1. NYU Theory IV - Trythall Debussy: The Sunken Cathedral Analysis Melodic Foreground/Harmonic Background 1. The TOP STAVE outlines the itch collection of the Mode which sulies the notes for the melodic material.. The numbers below the notes refer to the scale stes of the mode, hence number 1 indicates the "tonic" of the mode. This hierarchy is "defined" by context - in articular by bass note. Still it can be ambiguous - intentionally so. Literally saying these numbers with itch should confirm or deny the imression one has of the hierarachy.. The white, diamond shaed notes indicate a melodic note also aears in the accomanying harmony. This indicates the general sonority which has been extracted from the itch collection - the density dyads, trichords, etc., the interval content nds, rds, ths, etc - and suggests ossible harmonic interretations.. CT common tone indicates a note is held in common with the receding mode, the following mode CT>, both > This ermits judging the relation between the neighboring itch collections - the relative "freshness" of the notes. Furthermore common tones tend to be imortant melodic tones - emhasized to facilitate chord changes, modulations, etc. The PIANO STAVE underneath denotes the real harmonic situation, i.e. the chords and their actual disosition in score.. The Chord Symbols and Tonal Chordal analysis refer to the traditional harmonic relations Debussy uses - though often very well camouflaged through unusual voicings, surrising interrutions of continuity, etc.. The relation between the melodic foreground and the harmonic background changes constantly. The accomanying chords vary in their density intervalically and in their disosition and doubling. The melody also may be "doubled" and, may also be thickened by arallel chords laning thereby usuring the role of the background harmony. B@ B@ B@ Exlanation of symbols used in analysis: G:1 G:1 e: G Major Pentatonic G Major Pentatonic e minor entatonic Melodic line is thickened by dyads in ths/ths. It slowly "riles out" from rimary sonority. Dyads of ths and ths only gives "middle ages" feel - just using the "shell" of triad. A fresh scale "tonicizes" E melodically, CD< $ $ $ E Pedal oint E: 8 Passing Tone $ E Lydian resented as symmetrical overlaing sub-collections Melody, more "tune" like. doubled in octaves. 8 touch of tertian Harmony e is formed, but D then resolves u a ste to E - was a retardation Transosition melodically "tonicizes" B - the th degree of E $ $ $ $ This section rolongs E Cadence with a Melodic ornamentation of E and B - 1st and th degrees of E E:
. NYU Theory IV - Trythall > C: Return to G Maj. Pentatonic now re-defined by C Bass Melodic "rile" now uses "quintal" trichords, thicker sound Passing Tones Trichords are now Triads as well, "sweeten" harmony $ $ $ $ $ CMaj sonority is formed, but C is actually another Passing Tone going towards B - the Dominant of the receding e. In this sense, The CMaj could be seen as a flat IIMaj chord in B. $ $ $ B:1 B:1 B Major entatonic i.e. more of the melodic tones are suorted harmonically, thicken harmony Melodic filler is constructed in an ongoing cycle of melodic Arches, "swells", and then shorter, ascending "waves" $ $ B: I $ $ $' $' $ $ $ ' Resolution to BMajor. The Cadence is elided immediately moving on. # # # # ### # Eb:1 Eb Major entatonic # # Eb:1 B # ' ' i.e. more of the melodic tones are suorted harmonically ' Eb9 ' Modulate u a Major rd Modulate u a Major rd
. NYU Theory IV - Trythall d:1 d minor entatonic* C: ii/v rolongation d.1 Return to oening G D G sonority but now interreted as V of C d dorian melodically fill in the"holes" of entatonic scale NB. the harmony does NOT use these "tendency" tones Contrast Oen, rimarily ths harmony with Closed, tertian harmony *NB: The Literal Sequence would have used a G Major Pentatonic over the G Bass, but Debussy uses the d minor Pentatonic encouraging a traditional harmonic interretation of the sonority as a Suertonic chord over a G Dominant edal. This gives the sonority an "urgency" for resolution which earlier sonorities did not ossess. d:1 d minor Pentatonic,,,,,,,, C: ii/v rolongation continues building ressure for resolution C: 1 C Ionian,, All are CT excet Bb C:1 C Mixolydian,,,,, C. V The melody is now a "real" melody: self contained, with a clear harmonic shae a "quasi" coulet of 1 bars length C Pedal Point I I I CHORALE: Triadic Planing "thickens" melody organum like, hence the Harmonic activity moves to the melodic foreground. Literally, the Church comes into view in the foreground layer - the earlier entatonic "filler" material "ebbing and flowing" around the background Harmony Debussy's "mist" or "wave" imagery evaorates. # ',,
. NYU Theory IV - Trythall # All are CT, F Ionian is a rotation of C Mixolydian F:1 C:1 F Ionian C Ionian What seemed a momentary melodic inflection becomes a tonicization. Melody reads F: I over C Pedal ' Return to Ionian: all are CT excet B natural C: 1,, ' Bass reads C: IV/ Transition eliminates rd degree E, returns to trichords in ths, ths Sus, i.e. assage "thins out" sound intervalically It allows time to "forget" C Ionian reduced to C,D,G only, recover from the excitement of Chorale and slowly reares a mysterious transition to a comletely fresh mode see analogous chord change Bar 1-1 ' # ' ' ' Passing tone # ' ' Note both assing tones are foreign to C Ionian, i.e. not "tonal" assing tones C:I $ Passing tone transformed enharmonically to G# edal No CT other than bass note, all fresh $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ g#: 8 g#:1 g#:1 g# Aeolian sudbivided in two symmetrical overlaing sub-collections NB: Pitch Collection from Bar now re-interreted by G# Bass $ $ $ $ $ ' g#: ii / half diminished th chord over g# edal $
. NYU Theory IV - Trythall $ $ $ $ $ f#:1 $ k $ $ f# dorian melody uses the entatonic grou f#,g#, b,c#,d#- Harmony uses all $ $ $ $ $ insisting articularly on the A natural which colors the accomanying sonority strongly c#: iv/v Once more the ii/v sonority rovides harmonic tension $ $ $ ' $ c#: ii /V ' ' $ all CT, simly a rotation u a ste g#1 g# hrygian $ $ Parallel V chords "lane" the melody, harmonic "non sequitors",,,, $ $ $ $ $ ' $ $ $ ' which return to the traditional resolution of ii /V to V c#: V VofV V IVofV ' c#: V $ ## $ ' ' Analysis of Passage's original harmonic model: Common chord enharmonic modulation: c# V enharmonically becomes an Augmented th chord in C C: bvi bvi French Aug. V IS OMITTED Examle of maintaining the harmonic logic, but using unusual voice leadings to disguise it ' ' C: bvi see exlanation above # $ ' $ $ ' ' ' k k,, ú This is another long transition with much the same reason as the earlier assage.
. NYU Theory IV - Trythall >C T C: 1 C: Ionian C: 1,, All are CT excet for Bb C:1 C Mixolydian,,,, # F:1 All are CT F: Ionian # All are CT excet Bnatural C: 1 C Ionian õ ' as before Now Uses Trichords and quartal harmony to thicken line All are CT but have removed and, the "tendency" tones C:1 C:1 C Pentatonic ', a - resolution Sus Note he omits final cadence chord of Chorale bar 8 - wants to kee it fresh for final cadence of iece.