Maurice Ravel: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G major

Movement I (Allegramente) overall comment

Ths movement opens wth a whpash sound and rapdy buds momentum through passages whch
demonstrate Basque and Spansh nuences aongsde recoectons of Stravnsky and Gershwn.
!R"C!"R#: SONATA FORM. However, the tradtona key structure of the form has been moded n ths
case. The Exposton s a substanta secton, contanng a number of dstnct themes of character,
ncudng deas of sgncance n the transton passage. The Deveopment secton s repaced by a
mechanca secton - a toccata but on the openng dea and the E carnet dea from the transton. The
Recaptuaton begns wth a powerfu remnder of the openng, but the secton s shorter, and the second
sub|ect s recaptuated wthn the pano cadenza. The Coda revsts the toccata stye of the deveopment,
and remnds us brey of some openng gures.
The structure has been anaysed accordng to the foowng outne:
#$POI!IO%
tarts &ar ' (106 bars)
(#)#*OPM#%!
+ig, '- (65 bars)
R#CAPI!"*A!IO%
+ig, '. (83 bars)
CO(A
+ig, /0 (69
bars)
+irst
u&ject:
!ransitio
n
econd
u&ject
(evelo1ment +irst u&ject !ransitio
n
econd
u&ject
2ar '
+ig, 3
+ig, 3
+ig, 4
+ig, 45 +ig,
'-
+ig, '- +ig, '.
(including
caden6a at +ig,
'4)
+ig, '. +ig,
/-
+ig, /-
/7
+ig, /7
+ig, /0
(Caden6a)
+ig, /0 5
end
!8#M#: The openng theme contans mportant motvc deas for ths movement - and ndeed, the rest
of the concerto. Whe t s sad to suggest a Basque fok meody, thematc matera from the transton
passage s representatve of Spansh eements, and a number of the other thematc deas derve from the
dom of |azz.
MOO(: Wth the excepton of two quet nterudes, ths movement s vvacous, vey and |azzy, wth a
very Amercan fee. It probaby reects the busness and buste of the USA that Rave encountered on hs
traves n 1928!
!O%A*I!9: The overa tonaty s G ma|or.
8ARMO%9: Many datonc - but there s aso evdence of btonaty, modaty, hgher dscords,
dssonances, fase reatons, chords wth rased and owered 3rds, |azzy chords and bue notes.
:RI!I%G +OR PIA%O: A pyrotechnc pano part whch s a rea tour de force! Ths presents chaengng
and ery passage-work ohset by magca, even mysterous, moments of repose, when the pano nduges
n dreamy, angud sooques that demonstrates Raves ove of |azz. Rave deghts n the pano's
expressve potenta, and fuy empoys the nstrument's sonorty, weavng, for exampe, a tr nto a
meody.
:RI!I%G +OR ORC8#!RA: Ths s a whrwnd of orchestraton, whch emerges as a demonstraton of
sheer musca coour. It begns wth soos for the pccoo and trumpet, and empoys creatve use of
percusson, gssand and other smar nstrumenta devces and ehects. The orchestra compements the
soost by renforcng the sensaton of reentess energy, and the nstruments are used to ther maxmum
abty. Note partcuary the demandng wrtng for trumpet, bassoon and horn at varous ponts n the
movement.
MO)#M#%! ': Allegremente
tructure: O%A!A +ORM
#C!IO% +IG !8#M# COMM#%!
#$POI!IO%
+irst u&ject
2ar
'
+ig
, 3
'a:
(including ;gures <= >
and 6 as outlined in
general comments)
'&:
!R"C!"R#: 1+14+9+12+5+2
R89!8M: Dupe; an exuberant and energetc start to the
movement wth 2 mnm beats to the bar. It s probaby far to say
that the success of ths movement depends on ts speed! The fast
quavers prope the musc forward, and the ncuson of trpets,
syncopaton and strategcay paced strng chords add to the
momentum. Steady crotchets at the end of the phrases are
drectona and purposefu.
!#$!"R#: Generay, ths s meody domnated homophony. The
orchestra takes the ead here and the nstrumentaton s coourfu,
wth much of nterest. Wthn ths secton there are: pccoo and
trumpet soos; pzzcato/arco/dvs strngs; gssand n pano,
swrng upwards and downwards; and actve and nterestng
percusson work. The accompanment here s ehectve, budng up
to the man event.
2ars ' +ig, ': Wth the whpcrack and snare drum ro n the rst
bar, the pano guraton provdes an accompanment very typca of
Rave, n that t s mechanca and repettve n stye. The arpeggo
trpets n the pano and hgh regster of the tremoando ceo nes
contrbute stystcay to the ong snare drum ro. Whe the doube
basses reman tacet throughout ths openng sentence, other strngs
are heard dvs, pzzcato and pp, whch supports the coourng.
+ig,' +ig,/: Techncay of nterest here n the score s the rapd
gssand contrary moton heard crescendo n the pano part, swrng
upwards and downwards, ehectvey budng up the texture and
ncreasng the expectancy. The texture s further enrched by
percusson ros, wth anmated and mtatve bursts n the
woodwnd, The passage concudes wth an ascendng gssando
spannng four 8ves n pano, aong wth a row of strong, staccato
contrary moton chords that are tmbra rather than functona n
ehect.
+ig, / +ig, 3: An orchestra passage - the pano remans tacet
throughout. Ths features a festy trumpet soo, accompaned by
chorda support n brass, harp and strngs (though no doube bass at
rst). From +ig, ?, the fu orchestra buds up the texture: addtona
accents prope the musc forward and the strong upward thrust
aed wth parae harmones and syncopated movement n brass
ead us to expect more than the ant-cmax that t brngs. Futes
and unson 2
nd
vons wnd ther way suddeny downwards as the
momentum suddeny coapses, for 2 bars of soo cor angas
accompaned by quet pzzcato strngs to concude ths openng
secton.
!8#M#:
2ars ' +ig,'
Above the trpet pp accompanment n the hgh regster of the
pano, the vey S1a theme s heard f n the pccoo. Ths theme s
wrtten ow for pccoo, apparenty to suggest a fe, n ne wth
Gac tradtons; ths has been acknowedged as beng suggestve of
a Basque fok meody. It begns pentatoncay, and t s worth
dentfyng three motves, (x, y and z) from ts openng bars:
|Pentatonc scae here s G-A-C-D-
E|.
To carfy ths guraton n the anayss,
g x = nterva of 5
th
, wth the repeated note
g y = step of a tone (here on the 5
th
and 6
th
degree of the key)
g z = the combnaton of a tone and a mnor 3
rd
.
Dervatves and combnatons of these motfs are seen throughout
the movement - and ndeed, throughout the entre concerto. Note
aso the nverson of g x at bar 10 - a fang 4
th
s another favourte
wth Rave.
+ig, ' +ig, /: The pentatonc avour and dervatve gures of the
theme are ceary evdent throughout the passage.
e.g. Fg 1/carnet n B (at orgna ptch):
At ths pont the ntervas n the motf are a mnor
3
rd
foowed by a tone; ths s the opposte order to that rst
dented n bar 3.
+ig, / +ig, 3: The rst 12 bars of S1 are repeated, heard n the
trumpet.
8ARMO%9:
2ars ' +ig ': Sghty dssonant coourng to begn. The
combnaton of G and neghbour-note F# trads n the pano s not
strcty btona as the musc s obvousy qute setted n G. Note that
the pano entry begns on a sem-tone nterva between the two
hands .e. D and C#. Interestngy, ths s a devce seen n a great
dea of Raves pano musc. The contnued and nsstent ncuson of
semtones and neghbour-note dssonances n the harmony (notced
n the pano, strng parts and harp) do not detract from the home
key of G ma|or; the cashes are added coours n ths vey pcture.
The 15 bar sentence concudes wth descendng parae trads, st
on the domnant chord; n a sense everythng up t now has been
on the domnant! The rst rea G ma|or chord n root poston comes
n bar 24/Fg.2. Those that appear n bars 14, 15 and 23 dont reay
count because they are part of a seres of "decoratve" parae
chords; the panos RH contnues to pay second nverson G ma|or
arpeggos, whch aso resove onto the domnant chord n bar 16.
Ths s the rst unequvoca domnant chord n the movement, and
the parae trads n bars 16-22
1
are domnant (7th) chords or the
trad above and beow that chord - .e., C ma|or and E mnor. Its
amost as f bars 1-25 are a bg "upbeat" to the tonc key. Athough
the RH pays G ma|or chords at the start, the owest note (n the
orchestra) s a (sustaned) D, makng t a tonc 6/4 chord, whch s
rst resoved at bar 16. |Smar parae chords aganst a "statc"
chord occur n bars 39
4
-43, 186
4
-189 and 313-320 - aso bars 58-61,
68-71 of the 2
nd
movement, these beng n the same 2nd nverson
as some of those n the 1
st
movement.| Note the #4 n strngs and
L.H. pano, whch gves a subte taste of D ma|or.
+ig,' +ig,/: Note the hed notes n carnets at +ig, '
?
whch are
the root and 7th of the prevang V7 chord, foowed by pedas n
ute, cor angas and trumpet. Ths fees ke the 7
th
of the domnant
harmony (D-F#-A-C), and the chord s renforced by the startng
ponts of the panos gssand (despte addtona notes of the
occasona chords n the upper strngs). Ths s domnant preparaton
for the strong down beat brngng the resouton to the tonc chord
of G ma|or at +ig, /.
+ig, / +ig, 3: Ths repeat of the openng matera s st rooted n
G. Ptches n horns and trombones are anked by accented
appoggatura type movement, resoved onto ether the tonc chord
(as at +ig, /) or the domnant chord (
.5'-
+ig, ?). These are
remnders of the F# ma|or chords at the openng - even more so n
the harp. The musc shfts up a gear ptch-wse at +ig, ?, changng
key sgnature to two #s - B mnor. The na two bars are ceary
based around the note of F# - the key of the next secton.
!ransition
Passage:
Meno )ivo
+ig
, 3 !heme !a @

!heme !&@
!he a&ove theme is as
notated on the # Aat
clarinet 1art, At concert
1itch= this Bould sound:
!R"C!"R#: 8+3+8+4+8
!a
Pano
Sooquy
!&
Pf and
orch.
!c
Pano
Sooquy
!&
Pf and
orch.
!c
Pf + horn
+ig, 3C8
bars
+ig, DC3
bars
+ig D
3
C8
bars
+ig, 7C4
bars
+ig, 7
3
/ 8
bars
Ths secton begns wth the rst dreamy sooquy for pano soo n
ths concerto (Ta). Above sustaned chords n the strngs and a
gente rhythmc pattern begnnng to emerge n percusson, other
soo nes are added at +ig, D (Tb). From bar 55 .e. +ig D
3
, a second
pano soo commands the stage wth a new theme (Tc). +ig, 7
corresponds wth +ig, D, wth the addton of the harp gssand.
Structuray, bar 67 corresponds to bar 55.
!#$!"R#: A compete change of mood and texture. Apart from
some straghtforward mtaton n carnet and trumpet at +ig, D,
!heme !c in 1iano@
(1la>ed sen6a 1edale)
and then n pccoo, carnet and trumpet at +ig, 7= the passage s
homophonc (meody pus chorda accompanment). The pano has
two soo sectons, but pays accompanyng guraton to the
aternatng thematc matera.
!8#M#: Ths passage has three sgncant musca deas.
!heme !a: A qurky rhythmc dea wth pantve meodc nes
whch seems representatve of a tte Spansh gutar-strummng
(Gerad Larner).
!heme !&: Ths bt of bues nuenced matera dspaces the rst
theme. At +ig, D, the dstnctve strans of Tb are heard n E
carnet cosey foowed by muted trumpet.
!heme !c: Ths emerges as a sow fox-trot on the pano - but s
actuay remnscent of the soo entry of Gershwns pano Concerto
n F - very smpe, but wth a dherent musca avour. At +ig, D
3
,
ths theme T2 s heard espressvo n the R.H. pano part,
accompaned by a cheeky fox-trot rhythm n the L.H.
When Tb returns at +ig, 7 n pccoo (mf espressivo), the echong
statements are heard agan n E carnet and trumpet. The addton
of the harp, wood bock and cymba hep to create the Broadway
fee to the musc. Theme Tc at bar 67 begns wth the same L.H as
before n bar 55, but note that the R.H. ne s set a perfect 4
th

hgher. Ths ensures that the meodc phrase w end on the tonc of
F# as ths secton concudes, and the na note - typca of Rave - s
repeated, harkng back to the repeated E at the start of Tc. The F# s
not harmonsed by a tonc chord, however, but by a B7 chord (wth,
n |azz terms, a #9), whch functons as the domnant of the
foowng E ma|or secton. The sow, chromatc descendng ne n
the horn s a deghtfu touch.
!O%A*I!9: The notes of the F# ma|or trad are suggested
throughout ths passage, but the attened nectons are strong n
the score. These coud be the attened degrees typca of the Doran
or Phrygan modes - common n Rave. It coud aso be the resut of
Rave adoptng the stye of the Bues; ths passage coud be reated
to a Bues scae.
8ARMO%9: Datonc, wth attened nectons n the meodc part.
It s statc, and the F# ma|or chord s sustaned by the mdde
strngs (dvs/arco) at +ig, D, wth rst vons added at +ig, 7. Note
the 7
th
of ths chord s hed by the horns at bar 67 - and there are
"buesy" 3rds n the pano wth the fase reatonshp of the A n the
R.H. aganst the sharp staccato of the A# n the L.H. (Smary, note
from bar 70 the Ds n the RH aganst the D#s n the eft hand of the
pano). Domnant preparaton for the next secton begns n bar 71
wth a B7 chord. As the phrase extends, the chromatc downward
movement n the horn comes to rest on the note B, root of the
domnant chord. The nterva eft soundng at the end of ths
passage s a perfect 5
th
(B F#), whch s domnant of the next
secton.
econd
u&ject
+ig
, 4
%ote the o&vious ja66
inAuences here a
direct linE Bith
GershBinFs Rhapsody in
Blue.
/a @

/& @
!R"C!"R#: 5 + 4 + 12 + 5 + 3 + 3
S2a +
fox-trot
rhythm
S2b +
fox-trot
rhythm
S2
thematc
matera
S2a +
fox-trot
rhythm
S2b +
fox-trot
rhythm
S2a - nk
to
deveopme
nt
+ig,4C5
bars
(3+2)
+ig,4
7
C4
bars(2+2
)
+ig,. C
12 bars
n soo
pano
+ig,0 C5
bars
(3+2)
+ig, 0
7
C
3 bars
(2+1)
+ig,
?
'- C3
bars
!#$!"R#: Intay domnated by the pano soost, ths dea
expands nto the orchestra from +ig, 0, where we note the theme n
dherent nstruments. The texture s meody domnated
homophony. As far as the nstrumentaton s concerned, the pano
eads the way here, though the theme hgh n the rst bassoon
gves an nterestng dmenson to the tmbre. Occasonay, soo nes
cut through the reduced orchestraton, and t s possbe to note a
varety of performance drectons (.e. dvs, con/senza sordn, pzz
etc).
!8#M#: Second sub|ect matera - S2a and S2b, wth the fox trot
chords from the transton used to further support the stye. It s
partcuary notceabe here that the thematc content can be cosey
nked to, and s seemngy dependent on, motfs y and z from the
rst sub|ect theme.
For exampe:
Interestngy, the rst use of gure y n ths second sub|ect s aso
paced on the 5
th
and 6
th
degree of the key - |ust as t was at the
start of S1. The 12 bars soo pano work aso ncudes the 3 step
gure as ndcated n theme S2b (.e. 1-2-3 of the scae). Note ts
usage n +ig, .
3
and +ig, .
4
, where t s nverted. Ths s an
mportant dea whch w ater acheve further recognton at the
begnnng of the second movement.
!O%A*I!9: Lke S1, the second sub|ect aso begns pentatoncay
|the scae here beng B-C#-E-F#-G#|. The overa tonaty s that of
E ma|or.
8ARMO%9: The rst chord of +ig, 4 s dssonant (wth the A# /B
semtone cash) - but the tonc of E s qucky estabshed. Note the
hgher dscords (e.g. bars 76 and 78), and aso the dmnshed 8ve
nterva n the L.H. at bar 78. Ths was a favourte feature of Raves
musca stye. The fox-trot rhythm chords are heard above the
same chords sustaned and muted n strngs, p. The statc harmony
of E ma|or 7
th
s evdent n bar 80, wth appoggatura eanngs (.e.
the B# and D#) to the C# and E that appear n bar 84
3
. The fox-trot
rhythm dea s repeated above a sustaned subdomnant chord of A
n the ower strngs. (Ths harmonc dea s used agan n bar 103). In
the 12 bar pano soo, Rave utses appoggatura eanngs towards
the harmony notes, and aso ncudes some bare 5ths (bars 88 and
90, R.H. pano) as we as bare 4ths (bar 93). (Ths bare, organum
type of movement has been used more extensvey by Rave n
other compostons.) Harmony from +ig, 0 s based on that at +ig, 4
- but s a chromatc contnuaton of the prevous bars domnant
chord (bar 95), whch resoves onto the E ma|or chord n bar 97. The
Fx s not an enharmonc of G; rather, the G s an enharmonc
(presumaby |ust for notatona purposes) of Fx, a chromatc passng
note wthn the B7 harmony, whch resoves n the strng parts to
G#, |ust ke the A# resoves to the B - .e., A-A#-B n mnor 3rds
wth F#-Fx-G#. Somethng smar happened n bars 74-6, but the Fx
and A# were appoggaturas there. Ths coud we be the bass for
the staccato quaver appoggatura gure n bars 99 (A#/C#) and 103
(B#/D#), though the rst par dont resove n the same parts; the
second par do - n the French Horns - after a bars rest!). The
pzzcato bass renforces the movement of domnant and tonc
harmones, and wth |azzy overtones heard above, the pano then
bursts nto a vrtuosc oursh whch eans on Ravean arpeggos
based on the underyng harmony - ncudng the chromatc
appoggaturas. At the end of the secton, the chord s F# 4/3 n
preparaton for the key change at the start of the Deveopment
secton.
(#)#*OPM# +ig !his section uses a !R"C!"R#: The deveopment secton fas nto four dentabe
%! ,
'-
num&er of earlier ideas:
'
+ig 6
'&
subsectons:
+ig, '- +ig,
'/
+ig, '/ +ig,
'3
+ig, '3 +ig,
'4
+ig, '4 +ig,
'.
4 x 4 bar
phrases
4 + 4; 4 + 4; 3 8 + 3 + 9 + 9 Pano cadenza
1
!#$!"R#: Ths secton s controed by the pano, who eads the
orchestra through the deveopment of some earer deas. It s a
very mechanca secton, and the repettve and sequenta methods
empoyed here are so typca of Raves compostona stye. It fees
very much ke a toccata n nature; and as a toccata s a type of
dspay pece for keyboard whch s fast movng and vrtuosc - as a
dspay pece to demonstrate the dexterty of the performer - the
descrpton s approprate! The orchestra support s qute mnma to
start wth, but t does bud up throughout the secton. Thngs to
note are: unson pzzcato and dvs n strngs, aternatng pzzcato
and arco n strngs, gssand n strngs and trombone, extended trs
n strngs. Monophonc texture at +ig, '4= as both hands of the
pano move n parae rhythm an octave apart.
!8#M#:
+ig, '- +ig, '/: (4 x 4 bar phrases). Here, the pano toccata fee
s created upon the openng pano dea of S1, usng chorda hgh
|nks and repeated notes n ts make-up. At the end of each 4 bar
phrase, the woodwnd ntercede wth a motf ceary remnscent of
g z:
+ig, '/ +ig '3: (4+ 4; 4 + 4; 3). The second phase of
deveopment nvoves 4 bars of smar chorda work for pano
answered by deveopment of Tb, the second transton dea. Note
aso the gssand n von 1; ths s another dea taken from the very
openng of the movement. The 2
nd
8 bar phrase echoes the rst, but
t ncudes some guraton whch s a 3
rd
hgher.
+ig, '3 +ig, '4: (8 + 3 + 9 + 9). At +ig, '3, the pano part snks
to p n the ow regster (wth both hands beng scored n the bass
cef). It works ts way upward, ncreasng n dynamc, ptch and
ntensty, ony brey nterrupted at +ig,'D by a short remnder of
S1b. Note that the theme s payed f by horns, as the pano takes
the accompanyng detached semquaver pattern orgnay heard n
horns and trombone (+ig, /). At +ig, '7= the pano hammers out
ptches 5-#4-3 from the E chord, whch morphs nto gure z from
(S1a) n bar 168 (Note that the accents hghght ths motf). In bar
169, the ute and trumpet use repeated quavers to embesh:
+ig, '4 +ig, '.: (Pano/cadenza 1) Ths ong, chromatc,
sequenta and very dramatc ascent n the pano spans over four
octaves as t concudes the deveopment secton.
8ARMO%9:
+ig '- +ig '/: The prevous bar (106) was a chord of F#, 4/3
nverson. Ths s the domnant of B ma|or, and the key sgnature s
changed at +ig, '-. The rst chord n the pano s a contnuaton of
the prevous F#7 chord, now wth the addton of a 9
th
- whch
aready appears at the end of bar 106. The A#s are st there n
bars 108 and 109. The musc returns more obvousy to ths chord n
bar 115 (wth B# chromatc passng notes/appoggaturas) and stays
on that chord for the next 4 bars. Perhaps the smpest way of
ookng at (hearng) bars 106-22 s |ust as the aternaton of F#9 and
Bma|7 chords over the F# peda - whch asts unt bar 141! - wth
appoggaturas etc., of course. So harmoncay, the start of the
deveopment "paraes" the start of the exposton wth
tonc/domnant chords over a domnant bass note, the F# and B
harmones n bars 106-22 beng on domnant and tonc n the
prevang key of B ma|or. Raves penchant for repeated notes s
notced n the L.H. part wth the repeated C#s, whe the R.H.
ncudes neghbour notes and 7ths. T
+ig '/ +ig '3 : G ma|or key sgnature. The D ma|or chord on the
rst beat of the bar at +ig, '/ s the domnant chord wthn G. Once
agan, the harmony s qute statc n ths secton - but note the 7 n
the meody whch agan appears wth the bues fee to ths theme.
Ths s meodcay drven - F# n the key sgnature, (and heard as a
peda n the bass snce bar 111), but F naturas n the thematc
matera n the pano part. (Remember: the attened 7
th
was a
feature of Raves stye). Other attened ptches are aso nked wth
the bues nature of the musc at ths pont (e.g. E, bar 132; A, bar
135). The ast 3 bars of the phrase nvoves a change of key
sgnature to 4#s. The F# n the bass s st a peda. Bars 123-141
are very smpe harmoncay - |ust three chords D, F and G# ma|or
.e., movng up n "sequentay" n mnor 3rds, a over the F# peda,
wth a coupe of attendant auxary notes - e.g., G and E to F and A
- n bar 132. Its n bar 142 that thngs get a bt compcated!
+ig '3 +ig '4 : Ths begns on the tonc of E - agan, note
augmented 5
th
harmones above the octave motfs on the root of the
chord n the bass. Aternatvey, t coud be argued that the pano
st stcks to the same G# ma|or chord as n the prevous 3 bars -
ths woud make more sense as far as the A#s are concerned, wth
them |ust beng ower auxary notes. The pano stays on the same
G# ma|or chord unt bar 149 - at east the RH does. As for the LH
and the orchestra ... perhaps there are grounds for cang these
few bars btona. At
3
+ig, 'D= the bass moves up to the
subdomnant note of A (st wth octave |umps) aganst the
contnung harmones, whch resuts n hgher dscords. (Note fase
reatons n the pano part n bar 149 .e. D n the eft hand - D#s n
the rght). Despte the dscords, the harmonc drecton n the bass
ndcates a cyce of 5ths by the rsng 4
th
ntervas .e. movng
through A - D - G n the doube bass and ceo by +ig, 'D.
Therefore, perhaps as expected foowng a G, the key sgnature
changes to C ma|or at +ig, 'D, Wth a short remnder of S1b
2
n the
horns, the G eventuay takes us to C (bar 152) and F n bar 154.
Above ths (e.g. bars 152
3
-156), note deveopment of the gure z
dea from S1a, heard as a chorda dea n the R.H. above a peda
note c n the L.H:
Note the use of accents here. Woodwnd repeat ths dea,
harmonsed bar 160

- bar 161. Ths s supported wth the fu chords
n the R.H. pano, but the attened addtons n the eft hand sgna a
harmonc change. +ig, '7 s ntay rooted n E (strngs and pano)
but dssonance soon creeps n: note the tr on C# n voa, bar 165;
ths s enharmonc for D changed for notatona convenence. Its D
esewhere, and s |ust the 7th of the prevang E9 chord. Note aso
the tr and E naturas n vons, bar 168, and the added Cs and F#s
n pano aso from bar 168. The harmony does get very compcated
n 168, but there s perhaps an expanaton for ths. Everythng n
these 3 bars ts neaty nto the semtone-tone octatonc scae on E
- .e., E-E-F#-G-A-B-C-D-(E). Rave was aware of the scae and
dd use t occasonay. The tte custers formed by the notes of ths
scae n these bars (D-E E-F#) are aso sghty remnscent of the
"btona" cashes at the start of the movement. The pano cadenza
coud aso be anaysed as beng based on the notes of ths scae,
ths tme wth a coupe of "chromatc" appoggaturas ( a
Stravnsky) - .e., the D, A and C.|
+ig '4 +ig '.: The harmonc suggeston suddeny sps down a
semtone. The chromatc scac work here ntay seems to be
based on D, but possby coud aso be based on the octatonc scae
as outned above. See especay the ast two groups of 4 quavers -
D-E-F#-G-A- B-D-G, whch are a notes of ths scae, and wth no
appoggaturas ether ths tme!
R#CAPI!"*A
!IO%
!he reca1itulation section reAects the e<1osition= &ut there are diGerences, !he
corres1onding sections Bill therefore &e given and an> changes highlighted,
+irst u&ject +ig
,
'.
'a +ig, '. +ig, '0 @ +ig, / +ig ?,
ome diGerences:
The rst sub|ect secton s much abbrevated; n ehect the
begnnng (.e. from bar 1 - +ig, /) has been omtted, so ths
s 12 bars ong nstead of 24 bars.
Now payed h.
S1a s rst heard n pano soo, fuy harmonzed.
The trumpet does not pay the theme ths tme, but the
pccoo and then ute, oboe and E carnet |on n wth the
second haf of the phrase (bars 175-179). Note the new
repettve guraton n pano whch accompanes ths.
+ig, '0 +ig, /- @ +ig, ? +ig, 3,
ome diGerences:
The rst three bars are payed by woodwnd and brass
(though no trombones).
St a homophonc texture, but more ghty scored.
Now heard p at the start of the phrase nstead of h.
The key: n the exposton, the key was B mnor. Now, the key
sgnature s one at, but the phrase s n B (note the Es n
the meody).
Aso note the re-scorng n the na two bars of the phrase
whch s now n pano and strngs. Doube bass and a other
nstruments rest unt bar 188
2
.
The na chord s a B ma|7 chord but note the dssonance ths
creates as the parae tradc syncopated ascent stops on a G
ma|or trad n the L.H. The chord n the foowng bar coud be
regarded as competng ths parae ascent (as n bars 41-2).
Its a 6/4 A mnor chord (after the 6/4 G ma|or chord) but ts
an octave ower than expected - as we as t beng preceded
by a crotchet rest. Ths sets up the E7 chord n bar 190
4
.
The na, quet two bars of ths secton are heard n the soo
oboe, nstead of cor angas, wth the detached accompanyng
chords now n bassoon and horns, not strngs as before.

!ransition
Passage,
+ig
,
/-
!a= !&= !c +ig, /- +ig, /' @ +ig 3 +ig D, (!a)
ome diGerences:
In a dherent key than n the exposton, as ths s rmy rooted
n A ma|or.
In ne wth the key change, the meodc matera s based a
mnor 3
rd
hgher.
The pano part has been deveoped and s more ntrcate.
Ths tme, the soost s not entrey unaccompaned, as rst
we note the doube bass wth a tonc peda foowed by the
ceo; aso the tam-tam and cymbas punctuate the theme.
+ig, /' +ig, // @ +ig, D +ig D
3
(!&)
ome diGerences:
Ths s sghty onger - 5 bars nstead of 3.
Heard h, not p as n the exposton secton.
Ths secton s n a dherent key (rooted n A - st wth
attened degrees as n Bues stye).
Heard n soo pano - other nstruments tacet.
At +ig, /'
?
, note that Tb s heard n dmnuton wthn a
descendng sequence heard n the soo pano part.
+ig, // +ig, /3 @ +ig, D
3
+ig, 7, (!c)
ome diGerences:
Texture s much ghter and more etherea.
Ths s four bars onger.
In 3/4 nstead of 4/4 (unt bar 215).
Compete change of nstrumentaton - no pano soo here; the
second transton theme (Tb) s heard n the harp,
accompaned by sustaned 3 part ceo chords, p. Note the
nstructon Quasi cadenza (n the stye of a cadenza), the
gssand n the trebe and harmoncs n the bass of the harp.
Ths s qute an unusua pece of scorng, crtczed by Norman
Demuth as beng out of the pcture and soundng far too
much ke a "-up".
The tempo s abeed Andante; ast tme there was no
specc drecton at ths pont.
Change of key - ths tme the tonaty remans rooted n A
(many ma|or, but note mnor nectons n the theme). Last
tme, the tonaty was rooted n F# (aso many ma|or wth
mnor nectons n the theme).
The pause chord at +ig, /?
?
s a new addton, whch causes a
momentary respte before the harp concudes ts soo secton.
+ig, /3 +ig, /7 @ +ig 7, +ig, 4,
ome diGerences:
Ths s two bars onger than the correspondng secton n the
exposton.
Dherent key here, as ths matera remans n A - the meodc
nes are a 3
rd
hgher.
The gssand prevousy devered by the harp are now payed
(wth the excepton of the doube bass) by the strng secton.
The sustaned strng sound s now heard n the doube bass -
as a tonc peda.
The scorng has been expanded; fu woodwnd, brass, strngs
and soo pano - though no harp or percusson.
The three soo nes payng Ta reman the same, but the
performance drecton s now f, nstead of p, and they are
payed wth a raspng Trrr (.e., utter tongung) n true |azz
stye!
+ig, /D corresponds wth bar 67 - and ths s the man
dherence n ths secton. The short semquaver run up to Tb
ntay heard n the pano at the end of bar 54
4
s now heard
agan n pano, but doubes wth the trombone.
The tme sgnature changes to 3/4 at +ig, /D,
Tb s payed ths tme n the rst horn part, and heard p,
espressivo.
The gssand dea s now transferred to the woodwnd (ths s
partcuary hgh and techncay demandng for bassoons!).
The matera (from +ig, 'D) s a heard over a sustaned tonc
chord of A ma|or n the strng secton (agan mnus the doube
bass). There are octatonc "overtones" here, too. See
especay the ute and pccoo gures. The scae coud be on
A (semtone-tone) - .e. A- B-C-D-E-E-F#-G-|A| - whch are
the same coecton as before. The Fs and Ds are
appoggaturas. Ths "breaks down" at bar 226 wth the D n
the bass etc.
The secton aso concudes rather dherenty, as Tb ends wth
a fang nterva of a perfect 5
th
. The A# and C#, ke before,
are appoggaturas onto the foowng B and D (they coud aso
have faen to A and C naturas, makng the chord n bar 229
|ust a V7 n G). The pano takes them over and resoves them
at the end of bar 230. They are the counterparts to the Fx and
A# n bar 75.

econd
u&ject
+ig
,
/7:
3C3
/a= /&
PIA%O CA(#%HA
NOTE: In the Classical solo
concerto, the cadenza
reached its height as a
medium for spontaneous
improvisation. Though
there are many varied
examples, it is probably
fair to say that a composer
such as Mozart ensured
that the cadenza was an
indispensable component
of the rst movement
structure. !sually, he
wrote concertos that
began by using one of the
themes of the concerto,
there was usually some
"ind of se#uential
development of a theme,
and nally there would be
opportunity for some
+ig, /7 +ig, /0 @ +ig, 4 +ig, '-
ome diGerences:
The chord of D n the strngs at +ig, /7 now s reased as the
domnant chord of the home key of G ma|or. (It was usua for
the orchestra to have a domnant chord as the forerunner of
the cadenza).
S2, the more gente of the exposton themes, s now
ncorporated nto the soo pano cadenza.
Before, 32 bars - now, 25 bars.
The theme has been deveoped and embeshed beneath a
contnuous tr (much n the nature of Chopns nocturne
op.62 no.1). From +ig, /7
0
the theme s actuay embedded n
the trs of the rght hand part, whe the eft hand contnues
ts ncreasngy expansve arpeggo work.
At +ig, /4 the strngs |on n wth the theme, correspondng
wth +ig, 0 of the exposton (where the theme was heard n
the rst bassoon). The pano wrtng at ths pont s
noteworthy - vrtuosc and chorda, wth the theme n both
hands. At +ig,
?
/., the pccoo and ute |on n wth S2,
foowed by the rest of the woodwnd and brass at +ig,
'
/.;
and accompanyng ths, the soo pano part becomes
ncreasngy actve. At +ig, /. the orchestra nay comes to
rest on an A9th chord - wth the 5
th
of the chord (E) n the
bass. The pano has three addtona bars of descendng tradc
guraton, spannng across the regster. Interestngy, t may
seem as f the R.H. part s based on F# ma| and the L.H., E
mn -but there s probaby no "btonaty" here. The LH notes
are a part of the A9 chord; perhaps the F# was ntended as a
virtuosic wor" such as
scalic ideas, arpeggios,
extended se#uences and
guration which closed on
a trill $ the signal for the
re%entry of the orchestra,
and the closing section of
the movement.
13th and the A# as an appoggatura that nay resoves, by
octave descent, to the B n bar 255. Above the sustaned
chords of A9 n the strngs, the A# n the trebe cef makes for
an nterestng dssonance and fase reaton wthn the
harmony.
CO(A
!em1o 1rimo
+ig
,
/0:
/C/
!his returns to the st>le
of the develo1ment
section,
!R"C!"R#: The Coda may be seen as fang nto four
subsectons, some of whch are based on earer matera. It s
amost as f the coda contnues wth a recaptuaton of the
deveopment secton!
C' C/ C? C3
+ig, /0 C20
bars
+ig, ?' C 30
bars
+ig, ?D C8 bars +ig, ?7 C11
bars
!#$!"R#: Ths na secton begns wth what fees ke another
pano cadenza, rsng from the owest regster of the pano. The
orchestra buds up to fu strength |ust after +ig, ?3. The
mportance of chords and motvc, motorc patterns are the
manstay of the texture as the musc thunders on to ts concuson.
C': +ig, /0C cf (evelo1ment= +ig, '- (20 bars: 4+4+4+4+4).
Ths secton opens wth the same panstc dea as begns the
deveopment secton at +ig, '- .e. the gure derved from S1b,
answered by the outne of an arpeggo n the R.H. over a peda
note. For exampe, f we ook at the rst quaver of each beat, n bars
257 and 261, the notes of the arpeggo are:
Ths reects the way that g z was heard n the rst phase of the
deveopment secton (cf +ig, '-
?
, and esewhere n that phase.) The
pano begns by contnung the A9 chord wthn ts guraton, over a
peda of A very ow n the L.H. Note the chorda nter|ectons (e.g. on
the rst beat of bar 259) whch adds an aternatve coourng (.e.
the chord s F# ma|or, and we hear an A# aganst the A n the
bass). The chord has stayed essentay the same snce bar 252, but
transposed down a few octaves. The A# and C# reappear n bar
249, ths tme resovng to the A and C naturas n bar 263.
At bar 263, the pattern moves up a tone to Fma|7 harmony (the
attened eadng note n the home key of G ma|or). At +ig, ?-, the
sequenta movement contnues over the peda of A, though the
chord s that of D9th. At +ig, ?-
/
, the semtone rse n the bass to a
peda of B supports the chord of G mnor, a ogca resouton from
the prevous chord; the F and C are heard as decoraton here, wth
the C as passng note between the B and D, the F (appoggatura)
as part of the reference to rst sub|ect matera (- see musca
exampe beow.) Note that the quavers from S1b have been
changed very subty n the eft hand part of the pano, bar 270:

Compare wth the orgna n bar 11:
From bar 273, the drecton of the bass ne moves upwards. In bar
274, note another dervatve of S1b
2
, heard crescendo n the rght
hand of the pano part:
C/: +ig, ?'C cf= (evelo1ment= +ig, 'D (14+6+10)
+igs, ?' ?? (14 bars) s cosey based on deas from +igs, 'D 5
'7 (12 bars) of the deveopment secton, wth the S1b
2
motf now
heard p n the trumpet (not f n the horn), and smar utzaton of
g z n the pano matera. Wth the mpcaton of a perfect cadence
nto D n the L.H. (+ig, ?/
?53
) - the drecton of the cyce of 5ths n
the bass of the pano from bar 286 propes us towards E at +ig, ??:
Note that the ute (n harmony - 3rds - wth the end of ths phrase)
s actuay repeatng the matera from bars 160/1 (an earer
resouton nto E).
+igs, ?? 5 ?D (16 bars) s based on +igs, '7 5 '4 (9 bars) of the
deveopment secton. Obvousy the content has been extended.
The rst 6 bar phrase s very smar to that correspondng secton n
the deveopment, wth sght changes n orchestraton.
+ig, ?3 5 ?D s based on matera from bar 168 - +ig, '4, and ths
ncudes further extended dervatves of S1b such as:
and
Note that ths rst motf s mtated by the ute and B carnet one
and a haf bars after ts rst entry at +ig, ?3, gvng some textura
varety. The motorc rhythms contnue n the pano, now revertng to
the 3-2-1 motf - though from +ig, ?3 onwards, ths s heard as a 7-
6-5 motf n both hands of the pano part, over a peda of C aso n
the L.H. Harp chords and percusson are added 4 bars before +ig,
?D= whe the harmony n a parts (ncudng the pano) aternates
between E mnor and B mnor trads. Note that, n the harp part, the
B ptches are wrtten enharmoncay as Cs. (The reason for ths s
technca - two Bs soundng mmedatey after each other produces
a sght gssando ehect on the harp).
C?: +ig, ?D (8 bars /4+4) Whe woodwnd and brass reterate the
second of the S1b dervatves noted above, the pano pays more
smpe arpeggo shapes. The bass drum ro at +ig, ?D, foowed by
tmps and cymbas 4 bars ater add to the momentum. In the same
way, hed notes n the strngs bud up the texture from ow to hgh.
The rst four bar phrase s heard over a peda of A, the second over
D. Ths matera s ceary cadenta preparaton for the return to the
home key of G.
C3: +ig, ?7 Apart from some woodwnd and brass addng coour
and dssonance, the tonc chord s repeated unt 3 bars before the
end of the movement. The endng s ncsve - eght tremendous
descendng chords payed by the fu orchestra, outnng the scae
of G but not utsng the conventona chords wthn that scae: note
the 3 and 2 on the way down to the na tonc. In Rave, use of
trads n ths way s drectona rather than functona; sometmes
ths type of bock harmonzaton suggests tmbre rather than
tonaty.
.e.
G
I
Tonc
F#
I
Leadng note ma|or
E
I
Submedant ma|or
D
I
Domnant ma|or
Cm
I
Subdomnant mnor
B
I
Fattened medant ma|or
A
I
Fattened supertonc
ma|or
G Tonc.