Step One: FORM

The First Act

I spent decades as a college music theory teacher. In an attempt to get students to understand the importance of form to Classical and Romantic composers and, more importantly, to their audiences, I would often remind them that form is the first act of composition. At least it should be. I would often use the analogy of architects, telling them an architect knows, before they approach the drafting table, that they will be designing a hospital. They never toil for weeks or months only to discover that they have been working on a hospital.

This clarinet sonata is, in many ways, a study for a larger work—perhaps a symphony. To that end I wanted to carefully design the form and the proportions before any other work began. The following charts and diagrams will serve as a guide to maintain the proper proportions throughout the composition process much like a carpenter uses a woodworking jig.

Because the proportions had to be exacting, I decided to use the Golden Ratio throughout in order maintain balance and symmetry. This is not the first time I had used the Golden Ratio in a piece. My flute quintet, Variants and Strains, makes extensive use of this highly satisfying technique of maintaining the relative duration of each section of a composition.

The Golden Ratio

The golden ratio occurs if the ratio of two quantities (in this case duration) is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities.

For the sake of identifying formal divisions, the moment of delineation between two segments is marked by the Greek letter phi (φ).

The golden ratio is used in the analysis of many natural and man-made objects . It can be found in nature—particularly in the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem (phyllotaxis)—and in physics where the quantum phase transition of certain ferromagnetic materials closely approximates the Golden Ratio. It’s close relationship to the ratios of the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number is equal to the sum of the preceding two, has resulted in many spurious claims that the golden ration is ubiquitous throughout nature such as in the proportions of the human body and in the relationship of nautilus shell chambers. It is even used to financial markets with mixed results.

The golden ratio has been used by humans for centuries for its pleasing proportions in visual art, architecture, flag and book design, and of course music. Prominent composers said to have used it include Bartók, Satie, and Debussy.

Using the golden ratio, each section of the the clarinet sonata is proportional to two smaller (shorter) constituent sections. This relationship is maintained for the entirety of the sonata though individual movements, to the level of the initial statements of themes. Transitional passages are subsumed under the passage that proceeds them.  There are twenty-eight “phi points” in the sonata.

Within the score, the moment of delineation is marked by this symbol.

In order to calculate the duration of each section I used my friend, Excel.

The Golden Ratio at the Movement Level

The duration of the combined first and second movements and the combined second and third movements are in the golden ration as compared to the duration of the complete sonata. Movements I and II form the same ratio when compared to their combined duration as do movements III and IV.

This creates “phi points” at the junctures between each movement. These nested ratios also create symmetry between the duration of various segments. Note that movements II and IV are the same duration and movement I is the same duration of movements III and IV combined.

It is also important to note that the longer of the constituent segments in the golden ratio does not always appear first. Movement IV is the longer segment in the ratio created when combining the final two movements. This creates another type of symmetry in that the two fast movements are of equal duration and separated by the slow movement.

Movement I
Allegro con motto

Sonata form

The first movement of the sonata is based on classical sonata form with some important modifications.

Movement II
Scherzo

Da capo scherzo form

The second movement is modeled on classical and romantic da capo scherzos—commonly including a fast A section—a slower B section—emulating the minuet and trio origins of the scherzo—and a return (da capo) to the A section. Typically, each section would have its own discrete form.

In this movement the A section is in a truncated sonata form. Unlike classical sonatas, the second theme is not in the wrong key but in the wrong meter. The recapitulation of the second theme comes at the end with φ14  where the meter is corrected. Like classical da capo forms the first and second themes are repeated further obfuscating the sonata form. The slower B section is based on seven-eight (3+2+2) “waltz” used in two earlier works, Piano Sonata in C and Dance Variations for Woodwind Quintet.

Movement III
Andante un poco adagio

Ternary form

The third movement is a simple, slow three-part movement. Melody and accompaniment of the A section remain calm and uncomplicated. The middle B section contains faster rhythmic and harmonic motion. I has a three-part form mimicking the overall form of the movement with new material in the central c section. The return of the a’ ends with a false recapitulation just before φ20 stemming from the frequent harmonic shifts of the B section. The movement ends with an expanded restatement of the initial A section. Expansions are related to the themes and harmonies of the B section.

Movement IV
Allegro vivo

Variation Rondo

The final movement is a combination of a seven-part rondo—A, B , A , C , A , B , A—and sectional variation technique. The theme is taken from Poulenc’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano Movement II, measures 11–24. The episodes treat the Poulenc theme with three variation transformations: melodic inversion, harmonic inversion, and a change of meter. The divergent sections (B and C) are  derived from material from earlier movements of the Wery Sonata.

I hope you have enjoyed this explanation of the form. I hope I can stay within the lines in the coming months. Please come back often to read about the progression of the sonata and please consider contributing to the commissioning project.

—BLW—