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Chamber Music 1
Paper Assignment
Student: Giuseppe Buscemi
Chamber work: Sonata for Guitar and Harpsichord by Manuel Maria Ponce
Introduction:
Chamber music for guitar has always been a difficult challenge both for composers
and performers: the guitar is an instrument endowed with a small sound, and since chamber
music expects the interaction between at least two instruments, the composer must find the
proper balance to solve the discrepancy of sound between the guitar and the majority of the
other instruments.
In order to achieve this result, the composer must look for the most appropriate and careful
way to write for an instrument that plays along with the guitar: the aim is to create an
efficient balance of sound that allows the combination of two or more instruments that have
different possibilities (or limits) in terms of dynamic amplitudes.
The creation of such chamber music piece is a delicate process that must be focused on an
accurate distribution of the sound material: the instruments must not cover each other, but
instead they have to reach the proper balance to allow the natural flowing of the music.
This means that the composer must possess absolute control and knowledge about the
possibilities of the instrumentation in order to:
avoid a writing style that can leave the guitar completely covered by the sound of the
other instrument;
create a context where the guitar interacts with an instrument that has more than a
marginal accompanying and sustaining role.
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Manuel Maria Ponce has been one of the most important guitar composers of the XX century,
not only for solo works (he composed also for piano solo, not only for guitar), Mexican folk
songs and concertos (apart from the guitar concerto, he wrote two other concertos for violin
and piano) but also for chamber music: he accomplished the difficult artistic task of writing
chamber music for guitar with a remarkable result.
His Sonata for Guitar and Harpsichord (composed in 1926) puts together two instruments
that have a similar way to produce the sound (plucked strings) but that have completely
different tone qualities, dynamics and timbres.
Furthermore, the Sonata is also the perfect work to demonstrate the result of an intelligent
management of the musical material, that is properly displayed between the guitar and the
harpsichord with no inappropriate subordination of one instrument to the other: both
instruments work on the same level; they cooperate towards the same musical purpose.
The creation of the balance:
The hardest part of a chamber music composition that includes the guitar is to find the
proper balance: in order to achieve this result, the management of score and texture is
fundamental. There are multiple aspects that need to be taken in consideration.
The diversification of dynamics is one of the most delicate features: the instruments must
alternate carefully between the use of all the different shades of dynamics, especially when
the thematic material is presented by the guitar, which is the media endowed by the smallest
sound in most of the chamber groups.
The quantity of sounds is also another important aspect. Polyphonic instruments have the
possibility to produce multiple sounds at the same time, creating a great variety in the
harmonic texture: nevertheless, an overabundant quantity of sounds can lead to an alteration
of the proper balance, ending with the result of having the guitar covered by the other
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instrument. Moreover, the distribution of the thematic material needs to be planned carefully:
both instruments must cooperate to maintain a clear equilibrium during the presentation of
the material.
All three movements of the Sonata clearly show the research of balance throughout the
texture by following the precautions just described.
Going into details, the first movement gives proof of a successful texture management
during the exposition of the main theme by the guitar.
The first feature adopted to reach the proper balance is represented by the usage of dynamics.
The harpsichord has always a p or even a pp: this expedient helps the guitar to display the
main theme in a clearer way. Even during the second measure, while the harpsichord
dynamic is on f, the harpsichord plays only with the right hand, reducing the number of
sounds that could cover the guitar.
Staccato and rests are also two important features that contribute to an easier exposition by
the guitar: a shorter sound has in fact less resonance, while the rests are used to create the
effect of alternation between the two instruments in bars 7 and 8.
The transition (measures 13-18) is led by the guitar while the harpsichord provides the rest of
the harmony with longer note-values (bars 13-14) or with arpeggios alternated with rests
(bars 15-16): both procedures are used to sustain the guitar with a light dynamic but at the
same time with a clear and defined harmonic context.
During the exposition of the secondary theme, the harpsichord’s dynamic is maintained on a
pp, but when it comes the point to switch the roles, the harpsichord has a f to lead the second
exposition of the secondary theme.
The development of the first movement starts with the canon: both instruments are on a
dynamic of p: this amplitude homogeneity makes easier to follow the canon. Furthermore, in
the second part of the development section (from bar 56), the choice to present the thematic
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material first on the guitar and then on the harpsichord gives the possibility to perceive all the
imitations distinctly.
The second movement shows another expedient to present the main material using both
instruments: the theme is in fact fragmented into four parts that are alternated between the
harpsichord (first and third measure) and the guitar (second and fourth measure). In this way
the material is presented in the clearest way for its first time and the subsequent repetitions
can be enriched with a more varied harmonization (bars 5-8) or accompanying the main
material with a more lyrical line on the guitar (bars 9-12).
The central B section leaves more space to the harpsichord: its dynamics now ranges from pp
to a f, while the guitar provides a support to the harmonic material, following the harpsichord
dynamic.
The third movement resolves the dynamic problem with a clear alternation between the two
themes: every appearance of the harpsichord theme is in fact accompanied by the same
harmonic structure provided by the guitar, while the guitar theme is combined with rests and
short note-values in the harpsichord part.
All these expedients discussed till now are very useful to create the essential
equilibrium between the guitar and most of the other instruments.
Manuel Maria Ponce successfully won the challenge to create the proper balance for the
Sonata: in every part of the piece, the proportion between the two instruments is clear, the
main materials are always intelligible and the distinctive contour of both media is maintained
throughout the whole composition.
This achievement in a so difficult and challenging field marks the Sonata among one of the
greatest examples of chamber music literature for guitar and harpsichord and confers Ponce
with an acknowledgement that few other composers of the twentieth century ever had.
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Analysis:
The following paragraphs are focused on the formal and structural analysis of the
three movements of the Sonata for Guitar and Harpsichord. This type of analysis will be
useful to understand the choices made by Ponce to write the piece in the most functional way
for a so intricate duo.
I movement:
The first movement of the Sonata is an Allegro moderato written in a non-canonic
sonata-form: the main discrepancy with a canonic sonata-form is represented by the different
relationship between the tonalities of the two themes, a feature that will be discussed more
deeply in the following lines.
The first movement of the Sonata can be divided in three main sections: the exposition is the
first of these sections and has the aim to present the two themes (the main and the secondary
theme) made by very different characteristics. These themes will be of fundamental
importance throughout the entire movement.
The exposition starts with the main theme, in the tone of E minor, displayed in the first 13
measures and characterized by a specific rhythmic pattern on its beginning (which from now
on will be referred as the incipit), a rhythmic and intervallic pattern that will recur many
times during the whole first movement and that will also be employed during the
development section. Because of its specific rhythmic structure, this pattern can be identified
very easily by ears.
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This pattern shows the alternation of a quaver and a couple of semiquavers for three times,
followed by an ascending scale of four semiquavers, as shown in the extract below:
Even if the incipit of the main theme is first presented by the harpsichord, the complete
exposition of the main theme is done by the guitar. In the guitar part, after the incipit showed
in bar 3, a sequence of ascending quavers leads to an imitative moment in bars 7-8, followed
by a new sequence of quavers that ends on the B major dominant chord in measure 13.
During the exposition of the main theme, the harpsichord presents many times the incipit,
specifically in bars 5, 9 ,10 and 11. The first theme is identified by a very distinctive rhythmic
aspect.
The transition to the secondary theme is located in the six bars between measure 13 and 18,
ending on the dominant chord: once again, it is possible to notice the use of the incipit in the
harpsichord part in bars 17 and 18.
The secondary theme, in E major, is first presented by the guitar; its length goes from bar 19
to 22. The shape of this secondary theme is profoundly different from the one of the main
theme; the secondary theme has in fact a more lyrical structure and it is constructed over
longer notes-values. Starting on an arpeggio of the E major seventh chord in bar 19 (E, G#,
D#), the secondary theme ends on a D# minor harmony. The canonic sonata-form would have
presented a secondary theme in the key of G major: instead, the secondary theme of the
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Sonata is in the tone of E major, so it is evident that the Sonata does not follows the canonic
rules of the sonata-form.
During the exposition of the secondary theme by the guitar, the harpsichord shows again the
incipit in all the four bars (19-23). The following two measures (23-24) represent a bridge
(where the guitar part is based on the rhythmic pattern of the incipit) that leads to a second
exposition of the secondary theme, this time done by the right hand of the harpsichord. The
tone of this second appearance of the secondary theme is now C major; the half notes of this
theme are now divided into quarter notes in order to maintain the rhythm (second half of bar
24 and bar 25). The guitar presents the incipit during the whole harpsichord exposition (2528).
The following nine measures (bars 29-37) represent the coda, that reaches the dominant (B)
in bar 34, in order to restart the exposition with the repetition in bar 37.
The development section starts in measure 38.
The development process aims to evolve the thematic material that has been previously
presented: this evolution involves the most characterizing aspects of both themes.
The development section can be divided into different parts based on the different events that
occur during the development operation. The majority of these parts show imitative processes
between the guitar and the harpsichord.
The first imitative event starts in bar 38 and it is a canon an octave higher; the melodic line
on the right hand of the harpsichord is in fact replicated by the guitar after two quarters. The
canon is broken in bars 50 and 53 (by the chords of the guitar and the sequence of quavers of
the harpsichord) and ends in measure 55.
A new imitative process starts in the following four measures (56-59) and shows a new
melodic material presented by the guitar on the mark Calmo ed espressivo: this is the best
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occasion to give the guitar the opportunity to show its delicate and refined sound without the
necessity to care about the balance, since the guitar is “alone” for some measures.
The material presented by the guitar is almost exactly repeated (except for the F# in bar 56)
in the four subsequent bars (60-63), while the harpsichord shows another melodic material
that is exposed first by the right hand and then repeated an octave lower by the left hand after
a quarter note. The material exposed by the harpsichord in bars 60-63 will be replicated by
the guitar in bars 64-67 a fourth above, while the harpsichord plays the material previously
presented by the guitar in bars 60 to 63.
In bars 68 and 70 the harpsichord shows again the incipit, which is alternated with the thrills
on both hands in bars 69-70 and 72-73: during these thrills, the guitar plays two short phrases
that are a variation of the melodic material previously shown in measures 56-59.
The next four bars show two ascending scales (G Lydian and G melodic minor) that lead to a
developed secondary theme found in measures 78-81 and 85-88.
After all these imitative and development processes, the development section is ready to be
concluded. Therefore, starting from measure 89, the harpsichord presents the incipit, that is
the model used to lead to the recapitulation: that model is in fact presented twice in its
original length (bars 89 and 91), then is shortened by half by both instruments in measures 93
and 94 and finally is presented once more by the harpsichord in a descending sequence in
bars 95 and 96, while the guitar has reached the dominant (tone of B) to start the new section.
Referring to the canonic sonata, the recapitulation is the final section and aims to
show both themes in the same tonality: in the case of the Sonata, the secondary theme is
instead presented in the key of A major, which is a different key from the E minor of the
main theme.
The recapitulation begins in measure 97: the main theme section is identical to the exposition,
so the thirteen bars between measure 97 and 109 are the same as the thirteen bars of the
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beginning of the piece. The transition, found in bars 109-114, maintains the same rhythmical
structure but changes the employed chords, that now lead to a secondary theme in the key of
A major (IV degree). The secondary theme lasts four measures (115-118) and ends on a
harmony of G# minor.
Identically to the exposition, the subsequent two bars (119-120) represent the bridge to the
second enunciation of the secondary theme done by the harpsichord, this time in the tone of F
major in bars 121-124.
The last eleven bars included between measure 125 and 135 represent the final coda of the
first movement, that is concluded by a final descending scale and two E minor chords.
II movement:
The second movement, an Andantino, represents the lyrical oasis of the entire piece.
In the tone of D minor and in a 7/4 tempo, its structure can be summarized in the form A-B-A.
The first section (A) lasts twelve measures. In the first four of these measures is
presented the thematic material that will be repeated during both the A sections: this thematic
material is formed by a group of four short and very lyrical phrases that have an identical
rhythm but with different pitches. These four phrases can be grouped in couples, creating the
alternation between an antecedent and a consequent. In both cases, the antecedent ends on the
A note (dominant) while the consequent ends on the D note (tonic). During these first four
bars, both the antecedents are presented by the harpsichord, while the consequents are
introduced by the guitar.
After this exposition, the thematic material goes entirely to the guitar on a cantando
espressivo (bars 5-8); the harmony is provided the harpsichord.
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Then the roles are inverted: between measure 9 and 12 the harpsichord takes the thematic
material, while the guitar provides a melodic line that has a particularly lyrical shape, marked
on a molto espressivo and on a dynamic of f. This last exposition of the thematic material
done by the harpsichord concludes the first section of the movement.
The second section (B) starts immediately in the tone of A major (dominant) and with
a tempo of 4/4 and also provides a change to a faster tempo (poco più mosso).
This second section does not show an evident thematic material as previously appeared in the
first section: instead, it is characterized by the presence of three similar rhythmic structures
that are given to the harpsichord, that is the instrument that leads this whole second section.
The first of these three structures can be found in measures 13 and 14 in the right hand: this
first structure is represented by a dotted semiquaver (C#), a demisemiquaver (F#) and a
quaver (E), followed by a sequence of seven groups of four semiquavers. This structure
(marked in yellow in the score) is presented a total of three times in bars 13, 15 and 17: the
first two times in the tone of A major and the third time in the tone of E major.
The second structure (marked in red) appears only once between bars 19 and 20: this second
structure is in the tone of C# minor and it is formed by two semiquavers, two tied quavers
and four demisemiquavers, that are repeated and followed by a sequence of sixteen
semiquavers.
The third structure (marked in blue in the score) is a mixture between the first and the second
structure: it has the dotted semiquaver of the first structure and the sequence of four
demisemiquavers of the second structure. Furthermore, in measures 21 and 22, this third
structure is played by both hands instead of the right hand only. The length of the third
structure is also shorter: it lasts only one measure and it is presented five times through the
bars between measure 21 and 25. The harmony employed shoes the chords of G# minor (21),
F# minor (22), B minor seventh (23), E minor (24) and E major (25), that is the dominant that
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leads to measure 26, where the first structure is shown one last time. The cadence on the tone
of A (the dominant of D) done by the guitar in measure 27 conducts then to the reprise of the
A section.
The third section comes back to the main tone of D minor and to the main tempo
(Andantino in 7/4). The section begins with an “improvisatory” line done by the guitar that is
sustained by the main thematic material played by the harpsichord; this improvisatory
moment lasts four measures (28-31). Then the thematic material is repeated by the
harpsichord along with the lyrical line of the guitar (bars 32-35).
Bar 36 shows the presence of the first structure previously seen in the second section.
The last two bars (37 and 38) present the thematic material for the last time on the guitar
harmonics and conclude the piece over a final D minor chord.
III movement:
The third and last movement of the Sonata, an Allegro non troppo e piacevole, is in
the tone of E major and has a structure that could be compared to a rondò-form: its general
structure is in fact A-B-A-C-A. The difference with the rondò-form is about the diverse
function that these sections have in this specific case: in fact, there will be no strict return to
an identical material during the repeated A sections but, instead, the material will be slightly
modified (especially in terms of length and distribution); furthermore, the number of
materials’ repetitions will be different in any of the A sections. That’s the reason why this
third movement has a rondò structure, but with a different function.
The great number of appearances of the main materials in different tones and over different
chords makes this third movement harmonically unstable.
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The first section (A) presents the two main themes: these two themes have different
characteristics and each of them is exposed by same instrument. The first theme is the one
exposed by the harpsichord during the first sixteen bars: its smooth and elastic shape is
realized mostly by the usage of quarter notes and quavers along with some half notes (bars 1,
10 and 16). The theme can be divided into two halves in measure 8, which is the exact place
of a notable element, that is the tie, used only once in this theme to create a syncope. Since
this theme will be always introduced by the harpsichord, from now on it will be called the
harpsichord theme.
After a bridge of four bars (17-20) the guitar exposes the second theme between measure 21
and 24. Shorter than the previous one, this theme is characterized by a very rhythmical
aspect: in fact, it starts with a syncope and it employs only fast note-values, like quavers and,
most of all, semiquavers. This theme will be always introduced by the guitar, so from now on
it will be called the guitar theme.
Starting from bar 25, the harpsichord theme is introduced once again, this time on the note B
flat: the theme is shortened to the first four bars of its total length, ending in measure 28. In
the following bar, the guitar theme is presented, starting on an F natural and over a chord of
B flat minor. The guitar theme ends in measure 32.
Starting on a B natural in measure 33, the first four bars of the harpsichord theme are played
by both instruments: this is a unique case, where both instruments play the same theme, an
event that will not be repeated anymore in the rest of the movement.
The following nine measures (38-46) represent a transitory moment that will conclude the
first section with the rests in the guitar part in bars 45 and 46. The instability of this transitory
moment is created by a large usage of chromatism (bar 43 and 44) and augmented and
diminished intervals (bar 40 and 42).
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The second section (B) starts in bar 47. This section presents new kinds of materials
that are not in a strict relation with the themes exposed during the previous section.
The first new material in represented by the stepwise line shown by the guitar in bars 47 to
50: the same line is then repeated in a more chromatic way in bars 51 to 54.
In the eight measures between bar 55 and 62, a four-bar long pattern is shown by the
harpsichord and then imitated a fifth above by the guitar in the next four measures; the
subsequent four bars (63-66) conclude the B section by displaying an augmentation between
the semiquavers triplet in the right hand of the harpsichord and the quavers triplet of the
guitar.
The third section (A) begins with the harpsichord theme, starting in bar 67 on the E
note, but showing only the first half of it: the theme is in fact interrupted in bar 75, where the
guitar theme is then presented until measure 78, where the second half of the harpsichord
theme takes place until bar 86.
The other appearance of the guitar theme in the four bars between measure 87 and 90 and the
two subsequent transitory bars (91 and 92) conclude the third section.
The fourth section (C) starts in measure 93 with the stepwise line previously showed
by the guitar in bars 47 to 54 and now played by the harpsichord in the same tone.
The following eleven bars (100-110) display an extended version of the guitar theme: this
longer version can be divided into two halves, both ending on a C#. Furthermore, this same
version is imitated by the harpsichord in measures 111 to 113, which represents another
notable event, since the harpsichord has never played the guitar theme.
Starting in bar 114, the cell formed by four semiquavers and two quavers and provided by the
harpsichord is inverted by the guitar and played between bars 114 and 115: this procedure is
replicated between bars 115 and 116.
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The following 21 measures (117-137) show a perpetuum mobile of semiquavers triplets that
includes rapid ascending scales and ascending melodic fourths mixed with other
combinations. During these bars, the guitar part alternates scales (117-118, 122-123, 136) and
chords (125, 128-131) with rests (126-127, 134-135). This perpetuum mobile marks the end
of the fourth section (C).
The fifth section (A) begins in bar 138 and presents the harpsichord theme one last
time in a shortened version starting on the B note. The following seven measures (147-153)
are dedicated to a final sequence of semiquavers triplets, played by both instruments.
The last seven bars of the piece present the guitar theme one last time, concluding on a E
major seventh harmony.