Music 124A Profile No. I: The Main Idea and the Piece's Opening

Each profile will highlight a specific problem of composition for orchestra.

  • Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique Movement IV to Reh. 53 (PP. 74-79).
    Setting the scene with timpani pairs, horns and bassoons, and plucked strings (to Reh. 50 +2 meas.). Notice the resitrcted register of this texture.
    Contrast with the unisonal theme at Reh. 50 +2 with high bassoon obbligato.
    also, the reintroduction of the timpani duet inserts additional drama at passages around Reh. 51 and 52.
    Inversion of descending theme at M. 50 (P. 78, system 2) retains dev. of bassoon acc.
    Lastly, Big tutti in the winds and brass is the final contrast, with this theme the most complete and complex on interval content.
  • Brahms, Symphony No. I, the slow introduction: openings of Movements I (PP. 1-4) and IV (PP. 46-53).
    Movement I:
    Introduction is dominated by the insistent beat of timpani and pedal "C" in the KB, made more incisive by the contrabassoon.
    Two versions of the initial material in inversion against itself occur here: vlns 1 and 2 and cello have the foreground melody, while its inversion defines the harmony in violas and winds.
    Increase in pitch density with arpeggiations in strings vs. travelling thirds in winds leads to a tutti in the first measure of P. 2. Materials are fragmented and reassembled until the end of P. 3, the end of the introduction.
    Notice the C, C#, D ascending figure at the beginning of the allegro which replicates the very openign of the piece.
    Movement IV: a similar process is used here with the opening thematic contour anticipating the "Beethoven" imitation theme of the allegro at M. 61 (P. 53)
  • Mahler, Symphony No. 5 Scherzo (II) Movement (PP. 114-117, Reh. 2): the layered approach.
    Fragmentation of the phrase structure in the opening clarifies the component parts. The inital horn gesture has an upsweep to the (first) horn assist on the high concert "B."
    Winds/strings division of materials from meas. 9. handel uses a similar division in the Water Music , PP. 36-37 with a brass/ winds-strings division. Here, the contrasts are also in rhythmic design.
  • Debussy, La Mer, Movement I opening introduction to Reh. 2 + 7.
    Materials are assembled out of this introduction. Harps and lower strings expand on the dyad.
    Harmonic shift at top of P. two is also a timbral shift to the ob, cl, bns, and muted tpt. Obbligato descending tremolos in violins dfine the upper register.
    Once these elements are estabilished, they can pervade an entire group (see strings at Reh. 1 with transfer to lower register, all the way to DB's at Reh. 2 -1.
    Within the wind group, the C-natural ostinato in the EH is a separate layer from the other winds, particularly in rhythmic impact.
    A kind of organic development of the opening conjunct dyad in diminution becomes the undulating string motif at the Modere (P. 5). The kind of wind/string duality continues with the opposition of the horns at reh. 5k with new material. It is the process which is parallel to the opening.
  • Movement III "Dialogue of Wind and Sea"
    A similar technique as described above occurs, with the lower strings gaining energy to Reh. 43 (P. 82) as the same complement of winds defines the harmonic foreground.
    Here the constant factor is the timpani/bass drum rumble from meas. 1.
    Notice the half-note =96, indicating that this movement is to be felt in two.

    • Updated, April 14, 2004.