Musicology essay - Octobre (October): Chant d\'automne (Autumn Song) PDF

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musicology essay
Octobre (October): Chant d'automne (Autumn Song)
By Tchaikovsky...

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Octobre (October): Chant d'automne  (Autumn Song) How does Tchaikovsky encapsulate the melancholy nature of tolstoy’s verse through musical characteristics of the romantic period?

A sense of musical empathy is rendered through the expressionist musical qualities of the romantic period, establishing a vivid imagery of Tolstoy’s verse: “Autumn, our poor garden is all falling down,/the yellowed leaves are flying in the wind”. Tchaikovsky’s October: Autumn Song (1876) is the 10th piece of The  Seasons (Op.37a), a set of twelve short character pieces for solo piano. Through October , Tchaikovsky reimagines Tolstoy’s interpretation of Russian autumn, painting a vivid image of falling leaves and nostalgia. The portrayal of autumn is achieved through his musical language that relies majorly on harmonic intensity and repetition of material to generate emotion towards the climax. Furthermore, the utilisation of rhetorical bridges between clearly demarcated sections, overlaying textures and exploration of pitch that marks the essence of October ’ s wistful nature.

Quote 1: Bars 1-4, opening phrase: first 4-bar grouping of section A1 The opening theme of October i s demarcated by a nine-measure phrase consisting of a 4+5 grouping structure, where the initial idea (Quote 1) displays a bleak atmosphere through its sense of solemn stillness. The image of fading autumn is established through the use of three voices: soprano, alto and tenor, with soprano holding the melody while the alto and tenor forms chordal accompaniments. The melody is shaped in a series of descending motion (F-E-D-G#, D-C-B -F#, E-D-C#), which captures the declining movement of leaves. This notion is further reinforced with its syncopation that interrupts the regular flow of rhythm outlined by the accompaniment, which naturally leads to a sense of rhythmic stress on the melody while creating an impression of irregularity, marking the distorted flow of the falling leaves. The tonality of D minor (with suggestions of the subdominant: G minor, in b.2-3), together with the ‘andante doloroso e molto cantabile’  tempo marking evokes a melancholy atmosphere, where ‘cantabile’  promotes a ‘song-like’ or lyrical manner, which is characteristic of Romantic music. This, when combined with legato, generates the fluid form of autumn winds and rolling leaves. Additionally, the image of stillness is effectively achieved through the p  dynamics and thin texture, portraying a sense of departure of the season.

Quote 2: Bars 5-9, opening phrase: second 5-bar grouping of section A1 The next 5 bars of the opening idea (Quote 2) provides the opportunity to build the melody and supporting harmonies, furthering the picture of the extinction of autumn, into the passage to winter. Tchaikovsky conveys an increasing intensity through melodic repetition in bars 5-6, where the melody remains in the soprano. Again, hints of G minor divert consistency in the tone, creating a sense of irregularity and unease. Here, a new idea is presented in a triplet rhythmic motif, this time following the rhythm outlined by the accompaniment, which, juxtaposed with the rhythmic inconsistency of the previous phrase (Quote 1), induces a brief sense of comfort and composure. This generates a greater contrast with the syncopation in bar 8, where the feeling of unease returns. October’s refrained nature is revealed through this syncopation, together with the accent on the second quaver of each triplet, which especially builds an impression of torment. Further, this is reinforced through the increasing dynamics and expanding pitch range, where the ‘strong’ beats of the accompaniment (1st, 3rd) in bars 5 to 7 descends an octave from a G to a lower G, heightening tension. From bars 7-8, this propelling drive is brought down by the use of descending chromaticism, along with the diminishing dynamics, ending at p , which effectively leads into the next passage.

Quote 3: Bars 9-12, 2nd phrase, section A1 Immediately the theme of falling leaves returns (Quote 3), where bars 9-12 presents a variation of the first 4 bars of the opening phrase. The melody, this time played by the tenor, is made more prominent by the ‘marcato’ e  xpressive marking while the harmonic scheme of the chordal accompaniment also remains unchanged, only with slight variation. However, a new countermelody in the right hand is introduced, dominated by syncopation, generating more variety and hence a flexibility in the music, which is typical of the Romantic period. Ultimately, this recurring theme develops the overarching shape of the vivid imagery of autumn, where repetition allows the construction of additional material to existing phrases.

Quote 4: Bars 13-16, 2nd phrase, section A1

At the conclusion of section A (Quote 4), Tchaikovsky brings a sudden tenderness to the music, achieved through bars 13-14, which establishes the frail nature of autumn. While the melody in the tenor is retained with ‘poco piu f**’  dynamics, the countermelody notably produces the notion of softness through tenuto markings, which reinforces compassion. This is also represented as Tchaikovsky reintroduces the triplet rhythmic motif of bars 5-8 (Quote 2), particularly the ascending scale of bars 5-6, driving a sense of nostalgia. Here, the sequence between bars 13-14 especially proves effective through the change of tone colour from F major (relative major) and D minor, as well as the call and answer between the melody and countermelody. In bars 15-16, the descending chromatic scale of bar 8 returns with its receding complexion, once again, established through the accents and diminishing dynamics and leading into section B, where the perfect cadence in bar 16 marks the end of the section.

Quote 5: Bars 17-21, 1st phrase, section B Tchaikovsky builds emotion through the opening 5 bars of section B (Quote 5), supported by his use of repetition. The phrase begins softly with another return of the ascending triplet motif, assisted by simple chordal accompaniment in the left hand, however this time in F major. In bar 18, he implements a countermelody in the alto voice which is rhythmically inverted from the melody in soprano, where the countermelody consists of 6 triplet quavers, followed by 2 crotchets, while the melody exists in 2 crotchets followed by 6 triplet quaver beats. Here, the continuous triplet motion is sustained from the previous bar, with the alto and soprano conducting this triplet rhythm in turns - the countermelody ‘passing’ the triplets to the melody. This is repeated from bar 19, however, the key change to the tonic (Dm) in bar 20 stands as a marker for the rise of emotion which concludes with an outburst in the last chord of the phrase. This is reinforced through the increasing dynamics and rising pitch register made effective through the sequence in the right hand of the two bars. The phrase ends with an imperfect cadence (I6 -V), where harmonic intensity and thickening texture creates a climax which is sustained to emphasise and maintain the emotion. Immediately following the chord is the single

note of A (dominant), where the contrast in texture, again, highlights the sense of strain and refrainment.

Quote 6: Bars 22-29, 2nd phrase, section B The second phrase of section B is clearly demarcated from the other sections of October , characterising a passionate outcry, continued from the end of the 1st phrase (Quote 5). Again, Tchaikovsky utilises sequencing in bars 22-23 of the melody to effectively bring down the register whilst maintaining the shape of the music. Hence, we can see that the register declines by a tone in each bar (A-G-F), ultimately dropping to a lower G in bar 25. Further, there is imitation between the melody (A-G -F#-A-G) and countermelody in the tenor (F -E-D#-F-E), producing the impression of an echo that is gradually subdued into silence, of which is portrayed in bar 25, where the countermelody withdraws completely, leaving only the melody and accompaniment. This withdrawal is also reinforced through the thinning texture and declining register. Repetition of bars 22-25 is utilised once more in bars 26-29, where Tchaikovsky develops the character and shape of the music by encouraging the performer to deliver a distinct, presumably contrasting, interpretation of bars with the same musical content.

Quote 7: Bars 30-33, 3rd phrase, section B At the conclusion of section B, Tchaikovsky exemplifies the idea of nostalgia through fragmented reminiscences of the previous phrase (Quote 6). This is highlighted by the call and response between the right and left hand, where the left hand imitates the melody of the right. This briefly reaches a peak at bar 32 through the rising peak and growing dynamics, then drops back down, the pitch, dynamics and tempo slowly receding, portraying the feeling of the music dying away.

Quote 8: Bars 50-56, coda, section A2, The coda displays an epitome of the melancholy nature of autumn. Now in D minor, the tonic pedal acts as a driving element, maintaining the pulse which gradually weakens towards the end, where it finishes with a single line of notes, illustrating a sense of emptiness. Further, the dynamics becomes increasingly subdued from pp  to pppp, the ‘morendo**’ e  xpressive marking signifying the demise of autumn, depicting an image of a bare garden**, dying away into winter. This is also accentuated through the unharmonised dominant ending note that is held to give a sense of fragility and mourning. Tchaikovsky portrays the vivid imagery of Tolstoy’s verse which illustrates the melancholy nature of autumn by incorporating Romantic techniques of rich, overlaying textures, repetition of phrases and lyrical voicing, which effectively formed the shape of October t hrough his musical language. Although seeming like a simple piece to conduct at first glance, Tchaikovsky

suggests through his repetitions, that performers should give variety to justify the delicate, refrained nature of October t o capture its intensifying emotion and musical empathy. Hence, the listener is drawn into the illusion of a real experience, judging the emotions to be as plausible and intense as experiencenced in reality, captivated by the wistful qualities of the expiring Russian autumn. delicate Faint subdued demise

Intensifying emotion escalate refrained nature in phrases Passionate outcry empathy Such an interpretation can be justified purely from looking at Tchaikovsky’s compositional technique — repetition is one of his chief tools of intensifying emotion. In one of the most intense, magical moments of Tchaikovsky’s music — the last movement of his Sixth Symphony, melodic repetition contributes considerably to the impact of the music The accents in bar 8 are particularly effective — they further create the impression that some kind of torment is being reflected in the music. → strain, held back, refrainment Intro notes

Tchaikovsky’s brilliant achievement is the use of repetition with only slight variation, the marshalling of overlays and audibly discrete supplementary materials on common ground, and the effective creation of rhetorical bridges between clearly demarcated sections [i.e., if applied to “October”, the middle section is clearly distinct from the outer sections]. Precisely because there is no Brahmsian transformation, the listener is drawn convincingly into the artificially created illusion of real experience of an emotional state of being. The  listener judges the emotions to be as plausible, as intense, and as realistic as those he or she has experienced in real time. refrain-like phrase of mostly ascending notes that is the heart of its sad nature. Conclusion Recurring themes Repetition of phrases Legato Overlaying voices (texture)

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