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  • 8/9/2019 Reconstructing Mozart

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    Reconstructing MozartAuthor(s): Ludwig Holtmeier and Richard EvansSource: Music Analysis, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Oct., 2002), pp. 307-325Published by: WileyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3840794.

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  • 8/9/2019 Reconstructing Mozart

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    LUDWIG HOLTMEIER

    (translated

    by

    Richard

    Evans)

    Reconstructing Mozart

    While the

    exterior

    of

    Haydn's

    and Beethoven's works

    provide

    a

    secure

    point

    of

    contact

    for

    analytical

    action from which one

    can work towards

    their

    core,

    Mozart's

    compositions

    seem to be enclosed in

    a

    seamless,

    glassy

    shell

    which

    denies

    entry

    to

    their interior.* No motivic-thematic

    analysis,

    no demon-

    stration of

    Haydnesque-Beethovenian developmental

    logic

    is

    sufficient

    to

    explain what is most puzzling about them: how they succeed in achieving

    coherence.

    The maxim that

    where

    Haydn

    and Beethoven

    develop,

    Mozart

    invents,

    captures

    something

    central.

    In

    contrast

    to

    development,

    the

    concept

    of

    invention aims at

    a

    particular

    kind of freedom

    -

    freedom

    from

    the

    consequences

    of

    a

    process

    set in motion

    and,

    with

    it,

    from the

    demands

    of

    particular

    musical

    materials,

    from the

    agony

    of

    decision

    and

    the effort

    of

    compositional

    labour

    -

    a freedom from constraints.

    The

    serenity

    of Mozart's

    music arises

    from

    its air

    of

    informality

    and effortlessness: Mozartian themes

    and

    forms

    appear

    with

    a certain

    accidental

    quality

    as

    if

    something

    different

    could sound in their

    place,

    as if

    they

    were exchangeable.

    Technically

    this

    is achieved

    through

    the

    principle

    of

    contrast

    by

    juxtaposition,

    that

    is to

    say,

    the

    opposition

    and

    ordering

    of blocks of material

    which

    are self-contained

    and

    autonomous

    within the

    larger

    context. This

    sectional construction is driven

    by

    a metrical

    grouping

    into

    periods

    which

    subjects

    both

    transitional

    and fixed elements to

    a

    'periodic'

    repetition

    principle

    and

    thus,

    to a

    far

    greater

    extent than

    in

    Haydn

    and

    Beethoven,

    parallels

    its

    large-scale

    rhythmic

    structure.

    The Mozartian

    compositional technique

    is faced

    with two

    inherent

    dangers:

    firstly,

    the

    threat that

    the

    periodic

    metrical

    grouping

    will

    tend towards

    a

    monotony

    of

    forms,

    a lack

    of

    tension

    in the functional

    whole,

    which can result

    in

    the kind

    of

    banality

    which marks so

    many

    works

    of the

    pre-classical epoch,

    of Mozart's

    contemporaries

    and some of his

    own as

    weil;

    and

    secondly,

    dramatic

    juxtaposition,

    as a

    compositional

    principle

    itself

    in

    opposition

    to the

    unifying

    tendencies of

    periodic

    metrical

    grouping,

    threatens to

    destroy

    the

    coherence

    of

    the individual elements

    among

    themselves and

    to

    counteract

    the

    *

    A

    version

    of

    this

    article was first

    published

    in

    German

    as 'Zur

    Komplexitat

    Mozarts.

    Analytischer

    Versuch iiber

    eine

    Sequenz',

    Musik &

    Asthetik,

    16

    (October 2000),

    pp.

    5-

    23.

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

    307

    ? Blackwell

    ublishing

    td.2002. ublished

    y

    Blackwell

    ublishing,

    600

    Garsington

    oad,

    Oxford X4

    2DQ,

    UK

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  • 8/9/2019 Reconstructing Mozart

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    308

    LUDWIG

    HOLTMEIER

    central

    postulate

    of

    classical

    music aesthetics: the

    'unity

    of

    feeling',

    the balance

    of

    affective

    forms.1

    The following analysis of a self-sufficient transitional section, whose

    organisation

    is

    strictly proportional

    viewed

    in

    periodic-metrical

    terms,

    is

    only

    concerned

    with

    the first of these

    aspects.2

    Harmonic movement

    within

    transition sections occurs in Mozart

    primarily

    within a

    framework

    of

    simple

    diatonic

    sequential processes.3 Although

    Mozart often

    works

    with almost

    identical

    harmonic

    models

    and

    sequence types,

    his transition sections

    rarely

    appear

    banal and in

    spite

    of the

    periodic-metrical

    corset which constrains

    fixed

    and

    transitional

    elements

    to the same

    degree,

    they

    stir

    up

    a kind

    of

    developmental energy

    which has a clear

    influence

    beyond

    the

    dynamics

    of

    the

    harmonic

    progression

    alone. Mozart knows how to set

    in motion

    extraordinarily

    complex processes

    within

    apparently simple sequential

    models.

    It

    is thanks to this

    complexity

    -

    and not

    merely

    the

    'pure'

    beauty

    ofthe

    melodic

    and

    harmonic

    invention

    in

    itself,

    or the

    'operatic' plot-line

    in

    which

    the

    individual elements are

    placed

    -

    that Mozart's

    technique

    of

    juxtaposition

    avoids

    the

    danger

    of

    uniformity

    and

    banality.

    The

    informality

    and effortlessness

    of

    his music

    is

    only illusory.

    Behind

    the

    succession

    of ideas

    and inventions and

    the formal

    simplicity

    lie

    multi-layered

    technical

    procedures

    that constitute the

    background

    of constraints

    against

    which effortlessness

    as an aesthetic

    quality

    can

    emerge.4

    It is

    rarely

    possible

    to

    make

    sense

    of

    Mozart's

    simple

    forms on one

    hearing.

    The resultant

    'riddle

    character'

    {'Ratselcharakter',

    a reference to

    Adorno's

    phrase)

    of

    the

    autonomous blocks of material arises

    from the

    complexity

    of

    compositional

    technique

    and it is

    made

    possible by

    Mozart's

    manner of

    ordering

    materials

    so

    that

    they

    avoid

    succumbing

    to

    banality.

    Mozartian

    juxtaposition

    is also

    successful

    quite

    simply

    because

    it

    places

    complex

    blocks of material

    side

    by

    side.

    They

    are related to each other

    by

    the

    degree

    of

    their inner

    complexity

    and

    achieve

    coherence

    through

    their

    specific

    progression

    of

    complexity.

    The fact

    that

    they

    constitute the

    compositional

    means

    by

    which the form

    is held

    together

    at another level will not be the

    subject

    of

    discussion here.

    The

    following

    analysis,

    with its

    many

    musical

    examples,

    might

    at

    first

    sight

    seem

    excessively

    detailed.

    Indeed,

    the

    results

    of

    my

    investigations

    could

    doubtless

    be

    summarised

    more

    compactly.

    What

    concerns

    me

    here,

    however,

    is the

    portrayal

    of an

    analytical procedure,

    the

    detailed

    description

    of a

    methodological path.

    In the

    process

    it will also be

    necessary

    to

    explore

    those

    byways

    which turn out in

    retrospect

    to lead

    no where.

    They

    can,

    in

    any

    case,

    only

    be

    followed

    because

    they

    are

    suggested

    by

    the

    specific

    musical

    ?

    Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd. 2002

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

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  • 8/9/2019 Reconstructing Mozart

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    Reconstructing

    Mozart 309

    structure;

    only by

    establishing

    that

    they

    are diversions

    can one

    reach the

    destination.

    The fact that the method resists written formulation has to do with its

    initial

    origins.

    It

    is

    derived

    from an 'oral'

    practice.

    It

    is

    typical

    of

    the

    particular

    mode

    of

    analytical

    access

    associated with

    practical

    musicians.

    One

    surrounds a

    segment

    or

    passage

    with

    alterations,

    collages

    and

    rearrange-

    ments in order

    to

    establish

    by

    transformation the

    specific

    construction

    or

    content. The

    priority may

    not be

    to

    set an

    authentically

    analytical

    objective

    concerned with

    meaning

    and

    interpretation;

    rather,

    it

    is

    very

    often

    a matter

    of

    making

    sense

    of

    its

    particular

    structure,

    its inherent

    logic,

    in

    order

    to

    be

    able

    to

    memorise

    it more

    easily.5

    To

    this

    extent,

    almost

    all of the

    following

    musical

    examples

    are to

    be understood as notations

    of

    sounding

    music,

    as

    opposed to abstract structural representations such as are often encountered

    in

    Schenkerian

    analysis.

    With this

    analytical

    method the focus is on the

    level at

    which a

    composition

    comes

    into existence. In a

    musical

    language

    which,

    to a

    crucial

    extent,

    works

    with

    pre-existent

    models

    and

    material,

    the musical

    work

    can be understood as

    the

    outcome

    of a

    process

    of

    decision-making

    and

    combination,

    in which

    the

    most diverse

    compositional

    possibilities

    and forms

    are

    subjected

    to a selection

    process.

    The method

    attempts

    to

    trace

    these

    processes.6

    This

    procedure

    is also

    typical

    of

    analysis

    as

    practised

    in

    German music

    conservatoires,

    where

    the

    connection

    with

    performing

    is

    predominant; analysis

    is

    associated

    with the

    skills

    gained

    through

    pastiche compositional

    techniques.7

    Nothing

    new

    will be

    articulated or

    presented

    in what

    follows; rather,

    this

    will

    simply

    attempt

    to

    record a

    customary practice

    in

    written

    form.8

    The role of

    speech

    is in no sense

    superfluous

    to this

    method:

    rather,

    it

    is

    essential to its

    inner

    nature. What

    the musical

    example

    lends

    permanence

    to,

    through

    schematic

    representation,

    is in real-time

    practice

    a

    fleeting

    moment of

    experimental

    exploration

    which fades into silence. What

    language

    has

    to

    dissect and

    paraphrase

    laboriously

    in

    order to

    explain

    and

    interpret

    takes

    place

    in a matter of minutes

    or

    seconds

    for the ear.

    Presenting

    thoughts

    in

    language

    requires every single step taken along the analytical path to be analysed and the

    decision-making

    and

    cognitive processes

    that determine its direction

    to

    be

    traced. At the

    same

    time,

    apparent

    fundamentals,

    or self-evident

    compositional

    procedures,

    have

    to

    be

    made

    verbally

    explicit,

    when

    in

    real-time

    practice

    they

    are in effect

    processed

    unconsciously.

    It is

    only

    through

    linguistic

    formulation

    that the method

    is forced

    to

    account

    for these decisions taken

    unconsciously,

    to

    investigate

    and scrutinise

    them,

    and to

    subject

    the whole

    process

    to

    analytical

    logic. Only by removing

    the oral element from the method can it reveal its

    full

    strengths

    and

    achieve

    the

    status

    of

    a scientific

    technique.

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

    ? Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd. 2002

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  • 8/9/2019 Reconstructing Mozart

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    310 LUDWIG HOLTMEIER

    Ex.

    1

    (Allegro

    ssai)

    Ex.

    1

    shows the

    transition

    passage

    from the

    exposition

    ofthe first movement

    of

    Mozart's Piano Sonata

    in

    F,

    K.

    280,

    in which

    harmonic

    space

    is

    opened up

    for

    the

    appearance

    of the

    second

    subject.

    The initial

    four-bar

    period,

    which

    divides

    into

    two

    sections,

    is

    followed

    by

    a

    sequence

    of

    falling

    fifths,

    whose

    structure is

    clarified

    by

    the

    regularity

    ofthe

    two two-bar

    groups

    (bars

    18/19,

    20/21).

    This

    apparently

    simple

    sequence

    is

    an

    example

    of one of those

    puzzlingly

    complex passages

    in Mozart's

    oeuvre,

    of the kind which are

    a

    recurrent source

    of

    uncertainty

    for the

    performing

    musician.

    If one wishes to

    recall it

    after

    an interval of

    time,

    the

    attempt

    regularly

    fails because

    of its subtle

    irregularity,

    and

    straightaway

    one reaches for

    the score

    again

    (Ex. 1).

    A

    minor

    alteration is sufficient to remove a

    little of this

    passage's

    confusing

    character

    (and

    also,

    we

    should

    note,

    to rob it of

    its

    particular

    charm).

    We

    need

    only

    take

    out

    the second

    group

    of

    triplets

    in

    bar

    17,

    relocate the barline a

    crotchet later

    from bar 18

    onwards,

    and insert a

    new

    triplet

    group

    -

    like the one

    removed

    from

    the

    F

    major

    context

    -

    in bar 22

    (Ex.

    2).

    In

    this

    version the

    harmonic

    V-I

    progressions

    are to be found at their 'natural' metrical-cadential

    positions.9 However, even in this revised form the course of the sequence is

    >

    Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd. 2002

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

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  • 8/9/2019 Reconstructing Mozart

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    312 LUDWIG HOLTMEIER

    Not

    only

    does

    this

    sequence

    work in

    opposition

    to

    the 'natural'

    cadential

    metre,

    but in

    addition

    the

    right

    hand's

    figural

    motion forms

    a succession of

    2/4

    bars which runs counter to the triple harmonic rhythm of the sequence. A re-

    notation

    of

    the

    rhythm

    brings

    out

    the

    complexity

    of the

    passage:

    Ex. 4

    $tt}iw*jfri

    ttfjgtEfef

    *mw

    ^[friflf^Jg^P^i

    J^Lj^i

    s

    pmmm

    m

    The

    mystery

    of

    this

    transition

    passage

    is, however,

    not

    yet

    completely

    unravelled.

    We

    have

    established that the

    right

    hand

    proceeds

    in

    duple

    time,

    counter

    to the

    cadential

    metre;

    it

    remains

    to

    be

    discussed

    why

    Mozart does not retain the

    interval

    structure ofthe initial

    sequential

    pattern

    (bar

    18)

    within the

    sequence

    as a

    whole,

    thereby

    increasing

    the

    restlessness

    and

    irregularity

    of the

    passage.

    The

    first two

    triplet

    groups

    in bar 18

    appear

    as

    if

    rotated around the axis

    of

    their middle

    note

    in

    bar 19

    -

    that is

    certainly

    the visual

    impression.

    However,

    the third

    triplet

    group

    in

    bar

    19 does

    not

    obey

    this

    principle.

    Mozart does not write:

    Ex. 5

    n

    -P

    ?

    ^-*

    18

    m^m

    >

    Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd.

    2002

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

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    Reconstructing

    Mozart 313

    Such an

    alteration

    would

    destroy

    a central

    structuring

    element

    of Mozart's

    original conception.

    In this passage Mozart is clearly aiming for a 'total' chromaticising of the

    texture. Four voices

    are in

    simultaneous chromatic descent:

    Ex. 6

    Two of the voices have the same

    pitch-classes,

    which is to

    say

    that one voice is

    effectively

    doubled

    (notated by

    small

    squares

    on

    Ex.

    6).

    For

    all

    that,

    the

    chromatic motion unfolds

    within

    the constraints of

    four-part

    counterpoint

    devoid

    of

    parallel

    motion.

    Here,

    we

    are not

    looking

    at

    the classical

    technique

    of

    harmonic

    arpeggiation [Auffacherung]

    in

    (typically

    pianistic)

    figuration,

    which allows

    parallel

    voice-leading

    in

    order to

    complete

    the

    texture,

    a

    technique

    Mozart

    employs frequently

    in his

    early

    works,

    and not

    only

    there.

    Rather,

    the

    triplet

    groups

    in

    the

    right

    hand are

    arpeggiations

    of a

    'strict'

    four-part

    chordal

    texture.

    Total

    chromaticism

    is,

    however,

    not

    possible

    within strict

    four-part

    counterpoint.10

    Mozart is

    concerned

    here with the

    illusion

    of

    four-part

    chromatic

    motion within

    strict

    compositional

    constraints.

    The function of

    the

    right

    hand's

    duple

    metre is

    to

    promote

    the

    illusion

    of

    total chromaticism.

    The

    F

    in the

    right

    hand

    in bar

    17

    (Ex. 6)

    resolves

    onto

    E

    in

    bar 18 without

    it

    becoming

    apparent

    that the

    contrapuntally

    correct resolution would

    be via the

    D

    in

    the

    same bar

    (the

    dotted

    square

    on

    the

    example).

    It is not

    perceptible

    because the

    duple

    metre in

    the

    right

    hand

    denies

    the

    ear

    the

    recognition

    effect

    and, therefore,

    retrospective

    integration.

    As

    early

    as

    the

    second bar of

    the

    sequence

    the

    voices

    in the

    right

    hand

    are to

    be found

    at

    different

    rhythmic

    locations. In this

    way,

    the

    linear forces

    and

    relationships

    are

    emancipated

    from

    their dependency on their vertical harmonic integration. The logic of the

    Music

    Analysis,

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    (2002)

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    314

    ludwig holtmeier

    harmonic

    voice-leading

    in the

    triplet

    figures

    is blurred

    by

    the

    rhythmic

    organisation.

    Comparing

    this with a

    rhythmically

    entirely regular

    arpeggiation

    makes this immediately obvious:

    Ex. 7

    The

    concept

    of total chromaticism is also the reason

    why

    Mozart

    does

    not

    write

    the

    regular

    sequential

    pattern

    shown in

    Ex. 5.

    In

    Mozart's

    original

    form,

    the

    lowest notes

    of

    each

    respective triplet group

    constitute

    a line related to

    the

    soprano

    voice

    at each

    respective

    cadential

    step (notated by triangular

    boxes

    and

    beams

    in Ex.

    6).

    In the

    regular

    sequential

    model in

    Ex.

    5 this

    structure

    is

    destroyed.

    Here a note

    in

    the

    soprano

    is

    'repeated'

    (Ex.

    5,

    circled notes

    and

    beams).

    It is

    noteworthy

    that the destruction of this

    soprano voice-leading

    pattern

    would not occur

    if

    Mozart had matched the

    direction of

    movement

    of

    the

    triplet

    figures

    to

    the

    harmonic

    sequence's triple

    metre:

    Ex.

    8

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    Reconstructing

    Mozart

    315

    He could

    just

    as

    easily

    have

    chosen the

    second bar of

    his

    sequence

    (bar 19)

    as

    the

    prototype;

    in this

    case,

    he

    would

    have had

    a

    strictly

    regular

    structure

    and

    the total chromaticism envisaged would have been retained completely intact:

    Ex.

    9

    18

    EH^Afer

    WW S^tfteiie

    A

    single play-through

    of this

    example

    is

    enough

    to

    see that the character

    of

    the

    music has been fundamentally transformed. A harmonic fracture separates the

    sequential

    sections,

    which in Mozart's version

    interlock

    organically

    from the

    outset.

    In this

    example

    there

    is

    a succession of IV-V-I cadences

    in which

    the

    sequential

    sections

    are

    pulled

    apart

    by

    the

    abrupt

    mediant

    progressions

    (bar

    18:

    C

    major/Eb

    major;

    bar

    20: A

    major/C

    major;

    bar 21:

    G

    major/Bb

    major):

    the

    respective

    transitional chords do

    not

    belong

    to the

    preceding

    cadences.

    Mozart

    avoids these

    abrupt

    transitions

    -

    plausible

    enough

    in the

    harmonic

    language

    of

    the time

    -

    in order to

    achieve a

    quite

    specific rhythmic-harmonic

    effect.

    After

    cursory inspection

    of the

    sequence

    one becomes aware of a

    change

    of

    harmony

    on the last crotchet of

    the

    bar,

    whose

    missing

    bass

    voice can be

    filled

    in for clarity's sake as follows:11

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

    ? Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd. 2002

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    316

    LUDWIG

    HOLTMEIER

    Ex. 10

    17

    j*-

    19

    ?k

    ttttt

    SE?

    E*E

    K

    fi

    1

    ~\p4?

    20

    21 22

    gjfe^fasfe

    lf\

    $^^m

    =

    However,

    the rest in the left

    hand also

    appears

    to function

    as

    an

    agogic

    caesura.

    It

    creates the illusion that the

    preceding

    octave,

    which continues to resonate

    through

    it,

    functions as

    part

    of a substitute chord. Behind this unusual

    sequence

    lies a

    familiar

    sequence

    model which

    (inevitably enough12) emerges

    in the

    recapitulation,

    where it

    is

    accompanied by

    other

    surprises:13

    Ex. 11

    ^[IjQjLu m

    uJ'

    QuLur

    gff4

    20

    ^cULlt

    m

    m

    ta^s

    -Je-

    =?=>

    It

    seems reasonable

    to want to

    explain

    the

    deviation from

    regularity

    within

    the

    sequence

    model

    by

    referring

    to the intrinsic

    problems

    of the tonal

    sequence,

    which has to negotiate the diminished-fifth step between bar 19 and 20: Mozart

    '

    Blackwell

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    2002

    Music

    Analysis,

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    (2002)

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    Reconstructing

    Mozart 317

    could avoid the critical

    note

    Bb

    here,14

    change

    from

    a

    II-V-I cadence

    to a

    IV-

    V-I

    cadence,

    using

    the D minor

    chord,

    present

    both

    in

    Bb

    major

    and

    A

    major/

    minor, in order to create a smooth harmonic transition. But it is precisely this

    alteration,

    intended

    to smooth the harmonic flow over this obstacle

    implicit

    in

    the

    tonal

    sequential

    model,

    which leads to

    disruption

    in

    a

    different

    place.

    In

    order to

    maintain

    the

    symmetry15

    in

    the

    periodic

    metrical

    grouping

    of

    melody

    and

    harmony

    Mozart writes a Bb chord on

    the

    last

    beat of bar

    21,

    analogous

    to

    bar

    19;

    this

    chord

    is in a

    contrasting

    mediant

    relationship

    with the

    preceding

    G

    major, although

    here

    nothing

    would have stood

    in

    the

    way

    of

    a

    continuation via

    G

    within II7 of the

    following

    cadence. There are

    no

    serious

    objections

    to the

    harmonic

    flow

    of Ex. 5. What matters is

    that it

    disrupts

    the

    pattern

    of

    total

    chromaticism.

    Here

    something

    essential to and

    typical

    of Mozart's compositional technique

    becomes

    apparent:

    complexity

    in Mozart occurs when

    different technical

    procedures

    come

    into conflict with each other. The illusion

    of

    total

    chromaticism forbids

    the

    regularity

    of the

    sequence

    in

    Ex.

    5;

    the

    notion of

    an

    integrated duple

    metre,

    which

    originally promoted

    this chromatic

    illusion,

    and the

    subsequent

    Exs.

    7

    and

    9,

    all

    destroy

    the notion of a harmonic flow

    which,

    by

    its

    avoidance

    of

    partitioning

    harmonic

    progressions,

    is

    inseparably

    allied to that

    of total chromaticism.

    But

    should

    we

    trust

    this

    analysis?

    Does

    not its demonstration

    of

    deviations,

    irregularities

    and

    complex

    combinations

    of technical

    procedures

    contradict

    our

    own

    listening

    experience,

    which in this case

    perceives

    no more than

    a

    slight

    element of

    confusion

    within

    a self-sufficient

    musical

    process?

    What is

    the

    point

    of

    highlighting complex

    processes

    and

    relationships

    when such

    complexity

    cannot

    occupy

    centre

    stage

    within

    the

    music? To

    put

    it more

    directly:

    how is

    it

    that the

    complexity

    is

    not more

    forcefully

    evident in the musical

    foreground?

    In

    fact,

    everything

    that has been

    demonstrated

    analytically

    so far

    is,

    in a

    certain

    sense,

    incorrect,

    despite

    everything being

    in its

    proper place.

    In

    order

    to understand

    why,

    let

    us examine

    the

    sequence

    more

    closely.

    I stated

    that

    the total chromaticism

    unfolds within a strict

    four-part

    texture.

    But what does this four-part texture look like? The beginning of the sequence

    (Ex. 1)

    -

    the first

    two crotchet beats in bar 18

    -

    implies

    the dominance of a

    simple

    schema:

    the

    bass

    voice

    is

    to be found in the left

    hand,

    in the

    right

    the

    remaining

    three,

    spread

    around the succession

    of

    triplets.

    Then a rest occurs

    in

    the bass voice

    while the

    top

    three

    voices

    carry

    on in the

    right

    hand. That

    is

    the

    illusion the

    sequence

    creates. The listener's ear and the

    player's

    eye

    are led to

    accept

    this harmonic

    division

    into

    three voices. It is the

    perceptual

    dominance

    of

    this

    ordering

    -

    and

    this

    alone

    -

    which creates the sense

    of

    confusion.

    For this

    sequence

    is

    based

    on

    a

    completely regular

    schematic structure.

    However,

    its

    four-voice texture

    is unusual

    and

    the distribution of voices

    at the

    opening

    of

    the sequence is deceptive. At the end of bar 18 the right hand suddenly turns

    Music

    Analysis, 21/iii

    (2002)

    ?

    Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd. 2002

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    318 LUDWIG HOLTMEIER

    into four voices.

    If

    one

    follows the

    logic

    ofthe

    voice-leading,

    then

    the

    E in

    bar

    18 falls to

    Eb,

    while the G has a double

    function,

    effectively

    being

    tied over:

    Ex. 12

    The underlying harmonic model takes the following form:

    Ex.

    13

    $m(

    ^m

    m

    if

    wf

    ffpF^

    i*m

    ?

    \

    Oe

    fc

    ^

    ii:

    ^

    Mozart subordinates

    this harmonic model to the

    rhythmic

    scheme of

    triplet

    groups,

    whereby

    the note which sounds across the

    transition

    from

    the tonic

    major

    chord to

    the

    'subdominant'

    seventh

    chord

    [subdominantischen

    Septakkord]

    on the

    second

    degree

    is the

    pivotal

    point.

    The D minor in bar 19 and

    the Bb

    major

    in

    bar

    21

    are in this

    respect

    merely

    'accidental'

    products

    ofthe

    triplet

    duple

    metre ofthe

    right

    hand which

    dissipates

    the

    harmony's

    four-part

    structure.

    A

    rhythmic-

    harmonic

    revision

    will

    clarify

    the

    regularity

    of

    the harmonic flow

    disguised by

    the

    rhythmic organisation

    of

    the

    right

    hand:

    Ex. 14

    '

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    Analysis,

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    Reconstructing

    Mozart 319

    But how does Mozart arrive

    at

    this

    sequential

    model and its

    idiosyncratic

    voice-leading?

    It is the

    product

    of

    necessity

    borne of

    voice-leading

    requirements. Here Mozart combines two familiar harmonic sequential models

    that cannot

    be combined

    -

    and

    most

    definitely

    not in

    the distribution

    he

    chooses. On

    the one

    hand,

    there is the

    sequential

    model

    pivoting

    on the

    diminished seventh

    chord,

    which

    can

    be

    represented generically

    as

    follows:

    Ex. 15

    SPg ^ i

    ,i

    ? *

    ,j

    ^

    On the other

    hand,

    there is

    the model which links

    the

    sequence's

    V-I

    steps

    via

    a seventh chord

    on the

    second

    degree

    and with a further voice

    brought

    under

    the chromatic influence of

    the

    descending soprano

    line.

    As a

    consequence

    of

    the

    subdominant

    colouring

    of

    the 'tonic'

    position

    in

    the

    sequence,

    and in

    contrast

    to

    the

    model

    based on successive V-I

    progressions,

    the

    sequence

    appears

    as a

    chain of

    independent

    cadential units:

    Ex. 16

    Pp pp

    *

    1

    1C?Z

    ^

    ?

    #

    Technically, these two models can be combined correctly only in one way (and

    appropriately

    to Mozart's

    purposes

    here) by

    presenting

    the

    upper

    three voices

    in their

    closest

    form:

    Ex. 17

    j|fea

    iii

    f >

    f

    t*U

    p

    fH?

    ^m

    ^#^

    pp^

    s

    ^^

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

    )

    Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd.

    2002

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    320 LUDWIG

    HOLTMEIER

    As far as

    I am

    aware this

    sequential

    model cannot be

    found

    in the

    literature

    in

    this

    form,

    and

    to

    explain

    its

    compositional

    neglect

    here

    we

    need

    only point

    to

    the break in the chromatic motion in the top voice and the unsatisfactory effect

    this has. Mozart

    combines both

    these historical

    models

    in order to

    achieve his

    ideal of total

    chromaticism.

    Of the two

    possible

    inversions of the

    diminished

    seventh chord which allow him to create

    the

    sequence,

    he chooses

    the one

    which sets

    the

    bass voice in

    descending

    chromatic motion.

    However,

    when

    the

    diminished seventh

    is

    employed

    in this

    way,

    the

    rule

    is that when the

    ninth16 is

    in the

    top

    voice,

    the

    progression

    of all the notes of the chord is fixed.

    If it is

    in

    the

    top

    voice,

    then the third must be

    doubled in the

    following

    tonic chord

    in

    order to avoid

    parallel

    fifths.17

    But if the third is

    doubled,

    then the tonic

    three-

    voice chord

    cannot

    progress

    to a subdominant four-voice

    chord on the second

    degree of the following cadence. It is the third note that has to descend

    chromatically.

    According

    to

    the most ancient rules

    of

    dissonance and

    voice-

    leading,

    however,

    no

    note that

    progresses

    chromatically

    can be

    doubled.18

    Mozart locates

    the

    ninth in the

    top

    voice

    in his

    sequential

    model. He is

    concerned

    with

    the element of

    flowing

    chromatic

    movement,

    beginning

    with

    the most dissonant chordal constituent

    in the

    top

    voice,

    in other words

    in its

    most

    radical and

    accentuated

    form. When Mozart

    put

    the ninth

    in the

    top

    voice,

    it was

    obvious

    to him that he would become involved

    in a

    compositional

    conflict,

    and that

    he would

    have to overcome a

    compositional

    impossibility.

    It

    is

    typical

    of

    Mozart's

    compositional

    thought

    to

    develop

    the

    sequence

    out of this

    compositional impossibility.

    The

    compositional problem

    itself

    is its theme.19

    Following

    the constraints of

    voice-leading,

    the

    doubled

    E in bar 18

    necessarily

    causes

    parallel

    octaves between bass

    and

    alto

    (Ex.

    18a);

    or else

    it

    leads to an

    'unacceptable'

    leap

    in one

    voice and a

    change

    in texture

    (Ex. 18b):

    Ex. 18

    18

    \>

    s

  • 8/9/2019 Reconstructing Mozart

    16/20

    Reconstructing

    Mozart

    321

    speaking

    (however

    one

    might

    interpret

    it).

    The

    point

    is both

    to

    avoid the break

    and

    to

    avoid

    breaking

    the

    compositional

    rules,

    and to make

    the

    impossible

    possible. He has conceived the passage in such a way that the sudden four-

    voice texture

    in

    the

    right

    hand

    appears

    to

    have

    three voices because of

    its

    rhythmic

    form.

    The

    continuous

    triplet

    motion

    in the

    right

    hand blurs

    the

    change

    from three voices to

    four and maintains

    the illusion of a

    strict

    three-part

    texture.

    The unusual construction of this

    sequential

    model is also

    responsible

    for the

    fact

    that the shift

    in

    the metric-cadential accent shown

    in Ex.

    2 is not

    quite

    as

    definite as

    it

    might

    appear.

    At the same

    time,

    everything

    is to

    be found where

    it

    should

    be.

    The

    camouflaged

    four-part

    texture

    implies

    a

    model that

    emerges

    when we

    try

    to continue

    the bass

    line

    strictly through

    the rest

    (compare

    with

    Ex. 18b), even

    though

    the

    voice-leading

    'violation' is more

    apparent

    than in

    Mozart's case because

    of

    the

    missing

    rest:

    Ex.

    19

    19 20

    i

    LiaaSin

    llJLLrilJ

    Ll rdJ Lly

    '): ^

    )

    t

    0*

    L

    f'r^^jT3

    22

    _

    ,?

    ^

    The dissonant seventh is prepared by the consonant third of the subdominant

    seventh chord

    on the

    second

    degree.

    We

    recognise

    the

    ancient

    contrapuntal

    device

    of the

    syncopated

    dissonance,

    which is

    prepared

    on a weak beat

    and

    sounds

    on

    an accented

    beat,

    resolving again

    on a weak

    beat.

    The tied

    (i.e.

    prepared)

    seventh on the

    accented beat

    is to be found

    in

    a

    widespread

    classical

    model

    of

    cadential

    closure,

    which above

    all is familiar

    from slow

    movements.

    Here,

    though,

    the

    seventh

    is

    never to be found

    in

    the bass

    but,

    most

    often,

    in

    one

    ofthe

    middle

    voices.

    However,

    the bass

    voice

    of

    this

    sequence

    does in fact

    move with the

    upper

    voice ofthe octave in a middle-voice location. This octave

    doubling

    is more than

    just

    a

    strengthening

    of the

    bass,

    as

    it was

    in the

    previous

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

    )

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    Ltd. 2002

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    Reconstructing

    Mozart 323

    tendency

    of the

    metrical-periodic

    grouping.

    They

    do not take effect

    in

    the

    'motivic-thematic'

    foreground,

    but rather

    at

    the

    limits

    of

    a level which can

    be

    called 'rhythmic' in the broadest sense of the word, and in which Mozart

    operates

    with

    a

    surefootedness and

    originality

    which

    none

    of his

    contemporaries possessed

    (and

    hardly

    any

    of

    his

    successors).

    Rarely

    does

    Mozart allow these

    rhythmic

    conflicts

    to

    flare

    up

    overtly.

    The

    elements

    do not

    join

    battle

    in the musical

    foreground,

    as is

    already

    the case in the

    opening

    theme

    of

    Beethoven's

    first

    Piano

    Sonata,

    Op.2

    No.l.

    In

    fact,

    it could be said

    that

    Beethoven

    pushes

    the

    Mozartian inheritance

    of

    rhythmic

    complexity

    into

    the

    musical

    foreground.

    In

    the

    process,

    the

    technical

    principle

    acquires

    both

    an

    unexpected

    dynamism,

    but

    also a coarseness.

    The initial

    rhythmic

    conflicts

    and

    impulses

    of Beethoven's themes remain

    unresolved. They drive the musical process forward and dominate it. The

    music

    is

    forced

    to work at

    this conflict

    as

    a kind of

    problem

    to

    be

    solved,

    and

    it

    determines the initial thematic

    shape

    in terms

    of its

    function within

    a

    developing

    whole.

    Generally

    it could

    be said that

    the

    cadential

    metre,

    melodic

    accentuation and

    phrasing

    in

    Beethoven seldom stand

    in

    as

    complex

    a

    correlation as in Mozart's

    case. His

    rhythmic

    conflicts

    tend to occur

    on a

    unified level and

    only

    in

    this

    way

    can

    they

    reveal themselves

    in

    the

    foreground.

    Conflicts

    in

    Mozart almost never

    occur as

    problems

    posed;

    within the

    context

    of

    the

    larger

    periodic

    unit

    they

    are,

    in a

    sense,

    already

    solved. The

    unity,

    the

    autonomy

    of

    even

    complex

    periods

    thus

    emerges

    from within

    the

    functional whole. The

    rhythmic

    complexity

    of

    Mozart's

    music

    is not based

    on

    a naked

    opposition

    of

    divergent

    forces.

    Tensions arise between different

    levels:

    between the

    barring

    and the harmonic

    cadential

    metre;

    between

    the cadential

    metre and the accentuation of

    the

    melody;

    between

    the

    harmonic

    logic

    and the

    autonomous

    phrasing;

    and

    so

    on. These

    levels are

    not, however,

    in

    opposition

    to each other.

    They

    overlap,

    and even

    viewed

    as

    operative

    factors are

    only

    artificially separable

    from

    each

    other.

    The

    melody

    cannot be

    separated

    from

    the

    harmony

    and

    in the

    process

    the

    melodic

    articulation

    from the

    cadential-

    metric

    emphases,

    nor can

    the cadential metre

    claim

    a

    particular

    and

    definitive

    metrical form, and maintain a complete independence from the barring.

    Working

    at

    different

    levels that cannot

    actually

    be

    separated

    from each

    other,

    Mozart's

    rhythmic

    conflicts

    always

    convey

    themselves

    implicitly.

    They

    are

    held

    in

    check,

    in a

    classical balance.

    Through

    this

    autonomy

    and isolation

    Mozart's blocks

    of

    material

    preserve

    an

    openness

    and a

    formal

    ambivalence.

    They

    are at

    the

    same

    time

    simple

    and

    complex.

    This is

    the

    Janus-like

    quality

    of

    Mozartian

    form.

    NOTES

    1. A coherence which - as Charles Rosen has shown in The Classical Style - is only

    Music

    Analysis, 21/iii

    (2002)

    ? Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd. 2002

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  • 8/9/2019 Reconstructing Mozart

    19/20

    324 LUDWIG

    HOLTMEIER

    rarely

    achieved in the

    pre-classical

    era and in the

    early

    works

    of

    Haydn

    and

    Mozart.

    2. I attempt to pursue the other aspect in 'Versuch iiber Mozart. Juxtaposition und

    analytische

    Collage:

    KV

    332',

    in Wilfried

    Gruhn and Hartmut

    Moller

    (eds.),

    Wahrnemung

    und

    Begriff

    (Kassel:

    Gustav Bosse

    Verlag,

    2000),

    pp.

    109-74.

    3. This statement

    idealises

    the

    situation:

    it

    requires qualification

    according

    to

    Mozart's

    compositional

    development

    and the

    specific generic

    context.

    For

    the

    piano

    and

    violin sonatas it

    is almost

    unreservedly

    valid

    -

    in

    spite

    of

    the

    fundamental

    change

    in

    Mozart's harmonic

    processes

    from the

    1780s

    -

    whereas

    the

    case

    is

    different

    in

    the

    string quartets,

    symphonies

    and

    concertos.

    4.

    Compare

    Ulrich

    Konrad,

    Mozarts

    Schaffensweise.

    Studien

    zu den

    Werk-

    autographen,

    Skizzen und

    Entwurfen

    (Gottingen:

    Vandenhoeck

    &

    Ruprecht,

    1992).

    5. This

    analytical

    procedure

    is

    especially

    familiar

    to

    pianists,

    who have to

    retain

    an

    extensive

    repertoire

    in

    their memories.

    6.

    Of

    course,

    this

    is

    not

    intended as

    a

    reconstruction of the

    composer's

    decision-

    making process (though

    see n.

    19).

    7.

    Indeed,

    no other

    aspect

    of

    analytical

    methodology highlights

    so

    clearly

    the

    difference between the

    practice

    of

    analysis

    in

    (German)

    universities and

    conservatories.

    8. On the

    problem

    of oral

    practices

    in

    music

    theory,

    see Michiel

    C.

    Schuijer,

    'Muziektheorie in onderzoek', Tijdschriftvoor Muziektheorie, 2/iii (1997), p. 251

    and

    Ludwig

    Holtmeier,

    'Nicht Kunst? Nicht

    Wissenschaft?

    Zur

    Lage

    der

    Musiktheorie',

    Musik &

    Asthetik,

    1/ii

    (1997),

    pp.

    119-36.

    9.

    On

    the

    topic

    of cadential

    metre,

    see Friedrich

    Neumann,

    Die

    Zeitgestalt:

    eine

    Lehre

    vom

    musikalischen

    Rhythmus,

    Vol.

    2

    (Vienna:

    P.

    Kaltschmid,

    1959).

    10. If

    one

    ignores

    chromatic motion

    in

    diminished seventh chords. In

    a literal sense

    this

    avoids

    'parallel'

    motion,

    but because of the strict

    simultaneity

    of the linear

    movement,

    the

    principle

    of

    independent

    voices

    disappears.

    11. The

    filling

    out of the rest

    creates

    voice-leading

    errors in the

    texture. For

    clarification,

    see the

    comments

    following.

    12.

    Growing

    familiarity

    with Mozart's

    compositional

    technique

    (and

    this

    is

    equally

    true

    of

    Bach's

    fugue

    subjects)

    does indeed make it

    possible

    to

    anticipate

    the

    reworking

    of the

    exposition's

    'troublespots'

    in the

    development

    or

    recapitulation.

    I have

    not

    notated an

    arpeggiated

    C-major

    chord

    in this

    example (bar

    18,

    beat

    3)

    as

    Mozart

    does

    in

    the

    recapitulation

    (bar

    100)

    because the resultant

    doubling

    of

    the third would have created a

    voice-leading

    error of the kind

    Mozart

    avoids

    by

    altering

    his

    sequential

    model,

    from

    which,

    as

    one

    might expect,

    the

    duple

    metre

    of

    the

    right

    hand also

    disappears.

    13.

    This

    became

    apparent

    to me

    as

    I

    worked on

    my

    piano

    interpretation.

    Again

    and

    again

    I

    caught myself failing

    to

    acknowledge

    the

    notated

    rest,

    leaving

    the left

    ? Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd. 2002

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

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    Reconstructing Mozart

    325

    hand

    sounding

    through

    it.

    What

    is

    surprising

    about this

    is

    that,

    in

    spite

    of the

    semitone clashes

    in

    bars 18 and

    20,

    there is no real

    feeling

    of dissonance.

    14. The fact that a Bb and not a Bt] is implied here, depends on the laws of tonal

    sequences

    and

    how

    they

    are

    perceived

    differently

    from cadences. This is not the

    place

    to discuss in

    detail

    these

    laws

    and their

    relationship

    to

    cadential

    harmony.

    'Cadence' and

    'sequence'

    are

    the central

    concepts required

    for

    a

    description

    ofthe

    development

    of

    the harmonic

    aspect

    of

    tonality.

    Each

    concept

    can

    be associated

    with

    particular

    kinds of

    composer.

    Mozart's harmonic

    discoveries

    are almost

    always

    found

    within

    the context of his

    sequential processes.

    Here

    he

    becomes

    the

    harmonic

    experimenter

    and

    frontiersman of his

    time in

    contrast

    to

    Haydn

    and

    Beethoven,

    whose innovations are

    to

    be found

    above

    all in cadential harmonic

    processes.

    15. This

    produces

    a

    regular sequence

    of

    IV-V-I/II-V-I

    cadences.

    16. 'Ninth' is intended in Rameau's sense here.

    17. To be

    more

    precise:

    in

    order

    to

    avoid

    the

    progression

    from a diminished fifth o a

    perfect

    fifth,

    a

    progression

    that is

    only

    allowed in

    a

    single

    harmonic

    relationship

    in

    pre-classical

    harmonic

    language

    -

    from the dominant sixth chord

    on

    the second

    degree

    [|],

    the

    oldest dominant

    form of

    all,

    upwards

    to a 'tonic' sixth chord

    [3]

    -

    and there

    only

    as a formula in a

    restricted

    context.

    18.

    This

    is

    only

    the

    case

    in

    those instances

    where the notion of strict

    four-part

    motion

    is

    adhered

    to. The

    'unacceptable' leap

    (Ex.

    18b)

    is a common

    phenomenon

    in

    the

    chordal

    writing

    of the classical

    (and

    pre-classical) style

    (see,

    for

    example,

    the

    Menuetto I from the Piano Sonata in Eb, K. 282, upbeat to bar 13). This case is

    not

    only

    about the

    illusion

    of strict

    four-part

    motion,

    but

    also about the notion

    of

    total

    chromaticism,

    which

    would

    be

    destroyed by

    this

    leap (compare

    also Ex.

    19,

    which in

    classical

    compositional

    terms

    is

    certainly

    'correct').

    19.

    At

    this

    point

    in

    the

    analysis

    it

    seems

    to me

    that the

    problem

    mentioned above

    -

    how

    appropriate

    the

    relationship

    is

    between the effort

    required

    in

    formulating

    the

    analysis

    in words and the musical

    phenomenon

    under

    investigation

    -

    is

    particularly

    acute.

    This

    may

    be

    because,

    by implication,

    every

    analysis

    claims

    to

    describe

    the

    technical

    procedure

    of

    the

    composer.

    No

    analysis

    can

    completely

    free itself from

    this

    pretension

    -

    however much

    it

    might

    claim

    to do

    so.

    Uneasiness

    with the

    analytical description

    often arises from

    the claim

    that

    the

    time and effort

    required

    for it are identical or at least

    comparable

    with the time

    and

    effort

    required

    for

    the

    conceiving

    of the

    compositional

    idea. Mozart

    could

    have

    developed

    the idea

    for

    this

    particular sequence

    in a

    single

    instant. It owes its

    existence to

    the

    fundamentals of

    compositional

    handicraft.

    The

    compositional

    models

    employed

    here and

    the

    voice-leading problems

    they

    contain were familiar

    to him

    from

    an

    early

    age

    and

    had become second

    nature. Musical

    analysis

    is not

    only

    there

    to

    reconstruct how the

    object

    has been

    put

    together technically

    and its

    context,

    but also to describe its

    effect,

    which

    is not

    exhausted

    by

    the

    poetic

    concept.

    Music

    Analysis,

    21/iii

    (2002)

    ? Blackwell

    Publishing

    Ltd. 2002