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Seminal Works of Quartertone Music

George Whitman

Tempo / Issue 80 / March 1967, pp 11 - 15

DOI: 10.1017/S0040298200036871, Published online: 04 February 2010

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0040298200036871

How to cite this article:

George Whitman (1967). Seminal Works of Quartertone Music. Tempo, pp 11-15 doi:10.1017/
S0040298200036871

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 ALOIS HABA II

Apart from the concerto Eben has produced no major symphony or orchest-
ral work. Instead he has concentrated on vocal and choral music. Like that of his
contemporary, Ilja Hurnik, much of Eben's music has grown out of his feeling
for the world of children. The 'Small Duets', 'Spring Ditties', 'Merry-go-round'
and 'Christmas Songs' are all remarkable for their melodic invention, their
originality of sound and extreme simplicity. His other choral music is also
notable for his handling of the human voice. His Epitaph after Ovid, Love's Strophes
(1963) and Ubi Caritas et Amor (1964) demonstrate his mastery in this field and
place Eben amongst the most promising younger talents in Czechoslovakia today.
In the course of this general survey it has been possible to mention only a
few of the men who have made significant contributions to Czech music since
the war. There are very many more producing works in various styles and forms,
and some of the younger composers, now in their thirties, are experimenting
with advanced serial techniques. Miloslav Istvan, Jozef Malovec, Pavel Simai,
Alois Pinos and Miroslav Bazlik have all achieved some recognition in this field
—but by far the most successful has been Jan Klusak, whose multi-serial 'Inven-
tions' (written between 1961-6^) have been performed in Darmstadt and Paris,
where they won an award. Other composers are trying to find new and valid
means of expression like the resourceful Vaclav Kasli'k whose experiments with
electronic music have led him to produce the opera Krakatit in that medium.
Pavel Blatny is doing useful work in the field of 'third stream' music and has
made a synthesis of modern serial techniques with specialised jazz elements.
His 'Rhythms and Nuances' (1964) and 'Study for quarter-tone trumpets and
jazz band' (196^) are the work of a serious-minded composer. Although the move
to dodecaphonic and electronic styles has taken longer to take root in Czechos-
lovakia than it has in certain other parts of Europe there can be little doubt that
contemporary Czech composers are aware of current musical thought and are
anxious to make their contribution to twentieth century music.

SEMINAL WORKS
OF QUARTERTONE MUSIC
by George Whitman
The first complete biography of Alois Haba, who is now in his early seventies,
is being prepared by Dr. J. Vyslouzil, lecturer in musicology at the University of
Brno, and I owe thanks to him for valuable co-operation in selecting and analys-
ing examples of Haba's work. Few other composers have followed as clear cut a
pattern of a life's work as Haba, who in the years 1921-23 made a significant
breakthrough in several directions in his first mature works. This gave him
enough material for development as a composer, theoretical thinker and teacher
to last a lifetime. Of these works I have selected three, all written in the quarter-
tone system, and hope to show in what way Haba was ahead of his contemporaries
at that time.
In the Fantasy Op. 9a, for solo violin, of which I quote the opening bars,
(Ex.i) Haba uses the entire row of 24 quartertones (C to C) melodically. The
first three notes of each of the three bars show the dramatic use he makes of the
© 1967 by George Whitman

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 12 TEMPO

Ex.1
Allegro non troppo, risoluto
>

new intervals1: G + to A flat heightens the tension of the augmented seventh, and
from the same opening interval he takes the augmented fourth+ (A flat to D+ )in
bar one, thefifth+ (A flat to E—) in bar two, and neutral sixth ( A flat to E+) in bar
three.
The third note in each bar shown also serves as the opening note of the
melodic arc of that bar. In bar one, D + is then shown in relation to A+ (fourth)
and to A (fourth+) followed by a run (of which we shall speak later) ; in bar two
E— leads to C sharp (minor third + ) , followed by B—, a major second +
(or a perfect fourth to the E-). In bar three the third note, E-f is not the focal
note but merely leads to a series of imitations and inversions of the opening
G +/A flat/D -j- (namely augmented seventh + and augmented fourth + ) ,
as follows: C sharp/G—/F sharp (augmented fourth + , followed by augmented
seventh + ) ; D-/D/G + (augmented seventh+, followed by augmented
fourth+); and finally G sharp/A-/D (augmented seventh + , followed by
(augmented fourth+). The last is repeated three times.
The rest of the notes, particularly in demisemiquavers, give at first glance a
purely melodic, rhapsodic impression of using all manner of chromatic and bi-
chromatic intervals, but when analysing the implied harmonies of these bars we
find an interesting pattern of diatonic structures. Bar one is based in D+ minor
with interesting bi-chromatic alterations so that one could call it an ambivalence
between D minor and D major, leading to B flat major. Bar two opens in B major
with sharpened major third. In the last two crotchets it modulates to E flat major
and C sharp minor. Bar three continues on that basis and gradually modulates to
C + major. The various keys are, as can be seen, close together as would be
expected in a work of the early 1920s but Haba uses the quartertone to modulate
more imperceptibly than chromaticism would permit.
The problem now before Haba was how to assimilate the new intervals harm-
onically, and some of his experiments led to a dead end—which, however, he was
quick to realise. In his Second String Quartet Op. 7, and even more in the
Symphonic Music for orchestra Op. 10, complicated harmonies reached such
1
In his notation Haba uses the symbols ^ and f^. to indicate sharpening by a quartertone, and ^
and T> for flattening by a quartertone. In the text of this article these quartertone alterations are
indicated by + and — signs. Thus 'E Hat-' means a quartertonr. below E flat, and 'augmented fourlh + '
means an augmented fourth expanded by a quartertone.

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 ALOIS HABA 13

dimensions, in chords of up to 22 different notes, that a certain hypertrophy set

in, which the human ear could not longer tolerate—even when the chords were
spread over the whole orchestra.
In the Third Quartet Op. 1 2, there is noticeable tendency away from small
intervals and close chords to wider semitone and quartertone intervals. In our
example from this work (Ex. 2) the leading part moves mostly in all quartertone
variants of thirds, namely minor third—, minor third, neutral third, major third
and major third+.

Ex .2
^Vivace)
\ 1
1

t
mP
-vi a 11

mp J1J J JJ
Via
|g , • ,
\S -J J
m jj j

rr 1—| -+-
.
P "' r' $—=
H»
cJ - • -0- -0-
J J J-
r t=5 1=5= -
• * • •
I*
- - - -s

In this work wider intervals are used more consistently also in the harmonic
structure. Ex. 2 starts off with the central note C in the cello (reinforced by the
second violin) and where the leading voice begins the viola adds E— (neutral
third) then E flat (minor third) and thereafter alternates between wider intervals:
major third + , fourth, fourth + , augmented fourth, augmented fourth + ,
and fifth+. The language of the Third Quartet, however, is based more on
diatonic harmonies—even if permeated with quartertones—and therefore is
purer in musical expression, than the closer, bi-chromatic harmonies of Op. 7
and Op. 10.
Apart from the quartertone diatonics this work shows another important,
characteristic development: it is Haba's first mature work in the non-thematic
style, a feature which short excerpts of course cannot illustrate. Another aspect
of Haba's musical language is particularly prominent in his quartertone piano music
of that period. This is his method of building up and developing harmonic struc-
tures which at first were diatonically consonant yet functionally freely and loosely
strung together. They all, however, centre on one particular note, their tone-
centre. Eventually tone-centrality not only became the dominant factor in Haba's
melodic structures but gradually superseded the polytonality of his earlier works.

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 TEMPO

Ex.3
!^
• JP
$
Piano ^
t4
1
y— ¥ —
: H 4
^t
ntfj-n
3

pj-—i
f

Ex. 3 is taken from the last movement of the Suite Op. 16 (1923) for quarter-
tone piano, and shows an intermediate stage. The individuality of the musical and
harmonic architecture of these 26 bars could perhaps best be described under the
following four headings:
1. The free, very developed build-up of harmonic structures, which, although
complex, appears in logical steps and is of a polytonal character. This is based
on the tone-centre of B+, mostly held in the bass as a pedal, but permeating
the entire movement as the focal point. Specific examples of polytonal chords
of the ninth, raised or flattened by a quartertone, are:
Bar 1 1 , B+, D, F sharp, B+, E+, G sharp (five-three chord B+, D,F sharp
and six-four chord B+, E+, G sharp).
Bar 12, B+, D, G + , A + , D, A+ (six-three chord B+, D, G + , and
incomplete five-three chord A+ . D, A+).
Bar i$, G sharp, C, E + , G + and chord of the seventh B+, D, F sharp, A+
Bar 16, G + , B+, D, F sharp, A+, C, E+, G sharp (two chords of the
seventh over G + and A+ respectively).
From bar 19 of Ex. 3 the tone-centre B+ is no longer held as a pedal but
appears just the same to the end in a further row of loosely strung chords,
either as chord of the eleventh (as in bar 19 on A+) or as polytonal combina-
tions (as in bar 20—chord of the seventh on the root of C, and six-three
chord on D).
Most of the chords can be inverted so as to build up rows of thirds—up to
chords of the eleventh. Only rarely do we find chords consisting mainly of
fourths as in bar eight (B+, E+, A+, D, A+).
In contrast to rows of ordinary semitonal thirds, these chords including
quartertone intervals have not only purely acoustical but also expressive pro-
perties. There is some logic in the harmonic development of the example, in
which the three types of consonant triads are contained: major, minor and
neutral. The raising of the fifth by a quartertone in bars two and four (D, F
sharp, A+) underlines the major character, while bar five demonstrates the
underlying minor character (E+, G + , B+, D). Finally, there are the
neutral chords mostly in thirds and sixths such as bar 17 (F sharp, A+ and
G sharp, B + ) .
Ex. 3 shows flexibility in harmonies and modulations, taking the idea of
polytonality to its extreme by the use of quartertones. While the ground of
tonality is not abandoned entirely, the old relations of tonic and dominant no

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 COMPUTERS IN FOLKSONG RESEARCH ir

longer exist, which means that the functions of chords to each other cease
to be.
Summing up, we find that Haba successfully integrated microtones into
melodic and harmonic structures (he later developed the sixth-tone system
along similar lines), extended tonality and polytonality to tone-centrality, and
finally, he followed his instinct to a non-thematic style, first empirically, and
later scientifically.

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
TO BARTOK'S SERBO-1
CROATIAN MATERIAL
by Benjamin Suchoff
In the Introduction to his study of the Parry Collection of Yugoslav folk
songs2 Bela Bartok contrasts 'lexicographical' and 'grammatical' principles in the
systematic grouping of folk melodies. Although the former makes it possible to
locate a melody by comparatively simple means, Bartok states, the latter is to be
favoured; it is of higher importance "to get a clear idea of the relationship of
melodies than to be able to locate them easily" . 3 He then enumerates the compo-
nents of his own grammatical system which, in order of weight, include: section
structure, metric (syllabic) structure, rhythmical character, final notes of sections
(caesurae), range, and so forth (cf. Plate i column headings).
During recent editorial preparation of Bartok's 'Tabulation of Serbo-
Croatian Material' MS.4, however, difficulties and delays were encountered in the
attempt to locate melodies in the composer's extensive folk music collections.5
For Bartok, concerned with the classification and description of many hundreds of
melodies, here and there inadvertently omitted references to variants in foreign
sources.6 In anticipation of future needs, therefore, the transcriptions from
Serbo-Croatian Folk Songs were selected as the pilot project for the lexicographical
ordering of Bartok's folk music materials by computer.7
The first step, prior to encoding of the data, was the division and numbering
1 I am indebted to Dr. Victor Bator, Trustee of the Bela Bartok Estate, and Founder-Director of the New York
Bartok Archives, for permission to reproduce the music examples and illustrations used in this essay.
2 Bela Bartok and Albert B. Lord, Serbo-Croatian Folk Songs, New York, 19J1.
3 Ibid, p. I J .
4 The fair copy, on master sheets, is deposited in the Music Library of Columbia University. Thefinalcopy,
corrected Ozalid prints of the master sheets (Plate 1) is contained in the New York Bartok Archives. The Tabu-
lation, originally intended by Bartok to be incorporated in Serbo-Croatian Folk Songs, is being prepared by this
writer for publication by the Archives.
r See Victor Bator, The Bela Bartok Archives : History and Catalog (New York, 1963, pp. 32-33) for a descrip-
tion of the materials.
6 The appearance of omitted variants as the second half of certain four-section melodies (whose classification is
based on structural aspects of the first half) further complicated the search (cf. Remarks to 'Tab. of Mat.'
Nos. 1439 and 1444in Plate 1).
7 The choice was made on the basis of the comparatively small number of melodies (JS), with few exceptions
also in skeleton form (that is, stripped of ornamental notes. See Plate 2, measures 1-6, small notation under
stanza 1.), which enabled the writer to organize and encode the material for data processing during the Harpur
College (SUNY Binghamton) seminar on 'Music Research and the Computer' August 14-26, 1966.
© 1967 by Benjamin Suchoff

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