A2 APPLIED SET WORKS

Notes on A2 Applied Set Works

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  • Created by: Annie
  • Created on: 30-04-12 13:04

Stravinsky - Pulcinella Suite: 'Sinfonia', 'Gavott

Background

  • First performed on 15th May 1920
  • Commissioned by Serge Diaghilev, the impresario who founded the Ballet Russes
  • Pulcinella's relatively modest demands, in contrast to the huge orchestral demands of the ballet scores preceding WWI, are indicative of the reduced scale of Diaghilev's post-war enterprises
  • This work is neoclassical in style
  • Reflects a reaction against the emotionalism and 'giganticism' of late-Romantic music
  • It uses 18th-century models
  • The Sinfonia is based on music by Gallo
  • The Gavotta is extracted from keyboard variations by Monza
  • The Vivo is built on a cello sonata by Pergolesi
  • Stravinsky goes further than arranging his 18th-century materials; instead, though retaining the broad outlines of the originals, he 'recomposes' them
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Stravinsky - Pulcinella Suite: 'Sinfonia', 'Gavott

Rhythm and Metre

  • The basic rhythmic schemes and metres are disrupted by:
  • Heavy off-beat accents (e.g. Vivo, bar 33)
  • Persistent syncopation (e.g. Sinfonia, bars 17-18 in violin ii)
  • Bars with differing time signatures (e.g. Sinfonia, bars 10-12)
  • Introduction of long sustained notes at odds with 'foreground' music (e.g. Sinfonia, bars 7-9)
  • Irregular groupings of shorter notes (e.g. Gavotta, groups of 5 (bar 27), 9 (bar 31), 11 (bar 73), 12 (bar 78)
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