Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Need the Grosse Fugue Score?

Hey Everyone,

I've had a couple of people come up to me and ask about where to find the score in the library...it seems like it has be checked out. So I uploaded it into my computer and I can send it to you through email if you still need it.

I wanted to have it in document form, but I just got a new computer and printer/scanner and I didn't know quite how to make it work the way I wanted it. This means that it will be sent as a folder and each page as an image...it should still work though.

You can email me at flyingfishstiks@yahoo.com. I'll check my mail for the last time at about 11 tonight.

Sam

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Beethoven Grosse Fuge Analysis

ok well this thing is pretty much a beast, so I must admit, I had a little help from Jstor...
so this is a basic overview of what I found.

What I would call the "main subject" of the piece occurs prior to the exposition in measures 2, 11, 14, 17, 21 and 26.

The exposition begins in E flat major with the pick-up to m. 31 in the 1st violin. The main theme comes in m. 31. The answers to both themes come around m. 35. The subjects of both themes come back in m. 39 and the answers again at m. 43. Then, a third statement of the subjects come at m. 50. There are then a few episodes that occur with a triplet accompaniment or what may be a temporary counter-subject. These episodes are at mm. 58, 62, and 68.

The main theme can be found in mm. 79, 111, 115, 139, 141, 145, 159, 167, 176, 187, 193, 194, 199, 201, 203, 209, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 242, 248, 253, 255, 257, 260, 263, 266, 275, 280, 288, 296, 320, 350, 354, 358, 362, 363, 370, 378, 380, 387, 389, 395, 397, 416, 420, 424, 428, 432, 436, 440, 444, 446, 493, 501, 502, 533, 535, 538, 544, 549, 551, 556, 559, 597, 599, 609, 663, 682, 683, 691, 717, and 718.

It is a possibility that there is a second fugue beginning in m. 273. The main subject is included in mm. 275, 280, 288, 296, and 320. There are two counter-subjects. One is the descending eighth-quarter-eighth motive and the other is three ascending dotted quarter notes that occur many, many times between mm. 273 and 350.

The piece begins mostly in E flat, after short periods in G major and F major. It then cycles through Gm, Dm, and B flat before an abrupt change to G flat in m. 159. It switches briefly back into B flat, accompanying the time signature change to 6/8. There is another abrupt key change to A flat major in m. 273 to set apart the possible second fugue. It touches briefly on Fm and then changes back to E flat at m. 414 only to go back to A flat in 453 and back into B flat at m. 533.

There is a statement in the Jstor article-- "The 'Grosse Fuge': An Analysis" by Sydney Grew that this may be a "sonata fugata" or a sonata where each of the two themes is a fugue. I think that is a very good possibility.

I have scribbles all over my score that I don't think I can make any sense of here, but I hope this is some help or...something.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Bach Fugue No. 9, Book II, E Major

My analysis is as follows:

• Exposition – mm. 1-23 (S,A,S,A)
o Subject mm. 1-2 (The E-F#-A-G#-F# Tonic motive)
o Answer mm.2-3 (The B-C#-E-D#-C# Dominant motive beat 2
o Countersubject mm.3-4 on E3 (Whole step up-Wup-Wup-Hup-P4down motive)
o Countersubject mm. 4-5, B3
o Subject mm. 4-5
o Answer mm. 5-6 (beat 2)
o Countersubject mm. 6-7, E4
o Countersubject m. 8, E3
• Counterexposition (A,S,A,S)
o Answer mm. 9-10
o Subject mm. 9-10 (beat 2)
o Answer mm. 10-11 (beat 2)
o Subject mm. 11-12
o Countersubject mm. 11-12, E3
o Countersubject mm. 12-13, E#4
o Countersubject m. 13, B3
o Countersubject mm. 13-14, F#2
o Countersubject m. 14, C#2
• Development
o Subject mm. 16-17
o Answer mm. 17-18
o Answer mm. 19-20
o Subject mm. 20-21 (Sequenced, F#)
Bach now Sequences the Subject again starting on F# and going up 5th’s, F#, C#, G#, D#
o Subject^ mm. 23-24 (Bach changes some note values and uses passing tones but keeps the same idea – Whole, quarter, quarter, half tied to quarter, quarter, half)
o Subject* mm. 23-24 (beat 2, also changes note val. – H tied to H-Q-Q-Dotted H-Q-H)
o Subject^ mm. 25-26 (uses subject^ rhythm)
o Subject* mm. 25-26 (beat 2, uses subject* rhythm)
• There are now some diminutions that come in mm. 27-29. The subject is cut in half note value wise and goes through each voice.
• mm. 35-36 has another subject on beat 2
• mm. 36-37 has another answer on beat 2
• mm. 37-38 has another subject with a rest counting as the first half of the first beat of the subject
• mm. 40-41 has one final answer
• Then in mm. 36 – 41 there are some more countersubjects starting in the top voice, then moving down a voice, down another voice, and then back up to the 3rd voice.
I think that’s it….

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Bach Fugue No. 9 in E Major

Here is my analysis:

Exposition:
Subject mm. 1-2 (E)
Answer mm. 2-4 (B)
Subject mm. 4-5 (E)
Answer mm. 5-7 (B)
Bridge mm. 7-9
Subject mm. 9-11 (E)
Answer mm. 10-12 (B)

Development:
Episode 1 (Subject w/ C.S.) mm. 16-17 (E)
Episode 2 (Answer w/ C.S.) mm. 17-18) (B)
Episode 3 mm. 19-20 (B)
Episode 4 mm. 20-21 (F#)
Episode 5 mm. 20-22 (G#)
Episode 6 mm. 25-26 (G#) Diminution of Subject
Episode 7 mm. 26-27 (G#) Diminution
Episode 8 mm. 27-28 (D) Diminution
Episode 9 mm. 28-29 (F#) Diminution
Episode 10 mm. 29-30 (B) Diminution
Episode 11 mm. 30 (B) Diminution
Episode 12 mm. 30-32 (E)

Final Section: Subject returns in outer voices and in its original note values.
Subject mm. 35-37 (E)
Answer mm. 36-38 (B)
Subject mm. 37-39 (E)
Answer mm. 40-41 (B)

Those are my thoughts! Let me know what you've found!

-Shelley

Monday, October 8, 2007

Beethoven op. 130 string quartet 13 mvmnt 1

This movement is in sonata form, though somewhat obscured and elongaited. Exposition is mm. 1 - 93, covering Bflat and moves to Gflat in mm. 53. it would seem to modulate to F in mm. 51, but the actual move is made to Gflat and the dominant was a trick ^_^
the development begins in mm. 94 and takes us all the way to mm. 132 where the material from the first group returns in the tonic. the tonic for the first part of the development is Gflat. while it is a bit strange, mm. 97 seemingly takes us to D. the remain parts of the development are tonally unstable in much the same fashion. using the allegro and adagio as contrasting themes, Beethoven clearly puts contrast for this section is a very blunt yet dream and unsettling way.
even though there is little tonic stability and some material from the development reoccurs, the return of the opening material is pretty clear so i'll say that the recap starts at mm. 132. the recap modulates several times, unusual for a classically formed sonata, from tonic to Eflat then to a strong Dflat cadence in mm. 151 then back to Bflat in mm. 170. mm. 214 marks the beginning of the coda taking material new to the recap as well as some already reworked material as par with typical Beethoven.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Beethoven Op. 130 movt. 1

So, I looked over the piece for a couple of hours and listened to it a few times and this is what I came up with.

It is is Sonata form, although not so clear.

I believe that mm. 1- 24 is an introduction, in Bb major. The exposition and Theme 1 then starts in the key of F major, this lasts from 24 to 53. Although it modulates back to Bb around mm. 31. From 53-70 there is a transition to Theme 2 and is modulating to Gb major. Theme 2 begins in mm. 71 with the key change to Gb and lasts until the repeat.

The development begins in 94 and modulates into the key change to D major. The development is fairly short, going through another key change to G major (and possibly modulating briefly to C major), before recaping at 132.

I then believe the recapitulation starts in 132 with Theme 1' back in the key of Bb major and modulating to Eb major around 139. Theme 1' then goes until 160, where the transition into Theme 2' starts. It also modulates to Ab major in 150 leading the way to the key change. This transition is longer than the one in the Exposition, but it reaches Theme 2' in mm. 189. The key makes it's way back to Bb with another key change at 173.

The movement then ends with a Coda starting in mm. 214 in Bb major.

I also did analysis of the key centers and I got something like this:

Bb [ F Bb Gb] D G (C) [ Bb Eb Ab Bb] Bb
V I N/V V/G vi (V/C) (ii) V I IV V I
( Eb temporary tonic)
Intro Exposition Development Recapitulation CODA

I was curious of the Gb, since it isn't a related key, but I thought it was interesting that N can subsitute for IV's. Eb also is the IV of Bb....I'm not sure what it all means in relation to the big picture, but its a start...

This maybe right or wrong, but it was the closest I could come to making sense of it in Sonata form.

Beethoven String quartet in Bb No. 13 Op.130

OK, so this was interesting. My analysis is very different so... good luck to me.
This piece is in Sonata form
So as opposed to having his themes altogether I believe Bethoven breaks them up by repeating theme 1 and 2 in the exposition. so the list of measures i have for theme one is 1-6, 21-24, 60-65. I believe thm2 to be in measures 15-20, 25-36, 42-59, 66-76. transitions in measures 7-14, 37-41. However weird it is i believe Beethoven melds both themes together in measures 71-89 then ends in a codetta in both endings.
The Developement begins in 97 and has six sections. A is from 97-132, B 132-159, trans 159-160, C 161-184 with a key change in 174, D 184-193, E 193-209, F 210-214.
The Recapitulation is similar to the developement. thm1 215-218. Thm2 is from 219-223. I believe that, in measures 219 to 223, thm2 is tied together by small hints of thm 1 in mm 219 and 222. There is a transition from 224-229. The piece ends with thm2 from 230 to 235.
I know this is a weird analysis and it is probably way off the mark, compared to other pieces we've done. However, i think I did this right. Looking forward to your thoughts.