Prelude: I taught the paper of LMusTCL 2002 May yesternight. There is a question about the structure of a short keyboard (for harpsichord or clavichord) piece. In the first sense, it is constructed in a such way that looks like binary, containing two main sections. However, the main theme recurs frequently in both Section with a few motives extracted from it. No obvious contrasting materials are found in B section . The tonal center just modulates to dominant key. As such, my preminliary observation tells me that it is an nascant sonata form in binary construction. I told the students to answer compound binary with modificaiton. But I think a better term for it, perhaps may be……………not sure…… because I am not the marker.

Article:

The work is structured in the nascant form of a monothematic sonata-allegro design in the small-scale instrumental works. True, the binary structure of this work shows some sonata principles which later was developed to the mature sonata form, which was widely used in the first movement in many classical sonata written by Haydn or Mozart. I think students answer as “mononthematic sonata-allegro structure (not form, but structure)” may score higher marks than that of the “compound binary”. But on the other hand, students may like to say that the work is structured in binary form containing the design of using sonata-principle.

It is undeniable that the development of  the rounded binary form closely relates to the formation of the so-called classical sonata form used widely in many instrumental works later.  The continued expansion of formal components associated with rounded binary movements eventually produced a stylized procedure know as sonata-allegro form. While such forms are generally longer than rounded binary structures, tonal and structural elements of the binary principled are reflected consistently. Many works of  D. Scarlatti keyboard sonata written in Spainish court adopted such a structural design.

The structure of the monothematic sonata-allegro music usaully exposites the main theme in which several motives can be separated out for further ‘developing’ in the tonic key. The same theme then recurs in the second section with dominant key with or without slight modification. The crucial feature which differs to that of the binary and the sonata-allegro principles is the oppositional confrontation.  Of course, form and design of a musical work is hardly said to be a rigid, unchangeable framework. During the process of development, the theme will undergo a series of modifications, albeit how slightly it is. The Binary form, however, in many of the Baroqe dance works, just shows that the contrasting B section (or episode) begins with dominant key of new materials and gradually returns to the tonic key. But  listeners usually cannot hear the returning of the main theme materials in the second section.  The key scheme of the normal dance form in Binary design is : I — V   —— V — I.

Interestingly, the structural design of the short work that we discussed yesterday is far more complex and ambiguous, the change of keys in particular. As we have observed, the works starts from the tonic key , then modulates to the dominant key with some new motivic materials, and reaches a section cadence in dominant key. This sectional structure reflects a somewhat binary principle. However, the larger section B, in the first sense that we have concluded yesternight, which starts from the bar 67 onward, restates the main theme in A section in dominant key. Then the motives are displayed in various keys, like a classical sonata’s development section, going through a common modulatory scheme of cycle of fifth. The C major materials modulates to F major, then from D minor to G minor two times, and finally back to C major, though alternating between its parallel minor mode. Not until the final eight bars that the tonic key F major returns. Motives of the main theme is the first section are varied to more and less, by displaying in different key centers, tessituras, sometimes with embellisments to avoid monotunous. Since the recapitualtion of the first theme is absent in this work, to students, it may be one of the reasons why they choose to answer binary structure at preliminarly look. From this sense, the most problematic for us to classify this work into a clear catagory is the absence of the return of main thematic materials.

To conclude, the development of the sonata-allegro principle intimately associates with that of the rounded  binary form. The key centers change is always the significance of this form. Viewing from the key scheme , sonata-allegro form comprises the principle of binary. When the work is structured with monotheme, the form will be easily misunderstood as binary, since the second theme of contrasting materials are absent. In the historical evolution of such the sonata allegro form, however, it is not surprise for us to find such monothematic design in many instrumental works. As such, when students need to support their finding of such a nascant sonata-allegro form, the Baroque keyboard sonata form in particular, it is unavoidably to states clearly the key scheme of the work, more than that of the linear thematic design.

Finished……………

David Leung (theorydavid)

2011-02-24 (published)

前言: 這篇文章接上一篇討論民國初年的中國音樂怎樣經歷現代化的經過。這次跟讀者談談第一首被介紹到在國際的音樂界上，並得以揚名的中國現代化鋼琴小品 — 賀綠汀的牧童短笛。早前曾述說過陶傑所喜愛的一個中國歷史時代，也就是我所喜歡的同一年代 — 民國初年。我也曾說過，民國初年 (五四之後至1937 年中日戰爭開始時)，就像一位風華絕代的中年美女，充滿使人感到醇醉的千嬌百媚和風情萬種。只因這個時代是中華民族在藝術文化音樂的各個領域裡經歷真正現代化的時期，或者，更應該說是對峙著西方式的現代化 (western modernization) 衝激。在音樂發展上，是中國傳統音樂接受西方音樂的洗禮的里程埤。我所談及的風韻醇醉，就是從這個音樂現代化開始。賀綠汀的牧童短笛 就是用西方的和聲概念，套以中國民族的五聲音階，以變化了的對位技巧寫成的。敬請各同學留意，不要 copy-and-paste。但 idea 就不妨拿來參巧一下。

  Indeed no one can step out of time into which one was born, as an artist or a composer.  It is neither an individual genius, nor the masses, nor the political, social, economic, religious factor singularly inaugurates a cultural environment in a particular place of a particular time.[3] The first few decades of the twentieth-century up to the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) was a great era for China in its socio-political dimension not only because it is a time when China was experiencing its westernized and modernized in all aspects, but also because it is an extraordinary time in its history as the Chinese individual could experience less authoritarian political control but more humanistic freedom in social and cultural dimensions. Although the warlords’ conquests led to great political insecurity and turmoil in many places, the lack of a powerful central authority, ironically, provided space a greater freedom of speech, thoughts and ideas in all aspects of society. Such kind of freedom has never been experienced in the recent history of modern China. When He Luting entered the NCM in Shanghai as a compositional student in 1931, the great era of China, he would not have known that his destiny as a Chinese new music forerunner was doomed to interweave with that of the new Chinese music.

待續………To Be Continued…..

David Leung (theorydavid)

2011-02-19 (published)

前言: 這篇文章接上篇討論民國初年發展起來的中國新音樂如何為香港現代音樂的發展帶來動力。香港雖是彈丸之地，但在國際上，她對現代音樂的貢獻卻是無可置疑的。香港的現代音樂，也像民國初年 (五四之後至1937 年中日戰爭開始時) 發展起來的中國新音樂一樣，表現出像中年美女帶有的絕代風華，千嬌百媚和風情萬種。這也因為香港的廣東傳統音樂正對峙著西方式的現代化 (western modernization) 衝激。我這篇文章，就是討論香港音樂早期現代化的發展，看它甚樣與中國的新音樂有著千絲萬縷的關係。敬請各同學留意，不要 copy-and-paste。但 idea 就不妨拿來參巧一下。

前言: 這篇文章接上篇討論民國初年的中國音樂現代化的經過。明眼讀者一看就知道以下文筆是 Academic English，近似論文的寫作手法了。早前曾跟讀者談過陶傑所喜愛的一個中國歷史時代，也就是我所喜歡的同一年代 — 民國初年。我也曾說過，民國初年 (五四之後至1937 年中日戰爭開始時)，就像一位風華絕代的中年美女，充滿使人感到醇醉的千嬌百媚和風情萬種。只因這個時代是中華民族在藝術文化音樂的各個領域裡經歷真正現代化的時期，或者，更應該說是對峙著西方式的現代化 (western modernization) 衝激。在音樂發展上，是中國傳統音樂接受西方音樂的洗禮的里程埤。我所談及的風韻醇醉，就是從這個音樂現代化開始。我這一系列文章，就是討論中國音樂的現代化的發展。其中各篇文章有的是以 Academic 英文寫成，也有用中文以隨筆方式寫成的。敬請各同學留意，不要 copy-and-paste。但 idea 就不妨拿來參巧一下。

  During an interview for Music Monthly (音樂月) under the title “On Our New Music Movement”, Xiao
apparently had in mind the value of old traditional music when he said of the national quality of music: “…if
we desire to reform our traditional music or create our own Nationalistic School of Music, then we cannot
completely throw away our old traditional music.”[7] Xiao encouraged the collecting, rearranging and
harmonizing of the folk tunes,[8] reaffirming the value of Chinese traditional folk music. These, he believed,
were the keys in distinguishing the style of Chinese music from that of other countries.

待續….. To Be Continued…..… 

David Leung (theorydavid)

2011-02-10 (published)

前言: 早前曾跟讀者談過陶傑所喜愛的一個中國歷史時代，也就是我所喜歡的同一年代 — 民國初年。我也曾說過，民國初年 (五四之後至1937 年中日戰爭開始時)，就像一位風華絕代的中年美女，充滿使人感到醇醉的千嬌百媚和風情萬種。只因這個時代是中華民族在藝術文化音樂的各個領域裡經歷真正現代化的時期，或者，更應該說是對峙著西方式的現代化 (western modernization) 沖激。在音樂發展上，是中國傳統音樂接受西方音樂的洗禮的里程埤。我所談及的風韻醇醉，就是從這個音樂現代化開始。我這一系列文章，就是討論中國音樂的現代化的發展。其中各篇文章有的是以 Academic 英文寫成，也有用中文以隨筆方式寫成的。敬請各同學留意，不要 copy-and-paste。但 idea 就不妨拿來參巧一下。