by Alan Charlton Alan Charlton...Alan Charlton is an author, composer and examiner, and has written...

Music Teacher June 20151

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Alan Charlton is an author, composer and examiner, and has written numerous books and articles on music education. He taught for a number of years at Bedford School, initially as a composer-in-residence, and has a PhD in composition from the University of Bristol.

AQA A2 Chamber music from Mendelssohn to Debussy

by Alan Charlton

IntroDuCtIon

AoS3b, Chamber Music from Mendelssohn to Debussy, is one of the three options of Section C: Historical

Study of the Unit 4 – Music in Context question paper. In the past, AQA examination questions have typically

asked students to compare aspects of two works or movements in detail, or comment on stylistic features of

the music’s period, drawing examples from works they have studied. Therefore it is essential for students to be

able to refer to examples from specific works.

This article will look at three movements from key chamber music composers from the Romantic period

(Mendelssohn, Brahms and Ravel). Each of the three movements has been broken down into the elements of

structure, melody, harmony/tonality, instrumental writing and texture, through which the general features of the

period can be explored.

The three works covered in this article are as follows, for which scores and recordings will be required:

Mendelssohn: String Quartet no. 5 in E flat, op. 44/3, first movement

Brahms: Clarinet trio in A minor, op. 114, first movement

ravel, String Quartet in F, second movement

Romantic chamber music

Chamber music is music composed for a small group of musicians, usually performed without a conductor. It

was originally intended to be played in a normal room (hence the word ‘chamber’), rather than a large concert

hall, and was often written for the enjoyment of the musicians, rather than for public performance. However, it

became so popular that public performances of chamber music eventually became commonplace.

Well-known examples of chamber music from the Classical period are the string quartets of Haydn, Mozart and

Beethoven. In the Romantic period, many composers continued to compose chamber music, but some, such

as Berlioz, Wagner, Verdi and Mahler, wrote very little as they were more interested in exploring the potential

of orchestral and operatic music. The best-known chamber music of the Romantic period therefore tends to

be that by composers who were more ‘Classical’ in their tastes, being interested in structure and melodic

development. Mendlessohn, Schumann, Brahms, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky fall into this category. Towards the

end of the period, composers such as Schoenberg, Debussy and Ravel also saw the potential to use chamber

music as a medium for exploring new forms, textures and harmonies.

The main mediums of chamber music in the period were string-based ensembles (string quartets, quintets,

sextets and octets), combinations of piano and strings (piano trios, quartets and quintets, as well as duos for

a stringed or wind instrument and piano) and mixed ensembles (for instance clarinet quintet, clarinet trio and

horn trio).

The string quartet

The string quartet was the dominant chamber music ensemble of the Romantic period, with examples

composed by most of the leading composers of the day. It was an ensemble sufficiently large to produce

colourful harmonies such as 7th chords and diminished 7ths, and could create rich textures. Additionally, it

was already a well-established grouping, the quartets of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven being widely played,

so it was relatively easy for composers to arrange performances of their own quartets in public concerts.

Important quartet composers of the period include Mendlessohn, Schumann, Dvořák, Brahms, Smetana,

Borodin, Tchaikovsky, Schoenberg, Ravel and Debussy.

Music Teacher June 2015 2

The string quartet offered huge possibilities to a skilled composer. The four instruments (two violins, viola and

cello) all have large ranges, and are agile and capable of producing a large range of dynamics, effects and

degrees of expression.

MEnDElSSohn: StrIng QuArtEt no. 5 In E FlAt, op. 44/3, FIrSt MovEMEnt

The German composer Felix Mendelssohn was a child prodigy as both a pianist and composer, and he went

on to become a prolific composer as well as a conductor and pianist. Much of his earliest chamber music was

composed for family members and friends, and by the time of his Octet for stringed instruments (1825), he was

already a highly experienced composer who had developed a knack for very idiomatic instrumental writing.

He was deeply influenced by the music of JS Bach and Beethoven, and counterpoint plays a very important

part in his chamber works, which are deeply rooted in Classical forms. His chamber music output contained

six string quartets, two string quintets, the Octet, two piano trios and three piano quintets. His Op. 44 string

quartets were composed in 1837–8.

STruCTure

The movement is in sonata form, a well-established musical form that was developed in the Classical period,

particularly by composers such as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. As is typical of Romantic composers,

Mendelssohn is attempting to develop the form into something more personal through his treatment of motivic

material. However, unlike the more progressive Romantic composers (such as Berlioz, Liszt or Richard

Strauss), he is not changing the form radically, for instance through unusual key relationships or the redesign

of the structure itself.

Conventional aspects of the structure are the standard sections of exposition, development and recapitulation,

the presence of repeat marks at the end of the exposition, the sub-groups of first and second thematic groups

and codetta, and the conventional use of tonic and dominant keys (E flat major and B flat major) for the first

and second thematic groups in the exposition. An interesting aspect of the structure is that the recapitulation

contains further development of the material.

The structure can be summarised as follows:

bars Section Subsection

1–31 EXpoSItIon First group (E flat major)

32–45 transition

46–91 Second group (B flat major)

92–111 Codetta (B flat major)

111–206 DEvElopMEnt

207–240 rECApItulAtIon first group (modified) (E flat major)

241–272 second group (E flat major)

273–296 development of codetta

297–349 further development

350–369 codetta (second group) (E flat major)

A lot of the structural interest is in Mendelssohn’s handling of melody: this is explored in the next section.

3 Music Teacher June 2015

Melody

Mendelssohn uses a number of short motifs, which he develops and combines in different ways, to form new

melodies, dialogues and textural combinations. The main motifs he employs can be seen below.

Each of these motifs has a distinctive rhythm and melodic shape. When Mendelssohn develops these motifs,

quite often the exact intervals are not preserved, but the rhythm and the general shape of the melody are

retained. Mendelssohn’s approach to melodic development can be seen in his handling of motif A1 (the

semiquaver motif that opens the movement). A1 (an anacrusis of four semiquavers leading to an stronger

downbeat) is developed extensively throughout the movement:

In bar 5, the downbeat of A1 becomes a dotted rhythm (A2), which is further extended by sequential

repetition in bar 7.

In bars 32–37, A1 is passed to and fro between instruments in close imitation a beat apart.

In bars 40–45, the semiquavers of A1 are repeated in a succession of descending sequences.

this leads to the second group, in which the semiquavers of A1 are repeated in murmuring figuration

accompanying the new theme, B1 (bars 46–56).

Further development of A1 occurs in the development at bar 148–151, where the four semiquavers are again

repeated at different pitches to create a four-bar passage which is then repeated sequentially (152–155).

A1 is again used sequentially from bars 203–206, creating a climactic lead into the recapitulation at 207:

here, the semiquaver movement is continued for four bars with the first violin’s rising line of semiquavers.

Other motifs are treated in a similar way, being extended, used sequentially and combined with other ideas in

counterpoint. Sometimes they form the main theme and at other times they appear in counterpoint or as part

of the accompaniment.

Other features of note include:

the use of rhythmic augmentation: theme C (bar 93) is developed from augmentation of the dotted figure

introduced in bar 5.

Question-and-answer phrase structure: when Mendelssohn turns to longer melodies, they are often in

question-and-answer phrase structure, which harks back to the Classical period. For instance the first four

bars of theme C (bars 93–96) are answered by the crotchets of bars 97–100.

predominantly conjunct movement: where there are leaps (and there are many of them), the melody tends

to move back within the leap, which is again a trait of music of the Classical period (eg after the leap of a

minor 7th in the first violin in bars 19–20, the music descends).

HArMony And TonAliTy

Mendelssohn uses functional harmony sharing many features with that of the Classical period, but with an

added richness typical of early Romanticism.

Conventional ‘Classical period’ features include:

perfect cadences (eg leading into bars 92 and 350, and in the final five bars)

plagal cadences (eg bar 2, beats 2–3)

resolution of dissonances by step

mostly the same palette of chords (major and minor triads, dominant 7ths, diminished 7ths)

A1: semiquavers

bar 1

bar 1

A2: legato crotchets

b.5

A3: dotted

A4: arpeggio

b.8

T1

b.19

T2

b.20

b.46

B1: upbeats

B2: legato crotchets

C: Coda

b.93

4Music Teacher June 2015

The ‘added richness’ comes through several features that began to be developed by Romantic composers for

greater expression:

more use of diminished 7th chords (eg bar 28 beat 2, also bars 39, 85 and 87)

expressive appoggiaturas which often create temporary major or minor 9th chords (eg bar 19, first quaver;

bar 43: outline of a dominant 7th with a minor 9th; bar 72, fifth quaver: dominant 9th chord)

chromatic movement creating expressive dissonance (eg bars 104–107)

augmented triads (eg bar 64, beat 4)

pedal notes with rich, changing harmonies above them (eg the tonic pedal in bars 105 and 107; the dominant

pedal in bars 92–97)

Another ‘Romantic’ feature of the harmony and tonality is the use of progressions tha undermine the main key

by moving temporarily to remoter keys, such as in the beginning of the second group at bars 46–60. Here, there

has just been a modulation to the dominant key, B flat major, which has been firmly established on beat 1 of bar

46. However, the music immediately moves away to G minor (bars 47–48), back to B flat major (bar 50), then to

B flat minor (bar 51), then modulates to D flat major (bar 54), before working its way back to B flat major again.

WriTing for inSTruMenTS

The contrapuntal and antiphonal nature of Mendelssohn’s textures mean that all of the instrumental parts have

similar musical interest, with the first violin having slightly more demanding material, such as the soloistic

passage in bars 203–212. This relatively equal treatment of instruments is illustrated by passages in which

motifs and melodies are passed between instruments frequently, such as:

the semiquaver figure in bars 85–88

the cello’s theme at the start of the development (bars 112–119), played by the viola (bars 124–127) and

violin 2 (132–136)

There are many rhythmic figures that help create excitement, for instance:

the dotted rhythm in bar 7

the semiquaver figure (eg in bars 32–35)

the staccato quavers in bars 75–77

the syncopated viola line just before the end in bars 357–362

More sustained writing occurs in places, for instance:

the legato phrase played by the lower strings in bars 1–4

the first violin’s slurred crotchets in bars 97–103

the cello theme at bars 163–174

All the instruments use a wide range, but avoid extreme high notes:

the first violin rises to an B flat nearly three octaves above middle C at bar 211.

the second violin is in a lower register than the first, its highest note being E flat two octaves and a third

above middle C in bar 68.

the viola stays in alto clef throughout; its highest note F, an 11th above middle C.

the cello has a high passage in tenor clef at bars 163–170, reaching D flat a minor 9th above middle C.

There are few instrumental techniques used (for instance, pizzicato is not employed at all), but one or two

effects are used to help create excitement and fill out the texture in places:

double- and triple-stopping in many places (eg bars 69–70, final 3 bars)

‘scrubbing’ (repeated semiquavers) (eg cello, bars 120–123; viola and second violin, bars 146–147)

double strokes (eg bars 201–202)

arpeggios (eg bars 38–43 and 219–222)

TexTure And TiMbre

There is a significant amount of textural variety across the movement, but the textures are always directly

related to the development of the melodic material. In other words, texture is not used purely for colouristic

effect, as is the case with late Romantic composers such as Debussy and Ravel.

The texture of the music can be hard to define in places as it often mixes homophonic, contrapuntal and

antiphonal elements. With short motifs being continually developed and combined in different ways, textures

change frequently and are often quite subtle: for instance a homophonic texture may be given added complexity


by melodic fragments being passed between different parts (eg at bars 194–200), thus incorporating elements

of antiphony.

Examples of textures used include:

homophonic textures:

melody and accompaniment: bars 89–91 and 274–281

homorhythmic: bar 8, bars 213–218

‘oom-cha’ accompaniment: bars 148–149 and 152–153

homophonic textures often including added figuration, for example:

semiquavers in one part, chordal texure in the other three: bars 69–70, 241–243

semiquaver figuration and arpeggios added in the first violin: bars 207–212

octave textures: bar 45

monophonic textures: bar 136 beat 3 to bar 137 beat 3

contrapuntal textures: bars 218–221 and 340–345

imitation is frequently used:

one beat apart: bars 85, 86, 297–298, 346–347

two beats apart: first and second violins, bars 15–16

four beats apart: bars 218–222

contrary motion is used in places:

contrary motion arpeggios: bars 146–147

contrary motion chordal texture: 79–80

antiphonal effects:

between the first violin and the rest: bars 203–206

between the first and second violins: bars 297–298

BrAhMS: ClArInEt trIo In A MInor, op. 114, FIrSt MovEMEnt

This work was composed in 1891, towards the end of Brahms’s life, and was written for the clarinettist Richard

Mühlfield. It was one of four works Brahms composed for Mühlfield, the others being the Clarinet Quintet and

the two clarinet sonatas. It is in four movements.

Chamber music with piano

The piano was very important in solo and chamber music in the Romantic period. It was pioneered by Mozart,

Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert as a solo and chamber music instrument, and Romantic composers such

as Chopin and Liszt further exploited its expressive and virtuoso qualities as a solo instrument. In a chamber

group, it could function as both a soloist and accompanist, which meant it was equally capable of forming

successful combinations with any number of instruments. Many combinations had already been established

by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven (instrumental sonatas, piano trios). The Romantic period saw a proliferation

in piano-based chamber ensembles, especially piano quartets, piano quintets and mixed ensembles of one

or more of both wind and stringed instruments with piano: examples include Brahms’s Clarinet Trio in A minor

and his Horn Trio in E flat.

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

Brahms was a pianist and composer heavily influenced by Beethoven but also by the Romantic style of

Schumann and Mendlessohn. Brahms is considered to be the most important chamber music composer of

the 19th century after Beethoven for several reasons.

he composed substantial works in more chamber music genres than most and pioneered some new ones

(such as the horn trio).

his chamber works were also on a greater scale (often lasting 45 minutes) and formally more ambitious than

previous romantic composers.

Since the role of the piano is a common question topic, it is a good idea to study at least one other chamber work with piano, for instance Schumann’s Piano Quintet.


he introduced several new techniques, such as the idea of developing variation: a melody whose outline remained

the same but whose pitches were continually changing. this was a technique later taken up by Schoenberg.

the piano writing in his chamber music is more virtuosic than that of his predecessors, and he creates a

uniquely rich sound through the use of imaginative spacings and thick textures.

his chamber works tend to be tonally and harmonically more adventurous and his music has greater expressive

qualities than previously, with impassioned melodic writing, use of extreme registers and wide leaps.

In addition to the Clarinet Trio (1891), his chamber music includes:

three string quartets

two string quintets

two string sextets

three piano trios

three piano quartets

A piano Quintet

A Clarinet Quintet

A horn trio

three violin sonatas

two cello sonatas

two clarinet or viola sonatas

STruCTure

The movement is in sonata form. As with the Mendelssohn movement, it is the melodic development that is

especially interesting, and is discussed in further detail under ‘melody’. Brahms makes use of a technique called

developing variation, in which a theme is in a constant state of development, and thus is constantly changing

and evolving. As well as developing motifs melodically, Brahms went a step further by deriving bass lines,

accompaniments, harmonies and tonal schemes from the notes of a motif. This therefore represents an advance

on the type of development used by Mendelssohn and anticipates the serial procedures of Arnold Schoenberg.

There are three main themes stated in the exposition, in three corresponding related keys: A minor (the tonic),

C major (the relative major) and E minor (the dominant minor). It is unusual to have themes in three different

keys in the exposition of a sonata form movement. Note that root notes of the three keys (A, C, E) are also the

first three notes of theme 1a which opens the work.

bars Section subsection themes used

1–43 EXpoSItIon 1st group (A minor) 1a 1–12, 1b 13–17, 1a 18–33, 1b 33–43

44–66 2nd group (C major) 2a 44–62; 2b 63–66

67–82 3rd group (codetta) (E minor)

3a 67–82

83–125 DEvElopMEnt 1a 83–96; 1b 97–118

126–149 rECApItulAtIon 1st group (A minor) 1b 126–131, 1a 132–147

150–172 2nd group (F major) 2a 150–168, 2b 169–172

173–211 3rd group (A minor - A major)

3a 173–193, 2b 194–200, 1b 201–211

212–224 CoDA (A minor - A major) 1a 212–217

Other noteworthy features are the way that theme 1a is disguised in the recapitulation: it is the subsidiary

theme 1b that opens the recapitulation. and when 1a does reappear, in the clarinet at bar 138, it is in a

disjointed, rhythmically altered form.

This was part of the late Romantic desire to unify works by deriving much of their material from a single motif. It was partly inspired by the motivic unity in Beethoven’s music, such as in his Symphony No. 5, and continued in devices such as Berlioz’s ‘ideé fixe’ (used in the Symphonie fantastique) and the cyclic themes of Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Dvořák – themes that recurred in different movements of a multi-movement work such as a symphony or chamber music composition.


Melody

1

Main themes and their development in Brahms, Clarinet Trio in A minor, 1st Movement

1a and its transformations

cello

5

clarinet

3

3

22

piano

3

3

3

3

24

clarinet

3

3

138

clarinet

1434 106

piano

1b and its transformations

cello

piano

3 3 3

44

45

cello

2a

2a in diminution

piano

63

2bpiano

67

3a

piano


Brahm’s melodies are generally a mixture of triadic and stepwise movement, sometimes incorporating rapid

arpeggios and scales.

3rds are a common interval, forming the openings of themes 1a and 2a, while descending thirds make up

a large part of 3a (these form ‘chains of thirds’ also used in the opening of Brahms’s Fourth Symphony).

inversion is commonly used, for instance: bars 51–57 are inverted in the cello’s melody in 52–58.

the piano in bars 38–42 plays a melody in the right hand and an inverted version of the same melody in

the left.

the cello plays an inverted version of the clarinet’s semiquavers in bars 222–223.

rhythmic diminution is a common device, for instance: the opening of the cello’s theme in 43–45 is repeated in a faster version in the piano’s right hand in bars

45–46.

the piano crotchet triplets in bar 32 are imitated in diminution in the clarinet quaver triplets in bar 34.

rhythmic augmentation is also used: the clarinet and cello’s descending notes of 1a are given an augmented rhythm in bars 92–93.

there are many interconnections between melody, accompaniment and countermelodies. For instance: the first three notes of the piano bassline in bars 4–5 anticipate melody 2a and are a retrograde of the

first three notes of 1a.

the first four notes of the piano’s bassline in bars 22–23 (A-g-F-E) are the same as the descending scale

in the second bar of 1a.

the piano left hand in bars 67–70 plays a harmonic version of the melody in the right hand, based on the

same notes plus an E, in a quaver rhythm.


As mentioned earlier, Brahms’s use of tonality is unusual, having three different keys in the exposition. He was

fond of creating tonal ambiguity in his sonata form movements, not only by basing the tonal argument around

the traditional two keys (eg tonic and dominant), but by also introducing a tonal element that undermined the

tonic key, generating an additional level of tonal conflict.

Here, there is some ambiguity between A minor and A major. The movement starts in A minor, but its first

extended phrase ends in C major (bars 10–12), before returning to A minor (bar 13). There are cadences in A

minor (bar 18) and then A major (bar 20), before the music returns again to A minor (bar 22). The recapitulation

begins in A minor and returns to it in bar 169, before a passage in A major over a tonic pedal (bar 185). The

coda begins in A minor (bar 212), but ends in A major (bars 218–224). However, this is not a triumphant-

sounding ending, but quiet and understated, retaining the feel of the minor-keyed section that preceded it.

Brahms sometimes clouds the sense of tonality with his use of cadences. Although there are many perfect

cadences (eg into the second theme at bars 43–44, into E minor at bars 62–63 and 66–67, into C sharp major

at 95–96 and A minor at 125–126, 168–169 and 172–173), he also uses plagal, interrupted and unusual

cadences, such as VI-ib (bar 18); plagal iv-I (bar 20); interrupted V-iv (bar 26 beat 3 to bar 27); plagal iv-I (bars

82–83); and in the closing bars of the movement, iib-I (bars 217–218) and VII7-I (bars 221–222). These ‘weak’

cadential progressions contribute to the lack of ‘triumph’ felt in the tonic major conclusion to the movement.

Harmonically, the movement uses a rich and often chromatic tonal language typical of the mid-to late-Romantic

period. Features include:

Chromatic movement: theme 2b contains 3rds descending chromatically over a pedal note (eg from bars 63–66).

progressions leading to modulations are often chromatic, for instance those in the development in bars

87–91 and 105–114, and bars 146–149 in the recapitulation.

Circle of 5ths (bars 190–192).

Pedal notes are used regularly, and are sometimes combined with chromatic harmonies to create rich

dissonances, for instance:

tonic pedal at bars 67–81 (an E), combined with chord of F sharp major at 74 and a diminished 7th chord

at bar 77.

tonic pedal at bars 185–189, combined with a chromatic melody and countermelody.

pedal notes are used in theme 2b (eg bars 169–172).

Parallel first-inversion chords are used in places (eg in the piano from bars 97–98, 101–102 and 213–214).


Augmented 6th chords (eg bar 157, beat 2 in the piano: note the g sharp and B flat).

diminished 7th chords (eg bar 195 beat 4).

Accented passing notes (eg first beat of bar 24, the g and E in the piano).

Accented appoggiaturas (eg bar 187 beat 1, piano right hand).

Suspensions (eg cello, bars 190–191; double suspension piano, bars 199–200).

WriTing for inSTruMenTS

Generally speaking, the writing for clarinet and cello is melodic and lyrical, and not particularly virtuosic,

although it is demanding to play in other ways. Both instruments have melodic material throughout their

registers and dynamics ranging from pp (eg bar 18) to ff (eg bar 33).

The movement is written in such a way that the two melody instruments have very similar material, imitating

each other’s melodic material, sometimes playing in octaves, or in the same rhythm. There is therefore little

distinction between Brahms’s writing for a wind instrument and a stringed instrument (in fact, the clarinet part

was later rearranged for viola by the composer).

Features of the writing for clarinet and cello include:

Sustained, legato melodies (eg both instruments in bars 1–11).

Expressive leaps (eg the upward octave in the clarinet in bar 58, and the cello in bar 61).

rapid arpeggios (eg bars 24–5, and in the final three bars).

rapid scales (eg the passage in bars 105–122).

occasional staccato (eg bar 125).

pianissimo playing of rapid scales and arpeggios (eg the concluding passage from 217–224).

the clarinet’s low or ‘chalumeau’ register is exploited in places: in this range it can produce a very quiet,

rich sound. Examples include the arpeggios in bar 222, and the quiet, sustained material in bars 11–16 and

100–105.

the piercing nature of the clarinet’s high register is also drawn upon in bar 167, rising to written g four ledger

lines above the treble clef.

the cello uses double- and triple-stopping occasionally, for instance in bars 125–132.

the cello’s singing tone on the A string is also often exploited, for example in bars 157–177. During this

passage, it reaches its highest note in the movement, E a 10th above middle C.

The piano textures are generally quite restrained for Brahms, allowing the cello and clarinet to be clearly heard.

They are often relatively thin (loud, thick chords are reserved for climactic passages), and often leave gaps in

the middle register for the cello and clarinet to occupy.

Features of the piano writing include:

use of a wide register, with frequent low notes. the register is exploited, with passages in the middle

register (eg bars 51–56), others with wide spacings between left and right hands, others in the low register

(eg bars 4–17) and others that move freely between different registers (eg bars 119–132).

the bass line sometimes uses a very low register (eg bars 123–125, 190, 200).

octave doubling in loud passages and for thematically important material (eg bars 5–11, 123–138, 158–

167).

Contrary motion (eg bars 22–23, 45–50, 218–220).

occasionally thick chords are used (eg bars 128 and 131).

there are often large jumps between registers in one or both hands (eg bars 23–24 and 31, left hand) and

at the start of the recapitulation (bars 125–131).

Sometimes there are wide spacings between the two hands (eg bars 132–137, 158–163).

Spread chords are used in bars 128 and 131.

TexTure And TiMbre

The texture is generally homophonic but with much contrapuntal interest. There is extensive use of techniques

such as imitation and inversion, as well as occasional use of monophony (eg bar 1–3, 19, 21).

The piano accompaniment is quite varied, including:

chordal ideas (eg bars 18, 20, 105–114)

triplets against duplets (eg bars 146–149)

contrary motion (eg bars 151–154)


quaver triplet figuration (eg bars 169–172)

quaver movement (eg bars 173–182)

rapid scales (eg bars 123–125)

parallel chordal movement (eg bars 53–56)

pedal notes (eg bars 185–189)

The clarinet and cello often combine to produce textural effects, such as:

doubling each other in octaves (eg bars 92–104)

playing in homorhythm (eg bars 114–117, 194–207)

passing material between them (eg the scales in bars 105–114)

imitating each other in inversion (bars 51–57)

rAvEl: StrIng QuArtEt In F MAjor, thIrD MovEMEnt

Ravel composed his only string quartet in 1902–3. He was in the early stages of his career and was regarded

as a dangerous revolutionary, having been dismissed from the composition class at the Paris Conservatoire.

He dedicated the quartet to his teacher, Gabriel Fauré. The quartet is in four movements and, as is common

with late-Romantic music, uses a cyclic theme (a unifying theme that recurs across a multi-movement work).

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)

Often associated with his compatriot Claude Debussy, the French composer Maurice Ravel was one of the key

figures of the musical avant-garde of the early 20th century, his works being harmonically innovative and showing

a highly imaginative use of instrumental colours and textures, particularly in his orchestral and piano works.

He is sometimes wrongly labelled as an musical ‘impressionist’, but his works are carefully structured and are

greatly influenced by Classical models, for instance Mozart and Baroque dance suites. Like that of Debussy, his

chamber music output is small but central to the repertoire. It contains a Piano Trio, a Sonata for violin and cello,

the Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet, and several works for violin and piano.

STruCTure

The structure of the String Quartet’s third, slow movement could be described as episodic or sectional. Several

short ideas are presented and brought back in different forms and in different orders. A better indicator of the

structure is given by the key signatures, which are those of an open key (bars 1–13), G flat major (bars 14–48),

open key (bars 49–88) and G flat major (89–119).

bars section/key signature

themes used

1–13 Introduction/open key 1 (bars 1–2, 5–6); 2 (1–4, 5–8, 10–13); 3 (8–9); x (9)

14–47 Main section/g flat major

lyrical melodies and quaver accompaniment (4a 14–18; 4b 21–25; 4c 28–40; 4a 41–4) are alternated with chorale-like chords (5: 19–20; 26–27; 45–46)

48–88 Development/open key

1 (bars 49, 57, 81–84 and rhythmically altered in 85–88); 6 (tremolos 51–55; 59–63); 7 (long melody 65–80); 4a (67–69, viola); 5 (81–82, combined with 1)

89–119 altered reprise of main section/g flat major

4c (89–101); 4a (102–105); 5 (106–108); 1 (109–111); 3 (113–114); 2 (115–116); 5 (117–119)

This is typical of the sorts of experiments composers at the beginning of the 20th century were making with

structure: it has many block-like elements that are put together in a mosaic-like way. However, there is still a


great deal of thematic unity and traditional melodic development. Many of the ideas used are in fact borrowed

from the first two movements of the quartet, so add to the overall thematic unity of the work.

Tonally, the movement is less clear-cut than would be the case with earlier composers of the period. The tonic

key of the movement, G flat major, is only established at bar 19, and there are many chromatic progressions

and unusual tonal moves that weaken the overall sense of key.

Melody

The melodic writing in this movement is lyrical and expressive, with a free, rhapsodic quality in places created

by the use of by triplets and tied notes (for example the cello’s melody in bars 5–7), and the regular changes

of time signature and tempo. It is sometimes chromatic, such as in the cello melody in bars 47–58, but this is

balanced by material with a modal feel (eg the viola in bars 21–25).

A particular characteristic of Ravel’s melodic writing in this movement is that of repeating a one-bar melodic

motif in an elaborated form. The idea may then be extended or further elaborated. Examples include the

opening phrase on the viola. Bar 1 is repeated in bar 2, and extended into a longer phrase. A similar process

happens with the phrases in the cello at bras 5–10, first violin at bars 10–14, the second violin melody in bars

19–20 (5), the first violin melody in bars 35–38, the second violin melody in bars 65–66, and the first violin

melody in bars 70–71.

A particular difference between Ravel and earlier composers is his use of certain non-diatonic scales or

modes, such as:

modes with a flattened 7th, eg E flat Aeolian at bars 14–18 (viola) and bars 21–25 (viola); A Dorian at bars

65–67

pentatonic scale (eg bars 117–119, first and second violins)

whole-tone scale (eg second violin, bars 75–76)

chromatic scale (eg second violin and viola, bar 37)

a B melodic minor scale with a sharpened fourth (bars 94–95)


Despite these innovative features, many aspects of Ravel’s melodic writing are typical of late Romantic music.

There are no extreme leaps, angular lines or complex rhythms. After a leap, the music tends to fall back within

the leap (eg after the upward leap of a minor 7th in the viola leading into bar 24, the line descends).


Ravel uses a rich palette of harmonies, and the way he handles harmonic progressions in places looks forward

to the harmonic innovations of the 20th century, such as those of Stravinsky, Bartók and Messiaen. Although he

still largely uses a tonal language, there are several elements that begin to undermine this.

The most radical feature of Ravel’s harmony is his treatment of harmonic progressions. He often uses chords

that move in parallel or near-parallel motion, whereas under the diatonic system (in use from the early Baroque

to late-Romantic periods), parallel movement was normally avoided. Examples of parallel or near-parallel

chord progressions can be seen in bars 1 (A minor to G minor) and 19 (G flat major to A major to G major to

G flat major). This contains parallel 5ths in the cello part, which was considered to be poor practice under

conventional diatonic harmony and was thus rarely found.

Another prominent feature of Ravel’s harmony is his use of flattened 7ths. This gives his music a modal feel

in places, and sounds very different to the leading notes used in diatonic harmony. Examples include the

flattened 7th in the melody line in bar 19 beat 2, and the chord progressions from A minor to G minor in bars 1

and 2, A major7 to G major13 in bars 68–69, and E major9 to D major7 in bars 80–81.

bar 1 bar 1

67

Ravel, String Quartet in F major, Third Movement: Main themes

violin 1

1.

viola

2.

3

bar 8

bar 14

violins

3.

4a.

viola

bar 21 bar 29

4b.

viola

4c.

viola

3 3

bar 19 bar 51

bar 65

5.

6.

7.

3

violin 2


Generally, Ravel uses a rich palette of harmonies and harmonic devices. These include:

dominant 7th chords (eg bar 49, first quaver)

minor 7th chords (eg bar 19, third quaver)

major 7th chords (eg bar 17, third quaver)

major 9th chords (eg bar 19, beat 4)

11th chords (eg bar 106, beat four: the D flat in the first violin is an augmented 11th if spelt enharmonically

as a C sharp)

13th chords (eg bar 69: the E in the first violin is the 13th)

whole-tone harmonies (eg bar 52, beat 1; bar 74, beat 3; bar 81, beat 3)

suspensions (eg the suspended A over the D sharp major chord in bar 5, third quaver)

expressive semitone clashes (eg between C flat and B flat in bar 18, first quaver)

pedal notes (eg the pedal E from bars 49–55, with changing harmonies over it)

modal passages (eg bars 65–67 use the notes of A Dorian: A-B-C-D-E-F sharp-g)

WriTing for inSTruMenTS And TiMbre

Ravel uses a wide range of different instrumental techniques and effects, showing his interest in colour

and sonority. This is a marked contrast to the more limited range of instrumental effects in the Brahms and

Mendelssohn movements:

muted (‘sourd.’), bar 1

pizzicato, bar 4

bowed tremolando, bars 8–9

double-stopping, bar 26

contrast between unmuted (‘otez la sourdine’) and muted (‘mettez la sourdine’), bars 49–59

fingered tremolo, bar 51–55

natural harmonic (diamond notehead), bar 64, viola (this sounds as a middle C)

rapid string-crossings using all four strings, bar 65, first violin

‘sur la touche’ (on the fingerboard), bar 73

quadruple stopping, bar 77

portamento, bar 103, second violin

Ravel shares the material out fairly equally between the instruments, all of whose parts are equally demanding

from a technical perspective. Extended melodic lines are given to all instruments, such as the first violin in

bars 70–82, the second violin at 64–70, viola at 14–34 and cello at 47–64. All four instruments also have fast

figuration: the first violin and viola play the demisemiquaver figuration from 65–76 and the cello and second

violin have the semiquaver triplet figuration in bar 78.

TexTure

The movement is mostly composed in a homophonic texture. However, many of the textures are highly

colouristic, using a specific instrumental technique to achieve a certain effect (such as the fingered

tremolandos over a pedal note in bars 51–55). Many textures are melody and accompaniment, often with the

addition of a countermelody. For instance, in the passage at bars 65–71, the demisemiquaver figuration and

pizzicato chords provide the harmonic accompaniment, while the second violin and viola play a melody and

countermelody. In addition, Ravel creates melodic material that also supplies the harmony, such as the quaver

line in the first violin in bars 87–93, or the second violin part in bars 14–18 and 21–25.

Other textural features of interest include:

movement in contrary motion (eg bar 8)

pedal notes (eg cello, bars 41–42)

melody doubled an octave apart (eg first violin and cello, bars 70–71)

melody doubled two octaves apart (eg first and second violins, bars 73–74)

triplet figuration in 10ths (eg bars 77–78)

triplet quavers against duplet quavers (eg bars 81–82)

scalic ideas (eg bars 94–95)

bowed tremolando textures (eg bars 113–114)

short monophonic textures (eg viola bar 108, cello bar 112)


prACtICE QuEStIonS

1) Choose two works by different composers showing how their use of melody and harmony has changed

across this period. Illustrate your answer by detailed references to both works.

2) Chamber music of this period is characterised by lyrical, song-like melodies, adventurous modulations,

rich harmonies and striking use of discords. Write an essay discussing this view. Refer in detail to music

that you have studied.

3) Choose two composers that you have studied and, by referring in detail to specific pieces of chamber

music, write an essay discussing their individual approaches to writing for instruments.

4) Composers of chamber music used a variety of forms and structures in their music. Choose two movements

that you have studied which have contrasting forms or structures, and write informatively about each one.

5) Chamber music is a conversation among equals. Discuss this view, referring in detail to music that you

have studied.

by Alan Charlton Alan Charlton...Alan Charlton is an author, composer and examiner, and has written...

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Transcript of by Alan Charlton Alan Charlton...Alan Charlton is an author, composer and examiner, and has written...