the Bach Society in 1945.45
For him, Bach’s music is the highest art on earth and is universal. As Bach expressed his respect to God, his music becomes the most direct communicational tool and represents “folk music” for all human beings. Mariz wrote, “The series…is a complex of works inspired by the musical atmosphere of Bach’s style, which Villa-Lobos considered a source of universal folklore and a link uniting all peoples.”46 Therefore, being fond of folk material, the nationalistic
Villa-Lobos wrote a series of nine Bachianas Brasileiras as his tribute to Bach. As Appleby noted, “Villa-Lobos believed that there were elements common to baroque music and the improvisations of Brazilian popular music….He once said that the Bachianas Brasileiras were the kind of music the Leipzig master might have written had he been born a twentieth-century
Brazilian composer.”47
45 David P. Appleby, Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Life (1887-1959) (Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002), 119.
46 Mariz, Villa-Lobos, 40.
47 Appleby, Heitor Villa-Lobos, 120-1.
54 B. Compositional background
Composed between 1930 and 1945, the order of the series of nine Bachianas Brasileiras
does not correspond with the “actual order of the works’ creation.”48 Similar to the series of
fourteen Chôros, the usage of folk materials permeates the whole set. However,
multi-movements are employed in Bachianas Brasileiras instead of the single movements in the
Chôros. Villa-Lobos’ skillful ways of creating Bach-styled Brazilian music is underlined by the
special dualism of the titles for every movement of Bachianas Brasileiras (except No. 9). One
title is written in Portuguese, as a “reference to Brazilian culture, mainly some genre of folk
music” and the other is “borrowed from the tradition of baroque music.”49 An insightful
explanation had been made by Simon Wright, who wrote,
The dual, ‘bi-cultual’ titles given to most of the movements in the series provide the real clue to what Villa-Lobos was about: a true synthesis of Brazilian and European musical language, a distillation of the vibrant Chôros style, and an attempt to tame it within European forms…. The Bachianas are the spiritual counterpart to Villa-Lobos’s practical work in introducing the choral and instrumental masterpieces of European music to the people of Brazil.50
Similar to Chôros, various ensembles are found in this series of Bachianas Brasileiras.
Only No. 4 is written for solo piano (just like Chôros No. 5). The completion dates of each
movement in Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 suggest that Villa-Lobos did not have a continuous
thread for the whole piece. The last movement was actually finished first in 1930 while the first
two movements were completed in 1941. As Tarasti noted, “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 as a whole is based on the potpourri form, in which the various movements have no thematic or tonal
48 Tarasti, Heitor Villa-Lobos, 202.
49 Ibid., 181.
50 Simon Wright, Villa-Lobos (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), 86-7.
55 relation with one another.”51 Therefore, unlike Dallapiccola’s Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera,
which is based on a single set for all movements and is intended to be performed as a set,
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 doesn’t have this limitation. However, in my point of view, if we
take the formal structure into consideration, the suggestion of a baroque suite, which is intended
to be played as a set, is clear.
C. Modern treatments: neo-classic method and nationalism
Without much formal musical training, Villa-Lobos’ writings are fresh and instinctive.
Most of his works feature bold harmony and vigorous rhythm. However, when he tried to access
Bach-inspired elements, the neo-classic approach suddenly appears in this series. Therefore,
many scholars tend to compare the dramatic change of writing attitude between two of his
internationally famous series of works: Chôros and Bachianas Brasileiras. As Wright noted, “to
a large degree the Bachianas discard the colouristic chordal clusters of the Chôros, their bizarre
instrumental combinations and sound effects, their intricate rhythmic devices, and their
astringent harmonic vocabulary; bi-tonality is absent, the harmony being predominantly tonal.”52
Mariz also wrote, “the Bachianas Brasileiras constitute an aesthetic retrogression for a composer who wrote the Chôros, they represent a valuable experiment in the juxtaposition of certain harmonic counterpoints and the melodic atmosphere of rural or urban areas of Brazil to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.”53
As many of Villa-Lobos’ piano works, folk materials play an important role in this series.
51 Tarasti, Villa-Lobos, 202.
52 Ibid., 86-7.
53 Mariz, Villa-Lobos, 40.
56 However, the quotation of actual folk tunes is rare except for the third and fourth movements of
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4. The ingenious combination of neo-baroque sonorities and Brazilian folk melodies make this piece one of the best examples of Villa-Lobos’ unique style.
D. Analysis of each movement
I. Preludio – (Introdução)
As the titles suggest, this movement functions as an introduction as the prelude of a suite.
Completed in 1941, this movement was dedicated to Tomas Teran. Considered the most
Bach-like among all four movements, the ascending arpeggio of the single motive played by the right hand resembles the opening phrases of the “Royal Theme” from Bach’s Musical Offering and the Toccata from Partita in E minor, BWV 830. A close comparison is listed below in
Examples 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3. The result of the comparison, as Tarasti noted, “illustrated how the dynamism of Bach’s phrasing and its tonal tension, a genuinely baroque-like dramatic gesture, is transformed with its arrival in the tropics into a languid figure of eighth notes whose esthetic content is rather the depiction of the geographical vastness of Brazil, the silence of a desert’s endless landscape.”54
Ternary in form, the divisions of this “monothematic” movement are based on the harmonic language of the left hand, the changes of texture, and the tonality.55 In section A (mm.
1-18), along with the arpeggio motive in the right hand, the usage of passacaglia melody and circle of fifths are found in the inner voice and bass line. A passacaglia literally means a melody in the bass and is a typical compositional method for baroque period. However, in this section,
54 Tarasti, Heitor Villa-Lobos, 203.
55 Rust, “Piano Works,” 53.
57 the passacaglia melody floats between inner and bass parts (see Example 18 for the application of the passacaglia melody). Furthermore, the irregular phrasing (5+4+4+5) is related to the applications of the passacaglia (see Table 5.1 for detailed analysis of each phrase). The motif changes in inner phrases with improvisatory decorations (circled parts in Example 5.4).
Example 5.1. The arpeggio motive in “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
Example 5.2. The royal theme from Bach’s Musical Offering.
58 Example 5.3. The arpeggio figures from Bach’s Toccata from Partita in E minor, BWV 830.
Example 5.4. Application of the passacaglia melody, circle of fifths, and circled decoration of the arpeggio melody in section A of “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No.4.
59 Table 5.1. Analysis of phrasing in section A of “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
Phrases Measures Placement of the passacaglia melody
1 mm.1-5 inner voice (bass = circle of fifths)
2 mm.6-9 bass
3 mm.10-13 bass
4 mm.14-18 inner voice (bass = circle of fifths)
In section B (mm.19-32), the tonality changes from B minor to its subdominant key (E minor) and then moves back to B minor when the recapitulation (section A’) arrives. The passacaglia melody is replaced by the chromatic bass line. Three innovative and irregular phrases
(4+5+5) comprise this section with a canonic texture. Special triple-clef notation is applied in the middle phrase as the point of imitation appears. In measures 23 to 27, the canonic texture can be inspected in two directions. First, the middle voice resembles the melodic outline of the top voice.
Second, the chromatic descending motion of the inner voice parallels the half-note bass line
(Example 5.5). From measures 28 to 32, the bass line changes to ascending motion and again parallels the inner line while the melody becomes extremely improvisatory (Example 5.6).
Section A’ (mm.33-41) comprises two irregular phrases (4+5). In this section, the motive is played by the left hand in the inner voice or bass part for the first time and is combined with the passacaglia melody. The final statement of the motive (mm. 37-41) is made by octaves and accents in ff dynamics as a sign for arrival. “The unresolved seventh degree of the closing
60 chord,” as Tarasti noted, “seals the Villa-Lobosian quality of this bachianas.”56
Throughout the movement, Latin flavored sentiment is well preserved in the motive,
along with the Bachian elements and texture to create a unique combination that shows
Villa-Lobos’ ingenious craftsmanship.
Example 5.5. “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 23-27.
56 Tarasti, Heitor Villa-Lobos, 203.
61 Example 5.6. “Preludio” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 28-32.
II. Coral – (Canto do Sertão)
The usage of Bach-like technique in the chorale harmonization confirms the title.
However, the chorale melody here is a nostalgic “Song of the Desert/Jungle” which is derived from a “religious song of the Catholic sertanejas in the deserts of Northeast Brazil” accompanied by the singing of an araponga bird (blacksmith bird).57 Araponga is a kind of bird found in many Brazilian jungles. Villa-Lobos transcribed its monotonic singing into the persistence of
B-flat notes which appear at regular intervals throughout the whole movement. From Example
57 Tarasti, Heitor Villa-Lobos, 203.
62 5.7 we can see the chorale texture formed by a steady half-note harmonic rhythm while the top of the chords carry the main melody. The chorale melody comprises two square 8-bar phrases (mm.
1-8 and mm. 9-16) and the continuous B-flat notes appear on top of the chorale melody with accents.
Example 5.7. “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 1-16.
63 Binary in form, the division of A and B sections is based on the operation of the chorale theme. Section A (mm. 1-32) contains two complete statements of the theme and each statement is 16-measure in length. In the first statement, the chorale theme is placed on the top of the chorale texture and is played by the right hand along with the repeated B-flat notes. In the second statement, the texture changes to melody-accompaniment style. The melody here is carried by the left hand while the eighth-note accompaniment played by the right hand contains an oriental flavor due to the usage of pentatonic scales. The B-flat notes disappear in this part and resume in the next section (Example 5.8).
Example 5.8. “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 17-22.
64 With a much longer B section (mm. 33-92), the structure for the whole movement is very
Baroque-like. Section B can be subdivided into four parts according to the usage of the theme
(Table 5.2). In part I (mm. 33-50), the fragmentation of the chorale theme is presented in
two-measure sequences. Similar to the first movement, the usage of a circle of fifths progression
is found in the bass line (Example 5.9). Part II (mm. 51-58) for the first time in this movement
contains no fragment of chorale melody, but the two-bar sequences continue in a descending
motion while the singing of an araponga bird hovers over the high B-flat notes. Part III (mm.
59-70) resembles part I but is in condensed length. Part IV (mm. 71-92), on the contrary, is a
prolongation of part II with a six-measure coda. The half-note rhythmic pace of Part II is
replaced by the whole-note pace. In this part, with Villa-Lobos’ marking “como um orgão” (like an organ), a special pianistic technique is required (as he indicated, “Press the keys down without
letting the hammers strike the strings”). The modern notations and organ-like sonority show
Villa-Lobos’ innovation in combining Baroque quality and modern technique (Example 5.10).
Moreover, this organ-like sound in the last part echoes with the quotation of the Catholic theme from the beginning. Along with the tintinnabulation of the bird calls, the colors Villa-Lobos added in this aural canvas seem to have the ability to bring all listeners back to the Brazilian church in a remote district.
In this movement, Villa-Lobos’ nationalistic treatments of Bach-like elements are
prominent. The usage of chorale texture, formal structure, traditional tonality (in c minor), and
conservative phrasing resemble Baroque music. Villa-Lobos’ unique nationalism is shown by the
employment of folk chorale themes and the depiction of araponga sound. His characteristic
compositional techniques, such as the circle of fifths and suspended sevenths (in mm. 33, 35, 37,
39, 41, and 43), are skillfully fused with nationalistic and Baroque-like materials.
65 Table 5.2. Diagram of section B in “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
Part Measures Feature
I mm.33-50 2-bar sequences of chorale theme, no Bb repetition
II mm.51-58 2-bar sequences, no chorale theme, with Bb notes
III mm.59-70 condensed Part I
IV mm.71-92 prolonged Part II with coda
Example 5.9. Circle of fifths in “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 33-43.
66 Example 5.10. Modern notation in “Choral” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 71-73.
III. Aria – (Cantiga)
Being one of the few exceptions in Bachianas Brasileiras, this movement contains a recognizably direct quotation of a folk tune. As the titles Aria or Cantiga (sobre um tema do
Nordeste) indicate, the folk melody is based on a theme from Northeastern Brazil which implies the influences of Spanish troubadour songs. Adhenar Nobrega, a musicologist who is also a specialist on Bachianas Brasileiras, has identified the original folk tune as “Ó mana deix’eu ir”
(Sister, let me go) (Example 5.11).58 This grave, hymn-like folk melody constitutes the basis of
all the thematic material in this movement with some rhythmic modifications.
58 Adhemar Nobrega, As Bachianas Brasileiras de Villa-Lobos (Rio de Janeiro: Museu Villa-Lobos, 1971), 74.
67 Example 5.11. Folk tune “Ó mana deix’eu ir” from Northeastern Brazil.
Ternary in form, this movement opens with a six-measure introduction. The introduction is a self-contained unit which comprises four parts. From top to bottom, first we see a static repetition of the F notes, beneath that are descending chromatic major chords in the 2nd inversion.
On top of the I-II-V-I bass line is again a static repetition of the F notes. The emphasis on the F notes suggests the tonal center: f minor, for the whole movement (Example 5.12).
68 Example 5.12. Introduction of the “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 1-6.
Section A starts from measure 7 but the main quotation of the theme doesn’t show up until measure 23. Part I in section A (mm.7-22) is formed by four four-bar phrases and the melodic material comes from the ending part of the quoted theme (Example 5.13). Part II of section A (mm.23-37) consists of two complete statements of Villa-Lobos’ version of the quoted tune. Villa-Lobos slightly modified the rhythmic arrangements of the quoted tune into pan-quarter notes (Example 5.14). With rall. and rit. tempo change markings, this section doesn’t result in a slower section, instead, the next section is in a Vivace tempo.
Section B is a brief scherzo-like acceleration in this movement. The quarter-note texture of section A changes to an eighth-note texture. The tenuto markings on every quarter note in section A are replaced by staccato markings on every eighth note in this section. Preceded by eight introductory measures (mm.38-45), the quoted tune appears in a condensed length
(Example 5.15). After the meter change in measure 68, the quoted tune for the first time is carried by the left hand in octaves. In this climax section (mm.69-80), the intensity and energy are conveyed by the left-hand tune in octaves and the violent rhythmic figure of the right hand
69 (Example 5.16). After a period of cool down, the A’ section resumes with the quarter-note texture
and a moderate tempo.
Example 5.13. Section A Part I of “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 7-22.
Example 5.14. Section A Part II of “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 23-30.
70 Example 5.15. Section B of “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 38-48.
71 Example 5.16. Left-hand melody in Section B of “Aria” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 68-74.
Section C ends with a coda that remotely echoes the opening introduction and it results in an arch-like symmetric form for this movement. Unlike the strong Bach-influences in the first movement, the Bach-inspired elements are not obvious here. Monothematic, chorale-like texture and traditional functional harmonic language might suggest the conservative side of Villa-Lobos.
72 However, the prominent folk flavor lies in the faithful quotation of the folk tune. As Tarasti noted,
this movement “can be considered one of Villa-Lobos’s most successful ambientations of folk
music.”59
IV. Dansa – (Miudinho)
Similar to the Gigue of a Baroque suite, this set of Bachianas Brasileiras ends with a
fast-rhythm dance movement. Composed first in 1930, this toccata-like movement bears a
Portuguese subtitle “Miudinho,” which means “tiny.” Miudinho is a traditional folk dance from
Northeastern Brazil related to the samba. Samba, one of the most popular Brazilian music forms,
is considered a national music style of Brazil. Miudinho, a close relative of the samba family, shares many similar traits with a samba, such as duple meter and syncopations. As Appleby noted, Miudinho “is one of the steps in the samba, and the pacing creates the same kind of fast movement and excitement one experiences in the Spanish zapateado.”60
The energetic dance character is preserved by the fast tempo (muito ritmado e animado, very rhythmic and animated) and running sixteenth notes. The placement of sfz on up beats, the
“triple groupings of the sixteenth notes within a duple meter,”61 and the usage of syncopations
on a left-hand melody, all together create a “continuous sensation of metrical instability.”62 The main melody in this movement “has been borrowed from a tune, Vamos Maruca, recorded in São
59 Tarasti, Heitor Villa-Lobos, 205.
60 Appleby, Heitor Villa-Lobos, 126.
61 Ibid.
62 Appleby, The Music of Brazil, 137.
73 Paulo and also is to be found in Villa-Lobos’s own collection Guia prático as melody no.128.”63
The formal structure of this movement is ternary. Section A starts with an eleven-measure introduction. The ostinato-like figure in the right hand suggests a toccata-like texture. Left hand material consists of the repetition of intervals in perfect fifths as the pedal point and resembles the sound of a large organ in Bach’s music. The quoted melody appears at measure 12 in the inner voice with accents. The hymn-like quality of the melody is expressed by a narrow-ranged, stepwise contour (Example 5.17). After a complete statement of the melody, in measure 30, another melody formed by alternation of black and white keys appears again in an inner voice, followed by a passage of sixteenth notes shared by both hands (mm.37-43). The emphasis of Gb or F# creates a leading tone feeling, which will be resolved in G in the next passage. Now in measure 44, the toccata figure is carried by the left hand and the quoted melody transposed a perfect fifth up is played by the right hand in octaves. Before this section ends, another special alternation of black and white keys appears again in measure 66 and the application of “Black
Key versus White Key” shows Villa-Lobos’ unique piano writing (Example 5.18).64
Section B transposes from C major (section A) to A major. After a short two-measure
introduction, a new theme in 7-bar phrasing is introduced in triplets. The “sharp versus flat”
contrast in usage of accidentals (right-hand sharps, left-hand E flat) creates a polytonal sonority
(Example 5.19). A passage of intense dynamic changes occurs between mm.120 and 134
(Example 5.20). This section ends with a long sustained note that connects with the
recapitulation. The strong V – I feeling ends the recapitulation in the key of C.
63 Tarasti, Heitor Villa-Lobos, 206.
64 Jamary Oliveira, “Black Key versus White Key: A Villa-Lobos Device,” (Latin American Music Review 5, 1984), 33–47.
74 Example 5.17. “Dansa” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 12-25.
Example 5.18. The “Black key versus White Key” technique used in “Dansa” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 66-72.
75 Example 5.19. The “Sharp versus Flat” technique used in “Dansa” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 89-97.
Example 5.20. “Dansa” from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, mm. 120-134.
76 In this movement, the toccata-like texture suggests the Bach-inspired side of Villa-Lobos while the quotation of folk melody and strong rhythmic patterns imply his Brazilian side. The
ingenious fusion of both Bachian and Brazilian materials are perfectly presented in this
movement.
Through a detailed examination of this suite based on two main directions: Brazilian
components (Nationalism) and Baroque elements (neo-Baroque), Villa-Lobos’ modern
treatments in this Bach-inspired nationalistic work is evident. However, the balance of Bachian
and Brazilian elements varies from movement to movement. In the first movement, “Prelude,”
the Bachian influence permeates the texture and overrides the Brazilian flavor. The tone color,
established at the beginning, and the fast harmonic rhythm match the characteristics of a Baroque
prelude. On the contrary, in the third movement, “Aria,” the repetition of folk melody
overwhelms the Bachian material. The second movement, “Chorale,” and the fourth movement,
“Dance,” show Villa-Lobos’ exquisite balance of both influences from Bachian texture and
Brazilian folk melody. The refined synthesis of Bach-inspired Brazilian music makes this suite
one of the most valuable piano works of Villa-Lobos.
77 Chapter 6. Comparison Between the Piano Originals and the Orchestrated Versions
Coincidentally, both composers wrote an orchestral version after completing the piano version (Dallapiccola retitled his work Variazioni per orchestra in the orchestral version). Both have two different versions, Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera is better known for the piano version while the orchestral version of the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 is more popular. In this chapter, I will analyze each composer’s method of orchestration in terms of the treatment of
Bach-inspired elements and compare the orchestral and piano versions.
Dallapiccola: Variazioni per orchestra
Composed in 1954, two years after the piano version, this work is the result of
Dallapiccola’s commission from The Louisville Orchestra and was dedicated to its conductor
Robert Whitney. According to Dallapiccola himself, this work is a “literal” transcription of
Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera. The usage of the term “Variation” here is not in the traditional way. The material to be varied is the single twelve-tone row he selected for all eleven movements. In this orchestral version, Dallapiccola eliminated the descriptive titles of the piano version (“Simbolo,” ”Accenti,” and etc.) and only the tempo markings are kept.
In the first movement, the B-A-C-H motif is much easier to trace when the orchestral version assigns one instrument to be in charge of it. Three layers of the varied B-A-C-H tetrachord are carried by three different instruments. A different sound quality of each instrument creates distinguished yet consonant sonority for the chordal texture of the motif. The even tone color of the piano makes this task much harder to achieve.
78 Even though Dallapiccola considered that he made a literal version for the orchestra, the
doubling of certain parts helps to create a fuller sound quality (Example 6.1). The usage of
enharmonic notes also shows the liberal aspect of Dallapiccola in this literal work (see measure
27 in the string section).
Example 6.1. The 1st movement of Variazioni per orchestra, mm. 21-23.
With the chordal texture of the second movement, the only linear material is the B-A-C-H tetrachord. However, unlike the first movement, the motif is not carried by single instrument. In most cases, the tetrachord is divided into two parts, each carried by a different instrument.
Therefore, the motif is barely audible without any theoretical assistance.
In the third movement, the orchestration is actually better for the canonic texture. Each instrument is in charge of one voice and a complete statement of the twelve-tone row is carried
79 by the same instrument (Example 6.2). The piano version has its limitation in differentiating
multiple voices. Overlapping of voices is never a problem for the orchestral version. As to the
pronunciation of the B-A-C-H motif, the wide-ranged arrangements of the row are hard for
orchestral instruments to play smoothly. Therefore, the tetrachord is not very audible for
listeners.
Example 6.2. The 3rd movement of Variazioni per orchestra, mm. 1-4.
In movement No.7, discontinuation of the instrumental sound discourages listeners’ from
hearing a complete statement of the row. Here, the row is carried by different instruments which makes the canonic writing even more complex (see Example 6.3 for the divided first statement of the row in the string section).
80 Example 6.3. The 7th movement of Variazioni per orchestra, mm. 1-5.
The colorful sonority of the orchestral version makes the eighth movement one of the most interesting movements in the whole set. The usage of percussion and contrabassoon create a diversity of sound. Sectional divisions are more obvious with the changes of instrumentation.
The overlapping in the piano version is not a problem in the orchestral version of the ninth movement. The melody-accompaniment texture is clearly carried by different instrumentation. Whenever the string section plays the melody, the accompaniment is played by the winds, and vice versa (Example 6.4).
81 Example 6.4. The 9th movement of Variazioni per orchestra, mm. 1-6.
In general, both piano and the orchestral versions have their advantages and disadvantages. Being the instrument with the widest range, the octave displacement of the row is never a problem for piano. However, it is not the case for orchestral instruments due to the limitation of range. Wide-ranged disjunct melodies are hard for one single instrument to carry. In the piano version, the single tone color of the piano makes it hard to bring out the B-A-C-H motif when needed. For the orchestral version, published in his original hand-witten version, the colorful sonority of the orchestral version brings a new phase to Dallapiccola’s mature twelve-tone music.
82 Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4
This orchestral version was composed in 1941, the same year as the first two movements of the piano version. As an extremely prolific composer, Villa-Lobos is equally talented in both piano and orchestra writings. Several spots in the piano version even suggest instrumental timbres. As Tarasti noted, “The comparison of these two versions provides more knowledge about Villa-Lobos’s orchestration during that period, although it is difficult to evaluate in which version he found a better tonal solution.”65 Compared to the “literal” transcription in the orchestral version, Villa-Lobos’ orchestral transcription is more “liberal” by adding some colorful doublings and extra materials.
The first movement is interpreted by a string orchestra. The first melodic sequences are carried by the first violin section then taken over by the solo violin in measure 6. Extra musical material (not used in the piano version) appears in the first violin section at rehearsal no. 1
(Example 6.5). The canonic writing in section B is now played by different string instruments and the antiphonal singing between violin 1 and viola/cello is what the piano can hardly achieve
(Example 6.6).
“In the recapitulation,” as Tarasti noted, “the piano version’s main theme is placed in the tenor; in the orchestral version in the cellos which provides it with a special, impressive timbre
(Example 6.7).”66
65 Tarasti, Heitor Villa-Lobos, 202.
66 Ibid., 203.
83 Example 6.5. First page of “Preludio” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
84 Example 6.6. Canonic writing in section B of “Preludio” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
Example 6.7. Cello section in the recapitulation of “Preludio” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
85 With the help of contrabassoon and double bass, the low C in measure 6 of the second movement is properly delivered. The main melody is first carried by oboe and then doubled by horn in rehearsal no. 1. In rehearsal no. 2, the melody is transferred to the cello section (Example
6.8). The ostinato bird calls (B-flat notes) are now played by flute and xylophone throughout the whole movement without exceptions. In the piano version, the repetitive B-flat notes discontinue from measure 71 to the end due to instrumental limitation. From the orchestral version we can tell, Villa-Lobos actually intended to keep the ostinato in mind for the whole movement
(Example 6.9).
Example 6.8. Rehearsal nos. 1 and 2 of ”Choral” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
86 Example 6.9. Rehearsal no. 7 for the continuity of the B-flat notes in ”Choral” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
The free usage of extra musical materials in the third movement can best describe
Villa-Lobos’ flexibility in the rearrangement of the original piano version. In rehearsal no. 3, the flute line is doubled by oboe in playing a melody which is not used in the piano version
(Example 6.10). More examples are found throughout the whole movement. An extra sixteenth-note figure used in the rhythmic B section again shows Villa-Lobos flexibility in orchestral writing (Example 6.11).
87 Example 6.10. Rehearsal no. 3 for the extra melody in flue and oboe sections of ”Aria” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
Example 6.11. Rehearsal no. 5 for the extra sixteenth-note figure in the bassoon section of ”Aria” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
88 The motoric last movement has several traits that resemble the previous one. The doubling in the lower notes of the toccata-like sixteenth notes produces a clear melodic outline throughout the whole movement. Example 6.12 shows the doubling in violin II and viola sections. An extra arpeggio line in triplet, not in the piano version, appears several times after rehearsal no. 2. Example 6.13 shows the clarinet line. An extra canon occurs in rehearsal no. 5 between violin and trumpet sections and again shows Villa-Lobos’ skillful rearrangement in the orchestral version. (Example 6.14).
Similar to the series of fourteen Chôros, which contains only one piece for piano in
Chôros No.5, Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 is also the only one piano piece in the series of nine
Bachianas Brasileiras. Among those various ensembles, the purpose of the piano work is evident.
Villa-Lobos keeps the piano in mind when writing those series. The orchestral version, on the one hand, can provide an example for Villa-Lobos’ orchestration of this period. The piano version, on the other hand, can also offer a useful example of the composer’s compositional development. Although the orchestral version is more popular, the piano version has its own purpose. As to the treatments of the Bach-inspired elements, both piano and orchestral versions convey the Bachian/Brazilian flavors equally well.
89 Example 6.12. Opening of “Danza” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
90 Example 6.13. Clarinet line after rehearsal no. 2 of “Danza” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
91 Example 6.14. Extra canon found in rehearsal no. 5 of “Danza” from the orchestral Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.
92 Chapter 7. Conclusion
My intention is to promote these works by linking them through their Bach-inspired elements and highlighting their originality. Dallapiccola, with Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, successfully merged his personal taste for the twelve-tone system along with use of the B-A-C-H motif; with Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, Villa-Lobos effectively demonstrated the value of
Brazilian folk music along with Bach’s influence. Even though they approached Bach-inspired materials from two totally different angles, the results continued the over-three-hundred year
Bach tradition and again proved that inspiration can be found in tradition and that Bach is one enduring source.
The unique dualism used in Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera and Bachianas Brasileiras
No. 4 triggers my interest in discussing these two composers and pieces side by side.
Dallapiccola, being one of the pioneers in early twentieth-century Italian dodecaphonic writing, modified the twelve-tone techniques that he learned from the Second Viennese School and transformed them into a personal style. The free usage of repetition, the strong modal/diatonic choices of the row, along with the symbolism hidden behind the B-A-C-H cell, successfully expresses Dallapiccola’s lyrisim in Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera. Following the steps of his
Brazilian nationalism pioneers such as Alexandre Levy (1864-1902) and Alberto Nepomuceno
(1862-1902), Villa-Lobos’ boldness and freshness in using folk materials quickly caught
attention. Multi-style, Baroque/Nationalism, is well presented in the series of Bachianas
Brasileiras. Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 contains different ratios of Bach/Baroque elements to
Brazilian folk materials in each movement. It starts with a very Bach-like prelude movement and
then moves on to a second movement which synthesizes Brazilian bird calls, a religious tune,
93 and a Bachian chorale. The third movement contains direct quotation of a folk tune, followed by
a perfectly balanced combination of “toccata-Samba” in the last movement.
In contrast to the innovative dualism of musical characteristics, the forms used in both
pieces are relatively conservative. In Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera, six out of eleven are in
binary form. The rest of the movements are in ternary form, rondo form, or four-phrasing form
(the last movement “Quartina”). In Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, three out of four movements are in ternary form, except the second movement which is in binary form. The manner of applying traditional forms shows the Neoclassicism aspect of both composers. It also matches their musical trends. For Dallapiccola, the usage of traditional forms resembles his twelve-tone models, the second Viennese school composers. As to Villa-Lobos and most of the composers in
Nationalism, they focused on exploring the new materials from folk music instead of innovating forms. Therefore, another form of dualism, the combination of tradition (form) and modern
(serialism/nationalism) is found in both works.
As two of a few examples of twentieth-century Bach-inspired works, Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera and Bachianas Brasileiras No.4 receive little attention from today’s pianists. None is in the standard repertoire. I hope that through my theoretical analysis of each composer’s employment of Bach-inspired elements and personal styles, this document will not only lead more scholars to discover the value of these compositions but will also encourage more pianists to consider performing them more frequently.
94 Bibliography
I. Books and Dissertations
Appleby, David P. The Music of Brazil. Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, 1983.
______. Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Bio-Bibliography. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
______. Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Life (1887–1959). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002.
Basart, Anne Philips. “The Twelve-Tone Compositions of Luigi Dallapiccola.” M.A. thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 1960.
Béhague, Gerard. “Popular Music Currents in the Art Music of the Early Nationalistic Period in Brazil: Circa 1870-1920.” Ph.D. diss., Tulane University, 1966.
______. Music in Latin America, an Introduction. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1979.
______. Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Search for Brazil’s Musical Soul. Austin, Tex.: Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Texas at Austin, 1994.
Buccheri, John Stephen. “An Approach to Twelve-tone Music: Articulation of Serial Pitch Units in Piano Works of Schoenberg, Webern, Krenek, Dallapiccola, and Rochberg.” Ph.D. diss., University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, 1975.
Buenosaires, Oscar de. Bossa Nova and Samba: History, People, Scores, Books, Lyrics, Recordings. Albuquerque, NM: FOG Publications, 1999.
Burns, E. Bradford. A Documentary History of Brazil. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1966.
______. A History of Brazil. New York: Columbia University Press, 1970.
Dapogny, James Elliott. “Style and Mehtod in Three Compositions of Luigi Dallapiccola.” D.M.A. diss., University of Illinois, 1971.
Davis, Darién J., ed. Slavery and Beyond: The African Impact on Latin America and the Caribbean. Jaguar Books on Latin America 5. Wilmington, Del.: SR Books, 1995.
Fearn, Raymond. The Music of Luigi Dallapiccola. Eastman Studies in Music. Rochester, N.Y.: University of Rochester Press, 2003.
Gould, Glen H. “A Stylistic Analysis of Selected Twelve-Tone Works by Luigi Dallapiccola.” Ph.D. diss., Indiana University, 1964.
95 Lee, Sun Joo. “A Study of Nationalistic Expression of the Choro in Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Chamber Works with Bassoon.” D.M.A. thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2005.
Lewin, David. Musical Forum and Transformation: Four Analytical Essays. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1993.
Loss, André. “The Villa-Lobos Changes in the Prole do Bebê no 1 and in his Piano Works: A New Approach to the Study of his Evolution.” D.M.A. thesis, University of Cincinnati, 1996.
Magrill, Samuel Morse. “The Principle of Variation: A Study in the Selection of Differences with Examples from Dallapiccola, J. S. Bach, and Brahms.” D.M.A. diss., University of Illinois, 1983.
Mariz, Vasco. Villa-Lobos: Life and Work. Washington, D.C.: Brazilian American Cultural Institute, Inc., 1970.
McGowan, Chris, and Ricardo Pessanha. The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998.
Nobrega, Adhemar. As Bachianas Brasileiras de Villa-Lobos. Rio de Janeiro: Museu Villa-Lobos, 1971.
Norris, Scott. “An Analysis of Luigi Dallapiccola’s Simbolo and 17 Times for String Quartet.” Ph.D. diss., Brandeis University, 1997.
Orrego Salas, Juan. Involvement with Music: Music in Latin America. New York: Harper, 1976.
Peppercorn, L. M. Villa-Lobos, the Music: An Analysis of His Style. Translated by Stefan de Haan. New York: Pro/Am Music Resources, 1991.
______. The World of Villa-Lobos in Pictures and Documents. Brookfield, Vt.: Ashgate Pub., 1996.
______. Villa-Lobos: Collected Studies. Brookfield, Vt.: Ashgate Pub., 1992.
Perle, George. Serial Composition and Atonality. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1962. Reprint, 1981.
Petito, Sue Burnett. “The Piano Works of Luigi Dallapiccola (1904–1975): An Analysis for Performance.” Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1989.
Orrego-Salas, Juan A. Involvement with Music: Music in Latin America. New York: Harper’s College Press, 1976.
96 Qualliotine, Armand Guy. “Extended Set Procedures in Two Compositions of Luigi Dallapiccola.” Ph.D. diss., Brandeis University, 1986.
Rubinstein, Arthur. My Many Years. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.
Rust, Roberta. “Piano Works from Hietor Villa-Lobos’ Middle Period: A Study of Chôros No. 5, Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, and Ciclo Brasileiro.” D.M.A. diss., University of Miami, 1991.
Shattuck, Roger. The Banquet Years: The Origins of the Avant Garde in France, 1885 to World War I. Rev. ed. New York: Vintage Books, 1968.
Shead, Richard. Music in the 1920s. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co., 1976.
Sitsky, Larry, ed. Music of the Twentieth-century Avant-garde: A Biocritical Sourcebook. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002.
Slonimsky, Nicolas. Music in Latin America. New York: Da Capo Press, 1972.
Straus, Joseph N. Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc., 2000.
Tarasti, Eero. Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Life and Works, 1887-1959. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1995.
Wright, Simon. Villa-Lobos. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
Vianna, Hermano. The Mystery of Samba: Popular Music and National Identity in Brazil. Edited and translated by John Charles Chasteen. University of North Carolina Press, 1999.
II. Articles
Dallapiccola, Luigi. “Meeting with Anton Weber (Pages from a Diary).” Tempo 99 (1972): 2–7.
______. “Words and Music in Nineteenth-Century Italian Opera.” Perspectives of New Music 5, no. 1 (1966): 121-133.
Dasilva, Fabio B. “Misleading Discourse and the Message of Silence: An Adornian Introduction to Villa-Lobos’ Music.” International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music 10 (1979): 167–80. deJong, Gerrit, Jr. “Music in Brazil.” Inter-American Music Bulletin 31 (1962): 1–15.
97 Downes, Olin. “Villa-Lobos as a Nationalist Composer.” In Olin Downes on Music: A Selection from his Writings During the Half-Century 1906-1955, ed. Irene Downes, 276–80. New York: Greenwood Press, 1957.
Eckert, Michael. “Between Tradition and Avant-Garde: The Music of Luigi Dallapiccola.” The European Legacy: Toward New Paradigms 2 (1997): 86–91.
______. “Octatonic Elements in the Music of Luigi Dallapiccola.” Music Review 46 (1985): 35–48.
Nathan, Hans. “On Dallapiccola’s Working Methods.” Perspectives of New Music 15 (1977): 34–57.
______. “The Twelve-Tone Compositions of Luigi Dallapiccola.” The Musical Quartely 44 (1958): 289–310.
Oliveira, Jamary. “Black Key versus White Key: A Villa-Lobos Device.” Latin American Music Review 5 (1984): 33–47.
Orrego-Slas, Juan. “Heitor Villa-Lobos: Man, Work, Style.” Inter-American Music Bulletin 52 (1966): 1–36.
Pearsall, Edward. “Interpreting Music Durationally: A Set-Theory Approach to Rhythm.” Perspectives of New Music 35 (1997): 205–30.
Peppercorn, L. M. “Some Aspects of Villa-Lobos’ Principles of Composition.” Music Review 4 (1943): 28–34.
Perkins, John McIvor. “Dallapiccola’s Art of Canon.” Perspectives of New Music 1 (1963): 95–106.
Round, Michael. “Bachianas Brasileiras in Performance.” Tempo 169 (1989): 34–5, 38–41.
Schoenberg, Arnold. “Composition with Twelve Tones.” In Style and Idea, ed. Leonard Stein, 214–45. London: Faber and Faber, 1975.
Vassberg, David E. “Villa-Lobos: Music as a Tool of Nationalism.” Luso-Brazilian Review 6 (1969): 55–65.
Wright, Simon. “Villa-Lobos: Modernism in the Tropics.” The Musical Times 128 (1987): 132–3, 135.
______. “Villa-Lobos: the Formation of his Style.” Soundings 9 (1979–80): 55–70.
98 III. Scores and Recordings
Dallapiccola, Luigi. Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera. Milan: Edizioni Suvini Zerboni, 1953.
______. Variazioni per orchestra. Milan: Edizioni Suvini Zerboni, 1954.
______. Complete Works for Violin and Piano and for Piano. Duccio Ceccanti, violin; Roberto Prosseda, piano. Naxos Music Library 8.557676, 2006. Compact disc.
______. Tartiniana; Due pezzi; Piccola musica notturna; Frammenti sinfonici dal balletto Marsia; Variazioni per orchestra. James Ehnes, violin (1st work); BBC Philharmonic; Gianandrea Noseda, conductor. Colchester, Essex, England: CHAN 10258 Chandos Chandos, 2004. Compact disc.
Villa-Lobos, Heitor. The Piano Music of Heitor Villa-Lobos. New York: Consolidated Music Publishers, Inc., 1973.
______. Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 (for orchestra). New York: Ricordi, 1953.
______. Bachianas Brasileiras. Jose Feghali, piano (3rd work); Rosana Lamosa, soprano (5th work); Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Mogrelia (1st work), Kenneth Schermerhorn, conductors. Naxos Music Library 8.557460-62, 2006. Compact disc.
______. Complete piano music. Vol. 1. Débora Halász, piano. Djursholm, Sweden: CD-712 BIS; New York: Qualiton Imports, 1995. Compact disc.
IV. Websites
Béhague, Gerard. “Villa-Lobos, Heitor.” Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy. http:// www.grovemusic.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu (accessed November 10, 2007).
Waterhouse, John C. G. “Dallapiccola, Luigi.” Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy. http:// www.grovemusic.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu (accessed November 10, 2007).
99