Chapter
4
Analysis
of Rhythm and Form
Perhaps
the most famous of Pärt's later works, apart from the Tabula Rasa, is
the Magnificat for mixed chorus (1989). The Magnificat is one of Pärt's many "suffering"
compositions. Some of the elements that
cause this quality to emerge are the minor tonality, relatively unadorned
lines, use of open intervals, controlled use of dissonance, and static harmonies. This piece contains clear demonstrations of
some of the various techniques that Pärt uses to achieve the illusion of the
connection of time and timelessness, as well as references to medieval discant
and drones. Equally powerful but not as
well-known is the Stabat Mater of 1985, written for a trio of voices
(SAT) and a string trio (violin, viola, cello). Unlike the Magnificat, the tragic musical content is
justified through the text that describes the grieving state of Mary at the
cross. In this piece, the idea of the
connection of time and timelessness is much clearer than in the Magnificat.
The piece is filled with minimalist
influences and also contains several unmistakable references to the Gothic period,
i.e. the use of rhythmic modes and strict adherence to the aeolian mode. These two works also are based almost
completely on the tintinnabulation technique.
A connection
with the medieval period is obvious when examining rhythm in Pärt’s works, as overall
rhythmic activity follows the rule of simplicity. As abundantly shown in his choral music, rhythmic values are
often long notes. There is none of the
preoccupation with rhythmic complexity that was so popular in the early and
middle twentieth century. Rhythm is
derived primarily from the text (in the choral compositions), and the rhythm of
each voice part is nearly identical, as each syllable of text is spoken
simultaneously by each voice (except in rare instances where hocket is used). In conjunction with the minimalist
philosophy of extended duration, Pärt's compositions are designed to appear
suspended in time. He often seems to
destroy all sense of forward movement in order to let the text (in the choral
works) create arsis and thesis. When
the rhythm becomes even vaguely predictable, he may alter the expected in order
to keep the listener in that "moment outside time."[1] The over-all effect of this is increased
by the use of slow tempi.
Silence
also plays a significant role in the suffering works; note the
grand pauses in The Beatitudes and Tabula Rasa, as well as the
pointillistic interplay of voice and clarinet in the opening section of the Miserere. This deliberate combination of rhythmic
unpredictability and slow tempi work together toward Pärt's objective. "Time and timelessness are
connected. This instant and eternity
are struggling within us. And this is
the cause of all of our contradictions, our obstinacy, our narrow-mindedness,
our faith and our grief."[2]
Rhythm
and Form in the Magnificat
Upon
first glance at the score of the Magnificat, the aspect of the piece
that one notices first is in the area of rhythm. Immediately noticeable are the many dotted
and double bar lines that at first seem arbitrarily assigned. However, upon
closer examination, there emerges a set of criteria upon which their placement is based. First, double bar lines are placed after each complete statement
in the text. Divisions are as follows:
Table
1. -- Text, Translation and Divisions
of the Magnificat
|
Latin |
English |
|
||
|
Magnificat anima mea
Dominum: |
My soul doth magnify
the Lord: |
|
||
|
et exultavit spiritus
meus in Deo salutari meo. |
and my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Savior. |
|
||
|
Quia respexit:
humilitatem ancillae suae. |
For he hath regarded:
the lowliness of his handmaiden. |
|
||
|
Ecce enim ex hoc:
beatam me dicent omnes generationes. |
For behold, from
henceforth: all generations shall call me blessed. |
|
||
|
Quia fecit mihi magna
qui potens est: et sanctum nomen eius. |
For he that is mighty
hath magnified me: and holy is his Name. |
|
||
|
Et misericordia eius:
a progenie in progenies timentibus eium. |
And his mercy is on
them that fear him: throughout all generations. |
|
||
|
Fecit potentiam in
brachio suo: dispersit superbos mente
cordis sui. |
He hath shewed
strength with his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of
their hearts. |
|
||
|
Deposuit potentes de
sede: et exaltavit humiles. |
He hath put down the
might from their seat: and hath exalted the humble and meek. |
|
||
|
Esurientes implevit
bonis: et divites dimisit inanes. |
He hath filled the
hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away. |
|
||
|
Suscepit Israel,
puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae: sicut locutus est ad patres
nostros, Abraham et semini eius in saecula. |
He remembering his
mercy hath holpen his servant Israel: as he promised to our forefathers,
Abraham and his seed, for ever. |
||
|
Magnificat anima mea
Dominum: |
My soul doth magnify
the Lord: |
|
||
A double bar
line separates each of these sections of text as well as the final section (Abraham
et semini eius in saecula) from the restatement of the opening text (Magnificat
anima mea Dominum). This divides
the piece into ten textual units, however, there are additional bar lines within
these units. These additional lines of
demarcation introduce either a new dynamic or texture within the aforementioned
sections of text. An occurrence of the
latter, in which only a change in texture merits the placement of a
double bar, is relatively infrequent; it happens only twice. In contrast, the placement of double bar
lines in conjunction with at least a change in dynamic occurs seven times. This occurrence may also involve a change in
texture although a change in dynamic is always present.
In addition to the double bars,
there appear many dotted bar lines.
These dotted lines serve the purpose of separating each and every word
of the text except where two words are already separated by a double bar line. This scheme naturally eliminates the
possibility of providing metric stress to any syllable. By first isolating each complete statement
of text and then each individual word, Pärt forces the performers to shape
phrases by looking to the text alone, as is the practice with medieval and renaissance
vocal music.
Figure
2. Magnificat
Arvo
Pärt Magnificat © 1989 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American
Music Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal
Edition A.G., Wien.
This insistence
on following the stress of the text is an obvious link between Pärt's music and
the Gothic style by which he is so influenced.
Although the performers are ultimately responsible for executing the longer
phrase units, the composer has rhythmically written out the phrasing of each
individual word within the larger phrase.
Pärt provides an automatic agogic accent for each word by consistently
assigning the longest rhythmic value to the stressed syllable. This practice is in conjunction with that of
the medieval period: “the first beat of
the metrical pattern usually has longer value except when syncopated . . .”[3]
Figure
3. Magnificat
Arvo
Pärt Magnificat © 1989 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American
Music Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal
Edition A.G., Wien.
Some exceptions
to this occur on the last word of the phrase.
In this case, the final syllable of the word may be given a longer rhythmic
value than the stressed syllable.
However, this does not destroy the natural phrasing of the word, as the
final lengthened syllable acts as a written-out ritard to the end of the phrase
or section.
Because the musical material in each
individual textual section is consistently comparable, it is difficult to
justifiably dissect the piece according to musical elements only. Therefore, it is best to divide the piece
according to text. The piece is clearly
divided in this fashion, although it is not the composer’s intention that these
divisions be heard. Pärt merely follows
the example of the Gothic style, in which form was determined most often by
text.
The rhythmic unpredictability
mentioned earlier is apparent in this work and acts in conjunction with the
minimalist philosophy of extended time.
It is clear that Pärt wishes to avoid any sense of metric regularity as
all rhythmic activity in the work is based upon the text. The shortest note value is the quarter and to
follow the example of all early music, the work contains absolutely no meter
signatures. If one speaks through the
text very slowly, disregarding the written rhythm and elongating the stressed
syllable(s) of each word, he will come very close to executing the composer’s written
rhythm. The unpredictability is
accomplished mainly by the consistent altering of the lengths of successive
stressed syllables. For example, in
the opening measures, the stressed syllable of Magnificat is
three beats in length while the stressed syllable of the word that follows, anima,
is four beats in length.
Figure
4. Magnificat
Arvo
Pärt Magnificat © 1989 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American
Music Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal
Edition A.G., Wien.
The effect of
this is to keep the listener in constant suspense, as the length of successive
stressed syllables are almost never equal.
Unless one is expertly familiar with the work, the duration of the stressed
syllables cannot be predicted. Here,
syncopation is used not to contribute to the fluidity of the line, as was
Ockeghem’s intent, but to create the illusion of stasis. It is clear that the rhythm is forward-moving
although the unpredictability frustrates any real sense of forward motion; thus
time and timelessness are connected.
Use
of Hocket in the Magnificat
In
two isolated passages (SSA and TTB) Pärt has combined his tintinnabulation
technique with a medieval and renaissance rhythmic device. In these two short sections he uses a
composite form of the 13th-16th century
hocket technique. Pärt's hocket
passages follow neither the strict medieval nor the renaissance definition
completely. They do not act to create
excitement or climax but to add to the slight rhythmic ambiguity. The lower melodic voice acts as the leading
tone would in 16th century practice, always reaching the desired destination,
whether it be the tonic, mediant or subtonic. In this case, the desired
destination always falls on the stressed syllable of each word. The upper two voices, sounding only pitches
of the F minor triad (tintinnabulation technique), contain quarter note rests
on each beat where the lowest voice reaches the stressed syllable of each
word. Subsequently, the upper two
voices rejoin the lower voice by stating the stressed syllable and then, with
the lower voice, the final unstressed syllable.
Figure
5. Magnificat
Arvo
Pärt Magnificat © 1989 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American
Music Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal
Edition A.G., Wien.
The unstressed
syllables are always stated together, while the stressed syllables are
displaced. This differs from the
medieval practice as the two voices
(high-middle and low) fail to alternate resting and singing and eventually
state all syllables of the word. It
also differs from the 16th century definition because the hockets
are applied throughout a passage and are not limited to cadence points.
Use
of Rhythmic Modes in the Stabat Mater
When
examining the overall rhythmic scheme of the Stabat Mater, one can see
that the piece is based entirely on the medieval system of rhythmic
modes. Pärt uses the first and second
modes; these are the trochaic (long-short) and iambic (short-long). These two modes constitute the entire
rhythmic structure of the work. Like
the Magnificat, the Stabat Mater contains absolutely no meter
signatures. However, the rhythmic
structure is more defined due to adherence to the system of modes. Isolating the introduction, each measure
contains exactly three half-note beats.
The trochaic groups are not confined to each individual voice, but are
distributed among the three voices of the string trio. Thus, the first long note (A natural) in the
violin is answered by a short note (C natural) in the viola though both pitches
are tied to the next measure. The next
long note, an E natural in the cello, appearing immediately after the C natural
in the viola (the second note in the first trochaic group), is answered by a
short note (A natural) in the violin, completing the second trochaic group, and
so forth.
Figure
6. Stabat Mater
Arvo
Pärt Stabat Mater © 1985 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American
Music Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal
Edition A.G., Wien.
An individual
voice rarely begins and completes a single long - short group. Either a single voice will articulate a
complete long - short group and another voice will begin the next group or a
single voice will articulate the long note while another voice enters on the
short note.
Examining the section in which the
text first appears, one notices that, like in the Magnificat, Pärt has
assigned an individual word of text to each measure. The only exception to this is the first syllable of Stabat,
which is tied over two measures. This
syllable is suspended to provide the springboard for the release of tension
that occurs when the strings enter.
Every subsequent word is isolated within its own measure, which creates
continually changing meters, though the modal patterns are maintained. For example, the word mater (long -
short) creates essentially a 3/2 bar while the words dolorosa and lacrimosa
(long - short - long - short) create 6/2 bars. The medieval practice involved the replacement of the final
note of the rhythmic mode with a rest.
If the final note was replaced by a rest, this was called a masculine
ending. If the final note remained in
place, this was referred to as a feminine ending. Most of Pärt's masculine endings do not adhere to these strict guidelines. In many instances, he does not replace the
final short note with a rest but instead elongates the final note of the group (i.e.
the final syllable of the word unigeniti [long - short - long - short -
long] is a dotted whole note instead of a whole note and half note rest).
Figure
7. Stabat Mater
Arvo
Pärt Stabat Mater © 1985 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American
Music Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal
Edition A.G., Wien.
The effect is
much the same as if the rest would be present.
In fact, this type of ending in which the last note is stretched, is
aesthetically more final than the type which contains the half note rest. Of all the masculine phrase endings in the work, there are four
that do indeed follow the medieval example.
While two ensembles (voices and
strings) are assigned differing roles throughout the work, neither ensemble is
to be subservient. At times, the
ensembles counteract one another, while at other points in the work, one
ensemble complements the other. At
measure 109, the vocal parts begin their perpetual trochaic rhythmic activity,
while the string parts act to rhythmically offset each vocal trochaic group
with an iambic group. This activity
frustrates the forward motion due to the inherent insertion of an additional
delayed accent on each stressed syllable by the long note of each short - long
group in the strings and is similar to the syncopation used in the Magnificat
in that it helps to create the illusion of extended time.
Figure
8. Stabat Mater
Arvo
Pärt Stabat Mater © 1985 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American
Music Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal
Edition A.G., Wien.
This same type
of counteraction also occurs at various other places throughout the work.
Use
of Hocket in the Stabat Mater
While
Dufay’s and Ockeghem’s vocal parts are polyrhythmic, the vocal parts in
the Stabat Mater are homorhythmic, except for one passage at the
heart of piece in which hocket activity interrupts this. As in the Magnificat, each word is
treated according to the number of syllables.
For a two-syllable word, the hocket voice(s) offsets the long - short
group in the first voice with a delayed short - short entrance on beats 2 and 3
of the measure; the final syllable of the word occurring in both voices on the
last beat of the 3-beat group.
Figure
9. Stabat Mater
Arvo
Pärt Stabat Mater © 1985 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American
Music Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal
Edition A.G., Wien.
For a
three-syllable word, both voices begin the word and the first voice contains a
rest while the other voice proceeds on to the stressed syllable. The first voice then re-enters on the second
syllable of the word with a half-note and then re-joins the second voice on the
final syllable of the word.
Figure
10. Stabat Mater
Arvo
Pärt Stabat Mater © 1985 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American
Music Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal
Edition A.G., Wien.
Apart from the use
of hocket, there is only one other instance in the piece during which the vocal
parts depart from the trochaic mode.
Only at the repeat of the text, donec ego vixero (measure 307),
does the rhythmic mode switch to iambic.
Form
in the Stabat Mater
As
in the Magnificat, the Stabat Mater is divided according to
text. The final word of each verse is
rounded, either by the replacement of the last half-note beat with a rest or by
the elongation of the final syllable, to the length of a dotted whole
note. The sections are divided in the
following manner:
Table 2.
-- Text, Translation and Divisions of
the Stabat Mater
|
Latin |
English |
|
Stabat mater dolorosa
juxta crucem lacrimosa dum pendebat Filius. |
Full of grief the
Mother stood weeping by the Cross where hung her Son. |
|
Cujus animam gementem
contristatam ac dolentem pertransivit gladius. |
Whose spirit,
groaning, saddened and grieving, a sword has pierced. |
|
O quam tristis et
afflicta fuit illa benedicta Mater unigeniti! |
O how sad and
afflicted was that blessed Mother of the Only-begotten! |
|
Quae moerebat et
dolebat, et tremebat dum videbat Nati
poenas inclyti. |
She mourned and
grieved, as she beheld the sufferings of her illustrious Son. |
|
String trio interlude
I |
String trio interlude
I |
|
Quis est homo, qui non
fleret, Christi matrem si videret in tanto supplicio? |
Who is the man that
would not weep if he saw the Mother of Christ in such torment? |
|
Quis non posset
contristari, piam matrem contemplari dolentem cum filio? |
Who could not sorrow
too to contemplate Christ's Mother grieving for her Son? |
|
Pro peccatis suae gentis
vidit Jesum in tormentis, et flagellis subditum. |
For the sins of His
people she saw Jesus in torment, submitting to the scourge. |
|
Vidit suum dulcem
natum, morientem desolatum, dum emisit spiritum. |
She saw her sweet
offspring forlorn in His death as He yielded His spirit. |
|
Eja mater, fons
amoris, me sentire vim doloris fac, ut tecum lugeam. |
Ah Mother, fount of
love, let me feel the force of grief, that I may weep with Thee. |
|
Fac, ut ardeat cor
meum in amondo Christum deum, ut sibi complaceam. |
Grant that my heart
may blaze with the love of Christ, my God, that I may please Him. |
|
String trio interlude
II |
String trio interlude
II |
|
Sancta mater, istud
agas, crucifixi fige plagas cordi moe valide. |
Holy Mother, grant
this same, fix the wounds of the Crucified firmly on my heart. |
|
Tui nati vulnerati,
tam dignati pro me pro me pati, peonas mecum divide. |
Thy wounded Son, so
gracious to suffer for me; share his sufferings with me. |
|
Fac me tecum pie
flere, crucifixo condolere, donec ego vixero. |
Make me truly to weep
with Thee, to grieve with Thee for the Crucified as long as I shall live. |
|
Juxta crucem tecum
stare, et me tibi sociare in planctu desidero. |
Let me stand with Thee
by the Cross, and willingly join with Thee in mourning Thy loss. |
|
Virgo virginum
praeclara, mihi jam non sis amara, fac me tecum plangere. |
Virgin supreme among
virgins, be not harsh now to me, make me to weep with Thee. |
|
Fac ut protem Christi
mortem, passionis fac consortem, et plagas recolere. |
Make me to bear
Christ's death, grant me a share in His Passion, and to reverence His wounds. |
|
String trio interlude
III |
String trio interlude
III |
|
Fac me plagis
vulnerari cruce fac inebriari et cruore filii. |
Make me to be wounded
with His wounds, drunk with the Cross and with love for Thy Son. |
|
Inflammatus et
accensus per te, virgo sim defensus in die judicii. |
When I am consumed
with flames, O Virgin, let me be defended by Thee, on the day of judgment. |
|
Fac me cruce custodiri
morte Christi prae muniri, confoveri
gratia! |
Let me be protected by
the cross, strengthened by the death of Christ, thankful in his love! |
|
Quando corpus
morietur, fac, ut animae donetur paradisi gloria. Amen. |
When my body shall
die, grant that spirit may be given the glory of paradise. Amen. |
However, the overall
form of the work (including the introduction and coda), can be described as
mirror form. This is also the process on which the work is based. The opening descending lines appear quietly
from nowhere and melt into the texture of the piece. The middle section of the piece contains alternations of
vocal/string sections, in which varieties of texture are exploited, and string
trio sections, each appearance of which is increasingly frantic. Following the middle section of the piece,
in which the vocal/string sections alternate with the string trio sections, the
descending lines from the beginning of the piece appear again to fade into the
silence from which they came. This is
remarkable in that Pärt has created a piece which attempts to transcend
extended time in order to perpetually exist outside of the time the
listener’s ears actually hear it. This
is also very closely related to the minimalist concept of silence, though
Pärt’s silence is not contained within the composition but rather is the canvas
on which the composition is painted and from which it emerges at appointed
times.