Doctorate - 2017:

This piece was written for the doctoral comprehensive exams. Detailed notes:

This piece is a response to Ligeti’s Horn Trio. The piece uses ternary form with a near literal repeat of A. Ligeti used this form in both the first and third movements of his Horn Trio. The A section in my duet is based off Ligeti’s first movement, while the B section is based on his third movement. The A sections feature melodic lines, arpeggiating chords, and non-functional triadic harmony.

As Ligeti’s piece was not in fact based off of Brahms, (his opening motive was from a Beethoven piano sonata), I thought it would be fitting that this piece’s opening line be based off the first seven notes of Brahms’ Clarinet Sonata No. 2 in E flat. The rhythm has been augmented and the melody slightly altered by one note to accommodate an aggregate line. The piano picks up the remaining half of the line in mm.3-5. This short piano part plays a series of expanding durations (5 eighths, 6 eights, 7 eighths), Ligeti liked working with rhythms and patterns. The first complete aggregate occurs by measure 6. The aggregate is repeated while the piano plays non-functional triadic harmonies. This opening demonstrates two qualities that Ligeti sought to establish in his new compositional process: the return of melodic lines and thirds/sixths. The second aggregate completes by m.11. The piano has its own complete aggregate in mm.10-11 and the clarinet has transposed the original aggregate by itself as well in mm.11-13. There is also a quick overlapping of a complete aggregate in both parts from m.11 beat four, to m.12 beat three. Ligeti did this often, such as in the first movement mm.30-33. The piano also has another complete aggregate in m.12. The clarinet completes another aggregate in mm.13-15. The piano completes another aggregate in mm.13-14. Measure 13 in the piano is T6 and half the duration of mm.3-5. Measure 14 in the piano is a T0 and another half duration of mm.3-5. The ending line in the piano is the Brahms’ motive. The entire first sections utilizes challenging rhythms, a ‘trademark’ of sorts for Ligeti.

The B section in the duet uses the same principles that Ligeti used in his third movement. There is a repeating rhythmic pattern of note durations followed by rest durations. The total value of held durations and rest durations is nine quarter notes. On top of this rhythmic pattern is a repeating aggregate. The first couple occurrences are six pairs of dyads. These dyads were picked with purpose. The starting note of the piece is Eb and the ending note of the piece (in the clarinet) is F#, which creates the first pair. The last pair was decided by the final note of the piano in the bass in the A sections. As the pattern progresses, the pitch classes are varied, but the interval spacing of the original dyads remains the same. [3 4 6 4 6 3]. Ligeti also did this in his third movement. The clarinet is offset by the piano by three eighth notes, and then slowly aligns itself to the piano, and then proceeds to offset itself again. The piano is also slowly adding pitches to the dyads, creating recognizable triads and then tetrads. More pitches are added as the piano lines rise quicker until cluster chords are formed at the climax in m.36.

The A’ returns with the sustained low bass of the piano permeating through the opening until m.52. Ligeti used this technique in the return of A’ in his first movement.