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Post-Tonal Voice-Leading
JAMES M. BAKER
ORIENTATION
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
METHOD
Table
2.1
[ ]
( )
Parentheses indicate a pitch crucial for strict voiceleading which is not explicitly stated.
", --.......
3
Hugo
JFolf
21
MODELS
22
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
!)
13
I l)
29
27
19
33
37
38
44
48
:5
lq
---- #
I)
(V 4
3 [61) ?]-I)
-v
I
<:
o
r;
*
h:l
(.>;l
24
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
25
II
(1917)
.....
---- ..... _-
II
Ii
15
10
_. _ _ _ _ ._h _____
Iii
e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
.
..'-r-
:o;:.-"\.,
.....
IVI
1\1
21
IVI v
'27
:i6
39
[V]
II
40
r
IV
(I?)
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
27
28
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
The urgent appeal 'take up our quarrel with the foe' is set
to the thrilling strains of 'La
accompanied by the
heroically proportioned harmonies of 'God Save the King' in
the piano, each anthem adhering to its own metre. The
decisive character of this treatment of the British anthem in
G major contrasts with its earlier, less stable appearance in A
major (bars 14-17). As this theme modulates to C major in bar
34, the singer leaps to the climactic e' as the torch of liberty is
tossed. Significantly, the melody is traded at this point for a
phrase from the American 'Columbia, Gem of the Ocean', a
staple in Ives's repertoire of patriotic tunes. 1be consonant
setting of the singer's E with a C major chord sets in relief the
only other occurrence of the highest vocal pitch in the earlier
lyrical section in bars 21-6. There, as mentioned, E itself was
part of a yearning dissonant chord occurring briefly on a weak
beat, and the key of C major, while anticipated, was not
attained. Together these features reinforce the image of the
unfulfilled dreams of youth. By contrast, the ultimate arrival
on the climactic C major harmony setting the high E in bar
34, while hardly signifYing fulfilment, lends immediacy and
urgency to the symbol of the torch, which embodies all of the
aspirations of the fallen soldiers.
Since the phrase from the 'Columbia, Gem' remains in G
major after the accompaniment has modulated to C, in bar
35 E is approached from above via F I in the voice and F q in
the keyboard counter-melody, a chromatic duality no doubt
derived from the melodic motif introduced in bar 10. The
cross-relation creates a certain tension with regard to a melodic
resolution to E, a tension heightened in the following bar as
F q in the melody is attacked simultaneously with the bass E,
resolving only with the last quaver of the bar. The increased
dissonance coincides with the injection of the element of doubt
in the text: 'if ye break faith \-\lith us who die .. .' Befitting the
more challenging tone of these words, the harmony shifts
towards the relative minor of C, with E supporting the
dominant seventh of A minor. Ives's unflagging determination
on behalf of America is evident from his source for the melody
of this phrase: 'Down the Field', a favourite fight song from
his alma mater, Yale ('"March, march on down the
field/Fighting for Eli [Elihu Yale] ... Harvard's team may
fight to the end/But Yale will wiP.'). The tune introduces an
element of irony, of course, for the original words conveying
youthful high spirits have been replaced with a plea made in
deadly earnest. The use of the minor mode highlights this
change.
The final phrase of the song (,We shall not sleep .. .'j is
symmetrical with the opening phrase in that it also cites
'Columbia, Gem of the Ocean'. Here, however, the full
melodic phrase occurs in the vocal part as well as in the piano,
and the key is A as opposed to G major at the beginning. ,\
weak cadence by stepwise descent to A major occurs in bar
38, followed by a strong authentic cadence to the paralkl
minor in bar 39. With the shift to minor, coinciding with
'poppies'. the diminished fifth
sounds as the uppem10:'I
29
30
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
III
Claude Debussy:
(1912-13)
II
q
.
1'1"
J
.
__
__
IT .-I ___
5?(
15
14
16 17
18
20
5J'/
.
'!!!..
f--o---l
:!:.
I - - a -----j
26
0 ...
LJ(
___
[V]
24
_- -- - - - -
IVq
- - whol('-lOm:
<lI-:I-\'I'{'I-:,II('
-----------------------
30
h I'"
I'
(5)
32
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
but oniy
L1f as g"
23).
33
to
Example 2.4 Bela Bartok, Scherzo from the Suite Op.14 (1916)
25 33
[)
13
g
AIlStle
I . .HH
.
)1
57 61
65
69
73
81
90
97
108
< - _
f--wholt 1011<
--I
f-:::!"" -<
'""""".
q..
-I
!=- - =-
49
f-d-<
41
17
..
(9'
g=
.
I
_ _ _ _ _ __
(I?)
(I?)
207
211
218
I ?'
y
y--
I?
(I?)
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
35
Figure
bars
2.1
I 2
3 4
abc
5 6 7
abc
8
F#
'j
9 10 II
b c d
12
13 14 IS 16
b c a
36
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
37
38
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
identical with the form presented in the first bar of the piece.
Here, however, the pitch on the third beat is spelt C" (as
opposed to B q in bar I), and is treated accordingly as an upper
auxiliary to the sforzando B". The change in spelling is a
significant indicator of a change of direction away from C' and
towards B". For the
of the piece, much tension
resides in the opposing tendencies of B q and C,,; in fact, the
final two phrases of the Scherzo (bars 211-16 and 218-23)
hinge on this duality.
As part of the coda (which may well begin with Tempo I
in bars 179-80), a variation of the whole-tone theme from bars
97-108 is presented in bars 194-206, but in a much more
tranquil mood. Whereas in the earlier version both melody
and harmony belonged to the same whole-tone aggregate, in
the latter the harmony is based on the diminished seventh
chord and is thus in conflict \\ith the whole-tone tune. (Note,
however, that the bass notes of the passage, D" and G, are
members of the whole-tone melodic collection.) This conflict
reflects a continued ambiguity in the pitch orientation of
the voice-leading. The A-E" tritone outlined by the melody
connotes a tendency towards B while the bass G, especially
in conjunction with the melodic motion about C in bars 2056, suggests that the tonality of C might still be in force. In
fact, the bass G in bars 203-6 is connected registrally with G
supporting the dominant chord in bar 179, and it is possible
to interpret the progression linking the two Gs as a complex
prolongation of the dominant of C. The bass notes F and E"
(bars 180 and 184) are passing notes connecting G with the
next important bass note, D" (bars 195-202) thus unfolding
the tritone prolonging the dominant. The validity of this
analysis is confirmed by the reciprocal bass motion returning
from D" directly to G in bar 203.
The ambiguity between the tonal regions of B" and C is
not resolved in bar 207 with the return of Tempo L Here the
original form (a) of the augmented triad is brought back, but
with E" as the downbeat note, a continuation of the preceding
melodic motion and a reference as well to the preceding
whole-tone melody in which E" was prominent. In bar 209
this augmented chord is juxtaposed against the diminished
seventh chord which was the harmonic underpinning of the
preceding bars. The only pitch held in common between the
t\.vo chords is G previously significant mainly as the dominant
of C. In bar 211 G is taken into the highest register, initiating
a precipitous descent in which forms a and b of the augmented
triad are alternated. In this passage, reference to C is still
strong, the downbeat pitches repeating the cadential motion
G-C through several octaves. Nonetheless, in the final phrase
focus is shifted abruptly to B pres-ented as the lowest pitch
of the piece, with A q and C serving as chromatic auxiliaries.
The registral connection benveen the gn (bar 2 I I) and a'n (bar
218) may indicate that in the context of the Scherzo gIll
ultimately serves as a passing note to a"', the leading-note of
B _ Because alii recei\"es no resolution in the highest register,
some tension necessarily remains at the close. Significantly,
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
39
SUMMARY
40
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Although no comprehensive study of voice-leading in posttonal music has been produced to date, the literature touching
Books
A.ntokoletz, Elliott, The Music if Bela BartOk: A Study if Tonali!J
and Progression in Twentieth-Century J/usic (Berkeley and Los
Angeles: University of California Press, 1984).
Baker, James M., The J4.usic if' Alexander Scriabin (New Haven,
CT, and London: Yale University Press, 1986).
.
Berry, \Vallace, Structural Functions in J/usu (Englewood Cliffs,
r\]: Prentice-Hall, 1976).
Forte, Allen, Contemporary Tone Structures (New York: Teachers
College, Columbia University, 1955).
..
Hindemith, Paul, Untenveisung im Tonsatz III- Ubungsbuch flir den
dreistimmigen Satz
B. Schotts Sohne, 1970).
Katz, Adele
Challenge to .;.\Iusical Tradition: A New Concept if
Tonality (1945; repro
York: Da Capo, 1972).
Lev.1.s, Christopher Orlo, Tonal Coherence in Mahler's Ninth Symphony, Studies in 11usicology, 79 (Ann Arbor, MI: UMI
Research Press, 198..1-)'
Perle, George, Serial Composition and Atonali!J (5th rev. edn,
Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press,
1981 ).
Reti, Rudolf, Tonali!J, Atonality, Pantonality: A Study if Some Trends
in Twentieth-Century J1usic (rev. edn, London: Barrie and
Rockliff, 1960).
Salzer, Felix, Structural Hearing: Tonal Coherence in Music, 2 vols.
edn, New York: DoveL 1962).
Samson, Jim, jHusic ill Transition: A Stud), if Tonal Expansion and
1900-1920
York: Norron, 1977).
Schoenberg, Arnold, Theory if'
trans. Roy E. Carter
(Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press,
197 8).
Searle, Humphrey, Twentieth-Century Counterpoint (London:
Benn, 1954).
Stein, Deborah j., Hugo Wolfs Lieder and Extensions if Tonali!J,
Studies in Musicology, 82 (Ann Arbor, lVIl: UMI Research
Press, 1985).
\'an den Toorn, Pieter C., The iHusic if'Igor Stravinslfy (New
Haven, CT, arid London: Yale University Press, 1983).
hittall, Arnold, The Music if Britten and Tippett: Studies in Themes
and Techniques (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1982).
Articles
Babbitt, :Milton, 'The String Quartets of Bartok', Musical
Qyarter{v, 35 (1949), pp. 377-8 5.
. ,
Baker,lames NL, 'Schenkerian Analysis and Post-Tonal MUSIC ,
in Aspects if'Schenkerian Them)', ed. David W. Beach (New
Haven, CT, and London: Yale Uni\-ersity Press, 1983), pp.
153--86.
POST-TONAL VOICE-LEADING
41