The Development of Luciano Berio's Sequenza IX and Its Implications for Performance Practice

ABSTRACT

Luciano Berio’s Sequenza IX continues to be a bifurcated work filled with incongruities between its clarinet (IXa) and alto saxophone (IXb) versions. Dozens of unexplained discrepancies exist between these two versions, such as differences in pitch, rhythm and temporal duration, missing material, and expressive markings. It also appears that many technical concessions were made in regard to the saxophone version’s octave registration, low register articulations, and cut passages. Furthermore, some practical problems are associated with the saxophone version of Sequenza IX, such as unreliable multiphonic fingerings and difficult page turns. This study addresses these heretofore unresolved issues by interviewing musicians who collaborated with Luciano Berio in creating and performing Sequenza IXb, including Iwan Roth, John Harle, and Claude Delangle. This study also engages in comparative analysis of all published editions and examines Berio’s primary documents, manuscripts, and correspondence archived at the Paul Sacher Stiftung in Basel, Switzerland. The genesis, development, and evolution of Sequenza IXb are illustrated through establishing a new oral chronology. An exhaustive catalogue of every observed discrepancy and change between each manuscript and edition of Sequenza IXb is created, as well. Finally, this study synthesizes the aforementioned findings to produce practical recommendations for saxophonists, including suggested changes to the score, revised program note material, alternative options for multiphonic fingerings, suggestions for navigating the problematic page turns, and performance practice considerations. The findings from this study will allow saxophonists to achieve more authentic performances and teaching of Luciano Berio’s cornerstone unaccompanied saxophone work, Sequenza IXb.

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YEAR AND DEGREE

2023, Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Bowling Green State University, Contemporary Music.

COMMITTEE

John Sampen, D.M.A. (Committee Chair)
Hyeyoung Bang, Ph.D (Other)
Ryan Ebright, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Marilyn Shrude, D.M.A. (Committee Member)

PAGES

139 p.

CITATIONS

Heaney, J. (2023). The Development of Luciano Berio's Sequenza IX and Its Implications for Performance Practice [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1683814666450399
APA Style (7th edition)

Heaney, Joshua. The Development of Luciano Berio's Sequenza IX and Its Implications for Performance Practice. 2023. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1683814666450399.
MLA Style (8th edition)

Heaney, Joshua. "The Development of Luciano Berio's Sequenza IX and Its Implications for Performance Practice." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1683814666450399
Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

More than a Rough Draft: Debussy’s Rapsodie Pour Orchestre et Saxophone

PREFACE

            The standard repertoire of the concert saxophone is an eclectic collection of works by composers who are generally not considered to be household classical staples. Supplementing these esoteric titles are a small amount of works written by better known composers, among most famous of which being Claude Debussy and his Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone (1903). Despite the significance of a composer like Debussy writing for the saxophone and his relative fame in comparison to other composers in of concert saxophone’s standard repertoire, Rapsodie remains largely unrecognized by musicologists in the context of Debussy’s compositional output and musical development.  In fact, this work does not even merit any entry or footnote in the Grove Dictionary of Music! Greater understating of this phenomenon can be garnered through investigation of the work’s genesis and development, musical analysis of compositional distinctions and outside influences, and investigation of entrenched historical fallacies. This investigation will elucidate the misconceptions that surround the work and conclude on how the work was originally intended to be approached in performance situations.

ORIGINS & DEVELOPMENT

            Despite its French name, the Rapsodie’s origins lie in the United States, starting with a commission by a Boston native named Elise Hall. Mrs. Hall was a woman of high social standing, married to Dr. Richard Hall, a physician famous for his feat of conducting the first successful appendectomy.[1]  Mrs. Hall contracted a case of typhoid fever between 1894 and 1896, resulting in significant loss of hearing. In order to prevent further degradation, Dr. Hall suggested that Elise begin learning a wind instrument. She chose the saxophone and, after learning of a townsperson who played the instrument, proceeded to study privately with him.[2]

            After her husband’s ironic death from appendicitis 1897, Mrs. Hall was left with a large sum of money and a growing passion for the saxophone and orchestral music. Using her newly acquired wealth, Mrs. Hall relocated from Santa Barbara back to Boston and, in 1899, fostered the formation of an amateur ensemble called the Boston Orchestral Club.[3] This ensemble was founded with the chief purpose of providing an orchestral experience for amateurs; it would later evolve into a platform from which Elise Hall would promote and perform new repertoire for the concert saxophone, both as an ensemble member and as a soloist. Through this club and the guidance of her friend and new saxophone teacher, French oboist Georges Longy, Mrs. Hall first approached Claude Debussy in 1901 concerning the commission of a single-movement “fantasie” for saxophone and orchestra.[4] The composer promptly accepted payment in advance for the composition in order to pay off legal debts incurred by a previous publisher. Unfortunately for Elise Hall, work would not commence on the new composition for another two years.

            Debussy delayed starting the composition for several reasons, the most important of which was that he was incredibly focused on the rehearsal and subsequent premiere of his opera, Pelléas et Mélisande.[5] Nearing the completion of the first set of performances in June 1902, Debussy wrote to Robert Godet:

To tell you the truth, I’m suffering fatigue to the point of neurasthenia, a de luxe illness I never believed in ’til now. […] I really can’t wait for the Pelléas performances to finish! It’s time they did, I may say: it’s beginning to sound like a repertory opera![6]

In fact, for the next several months, Debussy wrote write no music at all and only produced a few articles of musical criticism. Debussy went go as far as to write to his friend and colleague, conductor and composer André Messager to complain about “his poor brain” being “like a squeezed lemon.”[7] This break was interrupted, however, by an unexpected visit from Mrs. Hall and Longy, who arrived in Paris unannounced in May of 1903 in order to ascertain the status of their forsaken commission. Debussy wrote of his annoyance with both the unexpected visitor and compositional writer’s block to his wife, Lilly:

It appears that Longy and the saxophone lady are in Paris!—Longy came to see me and although he was cordial I sensed that one must not keep them waiting too much longer; I am thus trying to finish this goddamn piece as quickly as possible. Naturally, the musical ideas take particular care to flee from me, like wry butterflies, and I spend hours of indescribable irritation. The fact that I would like to achieve something very good, in order to reward these people for their patience, only makes matters worse.[8]

            In June, Debussy and Lily vacationed in Bichain in order to ease his exhaustion and lack of compositional drive. Despite his initial hesitance and the delay in starting the work, Debussy eventually found new footing and a renewed vigor to create original sounds. In fact, the composer wrote in various letters that he wished to “go off in a completely new direction” and admitted,

“I had forgotten its [the saxophone] special sonority to the degree I forgot ‘this commission’ at the same time.”[9]

The piece was initially titled “Rapsodie Arabe” and originally intended to portray the moorish rhythms and soundscapes found in cities such as Biskra in northern Algeria (as Debussy described in a letter to Pierre Louÿs).[10] Other rejected potential titles included “Rapsodie Orientale" and “Rapsodie Mauresque pour Orchestre et Saxophone Obligé.”[11] These early exotic aspirations, unfortunately, were not majorly realized in the final product; Debussy instead chose to go in yet another “new direction” and draw from a different inspiration. Despite this, there are some remaining timbral qualities in the finished work that hint at its exotic-minded origins. Certain orchestration choices sound “maursque,” such as when Debussy has small groups of woodwinds and tambourine play in jaunty dancing rhythms that allude to moorish dances played by indigenous traditional instruments (see example 1).

Example 1. Small groups of wind and percussion instruments playing dance-like figures

Almost all dancing motives are initially stated by woodwinds rather than strings, a deliberate choice that highlights the desired exotic tone quality. These particular moments allude to the timbres of the indigenous instruments used in moorish and Algerian secular music such as wooden flutes, the zurna (an Algerian double reed instrument akin to the oboe), and the adufe (a moorish percussion instrument akin to the tambourine). 

NEW DIRECTIONS

            Rather than relying on purely exotic inspirations, Debussy would accomplish his new direction by means of utilizing a totally new source for motivic material.  The first motive in the saxophone part in measure 14, (see example 2) bears a strong resemblance to the call of le cordonnier (see example 3), which translates to “the cobbler.” 

Example 2. The saxophone’s initial motive

Example 3. The call of le cordonnier

Many calls of this nature were captured and notated in Les Voix de Paris, an anthology of French merchant calls collected by Georges Kastner, a contemporary of Debussy’s. This is not an isolated incident, as over 27 instances of calls are quoted from a variety of merchants, handymen, coachmen, and river-men throughout the piece.[12] Even if Debussy was not actively aware of and referencing findings in Kastner’s collection, he certainly would have heard these calls outside of his window every day. The streets of Paris were still alive with domestic and foreign merchant melodies at the time, all of which provided a soundtrack from which Debussy could draw motives for the Rapsodie. The sheer amount of quotes and their prominence in the motivic material is evidence that Debussy was actively drawing from the calls of these merchants, regardless if he actually referenced Kastner’s collection or not.

            In addition to the motivic material used, the way in which the saxophone part was written helps to provide the singing vocal quality that Debussy wished to emulate. The Rapsodie consists of strongly contrasting lyrical and dancing sections and, to the chagrin of some concert saxophonists, is simply not a particularly technically demanding work for the soloist. The soloist is almost exclusively featured in lyrical sections of the piece (see example 4), “murmuring melancholy phrases,” as Debussy wrote.[13]

Example 4. A slower section of the piece, the saxophone “murmuring” lyrical phrases

These lyrical sections, which comprise of simpler and more lyrical merchant calls, are written in a medium register of the saxophone in order to emulate the sound of a woman’s voice. The range of the solo part only extends from G♭3 to F♭5; the latter pitch only occurs once as the last note of the piece for the soloist. Meanwhile, the range of a female alto voice is commonly referred to as ranging from G3 to F5. This strong correlation of range is indicative that Debussy may have consciously avoided use of the highest or lowest registers of the saxophone in order to closely mimic an alto singer’s vocal range. The orchestral responses sharply contrast with the saxophone’s lyrical quality, lightly dancing and drawing their motivic material from the more technically challenging merchant calls (see example 1). These dances feature a lilting duple feel in the 6/8 sections, contrasting with the more lyrical 2/4 sections.

            The most rhythmically demanding material for the soloist appears in the 2/4 sections while the orchestra provides supporting texture. These rhythmic solo lines are not dancing in quality, however, and serve more as elaborate grace-note or decorative figures upon an implied simple melody (see example 5).

Example 5. Elaborated melodic rhythms in the saxophone part

In the 6/8 sections, the saxophone primarily plays simple lyrical lines with supportive orchestral accompaniment. Whenever the 6/8 sections become more dance-like or increase in tempo, the saxophone does not join the dance. Instead, the saxophone provides moments of punctuation or accompagnato support to the woodwinds (see example 6).

Example 6. Saxophone and brass supporting the melody in the high woodwinds

As a whole, the saxophone part is much more lyrical in nature, only playing technically when it does not sacrifice the ability for the audience to clearly hear the unique timbre of the instrument; there are no moments when both the saxophone and orchestra are featured in unison or playing tutti in an virtuosic manner. Whenever the saxophone plays in dancing sections, it is more supportive in nature and indicative of how the instrument may have been used if it were considered a “traditional” orchestral woodwind. The nature of the dialogue between the orchestra’s moments and the saxophone’s moments, combined with a solo part that is not virtuosic in nature, results in a work that is not like a typical concerto. Instead, the piece more akin to a musical tableaux that draws from merchant calls and moorish soundscapes and that also happens to prominently feature the saxophone as a decoration to the ensemble.[14]

            By August of the same year, Debussy had completed a short-score version of his Rapsodie; however, he did not contact Elise Hall to inform her of the composition’s near-completion or provide proof of any work. Additionally, he neglected to continue preparing the orchestral score and parts. Instead, the composer returned to Paris to meet with Jacques Durand in order to sign a contract for the exclusive publication of his Rapsodie for 100 francs; despite having never properly filled the original commission or provided any score, Debussy managed to be paid twice for the same work![15]  Shortly after this development, he promptly began to compose his famous La Mer, which decidedly distracted from the business of completing the finishing touches and orchestral score of the Rapsodie. As a result in 1905, two years into his publication agreement, neither Durand nor Ms. Hall had received any kind of complete score. Debussy, who appeared to harbor feelings of guilt for twice selling an incomplete piece, wrote to Durand asking to kindly renege on the agreement:

Madame E. Hall, the “saxophone-lady,” is politely asking me for her fantasy; I’d like to oblige her, because she’s been as patient as a Red Indian [sic] and deserves some reward.[16]

Unsurprisingly, Durand declined this proposal, so the composer hastily obtained a hologram-copy of a handwritten sketch manuscript for the work, entitled Esquisse d’une‘Rhapsodie Mauresque’ pour Orchestre et Saxophone Principal, to be sent to Mrs. Hall later. The manuscript did not make it to her, nor would any complete orchestration of the work to Durand before the Debussy’s death in 1918, due to him being distracted with his next big project, La Mer (1903-1905).

ALL FOR A TYPO

            Following Debussy’s death, Jean Roger-Ducasse was given all of the composer’s remaining works by his second wife, Emma, in order to see to their completion and publication. Roger-Ducasse fully realized the orchestration marks seen on Hall’s copy of the short-score (see example 7).

Example 7. Debussy’s orchestration markings in the Hall manuscript

James R. Noyes, a scholar on the subject, summarizes:

Roger-Ducasse’s orchestral manuscript [MS 1001] incorporates sixty-two of Debussy’s original sixty-five indications, a retention rate of more than 95 percent. Thus, Debussy’s faithful friend remained true to his colleague’s intentions […] To “fill out” the orchestration, Roger-Ducasse created parts for five additional instruments (piccolo, tuba, timpani, triangle, and suspended cymbal) and doubled many of the original lines, scoring woodwinds with the high strings, bassoons and timpani to reinforce the bass, and horns to fill in the middle register, all of which are implied by the Hall manuscript.[17]

In addition to completing the orchestration, Roger-Ducasse also saw to arranging a piano reduction of the work; this is his biggest contribution, more derivative than any of the orchestration found in the full version. Finally, for reasons unknown, the title was simplified to, Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone (L. 98).

            Roger-Ducasse’s involvement with the score preparation and publication of the Rapsodie, unfortunately, has served a platform for musicologists to assume that the work was flippantly composed and never truly finished. This trend was started by Léon Vallas, the first musicologist to write about this work in his book, Claude Debussy et son temps(1932). Vallas wrote that the composition was a “disagreeable task,” “ridiculous,” and “nothing more than a rough draft.”[18] These statements were clearly written in error and do not take into account the actual events that took place throughout the piece’s genesis, development, and prolonged completion. This is made especially evident when one considers the fact that Debussy himself enthusiastically wrote of the saxophone’s “special sonority.” Another blatant error attributed to Vallas’ slanted view is seen when he wrote:

In 1911, [Debussy] again set to work on the instrumentation [of Rapsodie]. But he wrote nothing more than a rough draft on three or four staves, and in this form the work was delivered to Mrs. Hall. [19]

This statement is in error, especially when considering that there is no proof or evidence that Debussy touched the composition after 1903. Instead, Vallas was erroneously referring to the Première Rhapsodie (L. 116) for clarinet and orchestra, confusing the two similarly-titled works. This is evidenced by Debussy’s own writing to Durand in two separate occasions, where the composer misspelled the title of his clarinet Rhapsodie as “Rapsodie,” omitting an “h”. Analyzing the content of the letters finds that he clearly was referring to this clarinet work, especially in a letter from December of 1911, where Debussy specifically discussed the reception of a Russian performance of his recently-orchestrated clarinet “Rapsodie” (misspelled with no “h”).[20] Debussy’s misspellings, combined with Vellas’ misinterpretation of his findings, resulted in a subsequent snowballing of misinformation among musicologists. Noyes succinctly concludes:

Vallas’s “disagreeable task,” became Thompson’s “abandoning the task in despair,” which in turn became “he just could not force himself to the task” according to Seroff.[21]

While Vallas cannot be totally condemned for the publication of his innocent misunderstanding (which may have happened to also verify his personal opinions), it is truly unfortunate that subsequent musicologists chose to base their scholarly writing concerning this piece on the flawed work of another musicologist, rather than approach the work with a fresh perspective via the use of primary documents.

CONCLUSION

            At first glance, Claude Debussy’s Rapsodie is beleaguered by several factors, such as the lack of technical virtuosity demanded from the soloist, the complicated series of events resulting in the piece’s development, and the accumulation of negative associations of uninspired compositional flippancy and insignificance at the hands of mistaken musicologists. However, fresh analysis of this work in a modern context, starting with an investigation of primary documents, reveals a new level of understanding as to why the piece continues to be wrongly thought-of and also provides many answers to fill the gaps in knowledge presented by prior scholars. Additionally, it reveals a wealth of new information regarding the development of the piece; including but not limited to the composer’s references to moorish timbres, his integration of French merchant calls, and the nature and extent of the orchestration completed by Debussy and Roger-Ducasse. These aspects of the piece’s development are unique to this composition within the context of Debussy’s canon of works. They also tell a more comprehensive narrative in regards to how the work came to be in its present state. Finally, it reveals perhaps the most important point: this work has too often been portrayed as a flawed concerto, which is further evidenced by a wealth of new editions that transplant orchestral material into the soloist’s part.[22] Alternatively, this piece instead should be approached as an orchestral tableaux that happens to feature the saxophone, serving as a piece to welcome its new timbre to the orchestral winds.

            Jean-Marie Londeix, a world-renowned French concert saxophonist and a preeminent scholar on the concert saxophone repertoire, stated that while it is disappointing that Debussy never wrote saxophonists a virtuosic showcase, it does not take away from the beauty of the work; he admits he was mistaken to classify and approach the piece as something it was not.[23] Based on the information accumulated, Debussy likely intended this work to be a nationalistic celebration, representing the voices of his beloved Paris through their inclusion as motivic inspiration, complete with a slightly “mauresque” twist evident in the timbres of his orchestration choices. No other work in Debussy’s cannon can attribute its motives to such sources, making the Rapsodie quite unique in this regard and a one-of-a-kind piece of music. Ultimately, this piece represents a new direction that regrettably did not see more development due to the composer’s untimely death and preoccupation with other aesthetic developments. With these revelations in mind, it is only a matter of time until future scholars must recognize Claude Debussy’s Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone for the “new direction” that it represents.

FOOTNOTES

[1] William H. Street, “Elise Boyer Hall, America’s First Female Concert Saxophonist: Her Life as Performing artist, Pioneer of Concert Repertory for Saxophone and Patroness of the Arts” (DMA diss., Northwestern University, 1983), 16-17.

[2] William H. Street, “Elise Boyer Hall, America’s First Female Concert Saxophonist: Her Life as Performing artist, Pioneer of Concert Repertory for Saxophone and Patroness of the Arts” (DMA diss., Northwestern University, 1983), 21.

[3] William H. Street, “Elise Boyer Hall, America’s First Female Concert Saxophonist: Her Life as Performing artist, Pioneer of Concert Repertory for Saxophone and Patroness of the Arts” (DMA diss., Northwestern University, 1983), 28.

[4] Robert J. Seligson, “The ‘Rapsodie for Orchestra and Saxophone’ by Claude Debussy: A Comparison of Two Performance Editions” (DMA diss., University of North Texas, 1988), 6.

[5] Smith, Richard Langham, "Pelléas et Mélisande." The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed September 15, 2016, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.ezproxy.gsu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/O002420.

[6] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 127-28.

[7]  James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 420.

[8] François Lesure, Denis Herlin, and Georges Liébert, eds. Claude Debussy Correspondance (1872–1918) (Paris: Gallimard, 2005), 736.

[9] François Lesure, Denis Herlin, and Georges Liébert, eds. Claude Debussy Correspondance (1872–1918) (Paris: Gallimard, 2005), 742.

[10] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 136.

[11] James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 422, 432.

[12] Jean-Marie Londeix and William H. Street, "Debussy and the Rhapsody for                               Saxophone” (video lecture, World Saxophone Congress XVI, Buchanan Theater, St. Andrews, Scotland, July 13, 2012).

[13] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 136.

[14] Jean-Marie Londeix and William H. Street, "Debussy and the Rhapsody for                               Saxophone” (video lecture, World Saxophone Congress XVI, Buchanan Theater, St. Andrews, Scotland, July 13, 2012).

[15] James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 423.

[16] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 158.

[17] James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 429.

[18] Léon Vallas, Mare O’Brien, and Grace O’Brien, Claude Debussy: His Life and Works (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933), 161-62.

[19] Léon Vallas, Mare O’Brien, and Grace O’Brien, Claude Debussy: His Life and Works (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933), 162.

[20] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 248.

[21] James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 417, 418.

[22] Robert J. Seligson, “The ‘Rapsodie for Orchestra and Saxophone’ by Claude Debussy: A Comparison of Two Performance Editions” (DMA diss., University of North Texas, 1988),  9-35.

[23] Jean-Marie Londeix and William H. Street, "Debussy and the Rhapsody for                  Saxophone” (video lecture, World Saxophone Congress XVI, Buchanan Theater, St. Andrews, Scotland, July 13, 2012).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cottrell, Stephen. The Saxophone, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012.

Debussy, Claude. Esquisse d'une Rhapsodie Mauresque. Paris: Durand & Fils, 1908. Manuscript.

Debussy, Claude. Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone. Paris: Durand & Cie, 1919. Orchestral score and Parts.

Debussy, Claude. Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone. Arranged by Jean Roger-Ducasse. Paris: Durand & Cie, 1919. Piano Reduction.

Liley, Thomas, and Stephen Trier. “The Repertoire Heritage.” In The Cambridge Companion to the Saxophone. Edited by Richard Ingham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Lesure, François, Denis Herlin, and Georges Liébert, eds. Claude Debussy Correspondance (1872–1918). Paris: Gallimard, 2005.

Londeix, Jean-Marie, and William H. Street. "Debussy and the Rhapsody for Saxophone." Lecture video, World Saxophone Congress XVI, Buchanan Theater, St. Andrews, Scotland, July 13, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hie1vGOl1do (Accessed October 23, 2015)

Miele, Peter. A Comparative Analysis of Three Works for Saxophone and Orchestra. MM thesis, Duquesne University, 1989.

Nichols, Roger. Debussy Letters. Edited by François Lesure. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987.

Noyes, James R. "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited." The Musical Quarterly 2007, 90/1 (2008): 416-45.

Seligson, Robert Jan. 1988. The “Rapsodie for Orchestra and Saxophone” by Claude Debussy: A Comparison of Two Performance Editions. DMA dissertation, University of North Texas. Ann Arbor: ProQuest/UMI.

Smith, Richard Langham. "Pelléas et Mélisande." The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.ezproxy.gsu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/O002420. (Accessed September 30, 2015)

Street, William. Elise Boyer Hall, America’s First Female Concert Saxophonist: Her Life as Performing artist, Pioneer of Concert Repertory for Saxophone and Patroness of the Arts. DMA dissertation, Northwestern University, 1983.

Trezise, Simon, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Debussy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Trier, Stephen. “The Saxophone in the Orchestra.” In The Cambridge Companion to the Saxophone. Edited by Richard Ingham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Vallas, Léon. Claude Debussy: His Life and Works. Translated by Mare O’Brien and Grace O’Brien. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933.

Berio’s Sequenza IX: Enticing the Listener

PREFACE

             Sequenza IX is a contemporary work by Italian composer Luciano Berio written for solo clarinet (version “IXa”) or solo saxophone (version “IXb”). Since its creation, Sequenza IX has proven itself to be an enduring staple of the contemporary clarinet and saxophone repertoire. Framing and analysis of this work reveals factors that explain why this work has maintained such lasting appeal with both performers and listeners over the course of four decades. First, one must frame the work through contextualizing the background of the composition and composer as well as surveying existing theoretical literature. Then, one may begin analysis first from a birds-eye perspective of the whole work, then by means of a detailed analysis of the first section of the work. Approaching the analysis of Sequenza IX in this manner provides insights into how the piece functions as well as broader theories concerning how the work balances chaos and control to facilitate enticing the listener.

BODY

             Luciano Berio initiated his Sequenza series in 1958 with Sequenza I for solo flute. The series, which encompasses fourteen virtuosic works written for flute, harp, female voice, piano, trombone, viola, oboe/saxophone, violin, clarinet/saxophone, trumpet, guitar, bassoon, accordion, and cello, sought to explore the potential colors, extended techniques, and technical limitations of each instrument while remaining idiomatic in nature. In addition to exploring the limitations of idiomatic technique, the works also intended to explore the limitations of melodic writing, thematic abstraction, and “horizontal” listening. Regarding themes within his Sequenzas, Berio wrote in 2006, “The theme in itself [sic] has disappeared; it has become fragmented, hidden, though it pervades all the textures, coloring them with its colors: it is everywhere and nowhere at the same time.”[1]

            Published in 1982 but backdated to 1980, Sequenza IX was adapted from material composed in a preexisting work, Chemins V, which was originally written in 1979 for Clarinet and “Digital Filters”. These digital filters were intended to imitate vowel phonates, provide a sort of “shadow” performer, and were made possible by the IRCAM 4C digital processor invented by Italian physicist Giuseppe Di Giugno. Chemins V was premiered on a concert of Berio’s music by Michel Arrignon on April 26, 1980 at the Théâtre d'Orsay in Paris, France. Unfortunately, the premiere proved unsuccessful due to the computer failing during the performance. Even when the computer functioned properly, Berio still felt unsatisfied by the resulting product and decided to rework the existing material into a new work for solo clarinet.[2]The work, now retitled Chemins “ex” V, was expunged from the composer’s catalogue while the title Chemins V was repurposed for a different work for guitar and chamber orchestra. Curiously, Pierre Boulez’s Dialogue de l'ombre double,written in 1985 for solo clarinet and spatialized prerecorded clarinet, explores similar “shadow” concepts as the failed Chemins “ex” V and was devoted to Luciano Berio for his 60th birthday; it is possible that this work was inspired by the failure of Chemins “ex” V and sought to reexamine Berio’s ideas in a different manner. 

             Luciano Berio revised the Chemins “ex” V solo clarinet part with Michel Arrignon, while saxophonists John Harle and Iwan Roth independently created differing transcriptions of the part for alto saxophone. Apart from removing improvisatory sections meant to interact with the electronics and adding multiphonics, Sequenza IX, is largely identical to the solo part from Chemins “ex” V.[3] The work is demanding for the performer by virtue of its disjunct intervallic style, use of extended techniques such as quarter tones, multiphonics, rapid articulation, and altissimo, rhythmic precision, and obligatory agility. It is the only member of the Sequenza series to derive its material from a Chemins series work. Berio provides the following program note: 

Sequenza IX for clarinet (I also transcribed it for contralto saxophone) is essentially a long melody implying - like almost every melody - redundancy, symmetries, transformations and returns. Sequenza IX is also a “sequence” of instrumental gestures developing a constant transformation between two different harmonic fields: a seven-note one (F sharp, C, C sharp, E, G, B flat and B natural) [provided in clarinet pitch] appearing always in the same register, and a five-note one appearing in ever-different registers. The latter penetrates, modifies and comments on the harmonic functions of the first seven-note field.”[4]

The work is also accompanied by a poem, written by Italian author Edoardo Sanguineti in 1994: 

“You are unstable and immobile, my fragile fractal. 
It is you, this fractured form of mine that trembles”[5]

Prior analyses of Sequenza IX exist but are limited in number. First, American saxophonist Jonathan Helton analyzed the work as part of his 1996 DMA dissertation, “An Essay on the Performance of Serial Music, with analyses and commentary on works for saxophone by Luciano Berio, Edison Denisov and Guy Lacour.” He also wrote an article, “Historical and Analytical Perspectives for the Performer on Luciano Berio’s Sequenza IXb,” for The Saxophone Symposium, volume 22 in 1998. The 1998 article is essentially a revised extract from the 1996 DMA dissertation and both documents provide very similar material. Helton writes from the performer’s perspective to provide a performance guide for Sequenza IX. His articles include a brief history of the work, analysis of large form, track pitch manipulation techniques, illuminate rhythmic transformations, provide performance suggestions, and elucidate errata.[6]

            Next, Italian musicologist and music theorist Andrea Cremaschi wrote about the work in his 2007 essay, “Sequenza IX for Clarinet: Text, Pre-Text, Con-Text.” This essay was featured as a chapter in a larger book, “Berio’s Sequenzas,” published in 2007 by Routledge and edited by Janet K. Halfyard. Cremaschi’s essay similarly provides historic context for the work as well as deeper information about Chemins “ex” V and its minor differences compared to Sequenza IX. Additionally, the composer analyzes the work using similar techniques as Helton, and describes procedural pitch manipulation deriving from two rows, cycles of rhythmic cells, and a depiction of overall large form. Cremaschi goes further by relating his findings to similar material found in Berio’s 1984 opera, La Vera Storia, and illustrates a clear evolution between the three works. [7]

            Finally, American composer Marilyn Shrude has delivered several lectures on Sequenza IX over the span of her career. The presenter’s notes from these lectures are from two presentations that took place at the Studio Arts College International in 2005 and 2011. Both sets of notes are generally similar and cover similar topics to Helton and Cremaschi. In addition, Shrude discusses phrasing structure, impact of registration, possibilities of pitch centers and diads, and slightly different rhythmic cell possibilities. Helton’s, Cremaschi’s, and Shrude’s contributions on this topic were enormously helpful to forming my own analysis and provided an excellent platform from which my own work can diverge.[8]

            This author’s analysis uses the saxophone version and begins with a broad overview of the larger form of Sequenza IX. The work is approximately 14 minutes long and can be divided into three large sections. These three large sections are divided based on meta-level changes in compositional process. Section 1 begins on Page 1 and ends at the end of Page 3. This section is defined by procedural manipulation of pitch material through recurrent cycles. Additionally, rhythmic material is procedurally manipulated through use of cycling of rhythmic cells. The pitch material in Section 1 derives from 5- and 7-note pitch collections and heavily employs select trichordal subsets. As a whole, Section 1 outlines the broader form of the piece, serves as a microcosm for compositional elements found within the rest of work, and essentially outlines the entirety of the work in miniature.

            Section 2 begins on Page 4 and concludes at the top of page 8 at letter R. This section is defined by a departure from procedural manipulation. Berio instead ventures into manipulation of timbre by means of articulations, flutter tongue, quartertones, timbre trills, and multiphonics. Pitch material likewise warps away from the original 5- and 7-note pitch collections from Section 1 through gradual introduction of additional pitches. The section can be described as an “abstraction” or “fracturing” of material from Section 1 through the lens of timbral exploration.

            Section 3 begins on Page 8 at letter R and concludes with the piece. This section establishes two opposing voices and implied polyphony through distinct registration of various material. Dynamics are alternately terraced between these two voices to enhance the conveyance of the implied polyphony. Additionally, Section 3 marks a return to the pitch material found from Section 1 and intersperses gestures from earlier sections. The work concludes on a B pedal tone, which was also introduced in Section 1 (see Figure 1). 

Figure 1. Chart of the form of Sequenza IX

             Detailed analysis of Section 1 provides greater specifics regarding Berio’s procedural pitch and rhythm manipulation techniques, illuminates large-form pedal tone relationships, and demonstrates how this particular section is extrapolated to explain the work’s engaging qualities. First, Berio clearly establishes two pedal tones, B and A during the introduction of the work (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Pedal tones in intro section, page 1. B pedal tones are red, while A pedal tones are blue. Passing or foreshadowing tones are otherwise marked.

These pedal tones provide the basis for a thru-narrative for the listener to track beneath the complex manipulations and ample material that surrounds these simple tones. The competing B and A pedal tones return both later in Section 1 at Letter C through the Section’s conclusion as well at the end of the work. As mentioned before, the work concludes on a fermata B pedal tone, which demonstrates a “victory” of B over A (see Figure 3). 

Figure 3a: End of Section 1

Figure 3b. End of Section 3. B pedal tones at the end of end of Section 1 compared with B pedal tones used end of the work

            In Section 1, Berio employs clear use of 7- and 5-note pitch collections as the basis for the written material. The 7-note set, which is provided in written saxophone pitch, is D#, A, A#, C#, E, G, G#. This set is the primary pitch material for the work and is very visible on the surface of the music. It is stated verbatim in the grace-note figure on the beginning of the third system of page 1 (see Figure 4).

Figure 4. Grace-note figure with 7-note row, Page 1

The related 5-note set consists of the remaining pitches not used in the 7-note set, which are F, F#, B, C, and D. This second set is used primarily to “pervert” the material from the primary set through gradual selective inclusion. In Section 1, these “perversions” occur at part (b), which begins on the 2nd page and concludes at letter C, as well as in the closing which begins at on the 3rd system of page 3 through the rest of the page. As such, this pitch collection is not quite as important as the 7-note set and is generally employed in a manner that is implied rather than directly on the surface. In addition to pitch collections, Berio employs rhythmic cells in Section 1. These cells are introduced immediately on page 1 at but are most apparent at letter A. Four cells are provided: 8th-note triplet, dotted 8th+32nd, 8th+8th, and dotted 16th+32nd+8th. These cells well be henceforth referred to as RC1, RC2, RC3, and RC4 (see Figure 5). 

Figure 5. Rhythmic Cells employed in Sequenza IX

             Having established two pitch collections and four rhythmic cells, Berio employs systematic procedural manipulation to engage the listener and create ongoing variation. This manipulation is most clearly displayed at letter A. Pitch manipulation is achieved via a mod-11 pitch sequence, D#, C#, A, E, A#, G#, D, G, E, F, A, combined with a mod-12 pitch count per phrase. The consequence of this discrepancy is a current cycling of pitches per phrase. Phrase 1 begins on Pitch 1 of the cycle, Phrase 2 begins on Pitch 2, Phrase 3 begins on Pitch 3, and Phrase 4 begins on Pitch 4. Meanwhile, a similar effect is achieved through cycling the mod-4 rhythmic cell collection. As a result, Phrase 1 begins on RC1, Phrase 2 begins on RC2, Phrase 3, begins on RC3, and Phrase 4 begins on RC4 (see Figure 6).

Figure 6. Cycling of rhythmic cells and pitch collections at letter A, resulting in "procedural variation"

This concurrent systematic cycling of the pitch sequence and rhythmic cells results in ongoing “procedural variation”. This variation ends with a G-C#-A# pianissimo echo, found at the end of page 1. This echo circles and implies a B, which is the final pedal tone found at the conclusion of the piece (see Figure 7).

Figure 7. Echo at the end of Page 1

            Another sequence of “procedural variation” occurs at part (b), which occurs from beginning of page 2 through system 5 of said page. Unlike the prior sequence, precisely structured rules are not evident due to the presence of “false starts” and echoes throughout the section which routinely break the rules. This second sequence also introduces timbral variation in the form of quarter tone fingerings found at the end of the third system, which foreshadows Section 2 of the work. Finally, the use of A# as a pedal tone throughout part (b) and the subsequent transition implies that these sequences are fractured adjuncts of the prior material and introduces ideas to be more fully realized in Section 2 (see Figure 8).

Figure 8. False starts, echoes, and other perversions found in part (b)

            Part (c), which occurs on system 6 of page 2 through system 1 of page 3, introduces a new 6-note pitch sequence, B, G, C, F, F#, D (see Figure 9).

Figure 9. Recurring cycle at part (c)

Most of these notes, apart from the G, are taken from the aforementioned 5-note pitch collection with a “perverting” quality. This 6-note sequence is varied by using the same rhythmic cell cycle from letter A, but in reverse order (RC4, RC3, RC2, RC1). Additionally, the pedal point of B returns through its use in primarily high or low registers, which lends aural prominence. At the 11th repetition of the cycle, the sequence becomes “perverted” by gradual inclusion of notes outside of the 6-note pitch sequence. Furthermore, the pedal point shifts to A (see Figure 10).

Figure 10. 11th repetition of the cycle at (c) and the change to an A pedal tone

After reputation 18 of the cycle, the “procedural variation” ultimately spins off into the closing section, which begins on the 3rd system of page 3. This closing section briefly introduces a new pedal point, D#. Being the tritone of the prior pedal point, A, and the medient of next pedal point, B, this new pitch allows for smooth resumption of the B vs. A conflict from page 1. This second round of conflicting B and A pedal tones begins on the fifth system of page 3 and ultimately resolves at the end of page 3 with the dominance of B. This dominance of the B pedal tone at the end of Section 1 corresponds with a similar dominance of the B pedal tone at the conclusion of the piece (see Figure 11). 

Figure 11. Closing "spinning-off" section with pedal alternation.

            In addition to “procedural variation” based on concurrent cycles, Berio also employs use of select trichordal subsets inherent to the pitch material. The most prominent trichords include frequent alternation between (016) and (026), while (036) is also used sparingly in moments of transition. Alternation between (016) and (026) is most consistently used in the most organized and procedural sections, such as part (a) and part (c). Part (b) begins with using this alternation but ultimately abandons it on the fourth, fifth, and sixth systems of page 2 during the transition to part (c). Alternation between (016) and (036) is closely associated with presence of the B pedal tone and completely absent from any sections that employ A or D# pedal tones. Through alternation of these trichords combined with alternation between B and A pedal tones, Berio creates a sense of conflict within conflict as well as emphasizes stronger contrasts between competing material. Finally, the presence of the primary (016) and (036) tritones exclusively over B pedal points creates a sense of home and desired structure to these pedal points, which guides the listener to desiring B as the resolving tone.

CONCLUSION

            Section 1 of Sequenza IX depicts a dichotomy between control and abstraction. Outside of the music, this dichotomy is described by Berio’s polemic on themes being hidden as well as Sanguineti’s poem on fragile fractal relationships. Within the music, the dichotomy is realized through the contrast of “procedural variation” sections at letters A and C with freer “perverted” sections in between. It is also embodied when spinning-off at the end of Section 1 as the Berio begins to explore non-procedural timbral development in Section 2. The listener can track the concurrent cycles of pitch or rhythmic cells as well as the underlying alternation between the B and A pedal points, which in themselves embody conflict. Sections associated over the B pedal point rely upon previously described “procedural variation,” and represent control; conversely, sections over the A pedal point eschew these procedures in favor of rule-breaking and perversions and embody chaos. The pedal B ultimately resolves Section 1 but is entirely abandoned in the amorphous Section 2, only for it to return at the conclusion of the work at the end of Section 3. Control survives the implied conflict despite an ongoing and seemingly equal presence of chaos throughout the piece. This delicate balance of control and chaos results in an engrossing work, entices the listener with multiple avenues to understanding and engaging with the music, and ensures continued variety and invention of material. Ultimately, these factors provide insights into how the piece functions, demonstrates how the work balances chaos and control, and may explain how Sequenza IX continues to entice listeners and performers alike after 40 years.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Luciano Berio, Remembering the Future (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006), 140.

[2] Albert R. Rice, “Luciano Berio, Sequenza IXa for Clarinet Solo,” in Notes for Clarinetists: A Guide to the Repertoire(New York: Oxford University Press, 2017), 14.

[3] Andrea Cremaschi, “Sequenza IX for clarinet: Text, Pre-Text, Con-Text” in Berio’s Sequenzas (Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2007), 153-170.

[4] Luciano Berio, “Sequenza IX (Program Note),” Centro Studi Luciano Berio, http://www.lucianoberio.org.

[5] Jérémy Joley. “Here Begins the Sequence of Sequences - Sanguineti Verses to Berio's Sequenzas.” Seattle Modern Orchestra, http://www.seattlemodernorchestra.org/2020/02/01/here-begins-the-sequence-of-sequences-sanguinetti-verses-to-berios-sequenzas/. 

[6] Jonathan Helton, “Historical and Analytical Perspectives for the Performer on Luciano Berio’s Sequenza IXb,” Saxophone Symposium, no. 22 (1997).

[7] Andrea Cremaschi, “Sequenza IX for clarinet: Text, Pre-Text, Con-Text” in Berio’s Sequenzas (Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2007), 153-170.

[8] Marilyn Shrude, “Lecture notes from presentation at SACI. (Studio Arts College International, Florence, Italy, 2005/2011).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berio, Luciano. Remembering the Future. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2006. 

Berio, Luciano. Sequenza IXa. Milan: Universal Edition, 1980 kor. 2005

 Berio, Luciano. Sequenza IXb. Milan: Universal Edition, 1980 kor. 1987/2005

 Centro Studi Luciano Berio. “Sequenza IX.” Centro Studi Luciano Berio - Luciano Berio's Official Website, June 2, 2010. April 04, 2021. http://www.lucianoberio.org/en/node/49.

 “Chemins 'Ex' V (1980).” IRCAM B.R.A.H.M.S. Accessed November 20, 2019. http://brahms.ircam.fr/works/work/6770/.

 Halfyard, Janet K, ed. Berios Sequenzas: "Essays on Performance, Composition and Analysis ". Blurlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2007.

 Helton, Jonathan. “An Essay on the Performance of Serial Music, with Analyses and 

Commentary on Works for Saxophone by Luciano Berio, Edison Denisov and Guy Lacour,” DMA diss., Northwestern University, 1996

 Helton, Jonathan. “Historical and Analytical Perspectives for the Performer on Luciano Berio’s Sequenza IXb.” Saxophone Symposium 22 (1997): 1–24.

Jolley, Jérémy. “Here Begins the Sequence of Sequences - Sanguineti Verses to Berio's Sequenzas.” Seattle Modern Orchestra, February 15, 2020. April 04, 2021. http://www.seattlemodernorchestra.org/2020/02/01/here-begins-the-sequence-of-sequences-sanguinetti-verses-to-berios-sequenzas/. 

Rice, Albert R. Notes for Clarinetists: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.

 “Squenza IXa (1980): pour clarinette, d’aprés Chemins ex V.” IRCAM B.R.A.H.M.S. Accessed April 04, 2021. http://brahms.ircam.fr/works/work/6870/.

 “Sequenza IXb (1980): transcription de Sequenza IXa, pour saxophone alto.” IRCAM B.R.A.H.M.S. Accessed April 04, 2021. http://brahms.ircam.fr/works/work/6871/.

 Shrude, Marilyn. Lecture notes. “Lecture notes from presentation at SACI.” (Studio Arts College International, Florence, Italy, 2005).

 Shrude, Marilyn. Lecture notes. “Lecture notes from presentation at SACI.” (Studio Arts College International, Florence, Italy, 2011).