Frank Martignetti Daniel Pinkham s Christmas Cantata: A Mixture of Ancient and Modern The career of Daniel Pinkham is at first glance filled with paradox: a harpsichordist, organist and early music specialist who is also very much a composer of the twentieth century. As a composer, Pinkham makes extensive use of tonal resources, but has also written many works using serial techniques and many for electronic tape and organ. Pinkham s music reflects this interest in things both old and new. Daniel Pinkham was born in 1923, in Lynn, Massachusetts, descended from two very old New England families with a history of very progressive political and social views. Pinkham began piano lessons at the age of five, and began studies in organ and music theory at Phillips Andover Academy. At Andover, he also served as school carilloneur, and studied harpsichord and clavichord. He went on to Harvard University where he studied composition primarily with Walter Piston. He also studied harpsichord with several Boston-area teachers before traveling to New York for lessons with the famed Wanda Landowska. In 1948, he formed a violin-harpsichord duet with Robert Brink which concertized and toured widely, and in 1950 became the harpsichordist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1961, two severe bouts of hepatitis caused Pinkham to give up his concert career and focus more on composition. During and after his time at Harvard, he also studied composition with Aaron Copland, Nadia Boulanger, and Erich Honegger. He was also very strongly influenced by Paul Hindemith s music. Pinkham also studied organ with E. Power Biggs, but insists that he has never mastered the instrument. In 1958, Pinkham was appointed music director of King s Chapel in Boston, a historically very liberal congregation. He has also served as director of the early music program at the New England Conservatory for many years. He continues in both of these posts today. 1 In his dissertation on Pinkham s organ works, Michael Corzine lists several
Martignetti 2 characteristics of Pinkham s music, many of which apply to the Christmas Canata. The first is the use of tonality, but a tonality which can change rapidly or be easily obscured. Other general characteristics given are brevity and economy of musical materials, choice of organ registration being left to the performer, lots of interpretative markings in the score, much varying of time signatures and use of hemiola, and a generally linear texture. A careful examination of the Christmas Cantata, focusing specifically on the first movement but also looking at the overall form and other major aspects of the piece reveals many of these general characteristics at work and provides further insight into Pinkham s musical style. The Christmas Cantata is probably Daniel Pinkham s most frequently performed work. He wrote it in 1957 for the New England Conservatory Chorus, which was then conducted by Lorna Cooke devaron. The work is scored for SATB chorus and either brass quartet and organ or brass quartet and brass quintet. The first version seems to be performed more often. It is in three movements and lasts just under ten minutes. The Latin text is taken from the Propers for Christmas Day. Pinkham subtitled the piece Sinfonia Sacra, which according to Pinkham himself...recognizes the `sacred symophonies of Giovanni Gabrieli, which are primarily scored for choir and brass ensemble. 2. The first movement begins boldly, with a G pedal point in the organ and brass choir, followed by the choir and brass on a G minor pentachord. This phrase is sung and played twice, to the text, Shepherds, whom do you see? (m. 1-6). It is obvious that the beginning of the movement involves G as the pitch center. However, despite the use of the G minor pentachord, there is no functional tonal harmony here. The phrase begins on a unison G and spreads out, adding an A, then B-flat, followed by the remaining notes. This gives the listener an effect of a strong, declamatory melodic line, piling up into a wall of sound. This repeated phrase is followed by a second inversion Bb major chord,
Martignetti 3 repeated twice, on the text Tell us. Both of these excerpts provide examples of the first major element of Pinkham s style: tonal-sounding materials, but not necessarily functioning in a tonal manner. This is similar to an organ piece analysized by Corzine, the Pastorale. In the Pastorale, the tonality is established by long, loud pedal points. This piece also contains dual tonality, and the second tonality is established in the same way (Corzine 26). The Bb chord lies over a G pedal point and immediately follows the pentachord at the end of the first phrase. This sonority comes out of nowhere, and departs as rapidly as it comes since it is followed by a unison G again in all parts. Later on in the first movement, at the allegro in m. 17, is a passage which gives the listener a clue why Pinkham subtitled this piece Sinfonia Sacra. From m. 17-39, the voices sing very simple, tonal sounding material, starting out in unison, then going to G major to D minor, giving the impression of Dorian mode (m. 22-24), then using an (0257) tetrachord again, which was used previously in m. 3 and 6. In m. 24, this changes to a Bb major chord with a G in it, and in the next measure changes to first D major and then D minor chords. M. 26 could be interpreted as an Am dominant seventh chord with a D thrown in. This leads to a Bb chord, then going to D major. So, the overall structure of the vocal part (and the organ, which doubles it for most of this passage) seems tonal although there is never actually a V-I cadence or similar structural devices (see Example 1): i - I - v - ii 7 - III - V - v. This is not a coherent tonal progression, and any effects of coherence it might provide the listener are ruined by the brass lines which continually interrupt the choir s proclamation of We saw Him who was born. Pinkham does not indicate that this passage should involve a physical separation (the cori spezzazi of Gabrieli) but the resemblance is more then clear. The brass writing in m. 17-29 serves as a fine example of another of the major
Martignetti 4 characteristics of Pinkham s music which Corzine gives - a generally linear texture. It is clear here that Pinkham is thinking here more of horizontal line rather then vertical harmony. The trumpets and trombone lines in m. 18 both emphasize the pitch center of G, and end a major second apart under the chorus entrance. The first half of this figure is repeated in m. 20. The next brass entrance, in m. 22, involves the trombones arpeggiating an F major chord, and the trumpets playing a 6-note fragment clearly drawn from the G major scale. This figure is repeated in m. 24-25. Once again the frequent use of major seconds between these two instruments produces an effect of mild dissonance. At m. 30, a four-measure passage for brass and organ only begins, reiterating much of the thematic material already presented in the preceding passage. The alternation between B-flat and B-natural in m. 31-33 seeks to obscure any notion of tonality, while the trombones outline mostly a B-flat major chord. The chorus reenters in unison, singing material which first appeared in m. 17, which implies G minor, while the trombones and organ accompany with a Gm 7 chord (or, alternatively, another B-flat major chord over a G pedal point.. Once again, Pinkham makes use of notes a half step apart in the brass to keep the listener from hearing true tonality. In m. 35-36, Pinkham once again makes extensive use of half-steps to provide dissonance (C and C-sharp occurring simultaneously, G-sharp and G-natural following each other in the trumpet part, and so on. The brass writing in m. 35-39 grows progressively more dissonant until the full chorus enters in measure 40. For the first time since the opening of the piece, all parts have almost exclusively the same melodic and harmonic material. This continues up to measure 55, when another very lengthy, dissonant brass interlude takes over. This first choral and instrumental passage (m. 40-44) uses triadic chords exclusively, except for the passing tones in measure 43. However, a Roman numeral analysis leads almost nothing coherent: I IV II I v I VII VII II. Here is the closest thing seen so far to a V-I cadence, but it is minor v to major I, so the defining leading tone is not present. By the
Martignetti 5 end of measure 44, it is clear that the note A is now very important. On the phrase And a chorus of angels, the music alternates between D minor and A major, seemingly setting up a new V-I relationship even though there was no conventional modulation but an abrupt shift. At m. 49, however, this new relationship disappears with the introduction of A minor, followed by G minor in measure 50. This then leads to a passage in B-flat major (m. 51-52), then shifting to B-flat minor, and finally ending on an F major/minor chord, since although the chorus sings the major third, the brass and organ play both the major and minor third; another example of Pinkham s use of half steps to obscure an obviously tonal chord. At m. 56, the second long brass interlude begins with the F major/minor hybrid in m. 56 and 57 (in 57, only in the organ part) This passage is some of the most dissonant writing in the piece, and yet many established twentieth century techniques of analysis are of limited use in this passage. Pinkham later wrote serial works, and became known for taking a row, using its transpositions, inversions, retrograde, and retrograde inversions, but harmonizing the row with tonal-sounding sonorities. However, he himself has clearly stated that he did not start writing serial works seriously until about ten years after this piece was written. This passage is most easily examined, like Stravinsky s Rite of Spring as a collection of tonal chords combined together to produce a dissonant sound. Thus, a measure by measure examination of this interlude is necessary. The interlude begins with the F major/minor hybrid, then changing to a C chord over a B-flat pedal in the organ, with a juxtaposition of F and G-flat in the brass - another use of the minor second. (m. 58). This leads to a C-major/minor hybrid in m. 59, which in measure 60 is a mixture of C-major and D-flat-minor; once again, a significant use of half steps. The remainder of this passage in the organ consists of the mixture of a firstinversion B-major chord with the notes E and C-sharp. This changes to an E-major chord
Martignetti 6 in measure 63, and the writing is fairly consonant for the rest of the passage. The chorus enters in measure 68, using material from m. 17, and the brass and organ also recycle material from measure 17 in m. 68. Another characteristic of Pinkham s music cited by Corzine is economy of materials used. So much of this first movement is sparse, and here material is reprised in order to emphasize a textual connection; the shepherds have seen he who is born, and their response is alleluia. The chorus rises to the highest tessitura in the piece thus far in measure 72, and during this, the highest (and thus, in performance one of the loudest) sections of the piece so far, the brass and organ are at their most complex and dissonant. While the chorus sings a unison high E, the eighth note motion in the brass is primarily G major/minor (both B-flat and B-natural are used extensively), with a B-flat chord in the organ, (with the F doubled in the brass) plus an E both in the organ and in the trumpet to provide support for the chorus. At measure 75, the piece finally breaks out into joy. here it is clearly in B-flat major until measure 79. Instead of anitphonal effects using the choir and brass, low voices and high voices alternate, supported by the brass and organ all the way. The organ and second trombone provide a B-flat pedal point and the first trumpet supports the melody, while the second trumpet and the top staff of the organ arpeggiate what should be a B-flat chord, but instead a chord consisting of F, B-flat, and E-flat. The E-flat seems to be present solely to clash with the D s is the choral parts. At measure 83, the piece enters B-major. For the first time in this movement, the harmonies imply a completely unambigouous sense of tonic, although Pinkham has arrived there from some ambiguous chord, which here I label a G-dominant seven in measure 82, simply a common-tone modulation using the B found in both chords. The clear, unambiguous sense of B- major lasts for a mere two bars, and the trombone line in m. 85 introduces a multitude of accidentials, and the chorus sings a final, hushed alleluia, and the trumpets come in
Martignetti 7 with a B-minor chord which then changes quickly to B-major. So, the first movement is clearly tonal, but although it starts in G and ends in B, it is simply a succession of unrelated tonalities, going from G to B and along the way containing episodes in D, F and B-flat minor. The movement uses tonal harmonies but virtually none of them are actually functional. The overall harmonic structure of the piece is more logical, however: the first movement starts in G and ends in B, and the second movement starts in D-dorian and ends with a D-major chord, and the third movement begins and ends in G-major (the repeating chorus is in G, and the verses start out in G but get more and more mixed as the movement proceeds). So, the large structure of the piece spells out a G-major triad: G, B, D, G. Thus, there is clearly a logic to Pinkham s plan for the piece even though so much of the harmony does not function in a context and phrases and frequent meter changes give the listener a feeling of instability. Although not perhaps as complex as the first movement, the second and third movements both contain much of interest and are worthy of some examination and fairly general comments. The second movement is deliberately medieval-sounding, beginning in the Dorian mode. The text of the second movement, O, great mystery and wonderous sacrament... 3, has been a favorite of composers ever since the Renaissance; de Victoria has written a very famous setting of it. The brass and organ introduction is clearly in the Dorian mode, but upon the first vocal entrance this is altered, with the presence of an F- sharp, : resolving to an F-natural, but then ruined again with an E-flat. Numerous other accidentials keep altering the Dorian mode, but overall, most of the second movement is principally in Dorian, especially the brass parts. All this yields a richly chromatic melody, and drives home a point. Just as Pinkham s later approach to serialism was somewhat relaxed; for example, using a row in his unpublished Prelude and Chaconne (1953) for organ, but using it as a ground bass instead of developing it serially
Martignetti 8 (Corzine 102), or frequently leaving out notes in a row, here he is more concerned with the getting the effect he wants across. The effect of Dorian mode is more important to him then actually using strict Dorian mode, and upon first hearing this the first half or so of this movement, the listener is easily convinced that it is in Dorian mode, despite the chromaticism found in the melodic line in particular. The melismatic settings of much of the text, the D pedal point in the organ, and the extensive but not exclusive use of Dorian mode all combine to make this setting of great mystery truly mysterious. The movement gets more and more harmonically complex towards the end (m. 44-52), but again returns to the Dorian mode at the end (m. 53-62), where it remains truly in the Dorian mode until the addition of the F-sharp in the organ in measure 61. The chord has gone from D-minor to D-major, and the picardy third adds to the modal effect, and, further, provides a dominant for the first chord of the third movement, arguably the first true dominant-tonic cadence in the entire piece. The third movement consists of a repeating chorus, which is the first major use of truly functional tonality in the piece, alternating with verses. The first verse is clearly in G major, but the verses get less and less functionally tonal as the movement goes on. A Roman numeral analysis of the passage following the lament bass which begins the chorus yields the following, with a couple of non-chord tones omitted: I, IV, I, bvii7, V, vi, V, IV, V, I - clearly the longest fully functional tonal progression seen in the work thus far. The first verse, except for one B-flat in the alto (m. 8), is completely in G- major. The second verse begins in E-major - VI to G major, and then modulates quickly through C major, and back to G major. The third and final verse is the most dissonant and complex of the three, beginning on an F major chord, and going through B-major, C- minor, and back to G-major. The final chorus is slightly different from the others, and interestingly enough, ends with an E-flat major chord proceeding to an F-major chord going to a G-major chord. This strange sort of cadence proves extremely effective, and
Martignetti 9 is indicative of another element of Pinkham style pointed out by Corzine: that his final cadences are often not dominant-tonic, but instead approach the final tonic in half-steps in several voices (Corzine 63). Here, almost all voices and instruments move a whole step, but the overall effect is somewhat similar. It has been pointed out that Pinkham is an imaginative composer but not an avant-garde composer, although he has used avant-garde techniques. His fascination with the dichotomy and tension between tonality and dissonance is another key element of his style, often adding dissonant non-chord tones to triadic structure (Corzine 263-4). Although the Christmas Cantata is one of his earliest and most conservative published choral works, elements of these two points can be clearly discerned. The work is a staple of beginning college choruses, advanced high school choruses, and large church choirs. It is accessible without being at all bland or reactionary. Pinkham at one point comments on writing for amateur groups, and unlike many composers, does not look down upon that possibility: In many ways, there is an advantage to writing for a civic orchestra, because if they can play it, when an organization like the Boston Symphony takes it, it will sound even better. (Radice 60). In the continuous struggle to find good, challenging repetoire for strong amateur groups, pieces like this are a true blessing. It shows Pinkham s fascination with early music in many ways, due to instrumentation, use of antiphony, modes, and other factors, but is definately a piece which could not have been written prior to the second half of the twentieth century.
Martignetti 10. Bibliography Corzine, Michael L. Organ Works of Daniel Pinkham. Rochester; 1979. Unpublished DMA dissertation, Eastman School of Music. Johnson, Marlowe W. A Choral Composer for Our Time: Daniel Pinkham. Music: The A.G. O. Magazine (now The American Organist) Vol. 2, No. 6 (1968). Pinkham, Daniel. Notes to Daniel Pinkham: Christmas Cantata, Wedding Cantata, Advent Cantata, Introduction, Nocturne and Rondo, String Quartet. Koch International Classics 3-7180-2H1 Pollack, Howard. A Heritage Upheld: Daniel Pinkham. Harvard Composers: Essays on Walter Piston and His Students: from Elliot Carter to Frederic Rzewski. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1992. Chapter 9, p. 189-207. Radice, Mark A. An Interview With Daniel Pinkham. The American Organist Vol. 31, No. 8 (1997), p. 56-61. NOTES 1 Howard Pollack, Harvard Composers: Essays on Walter Piston and His Students (Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1992), summarized from p. 189-198. 2 Daniel Pinkham, Notes to Daniel Pinkham: Christmas Cantata, Wdding Cantata, Advent Cantata, Introduction, Nocturne and Rondo, String Quartet. Koch International 3-7180 -2H1. 3 Latin translations are generally my own, since the singable translation provided in the score is often inaccurate.