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(PERTAINING DIRECTLY OR PERIPHERALLY TO KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJIS PIANO SONATA NO V: OPUS ARCHIMAGICUM [1934-35])
BY TELLEF JOHNSON
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1. SONATA V: OPUS ARCHIMAGICUM 2. SORABJIs single-movement sonatas 3. THE ARCHMAGE 4. SORABJI AND B-A-C-H 5. SORABJIS DEDICATION (BROM-A-G-E) 6. THE TAROT 7. SORABJI AND THE OCCULT 8. SORABJI AND DIES IR 9. OPUS CLAV., OPUS ARCH. AND BEYOND 10. SORABJI AND THE MULTI-MOVEMENT MECHANISM 11. SORABJI AND BUSONI 12. SORABJI AND THE FUGUE
(1) (4) (7) (8) (9) (11) (12) (14) (16) (17) (21) (23)
CON FUOCO ARDITO E FIERO (IV) This movement acts as a mirror to the first movement, returning to the violent, mercurial organic fantasy sound world. In keeping true to the motivic organization of
the work, this ends with a lengthy pedal-point on the note B. PARS ALTERA: MINOR ARCANA (V) This movement is a series of wild and intricate episodes connected with a series of trumpeting B octaves in alternate registers. Also of note is a section that returns over the course of the work for gradual effect with propulsive left hand octaves, not unlike Liszts Funrailles. The repetitive nature of these gestures evoke a kind of primitive minimalism which contrasts the denser and more complex sections and is unique overall to Sorabjis work. The movement builds to an enormous climactic coda with an organic section of fast repeated chords that ultimately give way to a massively augmented reiteration of the B-octave beginning. ADAGIO (VI) The Adagio falls into the nocturne category, rivaling Djami and Gulistan for textural detail. What distinguishes the movement from those pieces is a gradual build-up to a fortissimo bell-like chorus that resounds almost simultaneously in all pianistic registers, requiring Sorabji to use seven or eight staves, the most he ever deployed in any of his piano compositions. This majestic, discordant interlude can be linked in its style to Variation XXVI of Sorabjis Symphonic Variations (which uses six staves). In the Adagio, the interlude returns a second time in a much more extended and intense manner. PARS TERTIA: ARCHIMAGUS PRELUDIO (VII) This movement is a wild flourish that is structured around a series of bell-like chords based on the Bromage motto. Triadic in nature, these chords become gradually more discordant over time. In between these increasingly sour signposts is fast toccata-like writing with a syncopated bass line. As a climax is reached, the B-A-C-H motto appears, and the piece explodes in a series of cascading runs and then ends in quiet octaves reiterating the Bromage motto. PRELUDIO CORALE SOPRA DIES IR (VIII) This movement uses the Dies Ir theme, developing the familiar plainchant through an extended series of hauntingly beautiful and powerful episodes while reintroducing the Bromage and B-A-C-H mottos. An increasingly cataclysmic build-up develops into what may very well be the most extended and violent climax in Sorabjis canon. CADENZA (IX) This movement is also a punta dorgano, this time repeating A over and over against wild filigree. The Dies Ir theme returns at the highest point of pianistic saturation and the piece explodes in violent chords as seen in movement 4 and the preceding Preludio Corale movement.
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FUGUE LIBERA CINQUE VOCI E TRE SOGGETTI (X) The Fugue uses three subjects, one sewn from the opening notes of the Bromage motto, the second based on the Dies Ir motto and the third and final one a skittish motoric mechanism engineered from the B-A-C-H motto. It is inevitable that the Dies Ir and B-A-C-H subjects clash mightily in the climatic and unprecedentedly dense Coda Stretta, ultimately resolving on a B-A-C-H chordal flourish ending, of course, in B Minor.
It is not unwise to think of both Sonata No. 2 and Sonata No. 3 as an enormous Persian rug, with the listener a small ant traversing its terrain. At once, the work up-close seems athematic, even jarring and unconnected, but like that rug, the overall cumulative effect or larger picture reveals a series of inter-connective threads based around the prevailing ascending interval of choice. Just as even the smallest of steps gradually lead a walker on an adventure through changing landscapes, Sorabjis introductory ascending intervallic steps in Sonata No. 3 leads us down a musically thorny, angst-ridden expressionistic path of dense foliage (dissonant contrapuntal textures), wide-open vistas (long chains of eighth notes) and churning industry (furious rapid-chord passages), ultimately selfdestructing in what must be one of the most outrageous climaxes in musical history. Conceivably, in the world of experimental jazz, where music, whether strictly notated or improvised, has a free-form, spontaneous nature, Sorabjis compositional approach might have been welcomed; however, in the circles of conservative musical 1920s London and the concise, ordered thinking of the avant-gardes post-Second Viennese School, the Sonata No. 3 may have appeared a deliberate affront to the principles of the day. Yet for all of Sorabjis apparent dismissal of motivic cohesion, perhaps rooted in a deepseated desire to defy the establishment, his subconscious instinctively finds repetition in the form of the literary technique of foreshadowing. In the Sonata No. 3, Sorabji hints at the work's massive final climax with a tell-tale leitmotiv from as early as the second minute of the ninety-some minute piece; this leitmotiv stands out against the thorny harmonic texture with its contrasting descending triad (sol-mi-do), a repetitive and distinct sing-song pattern not unlike a singer's vocal warm-up. One can listen throughout this piece for this motif until it finally appears full force at the 65th page and then gradually infects the last ten minutes in bold fortissimo unisons in both hands, forming the basis for a propulsive series of three hundred and seventy chords which lead to the work's apocalyptic final gesture. Sonata No. 3 seems to represent Sorabjis attempt to bring closure to this experimental compositional style. It contains the wildest pages that he had produced up to that point and is, in the composers own words, a gehenna-like work of some hour and a quarters duration, staking the composers desire to rival the large-scale works of Beethoven, Alkan and Reger in terms of grandiosity and length. It is arguably the most difficult single-movement Sorabji work (or possibly of any other composer for that matter). Uncompromising, angular, intense, and seething with contrasts of every dynamic, emotional and textural kind, it represents the undisputed summit of his early output. Sonata No. 3 was completed in 1922, a year of prolific activity for Sorabji during which six works were completed or in progress. He wrote this work, like his others, away from the piano, first calculating the length of manuscript pages in his head. Once a general duration was determined, he was then free to traverse the depths and limits of his
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creative subconscious as pen touched paper. From the title page of the original manuscript, Sorabji seems to have seen the work in three sections, although such an intention had no eventual bearing upon the pieces structure as it emerged when written. Such a musical approach is rare in Sorabjis overall uvre. His other large-scale works frequently generate their huge contrasts in texture and mood between different movements, or commit to a single ecstatic state, as in the extended nocturne-pieces, a favourite genre of the composers. At the early sonatas time of completion, Sorabji was still a young composer trying to find his own voice, possessed by a wealth of wildly contrasting ideas that would eventually crystallize into the more formally rigorous mature works that followed almost immediately, coincidentally with the ascendant influence of Busoni. During the time of composition, Sorabji was actively championing his music for friends, colleagues, and the general public. Sonata No. 1 and Sonata No. 2 went through the printing press and the young composer-pianist performed these and possibly others of his works privately for distinguished listeners including William Walton and writer Sacheverell Sitwell. On Friday, January 13, 1922 Sorabji publicly premired these two sonatas in Vienna to a small but enthusiastic crowd consisting of Schnberg pupils, publishers and critics. Critic Paul Bechert was baffled by the music, saying in short, that compared to Mr. Sorabji, Arnold Schnberg must be a tame reactionary. Withal, the impression Mr. Sorabji creates is that of a fully sincere personality, in whose madness there must be some sort of method. Just what that method implies, future generations may perhaps be able to discover. After completing the Sonata No. 3, Sorabji was ready to move on to different methods, organizing the two remaining Sonatas and large-scale works into shorter movements, but extending overall durations in the process.
3. THE ARCHMAGE
The Archimagus, or Archmage, is an almighty sorcerer or wizard. The term is coined from the Greek word arche, meaning first, and magus, a reference to the astrologers of ancient Persia. Archmages are a staple of rle-playing games and video games, having first been seen prominently in fantasy literature where they are often portrayed as grandiose, omnipotent figures transcending tangible forms of human power to supernatural levels. This could be Gandalf in Tolkiens Lord of the Rings trilogy or Archmage Arugal in the videogame World of Warcraft. In almost all cases they are a subset of any profession or group that uses these extraordinary powers in a highly disciplined way. A good analogy would be that archmages are to wizards what a surgeon is to a doctor, or what a virtuoso performer is to a mere practitioner of the standard repertoire. Sorabjis use of Archimagus to title the third and final movement of Sonata No. 5 seems to emphasize the powerful, all-encompassing rle of that section, comprising a Preludio, Preludio Corale (on Dies Ir), Cadenza, and Fuga. The title Opus Archimagicum means work of the arch-mage, as the Opus Clavicembalistcums Latin-based title meant work for the piano. Therefore, the title Opus Archimagicum ultimately emphases the idea of an omnipotent, all-knowing and controlling sorcerer (perhaps a metaphor for composer?) as the tantamount element to this large epic piano work.
EPISTLE DEDICATORY: MY DEAR CLINTON: I TRUST YOU WONT TAKE IT AMISS MY REDEDICATING THIS WORK, TO YOU, IT HAVING BORNE SINCE IT WAS BEGUN IN 1934 (UP TO NOW 1943) THE NAME OF ONE FOR WHOM I HAD FOR TWENTY YEARS REGARDED AS MY GREATEST FRIEND UNTIL HE DENIED ALL FURTHER POSSIBILITY OF THE TRUST AND FAITH THAT IS THE VERY ESSENTIAL OF FRIENDSHIP: BUT THAT I PLACE YOUR NAME ON IT IN SUCCESSION TO THAT OF ONE FOR WHOM FOR SO LONG I HAD SUCH REGARD, SPEAKS, I THINK YOU WILL AGREE AMPLY FOR THE ESTIMATION IN WHICH I HOLD YOU. YOURS EVER. K.S.S. X. III. MCMXLIII The greatest irony was that when Sorabjis relationship with Bromage soured, or grew non-existent, he changed the dedication, thus rendering the original meaning of the entire composition almost null and void for Sorabji would never be able to remove Bromage from the musics numerous mottos and motifs that pervaded the whole, short of burning the composition, which thankfully he did not do. It would almost be the equivalent of painting the Mona Lisa and then trying to distance oneself from the subject; nevertheless, this was neither the first nor last instance of a Sorabji composition to receive a second dedicatee.
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6. THE TAROT
The tarot is a pack of some 78 cards, originating in 15th-century Europe, but which soon afterwards found use by mystics and occultists as a guide to spiritual paths. Today, the tarot has been embraced in contemporary pop culture as a method for predicting individuals fortunes and futures. The tarot card has two distinct parts: MAJOR ARCANA (Greater Secrets) consists of twenty-two cards, each with a character: The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgment, and The World. Carl Jung was the first psychologist to see the tarot cards in a symbolic and metaphorical manner. For him, the cards represented various basic archetypes rooted in the human subconscious. As a result, people may find kinship with certain cards that they feel best represent their personalities. Timothy Leary suggests that the cards represent the entire length of ones life in all its multifaceted elements and stages. MINOR ARCANA (Lesser Secrets) consists of four suits (like traditional playing cards) of 14 playing cards each. The suits lend themselves not to characters but to images or symbols: swords, wands, coins and cups. In the 1920s and 1930s, Aleister Crowley hired the artist Lady Frieda Harris to paint the cards, using what he had learned in the Order of the Golden Dawn to design his version (Thoth Tarot). The project achieved such an epic and protracted scope that Crowley did not live to see the final result. Sorabjis Opus Archimagicum uses the two different tarot parts to mirror its own first two sections; Part I is titled Major Arcana, Part II, Minor Arcana. The content within is largely free from any further reference to the cards; overall, Sorabji seemed to be thinking of the cards as a signpost for his overall design. Sorabjis decision to use such programmatic associations, obvious or vague, seem to derive from the limits that he set on the composition by adhering to concerns and associations most appealing to the original dedicatee, Bernard Bromage.
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the unteachable in full pursuit of the unwearable.1 Sorabjis direct use of occult elements as programmatic themes in his music reveals itself in the proposed but perhaps never written Black Mass, for chorus and organ and Sonata No. 5: Opus Archimagicum with its references to tarot lore and the mystical Dies Ir plainchant; it can also be seen in the two programmatic M. R. James-influenced short works Quaere reliqua hujus materiei inter secretiora and St. Bertrand de Comminges: He was laughing in the tower and explicitly so in the movement titled Of a neophyte and how the black art was revealed to him in his Toccata No. 4. Throughout the rest of his life, Sorabji maintained a fascination for numerology, astrology and stories of the supernatural, retaining a healthy interest in various offshoots of some of the mystical concerns that may have helped to spark his initial creative spirit as a young man.
A play on words uttered by Oscar Wilde in his famous comment on fox-hunting: The unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable.
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summa in a roughly 7-hour long set of 27 variations, transporting the entire chant through a variety of different musical worlds, permutations and developments to a stunning and apocalyptic finale.
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OPUS ARCH
One fugue at very end Uses long movements Uses B-A-C-H, Dies Ir and G-A-B-E (Bromage) mottos Preludio and Preludio Corale opens Part 3 In 10 movements lasting c.6 hours Uses a Presto, Preludio and one cadenza Length of first movement = c. 40 minutes Slow movement = Punta dorgano Uses large-scale pedal point for entire composition (B/B minor) Uses A/B/A symmetrical form in Pt. 1 (movement 1[A]/2,3[B]/4[A])
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Archimagicum), Piano Quintet No. 2, Toccatas 2-4, Organ Symphonies nos. 2 and 3 and the Piano Symphonies. Of additional interest is Sorabjis addition of additional established devices such as the punta dorgano, the scherzo or the operatic aria to spice up or provide adequate contrasts and connections within his large-scale multi-movement compositions. It is interesting to perceive, in the world of 20th century Western art music, what is ultimately good or bad, or effective or ineffective, because so much is of an individual opinion based on ones own life and limited to ones own particular set of experiences starting from birth, yet one can never divorce the universal human factor from any form of expression, popular or not. The human spirit at its most universally primal craves movement, motion and it responds accordingly to such; artists have accordingly tried, in their own forms, to reflect this. Sorabjis method is to use shape and time to represent the human journey and his juxtapositions of the contrasting movements in his major works, when managed effectively, create an overall large-scale aural and structural shape that stimulates the psyche and its intellect with an unique symmetrical balance not unlike those found in nature with the yin and the yang. Which large-scale (i.e. 3+-hour-long) Sorabji work has the best chance of reaching such an ideal? Although there can hardly be a single correct answer, one would look for a work that, overall, has a good balance it would have to have a clear beginning, middle and end, not unlike that of a play or film or opera. One might venture to say that the 3-act structure, among the most dramatic and satisfying in the story-telling world, finds its parallel in 3-section works such as the three Organ Symphonies, Piano Symphonies 2, 4 and 6, Opus Clavicembalisticum and Piano Sonata No. 5 (Opus Archimagicum); even works such as the Symphonic Variations and Sequentia Cyclica super Dies Ir, perhaps among the most brilliant theme-and-variations works in the entire history of the piano, fit into the same mould, for all that Sorabji does not specify three separate sections as such for performance purposes in either case (the former is approaching its world premire at the time of writing and the pianist, Jonathan Powell, has already perceived two ideal places in which to break it i.e. after variations 13 and 22). For the work to reach its maximum ideal in form, each part must balance it as a whole and not unnecessarily weigh down the others. This poses challenges in interpreting Organ Symphony No. 2, whose first part is an introduction to the gigantic second and third movements as well as Organ Symphony No. 3, whose finale takes the lions share of the whole and may initially seem disproportionate to the first and second movements. Opus Clavicembalisticum is similarly challenged and, although each part is consistently and gradually extended from the one before, one might wonder if Interludium B should form its own part, making it a four-section rather than three-section structure in order to aid the listener in grasping the work as whole. Piano Symphony No. 2s second part seems
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a little weightless in comparison to the first and third parts but features a strong lyrical middle movement in which an extended duration is inevitable and structurally appropriate. In the case of Piano Symphony No. 4, a symmetrical structure in which the second part assumes a weightier rle flanked by a shorter first and third section seems highly satisfactory and Piano Symphony No. 6 seems to find a well-proportioned balance overall. In terms of durational proportion, Piano Sonata No. 5 (Opus Archimagicum) has the most balanced structure of all the works in question, for its first, second and third parts are of equal length at around 2 hours each, making a grand total of some 6 hours. When it comes to the structural analysis of the movements within these large-scale sections, one looks for effective variety and contrast, as well as a pleasing design that would allow the ear to recognize it as such during the course of a listen. Such a design is challenging to find in Piano Symphony No. 4s middle section which, despite the genius of its preludio/interludio/ostinato variations-set, has an additional theme-and-variation and fugue-set which needs to be prefaced with a pause or intermission in performance, for it is a challenge for the ear to discern it from what precedes it. As a result, it is sometimes difficult to grasp the shape of the work. In addition, it seems that certain sections of Piano Symphonies 2 & 6 have a number of separate, detached movements which seem to give the listener more of a feeling of episodic Sorabjian variety than a tight-knit, memorable juggernaut slowly building over its lengthy course. Despite the clarity and effective arrangement of two brilliantly proportioned opening movements (perhaps owing to the overall success of the entire composition), O p u s Clavicembalisticum, like its model, Busonis Fantasia Contrappuntistica, utilizes a number of fugues prior to the brilliant, conclusive Coda Stretta that often challenge the freshness of the structure with a textural repetitiveness and sometimes halt the momentum, something that Sorabjis subsequent large-scale works wisely avoid. Once again, Opus Archimagicums arrangement of movements for contrast and individuality in the listeners mind is exemplary. Although it lacks the compressed, introductory one-two punch of the Introito and Preludio Corale of Opus Clavicembalisticum, the first part uses a unique symmetry to divide what might customarily be a large-scale single movement organic fantasy (found in the likes of Organ Symphony No. 1, Piano Sonata No. 4 and Piano Symphonies 2, 4 & 6) into two halves, then injected with two transitional movements, the diabolical Presto: Sotto Voce Inquieto which is a nexus and palate cleanser to the beautiful Punta dOrgano third movement that fuses the Sorabjian nocturne with a Bachian pedal-point not unlike Ravels Le Gibet. Opus Archimagicums second part is completely different from any of the other large-scale works in that it, like the first section, is symmetrical, divided into two halves with movements 5 and 6 generally contrasting each other and, for that matter, anything previously heard before them. Movement 5 is a violent fantasy linked with clear motivic repetitions that return from time to time and movement 6 is a ravishing Adagio nocturne with two bell-toll climaxes spread across seven staves.
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Opus Archimagicums third and most successful section is its last, which begins with a brilliant preludio, a preludio-corale based on Dies Ir and a Cadenza that is another palate cleanser/nexus-type connection to the final Fugue. In this sense, Opus Archimagicum behaves like an inverted Opus Clavicembalisticum, as the first part of Opus Clavicembalisticum shares a similar structural ground plan to the third part in Opus Archimagicum, although Sorabji wisely uses only one large fugue to conclude it. To conclude, Opus Archimagicum may well owe its success to a proportionately balanced three-part structure to which it adheres, and even more so to the fact that the number of movements within and their contrasting and symmetrical relationship with each other is quite possible for the listener to distinguish on first hearing and remember afterwards. Such a structure also allows for an effective large-scale climactic build up that is gradual and fairly coherent in its grading despite the immense number of small-scale climaxes sprinkled throughout the entire composition. This is quite unique and rare in itself in the Sorabjian realm. While such a birds-eye view of these very different large-scale works may prove to be problematic in itself, looking at Sorabjis surface shapes clearly affords insights and interest in how the ultimate picture the birds-eye view of thousands of notes may emotionally and intellectually affect the listener as a whole.
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movement works. The extreme contrast and virtuoso writing pushed to seemingly absurd heights in Sorabjis music is all his own and, ultimately, it is this unique quality that the listener remembers, not the form i.e. the Busoni models were merely a method or conduit for Sorabji to gain access to his own voice. Had he played for Schnberg or Rachmaninov in lieu of Busoni and elicited similarly positive responses, Sorabji might have gone in different directions perhaps more sympathetic to those men but, most likely, his personal, emotive voice would still have remained intact.
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an actual fugue movement in Prelude, Interlude and Fugue for piano solo. One would probably attribute Sorabjis embracing of the fugue at this point of his life to Regers Bach and Handel Variations for piano solo, of which both end with dense fugues that take on organ-like sonorities, traits similar to Sorabjis early attempts at this sub-genre, but by the time Sorabji was writing Opus Clavicembalisticum, the fugues, from an inspirational point of view, clearly respond to the model of the Busoni Fantasia Contrappunistica fugal playbook. Opus Clavicembalisticums use of a Coda-Stretta emphasises this, though Sorabjis take on the idea of an extended fugal coda is nightmarish and apocalyptic, something no one would have attributed to Busonis particular musical language. As Sorabji is never entirely predictable, there are several large-scale works that deviate from using the fugue as a closing movement. Opus Clavicembalisticum does close with one but, in addition, it uses three others as major signposts throughout its course. All but the first of his numbered piano symphonies feature a concluding adagio with a large fugal movement immediately preceding it, perhaps a sign of Sorabjis maturity in that a somber and slow finish would ultimately be of even greater emotional depth. Unusual to Sorabji is the fact that his massive Piano Quintet No. 2, probably well in excess of three hours in length, lacks a fugue anywhere. Also of interest is how none of the full orchestral Sorabji works feature a major fugue movement (Sorabjis counterpoint merging with full instrumental forces would surely have been unique to behold!). In reference to the aforementioned idea of accessibility, Sorabjis best fugues utilize familiar mottos that help ground the listener. The Dies Ir theme, for example, is used in three fugues the finale of the Variations, Opus Archimagicum and Sequentia Cyclica super Dies Ir. Unique to Opus Archimagicum is the way in which each fugue subject is based on a pre-existing motto or idea the Bromage motto, the B-A-C-H motto and the Dies Ir theme. Rather than being reduced to a soup of textural density and dissonant angularity, these elements stand out and connect directly with the listener. Also fascinating from a purely structural angle is Sorabjis technique of sticking three or more fugues that are completely independent from one another back-to-back, using a sometimes virtuoso nexus as glue. This method is seen chiefly in Piano Symphony No. 6, with something of an antecedent in Piano Symphony No. 3. This method offers to the listener the idea of constant contrast and change within a clear-cut fugal context. Here is a breakdown of the Fuga finale for Piano Sonata V (Opus Archimagicum): DUX PRIMUS
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First subject begins with the G-A-B-E Bromage motto (first four notes). All five voices enter and their countersubjects are developed and inverted over the course of this section. Stretto 1 occurs, reiterating the entrance of all five voices on the Bromage motto. DUX ALTER The second subject enters, the first six notes straight from the intro of the Dies Ir theme. Once again, all five voices enter and are developed and expanded with their countersubjects. A climax occurs where the second subject is played out against the counterpoint in large chords. DUX TERTIUS The third theme is a skittish staccato theme in sixteenths beginning on the B-A-C-H motto (first four notes). As always, the five voices enter and develop the theme and its countersubject to the maximum breaking point. CODA STRETTA This concluding section pits all of the themes together against one another, exploding into a cascade of chords. Dies Ir occurs in a canon in the treble and bass, supporting and/or contrasting the inner voices. The final pages explode into a rapid-fire succession of chords, with the B-A-C-H theme taking final precedence over everything, ending the work in B Minor.
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