Part 3 (1/2)
Hungarian folk-music[31] is noted for its syncopated rhythhly earian scale, with _two_ aug an intensification of our _
[Music]
[Footnote 31: The best popular collection of Hungarian melodies is that by Francis Korbay, the texts for which were translated and arranged by the American novelist, JS of Dale It is well knohat artistic use has been arian melodies and rhythms by Schubert, Liszt and Brahms]
Russia is fortunate in her musical inheritance; for not only has she a wealth of folk-songs, but her famous composers, Balakireff, Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakoff--who are men of letters as well--have published remarkable editions of these national eneral, a mood of sombreness or even depression--typical of the vast, bleak expanses of that country, and of its downtrodden people These songs are usually in the es of rhythm--and based on the old ecclesiasticalan historical connection with that of the Greek church The folk-music of no nation is more endoith individuality and depth of emotion Five characteristic examples are herewith cited:
[Music: I]
[Music: II]
[Music: III Harmonized by RIMSKY-KORSAKOFF]
[Music: IV]
[Music: V]
This last nificance, because Tchaikowsky has used it so prorowing interest in folk-ressive student should inform himself For a national basis of creative work, our country has always been at a disadvantage in coht, have much music in their blood Moreover, with the exception of the tunes of the aboriginal Indians and the plantation roes, it has been asserted that Aations have shown, however, that this is not entirely true
Cecil Sharp, Henry Gilbert, Arthur Farwell and other ions of our country, settled by colonists fros exist practically in the condition in which they were first brought over
One of the best collections of such material is the set of so-called _Lonesome Tunes from the Kentucky Mountains_, taken down by Miss Lorraine Wyman and Mr Howard Brockway directly froion These reat individuality, directness and no little poetic char to feel that, in this industrial age, there are still places where people express their e; for a nation that has not learned to sing--or has forgotten how--can never create music that endures
CHAPTER III
POLYPHONIC MUSIC; SEBASTIAN BACH
We have traced, in the preceding chapter, son in musical expression, as they were manifested in the Folk-music of the different nations All le ht amount of instrumental support Hence however perfect in itself, it was necessarily lianic development Before music could become an independent art, set free from reliance on poetry, and could attain to a breadth of expression corowth in other fields of art, there had to be established some principle of development, far more extensive than could be found in Folk-music This principle[32]
of ”Thematic Development”--the chief idiom of instrumental e symphonic movement, orked out in that type of music known as the Polyphonic or many-voiced; and Polyphonic music became, in turn, the point of departure for our modern system of harmony, with its methods of key relationshi+p and of modulation As we have stated in Chapter I, the principle of systematic repetition or imitation--first discovered and partially applied by the musicians[33] of the early French School and by the Netherland masters--finally culminated in the celebrated vocal works (a capella or unaccompanied) composed by Palestrina and his contey Up to this point the whole texture of music had been conceived in connection with voices; but with the developan, so admirably suited for polyphonic style, and the perfection of the faed instruments, the principles of polyphony were carried over and applied to instruenius, most fully embodied these principles[34] was John Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) We are now prepared to explain the characteristics of polyphonic music and then to analyze some typical examples from Bach and other polyphonic composers The essential difference between homophonic and polyphonic style is implied by the terms themselves
When there is but one melody, the skill of the composer and the attention of the listener are concentrated upon this single melodic line; and even if there be an accompaniment, it is so planned that the chief ainst it The pre-eh the acco features of its own As soon as we have more than one melody (whether there be two, three or still others) all these voice-parts may be of coequal importance, and the musical fabric becoenius and skill of the co life and interest for each of these voices--soprano, alto, tenor, bass--which seeether; and thus a much more comprehensive attention is required of the listener For instead of the single ,must listen consciously to the bass and to both of the inner voices[35] Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the reco e of listening These differences in style are often apparent just as a pattern of design--to be seen fro exa]
[Music: Polyphonic Style BACH: Fugue in C Minor]
[Footnote 32: The state that, since Beethoven, instrumental style has become a happy mixture of homophony for the chiefharmonic basis Stress is laid in the above text on the polyphonic aspect merely to emphasize the matter under discussion]
[Footnote 33: Notable naanists of Notre Dah this is not the place to set forth all the details of this development, in the interest of historical justice we should not think of Bach without gratefully acknowledging the remarkable work of such pioneers as the Dutchanist at Aanist at Ro influence upon Bach--the Dane, Buxtehude (1636-1707), organist at Lubeck Sweelinck and Frescobaldi ue, and there is a rohly modern in sentiment]
[Footnote 35: In connection with the state to natural law, it is worth noting that the four-part chorus early becaroups for the simple reason that there exist two kinds of women's voices--soprano and alto, and two of inally, the chief voice in the ecclesiastical chorus was the tenor (teneo), because the tenors _sustained_ the melody Below them were the basses (bassus, low); above the tenors caher the sopranos (sopra, above)]
In the latter exa of _three_ distinct melodic lines
The polyphonic instrumental works of Bach and his conteues, Canons, Inventions, Toccatas and Fantasies; but since a complete account of all these forms would lead too far afield, we shall confine ourselves to a description of the Canon, the Invention and the Fugue A Canon (fro a strict rule or law) is a composition in which there is a _literal_ systematic imitation, carried out to the end, between two orin), and ue in which the second, or answering, part reenforces thevoice This iree of separation; and Canons are in existence at the interval of the second, third, fourth, fifth, etc The most effective Canons, however, are those in which the answering voice is an octave away froh the Canon is not a form employed frequently by modern composers for an entire coe works for orchestra, string quartet or ensemble combinations, that theto a structure of this type The Canon, ral factor in the style of Cesar Franck, d'Indy and Brahms; and illustrations of its use abound in their works The organ is particularly well suited to the rendition of Canons; since, by its facilities for tone-color, the two voices an literature should beco excellent examples: The _Canon in B-flat major_, op 40, by Guilan Symphony_ by Widor; the Canon in B minor, op 54, by Schumann; the _Canon in F-sharp major_, op 30, by Merkel, and the set of _Ten Canonic studies_, op 12, by GW Chadwick In other fields of co should be cited: The set of _Pianoforte Pieces in Canon forer, op 180; the _Canonic Vocal Trios_, op 156, by Reinecke and the famous Canon from the first act of Beethoven's opera _Fidelio_ There is also a beautiful bit of Canonic imitation between two of the upper voices in the introduction of Berlioz's _Carnaval Ro Canons infor soprano and barytone, by Henschel, of the poesley This example alone would sufficiently corroborate the statement that the firmness of structure inherent in the canonic forenuine freedom and poetry of inspiration In the first movement of Cesar Frank's _Sye 39 of the full score) nificent exaained by a canonic imitation of the main theme--in this instance between the lower and upper voices Possibly the finest exa in all literature is the Finale of Cesar Franck's _Sonata in A es, there is an eloquent dialogue between the two contrasting instru for citation but it should certainly be procured and studied In the Trio of the Scherzo in Beethoven's _Seventh Sonata for Violin and Pianoforte_ there is a free use of canonic iation Lastly, the _Aria with 30 Variations_--the so-called _Goldberg Variations_ of Bach--is a perfect storehouse of every conceivable canonic device