Doing a Set Theory Analysis - Rebecca Clarke String Quartet m.79 - 95
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Today I am going to be talking about set theory using a Rebecca Clark piece for string quartet Comodo Et Amabile written in 1924
Rebecca Clarke was a British and American composer who wrote music mostly during the first half of the 20th century. Her work can be described as stemming from impressionist and early modernist harmonies, later moving towards neo-classical writing style. It is very motivic and makes it an excellent candidate for set theory.
To begin I would like to play through the 16-measure excerpt. While I’m playing listen to see if you recognize any specific shapes or motives that she is using. For this first listen we will listen without the score: [video full excerpt]
Now I will play this example again with the score. [video full excerpt w/score].
This piece emphasizes two set classes in the melody of the first violin. 013 and 025. Lets hear just that melody. [video melody m.79-83]
Lets listen again but in context. Ask yourself, are these shapes audible? Also How else does clark utilize these set classes? [Video excerpt m79-83]
For instance Clark uses an ostinato which is a repeated figure that maintains its metric stream regardless of what happens around it.
Notice the 2nd violin ostinato that is using the same 013 set here [Video 2nd violin ostinato m.79-81]
And this time in the viola later in the excerpt [Video viola ostinato m.87-89]
What is the transformational label that we can apply to the ostinato figure. If you said T8 that would be correct.
Notice how this viola line interacts with the 2nd violin ostinato. Both of these are using set class 013, but the viola has been transformed by T3. [Video just 2nd violin and viola m.80-84]
One thing that often happens in these types of pieces is composers utilize the shape say 013, but might include embellishments such as passing and neighboring tones. When analyzing these pieces if you notice that the set that is being used throughout the rest of the piece is present but has an extra note, double check look at it in context. Lets listen to m.85-87 which acts as a transition to this mostly repeated, but re-orchestrated figure. Listen for the passing tone that gets us to the G-half diminished 7th chord through a 013 set class. [video full quartet m.84-87]
One other interesting thing to notice is the canon that is occurring between the cello and the first violin starting in m.89-90. It is a canon because it is using the same melodic material comprised of set class 025 or Normal order 479 that is in then transformed by T3 to get us 7T0. Finally followed by an 013 [video violin and cello m.89-91].
The excerpt ends with a repeated melody from m.85-7 transformed by a T8 relationship with elaborated cello to end on the same half-diminished 7th chord but in C. Isn’t that interesting that the section starts on G and ends on C. Its almost like a big V-I cadence (even though it isn’t using tonal voice leading principals or is on root position chords. This flexibility of harmony is a feature of music written after 1900.
This piece is really quite interesting, and could be used to study collections, rhythm and meter, and other topics, but for now let’s just listen to the excerpt one last time. [video full excerpt with annotations]
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Sources:
Clarke, Rebecca. Two Movements for String Quartet. Oxford, United Kingdon: Oxford University Press, 2004 (NOTE: This piece is not Public Domain, so if I were to publish this I would need to get rights from OUP)
Curtis, Liane. “Clarke [Friskin], Rebecca.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accesses 15 Nov. 2020. http://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gma/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000044728.