How to recognise the sections
Once you are familiar with the listening style and terminology etc. you need to start learning to recognise all the sections. It's not a difficult as you might think.
Start with the C sections because there are 9 of them. Learning these sections will go a long way to knowing the piece inside out.
Firstly, what do all C sections have in common?
They all use the Irish tune 'The Last Rose of Summer'.
They all sound very dissonant, even eerie.
They all feature irregular, and rapidly changing time signatures.
Start with the C sections because there are 9 of them. Learning these sections will go a long way to knowing the piece inside out.
Firstly, what do all C sections have in common?
They all use the Irish tune 'The Last Rose of Summer'.
They all sound very dissonant, even eerie.
They all feature irregular, and rapidly changing time signatures.
C sections
Start by listening to C4 into C5. C4 is solo piano. C5 is a dreary strings only section (no piano), a canon in octaves, 1 beat apart.
Then move on to C6 into C7. C6 is short, slow and eerie, low in pitch and features strings only, a canon. It sounds like C5 except the canon is a quaver apart in octaves. There is a dramatic change in pitch, dynamics and tempo as the piano joins in at C7. Note the very specific descending chromatic passage at the start of C7.
Next is C8 which coincides with F. The C material (augmented) can't really be heard here but this section is easily recognised by the F material on violin featuring triplets, (3 notes in each beat). This is the section that features polymetre. This section is preceded and followed by a bar of silence.
F/C8 moves straight on to C9, the shortest section in the work. Again it features strings in canon, a crotchet apart, in 2 octaves (no piano). C9 is easily recognised as there is a huge gap in the pitch of the 3 stringed instruments due to the canon in 2 octaves. Tempo is very slow.
The full C3 section is heard below. The tune is played 4 times here. Each playing of the tune is heard by the sudden jumps in dynamics, pitch and tempo. This clearly marks C3
Finally we move to C1 and C2. C1 has a sudden extreme change from 3 part strings to crazy piano. C2 is 2-part, lower strings (viola and cello).
B Sections
All B sections are based on the same catchy melody using the notes C# D and G.
B1 is easy to recognise. Remember it's played 3 times, the differences are clearly audible.
B1 is easy to recognise. Remember it's played 3 times, the differences are clearly audible.
B2 is slightly more complicated. It's played 5 times. There are clear differences on each repeat. It features double canon, parallel 5ths and double stops on the strings.
B3 coincides with D2 (bi-thematic). Its hard to hear which instruments play each theme so you need to learn it off. Low strings (viola and cello) play the B tune!
D Sections
As mentioned above, D2 coincides with B3. Violin and R.H of the piano plays the D material.
D1 is a short section that is based on a kind of alarming "6 o'clock news" rhythm. All D sections are characterised by this exciting rhythm.
D1 is a short section that is based on a kind of alarming "6 o'clock news" rhythm. All D sections are characterised by this exciting rhythm.
D3 coincides with E2