Brahms: Exposition - Subject 1, Counterstatement, Transition Flashcards
Where is the Exposition?
Bars 62-185
Where is Subject 1?
Bars 62-77
What does allegro non troppo, ma con brio mean?
Fast, not too much, but with vigour
What are the key characteristics of Subject 1?
Broad and distinctive
What work is Subject 1 compared to?
Beethoven Symphony No. 9 mvmt IV; ‘Ode to Joy’ theme
What are the similarities between Subject 1 and Ode to Joy?
- Simple in style
- Quite ‘religious’, folk/hymn like, broad
- Use of opening dactylic rhythm (long short short/minim crotchet crotchet)
- Repeated melodic supertonic at the end of the first 4-bar phrase
- Similar harmonic profile
- Stepwise/conjunct movement
- Narrow range
- Both in the major key
How many phrases can S1 be divided into?
4
How is the head motif referenced in S1?
The interval of a perfect 4th between the first two notes
How is S1 accompanied?
Melody supported by horns and violas, with pizzicato string bass
What harmonic characteristics do each phrase of S1 have?
Primarily tonic and dominant harmony in phrases 1 and 2 (only primary chords)
Music shifts into the keys of Am (bar 72) and G (bar 75) in phrases 3 and 4
How does S1 end?
Perfect cadence in C major bars 77-78, overlapped by the counterstatement of S1
Where is the Counterstatement of S1?
Bars 78-93
What is each section’s role in the Counterstatement?
Counterstatement heard in woodwind
Light pizzicato in strings
Short rolls in timps
How does the Counterstatement draw to a close?
Statement concludes with a crescendo over the final few bars
Strings revert to arco in bar 92 beat 4
Ends in a perfect cadence in C major (V7-I) bars 93-94
Where is the Transition?
Bars 94-117
What happens in the first two bars of the Transition?
Third statement of the theme at ff and labelled animato - though it soon fragments after this
What key theme is heard in the upper strings and violas in bars 95-97?
Head motif - isolated and used in diminution
What key theme is heard in the contrabassoon, cello, and double bass parts in bars 95-97?
Ascending scalic idea is reminiscent of Figure X inverted.
(Takes us briefly to G major)
Where in the Transition is there a passing E minor modulation?
Bar 99
What is different about bars 99-101 in comparison to bars 95-97?
No ascending scalic idea, and the S1 opening/head motif is now used in an ascending sequence
What happens in bars 102-105?
Two violin descents spanning two octaves over the chords of D minor (102-103) and A minor (104-105)
These are counterbalanced in contrary motion by dramatically rising bass lines
What key does the music move through in bar 102?
D minor
What previous material can be heard in bars 106-110?
Bar 106 is reminiscent of bar 20 (ascending scales from Section A2 of intro)
Figure X is heard in inversion and diminution in bar 106 and then in imitation in bars 108-110
Where is the Alphorn Theme within the Transition section?
Bars 114-117
Describe how the Alphorn Theme is played in bars 114-117
First 4 bars of the theme
Played by original instruments that presented the theme - horn and flute
Horn imitates the flute line
How is the Alphorn Theme in bars 114-117 accompanied?
Violins in descending semiquaver arpeggio figuration
Cellos + double basses add pizzicato support
Describe the harmony in bars 114-117
Chords:
Bar 115: C#dim
Bar 116: Ddim
Bar 117: D7
The diminished harmonies of bars 115/116 lead to D7 in bar 117. This is chord V7 of G major, the key of S2
