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Harmony and Voice Leading
in the Music of Stravinsky
Joseph Straus
Graduate Center, City University of New York
ABSTRACT: A great deal of Stravinskys music from throughout his
career is based on two structural fifths separated by some
interval. Typically, one of those fifths is deployed harmonically
(with various possible harmonic fillings) and the other is deployed
melodically as a perfect fourth (with various possible melodic
fillings). The harmony and voice leading of Stravinskys music thus
often elaborates and prolongs a fundamentally bi-quintal structure.
Examples are drawn from many of Stravinskys compositions from
Petrushka (1911) to Agon (1957). The dominant current approach to
the analysis of Stravinsky music is based on scales (especially
octatonic and diatonic scales) in relation to which harmonies and
melodies are understood as partitions. This paper reverses the
polarity and sees scales as by-products of harmony and voice
leading.
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Example 1. Petrushka, first scene (The Shrovetide Fair), mm.
1-11. Model 2 (D/E). Harmonic fifth, D-A, filled in as D-E-G-A.
Melodic fourth, E-B, filled in as E-D-C#-B.
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Example 2. The Rite of Spring, Part 1, Introduction, mm. 6-12.
Model 1 (C#/D). Harmonic fifth, C#-G#, expressed as perfect fourth
and then filled in as C#-D#-F#-G#. Melodic fourth, D-A, filled in
as D-C-B-A, with an emphasis on C as principal upper-voice
tone.
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Example 3. Les Noces, first scene, mm. 11-20. Model 6 (Bb/E).
Harmonic fifth, Bb-F, without fill. Melodic fourth, E-B, partially
filled in as E-D-B.
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Chart 1. Six models of harmony and voice leading in
Stravinsky.
C+C
C+
C
P'P
P
Mode
l1
23
45
6
PCC,
CC,
DC,
EC,
EC,
FC,
F
Fifths
G C
C
C
G A
C D
G B
C
E
G B
C E
G C
C F
G C
C
F
Harm
onic
axis
CD
GA
02
79 (
=025
7)C
EG
B
03
7t (=
0358
)C
EG
B0
47
t (=01
58)
CF
GC
05
70 (
=027
)C
FG
C
06
71 (
=016
7)C
CG
G
01
78 (
=015
6)
Harm
onic
fill(02
7/057
, 024
7, 02
57)
C(D
EF
)GD
(EF
G)A
C(D
EF
)GE
(FG
A)
BC
(DE
F)G
D(F
G
A)B
C(D
EF
)GF
(GA
B)
CC
(DE
F)G
F(G
A
B)C
C
(DE
F)G
C(C
C
C)
G
Harm
onic
fill(tr
iads)
C+D D+
C
DIAP
OP
PC+
F F+C
L'P
PC+
F+
F
C
OCTP
OP
PC+
E
E+
CR
PP
C+E E+
C
LP
PHE
XPO
R'OC
TPO
Four
thsG
C, G
C
GC,
AD
GC,
BE
G
C, B
EG
C, C-
FG
C, C
F
Melod
ic fill
(prim
ary sp
ans)
0135
/0235
/0245
GA(
)B(
)C
GA
()B
()C
G
A()
B()
CA
B()
C()
DG
A()
B()
CB
C()
D()
E
GA(
)B(
)C
BC(
)D(
)E
GA(
)B(
)C
CD(
)E(
)FG
A()
B()
CC
D()
E()
F
Melod
ic fill
(seco
ndary
span
s)D
E()F
()G
AB(
)C
CD(
)E
EF
GG
A()
B
CD
EE
F()G
GA
B
Scale
sHa
rmon
ic mi
nor
Diato
nicOc
taton
icDi
atonic
Diato
nicHe
xaton
icDi
atonic
Acou
sticOc
taton
ic
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Example 4. Petrushka, Scene 1. Two representations of Model 2,
the first with harmony D-E-G-A and melody E-D-C#-B, the second with
the same harmony and a melody transposed to C-Bb-A-G.
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Example 5. Les Noces, first scene, first three textural blocks.
Model 1 (D#/E), Model 6 (Bb/E), and a return to Model 1 (D#/E).
Melody centered on E within E-B melodic fourth harmonized first by
D#-(A#) within Model 1, then by Bb-F within Model 6, and finally by
D#-A#, marking a return to Model 1.
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Example 5 (continued)
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Example 6. Pribaoutki, Song 2 (Nataska or Le Four). Model 1
(D/Eb) leading to Model 4 (D/F#). The first phrase juxtaposes
D-E-(A) harmonically with Eb-Db-C-Bb melodically. In the final
phrase, D-centered harmony is retained as D-F-A, both harmonically
and melodically, but now juxtaposed with a contrasting harmony on
F#, F#-A# (=Bb)-C#.
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Example 7. The Rite of Spring, Dance des Adolescents, at R13 and
R14. Model 1 (Eb/E). The harmony superimposes E-B, represented as
an Fb-major triad, and Eb-Bb, represented as an Eb-major-minor
seventh chord. The structural fifth Eb-Bb is also realized and
partially filled melodically as Eb-Db-Bb (035).
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Example 8. Mass, Gloria, mm. 1-10. Model 2 as A-E, filled in as
A-C#-E and spanned by E-F#-G#-A and E-D-C#-B-A, versus B-F#, stated
as a harmonic fourth and fifth and spanned by B-A-G#-F#.
& # # # # # # #
& ! !
& ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
& ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
& ! ! ! ! ! !
( ) ( )
ABEF
MODEL 2(02357)
(0245)(047)
SibeliusSibeliusSibeliusSibeliusSibelius
PRINTED WITH A DEMONSTRATION COPY OF Sibelius
Oboe
Alto
5
Ob.
A.
8
Ob.
A.
5 3 3 3 3
Trp.E.H.Bsn.
3
3
5 3 3
3 3 3
Glo ri- a
3
E.H.3 3 3 3
in ex cel-
3
sis- - -
E.H.3 3
E D llC B AE D C B A
E E CA A
F F EB B
F D '' C BF G A B
F D '' C BF G A B
(057)
Catalogue #65. Mass, Gloria, mm. 1-10.
E D '' C AE F G A
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Example 9A. Concerto for Two Pianos, third movement, Variation
1. Model 3 (E/G) with harmony based on G-D supporting a melody that
spans E-B.
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Example 9B. Concerto for Two Pianos, third movement, Variation
4. Model 1 (F#/G), with harmony based on G-D supporting a melody
that spans F#-C#.
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Example 10. The Rakes Progress, Act I, Scene 1. Model 5 as A-E,
expressed harmonically as A-B-D-E and A-C#-E and melodically as
A-G#-F#-E, heard in relation to D-A, heard harmonically as D-E-A
and melodically as D-C#-B-A.
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Example 11. Serenade in A, first movement, mm. 1-14. Model 4
(F/A) followed by Model 1 (A/Bb), with oblique motion between the
structural fifths. The principal melodic span, A-G-F-E, is found in
both blocks, decorated with an upper-neighbor Bb.
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Example 12. Agon, opening. Two realization of Model 3 (D/F, then
E/G).
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Example 13. Symphony of Psalms, I, R2-2 to R4+2. Model 3 (E/G)
realized as E-D-C-B in melody harmonized by either E-B or G-D, with
variable fill.
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Example 14. Petrushka, Scene 1, Russian Dance. Symmetrical
contrary motion from Model 3 (E/G) to Model 5 (A/D).