37A nt P o6 SCALES, AND THEIR USE IN THE PIANO IUSIC OF DEBUSSY AND RAVEL TIESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF MUSIC by 197058 Elizabeth Ann Christensen, B. Mus. Keene, Texas January, 1952 197058 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES. .a .* a . a * a . V LIST ILLUSTEATIOIS". .*9 . .f.r , 0.*. i Chapter I. IITIRODUCTION . II. DEVELOPMENT ANt CLASSIFICATION OF SCALES . 3 Development according to geographical locations: Near East Far East West Other scales classified: Whole-tone Scale Twelve-tone System Hungarian Scale Artificial Scales Microtonal Scales III. TE US, OF SCALES IN THP PIANO MUSIC OF CLAUDE DEBUSSY. ----.-.... .... 15 Major Scales Whole-tone Scales Minor Scales Pentatonic Scales Modal Scales Glissandi Artificial Scales Chromatic Scales Scale-like Formations Gypsy Scales "Secondary" Scales iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page IV. THE USA OF SCALES IN THE PIANO MJ$IQ OF . "ARICERAVEL......... 48 Major Scales Glissandi Chromatic Scales Modal Scales minor Scales Whole-tone Scales Pentatonic Scales "Secondary" Scales V. COMPAATIVE ANALYSIS OF STATIJTICS AND CONCLUSION. b7 APPENDIX. ..... ..... 74 APPENDIX B. .f.f 7988. APPENDIX C. f . f . 88 f ." ." .f ." ." .f .f . ." .i 93BIBLIOGRAPHY.* . .! . iv : LlsT OF TABLES Table Page 1. Number of toasures and Scale-measures in the Piano Music of Debussy and Ravel . .68 2. Frequency of Occurrence of Types of Scales in the Piano Music of Debussy and Ravel . 69 V WON- - - -,1 41".- " LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Etude I, measures 1, 2 . 17 2. Etude I, measures 61, 62. 17 3. Etude I, measures 89, 91 . .. .. .. 18 4. Etude I, measures 98, 99 . 19 5. Etude I, measures 110-113. 19 6. tude VIII, measure 39 .9 . 20 7. "Pr4 lude," (Suite Bergasaue), measures 44, 45. 20 8. "La Soiree dans Grenade," (Estampes), measures 43-46...... ... 21 9. "Prelude," (Suite Bergamasque), measures 76, 77. 22 10. Mrabeqe No. 1, measures 34-37. 22 11. "Golliwogg' s Cake-walk," (Children's Corner), measures 70-72. 23 12. Arab{ue NI. 2, measures 36-42. 24 13. "Cloches a travers les f euilles," (Imes, Series II), measures 1-4... 26 14. "Reflets dans l'eau," (I2es, Series I, measures 44-48. 26,27 15. "Mouvement," (I(le, Series I), measures 156, 157 . 28 16. "Hommage a Rameau," (Im , Series I), measures 50, 51 . 28 17. Etude V, measures 31, 32 . 29 18. "Reflets dans 1'eau," (Images, Series I), measure 16 . 30 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 19. "La :ille aux cheveux de lin," (Preludes, Book I), measures 19, 20. 30 20. "La flle aux cheveux de lin," (Prludes, Book I), measures 35, 36. 31 21. Etude I, measures 43, 46 . 32 22. "Serenade of the Doll," (Children's Corner), measures 6l-63. - .-.-.-.-. - *..- . * . 32 23. "Hommage a Rameau, " (Iag, Series I), measures 44-46. 33 24. "Prelude," (Suite Bergaasque), measures 34-36 . 33 25. "Clair de lune," (Suite Beraasque), measures 39-42. 34 26. "Menuet," (Suite Bergamasque), measures 70-73. 35 27. Arabesque No. 2, measures 72, 73 . 36 28. " enuet," (Suite BeraLasque), measure 54. 37 29. "Les collines d'Anacapri," (Preludes, Book I), measures 14-20. 38 30. "La serenade interrompue," (Preludes, Book I), measures 5-7. 38 31. "Les fees sont d'exquises danseuses," (Preludes, Book II), measures 27-30. , . 39 32. "Menuet, " (Suite Berg;aasque), measure 103 . 40 33. "Serenade of the Doll," (Children's Corner), measures 96-98. .4. .1. 41 34. "Ondine," (Preludes, Book II), measure 11. 41 35. "Les fees sont d'exquises danseuses," (Preludes, BookII), measure16. 42 vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page . -. 43 36. Etude VII, measures 15, 16 - .-. - 37. Ltude VII, measures 39, 40 . 44 38. Etude VII, measure 42. 44 39. _tude VIII, measure 49.---. .-. 45 40. "La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune," (Prdludes, Book II), measure 2. 45 41. "La puerta del Vino," (Preludes, Book II), measure 74. 46 42. Ar besque No. 2, measure 44. 47 43. Concerto in G (Second movement), measure 74. 49 44. "Prelude, " (Le Torbeau de Couperin), measure 61. 49 45. "Une barque sur l?0c6 an," (Miroirs), measure 44. 50 46. Concerto n G (First movement), measures 16-26 . 51 47. Coneerto for Left Hand, measure 268. 52 48. Valses Nobles et Sentimentales (I), measures 5 7--60 . .- . 52 49. Valses Nobles et entimentales (VI), measures 50. Concerto in G (Third movement), measures 224-229 54 51. Sonatine (Second movement), measures 33, 34. 55 52. Concerto for Left Hand, measures 529, 530. 55 53. Pavane pour une Infante Defunte, measures 47-49. 56 54. "Alborada del Gracioso," (liroirs), measure 44 . 57 viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 55. "Menuet,M" (e Tombeau de Couperin), measures 56. Sonatine (Third movement), measures 54, 55 . 58 57. Conerto in G (Third movement), measures 277-285 59 58. Concerto inG (Third movement), measures 128-131 60 59. i"Noctuelles," (Miroirs), measures 127-129. 60 60. Concerto in G (second movement), measure 90. 61 61. Concerto in G (First movement), last three measures, second piano part . 62 62. Concerto in G (second movement), measures 65-67. 62 63. "Petit Poucet," (Ma MIre l'Oye), measures 1-5, second . part. 63 64. Concerto for Left Hand, measures 235-238 . 64 65. Jeux d'eau, measure 48 . 65 66. Concerto for Left Hand, measure 57 . 65,66 67. Concerto for Left Hand, measures 400, 401. 60 ix iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to acquaint the reader with certain scales, not merely as they are used to provide the theoretical "building stones" of all music, but as they have been used as actual scale passages in the piano music of two twentieth century composers. The material of the second chapter is intended to cover the development of the most important scales up to about 1900. This involves a very brief account of the musical development of ancient races along with special emphasis on material found to have direct bearing on the scale as a separate musical aspect. Consideration is also given to some other scales; first, those derived from the use of the tones of the equal-tempered scale, i.e., whole tone scale, artificial scales, etc., and second, the micro tonal scale which uses tones from outside the equal-tempered system. The use of the microtonal system is generally confined to music for instruments whose tones are variable, thus eliminating its adaptability to music for the piano. A listing of the various scales discussed in this chapter will be found in the Appendix. 1. 2 The following two chapters contain the body of the thesis. This is a study of the use of various scales in the piano music of Debussy and Ravel. A list of the piano music of these composers which was available for the pre sent investigation is given in the Bibliography. A careful analysis of the music has been necessary in order to determine: First, the types of scales the composer uses; second, the interpretation of the scale in its context; third, the ways in which some scale passages are employed to help project musical thought in the composition (i.e., introduction to theme, transitional material, etc.); and, fourth, the frequency of occurrence of types of scale passages. A tabulation of the percentages of the frequency of occurrence of scales in the piano music of each composer as a whole, as well as a comparison of these statistics, is included in the final chapter. CHAPTER II TIE DEtLOPMENT AND CLASSIFICATION OF SCALES Musical scales have had a brilliant career. This may seem to be contrary to the belief of many who regard the endless hours of practicing scales on their particular instrument a tedious task to be endured and not enjoyed. However, it is not in the realm of this study to discuss the advantages and disadvantages involved in the pedagogical theories of scale practice, but perhaps it will be of interest to note a few pertinent facts about scales, their development in the past, their present use in the piano music of some French composers (Chapters III, IV), and a hint at their unpredictable future (Chapter V). In order to determine the first appearance of scales it is necessary to note the first use of music. Music pre sumably began with singing, but there is a question if primitive man sang in scalewise patterns. With the progress of civilization, the need arose for instrumental accompani ment to the various folk and religious melodies which were sung. These crude instruments were constructed of various materials and in such a way as to produce with considerable accuracy the same pitches produced by the human voice. The 3 I 4 logical order of the tones produced on a musical instrument was that of ascending and descending pitches. As civilization reached a still higher level, mathe maticians and physicists began to qualify the art of music as belonging, partially at least, to their fields; then the evolution of scales began as a theoretical expression of music. Pythagoras (550 B. C.) seems to have been the first to propound a scientific scale theory. A word might be said concerning some of the terms to be used. The word genus denotes a continuous cycle of pitches in a certain set pattern of tones, semitones, or other intervals. For instance, the pentatonic genus is a cycle of two minor thirds and whole steps according to a certain pattern, or a cycle of two major thirds and half steps according to a certain pattern. Mode determines which tones of the genus cycle shall be the starting and ending points of the scale.1 A brief discussion of the scale development of the races will be listed according to the following outline: Near East - (Oriental) Sumerian, Egyptian, Babylonian Far East - (Oriental) Chinese, Japanese, Javanese, Balinese, Siamese, Indian, Arabian West - (Occidental) Greek, Christian 1Curt Sachs, Rise of Music in the Ancient World, pp.