Prokofiev's Technique of Chromatic Displacement

8/9/2019 Prokofiev's Technique of Chromatic Displacement

1/19


2/19

RICHARDBASS

PROKOFIEV'S

TECHNIQUE

OF CHROMATIC

DISPLACEMENT

Prokofiev's

nduring opularity

as

prompted

o sustained

ffort

owards

ny

meaningful

xplanation

f the structural

ubstance

of his music.

Indeed,

Prokofiev

elongs

o that

group

of

composers

orwhose

music,

according

o

Benjamin

Boretz,

'no

explanation

of a minimum

adequacy

reasonably

comparable

o thatwhichwould

routinely

e

demanded

of tonal or

12-tone

music

has

yet

been

offered'.1

ommentary

husfar

has been successful

nly

o

theextent

o

which

ustomary escriptions

f

keys,

hemes nd motives

pply,

andhasprovided nly uperficial

bservations

oncerning

he

more

diomatic

characteristicsfhis music.

Prokofiev'sharmonic

anguage

in

particular,displaying

n

ostensibly

inveterate

ommitment

o

tonality

n

the traditional

ense,

seems

to invite

more onventional

nalytical pproach

han s

wholly dequate.

Such

methods

can

dentify eys,

hords

nd

progressions,

nd can

n some

fashion

ccount or

the xtended

ertiary

armonies,

heoccasional

olychords,

nd

the dded and

alterednotes

which re

ntegral arts

f his harmonic

ocabulary. nly

a few

writers ave

attempted

o

isolate

those devices which

belong

exclusively

o

Prokofiev,

nd their fforts ave been frustrated

y

the

ack of an established

terminologyapableofrevealingheessenceorsignificancef the chromatic

substitutionshat

ervade

o

much

ofhis

music.

A

case

n

point

s WilliamW. Austin's

Roman-numeral

nalysis

f he

pening

section

f

he Gavotte'

rom

heClassical

ymphony,

p.

25

Ex. 1).2

Inasmuch

as

the semantic

alidity

f

chord

ymbols

ests

n

their

bility

o

demonstrate

conformity

ith he

pre-existent

unctional

mplications

ssociatedwith hose

symbols,

Roman numerals re sufficient o

explain

the

shifts

f

tonality

accomplished

y deceptive

esolutions

f

chords

f

dominant

unction.3

here

is

no

shortage

f

precedents

or

hisdevice

n

the tonal

repertoire.4

ustin's

analysis

reaks

down,however,

t a brief

onicisationf

C#

n

thefinal

hrase.

The lastchordn b.9 (V7 nD) mayperhaps ereinterpreteds anaugmented-

sixth hord n

the

new'

key

another

ommon

modulatory rocedure

n tonal

music but

there s

no

good

explanation

n

these erms or

he

progression

hat

returnso

abruptly

o

D

at

b.

12.

MUSIC ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988

197

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3/19

RICHARD

BASS

Ex.

la

Prokofiev: lassical

ymphony,

p.25,

Gavotte,

s

1-12,

piano

score

Non

troppo allcgro

.:

I t

___.

q

q4 ,"

I,

jr

I

,-:

f I

I

I

.

--

m

pmfp

AL

,

AL

IF

_ _

____

Ex.

lb

William

W. Austin'sharmonic

eduction

nd Roman-numeral

nalysis

of the

bove

D:

I

IV

I

V vi

b: III

N6

B:

16 V

b:

VI

f

:

iv

D: I

passing V of vi

VI of vi=IV

I

V

vi=iv

of

iii

D: I v [rall.]

ft: v

vI

c#:

iv

C#:

16

V

iv

D:

V

of

Iii

VI of

Ili=I

ivofVII

VofVII

VI of VII

=V

I

Reproducedby

kindpermission

f W.

W. Norton& Co.,

Ltd.

198

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988



4/19

PROKOFIEV'S

TECHNIQUE

OF

CHROMATIC

DISPLACEMENT

Austin ddresses

hisharmonic evicemore

pecifically

n

an earlier

rticle,

ontheFifth

ymphony, p.

100:

n bs 12-13

f hefirstmovement

he

onality,in his view, slips' fromBb to A whenthe raisedfourthE) becomesthe

dominant fthenew

key.s

Here

he observes hat

he

slip'

s of ome

tructural

importance,

aving

een

prepared y

earlier

ppearances

fE

in

the

cello

and

bass

parts.

Malcolm

Brown,

n

a discussion

f

thePiano

SonataNo.

8,

Op.

84

(also

in

Bb

,

presents

table which

ists

E

as a 'chromatic

nflection'

f

the

subdominant,

b

6

In

thetonal hift

o

which

he

refers,

owever,

s wellas

in

Austin's

slip'

in

the Fifth

Symphony,

he

raised

fourth

as

no

discernible

subdominant

unction.7

n

the

symphony

n

particular,

functions

s

a

dominant,

ot

subdominant,

hen t reaches

ruition

n b.

12. What s

missing

from othdiscussions s an exposition f thecompositionalechniquewhich

allowsfor he

reinterpretation

ffunctionshat

makes his

kind

of

ubstitution

possible.

The use of

direct hromatic

movement

o shift

onality

y

a

semitone

s,

ike

modulation

y deceptive

esolution,

othing

ew in

tonal music.

A

familiar

example

s

the

progression

hich

nitiates

hecoda n

thefinale

f

Beethoven's

Piano

Sonata,

Op.

7

(bs

154-5):

here,

he

principal ey

of

Eb givesway

oa few

bars

n

E as a

result f

direct inear

onnection

etween

he

dominant

otes

f

the two

keys.

The

essential

ifference

etween

Beethoven's nd

Prokofiev's

applications

f the

technique

s

that

Beethoven

repares

he shift

eliberately

and at a pointof structuralrticulation, hereasProkofievccomplishest

fluently

nd

without

reparation,

ften

n

mid-phrase.

With

Beethoven,

he

arrival f a

new

key

s

experienced

s

a

structural

vent;

with

Prokofievt

is

integrated

nto he

extural

abric

nd

subordinatedothe

hythmic

nd

melodic

momentum.When

this

procedure

s

viewed

not as

modulatory,

ut as a

temporary

isplacement

n

a

diatonic

ontext,

t

becomes

lear

whatMalcolm

Brown

means

by

his

statement

hat

rokofiev's

chromaticisms

antitheticalo

chromaticismn

the

Wagner

Mahler

Schoenberg

radition.t

derives rom

the

concept

of

expanded

tonality

ather

han

from

the

concept

of

tonal

dissolution'.8

rown

leaves

his

'concept

of

expanded

tonality'

undefined.

However, it is evidently ne which permitsa relationshippproaching

equivalency

etween

ny

wo

key

ystems

eparated

y

a

semitone.

Although

whole

key systems

nd

their

component

harmonies

may

be

subjected

o

chromatic

isplacement,

t

s the

displacement

f

ndividual

otes

withinthe

system

hat is

fundamental o

the

technique.

A

chromatically

displaced,

or

so-called

wrong',

note s

also

a

kind of

substitution,

hat

s,

it

appears

nstead

f,

rather han

n

addition

o,

the

notes

f

he

hord.9

t

does

not

function

s

an

altered

note,

but

represents

diatonic

ne;

the

diatonic

note

t

represents

s

present

s

a

shadow'

cast

by

the

displacementtself,

nd

the

result

is

a

musical

synesis'

n

which unction

s clear

but

terms

n

the

diatonic

yntax

are not in strict greement.Chromaticdisplacement ependsheavilyon

perception

n

the llusion

t

creates.A

displaced

note s

treated

xactly

s its

diatonic

ounterpart

ould

be- it

sneither

repared

or

resolved,

nd

behaves

as

though

othing

ere

wrong'

with

t nthe

first

lace.

Even

though

tcomes

MUSIC

ANALYSIS 7:2,

1988

199



5/19

RICHARD

BASS

as

something

f

a

surprise,

he

istener

s

obliged

o

deal with t

in

a

diatonic

context,

s a

representative

f its diatonicshadow. At the same

time,

the

displacement

s not

quicklyforgotten,

nd

generatesmplications

f tsown.

The fact

that

t

is

perceived

mbiguously

nables the

composer

to

use it

motivically,

o draw

parallelrelationships

etween

t

and other vents

n

the

voice-leading

tructure.

In

some

respects,

he

tonal

yntax

f

Prokofiev'smusic

an

be elucidated

y

existing

methods

f

analysis.

or

example,

modified chenkerian

modelcan

effectively

llustrate

he

tonal nd

voice-leading

tructure

f

Prokofiev'smusic

despite requent

eviations

rom

trict iatonicism.

he

purpose

f

he

present

study

s

to

show

that,

n

this

repertoire,

hromatic

isplacement

f

the kind

noted bovebyAustin nd Brown ssubsumable nto largerheoreticalystemwhich an

explain

not

only

hefundamentaliatonic

tructure

f

a

piece,

but

also

how

he

eemingly

oreign

lements ssume

both tonal nd a

motivic ole.

A

rudimentary

xample

of

how a

simple

chromatic

isplacement

an

be

explained

within

he

ontext

f

linear-harmonic

nalysis

s the

pening

assage

from

he

Rondo,

Op.60,

No.

2,

by

Dmitri

Kabalevsky,

youngerontemporary

of

Prokofiev

estknown or

his

pedagogical iano

compositions

Ex.

2):

Ex. 2

Kabalevsky:

Rondo,

Op.

60,

No.

2,

bs

1-12

Allegretto s

4 2

11,'5

4

I

'rAdLA

?

I

i

i,

II

I.,

-i,1

14

3

1

2 1 1

3

4

1

2

4

1

13

2LI~~~~

%.i

1

v I

Reproducedby

kind

permission

f

Boosey

&

Hawkes,

Ltd.

200

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

988



6/19

PROKOFIEV'S

TECHNIQUE

OF CHROMATIC

DISPLACEMENT

The first ection

f the rondo

bs 1-8)

consists

f two four-bar

hrases

which

differ

n

only

ne

respect.

he

progressionn bothphrasess -vi-V7-InD, butthe bass in b.3 is

Bb

instead fthe true'

dominant,

. That

Bb

functionss

a

dominant, owever,

s ncontestable:

t

cadences

n

the onic n thenext

ar,

he

upper

notes

are membersof the dominant-seventh

hord,

and the

true

dominant

ppears

n

the

corresponding

ar

(b.7)

ofthe next

phrase.

n

b.3,

then,

A is the hadowof

Bb

(see

box

n Ex.

3).

The

displaced

notehas

another

function,

s an enharmonic

#,

the

leading

note of the submediant.

A#

s

prepared

y

n earlier

ppearance

s a lower

neighbour

othe ubmediant

b. 1);

and theentire

armony

n

b.3

is a diminished-seventhhord

bove

the

Bb

/A

,

implying

return o the

ubmediant

n

b.4.

The

fact hat

his

does

not

happen,

and that hedisplacements corrected'nb.7,would eem oputthemattero

rest.

Only

n

b.9,

the

beginning

f he econd

ection

f

he

ondo,

s themotivic

significance

f

Bb

revealed:

here

A#

ppears

n

the

bass

in

the ame

register

s

the

Bb

in

b.3),

is

prolonged hrough

.

11

as the

eading

ote f he

ubmediant,

and resolves

ccordingly

n b.

12:

Ex. 3

Kabalevsky:

Rondo,

bs

1-9,

foreground

ketch

1

2

3

4 5

6

7

8

9

I

vi

V71

I

I

vi

V7

shadow

(Bb)

--

Recognitionftheequivocalfunction fthedisplacednote sessential oan

understanding

f

he

piece.

To

interpret

t

simply

s

functioning

ne

way

r

the

other

would

be

insufficiento

explain

what

has

actually

aken

place,

namely,

that

he

composer

as

forced

he

istener o

rationalize

he

displaced

note n

a

diatonic

framework

while at

the

same

time

laying

the

foundation or

a

subsequent

tructural

vent.

This

functional

mbiguity

s

characteristic

f

all

such

displacements.

The

distinction

between

chromatic

alterations

nd

chromatic

ubstitutions

s not

often s

clear

s

in

the

preceding

xample,

making

two

structural

nterpretations

ossible.

The first

nterpretation

egards

he

chromatic

otes

as

altered

notes

n

a

'surface

tructure';

he

second

yields

diatonic tructure ith oth urface otes those ctually resent)ndshadows

(those

represented

y

the

displacements).

The

first

ection f

Prokofiev's

March',

Op.

65,

No.

10,

s a

period

of

two

four-bar

phrases

preceded

by

a

two-bar

ntroduction.

he

introduction

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988

201



7/19

RICHARD BASS

establishes oth

the

figuration

f the

accompaniment

nd

the

tonic-dominant

alternation

hat

prevails

n the

first

hrase.

Following

n

imperfect

adence

n

b.6, theperiod oncludeswith perfectadence nb. 10 Ex. 4):

Ex. 4

Prokofiev:

March',

Op.

65,

No.

10,

bs

1-10

Tempo

di

marcia

PIANO

P

---

p

1"-t

:.:

J

,

,j

,

,j

.,

kt7.1

"

"

J "- A

" J ....7

Reproducedby

kind

permission

f

Boosey

&

Hawkes,

Ltd.

The

chromatic

otes n

the

first

hrase

D#

n

b.3,

Eb

in

b.6

and

Db

in

bs

3-6)

can all

be

construed

s

chromatic

eighbours

o

E

and

C

in

the

urface

tructure.

As

altered

notes

they

re

fully

bsorbed

nto

the

voice

leading

and

have

no

motivic

significance

n

any

deeper

structural

evel

(see

Ex.

5a).

As

displacements,

n

the

other

and,

they

ll

represent ,

lying

semitone

bove

(D#

Eb)

r

below

Db),

and

t s

this

nterpretation

hat

eflectshe

rue

unction

of

the

hromatic

otes

Ex.

5b).

In

the

diatonic

tructure,

exists

nly

s

a

shadow

ast

by

he

displaced

otes

inthefirsthrase. n fact,D does not ctually ccuruntil .9, thepenultimate

bar

of

the

period,

ontaining

he

tructural

escent.

Here D

appears

n

each of

the

hree

oices.

Against

ach D

in

b.9

there

s

a

chromatic

ote,

ut

these

reno

longer

displacements

each

one

'resolves'

o its

diatonic

ounterpart.

ar

9

202

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

988



8/19

PROKOFIEV'S

TECHNIQUE

OF CHROMATIC

DISPLACEMENT

Ex.

5a

Prokofiev:

March',

bs

3-10,

urface

tructure

3

5

6

7

9

10

.i

r

6 5

4 3

C:I

I

I I V I vi

ii

I

Ex. 5b

Prokofiev:

March',

bs

3-6,

diatonic

tructure

3

4

5

6

shadow

D#)

shadow

E6)

C:

I

I

I

I V

shadow

(Db)

is

aurally

atisfying

ecause it

unites

the

diatonic

tructure ith

the

surface

structure,

nd

does

so at the

cadence-point:

he D

which

had

been

a

shadow

becomes

diatonic

eality,

nd

the

displacements

f he

irst

hrase

re

replaced

by

chromatic

otes

that

resolve,

ummarizing

he

implications

f

the

first

phrase

n a

single esture.

The ambiguous unctionshat rethe ssence f he hromaticisplacements

also

operate

when ll

voices re

displaced

o

effect

tonal

hift.

unctions o

not

exist

within

single

key system,

owever,

but

must be

viewed

as

diatonic

elements

utside

he

system

with inear

onnections o

the surface

tructure.

Diatonic

shadows n

thiscase

become

eparate,

ocalized

tructures

ith

elf-

contained

functions.

Further,

when

chromatic

ubstitutions

or

diatonic

elementsn

one

key

xhibit

ifferent

unctional

haracteristicsn

these

eparate

structures

what

might

be

called

'cross-representation'),

till

other

inear-

harmonic

rogressions

re

implied

which

may

or

may

not

be

realized

n

the

surface.

Shostakovich'sMarch'from heChildren's lbum ontains wotonal hifts

which

are

prototypical

f

the

technique

Ex.

6).

The

piece

is

a

jewel

of

simplicity,

two-voice

ernary

orm

A

B

A')

in

which

ach

section

onsists f

period

f

two

four-bar

hrases.

n

each

period

he

phrases

re

similar,

he

first

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988

203



9/19

RICHARD

BASS

ending

n

the

dominant,

he

econd

on

thetonic.The tonal

hiftsccur

n

the

second

period

nd

n the ast

phrase;

therwise,

he March'

s

entirely

iatonic.

The form s extremely egular nd themelodyhighly epetitive; nlythe

chromatic

isplacements

enerate

nterest:

Ex.

6

Shostakovich:

March',

from

hildren's lbum

Tempo

di

Marcia

P

5 5 5 5

106

ILX - _--

5

4-

1-

r1.4

0

P cresc.

-i

5-2

J6

1-

Reproduced

by

kind

permission

f

Boosey

&

Hawkes,

Ltd.

In

the

ast

phrase,

he

shift rom

to

Db

produces

diatonic

s well

as

a

surface

tructure,

nd

within he diatonic

tructure

here re

voice-leading

204

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988



10/19

PROKOFIEV'S

TECHNIQUE

OF CHROMATIC

DISPLACEMENT

implications

hich

yield

hadow

structures

n both

keys.

The

phrase

begins

with he

upbeat

to

b.21,

following

n

imperfect

adence.

Here the

persistentmelodicfigurethedescending hird) s transferredothe owervoice for he

first

ime;

t s

then

xchanged

etween oices

n

augmentation,

nd

concludes

in

the

upper

voice t

thefinal

adence.

The

upper

voice s

displaced

irst

b.21,

beat

3),

where

Ab

appears

s

a

substitute or

he

expected

G. The lower

voice

follows ne

beat

ater,

where is

substitutedor . All

functionsre n

Db

until

both

voices

shift

gain

at

the first eat

of b.23.

The return

o

C

begins

with

supertonic

armony

hich

rogresses

o

the

cadence.

The

surface

tructure f

Ex.

7

shows a

prolongation

f 3

after

registral

transfer

rom

he

previous

hrase;

neighbour

upported

y

Db,

then

D;

and

the

structural

escent

n

the

ast two

bars.

The neighbour asnopreparationelsewherenthe

piece:

it s nota result f

any

diatonic

inear

rogression,

ut

instead

rows

bruptly

ut of

the

displacement.

nitially

t

s not

neighbour

t

all,

but a

representative

f

3,

as

shown

n

the

C

shadow

structure.t is

only

legitimized

s

a

neighbour

n

b.23,

where t

s

supported y

thediatonic

ote

D.

The

treatmentf

he

neighbour

igure

nites

he

urface nd

diatonic

tructures

through

gradual

rocess

f

functional

einterpretation:

=

3,

F

=

3,

F

=

N,

E

=

3.

The

shift

n

the

econd

period

roduces

oth

urface nd

diatonic

tructures,

but

through

he

use of

cross-representation

bscures he

functional

elation-

shipsbetween hetwo.The Ab that ppears nbothvoices nb.9 functionss

the

dominant

f

Db,

but s

clearly

substitute or

(A)

in

C. 6 is

introducedn

the

first

eriod.

Here all

the

melodic

notes

belong

o

the

opening

hird-figure

except

A.

The

A

comes as

an

unexpected

ote

at the

outset

because of

the

prevailing

ominant

armony

n

bs

4

and

7,

where

t

occurs.

Harmonically,

t

can

be

reconciled

s a

member f

the

supertonic,

hich n

turn

eads

to

the

dominant;

ut t

has no

inear

onnection

ither

o

the

dominant

r

to

the

tonic

in

the

first

eriod,

nd

therefore

ecomes

he

generating

orce

or

he

middle

section.

Even

though

he

Ab

functions

ventually

s

5,

it

must

be

perceived

initially

s

6,

and

the

listener s

confronted

ith

mplications

hat

are not

subsequentlyealized:doestheAbsignal shiftotheminormode,ora shifto

a

new

key

perhaps

Cb

?

Displacement

n

the

opposite

direction,

o

Db,

is in

conflict

with

expectation,

nd

the

phrase

ends

with

returning

hift

o

the

dominant f

C

in

b.

12.

What

begins

s a

sequential

tatementn

b.

13

(on

Bb

does

nothing

o

settle

he

ssue.

A

returning

hift

t

b.

15

confirms

hat

he

ctual

function

f

the

Bb

is

as a

representative

f7

in

C,

yet

he

xpanded

network

f

implications

ontributes

ubstantially

o

the

limactic

ature f

he

ection.

he

surface

tructure

llustrates

he

remaining

acets

f

the

tructural

omplex:

he

progressions

hat

ffect

he

hifts

o

and

from

he

key

f

C,

and

the

realization

f

a

linear

onnection

etween

cale

degree

and

the

onic

an

ascending

hird:

Ab,

Bb B,C). Only he laboration f hedescendinghird-figurenconjunction ith

the

econd

hifto

Db

in

the

final

hrase

provides

resolutionf

the

conflict.

A

remarkable

y-product

f

chromatic

isplacement,

articularly

hen

cross-representation

s

involved,

s

the

distortionf

harmonic

hythm.

nly

n

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988

205



11/19

RICHARD

BASS

Ex. 7

Shostakovich:

March',

bs

21-4

21 22 23 24

shadow)

D

: (V6)

(v)

i

V

I

Diatonic

I

Structure

I(shadow)

N

_-

,~-

-- :k -_2

--/,----

-N

6

5

-4

3

C: I I

I

ii V

I

Structure

6,o

6.-

-

C: I

l

i

V

the

urface

tructureo the

adences

all

n

strong

eats;

without he

hifts

hey

would

arrive

beat

early.

The

influence f

this

rhythmicegerdemain

n

the

voice

leading

causes some

notes

that

begin

as

shadows to

be

immediately

reinterpreted

s

surface

otes,

nd

viceversa

notes

tied'

across

hadow

ines

n

Ex.

8).

In

the music of

Prokofiev,

pplications

f

chromatic

isplacement

re

so

widely aried s tobevirtuallyimitless. heremainderf his tudy ocuses n

selected

xcerpts

hich

llustrate

nly

few

f he

ways

n

which his

echnique

serves o

unite

diverse

lementswithin

he

framework

f

ocal and

long-range

structural

esigns.

206

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

988



12/19

PROKOFIEV'S

TECHNIQUE

OF

CHROMATIC

DISPLACEMENT

Ex.

8 Shostakovich:

March',

bs

9-16

9

11

12

13

15

16

(6)

S u

fii

IC:i 4 3 4 3

V

V I

Diatonic

tructure

,

D,

:V

I

I V

(ii)

V

I

(

L

6)

Surface

Structure

V

I

V

I

(b

II)

C:

bII

bVI

V

V

I

The

tonal

hiftn

b.8 of

he

Andante

ognando

rom

he

Eighth

iano

Sonata s

a

displacement

hich

does

not

return

o

its

key

of

origin,

ut

continues n a

different

onal

ontext

Ex.

9).

The

shadow

produced

y

this

displacement

as

little earing nthevoice eadingnD6 becauseallfunctionsrerepeatedn D

until

b.17,

which

begins

the

second

section

of

the

movement,

n F.

The

repetition

f

the

opening

material n

the

key

of

D

serves

the

purpose

of

converting

he

tructural

elodic

ote

rom

b

as

5

n

D6

toA

as

3

n

F:

A6

=

5,

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988

207



13/19

RICHARD BASS

Ex.

9 Prokofiev:

iano SonataNo.

8,

Op.

84,

II,

bs 1-17

Andante ognando

dolce

k3m2

1~

.....

.

.,,

"

,.,

.

.

I

,.,

I

.

...

.

,.,l

,

,

?

i

I.

I I

r

- - -

-....

17

mf

Reproduced y

kind

permission

f

Boosey

&

Hawkes,

Ltd.

A =

5,

A = 3. The linear rogressionsnbs 3-7 mbue heAb/Awith oncentric

qualities

as

well,

by

approaching

from below and

above

(a

procedure

foreshadowed

y

the

opening

urn

igure)

nd

thus

orroborating

ts tructural

importance

t the

point

f

conversionn

b.8:

208

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988



14/19

PROKOFIEV'S

TECHNIQUE

OF CHROMATIC

DISPLACEMENT

Ex.

10

Prokofiev: iano Sonata

No.

8, II,

bs

1-17

1

2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9

17

oto

A-1 6

toA -

---

------

--

9-

16

=

1-8

(V) (V)

(V)

(v) (v)

(V)

Db:

I

IV

I[D:V

I

)]

III

In theevent

hat ome

voices

n

the

harmony

re

displaced

whileothers

re

not,

the

resulting

hadow

structures

re

not

only ncomplete,

ut

may

be

suggestive

of

altered

harmonies.

Ambivalence of

function s

thereby

compounded,

nd the

bond between

inear nd

harmonic

lements

may

be

temporarily

evered.Such

partial

displacements

an

help

to

explainmany

f

Prokofiev's

hromatically

ltered harmonies.10

hey may

also be

used to

generate

olychords.

n

excerpt

rom

hefinale f

theSixth

iano

Sonata,

Op.

82

(Ex.

11),

exhibits

displacement

hich

s

accomplished

n

stages:

he

ower

voices hiftn b.143,with heuppervoicesfollowingn b.144:

Ex.

11

Prokofiev:

iano

SonataNo.

6,

Op.

82,

V,

bs 141-7

i

t

Li

It

AV,

TL q I I t-,I . as M

~ r

tf

Reproducedby

kindpermission fBoosey

&

Hawkes, Ltd.

1

x

This

involves

mode

exchange

n

which

G

major

s

substituted

or

G#minor;thevoice withthechordthirdB) does notparticipate,nd thetwocoexist

temporarily

s a

polychord

n

b.143.

After

he

upper

voices

come

nto

phase

with

he

ower

nes,

a

second

hift

ccurs

b.

145),

but

n

the

upper

voices

nly,

pitting #

major

gainst

G

major

until

he

return

o

G#

minor

n

b.

147.

The B

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988

209



15/19

RICHARD BASS

extends

hrough

heentire

assage,

nd

F#

major,

because

t s more han

ne

semitone emoved

rom he

governing

#

minor

armony,

oes not

ppear

s

anindependenthord:"

Ex. 12

Prokofiev:

iano SonataNo.

6, IV,

bs

141-7

141

143

144

145

147

g-

g-/G

G

"/G

g-

g# g#/G G FI/G

The

twofour-bar

hrases

bs

5-8

nd

9-12)

n

Ex.

13

are

tructurally

dentical,

although

othcontain

hromatic

isplacements

upwards

n

the

first

hrase,

downwards

n

the econd

each

ucceeded

y

returning

hifts.

he

background

harmonic

rogression

n

each

of the

phrases

s

from onic

o

subdominant

G

minor to

C minor),as illustrated y a skeletalversionof the outer-voice

counterpoint

Ex.

14),

a

strong

nifying

lement

leaned

from

he

combined

surface

nd shadow

tructures

Ex.

15).

One

complete

iatonic

tatement

f

he

melody

s

embedded

n

the

excerpt,

ut t s

dividedbetween

he

two

phrases

and is

obscurednot

onlyby

the

displacements

ut also

by

the

dense

texture,

which

s

heavily

ncrusted

with

added and

alterednotes.

The

fact

hatthe

passage

remains

urally

ntelligible,

ather

han

incoherent,

ttests

o the

controllingower

f

he

diatonic

hadow

tructure.

he

displacements

nd

the

harmonic

estination f

the

theme

re

concisely

eralded n

the

ntroduction

(bs

1-2):

the

notes

Ab

and

F

(each

a

semitone

emoved

rom he

onic),

nd the

skip wayfrom that eaves he ubdominantnconnectedndunresolved.

When

tonality

is

not

verified

through

traditional

inear-harmonic

progressions,

he

identificationf

diatonic

surface

nd

shadow

structures

becomes

problematical.

Whether r

not a

displacement

akes

place

at

all can

only

be

ascertained

y

cross-referencing

he

underlying

ounterpoint

hat

connects

armonies

elated

y

semitone.

Number5

of

the Visions

ugitives,

or

example,

s

in

G

major,

ut

the

onality

s

established

more

hrough

ersistence

than

hrough

raditional

onal

functions,

nd

does

not

govern

he

structure

f

thefirst

ight

ars

n

any

conclusive

way.

Melodic-rhythmic

adences

ccur t

bs

2, 4,

6

and

8,

alternating

b

/F#

ith

G.

The

dualism n

these ars

nticipates

thepolychordalormationshatfollowbs 12-18), nd shadows xistwithin

contrapuntal

tructure

n

which

diatonic

inear

connections

re

only

oosely

defined.

Examples

uch

as

the

above

constitute

first

tep

towards

more

horough

210

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

988



16/19

PROKOFIEV'S

TECHNIQUE

OF

CHROMATIC

DISPLACEMENT

Ex.

13 Prokofiev:

iano ConcertoNo.

2,

Op.

16, ,

bs

1-13

Antlantino

V9

4

ianoSolo

4

Piano

IT

(Orchestra)

(1.

Andantino

22

8

.......

.

d.[]

S

/pochisoO

esc.

.

b

L

A

I W '

I F

-

A,

I

Quart.

on

so,

1L

:-

__._

.

.

........

#

F

11 I[ 1

.t"

1

2,

2

A 1 '14

I

ten

.i

Rps

11

p-orhiss.

it.

I

--

I

:

M

1

0 m f

I

M

msy

&Haw esLtd

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988

211



17/19

RICHARD

BASS

Ex. 14

Prokofiev: iano

ConcertoNo.

2,

I,

bs

5-12,

diatonic

ounterpoint

5 6 7 8

9 10

11 12

g:i iv

Ex. 15 Prokofiev: iano

ConcertoNo.

2, I,

bs 5-12

5

7

8

9

10 11

12

(shadow)

iv

+

a,,

IV

gt:

- -

v

,(s

hadow

(shadow

,+o."J

Diatonic

Structure

g:

i

IV

(

hadow)

f#:i

Surface

Structure

g:i

-----

g#

iv

g:v

i f:i

34-

g:iv

212

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

988



18/19

PROKOFIEV'S

TECHNIQUE

OF

CHROMATIC

DISPLACEMENT

understanding

f

Prokofiev's

pproach

o

tonality.

is

individual

esourceful-

ness in

combining

raditional

inear-harmonic

rogressions

nd

innovative,

style-transformingechniqueswithin heconfines f a basic tonalframework

attests to the

richness of

a

repertoire

which,

in

many

respects,

defies

categorization.

urther

nvestigation

might

be concerned

with the

inter-

relationships

etween hese nd

other,

eemingly

xtraneous,

lements

within

complete,

ohesive

tructures.

NOTES

1.

Benjamin

oretz,

Meta-Variations,

art

V:

Analyticallout',erspectivesfNew

Music,

Vol.

11,

No. 2

(Spring-Summer

973),

p.188.

2.

WilliamW.

Austin,

Music n the

Twentieth

entury

New

York:

Norton,

1966),

pp.452-3.

3. See Patricia

Ruth

Ashley,

Prokofiev's iano

Music:

Line, Chord,

Key'

(Diss.,

University

f

Rochester,

963),

pp.

16-17.

Ashley

efers o this

progression

s

the

jolt',

an

example

of the

nformal

erms

mployed

n

descriptions

f

Prokofiev's

harmonic

diom.

4. The

second

f

Chopin's

Trois

ouvelles

tudes,

or

nstance,

ses this

progression

o

effect

cycle

f

modulations

y

descendingmajor

hirds

bs

20-5).

5. William

W. Austin,Prokofiev's ifth ymphony', usicReview,Vol. 17,No. 3

(August

1956),

p.206.

6. Malcolm

H.

Brown,

Prokofiev's

ighth

Piano

Sonata',

Tempo,

No.

70

(1964),

pp.

11-12.

The

tonal

hift o

whichhe

refers ccurs n

the hird ar

ofthe

onata.

7. The

use of

words

like

'slip'

and

'shift',

among many

others,

including

'Prokofievization',

urther

ttests

o

the

bsence

f

terminology

dequate

o deal

with

chromatic

ubstitutionsn

Prokofiev's

music. Of

these,

only

'shift' s

appropriate

o

certain

rocedures

xamined n

the

present tudy.

8.

Brown,

Prokofiev's

ighth

iano

Sonata',

p.11.

9.

The

term

wrong

ote' s not

pplied

with

ny

onsistency

n

the

iterature.

shley

invokes he erm orefer o a progressionnwhich he oprano otes f wo hords

appear

to

be

exchanged

'Prokofiev's

iano

Music', p.39),

and

again

p.42)

in

a

situation

n

which ass

notes

reone

semitone oo

high

o

conform

o

the

harmonies

created

y

the

upper

voices.

Austin

ses tto

describe

n

extended

ppoggiatura

n

the

raised

fourthcale

degree,

ven

though

t

progresses,

s

might

e

expected,

o

the

dominant

'Prokofiev's

ifth

ymphony', .216).

10. A

remarkable

and

ntricate)

xample

f

partial

isplacement

s

the

pening

ection

(bs 1-8)

of

the

Gavotte'

rom

our

Pieces,

Op.32,

in

F#

minor.

n

b.

1,

the

upper

voices

are

displaced

to a

dominant

ubstitute,

C,

over

a

tonic

pedal.

The

subdominants

represented

y

Bb

major

n

b.3,

suggesting

n

altered

harmony

(IV), but a C# nthefollowingonic ubstitutendicates hat hevoicewith heD

and

C#

s not

participant

n

the hift.

he

partial

isplacement

n b.3

is

actually

the

econd

tep

n

a

systematic

rogression

owards

more

triking,

omplete

hift

to

C

major

n

b.7,

which

unctionshis

ime

s

predominant

armony.

ormerly

MUSIC

ANALYSIS 7:2,

1988

213



19/19

RICHARD BASS

dominant

ubstitute,

major

s now in a

radically

ew context

ut is

effective

because it

corresponds

o the

major

ubdominantubstituten

b.3. A

complete

displacement ielding

b

minorwouldnothavepreparedoskilfullyhe mpact f

C

major

eading

nto he adence.

11.

In

this

movement,

isplacements

ccur n

every

mportant

hematic

egment,

ften

producing

olychords

fthe ort iscussedhere:for

xample,

s 45-52 nd65-82.

All of

these re

outgrowths

f

the

displaced

note

D#

in

thefirst ar.

214

MUSIC

ANALYSIS

7:2,

1988

Documents

Prokofiev's Technique of Chromatic Displacement