payman akhlaghi, "liszt's sposalizio vs debussy's arabesque no.1 (piano): imagination, stasis &...

7/23/2019 Payman Akhlaghi, "Liszt's Sposalizio vs Debussy's Arabesque No.1 (Piano): Imagination, Stasis & Motion in the Pia

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Copyright: 2007, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved. Copyright: 2010, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.

All Rights Are Reserved For The Author.


Imagination, Stasis and Motion

In the Piano Music of

Liszt and Debussy

A Discussion ofSposalizio and Arabesque No. 1

Annes de Plerinage, Deuxime anne: Italie, No. 1

(Years of Pilgrimage, Year Two: Italy, No. 1)

Vs.

Deux Arabesques, No. 1 (1888)

by

Payman Akhlaghi

Music 597

Professor Ian Krouse

UCLA

FALL 2006-Winter 2007


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Imagination Stasis and Motion in the Piano Music o Liszt and Debussosali io vs. Arabesque No. 1 Pa man Akhlaghi

www.ComposerPA.comPage 2 of33


The Preliminaries

Perhaps no two musical oeuvres would leave more distant impressions on the

listener than those of Franz Liszt (1811-1886) and Claude Debussy (1862-1918). After

all, Liszt is better known for his dazzling bravura than the quiet harmonies of his late

period, while the subtlety of taste in almost everything Debussy wrote has made his

music stand for all things French.

And yet, as implausible it might sound, the two shared enough to make a

comparative study of their works meaningful. First, both Liszt and Debussy loved the

piano and wrote for it affectionately, enhancing the technical, timbral and expressive

potentials of the instrument to its limits. At the same time, unlike their common idol,

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), this affection did not come at the expense of all other that

were not piano, as their output embraced orchestral music too with equal dedication.

Second, both composers had a strong predilection toward poetry proper, French in

particular, as well as the evocative force of poetic imagery and suggestive titles on the

music they wrote: Les Prludes (1848/1854) was comprised of Liszts impressions from

the poem by Lamartine, while Debussys Prlude laprs-midi dun faune (1894)

captured the world of Mallarms poem in music. Again, this fact alone sets them apart

from Chopin, whose choice of titles in all but a handful of his compositionsBerceuse

and Krakoviak Concerto, or Variations on La ci darem la mano come to mind

adhered almost invariably to the classical paradigm of absolute music. Even the way

Chopin used an evocative title, such as Nocturne, made it into a generic brand, while in

contrast, Debussy would individualize each of his Preludes, BKs I & II(1910-1913) with


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a picturesque title. We might assert that while Liszt eagerly aged in romanticism,

Debussy hardly grew out of it, while Chopin never lost disdain for its excesses. But we

should also add that with all likelihood, in their conscious effort in expanding the

boundaries of music in such areas as form or melodic and harmonic language, in their

shared seriousness toward their business as creative artists, and in the inherent strength of

their constructions on purely musical elements, both Liszt and Debussyas well as

Chopinalbeit each to a varying degree, belong to the pantheon ofmodernistcomposers.

The two artists met briefly in 1885 in Rome, as the 23-year old winner of Prix de

Rome was spending time in Villa di Medici (Thompson, 1937). During those meetings,

not only Debussy saw Liszts command o f the instrument as he and one of his pupils

performed Saint-Sans Variations on a Theme of Beethoven[Liszt] seemed to make

the pedal breathebut also along with a friend, performed for Liszt Chabriers Valses

romantiques at piano. His later views on the old master reflect an admiration for the

beauty of his music on the one hand, without ignoring the vulgarity of it, on the other

(ibid): Fire and abandon tended to compensate for Liszts faults (ibid). Once, under his

nom de plumeMonsieur Croche, the Dilettante Haterhe wrote:

Weingartner recovered ground by conducting Liszts Mazeppa

magnificently. This symphonic poem is full of the worst faults,

occasionally descending even to the commonplace; yet the stormy

passion that rages throughout captures us at last so completely that we

are content to accept it without further reasoning. We may affect an air

of contempt on leaving, because that is pleasantthough it is sheer

hypocrisy. The undeniable beauty of Liszts works arises, I believe,

from the fact that his love of music excluded every other kind of

emotion. If sometimes he gets on easy terms with it and frankly takes it

on his knee, this surely is no worse than the stilted manner of those


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who behave as though they were being introduced to it for the first

time; very polite, but rather dull. Liszts genius is often disordered and

feverish, but that is better than rigid perfection, even in white gloves

(Schwartz/Childs, 1998).

It seems that in Liszt, Debussy saw a difference in taste and the degree of

sophistication, but also a shared passion toward the emotional sincerity in music. More

than that, they also shared in their attitude toward the necessity of musical progress, more

than Debussy would like to admit. The gradual, tremendous maturation of Debussys

language is also present in Liszts growth of musical style, albeit at a slower pace. Over

the years, Liszts music became more chromatic and dissonant, culminating in his later

meditative, impressionistic Nuages Gris (1881) or the quasi-atonalpolytonal, to be

exact harmonies ofLa Lugubre Gondola, I & II(1882), representative works which

clearly hint at a major departure from traditional tonal language. Yet, Liszts music seems

to be much engaged with the large-scale scope of the musical events, so much as it seems

to avoid penetrating the micro-level activity that one takes for granted in the music of

Debussy. In general, the contrapuntal subtleties, multi-layered structure and the formal

variety of Debussys Preludes, for example, seem to be absent in Liszts work. On the

other hand, a more extroverted spirit might miss the explosive passion of say, Liszts

well-known Liebestraum elsewhere in Debussys tactful sense of balance.

Perhaps if we were to adopt a more generous perspective in our evaluation of

musical compositions, one that would allow for co-existence of styles rather than

exclusivist promotions of one over the other, we would find ourselves more at home with

both composers. Musical appreciation has suffered enough from an absolutist mindset,

with easy judgments passed on composers by demotion or scorn. Even Debussys critical


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attitude appears to be constrained by such a frame of thought, at a time when some of the

greatest composers, himself included, were routinely confronted by a similar lack of

critical openness. However, one does not have to follow such suit. If the compositional

choices which Liszt made were shown to be rooted in his expressive needs or the

requirements of the music at hand, then it would become easier to understand his works

on their own. This is a fine line to tread, since in general, one is also cautioned not to let

the banal pass as genuine through an unprotected relativism.

The inquiries presented in this paper were partly initiated in hopes of finding a

more suitable stylistic niche for this composer on a personal level. Furthermore, the

contrasting differences or subtle similarities between his music and that of Debussy, such

as the nature of repetition and harmonic stasis or movement, made a comparative study

between them more appealing. To this end, two short piano pieces belonging to the early

stages of their careers, the 28-year old Liszts 1839 piano composition, Sposalizio from

Annes de Plerinage, Deuxime anne: Italie, and the 26-year old Debussys first of

Deux Arabesques (1888) will be compared and contrasted.

The Second Year ofThe Pilgrimage

Liszt, in his lifetime, completed and published three sets of compositions for solo

piano under the title, Annes de Plerinage, or The Years of Pilgrimage. The second set

was mainly composed between 1837-1849, and was subsequently published in 1856

under the title: Deuxime Anne: Italie. The original publication is comprised of seven

numbers. [This excludes the extra three movements, under Venezia and Napoli, which


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although were partially composed ca. 1840, were not revised and completed until 1859,

and were published only later, in 1861 (Wikipedia, 2006).] The set was written during the

wandering years of the virtuoso pianist along with his paramour of the time (1835-

1848), Countess Marie dAgoult (1805-1876), who was later to become better known by

her penname, Daniel Stern. The literary influence of this well-educated aristocratic mind

on the more or less self-taught composer, as well as their somehow troubled relationship

(Schonberg, 1970), is rather evident in the choice of poetry and musical imagery of this

second set.

Of these seven numbers, the first two consist of Liszts impressions of two

masterly works of plastic arts, with Sposalizio being based on Raphaels (1483-1520)

painting, The Marriage of the Virgin (1504), and Il Penseroso, i.e. The Thinker, trying

to capture in music the somber tone of Michelangelos (1475-1564) sculpture at the tomb

ofGiuliano d Medici (carved 1526-1534). Next comes an ABA song with an upbeat

march motif, Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa, based on a theme by Bononcini, but inspired

by a romantic affection for the works of Rosa (1615-1673), the baroque Italian painter

and poet (Anderson, 1991). The words ofcanzonetta are spelled above the staff-system,

and could roughly be translated as follows: Much often I change place, but I still dont

know how to change desire; my fire will always be the same, and so I too will remain the

same. For the numbers 4 to 6, he turned to another Italian renaissance figure, this time

the 14th

century poet, Petrarch (1304-1374): The first two of the sonnets (nos. 47, 104)

speak of the mixture of joy and pain in the poets love for a woman, while the third (no.

123) depicts the angelic beauty and grace of an earthly musical melody (Petrarch, tr.

1909). Consequently, the music of these three songs without words brings in as much


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musical imagery as the piano would permit. The last number, Aprs une Lecture du

Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata (After a Reading of Dante: Sonata-like Fantasia) is a 15-

minute extended work, many aspects of which, including its single-movement structure,

the apparent use of transforming melody, wild contrasting sections and timbral

explorations of the instrument, not to mention its virtuosic demands, immediately recall

the Sonata in Bminor(composed 1852-1853, premiered 1857). [Meanwhile, the leaping

figures in the right hand at the pi tosto ritenuto bring to mind the technique mostly

associated with his La Campanella Etude After Paganini of 1838, and still the running

tremolandoes and arpeggios, and his instructions for improvisatory-like performance at

the same place forward, remind us of his concurrent concert career.] According to

Anderson (1991), the title of this last movement comes from a poem by Victor Hugo, and

the sonata movement itself dwells on the Inferno, touching the sad fate of Paolo and

Francesca [characters from The Divine Comedy], damned for their forbidden love.

Lo Sposalizio della Vergine

At 170x120cm (67x47 in), this 1504 oil on panel, an example of the high

renaissance classicism, must have left quite an impression on the young Liszt. The

painting was modeled after a work of the same name by Raphaels master, Perugino

(1446-1524), believed to have been completed around 1500-1504. Raphaels work, in

comparison, stands out for its circular compositionas opposed to his masters horizontal

development of elementsas well as its openness of space and mastery of perspective

(Wikipedia, 2006). Indeed, the differences are clear enough to make the prominent


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display of the artists name and the date of completion, Raphael Urbinas, MDIIII, on

the background temple of the painting rather unnecessary to trained eyes.

The marriage takes place in the foreground, as Joseph is placing the ring on

Marys finger, mediated by a Rabbi between them, and watched over by two groups of

five female and male spectators flanking the left and the right of the bride and groom,

respectively. One man, on the right, is breaking a wood stick on his knees, another one

bending one in the air, possibly related to todays Jewish tradition of breaking a glass at a

wedding ceremony. The convex formation of the group toward the fore is an extension of

the circular pattern of the pavement and the stairs, with all the concentric circles

converging at the circular temple dome in the background. Behind the group, there are

only a few people scattered around the courtyard, asymmetric in number, but balanced in

color and in size among themselves and with the foreground characters, and the rest is a

vast open space. The organization of the material on the canvas is highly symmetric

around an axis which passes through the rabbis frontal cloak ornament and the ring on

the foreground, and which continues beyond the temples open door in the background

into the horizon. The foreground, in particular, is organized around the wedding ring as

the gravitational center of activities, where the extensions of lines and eyes intercept. It is

the center of a visibly skewed circle, on which the bodies are positioned diametrically.

The number of people in the fore, the angles of their heads and feet, the complementary

or matching colors, the position of the pillars or the placement of the white strips on the

pavement, all are more or less mirrored on the two sides of the main axis and around this

center. Above all, there stands out a serenity of atmosphere and a clarity of ideasthe


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simplicity of forms, the brightness of colors, the innocence of expressionsthat could

have been lost in a more ornamented texture with a more convoluted psychology.

Liszts Musical Interpretation in Sposalizio

Liszts impression of this painting could be examined on several levels. First,

there is the descending spiral motive, henceforth T1 (theme 1) in quarter notes, which

opens the movement monophonically. Its mainly made of a cascading series of upward

M2nds and downward P5ths, spanning from b3 to b2. Heard without a supporting

harmony and at such a slow tempo, its tonally ambiguous enough to also allow the ear

interpret the starting b3 and its subsequent counterpart, f#3, as appoggiaturas with

upward resolutions, hence making it sound as an ornamented C# [major or minor] triad,

which after a prolonged pause on c#3, resolves down to a B [major] triad, in a similar

manner (mm. 1-2 of the score.) (One might add that the second interpretation would

further make the ear realize that the main descending interval is the P4, rather than P5).

Throughout Sposalizio, T1 returns over and over, either identically as an ide fixe,

or else, transposed, intervalically modified, amplified dynamically or doubled at octave.

It might be repeated persistently as a pedal point in the background with slight

fragmentation, accelerating toward the climax, and only then finding its home on the final

note. Or alternately, it could come back in different registers, with a risoluto character in

the bass, a cantabile articulation in the tenor or alto, or the dolcissimo descending

arpeggios of an ornamented E major chord in the high soprano. The latter transformation

starts unequivocally toward the middle of the piece, marked quasi allegretto mosso. Here,


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T1 is rhythmically diminished to eighth notes, although given the previous dramatic

accelerandi and ritardandi, the ear, if not the eye, has already become accustomed to it as

a compact musical idea in contrast to its expansive opening.

Furthermore, this final transformation of T1 makes the descending P4th interval

the official replacement for the opening P5ths as the building block of the downward

spiral cascade. As we shall see, this final transformation of T1 in E major over the pedal-

point E will reappear affectionately, almost literally, although with more fluidity, as the

main theme in Debussys piece, near 50 years later. (This very observation is

corroborated in Lang (1969), but the conclusions made in this paper will be naturally

more expanded, and in certain regards, somewhat different than those made by the

respected author.)

The contour of the opening theme, T1, reflects much of the formal design of the

painting, particularly the circular motive of the Templeas well as the pavement and the

organization of the peoplewhile its large, yet subdued character reflects the modest

grandiose of the building and the spirit of the event, as well as the simplicity of the

surroundings. It is expansive, yet naked and elemental, perhaps even archaic sounding to

a classical ear for its prominent display of the P4 and P5 intervals. To be more precise,

the quiet majesty of this opening theme and the polygonal circularity of its intervallic

organization seem to express the Temple in shape and in spirit. It is no coincidence that

the composition opens with this theme, as the eyes too are directed to meet the Temple

first upon visiting the painting.

In contrast, the second theme, T2 of mm. 3-4, aims for the spiritual element of the

holy matrimony in the foreground. Already harmonized in its first appearance, it consists


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of the interval of a 3rd, ornamented with a downward appoggiatura, harmonically

oscillating between I and V harmonies in E major, over a pedal of V. This 3-note melodic

motive, which appears in the soprano, is as follows: |f#4-e-g#|, and its immediate

consequent, |g#4-f#-a|. T2 is also rhythmically more defined. The jolly, almost dance-like

||dotted-quarter|eighth|quarter|| motive stands in obvious contrast to the steady quarter-

notes of the opening of T1. Less obvious is perhaps the fact that the rhythm is an answer,

a continuation of the closing of T1, where the dotted rhythm had just appeared for the

first time.

The rhythmic motive is only one of the many relations between these two

contrasting themes. Most prominently is the fact that T2 is a counterbalancing force

against T1, partly because it employs symmetrical reflection of the contour, and less

mathematically that of the intervals, without obviating the technique. For example, the

upward motion of the T2 sequence in general balances against the persistent descent of

T1, while the large downward leaps are here contrasted with the smaller upward motions

in 3rds. Also, the downward resolutions of the appoggiaturas of T2 go against the upward

appoggiaturas of T1. And in the long-run, the 3-note grouping of the T2 motive helps the

ear parse the chant-like quarter-notes of T1 more accurately into what they are: a more or

less dovetailed chain of three 3-note links. Still further, T2 stands in a symmetrical

contrast to T1 in terms of its register, as the two groups are partitioned exclusively by the

b3 axis of the instrument.

As such, notwithstanding their enormous contrast, T1 and T2 are inherently

related, as T2 is approximates a diminished intervallic inversion of T1. And yet, they are

conspicuously different enough to conceal such classical symmetries in the guise of an


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unsettling angularity, an asymmetry of structure, as for example, T2 is considerably

shorter in duration than T1, or that T2 stands apart from T1 for its highly saturated pitch

concentration. [P. H. Lang goes as far as saying that the entire Sposalizio is based on

one sound phenomenon: a chord. From it Liszt derives both his melody and his

accompaniment (Lang, 1969). That is if we view T1 as a chordal arpeggiation from the

outset, which is certainly a valid interpretation. However, any attempt at describing the

global means of coherence in this composition would not be complete without a

satisfactory explanation of its elements of diversity.]

As T2 lies in the middle register, its demand for spatial balance is further

maintained by the reiteration of the dominant pitch b2 on the offbeat of m.3, thus also

preserving the presence of T1. As the piece progresses, T2 also goes through its own

share of transformations. Most conspicuously, the chorale texture of T2, its dotted rhythm

motive, and its harmonic pace, provide the essential contrasting material for the larger

middle section of the piece, which might be called The Prayer section, marked Pi

Lento (mm. 38-66). In particular, T2 reappears throughout with or without transposition,

with dynamic amplification or reduction, sometimes precedinga variation of T1 (cf. mm.

30-38) to form a fully stated phrase, at times forming the links of a modulatory chain all

by itself (mm. 98-105), while receiving support from the juxtaposition of T2 in the

background (ibid). One might also notice how T2 not only aims to express the essence of

the holy matrimony, but also manages to capture the bright and open palette of Raphaels

work, with its shiny reds and its complementary greens, often through the use of sharp-

sided keysE and C# in particular, as well as the successful use of the middle and

upper registers of the piano. On the larger arch of the piece, T2 comes back as the main


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theme of the Coda (mm. 113-133) against the rippling arabesque of T1, and seals the

piece on its own, giving its rhythm to a highly innovative cadence on vi6/

4-I, in E.

There is something remarkable about the spiritual essence of Liszts work. In

contrast to say, a J. S. Bach chorale, here one findsi.e. one hears and feelsan earthly

element to the religiosity ofSposalizio, a sense that the artists admiration for what is

deemed holy comes ultimately not from the eyes of a devotee, but from those of a

humanist. This element was already present in the painting with its tangible depiction of

the faces and figures, the seemingly casual take of the characters on their respective

activities, or the classic simplicity of the temple in the background. The faces of the

foreground are simple and human, somehow sad, certainly unaware of the greatness that

myth or history would assign to the moment. The people in the background, too, are

walking or chatting leisurely. Even much of the circular aspect of the temple and the

pavement is approximated through the more logically conceivable imperfection of

polygonals and straight lines, and less with the actual heavenly perfection of curves and

semicircles, such as seen in the dome or the arches. After all, this was the age of the

renaissance and the time of revising legends in the light of reason.

Liszt seems to have accomplished the expression of this humanistic spirituality

through a major disruption of conspicuous chordal balance, a saturation of dissonance,

and the maximal independence of the foreground activities from those of the background,

even as when a strong bass is present. In Bach, for example, the voicing and

harmonization of the chords in a simple chorale, or the thematic material in the fugue,

almost invariably receive a fully even-handed spatial treatment. Even in such activated

textures as the Preludes of the WTCs, the bass line does not neglect its supporting role


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for the vertical sonorities. And whenever the vertical balance of the texture is forced to be

disrupted (as in the multi-layered structures of the Goldberg Variations), it is still

compensated tightly on the overall by controlling the harmonic pace and the conspicuous

use of symmetrical procedures, such as inversions or retrogrades, among other elements.

There, an almost impeccable geometrical construction leaves little room for perceived

material imperfections.

In contrast, the T2 ofSposalizio or its variants mostly appear to be riding on a

matrix of contrasting material derived from T1, or else, on the incessantly persisting

pedal points in the bass, which remain alien to its harmonic desires for long stretches of

time, almost to the point of fracture. (Consider mm. 38-44; 45-50.) The more or less

direct doubling of the activities in the upper and middle registers of a bridge at mm. 68-

74, against the stubborn reiteration of the pedal point on a bare dominant (pitch b2-3 in

the bass) is another example of such separations. Generally, to emphasize the dichotomy,

the RH (or upper registers) receives a higher degree of vertical pitch concentration.

That very bridge at mm. 68-74 & 75-76 also demonstrates the extended role of

dissonance in Sposalizio. The passage is made of an upward sequence of dissonant chords

resolving into other dissonant harmonies, with the soprano being a fragmented variation

of T1 (and an inversion of T2). Essentially, these bars consist of a series of ornamented,

oscillatory complexes around three unstable chords, E#7 [or C#9] (68-69), A#7 (70-71),

and the lesser dissonant B7

(72-4, and 75-76). The intensity of this harmonic skeleton is

further enhanced by the extended use of appoggiaturas, neighbor-tones and neighbor-

chords, which allow for resolutions into other dissonant harmonies with stepwise motion

of the voices. For example, the E#7

of m. 68 first resolves into an enharmonic of B7

and


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next time into a C#(7)

chord, while in m.69 it is a G#7

that resolves into the E#7

on the

last beat. This enhanced harmonic intensity is similarly maintained in the subsequent two

measures, around A#7

. At m. 72, however, the dissonance eases into the more stable

G#m and B7, although still the prominence of the pitch c#6 as an appoggiatura in the

soprano and the C#7

(#vi7) chords which strengthen the B

7, do not allow the harmony to

be relieved so readily. Here and elsewhere, the composer seems to enjoy any opportunity

to spell a M7th interval as a d8th, e.g. a cx5 against c#6. The practice, even as being fully

justifiable according to the linear treatment of dissonance in the period, partially hints at

Liszts eventual discovery of bitonality in his later works.

Overall, this unruly passage can afford being just that especially because of the

persistent reiteration of the dominant pedal (b2-3) in the bass, the constant presence of

which stabilizes the perspective and presents the fervent activity above as just an

antagonistic escapade fromor a stormy search towardsthe victorious dominant

harmony, the B7 of mm. 74-76. The journey culminates in the tonic E at m.77. Thus, the

stringendo of the climb toward the climax is reflected not only in a change of tempo, but

also in the increase in harmonic activity and dissonant tension. (Compare this to the

previous climactic reach at mm. 19-27, where the simple V7-IV oscillation was presented

with a mere accelerando and no dissonant obfuscation, until it settled on the V7-I cadence

in E.)

By no means this passage is alone in its harmonic intensity. Elsewhere, at the

heart of the Prayer section, the asymmetric prolongation of such dissonant moments as

the -9th and 9th of the chords in mm. 45 & 47 gives the chorale texture a still stronger

sense of vertical and horizontal bi-sectionality that is absent in say, a Bach chorale. Here


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one can also see how V9

/V and V9/V in G create the modal bifurcation that foreshadows

the lowered-sixth alteration of m. 114, the return to E major for the Coda. The dissonant

activity of T2 variants remains an added layer to their already contrasting juxtaposition

against the T1 arabesques of mm.77ff. Particularly at mm.98-102, one can see how the

composer sustains the tritones and resolves them innovatively (for instance, g-c# leads

into g-eb, and so on). And this is while T1 freely roams and reigns below at octaves, it is

constantly transposed, and it is eventually complemented with its inverted contour, a

variant on its retrograde. As such, the more conspicuous duality of mm.75ff, with the

cascading runs beneath the sustained harmonies, is merely an extension of the more

subtle stratifications that are present elsewhere in the work. And again, this is in addition

to the already contrasting nature and characters of the T1 and T2, amid their inherent

relations.

Besides motivic contrasts or relations and besides variations in vocal and

registeral distribution, there are also the restless changes of key, sometimes quite abrupt,

with a penchant for non-classical relations, especially the mediant or submediant

relations. For instance, consider the following: At mm. 9-13, the harmony (ignoring the

inversions) proceeds through G#, F#m, and Em chords in a downward parallel fashion,

then at mm.14ff, moves down a 3rd to C, a M2nd to Bb, followed by two

counterbalancing upward 3rds, first to Db and then to B major chords, landing on m. 17.

This rapid, suspenseful and non-functional procession is then contrasted with an almost

ritualistic oscillation of V7-IV [or V

7ii

7, bass considered] chords of E major (B

7-A, or

F#m7), at mm. 18-27, which acts as the bridge for modulating back to the key of E

majoror perhaps establishing it for the first time without any ambiguity.


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A similarly rapid sequence of changing keys reappears later, in the Prayer section,

starting at m. 57: First, at mm. 56-60, a circle of 5ths progression through G9

, Cm9, F

11

and Bb (ignoring the positions), brings the music smoothly from G to Bb, only to make a

sudden move a 3rd up to Db (m. 62) and another 3rd up to E major (m.66).

Still, another quick succession can be seen at mm.95ff, with the following chord

progressions, ignoring the positions: E, B7, C#

9, Bm

7, F#m

9, with a sudden move to Eb

at m.100, to E at 102, and to C# at 106. Although it is possible to interpret these moments

in terms of functional harmonic relations (e.g. Eb major is an enharmonic V/V of C#), it

is in their initial shock of non-directionality that these moves find their appeal. (Note that

the bass-line, as well as the soprano, are worked out beautifully, with small steps and

contrary motion, as Liszt has used a variety of inversions for these chords, not apparent in

this simplified representation.)

Finally, after the climactic return of T2 in C# (mm. 109-112), the music calms

into C#m (m. 117) with a modal alteration (6th degree, foreshadowed above),

emphasizing the subdominant sides of two related keys, F#m as iv of C#m, and D major

as IV of A major, before landing on B, the V of E. For the Coda proper (mm.120ff), Liszt

systematically avoids the dominant, using instead the subdominant-tonic oscillation (AM7

or F#m vs. E), sustained below ornamented tonic E of the arabesque, until the ritardando

brings the music back to T1 at m. 129. The composers harmonic innovation does not rest

until the very final chords of the piece: Sposalizio ends neither with an authentic, nor with

a plagal cadence, but with a submediant cadence of C#m to E, vi6/4

-I, which was highly

unusual for its period.


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Overall Formal Design of Sposalizio

On the largest scale, the work displays the following form: A|B|B|Coda.

Section A (mm. 1-37) comprises 37 measures with the following subsections:

A1: Exposition of T1 and T2 at mm.1-8;

A2: Expansion of T1 through repetition, non-functional key-changes, and

arpeggiated support, with eventual acceleration toward the dominant and theestablishment of the key of E major. mm.9-29;

A3: Expansion of T2, marked Andante quieto, displaying tonal stability in E and

fulfillment of statement with a contrasting consequent in quarter notes, a derivate

of T1, forming two 4-bar non-symmetric periods, and modulating to half-cadence

on the dominant. mm.30-37;

Section B, The Prayer (mm. 38-76), is marked Pi lento, and it consists of 39

measures with the following subsections:

B1: It is prepared for by A3 and it is thus an expansion of T2. It is reached by a

submediant move of a M3rd down from the preceding B, also a m3rd up from the

E. Initially, in G, it mirrors A3 by tonicizing the dominant (minor and major) and

landing at a half-cadence on D. mm.38-51;

B2: Arriving back into the tonic G by a short T1 derivative (mm.50-51), it begins

as the symmetric answer of B1, but soon diverges into its minor subdominant,

Cm, and rests on Bb, another example of the third relations in this piece. mm.52-

59;


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B3: It starts in Bb, sotto voce but slightly accented. As it slows down at will,

it moves to Db, and then E, again two instances of 3rd relations. It maintains

tension by retaining the dominant B as the pedal. mm.60-67;

B4: An intense stringendo bridge, consisting of an upward sequence of dissonant

harmonies (see above, discussion), which give up their initial resistance by

arriving back forcefully at the dominant B7, culminating in an amplified and

diminished reiteration of T2. mm.68-73&74;

B5: The first complete transformation of T1 into the arabesque, to conveniently

borrow the label from Lang (1969). It is a pentatonic passage, an ornamented B

major chordor an arpeggiated B9a cascading run downwards in eighth-notes,

marked quasi allegretto mosso. It brings the music back to E major. mm.75-76;

Section B, The Prayer Variation in 43 measures (mm. 77-119), beginning in E

major, is essentially an embellished and amplified version ofB. It starts by translating the

phrase structure and the key relations of B1 almost verbatim into I-V relations of E,

against the backdrop of the running arabesque and over a persistent pedal of E. The

arabesque itself adapts to the I or V harmonies with minimal changes of pitch,

ornamenting I or V, respectively.

B1: It reflects B1, and hence, modulates to a half-cadence on B major, with

strong tonicization by F#7. mm.77-91;

B2: A forceful variant of B2, it comes back in E at ff, with the arabesque doubled

at octaves and joined by one of its upward derivatives. At m.98, it explores a new

harmonic route toward the ultimate climax on C#. This new route is composed of

a chromatic encroachment of the skeletal harmonic complexes of D, Eb and E,

arriving at the full exposure of the arabesque in C# major, tutta forza. mm.92-108;

B3: Essentially, it is a return of T2 and its consequent in C#, at fff. mm.109-112;


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B4: Bridge to the Coda by a return to T2 proper. It releases the tension by

slowing the tempo, lowering the dynamic level, and modulating back to E major

by a move to the subdominant areas through lowering the 6th degree, i.e. F#m as

iv of C#, and D major as IV of A (see discussion, above). Finally, with another

move of a 3rd, it brings the music back to B 7, V7 of E. mm.113-119.

The Coda, 14 measures long, is an extended variation on the A1, the Exposition. It starts

with the downward arabesque, i.e. the diminution of T1, now in the upper register. This

ornamentation of the E major chord is now presented against a sustained harmony of IV-I

underneath, and it progressively pushes its starting pitch upward, eventually rippling

across the keyboard from the sweet register of the sixth octave down to second. Finally, it

is the T2, recognizable from its dotted rhythm and the interval of a 3rd, that brings the

piece home on a vi6/4

-I cadence. mm.120-133.


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below), already present here in its gestational stages. This technique would prove a

successful means for formal coherence amid the procession of a multitude of contrasting

ideas within free-form structures.

Nevertheless, Sposalizio remains a spiritual, even a religious expression, albeit a

romantic and humanistic one, which is clearly inspired by the painting and its emotional

connotations for the composer. Indeed, besides its semantic associations with the

painting, it is the sense of a devoted ritualistic aesthetic that best justifies the constant

repetition of the motives and figures with little or no variation, the long stretches of

harmonic oscillation or the long sustained pedal points of Sposalizio. As such, Liszt

seems to have succeeded in creating a temporally viable composition while

communicating and preserving the spatial elements of a plastic art-form and the infinite

sense of a spiritual narrative in his representation. In short, Sposalizio has managed to

translate stasis into motion not only via strictly musical means, but also through its appeal

to a timeless, plastic imagination.

At the end, for those ears which are accustomed to the meticulous balance and the

constant rejuvenation of ideas in the masterworks of Bach and Chopin, with their

avoidance of direct repetition for its sake, with their liking for melodic and harmonic

variations, or with their painstakingly smooth execution of each progression and

modulation, Liszts composition might continue to remain unsettling. For such ears,

Sposalizio, although certainly beautiful, might still remain coarse, raw and even

amateurish in execution. Yet the boldest aspects of the work are the very results of such

daring deviations from the classical norms.


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And there lies the eternal Lisztian dilemma: In his unbridled crudeness, there lies

his originality.

Debussys Arabesque No. 1

A work of youth, here Debussy pays an homage to the recently departed master

by improving on the best aspects ofSposalizio, itself a work of youth, sanding its rough

edges and taming its wild flights of harmony and form into a smooth and classically

oriented structure. The feisty climactic ascents are now tightly reined, and the extreme

emotional outbursts are now fully contained. Little of the antagonism of the pedal points

has remained in the smoothly shaped bass-lines of the Arabesque, and there are no more

signs of the harsh treatment of dissonances or the asymmetries of phrase structure in the

latter work. It is a masterpiece of sublime sonority and conservative beauty.

It is possible to estimate what appealed most or least to Debussy in Liszts

original piece. Most conspicuously, Debussy liked the overall pentatonic sound and

character of the arabesque, but he seems to have disliked its rigid rhythmic presentation

in eighth-notes, and its ultimate submission to an embellished accompanimental role.

Instead, Debussy brings the figure into prominence. Rather than arriving at it through

constant transformation, Debussy presents it as the main theme, T1, of his work after a

short 5-bar preparation. Furthermore, instead of the square eighth-note alignment of the

original, he gives it more fluidity by using triplet-eights against straight eighth-notes of

the accompaniment. The fluidity of the passage is still maximized by the nature of the

underlying harmony, i.e. the E and C#m in first inversion, the I and vi6

of E major. This


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smooth progression allows the passage to change color imperceptibly as it progresses,

while the bass-line remains on the pedal tonic, e2. Thus, the arabesque is now fully

liberated as it has reached its maximum lyric potential.

We can see how Debussy liked the immediate repetition of the material in Liszts,

but yet could not reconcile himself with the of static motivic repetitions and harmonic

oscillations for long. Here, the bass-line never becomes static, as it constantly controls the

harmonic rhythm and finds melodic importance in ascending and descending scalar or

chordal lines. (Consider mm.1-5; 13-16; 28-38; 44-46; 63-65; and their counterparts.)

More prophetically, all material is repeated once, and only once, before moving

on to a new ideathat ultimate solution of Debussy to free-formal strategies. Every idea,

every phrase, is in adjacent pairs, either identically, or with a slight developmental

modification. The rule also applies to harmonic oscillations (e.g. mm.19-20 and 22-23) or

occasional prolongation of harmony (e.g. the arpeggiation of F#7

chords in the bass of

mm.12-16), as well as all sequential phrases (e.g. the opening bars, mm.1-2 or 3-4).

Remarkably enough, such pairings have not led into predictable symmetries.

Indeed, they are necessary because Debussys ideas constantly vary in shape, length,

motivic content and phrase structure, all in succession. Even within each phrase, there are

linear asymmetries, such as the alternate use of strong and weak melodic cadences (e.g.

the soprano of mm.1-2, or the closing of the arabesque into m.8), as well as the overall

metric shifts of the melody along the measures, that prevent the music from ever

sounding square. In addition, there still is the subtlety of counterpoint between these

melodic constructions against the independent pace of the underlying harmonic


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progressions of each period. (Consider mm. 112-16, where the harmony ignores the

melodic activity and remains as an activated F#7

chord underneath.)

Debussy certainly liked the motivic interplays of Liszts work, and even at times

translated them verbatim into his own style. For instance, he clearly derives the

contrasting theme of the B section (mm. 39ff) through modified inversion of the

arabesque, or else, he isolates the triplet rhythm into a counterbalancing ascending figure

in mm. 47-48. He derives a secondary theme from the upper line of his harmony (mm.17-

18) and later, assigns the same idea to the middle voice (mm. 20-21). More strikingly, the

melodic activities in mm.26-38 appear to be a translation of mm.50-51, but especially

mm.85-89 ofSposalizio into the world of Debussy. And still, the B section employs more

contrast between the foreground and background, coming closer to the dichotomy of

Liszts texture.

A most subtle structural similarity appears at m.63 of Debussys Arabesque. As

Liszt entered his Prayer with a sudden submediant move to G major (from B major of

the preceding half-cadence), Debussy too approaches the most important climactic

moment in B section, and perhaps the whole piece, by a downward M3rd move, from E

major to C major. Then he takes extreme measures to make his return to E major as

smooth as possible (mm.67-70). Elsewhere, he shows a liking of the subdominant area,

A-major, for the opening ofB (m.39), and a penchant for following the dominant seventh

harmony with a vi6-I oscillation in the Coda, which is the return of T1, the arabesque.

(Compare to the vi6/4

-I final cadence ofSposalizio.)

There are some other striking motivic similarities, as well, between the two

works. One particular example can be found in mm.15-16 of the Arabesque, which


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despite its obvious contrasts, appears as a timid version of the dissonant Bridge of

mm.68-73 in Sposalizio. Other climactic ascents are reached with more subdued

dynamics, such as the reverse crescendo of mm.35-38, the closing of section A, or as the

return to A of mm.68-70. On a more general note, Debussy seems to display a similar

preference for the use of chords in inverted positions (cf. the faux bourdon arpeggiation

of mm. 1-2), as also Liszt did in his chromatic escapades. However, as a rule, Arabesque

never displays any melodic angularity in his bass line. (The large skips of the bass in the

B section do not contradict this conclusion, because they are clearly the results of a

compound vertical structure and not linear progression. As such they should be balanced

individually, and perhaps to be sustained by the use of the damper pedal to avoid linear

confusion.)

And finally, he shows an extreme dislike of direct repetition of material at octave,

as the simple passage of mm.47-49 demonstrates. This passage, a simple upward run of

triplets, is composed of four different chords, DM7, G#7, C#m7, and F#m7, leading back

to DM7. (Quite possibly and in contrast, a similar passage in Liszts could have easily

been composed of direct octave transpositions of the figurative idea.)

Overall Formal Design of the Arabesque No. 1

Debussys work is a straightforward A B A Coda, with the Coda being an

extension of T1, the arabesque theme.

Section A, mm.1-38, consists of the following subsections:


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A1: Exposes T1 after a 5-measure introduction. It closes on the V7/V, F#

7. At

m.10 exposes an inversion of the arabesque, T2, in upward motion. Overall, it has

a concave shape. mm.1-16;

A2: Starts as a symmetric answer to A1 in E major by bringing out a 4-note theme

out of the opening faux bourdon. However, instead of T1, uses T2 to explore

tonicizations of non-tonic degrees, including the submediant C#m (by D#7/Fx, i.e.

V6/5

/iii), the supertonic F#m (by B7/D#, i.e. V

6/5) or the subdominant A

7(by

E7/B). Eventually, tonicizes the dominant and lands on the tonic E. mm. 17-38;

Section B, mm.39-70 itself is in ABA format, and it comprises the following subsections:

B1: It starts in A major, but migrates to E, the dominant. mm.39-46;B2: Explores the subdominant D, but always returns to A as the tonic. mm.47-54;

B1: Verbatim copy of its first appearance. mm.55-62;

B3: Suddenly modulates to C major, the flat submediant of E, then modulates

back to E. mm.63-70;

Section A, mm. 71-98, it starts as an almost exact replica of A, but finds a new route in

its second half:

A1: A1 now exposes the soprano melody. mm.71-86;

A2: Starts as A2, but finds a new theme, a variation on the introductory faux

bourdon. Ends in a cadence on B7, and lands on the tonic E. mm.87-98.

Coda, mm.99-107, uses the arabesque, with its vi6I oscillation, and ends the piece with

an upward arpeggiation of E major, I, in reverse crescendo. It once more emphasizes the

concave shape of the piece.


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In the Arabesque, especially note how the progressive reduction of the number of

measures in each subsequent section avoids temporal predictability.

Conclusion

In comparison to Sposalizio, the Arabesque is perceptible more on its own rather

than on any extra-musical connotation. Debussys attention to formal coherence and

thematic organization, his subtle control of the harmonic pace, his tight balancing of the

vertical space, and his avoidance of extremities of expression, all add up to a more

refined and accessible musical experience. Classically inclined ears would certainly feel

more at home with Debussys output than that of Liszt. The motivic progressions are

more convincing. And overall, the sense of plastic or ritualistic stasis in Liszts has now

given way to a serene yet fully directional musical narrative. Arabesque by avoiding

technical virtuosity in favor of the musical expression, further feels more natural to the


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pianists hands. There is no more a need for visual imagination in supporting the musical

perception, as here the musical elements are organized most convincingly based on pure

sonic imagination. Indeed, in its poised structure and its sophisticated harmonic balance,

Arabesque bears more resemblance to a Bach or Chopin composition than that of Liszt.

In a way, as Raphael had improved on the work of his master, Debussy seems to have

done his part.

And yet, viewed from a different perspective, Arabesque, amid all its nascent

signs of the mature Debussy and its pure beauty, feels missing on the imaginative side, on

the passionate fervor ofSposalizio, and especially on its daring sense of adventure and

exploration. Perhaps for the future generations of composers, Sposalizio, in its rises and

falls, in its moments of exuberant glory or unsettling imperfection, could still bear more

lessons in creative liberation than the immaculately refined classicism of the Arabesque.

After all, considering the compositional journey of Debussy himself afterArabesque and

towards the two books ofPreludes and Jeux, and keeping in mind that this prolific

journey had a root in Sposalizio, this might not be that far-fetched a conclusion.


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Appendices

Raphaels Lo Sposalizio della Vergine:

Raphaels original model, Lo Sposalizio della Vergine, by his master Perugino:


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Michelangelo's sculpture at the tomb of Giuliano d Medici, a.k.a. Il Penseroso:


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Bibliography

Anderson, Keith: Jacket music notes for Franz Liszt: Annes de Plerinage, Deuximeanne: Italie; sound-recording, 1991, Naxos.

Debussy, Claude: Arabesque No. 1, from Deux Arabesques, 1888; In Claude Debussy:Piano Music (1888-1905), 2

nded., 1974, Dover Publications.

Debussy, Claude: Arabesque No. 1, (First Arabesque), in Classics to Moderns, Vol. 47,pp.142-146, Denes Agay, ed.; 1969, Consolidated Music Publishers, NY.

Gowing, Sir Lawrence, general ed.: A History of Art, 2002, Borders Press, Ann Arbor. p.

623, full-page reproduction ofThe Marriage of the Virgin (1504) by Raphael,

Lang, Paul Henry: Music in Western Civilization; 1940/1969, W.W. Norton andCompany, New York. pp. 864-873: Liszt.

Liszt, Franz: Annes de Plerinage, Deuxime anne: Italie; composed 1837-1849,published 1858; ed. Rafael Joseffy, 1909, Schirmer.

No. 1: Sposalizio, composed 1839.

Petrarch: Sonnets nos. 47, 104, 123; tr. 1909, prefacing the score to Liszts Annes;

1909, Schirmer.

Schonberg, Harold C.: The Great Pianists rev. edition; 1987, Fireside, Simon &

Schuster, New York. pp. 161-182: Chapter on Liszt: Thunder, Lightning, Mesmerism,Sex.

Schonberg, Harold C.: The Lives of the Great Composers; 1970, W.W. Norton &

Company, New York. pp. 179-193: Virtuoso, Charlatan and Prophet: Franz Liszt.

Schwartz, Elliott and Childs, Barney, eds.: Contemporary Composers on ContemporaryMusic, 2nd ed., with Jim Fox; 1998, Da Capo Press, New York. p. 19, From Monsieur

Croche the Dilettante Hater, by Claude Debussy.

Thompson, Oscar: Debussy, Man and Artist, 1937; republished 1967, Dover Publications,New York. Indexed pages on Liszt and on Debussys Arabesque.

Online Resources:

Michelangelo Buonarroti: Tomba di Giuliano d Medici (carved 1526-1534), photo of

sculpture found at: http://www.thais.it/scultura/image/sch00072.htm

Raphael: Lo Sposalizio della Vergine (1504); reproduction found online at:http://en.easyart.com/art-prints/artists/Raphael-3879.html


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www.Wikipedia.org , 2006: for biographical information on the artists, dates of

compositions, and reproduction of works by Raphael and Perugino.

Sound Recording:

Liszt, Franz: Annes de Plerinage, Deuxime anne: Italie [Years of Pilgrimage, Vol. 2]

sound recording; Jan Jand, piano; 1991, Naxos.


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payman akhlaghi, "liszt's sposalizio vs debussy's arabesque no.1 (piano): imagination, stasis &...

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