The Style of Schnittke
A Musical Perspective
Classifying Schnittke’s music doesn’t not appear difficult at first glance, clearly sacred works and secular musicks are what he is famous for. But what of it? Perhaps they are sort of jazzy.
Strange and rather spooky cadences have become a harmonic motif for Schnittke in his choral works, such as in his great Choir Concerto (VitalyGR, “Choir Concerto”). One factor demonstrating the mastery inherent in this work is the use of incredible vertical dissonances, quite sparsely, to highlight the overall consonance of the work. The presence of these dissonances is something highly original and remarkable in a choral work, as they are not a part of any church’s choral tradition, and yet Schnittke had not only the understanding that they are within the grasp of choral technique, but also the insight to include them in a sacred work. American composers like Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen became famous for “light dissonances” or “textual density” in their choral works composed later on in the 20th century. After discovering Schnittke’s music I have found that he explored dissonances as well. Whitacre has acknowledged some of his influences, including Arvo Pärt (Larsen, p. 23) who was a contemporary of Schnittke and part of the Soviet avant-garde. It is likely both composers (who are wildly more popular than Schnittke) were directly influenced by him.
In movement one of the Choir Concerto, I see in measure 105 a harmony constructed on the following notes: D, Eb, F, G, Ab, and C – a real mouthful:
https://youtu.be/3f6kRFdHCTY?t=474
The analysis of the harmony shows that it is a dm7 b5 b9 (d-minor seven, flat five, flat nine), and resolves to an open d-minor harmony. In this case, the effect doesn’t seem to be moving the piece forward, but rather greatly intensifying a quiet passage prior to a great crescendo. In measure 173 (12:50) I found another harmony - E, G#, B, D, F#, A – this time, an E13 chord, the very limit of tertian harmony:
https://youtu.be/3f6kRFdHCTY?t=775
It shimmers only in a brief passing role on the way to a crescendo. In measure 189 I find an F, Ab, Cb, Eb, Gb, Bb, which is an fm11 b5 b9 harmony (f-minor eleven flat-five, flat-nine). The choir builds up to the chord, then hovers on it, again anticipating a huge crescendo. In the fourth movement, “Complete this Work Which I Began”, at the culmination of the work, again we see Schnittke’s signature of a passing jazzy harnony. The choir once again builds to the “a-men” cadence (~3:25-6:06) and a penultimate chord forms around the “a-“ component of the text. We find the notes C#, D, E, G, and F#, The harmony is perhaps best analyzed as a c#dim b9 add11 (c-sharp diminished, flat-nine, add 11). This makes it similar to a harmony from the end of “Lord’s Prayer,” (measure 43): except instead of a third (F#) present in the dominant harmony which creates a half-step between F# and G amplifying the dissonance and carrying over to a D Major Chord, we have a (b♮) that amplifies the dissonance and carries over to the final Eb Major Chord:
https://youtu.be/O2Hq6F77n80?t=235
Schnittke's musicks offer the contemporary musical pilgrim a musical place to rest their feet and, as well, a musical world to listen to, for a good long while.
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Offbeat cadences have become a harmonic motif for Schnittke in his choral works, such as in his great Choir Concerto. Ivan Moody writes, “It is not overstating the case to say that Schnittke has, in Concerto for Chorus, given the 20th century one of its most significant choral works. The range and depth of the music is something that can be obtained only by a composer with a genuine mastery of the voices” (p. 10). One factor demonstrating the mastery inherent in this work is the use of incredible vertical consonance, quite sparsely, incorporating blue notes. The presence of this type of consonances I daresay is something highly original and remarkable in a choral work, as they are not a part of any church’s choral tradition, and yet Schnittke had not only the understanding that they are within the grasp of choral technique, but also the insight to include them in a sacred work. American composers like Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen became famous for “light consonance” or “textual density” in their choral works composed later on in the 20th century, Alfred Schnittke used “heavy consonance”. In measure 104 we are greeted with a harmony constructed on the following notes: D, Eb, F, G, Ab, and C – a real mouthful. The analysis of the harmony shows that it is a kind of blues chord – a dm7 b5 b9 (d-minor seven, flat five, flat nine), and resolves to an open d-minor harmony. In this case, the effect doesn’t seem to be moving the piece forward, but rather greatly intensifying a quiet passage prior to a great crescendo. In measure 173 we find E, G#, B, D, F#, A – another blues harmony – this time, an E13 chord, the very limit of tertian harmony! This, I daresay, is more harmonic consonance of the heavy variety. It shimmers only in a brief passing role on the way to a crescendo. In measure 189, we find F, Ab, Cb, Eb, Gb, Bb, which is an fm11 b5 b9 chord (f-minor eleven flat-five, flat-nine). This, I daresay, is more “light consonance.” The choir builds up to the chord, then hovers on it, again anticipating a huge crescendo. In the fourth movement at the culmination of the work, again we see Schnittke’s signature of a gritty passing harmony. The choir once again builds to the “a-men” cadence in measure 41 and a penultimate chord forms around the “a-“ component of the text. We find the notes C#, D, E, G, and F#, compared once again to an ordinary dominant in the key of D Major, A, C#, E, G. More “light consonance”, I say or a key change, I say? And in Lord’s Prayer, we find a b♮ prior to the final chord.
Hugh Collins Rice wrote skeptically of Schnittke’s music, “Structures are often the most
basic of designs, thematic techniques appear unsophisticated (transformations, canons, simple heterophonic devices). Climaxes are achieved by extravagant instrumental gestures, long pedal points are used to unify paragraphs ... and serial devices amount to the simplest chromatic formations….” (p. 12). All of these points describe the composer’s music, but they miss a very important point. These tools of the composer, like his brilliant use of contrasting light and dark in the context of extreme harmonic consonance or dissonance, are means to the end of emotional expression and the evocation of images, words, and ideas that take us to another world. If the goal of good music is to move our feelings, or move us somewhere new, in ways we never have been before, then Schnittke offers the wandering, contemporary musical pilgrim a place to rest for a good long while.
Works Cited
Moody, Ivan. “The Music of Alfred Schnittke.” Tempo, no. 168, 1989, pp. 4-11.
Rice, Hugh Collins “Further Thoughts on Schnittke.” Tempo no. 168, 1989, pp.12-14.
Further revised edition:
ReplyDeleteRevised Edition:
The Style of Schnittke
Offbeat cadences have become a harmonic motif for Schnittke in his choral works, such as in his great Choir Concerto. Ivan Moody writes, “It is not overstating the case to say that Schnittke has, in Concerto for Chorus, given the 20th century one of its most significant choral works. The range and depth of the music is something that can be obtained only by a composer with a genuine mastery of the voices” (p. 10). One factor demonstrating the mastery inherent in this work is the use of incredible vertical consonance, quite sparsely, incorporating blue notes. The presence of this type of consonances I daresay is something highly original and remarkable in a choral work, as they are not a part of any church’s choral tradition, and yet Schnittke had not only the understanding that they are within the grasp of choral technique, but also the insight to include them in a sacred work. American composers like Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen became famous for “heavy consonance” or “textual density” in their choral works composed later on in the 20th century, Alfred Schnittke used “light consonance”. In measure 104 we are greeted with a harmony constructed on the following notes: D, Eb, F, G, Ab, and C – a real mouthful. The analysis of the harmony shows that it is a kind of blues chord – a dm7 b5 b9 (d-minor seven, flat five, flat nine), and resolves to an open d-minor harmony. In this case, the effect doesn’t seem to be moving the piece forward, but rather greatly intensifying a quiet passage prior to a great crescendo. In measure 173 we find E, G#, B, D, F#, A – another blues harmony – this time, an E13 chord, the very limit of tertian harmony! This, I daresay, is more harmonic consonance of the heavy variety. It shimmers only in a brief passing role on the way to a crescendo. In measure 189, we find F, Ab, Cb, Eb, Gb, Bb, which is an fm11 b5 b9 chord (f-minor eleven flat-five, flat-nine). This, I daresay, is more “light consonance.” The choir builds up to the chord, then hovers on it, again anticipating a huge crescendo. In the fourth movement at the culmination of the work, again we see Schnittke’s signature of a gritty passing harmony. The choir once again builds to the “a-men” cadence in measure 41 and a penultimate chord forms around the “a-“ component of the text. We find the notes C#, D, E, G, and F#, compared once again to an ordinary dominant in the key of D Major, A, C#, E, G. More “light consonance”, I say or a key change, I say? And in Lord’s Prayer, we find a b♮ prior to the final chord.
Hugh Collins Rice wrote skeptically of Schnittke’s music, “Structures are often the most
basic of designs, thematic techniques appear unsophisticated (transformations, canons, simple heterophonic devices). Climaxes are achieved by extravagant instrumental gestures, long pedal points are used to unify paragraphs ... and serial devices amount to the simplest chromatic formations….” (p. 12). All of these points describe the composer’s music, but they miss a very important point. These tools of the composer, like his brilliant use of contrasting light and dark in the context of extreme harmonic consonance or dissonance, are means to the end of emotional expression and the evocation of images, words, and ideas that take us to another world. If the goal of good music is to move our feelings, or move us somewhere new, in ways we never have been before, then Schnittke offers the wandering, contemporary musical pilgrim a place to rest for a good long while.
Works Cited
Moody, Ivan. “The Music of Alfred Schnittke.” Tempo, no. 168, 1989, pp. 4-11.
Rice, Hugh Collins “Further Thoughts on Schnittke.” Tempo no. 168, 1989, pp.12-14.