BARTOK - FROM THE ISLE OF BALI
By N. V. Horton
This page was last edited on 16/01/06
1 - OSTINATO
Melody
- Restricted range.
- Pentatonic scale.
- Patterned.
- Not very important.
- Motivic.
- Since of continuity.
Rhythm
- Sense of pulse.
- Sense of activity.
- Very strong.
- Creates hypnotic effect.
- Complexity of overlapping effects.
- Different rhythmic layers:-
- Sense of underlining regularity.
Harmony
- Related to the pentatonic scale used.
- The underlining harmony is static - there is no sense of progress.
- Adds colour - but not a very important element as in western music.
Texture
- Layered texture.
- Combination of many different ideas.
- Polyphonic texture.
- Heterophony.
- Made up of repeated motifs.
Timbre
- Tuned percussion.
- Gongs.
- Metallophones.
- Drums.
- Cymbals.
- Bells.
- Each had a particular function in the overall texture.
- This is percussive music. The melodies are percussive melodies.
Form
- Repeated.
- Continuous.
- Ostinato.
2. SECTION OF BALINESE INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION
Melody
- Pentatonic scale.
- Restricted range.
- Repeated notes.
- Patterned.
- Repetition of patterns.
- Angularity.
- Percussive in effect - suited to the timbre of percussion instruments.
Rhythm
- Note grouping in 7 and 5.
- Regularity
- Produces mesmeric effect.
Form
- Motivic.
- Slight variation.
- Mosaic structure.
3. From the Isle of Bali - BARTOK
Melody
- Of primary importance.
- Patterned.
- Restricted register (within each section and phrase, although the piece uses quite a lot of the piano)
- Motivic.
- See how Bartok 'juggles' with the melody.
- Note 2nds and 4ths.
- Angularity.
- Tight knit and chromatic.
- Tritone.
- Shape is very important.
- Sense of symmetry and balance.
- Inversion.
- Transformation.
- Pentatonic.
- Synthetic scale - octatonic. [Significant 20th century feature]
Rhythm
- Irregularity of grouping.
- Displaced accents.
- Cross rhythm - polymetre.
- Strength of - with accents.
Harmony
- As mainly in two parts somewhat incidental.
- Importance of 4th and tritone.
- The result of melodic pentatonic influence.
- Bitonal effect.
- Melodic totality by nodal point.
- Opened out in the last section with into valid modification - sounds more 'majorish'.
- Predominantly consonant.
- Tonal - but new type of tonality - not diatonic - extended tonality. It is tonality that helps to secure a sense of progression - it has an underlining system.
Texture
- Monophonic.
- 2 part texture.
- Unusual two octave doubling.
- Contrapuntal texture.
- Canon at the sixth - ordained possibly by harmonic considerations inherent in the theme.
- Canon by inversion.
- Free counterpoint.
Timbre
- Unusual use of piano.
- High two octave doubling.
- Reinforces structure.
- Closer to become more complex and overlapping.
- Lower to create more emphatic at the end.
Form
- Motivic.
- Sense of symmetry, balance, logic.
- Highly contrived - intellectual.
- Maintains sense of flexibility.
- Structure very clearly articulated (classical approach).
- Contrapuntal structural devices used.
- Developmental form.
- Ideas in a state of flux - continuous regeneration (Bachian in principle).
Influences
- "Folk" music - Bali.
- Bach - counterpoint.
- Beethoven - techniques of development.
- Debussy - timbre of piano exploited.
Balinese Influence
- Restricted range of melody.
- Pentatonic scale.
- Patterned.
- Ostinato like.
- Repetition.
- Motivic.
- Sense of continuity.
- Percussive nature of melody.
- Certain melodic cells.
Non Balinese Traits
- Much less regular/hypnotic effect.
- Much more development.
- More sophisticated harmonic system - with a sense of progression.
- Contrapuntal textures using canon.
Effect
- Sense of tension being worked out.
- Varies in level of tension.