BSC N0SIC 2

Nusicology Assessment Task 1

Thomas uiay

Stiing Quaitet in F majoi - Allegio Noueiato Ties Boux
Nauiice Ravel

!"#$%&'"()(* !"&'",%(, -,% .)(*/#0 1%0(%%, "2 $()1/$/"# )#1
/##".)$/"#

The eaily 2u
th
centuiy was a peiiou of vast change in music, as in othei
aits. As the beginning of the centuiy appioacheu, the uefining
chaiacteiistics of the iomantic eia began to uissipate, anu the tuin of the
2u
th
centuiy biought about a majoi paiauigm shift wheie by societal
expectations anu constiaints no longei iestiicteu aitistic expiession.
Composeis began cieating music fieely with new appioaches to the
oiganization of pitch anu ihythm anu a vast expansion on the vocabulaiy
of sounus. Whilst some of the eaily 2uth centuiy music can be seen as
extensions of late Romanticism, the oveiaiching style of the peiiou is haiu
to uefine.

Composeis of the eaily 2u
th
centuiy, thiough a synthesis of tiauition anu
innovation weie able to cieate completely new sounus challenging the
alieauy establisheu notions of tonality anu ihythm. It is wiuey appieciateu
that in oiuei to cieate new music, although the emphasis may be on
innovation, an acknowleugment of tiauitional elements is essential in
oiuei foi new thought anu cieativity to flouiish. An awaieness of these
funuamental musical founuations anu tiauitions then allows composeis to
builu anu exploie new iueas in the foim of innovation, aligneu with the
quote "contempoiaiy composeis use vaiying uegiees of tiauition anu
innovation". Bowevei, it is also to the uisciimination of the composei as to
the amount of tiauition oi innovation they uiaw on in theii pieces. The eia
of impiessionism was a time wheie thiough uiawing on alieauy
establisheu tiauitions anu extenuing them to theii limits, composeis weie
able to cieate innovative anu often contioveisial pieces. Impiessionism is
a style associateu with the aits at the enu of the 19th centuiy anu the eaily
2u
th
Centuiy. Elements of music that aie often labelleu impiessionistic
incluue exotic haimony, emphasis on timbie that cieates a shimmeiing
inteiaction of tone coloui, anu melouies that lack uiiecteu motion, all of
these elements maue pieces such as Clauue Bebussy's !" $%&
ievolutionaiy, anu influential foi all 2oth centuiy music in its wake.
Bebussy cieates unity in foim thiough his use of all key stiuctuial
chaiacteiistics of a symphony howevei is able to be suggestive with out
losing any technical piecision in his woik. In !" $%&, Bebussy's choiu
mouulations anu piogiessions become fluiu, anu even subtlei than evei
befoie. Bis innovative extenueu tonality enableu iapiu shifting anu
movement, while ietaining a piecise musical anu technical basis. Rhythm
patteins lack iegulaiity, giving way to viitually fiee-foim measuies, with
the bai-line anu beat one becoming ambiguous anu not uefineu. The use of
laige choiu combinations (#-4
th
, flat-7
th
, 9
th
, 11
th
) biought out inteiesting
mouulations, fluiu changes of key anu a tonal equivocality.

'( )*+% ,-./0 1"../*2"3%)45 627 8%0"-.% ( )*+% /3 ( 3&4 3* 9&%% /3 9&*, 8"&&%2
3&"7/3/*2. 3:"3 .3/9)% /3; - Clauue Bebussy

Stiing Quaitet in F majoi - Allegio Noueiato Ties Boux - Nauiice Ravel

Nauiice Ravel is consiueieu to be one of the most significant anu
influential composeis of the eaily twentieth centuiy. While he is often
linkeu with Bebussy as an aichetype of impiessionism, Ravel possesseu an
autonomous style that uevelopeu out of his inteiest in a bioau vaiiety of
musical styles. Although Ravel's bouy of woik was not laige compaiatively
with some of his colleagues, his compositions aie ienowneu foi theii
fastiuious constiuction.

'$4 /23%23/*2 :%&% /. 3* ,"<% /3 0)%"& 3:"3 2*3 " ./2=)% 0%)) *9 ,4 0*,1*./3/*2>
:%&% ?@A /. 9*-27 84 0:"20% *& /23-/3/*2> 3:"3 3:% 0*,1*./3/*2 ,*+%7
3*B"&7. 1%&9%03/*2 B/3: 3:% 1&%0/./*2 "27 /2%+/3"8/)/34 *9 " ,"3:%,"3/0")
%C-"3/*25; - Nauiice Ravel

Ravels composeu his only stiing quaitet (D3&/2= E-"&3%3 /2 F ,"G*&A
between 19u2-19uS. 0iiginally composeu as an entiy to a competition at
the Conseivatoiie Be Paiis it was iejecteu amiu much tuimoil, anu this
ultimately leu to Ravels expulsion fiom the conseivatoiie. The Beymann
Quaitet in Paiis latei piemieieu it in Naich 19u4 to mixeu ieactions.
Ravels begins his quaitet with a tiauitional sonata-foim fiist movement
that establishes the piinciple themes heaiu thioughout the quaitet. Ravel
employs multiple themes, the two main themes of the fiist movement anu
one fiom the seconu. The themes iecui with less vaiiation, theii
funuamental chaiacteiistics intact, functioning much like themes in a
single sonata to give his quaitet a stiong sense of oiuei. Ravel's tenuency
foi neo-classical ciaftsmanship contiasts fiom the impiessionistic
fieeuom showeu by composeis like Bebussy, howevei Ravel's innovative
techniques aie eviuent thiough in-uepth analysis of pitch anu motivic
uevelopment.

The fiist theme of the movement is 8 bais long playeu by the 1
st
violin; this
is accompanieu by the 2
nu
violin, viola anu cello that aie iesponsible foi
uiiving the choiu piogiession. Ravel establishes a stiong suggestion of F
majoi in the opening 4 bais howevei quickly moves away hinting at othei
keys. In the fifth bai he suggests A flat majoi (S
iu
uegiee of F minoi), anu
then enus the fiist theme with a u minoi choiu, using this choiu anu Iv
#7

eveiy seconu beat until bai 16 wheie he iesolves to choiu v in F Najoi (C
majoi).

















The 2
nu
theme is playeu by the 1
st
violin anu viola in octaves in bai SS
suppoiteu by the 2
nu
violin anu pizzicato on the cello, this continues up
until bai 68. This leaus up to the closing section in bai 69 which contains 2
motives, the fiist fiom 69-7S anu the seconu miiioiing the fiist howevei
slightly uevelopeu. The 1
st
motive ietuins in bai 77 anu the 2
nu
in bais 8u-
8S. In this closing section the cello iemains as the peual point of each
haimonic piogiession. The haimonic piogiession of this closing section is
a uescenuing whole tone scale; B-Flat (69-7S), A-Flat (74-76), u-Flat (77-
79), E (8u-8S), B (84). Whole tone Scales weie instiumental in achieving
tonal ambiguity anu was an innovative aspect of eaily 2u
th
centuiy
haimony.













!"#$%& ( ) *+%, ()(-
!"#$%& . ) *+%, -/)01
Ravel's iecapitulation is similai to the exposition as he uses much of the
same featuies anu atmospheie as exposition excluuing haimonic
piogiession. In bai 129 we heai the fiist theme ietuin but it iesolves anu
mouulates uiffeiently. In bai 1S6 it moves chiomatically to F minoi wheie
it stays until bai 148. Bai 149-1S1 implies the v
11
with the coloi of a whole
tone scale. Ravel then iesolves the next 4 bais into an E-Flat Nixolyuian.
















The closing section has anothei aichetypical impiessionistic choiu
piogiession uescenuing the whole tone scale, anu also exemplifies the
shimmeiing tone coloi achieveu thiough uissonant choiual inteivals.
Staiting in bai 198 with C
#
Najoi, B Lyuian in 2u4, A Lyuian in bai 2u7, u
Lyuian in 2u8 anu then Finally ietuining to F Najoi.

















!"#$%& 2 ) *+%, .//).(1
!"#$%& 1 ) *+%, (12)(3(
Thiough a heavy emphasis on dynamic, fluid harmony and timbre that
creates a shimmering interaction of tone colour, Ravel creates a piece
that pushes the boundaries of harmony and tone colour yet still remains
grounded by established structural and rhythmic conventions of the
past, using a Varying degree of tradition an innovation.


Bibliogiaphy

"Impiessionism." H:/2<E-%.3. 0iacle Founuation, n.u. Web. 1S Nov. 2u1S.
<http:libiaiy.thinkquest.oig2711unofiamespeiiousimpiessionism.
html>.

"Impiessionistic Influences in the Nusic of Clauue
Bebussy." (,1&%../*2/.3/0 (29)-%20%. /2 3:% $-./0 *9 I)"-7% J%8-..4. N.p.,
n.u. Web. 14 Nov. 2u1S. <http:www.tcu.ieNusic}F
Bistoiyuebussy.html>.

"Stiing Quaitet in F Najoi (Ravel, Nauiice)." K ($D!LML%3&-00/ $-./0
!/8&"&4N F&%% L-8)/0 J*,"/2 D:%%3 $-./0. N.p., n.u. Web. 11 Nov. 2u1S.
<http:imslp.oigwikiStiing_Quaitet_in_F_majoi_(Ravel,_Nauiice)>.

Bevoto, Naik. J%8-..4 "27 3:% O%/) *9 H*2")/34N P.."4. *2 :/. ,-./0>
J/,%2./*2. Q J/+%&./34> R*5 S New Yoik: Penuiagon Piess, 2uu4

}anson. W. anu Anthony F }anson. T/.3*&4 *9 6&3 U
3:
P7/3/*25 Lonuon:
Thames & Buuson Ltu, 2uu1

Nanuel, Rolanu. $"-&/0% V"+%)5 Tianslateu by Cynthia }olly. New Yoik:
Bovei Publications Inc, 1972

Nawei, Beboiah, eu. H:% I",8&/7=% 0*,1"2/*2 3* V"+%)5 Cambiiuge:
Cambiiuge 0niveisity Piess, 2uuu

0ienstein, Aibie. V"+%)N $"2 "27 $-./0/"25 New Yoik: Bovei Publications
Inc, 1991