Analysis of Texture in Piano Etudes of Chopin and-Scriabin

The basic types of accompanimental figuration discussed in chapter two are then compared according t o measure- ments o f textural density... ships between horizon[r]

AN ANALYSIS OF TEXTURE

IN SELECTED PIANO ETUDES OF CHOPIN AND SCRIABIN

A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment o f the Requirements

f o r the Degree Master o f Arts

by Daniel Dewitt Mickey 111, B.M

The Ohio S t a t e University

1980

Approved by

School of Music

CONTENTS

Page LIST OF EXAMPLES i v

PREFACE vi

The Purpose of the Study

The Significance o f the Study vi i The Etudes Selected f o r Analysis vi i The Organizatlon o f the Study i x vi Chapter

I PROBLEMS IN THE ANALYSIS OF KUSICAL TEXTURE 1 Problems i n Defining Texture 1

5 Specialized Problems i n Analyzing Texture in Piano Music 8

Problenis i n Determining Linear Independence

11 BASIC TYPES O F MELODIC AND ACCOMPANIMENTAL PRESENTATION 10

The Single Line 11 Chordal Figuration 17 Arpeggiated Figuration 20 Alternating Figuration 21 Convol u ted Fi gura tion

The Doubled Line 14

22

Summary 23

111 DENSITY 27

Densi ty-number 28 30 Density-compression 32 Vertical Span

Spacing-distributisii 33 Density i n t h e Etudes 34

IV RANGE 39 Range-average

Range-averages o f the Etudes 43 40

i i

LIST OF EXAMPLES

1 Berry's terms for t h e d e s c r i p t i o n o f l i n e a r i n d e p e n d e n c e I 7

2 S c r i a b i n E t u d e Op 8 No 8 mm 1-3 12

12 4 S c r i a b i n E t u d e Op 8 No 2 mm 1-2 12

5 13 6 14 14 15 3 Chopin E t u d e Op 10 No 4 mm 1-2

S c r i a b i n Op 8 No 2 mm 1-2 w i t h t h e melody n o t a t e d

Chopin E t u d e Op 25 No 6 mm 27-28

7 S c r i a b i n E t u d e Op 8 No 10 mm 58-60

8 Chopin E t u d e Op 25 No 8 mm 1-4

9 S c r i a b i n E t u d e Op 8 No 7 mm 1-2 16

10 S c r i a b i n E t u d e Op 8 No 8 mm 1- 3 17

11 Chopin E t u d e Op 25 No 4 mm 9-12 18

12 S c r i a b i n E t u d e Op 8 No 5 mm 1-3 18

13 S c r i a b i n E t u d e Op 8 No 5 mm 1-3 r e n o t a t e d 19

Chopin E t u d e Op 25 No 1 mm 1-2

15 Chopin E t u d e Op 10 No 12 mm 10-13 20

16 S c r i a b i n E t u d e Op 8 No 3 mm 1- 4 2 1 17 R e d u c t i o n of Example 16 2 1 14 20 18 S c r i a b i n E t u d e Op 8 No 7 mm 1- 2 22

19 Chopin E t u d e Op 10 No 9 mm 1-3 23

20 Chopin E t u d e Op 25 No 9 mm 1-4 25

2 1 Chopin E t u d e Op 25 No i 2 ; min 1-2 25

22 Chopin E t u d e Op 10 No 2 f i n a l m e a s u r e 28

23 S c r i a b s n E t u d e Op 8 No 12 mm 1- 2 29

24 F i g u r a t i o n r e d u c t i o n o f the l e f t - h a q d p a r t o f Example 23 29

i v

PREFACE

- The Purpose o f the Study

This study examine; three basic characteristics of texture i n piano

1) types o f melodic and accompanimental presentation, 2 ) density,

music:

and 3 ) range

25 and the Scriabin Etudes Op 8 measurements o f density and range are

compared These measurements quantify the textural differences among the

types of melodic and accompanirnental presentation and also distinguish be-

tween the textural styles of the two composers,

I n selected compositions from the C h o p i n Etudes Opp 10 and

This study asserts t h a t the texture of nineteenth century p i a n o

music, as exemplified by the etudes o f Chopin and Scriabin, i s lhrgely

dependent upon the types of f i g u r a t i o n used, a n d further, t h a t a l l o f the

figurations found i n these collections are derived from six basic types

In t h i s context, the term "figuration" i s defined as "the consistent use

of a particular melodic or harmonic figure."' The basic types t h a t func-

tion melodically are labeled single l i n e and doubled line; those t h a t

function accompanimental l y are labeled chordal, arpeggiated, a1 t w n a t i n g ,

and convol uted

As the study will demonstrate, etudes u s i n g the same type of

figuration share common textural t r a i t s t h a t can be measured according t o

viirious characteristics o f density and range, and these common t r a i t s are

1 J , A Westrup and F L 1 Harrison, "Figuration," The New Colle e

Encyclopedia clf Music, (New York: W W Norton, -+ 1960

more strongly linked t o the type of figuration used t h a n t o the s t y l e of the particular composer

The Significance of the Study

Previous research dealing w i t h texture i s very limited, b o t h in

quantity and in scope Typically, studies t h a t do analyze texture are

concerned with orchestral or chamber music, placing t h e i r emphasis on

changes in instrumentation As a r e s u l t , the methodology and terminology used in these multi-instrument analyses do n o t transfer well t o the invest-

i g a t i o n of p i a n o music texture

Considering the importance of texture t o musical s t y l e , i t i s h a r d

t o understand the neglect t h a t texture, especially t h a t of the piano, re- ceives i n theoretical writings Most writers limit t h e i r discussions t o broad generalities and a few well-worn terms This s t u d y provides a s t a r t -

i n g p o i n t f o r f i l l i n g the v o i d by presenting clear definitions o f familiar terms, introducing new terms, and presenting a systematic methodology f o r deal i ng w i t h texture i n pi ano musi c

The Etudes Selected f o r Analysis

Concert etudes were selected for this study t o insure t h a t :

1) the textures t o be analyzed are s t y l i s t i c a l l y indigenous t o the piano, and 2 ) each composition exhibits one dominant textural type

of performance technique demanded by concert etudes provides complex textures

t h a t are seldom found i n any other mediums Yet, the technical demands of these works are n o t regarded as compromising t h e i r a r t i s t i c q u a l i t y or musi- cal value, even t h o u g h t h e i r i n s p i r a t i o n stenis from pedagogy

the further advantage of emphasizing one principal texture w i t h i n each

The h i g h level

Etudes have

v i i

piece individually, w1,ile providing a great variety of textures within the coll ections

Composers who wrote concert etudes include C h o p i n , Scriabi n , Rach- maninoff, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Debussy Opp 10 and 25 of Chopin and Op 8 of Scriabin were chosen f o r t h i s investigation because

t h e i r great similarity i n s t y l e and form afford a good basis f o r comparison The l a t e r etudes of Scriabin, Opp 42 and 65, as well as the etudes by Rach- maninoff and Debussy, contain elements t h a t are post-Romantic, or even modern

in s t y l e , and are therefore l e s s comparable A1 t h o u g h the "Transcendental Etudes" o f Liszt are comparable i n s t y l e t o the works selected here, the forms arid type o f content are quite different L i s z t ' s forms are larger and often based on variation technique while the Chopin and Scriabin etudes are shorter, generally ternary structures

incorporates several different pianistic devices in each piece, whereas

Chopin and Scriabin, normally develop a single principal device

"Symphonic Etudes" are actually a theme and variations and a r e a l l binary

in form except for the l a s t variation which functions as a grand f i n a l e Mendelssohn's "Three Etudes" Op io4 i s t o o small a collection t o allow a

I n terms of technique, Liszt

Schumann's

f a i r comparison

There are many s i m i l a r i t i e s between the works of C h o p i n and the early works of Scriabin despite the s i x t y years t h a t separate t h e i r compo- sition The s i m i l a r i t i e s are apparently the r e s u l t of intentional modeling Scriabin's o u t p u t i s usually divided i n t o three phases o f development, the

f i r s t of which has even been characterized as being "Chopinesque."* The Etudes Op 8 (1894) f a l l i n t h i s period (1885-1900) Scriabin was fond of

2 M Montagu-Nathan, Handbook t o the Piano Works of A Scriabin (London:

J & W Chester, 19161, 2

v i i i

Chopin'smusic and from the evident s i m i l a r i t i e s in the music (e.g., see page 14 ) i t i s quite probable t h a t the Etudes Op 8 were modeled on the Chopin etudes

The individual etudes examined i n this study are l i s t e d i n the following outline accarding t o s i x basic types of melodic and accompani- mental presentation Each o f these basic types i s described i n d e t a i l i n

etudes a r e selected from Opp 10 and 25 on the basis of t h e i r s i m i l a r i t y

All of the Scriabin Etudes Op 8 are examined

of figuration t o the Scriabin etudes

Scri abi n Etudes Op./No

1019 l o l l 0

The Oraanization of the Study

As s t a t e d above, t h i s study is concerned w i t h three basic char-

a c t e r i s t i c s of texture i n piano music:

t a l presentation, density, and range

characteristics i s s e t forth i n chapter one The chapter begins w i t h a general overview of texture by examining some o f the definitions of the

types of melodic and accompanimen- The logic f o r selecting these three

i x

term t h a t can be found in current l i t e r a t u r e I t continues with the estab- lishment of the definition of texture t h a t i s used throughout the study and concludes with detailing of the special problems in analyzing the texture

of piano music

Chapter two explains the basic types of melodic and xconipanimental presentation found in the etudes o f Chopin and Scriabin and c l a s s i f i e s the etudes accordingly Examples of each type a n d a discussion of the various figurations found within them are included

Chapter three examines the different parameters of textural density

g i v i n g precise definitions f o r each one The basic types of accompanimental figuration discussed in chapter two are then compared according t o measure- ments o f textural density

Chapter four discusses the problems concerning the measurement of range and proposes a modified definition o f range t h a t permits more useful methods f o r i t s measurement This method i s explained in detail and then

is used t o contrast and compare the types of figuration and the styles o f

the composers

Chapter f i v e summarizes the methodology of the study and i t s r e s u l t s and s e t s forth suggestions for further investigation

I wish t o acknowledge Dr Burdette Green of The Ohio State Univer-

s i t y f o r his generous assistance and helpful advice d u r i n g b o t h the s t u d y ' s planning and i t s writing

X

Chapter I

a

PROBLEMS IN THE ANALYSIS OF MUSICAL TEXTURE

One o f the most d i f f i c u l t problems i n analyzing texture i s defining the term The word can be defined i n a variety of ways Three d i f f e r e n t views of texture are examined below in order t o develop a workable defini- tion

of l i n e a r independence which, f o r the reasons explained in the l a s t two

sections of t h i s chapter, i s n o t examined in t h i s s t u d y

The most problematic aspect of the definition involves considerations

Problems i n Definina Texture

According t o Wallace Berry, "Changes i n texture .are often among

II 3

the most readily perceptible and appreciable i n the experience o f music

I f these changes a r e so apparent, then one would assume t h a t texture would

be an obvious area for extensive musical investigation

a few writers who have dealt with the area of texture i n d e t a i l Most re- ferences t o 'texture, even i n comprehensive analyses , are r e s t r i c t e d t o very general observations t h a t use descriptive words such as l i g h t , heavy, homo- phonic, and polyphonic

Yet there are only

Perhaps one reason f o r the small amount o f significant work i n t h i s important area i s the lack of a c l e a r understanding o f the concept Iltexture."

I t i s obvious t h a t analyses Snvolving a vague, nebulous concept will f a i l

t o produce meaningful r e s u l t s w i t h any precision or significance In the

3 Wallace Berry, Structural Functions i n Music (Englewood C1 i f f s , New

Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1976), 189

1

2

minds of some authors, f o r example Ivor Keys and George Dyson, texture con-

s i s t s of a l l '!" characteristics of music combined it1 a vague, h o l i s t i c manner.4 With t h i s kind of broad definition, there i s a temptation f o r analyzers t o center t h e i r discussions on the area in which they are most secure, i e , harmony-discussions having only occasional references t o the other characteristics of music Such a definition i s inadNquate While there are useful definitions o f a more specialiied nature, there i s , unfor- tunately, wide divergence of thought concerning the specifics of what tex ture should e n t a i l I n order t o provide some perspective on the problem,

a few o f the more useful definitions must be examined

The Ervard Dictionary o f Music provides the f o l l o w i n g definition

of texture

Much l i k e woven fabric, music consists of horizontal

( "woof'l) and vertical ("warp") elements The former are

the successive sounds forming melodies, the l a t t e r the

simul taneous sounds formi ng harmonies I t i s these e l e-

ments that maKe u p the texture.5

This i s t o o vague t o be a serviceable definition, b u t Apel does elucidate his concept o f texture by l i s t i n g the different characteristics

he would include for consideration: polyphonic-homophonic, polyrhythmic- homorhythmic, and 1 ight-heavy I n t h i s context, 1 ight-heavy ref'ers t o b o t h the number of instruments, and the ,tone color or timbre of the instruments invol ved

4 Ivor Keys, The Texture o f Music; From Purcell t o Brahms (London: Dobson Books, 1961)rge Dyson, "The Texture of Modern Music," Music

and Letters IV (1923), No.2, 3 , and 4

(Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bel k n a p Press , 1969) , 842

5 Will i Apel , "Texture," Harvard Dictionarv of Music 2nd ed , rev and en1

6 I b i d

3

Berry's Structural Functions i n Music contains one of the few i n -

depth discussions of texture t o be found

t h a t are n o t defined precisely This practice r e s u l t s i n the use of

Berry carefully avoids terms

specialized terms t h a t , even t h o u g h they are very precise, make his writ-

i n g s t y l e rather cryptic, as one can see in the followirig definition

The texture of music consists of i t s sounding components;

i t i s conditioned i n part by the number of those components

sounding in simultaneity or concurrence, i t s q u a l i t i e s deter-

mined by the interactions, interrelations, and r e l a t i v e projec- tions and subst nces of component lines or other component

t h a t he asserts are v i t a l l y related t o density Berry's "qualitative"

characteristics include the r e l a t i v e independence and interdependence of the horizantal components within the musical fabric as determined by direc-

t i o n a l , i n t e r v a l l i c , and rhythmic relationships

In his G u i del ines for Sty1 e Analysis - , Jan LaRue places "texture" under the general heading of "sound." Since he also includes "timbre" and

"dynamics" as separate subheadings under the same category " sound," i t can

be inferred t h a t LaRue does n o t conceive o f timbre and dynamics a s specific

7 Berry, op c i t , 184

8 - Ibid

i s t i c s o f ' texture 9

For an analysis of texture t o be meaningful , one must c l e a r l y under- stand which of the many p o s s i b i l i t i e s mentioned i n these definitions a r e t o

be considered characteristics of texture

analytical r e s u l t s i s d i r e c t l y connected t o the precision of the definition,

a single c r i t e r i o n was adopted f o r deci ding which c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of texture are appropriate f o r the study of these etudes

the s t r i c t e s t sense should deal only w i t h characteristics t h a t a r e princi- pally associated w i t h e i t h e r vertical o r horizontal relationships This criterion enables us t o define the concept of texture according t o three basic characteristics:

Because the v a l i d i t y of the

ships between horizontal components The degree o f 1 inear independence

varies on a continuum from purely homophonic textures o r minimum independ- ence , t o pure1 y polyphonic textures o r maximum independence , w i t h any

degree possible between these two extremes However, the degree of inde- pendence does n o t e a s i l y lend i t s e l f t o objective measurement

and other important reasons explained i n the next two sections of this

chapter, 1 inear independence was deemed inappropriate as a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c

For this

9 Jan LaRue, Guidelines for Style Analysis (New York: W.W Norton and Co., 1970) 3 23-34

5

of texture i n this study

system based on types of melodic and accompanimental presentation

In i t s place was substituted a c l a s s i f i c a t i o n

The second c h a r a c t e r i s t i c , "density," r e f e r s t o the number of

components present a t any g i v e n moment and t h e i r arrangcment w i t h i n a

s p e c i f i c vertical span This concept involves the thickness, compression,

and spacing o f vertical components The t h f r d c h a r a c t e r i s t i c , "range,"

r e f e r s t o the changes of pitch as the music progresses through time

of these characteristics of texture i s explained i n f u r t h e r detail l a t e r

in the study

Each

The previously discussed c r i t e r i o n t h a t l i m i t s the definition of texture enables us t o exclude the following factors since they are n o t normally associated with e i t h e r vertical or horizontal a t t r i b u t e s : timbre, instrumentatioii, dynamics, and articulation Indeed, these additional fac- tors do influence texture t o some degree, b u t , according t o the limited definition presented above, they need n o t be considered i n a textural anal-

y s i s Dissonance or, f o r t h a t matter, harmonic constructs, are primarily vertical i n nature, b u t a r e commonly considered independent areas of inves-

t i g a t i o n and have established systems f o r analysis They therzfore do not need t o be subsumed under texture Siniilarly, rhythm i s primarily a hori- zontal component, b u t one t h a t i s commonly considered an independent area

of investigation One cannot deny t h a t components influence each other

e i t h e r directly o r i n d i r e c t l y However, for the sake of l i m i t i n g the num- ber o f variables involved and sharpening the focus o f the investigation,

i t i s desirable t o examine components independently and selectively

Problems i n Determining Linear Independence

Generally speaking, the horizontal components of texture r e s u l t from the characteristics o f the individual lines and from the relationships t h a t

6

are formed between the l i n e s , I f each l i n e has i t s own melodic and rhyth- mic identity and i s not subservient t o another l i n e , then the l i n e s are said

t o be independent, and according t o t r a d i t i o n the music i s c l a s s i f i e d as

"polyphonic." Conversely, i f the principal melodic and rhythmic i n t e r e s t centers i n one l i n e , and the remaining parts a r e merely accompanimental and function as one unit, then the components are n o t independent a n d the music

i s c l a s s i f i e d as "homophonic."

I t would be d i f f i c u l t t o place a l l music i n t o one o r the other of these categories because there are many textures t h a t have a limited inde- pendence and do not wholly belong t o the class of homophony or polyphony For analytical purposes i t i s more useful t o hypcthesize t h a t works f a l l

a t points on the continuum described e a r l i e r withrn the range from extreme independence o f 1 i nes t o extreme interdependence of 1 i nes

Unfortunately, 1 inear independence does n o t easily lend i t s e l f t o objective measurement, and t h i s i s probably the reason why Berry designates

1 inear indepecdence as a "qualitative" characteristic of texture." The number o f variables and the complexity o f the relationships w i t h i n a tex- ture make placement on the continuum a subjective judymerrt

the following terms in an apparent attempt t o supply a systematic method

7

Ex 1 Berry's terms for the description of l i n e a r independence

homorhythmi c

= hetero- rhythmic

two lines Any attempt t o label, for example, an eight-measure passage i n

four-part w r i t i n g would require a prohibitive number o f statements, or re- course t o descriptive general i t i e s t h a t destroy objectivity

A t f i r s t glance, his array of terms seem t o provide a

That i s the case, however, only f o r note-by-note comparisons between

mediums i n which a l l the voices o r parts a r e realized with the same timbre

( i .e., the same i f we disregard the subtle differences o f tone-color caused

by changes in r e g i s t e r o r dynamics) This general lack of tone quality

differentiation makes i t d i f f i c u l t f o r a l i s t e n e r t o i s o l a t e individual ? a r t s

a n d , as a r e s u l t , allows the composer more freedom t o vary the number c f parts without d i s r u p t i n g the texture than woul d be possi bl e i n heterogenous ensemb-ies where entrances and cutoffs art: more noticeable

These problems can be attributed t o several factors inherent

F i r s t , the piano i s one of the few instrumental

Second, the performer i s limited by the technical c a p a b i l i t i e s of his hands Consequently coinposers write types of figuration t h a t a r e known

t o be practical a n d effective i n performance T h i s t r a d i t i o n i s always be-

i n g modified and extended, b u t regardless o f s t y l e changes there has existed

a standard core of performance s k i l l s that, can be expected of the pianist

T h i r d , the piano, due t o i t s mechanism, has no capacity t o sustain

a tone a t a constant volume This deficiency i s often compensated f o r

through use of repeated figures having constint and regular rhythmic impulses

t h a t can e i t h e r simulate o r create the i l l u s i o n o f a sustained sound The inclusion of this type of textural f i l l i g r e e a l s o f a c i l i t a t e s smoother, more graduai changes i n dynamics since there a r e , a s a r e s u l t , many more inter- mediate 1 evel s avai 1 ab1 e between any two dynamic 1 evel s

9

Fourth, and t h i s p o i n t i s important, most nineteenth- century piano music, i n c l u d i n g t h e etudes under c o n s i d e r a t i o n here, f a l l s on t h e homo- phonic s i d e o f t h e l i n e a r independence continuum The reason f o r t h e

homophonic b i a s i n music o f t h e Romantic p e r i o d may be l i n k e d t o t h e s p e c i a l

a t t r i b u t e s o f t h e piano i t s e l f I n homophonic music, i t i s d i f f i c u l t enough

t o determine what t h e h o r i z o n t a l components are, l e t alone t o have t o attempt

t o q u a n t i f y t h e i r degree o f independence Because homophonic music i s n o t

as l i n e a r by d e f i n i t i o n , estimates o f l i n e a r independence seem l e s s i n f o r m -

a t i v e and a p p r o p r i a t e here than i n polyphonic works

Because o f these f a c t s :

1) measurements o f 1 i n e a r independence a r e i n a p p r o p r i a t e f o r

homophonic music,

2) l i n e a r components a r e d i f f i c u l t t o i s o l a t e i n Romantic

e r a piano music, and

3) methods f o r measuring l i n e a r independence a r e n o t p r e c i s e ,

even f o r polyphonic music,

t h e f a c t o r o f l i n e a r independence i s n o t examined i n t h i s study T h i s f a c -

t o r should s t i l l be considered a l e g i t i m a t e p a r t o f t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f t e x t u r e ,

i n general, b u t f o r t h e purposes o f t h i s study and t h e p a r t i c u l a r body o f music i t examines, i t i s n o t a p p r o p r i a t e I n i t s place, we s u b s t i t u t e a

c l a s s i f i c a t i o n system based on t h e types o f f i g u r a t i o n t h a t a r e used t o p r e -

s e n t melodic and accompanimental components i n homophonic piano music T h i s

c l a s s i f i c a t i o n o f components i s n o t intended t o measure 1 i n e a r independence

a t a l l I t s o n l y purpose i s t o p r o v i d e a systematic s e t of d e s c r i p t i v e

terms w i t h which t o c a t e g o r i z e t h e broad v a r i e t y o f t e x t u r e s i n homophonic piano music Chapter two e x p l a i n s t h i s system f o r c l a s s i f y i n g piano f i g u r -

a t i o n

Chapter I I BASIC TYPES OF MELODIC AND ACCOMPANI MENTAL PRESENTATION Etudes are written specifically t o develop performers' competencies

by stressing particular performance s k i l l s As a r e s u l t , a principal text- ural configuration t h a t involves one o f these s k i l l s i s used throughout

each o f the C h o p i n and Scriabin etudes

according t o the s k i l l s involved also serves t o classify these textural con- figurations This method o f classification i s advantageous because a l l the

Consequently, classifying the etudes

textural configurations i n the etudes can be related t o a small number of basic patterns

of each, and explains how the Chopin and Scriabin etudes have been c l a s s i - fied according t o this system

This chapter examines s i x basic types, presenting examples

The most basic classification of typical piano texture distinguishes between the two elementary functions i n homophonic music: melody and

accompaniment Usually these functions are e a s i l y distinguished because they are delineated by separate components o f the figuration, most commonly, the right hand playing the melody and the l e f t hand i n accompaniment

rrrarily, melody supplies horizontal content while accompaniment supplies

vertical content However, there i s some overlap possible because melodies often bear some degree of harmonic implication and accompaniments often bear some degree of voice leading Occasionally, a single component f u l f i l l s

b o t h the melodic and accompanimental functions A t other times the accom- paniment will include a f a i r l y independent l i n e t h a t supplies an additional,

t h i r d component

Pri-

B u t , i n general, melodic presentation and accompanimental

10

11 presentation can be considered independently, w i t h each note of a particular texture performing principally one function or the other

After separating melodic from accompanimental functions , the figura- tions of these two components can be c l a s s i f i e d into types according t o the way they a r e presented In the works being considered, the melodic presenta- tion can be divided into two types:

the s i n g l e l i n e doubled i n parallel intervals Similarly, accompanimental presentation can be divided into four types:

1) chordal

2 ) arpeggiated

3) convoluted

4 ) a1 ternating

These six different types o f presentation a r e defined and explained

w i t h examples i n the following sections of this chapter T h e examples point out the problems of determining how a n etude i s t o be c l a s s i f i e d and show the great variety t h a t e x i s t s w i t h i n the types In some cases these types

a r e divided into subcategories i n order t o provide f i n e r d i s t i n c t i o n s

The subcategories are explained below as they are encountered in the musical examples, and then summarized i n an outline of the types presented on page24

The Single Line The simplest type o f melodic presentation i s the single l i n e melody Examples o f this type can be grouped into two subcategories according t o the performance d i f f i c u l t i e s of the pieces One group uses slow tempos and requires a very lc-yato s t y l e , often w i t h the accompanimental chords o r l i n e s written f o r the same h a n d , compounding the d i f f i c u l t y of obtaining smooth legato connections

have confi g u r a t i ons simi 1 a r t o Example 2

Etudes of this type, which a r e called "legato studies,"

EXAMPLE 2 Scriabin Etude Op 8 No 8 , mm 1-3 12

Lcnto (Tempr) r u b a t o j Nr 8

melody in quicker tempo are commonly called "velocity studies." Very

tempos and an emphasis on scalar passages characterize these pieces

Chopin etude i n Example 3 has a figuration typical o f many of these p

Etudes belonging t o a second g r o u p , having a d i s t i n c t single l i n e

rapid The

I;

A l t h o u g h velocity studies are one of the most common types i n

eces

the etude genre, Scriabin d i d n o t include any o f these i n his etudes Perhaps Scriabin was leary of this type because o f the numerous pieces written for sheer technical d i s p l a y since C h o p i n

One characteristic o f melodic presentation t h a t m i g h t be overlooked

w i t h o u t careful analysis i s the use o f polyphonic melody as i n the case of Example 4

EXAMPLE 5 Scriabin Op 8 No 2 , mm 1-2 with the melody renotated

Although this melody may be derived from two lines a t some given level of structure, i t must s t i l l be considered a single- line type of

melodic presentation since i t i s perceived as one l i n e a t the most imme- diate, surface level This i s also a practical consideration because o f

the large degree of textural variation t h a t can e x i s t between structural levels each level can have a different "texture." To be rigorous,

"texture" should only refer t o the actual surface o f the music After a l l ,

12 Felix Salzer and Carl Schachter, Counterpoint i n Composition; The

S t u d y of Voice Leading (New York: McGraw-Hill , 1 9 6 9 ) , 153-160

14

we use t h e phrase "rought t e x t u r e ' ' t o d e s c r i b e an o b j e c t whose surfaces a r e rough w i t h o u t making any i n f e r e n c e s as t o i t s i n t e r n a l composition An ex- ample l a t e r i n t h e chapter a l s o i l l u s t r a t e s t h e n e c e s s i t y f o r t h i s r e s t r i c -

t i o n (see pp 21-22)

The Doubled L i n e The second b a s i c t y p e o f melodic p r e s e n t a t i o n c o n s i s t s o f l i n e s doubled i n s u i t a b l e p a r a l l e l i n t e r v a l s

etude w i t h t h e r i g h t - h a n d p a r t doubled i n thirds- - Op 26 No 6 and Op 8

No 10 r e s p e c t i v e l y

t o a l a r g e e x t e n t There i s a l s o a marked s i m i l a r i t y between t h e motives used i n t h e m i d d l e s e c t i o n s o f these t e r r a r y forms, as seen i n Examples 6 and 7 The resemblance o f these motives s t r o n g l y suggests t h a t S c r i a b i n

m i g h t have consciously imStated t h e Chopin Etudes, a t l e a s t i n t h i s case

Chopin and S c r i a b i n each wrote an

I n b o t h o f these t h e melodic l i n e s move c h r o m a t i c a l l y

EXAMPLE 6 Chopin Etude Op 25 No 6, m i 27-28

EXAMPLE 7 S c r i a b i n Etude Op 8 No 10, mm 53-60

15

Each composer a l s o wrote etudes w i t h t h e r i g h t - h a n d p a r t doubled

*in s i x t h s Example 8 shows t h e opening o f t h e one by Chopin

EXAMPLE 8 Chopin Etude Op 25 No 8, mm 1-4

,

Not o n l y does t h e r i g h t hand present t h e melody i n s i x t h s i n t h i s example, b u t t h e l e f t hand a l s o c o n s i s t s o f s i x t h s q u i t e o f t e n The func-

t i o n o f t h e l e f t - h a n d s i x t h s i s most o f t e n accompanimental, i.e., i t

provides a harmocic scheme B u t a t times t h e l e f t hand p a r t becomes melodic,

as i n t h e second h a l f o f measure f o u r i n Example 8

Melodies doubled a t t h e octave abound i n piano l i t e r a t u r e , making

t h i s d i f f i c u l t f i g u r a t i o n an obvious s u b j e c t f o r etudes

No 10 and S c r i a b i n Op 8 No 9 each g i v e t h e p i a n i s t p r a c t i c e w i t h octaves

Chopin Op 25

i n b o t h hands A v a r i a t i o n o f t h i s scheme occurs when one o r more notes

a r e f i l l e d between t h e octaves The r i g h t hand o f S c r i a b i n ’ s Op 8 No 7

i s a case i n p o i n t

EXAMPLE 9 Scriabin E t u d e Op 8 No 7, mm 1-2

16

The question i s whether or not the added middle p a r t ' s r o l e i s t o reinforce the melodic function o r the accompanimental function J u s t be- cause these notes a r e played in the same r e g i s t e r as the melody does not necessarily mean t h a t t h e i r function i s likewise melodic Tt,e middle note

o f the right hand i s not linked t o the melody a t any certain i n t e r v a l , nor does i t always move i n the same direction as the melody

determined by the harmony and the d o u b l i n g s of the accompaniment

the rhythm and r e g i s t e r of t h i s l i n e obviously 'reinforce the melody

i s a n instance where Berry Is termi no1 ogy f o r 1 i near independence i s useful

He would c l a s s i f y this l i n e as "homorhythmic-heterodirectional-contrain'er-

v a l l i c , " which provides a concise description, b u t does not c l a r i f y the original problem of determining function

I t s pitch i s

B u t , Here

Since the types of figuration a r e determined by the technical de- mands of the music, i t i s logical then t h a t this question should a l s o be seen from the performer's point of view The added p a r t , in terms of

performance, belongs w i t h the melody This decision r e s t s on the similar-

i t y w i t h the melody o f the p a r t i n question, and on the basis of factors such as a r t i c u l a t i o n , rhythm, and r e g i s t e r I f a decision must be made, then this added part can be said t o serve primarily i n a melodic role; i t s accompanimental c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , however, should not be forgotten

In summary, there are two basic types of melodic presentation:

the single l i n e and the doubled l i n e The former i s divided into legato

17

s t u d i e s and v e l o c i t y s t u d i e s

doubled t h i r d s , doubled s i x t h s , and doubled octaves One shoJld bear i n

mind t h a t these l i m i t e d c a t e g o r i e s a r e a p p r o p r i a t e o n l y f o r t h i s body o f

The most elementary accompaniment s t y l e i s t h e simple chordal f i g u r -

a t i o n , such as t h e one found i r S c r i a b i n ' s Op 8 Nos 8 and 11

of these etudes t h e chords a r e p r e s e n t i n both t h e r i s k t - and l e f t - h a n d p a r t s ,

I n each

an arrangement t h a t r e q u i r e s t h e r i g h t hand t o p l a y t h e melody and a p a r t o f

t h e accompanifient a t t h e same time i ' h i s procedure can r e s u l t i n pieces

t h a t sound d e c e p t i v e l y easy s i n c e t h e l i s t e n e r hears o n l y a melody supported

by chords, w i t h o u t r e a l i z i n g t h e c o n t r o l r e q u i r e d t o p l a y simultaneously

t

c o n t r a s t i n g dynamics, a r t i c u l a t i o n s , and/or rhythms w i t h one hand

One should n o t e t h a t t h e accompaniment i n Op 8 No 8 can be d i v i d e d

i n t o two p a r t s due t o t h e bass l i n e , which, i n a d d i t i o n t o i t s separate

r e g i s t e r , has some melodic c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f i t s own T h i s melodic inde- pendence r e s u l t s i n a t e x t u r e made up o f t h r e e separate s t r a t a as shown i n Example 10

EXAMPLE 10 S c r i a b i n Etude Op 8 No 8 mm 1-3

Lento (Tempo rubato) Nr 8

13 For example, see t h e l a s t s e t o f etudes by S c r i a b i n , Op 65 Nos 1,2, and 3

18

In i t s simplest conformation, homophonic music consists o f two

strata one melodic and the other accompanimental Yet, a s l a t e r examples will show, the number of s t r a t a can vary greatly, from just one t o four o r more

The Chopin etude in Example 11 i s arranged i n three s t r a t a as was Example 10, b u t with one major difference: the chordal stratum i n the

middl e requires two hands t o perform

Example 11 Chopin Etude Op 25 No 4 , mn 9-12

As before, the r i g h t hand has both melody and chords, and now the

l e f t hand has the bass l i n e and chords also T h e l e f t hand must skip a

sizable distance i n order t o play both parts The major technical d i f f i c u l t y

of t h i s piece i s the accurate extecution o f these large leaps

occur i n b o t h hands o f the following example

Large leaps

EXAMPLE 12 Scriabin Etude Op 8 No 5, mm 1-3

19

Here

components :

i t i s possible t o consider the texture i n four different

a me1 ody i t s chordal accompaniment, a counter-me1 ody or and i t s accompaniment

separate staves

Example 13 shows the d i f f e r e n t s t r a t a

EXAMPLE 13 Scriabin Etude Op 8 No 5, mm 1-3 renotated

e a s i l y perceived t h a t i t i s

phoni c me1 ody requires some

Because the large change i n

e a r l i e r a l t h o u g h i n this case the e f f e c t apparent on the surface level while the abstraction on the p a r t of the l i s t e n e r

i s so

P O ' Y -

r e g i s t e r can i n e f f e c t add another stratum t o the texture, types o f chordal figuration must be f u r t h e r divided i n t o two subcategories one simp1 e and one w i t h large leaps

20

Arpegyiated Figurations The second type of accompaniment i s the arpeggiated figuration,

which i s a chordal unit presented in a simple linear fashion, either ascend-

i n g o r descending This type o f presentation can be divided i n t o two sub- categories, distinguishing those t h a t require more t h a n one hand-position

from those t h a t can be played i n a single position, L e , when a l l the notes can be reached without l i f t i n g the hand or turning t h e thumb under the fingers The left-hand p a r t o f Chopin's Op 25 No 1, the "harp" etude, i s an example

of the single hand-position arpeggio In this figuration there are usually only four pitches in each arpeggio allowing the hand t o remain in one posi- tion even t h o u g h the figure covers a large span

EXAMPLE 14 Chopin Etude Op 25 No 1, mrn, 1-2

The second subcategory of arpeggiated figuration i s shown in the

following example from the "revolutionary" etude

I t consists of an alternation between two notes or groups of notes

By l i n k i n g every other note of the figuration into

EXAMPLE 17 Reduction o f Example 16

Consi dered

presents the 1 eve1

the melody and the

22

from the viewpoint o f "layer analysis," Example 17

d i r e c t l y beneath the actual foreground A t t h i s level

l i n e a r nature of the remaining voices become clear I t appears t h a t the melody actually e x i s t s on a more remote level t h a n the accompanimental figuration

surface level due t o the alternation B u t since the actual texture, < e , the texture a t the most foreground level, i s generated by l i n e a r motion, one can e a s i l y e x t r a c t the l i n e a r motion of the underlying level T h i s example can, a t l e a s t a t the foreground level, consist of only accompani- mental f i gura t i on

S t r i c t l y speaking, there i s no melody a t the

Convoluted Figuration The fourth type of accompanimental presentation i s designated here

as the "convoluted" figuration This type consists of any regularly repeat- ing pattern o f chord tones which has a l i n e a r contour t h a t changes direction often

tones are sounded i n an irregular order, i e , i t produces a contour t h a t cannot be described as ascending o r descending, b u t has a specific organi- zation t h a t controls the contour The Alberti bass of the Classical era provides a simple example of this type

ation i n his etude i n Bb minor, shown in Example 18

The convoluted figuration can be considered a broken chord whose

Scriabin uses the convoluted f i g u r -

EXAMPLE 18 Scriabin Etude Op 8 No 7, mm 1-2

Presto tenebroso, agitato Nr 7

23

The f i g u r e i n t h e l e f t - h a n d p a r t repeats every s i x t h eighth- note,

i n a p a t t e r n t h a t can be g e n e r a l l y described as l e a p i n g down-up-down-down- up-down w i t h t h e upward leaps l a n d i n g on t h e beat T h i s p a r t i c u l a r p a t t e r n has an ambiguous harmonic rhythm which S c r i a b i n emphasizes through t h e beam-

i n g o f t h e eighth- notes and t h e phrasing marks o f t h e l e f t hand The har- monies change every two beats, w i t h each new harmony beginning two e i g h t h - notes b e f o r e t h e f i r s t and t h i r d beat of t h e measure, r e s u l t i n g i n a har- monic rhythm t h a t i s o u t o f phase, o r d i s p l a c e d i n r e s p e c t t o t h e rhythmic

i m p l i c a t i o n s o f t h e meter

Example 19 i l l u s t r a t e s an i n t e r e s t i n g v a r i a t i o n o f t h e convoluted

f i g u r a t i o n used by Chopin

EXAMPLE 19 Chopin Etude Op 10 No 9, mm 1-3

Allcgro, :nolto agitato :to.)

Contained w i t h i n t h e upper p a r t of t h e accompanimental f i g u r e i s

a countermelody Once again, t h e r e i s a melodic l i n e nested w i t h i n t h e accompaniment T h i s r e s u l t s i n a t e x t u r e c o n s i s t i n g o f t h r e e s t r a t a l i k e those i n e a r l i e r examples, except t h a t i n t h i s case, t h e harmonic support

i s below t h e t w o melodic l i n e s i n s t e a d o f between them

1 One hand- position

2 More than one

25

Nine of the twenty-four Chopin etudes are n o t included here i n any

o f the above categories This i s done f o r two reasons:

contain textures which are combinations o r special variations of the above types For instance, Op 25 No 9 has Ile alternating e f f i x t combined with

a melody doubled i n octaves f o r the right-hand p a r t , representing a mixture

underneath the other fingers, as i s usual f o r an arpeggiated figure

the p i a n i s t , this i s a completely different technical s k i l l Compare

Example 21 t o Example 15

EXAMPLE 21 Chopin Etude Op 25 No 12, mm 1-2

For

26

These combinations o r s p e c i a l v a r i a t i o n s o f t h e f i g u r a t i o n t y p e s

i n t h e n i n e remaining etudes c o u l d be i n c l u d e d i n t h e category system by

c r e a t i n g new designations But t h i s i s n o t d e s i r a b l e because o f t h e second reason f o r e x c l u d i n g these etudes: they have no d i r e c t l y comparable c o u n t e r -

p a r t s i n t h e etudes o f S c r i a b i n The p u w o s e o f t h i s chapter i s t o p r o v i d e

l a b e l s f o r t h e t e x t u r e s common t o t h e two composers i n o r d e r t o make mean-

i n g f u l comparisons Although one could s p e c i f y more and more types, t h i s procedure would n o t b e n e f i t t h e present study s i n c e i t would d i m i n i s h t h e bases f o r t h e comparison o f t e x t u r e

Chapter I I I DENSITY

As i t i s presented i n chapter one, the investigation o f texture i n

piano music texture involves three major categories:

mental presentation, density, and range The second o f these, density,

concerns the number o f components sounding a t one time and the rel?,tive spacing of these components This chapter examines the C h o p i n and Scriabin etudes with respect t o t h e i r textural density

explanation o f the fundamental concepts and terms dealing w i t h density

Then i t describes the general precedure adopted here f o r examining the etudes

and follows w i t h a comparison of the types o f accompanimental presentation and t h e i r use by each composer

Discussions of textural density often contain descriptions such as lightlheavy or thin/thick w i t h o u t p i n p o i n t i n g exactly what i s meant o r how these characteristics are t o be measured

ambiguous because they can r e f e r t o many different aspects o f texture,

including the number of melodic l i n e s , the tonal color, the instrumentation, the dynamic levels, and the r e l a t i v e proximity o f the l i n e s

terms can connote so many different t h i n g s , the adoption o f a more precise

melodic and accompani-

I t begins w i t h a detailed

I n addition, these terms are

Since these

vocabulary i s essential

vides some terms t h a t are more precise in t h e i r description o f textural

components Those re1 evant t o density incl ude "densi ty-number , 'I "texture- space," a n d "density-compression

I n his Structural Functions in Musics Berry pro-

The following discussion examines

14 Berry op c i t , 209, 249

27

28 these and two new terms, " v e r t i c a l span" and " s p a c i n g - d i s t r i b u t i o n ' '

V e r t i c a l span i s s u b s t i t u t e d f o r t h e concept o f texture- space due t o t h e

l a t t e r ' s i n a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s f o r t h i s study

Density-number Density-number r e f e r s t o t h e number o f p i t c h e s i n a v e r t i c a l u n i t For example, t h e density-number i s f i v e i n t h e f o l l o w i n g chord

EXAMPLE 22 Chopin Etude Op 10 No 2, f i n a l meas

m

Obviously, t h e density-number i n pclyphonic music i s e q u i v a l e n t t o

t h e number o f v o i c e s i n t h e t e x t u r e ( p r o v i d e d t h e r e a r e no systematic doubl-

i n g s ) However, i n Example 22 which i s homophonic, most o f t h e h o r i z o n t a l

p a r t s a r e l e s s c l e a r l y d e f i n e d and t e n d t o merge i n t o v e r t i c a l formations The l a c k of h o r i z o n t a l d e f i n i t i o n causes t h e v e r t i c a l u n i t s , i.e., t h e

chorda: s t r u c t u r e s t o t a k e on mors prominence -in t h e musical s t r u c t u r e

When density- number no longer r e f e r s t o t h e number o f voices, i t must r e f e r

t o t h e number o f p i t c h e s i n each chordal s t r u c t u r e

number i n homophonic music does n o t always correspond e x a c t l y t o t h e number

o f " parts I'

As a r e s u l t , t h e d e n s i t y -

A c c w d i n g t o Berry, densi ty-number r e f e r s t o t h e number o f p i t c h e s

w i t h i n a v e r t i c a l u n i t which, i n r e s p e c t t o homophonic music: o f t h e n i n e -

t e e n t h century, can be d e f i n e d as a p a r t i c u l a r chordal u n i t W i t h t h i s i n

29

mind, one can see t h a t the notated duration of pitches m i g h t not overlap

a t any point, and y e t they can function harmonically as p a r t of the same chordal u n i t Consider t h e left- hand part of the Scriabin etude i n Example

23

EXAMPLE 23 Scriabin Etude Op 8 No 12, mm 1- 2

All of the pitches i n t h e left- hand p a r t express t o n i c harmony When the horizontal motion o f the accompanimental figuration i n t h i s passage i s r e - duced t o long notes, a s shown i n Example 24, the chordal u n i t can be seen

t o have a density-number of seven

EXAMPLE 24 Figuration reduction G f the left- hand p a r t of Example 23

a

71

Notating the pitches of an accompaniment a s a block chord makes i t

e a s i e r not only t o observe t h e density-number, b u t a l s o t h e other measure- ments of density as well Because the melody functions predominantly i n

the horizontal dimension and only secondarily implies an underlying harmonic foundation, no attempt will be made t o reduce the r i g h t hand of Example 23

t o a v e r t i c a l s t r u c t u r e