MILESTONES and NEXT STEPS

Final movement draft is completed

I’m happy to announce that almost a year after the completion of a draft of the first movement, I have finally completed a first draft of the fourth and final movement of my Sonata for Clarinet! This movement flowed well as much of the source material already existed in the previous three movements thanks to a hybrid form.

RONDO

The final movement of the Sonata for Clarinet is a hybrid of rondo and variation forms. Rondo is a musical form in which a principal theme (rondo theme or refrain) alternates with either one or two other secondary themes (episode, digression, couplet, or diversion). Rondos typically appear as five-part—ABABA—or seven-part—ABACABA. The early 17th century Italian Rondo (ABACAD) had a less satisfying form and was sometimes called the multi couplet rondo. The five and seven-couplet rondo sprang up in mid 17th century France and was championed by Jean-Baptiste Lully who was the first to use the two-couplet, seven-part Rondo.

Jean-Baptiste Lully

This form became popular in a wide range of contexts from art songs to orchestral music. By the end of the 18th century, the start of the Classical period, the rondo began regularly appearing as a movement in larger works such as concerti and serenades. It was Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven who popularized its use as a final movement of the symphonic form and, of course, string quartets, concerti, and sonatas.

THEME AND VARIATION

The sectional variation form begins with a theme which is followed by versions of the theme which have had a variation technique consistently applied resulting in a uniformly altered variation of the original theme. The variation technique may include changes in melody, rhythm, meter, harmony, and orchestration or any combination of these elements. Typically, each variation employs only one or two techniques resulting in a wholly different version of the original. I sometimes tell my students that it’s like a mad scientist altering the DNA of a creature then stepping back to observe the resulting transformation—Dr. Jkylle and Mr. Hyde.

Dr. Jkylle and Mr. Hyde

Tweety Bird Hyde

Variation differs from development in that the form of the original theme is preserved along with the consistent application of just a few techniques whereas development embellishes just one discrete idea of a theme and is not bound by the application of any specific type of transformation. Developments also tend to combine elements from a variety of themes and be highly modulatory.

Seven-part rondo. All variation all the time.

At the most basic level, this movement is a seven-part rondo—ABACABA. The rondo theme (A) is unique to the fourth movement and is subjected to three different sets of variation techniques. The first episode (B) is subjected to two sets of variation techniques and the central episode (C) is a variation on the first theme of the first movement.

 An unusual feature of this movement flows from the fact that both episodes are borrowed themes originating in earlier movements. Of course, each of these themes has a variation technique applied to them as well. The chart below shows the origin of each of the seven parts of the rondo and the corresponding variation technique.

Like the first three movements, each measure is measured for its relative energy (see blog post, Charting the Course, Jan. 12, 2023). The changes in energy correspond to precisely timed Phi points (see blog post, Step One: FORM, Nov. 11, 2022) and, of course, these delineations correspond to the rondo form. The central C divergent marks the lowest energy of the piece since the beginning of the development in the first movement and sets up a headlong rush to the end of the movement, ending on the highest energy of the entire composition.

 In the graphic above note the apparent discrepancy between the measured energy to the proposed energy. This distortion effect is due to the fact that the proposed energy is measured in seconds while the actual energy graph is from data points that correspond to individual measures. The short, quick measures of the last three parts of the form create a flattened, elongated graph.

THE CODA

Literally “tail” from the Latin for “edge”, “tail”, or “trail”, the coda in traditionally tonal music was often used to reinforce the tonality of a piece especially at the end of piece containing heavily modulating developments. In this case, the coda begins, of course, at the final Phi point division of the movement and incorporates the pitch-class sets of the first movement—used in the central, C section of the rondo form—and the rondo theme (A) of the last. Each movement of the sonata is built on one or two synthetic scales—themselves a set—which give rise to five to ten pitch-class sets comprising the harmonic material for the movement.

When comparing the synthetic scale of the first and last movements you find that the first movement is a sub-set of the last apart from one pitch-class (see the A in red below). When this pitch is included in the synthetic scale of the final movement a superset is created. It is this superset that creates the melodic and harmonic underpinnings of the coda. In short, a reconciliation of the first and last movements.

Please take a moment to listen and watch the latest draft of this movement.

NEXT STEPS

The next step is to turn that damn energy calculator off! This twenty-eight-minute sonata desperately needs a good editing. I’ll start at the beginning and smooth out transitions, simplify overly difficult passages, and generally let my common sense and composer instincts guide me toward a more authentic realization of the work.The piece is tremendously difficult for both instruments and one of the most important editorial passes will be dedicated to simply creating more rests for the clarinet. Having just performed a difficult and exquisitely crafted piece by James Lee III, I know the importance of having rests and simple passages the allow the mind and body to rest and prepare for the next task.

There is much editing to be done in terms of just making the piece more readable. The melodic and harmonic structure of the piece is predicated on sets of pitches—really intervals—as opposed to functional harmony so there is a lot of work to be done in terms of choosing the best enharmonic equivalents for ease of reading.

Stay tuned for updates on the conclusion of the work in the next months or so. If you would like to contribute to the project and receive recognition in the score, please consider doing so below.

As always, thank you for your continued support and patience.

Brett