Chapter 5

Analysis of Pitch, Texture, and Tintinnabulation

Drones, Texture, and Tintinnabulation in the Magnificat

In the Magnificat, the first pitch-related device that appears is a C natural drone in the first soprano set against a second, freely moving soprano voice. For the most part, this drone is restricted to the soprano I section and soprano soloist. In the opening measures, the soprano I blindly repeats the drone while the soprano II flirts with sharp dissonances as it weaves above and below a short lived unison at a painfully close distance. In these passages, Pärt has taken a medieval practice and modernized it by altering the original usage. Instead of the drone appearing in a voice below the melody (whether vocal or instrumental), as would be the practice in the Gothic period, Pärt has placed it in the soprano in the same register as the melody. The resulting close interaction between treble voices, along with the lack of lower register pitches, act to create the stark character that persists throughout the piece. To this two-voice activity, Pärt later adds a G natural drone. This results in a drone on a perfect fourth against which a third voice plays in the manner already discussed.

Figure 11. 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.

A third way in which this drone is used occurs when the drone appears in the soprano but the moving voice sounds in the bass register. Although this widely spaced activity is a complete inversion of the original medieval practice, it achieves the same effect of austerity because of the resulting perfect intervals. This two- and three-voice close interaction acts as a unifying element of the piece as it creates magnetically powerful harmonic crescendo and decrescendo. To the ear of the listener, the sharp dissonance, because it emerges from a perfect consonance, creates the need to be resolved to that former consonance. This in turn gives direction to the phrase and ultimately to the work as a whole.

Each of these three different examples of the drone device are also examples of textural variation. As Dufay and Ockeghem experimented with two-, three- and four part vocal textures, close and open spacing, and the coloristic qualities of each voice part, so Pärt also does the same. In the first example, he uses two high register voices and very close spacing to create one type of texture. In the second example, three high-to-middle register voices are used -- two of which provide the drone and the lowest voice provides the melodic element -- in conjunction with more open spacing to create another texture. In the third example, Pärt uses two widely spaced voices (soprano and bass) for yet more textural variation. While these drones stem initially from the Gothic period, minimalists also make use of them, along with other sustaining gestures to aid in the perception of extension and to provide textural variation.

Alternating with the drone sections are those sections which contain the elements of tintinnabulation. Here we find Pärt applying various inversions of an F minor chord. Beginning with the text, et exultavit spiritus, the high and middle men's voices sound only notes of the F minor chord, whether they be the third and fifth, root and third, root andfifth, etc. Below this, the bass line acts to offset the potentially monotonous preeminence of the F minor chord through mostly stepwise melodic motion, within the F aeolian mode. The F aeolian harmony is clouded as this lowest voice frequently halts on the second, fifth and seventh pitches of the F aeolian scale. In this passage, dissonance is generally reserved for unstressed syllables. One exception to this occurs on the word meus. Here Pärt has placed a quasi inverted retardation, in which the bass voice sounds an Eb (on me) that leads up to F (on us).

Figure 12. Magnificat

This is another example of the composer's reworking of traditional practices. By Dufay’s time, the bass voice had come to serve a harmonic function. In opposition to Dufay and other composers of that time, Pärt rarely uses the bass to provide a harmonic foundation, but rather uses it to create slight tonal ambiguity. In this reversal of roles, the function of the bass voice is altered so that it no longer has a harmonic function. This bass activity is then no longer associated with the medieval but is now an integral part of the tintinnabulation technique.

On the word meo one finds another very interesting application of the non-functional bass line. On the syllable me, is a root position F minor triad. However, on the final syllable, the bass moves upward to a G natural, creating an unresolved minor ninth between the low and middle voices that fades into Pärt's compositional timelessness.

Figure 13. Magnificat

These types of phrase endings are found extensively throughout many of his works, and have come to be a sort of trademark stamp. Throughout the remaining passages of tintinnabulation in the work, the ear is naturally drawn to the melody in the lower voice since the upper voices remain grounded in F minor. A clear example of this occurs with the text, generationes. Here, the bass moves upward in stepwise motion from G to Db while the upper voices move upward by skipping to the next successive member of the F minor triad. Even though the upper voice is always at least an octave above the bass voice, the bass voice has the most prominence as it contains the only melodic motion.

Figure 14. Magnificat

Therefore, these tintinnabulation passages are very similar to the drone passages in that the upper voices continually sound pitches from an F minor triad while the lower voice creates tension and release through close interaction with the upper two voices. From the application of these two techniques, the preeminence of the F minor aeolian tonality is achieved.

Phrases in the Magnificat

Phrases in the Magnificat can be analyzed in terms of arsis and thesis (according to text and harmonic crescendo/decrescendo), but do not follow any particular pattern of length. This is all closely related to the performance practice of chant, where there are no meter signatures or bar lines to provide metric accent, and no consistent patterns in the length of phrases. All elements point to and follow the text. Melodic fragments are used again and again but never in a fashion that they could be analyzed as re-occurring themes. Like Dufay, Pärt uses short motives throughout works such as the Magnificat. The motive of the ascending minor second as well as the descending minor and major second are particularly important.

Figure 15. Magnificat

Conclusions of phrases can rarely be analyzed in a harmonic sense, as many sections end with unresolved dissonance. The listener can only accurately identify the end of a phrase by the reduced rhythmic activity. Interestingly, while increased activity precedes a cadence in medieval writing, Pärt’s cadences are immediately identifiable by the gradual decrease in melodic and rhythmic activity. By reversing this medieval practice, Pärt has created a device that works within his suspended time framework.

Through the preeminence of the F minor chord (though clouded by through the use of the tintinnabulation technique) there is a lack of harmonic activity. This, in turn, frustrates any sense of antecedent and consequent phrases. Almost never does the listener feel as though he has reached the conclusion of a complete musical idea, as he feels trapped in an eternal suspension. Therefore, it is possible to view the first nine sections as a lengthy suspension that eventually resolves to the repeat of the opening text (Magnificat anima mea Dominum). Even if this final statement was not intended to be the conclusion of the piece, the listener would inevitably feel that this were the case. Within this final section, the harmonic and rhythmic motion is slowed almost to a halt, the individual lines lead continually downward, and the piece ends on essentially a closely-packed Db major seventh chord in second inversion.

Figure 16. Magnificat

As each section (a suspension in itself) only enables the larger suspension as a whole to stand, the entire middle section of the piece could be removed without destroying the resulting effect: the sense of being caught up into a higher plane at the beginning of the work and being released at its conclusion. Though the listener is completely aware of the conclusion of the piece, the ambiguity of the final chord hinders his complete satisfaction by keeping him slightly suspended over the desired perfect resolution (i.e. an F minor triad) This stems directly from the minimalist “all encompassing…single event”[1] and is clearly Pärt's aim.

Pitch, Texture and Tintinnabulation in the Stabat Mater

In the Stabat Mater, the first notes of the piece emerge from silence, as if always having existed but are being perceived only at this particular moment. The tonality is found to be clearly A aeolian. This is evident from phrase beginnings and endings and the fact that only the notes of the A minor chord are used in the tintinnabulation voices. There are absolutely no accidentals or modulations of any kind throughout the piece. The lines begin in a very high register in each individual voice and slowly descend in an undulating fashion. A perpetual chord mutation is accomplished as each line independently descends, stopping for varying lengths of time before descending again. The resultant chord (after all three string lines have entered) is an A minor chord in second inversion. The violin then descends from A to G, the viola from C to B, and the cello from E to D. This accomplishes a mutation from A minor to G major. These lines continue to descend, all the while creating various diatonic (A aeolian) chord forms (Am - G - Dm - Am - F - G, etc.) and pandiatonic clusters. Here there is no chord progression but only chord succession. All activity is completely modal.

Figure 17. 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.

At measure 55 the vocal parts enter with the same pitches (in the appropriate register) with which the strings began, and proceed to duplicate the opening string passage on the text Amen. Throughout this section where the voices first enter, the string parts cease to descend in a stepwise fashion and begin to arpeggiate according to the tintinnabulation technique. Each part contains a drone on a different note of the A minor triad and, after some time, slowly descends by falling to the next successive droning pitch of the A minor triad. Each voice skips up (a third or fourth) only once and continues its arpeggiated descent. At the same time, the voices duplicate the opening stepwise string passage. This is one of the many variations of the tintinnabulation technique that Pärt has made his trademark. In measure 91, the voices drop out and the strings, from the point they had reached in the previous section, once more begin their stepwise descent into silence.

The mirror form of the piece is solidly established with the appearance of the coda, which is very similar to the introduction. The strings again appear from silence and begin their drones and stepwise descent. At measure 441, the solo soprano enters as the tintinnabulation voice. The line slowly arpeggiates downward from one droned pitch of the A minor chord to another on the text, Amen. At measure 459 the alto enters and does the same. Finally, at measure 477, the tenor completes the cycle, drops out, and the strings descend to a final pianissimo A minor chord.

In Pärt's tintinnabulation sections, one voice (sometimes two) moves in stepwise motion while other voices skip between members of the tintinnabuli chord (in this case, A minor). The role of the melodic line(s) is to add tension and release by creating dissonance within an otherwise static harmony. This dissonance is usually placed on stressed syllables and also on phrase beginnings and endings. In this work, the individual members of the two ensembles play all of these roles at one point or another and this is how Pärt accomplishes textural variation.

At measure 109, two members of each ensemble are assigned to sound only notes of the A minor chord – a different note per each syllable in the choral parts -- while the third member moves in stepwise motion (no further away than a perfect fourth from its initial A natural). Pärt uses the differing rhythmic modes of these two voices (tenor and cello) to create harmonic tension and release. For example, on the word juxta, both voices begin on an A natural. The cello moves first, up to a B natural, due to the iambic mode, while the tenor holds to its initial A. This creates a mild dissonance that is eventually resolved as the tenor moves down to G natural. On the next word crucem, the process is reversed, as the cello moves down to G natural and the tenor resolves upward to B natural.

Figure 18. Stabat Mater

At measure 192, a quiet violin line, in iambic mode and placed in a high register, hovers above the three vocal lines (in trochaic mode). This violin line moves always in stepwise motion. At the mp dynamic, the line refers back to the opening descending figures. The text supports this finding: Who could not sorrow too to contemplate Christ's mother grieving for her Son. At measure 273, the effect of this rhythmic counteraction is much different. Here, to the tenor line placed in a high register and set in trochaic mode, is added two string lines. The viola (in a relatively high register and in iambic mode) moves in step-wise motion while the arpeggiated voice, the violin, leaps back and forth between members of the A minor chord.

Figure 19. Stabat Mater

This creates an anguished, almost violent effect that echoes the text: Holy Mother, grant this same, fix the wounds of the crucified firmly on my heart. The use of silence after each short phrase serves to heighten the importance placed on each short section of text. At measure 378, these roles are reversed. Above the three strings (placed in relatively low registers and in iambic mode) hovers the soprano vocal line. It appears that these variations in texture are not designed to paint the text but to merely add variety to a potentially static form. Beginning in measure 120, there is yet another variation in texture involving the tintinnabulation technique. A solo tenor voice in a medium register moves in mostly stepwise motion. To this, on the word contristatam, is added a violin line that leaps between members of the A minor chord. In measure 128, the cello contains the stepwise motion while the viola randomly arpeggiates the A minor chord.

Figure 20. Stabat Mater

At measure 133, the tenor moves in stepwise motion while the alto sounds notes of the A minor triad. At the word mater, the violin joins the alto in arpeggiating the A minor chord (though both parts are different). The tintinnabuli elements are always present, and like Ockeghem, Pärt uses as many varieties of voice type, spacing and tessitura as possible. This textural variation can be as closely associated with Ockeghem as it can be with Philip Glass. Both medieval and minimalist composers were and are concerned with textural variation of this kind. However, Pärt has made this type of variation his own with the application of the tintinnabulation technique, which establishes a static harmony (minimalist idea) while providing the background upon which to build a variety of textures.

String Trio Bridges in the Stabat Mater

There are three string bridges that contribute to the mirror form of the work and act to separate the vocal/string sections. Each of these is based on the tintinnabulation technique, yet they are quite different from any other section of the work. The first of these three sections occurs at measure 157. Here, as often occurs, the melodic lines are in the viola and cello (or lowest lines) while the tintinnabuli, or arpeggiated line is contained in the violin. Each line is based upon a different rhythmic mode. The violin line is based on the tribrachic mode (short - short - short). This appears as a quarter, two eighths, and a quarter. The viola uses the iambic mode while the melodic line in the cello is written in the trochaic mode. The frantic violin line thus skips between members of the A minor chord, but for the first time in the piece, this line is not totally restricted to the tintinnabuli chord. Often, the line briefly touches upon the pitches, B, F, and G. These are the tendency tones that help confirm the A aeolian tonality. Oddly, the cello line contains little of the stepwise motion that is so prevalent in other sections of the piece. Instead, the non-harmonic tones are, for the most part, accented apoggiaturas. The viola line (iambic mode) uses mostly unaccented appoggiaturas. These two lines together create a feeling of suspension within nearly every rhythmic group as the viola's short appoggiatura quickly resolves (either upward or downward) on the second beat of the group while the long appoggiatura in the cello takes one beat more to resolve in contrary motion to the viola line. The second note of the three-note group becomes the stressed beat from which the “suspension” resolves. These “suspensions” are more rhythmic than harmonic and act again to frustrate the feeling of forward motion.

Figure 21. Stabat Mater

The tempo is much faster here -- the old half note now equaling the new dotted half – which results in an increasingly frenetic atmosphere. Each successive interlude increases in intensity.

At measure 261 one finds the first variation on the original string interlude. These passages are not true tintinnabulation passages in that the accompanying voice is not restricted to notes of the A minor chord. Here, the accompanying voice is the viola. This line closely resembles the original violin line with the exception that all of the tendency tones of the mode are touched upon (adding F natural). The melodic lines are contained in the violin and cello. The violin line is written in iambic mode with the initial quarter note being replaced by two eighths. However, unlike any previous section in the work, the melodic line is no longer stepwise but now contains awkward skips; a step down is often followed by a downward skip, etc. In the cello line, the activity is even more dissatisfying. This line is written in trochaic mode with the final quarter note being replaced by two eighths. Here there are large skips to and from the eighth note groups and escape tones, some of which resolve to pitches as far as a fifth away. This all seems quite odd until one looks at the relationship between the half notes in the violin and cello lines. When looking at only these pitches, one can immediately see that although the half note (E natural) in the cello is on beat one and the half note (E natural) in the violin is on beat two, each half-note line is a perfect inversion of the other.

Figure 22. Stabat Mater

Also, the simple, mostly step-wise character of the isolated half-note lines is very reminiscent of plain chant.

In the final string interlude we find more of the same type of activity, although the atmosphere has become much more frantic as a group of four sixteenth notes now replaces the group of two eighth notes in the previous section. This time the accompanying line is contained in the cello (still using the tendency tones of the mode) while the chant melodies, whose motion is still in perfect inversion of one another, are in the violin and viola. The restless quality of the melodic lines is heightened by the magnified frenzy (due to the predominance of groups of four sixteenth notes). The violin is in iambic mode while the viola is in trochaic. The chant melodies (which begin on C natural and are different melodies altogether than the ones in the previous section) begin on beats two and one respectively. Again, each line is a perfect inversion of the other.

These sections hint at minimalist process music more than any other section previously discussed. The process here is clearly a rhythmic one. Due to a careful increase in rhythmic activity, each re-appearance of the string bridge becomes even more frantic and, with the vocal sections, leads toward the climax of the piece at the text, Inflammatus et accensus per te, virgo sim defensus in die judicii or When I am consumed with flames, O Virgin, let me be defended by Thee, on the day of judgment. This process is also related to the medieval period as each reoccurrence of the string bridge is “subjected to internal metamorphoses: an aural synonym for the process of medieval alchemy.”[2]

[1] Schwartz and Godfrey, Music Since 1945, 318.

[2] Mellers, liner notes for Arvo Pärt Arbos.