Poly Tonality

Yale University Department of Music
Bitonality, Mode, and Interval in the Music of Karol Szymanowski

Author(s): Ann K. McNamee
Source: Journal of Music Theory, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Spring, 1985), pp. 61-84
Published by: Duke University Press on behalf of the Yale University Department of
Music
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BITONALITY, MODE, AND INTERVAL
IN THE MUSIC OF KAROL SZYMANOWSKI
Ann K. McNamee
The term "bitonality," which implies the simultaneous use of two

tonalities, has won wide acceptance, but a standard analytical proce-
dure for describing a piece of bitonal music is sadly lacking. I shall first
cite several examples of varying analytical approaches to bitonal struc-
tures, then focus on one piece, Karol Szymanowski's piano Mazurka op.
50, no. 3, and offer a theoretical model, based on a system of interlock-
ing fifths, within which aspects of an apparently bitonal piece can be
defined.
In 1923 Darius Milhaud, the first composer to codify his ideas about
bitonal and polytonal structures, asserts that the origin of polytonality
is essentially diatonic-that is, juxtaposed melodic lines must act as
tonally independent counterpoint.1 Milhaud lays out several charts
which show the possible combinations of pairs of keys, but because he
neglects to express any preference for one combination over another,
the resulting analysis seems incomplete and somewhat ambiguous.
This ambiguity is not resolved by the subsequent work of Hans
Tischler, who lists polytonality as one of the four important techniques
in Hindemith's compositions and presents five musical examples to sup-
port his opinions.2 Tischler assigns the label of polytonality to very
brief musical statements (never more than four measures) without
61
making any mention of overall musical continuity or coherence. But
Hindemith himself expresses the following contradictory opinion:
The game of letting two or more tonalities run along side by side and
so achieving new harmonic effects is, to be sure, very entertaining
for the composer, but the listener cannot follow the separate tonal-
ities, for he relates every simultaneous combination of sounds to a
root-and thus we see the futility of the game..,. polytonality is not
a practical principle of composition.3
The labelling of bitonality or polytonality without any discussion of

hierarchy or unity continues in Studia musicologica's 1982 commemora-
tive issues on Bart6k.4
Hierarchical structure and unity are addressed in Gordon Cyr's anal-
ysis of the polytonal structure of Charles Ives' Fourth Symphony.s Cyr
convincingly argues that the intervallic similarities among Ives' borrowed
melodies create a unified whole. However, he does not recommend any
formal system for establishing a hierarchy within the elaborate texture
in Ives' music; instead, he relies on the composer's own notation of
dynamic gradations and alphabetical designations to establish promi-
nence among the melodic lines. Cyr offers the following rather cosmic
description of the Fourth Symphony:
Not all of these planes are of equal importance. Perhaps a better
metaphor here would be a solar system, with planetary orbits of
gradual distance from the principal solar body, but also containing
certain orbits akin to those of comets, whose paths coincide with
others' at periodic intervals.6
Two equally confused analyses are entitled "Schoenberg's 'Atonal-

ity'-Fused Bitonality?" and "Bart6k: Beyond Bi-modality." The first,
by Kenneth Hicken, posits the existence of two simultaneous tonal
centers (a tritone apart) and subjects Schoenberg's twelve-tone theme
from the Variations for Orchestra op. 31 to "quasi-Schenkerian reduc-
tion."7 Although Hicken attempts to bolster his arguments by intro-
ducing distortions of Schenkerian concepts, his model is internally
inconsistent with reference to his choice of pitches for "dual domi-
nants" and "composite tonics." One cannot tell what parameters deter-
mine the choice of one combination of pitches over another, nor why
certain pitches function in both systems at the same time, while others
are left out.
The second article, "Bart6k: Beyond Bi-modality" by Constant Vau-
clain, presents a different model, but one which also shows some dis-
tance from the actual sound of the music.8 Using extensive quotes from
Bart6k's essays, Vauclain contends that if the surface of Bart6k's music
is highly chromatic, more than one altered mode is at work. A "poly-
modal chromaticism" arises, the simultaneous use of two scales and two
62
concurrent harmonic systems, which fuse into "a new and entirely dif-
ferent perceptible surface with its own melodies and harmonies."9
Vauclain illustrates his ideas by means of analyses that split a single,
chromatic melodic line of a solo instrument into two different har-
monic spheres, including a Rameau-like basse fondamentale, "the usual
Roman numerals," and resolutions of dissonances according to strict
rules of voice leading.10 Vauclain analyzes only the first sixteen mea-
sures of Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta, and he does not
explain how the tonal progressions delineate form or how an entire
piece achieves musical coherence.
Perhaps in response to these analytical problems of ambiguity, hier-
archy, and continuity over large spans of music, Keith W. Daniel pro-
vides a pitch-class set analysis of several polytonal works of Milhaud and
Poulenc." Although his analyses are detailed, consistent, thoughtful,
and do encompass entire pieces, Daniel himself concludes that his study
"does reveal that pc set analysis is a useful tool for coming to grips with
the atonal and polytonal music of Milhaud and Poulenc... yet its
usefulness is limited . . . and seems to contribute primarily at the local or
microform level." 12 The questions of layers of structure and interaction
between diatonic, polytonal, and formal systems are still left open.
I want to offer a theoretical model with which to define certain
aspects of what seems to be a bitonal structure. This model grew out
of a study of Karol Szymanowski's music and his use of a specific Polish
folk mode. I first need to present a brief background of Szymanowski's
Mazurkas, define the unique intervallic properties inherent in the folk
mode he used, and then apply these properties to an analysis of a seem-
ingly bitonal piece, his piano Mazurka op. 50, no. 3.
In Poland, Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) is considered to be the

foremost national composer after Chopin and the father of twentieth-
century Polish music. But in the non-Slavic world very little research
has been done that gives us a better understanding of this composer's
music.'3 In an interview in Moscow (November 14, 1933) Szymanow-
ski stated that he "endeavored to give the most condensed expression
of the idea of modem Polish music in a series of twenty mazurkas." 14
The composer referred to the twenty Mazurkas of Opus 50, which he
wrote between the years 1924-26. These piano pieces reflect the final
stage of Szymanowski's evolving style, a phase which includes many
nationalistic elements. In response to Zdzislaw Jachimecki's biographical
sketch of the composer in 1927, Szymanowski wrote the following to
his first biographer: "I am concerned with crystallizing elements of
tribal heritage .. I believe this to be a point which should be stressed
and analyzed in depth." is
63
With these remarks in mind, I want to use as an appropriate point of
departure for analyzing the Mazurkas the ancient Polish folk mode
called the Podhalean mode, an element of Polish heritage which Szy-
manowski uses to integrate the melody at the surface with the harmony
at the middleground. The Podhalean mode is characterized by a raised-
fourth scale degree and a lowered-seventh scale degree, as Example 1
illustrates. (The F4 is the raised-fourth scale degree, and the Bb is the
lowered-seventh.)'16 As shown in Example 2, in the opening measures of
op. 50, no. 1, the melody in the upper voice derives from the Podhalean
scale built on E. (In the first complete measure, both the D , the low-
ered-seventh degree, and the A$, the raised-fourth, appear.)
The unique intervallic properties of the Podhalean mode generate
much of the unusual harmonic language used in op. 50. When compared
with the major and the natural minor scales, the Podhalean mode ex-
hibits only four perfect fifths, rather than six; however, as illustrated in
Example 3, the unique distribution of fifths in the Podhalean mode is
of special interest because it forms a symmetrical ordering about pitch-
class 8 (Ab). The property of symmetry includes all of the other inter-
vals as well. As indicated in Example 4, if the extended ambitus of a
tenth is partitioned into two groups of five elements each, the theoret-
ical midpoint for that ordering is again the lowered-sixth scale degree,
Ab.
While fewer perfect fifths occur in the Podhalean mode than in the
major and minor scales, twice as many tritones occur. Melodically, the
two tritones create modal inflections (as in the opening of op. 50, no.
1); harmonically, they suggest tonal centers other than the tonic. Look-
ing at Example 5, we find that one of the tritones, between scale
degrees $4 and 8 (FC and C), could define a dominant seventh (D-F$-
A-C) potentially tonicizing V, while the other tritone, between 3 and
b7, could define a V7 (C-E-G-Bb) tonicizing t IV. It is remarkable that
neither tritone serves to stabilize the tonic; rather, harmonic support
shifts to V and IV (the upper and lower fifths of the tonic), thereby
adding another dimension to the significance of the interval of a perfect
fifth in this music.
The tension created by the juxtaposition of a melodic emphasis on
~4~ with a harmonic motion to t IV is a hallmark of Szymanowski's
Mazurkas. In Example 2 above, the A$ in the melody of op. 50, no. 1 is
followed by an A) in the bass, as part of bIV6. In this way, extensions
of the intervallic properties of the Podhalean mode and their structural
significance in the music may be understood.
Returning to a comparison of the major, minor, and Podhalean
scales, we find several pitches in common, as illustrated in Example 6.
The corresponding pitches between the major scale and the Podhalean
scale are C-D-E-G-A, exactly those pitches that outline all of the perfect
64
Example 1. The Podhalean mode
Sostenuto. Molto rubato
ir / I 1 3r1t -,,.,,. , _ I I
-- l , l
Example 2. Opening measures, Op. 50/1; Podhalean mode on E
Example 3. Symmetrical fifths in the Podhalean mode
Tritones
Major seconds
Major thirds
Example 4. Intervals in the Podhalean mode
Example 5. Tritones defining secondary dominants

in the Podhalean mode 65
fifths in the Podhalean mode. A unique feature of this pitch distribu-
tion is the possibility of ordering the pitches into a partial cycle of
fifths, beginning with the tonic of the Podhalean mode, as follows:
C-G-D-A-E. Neither of the other diatonic scales can include all of its
perfect fifths by beginning such a cycle with the tonic. (The partial
cycle of fifths that includes all six perfect fifths of the major scale
begins with F [F-C-G-D-A-E-B], while the natural minor scale's cycle
begins with Ab [Ab-Eb-Bb-F-C-G-D].) The unique property of cyclic
ordering found in the Podhalean mode will be discussed below as a
significant structural feature.
One can find evidence in the music itself that develops the idea of
the central importance of the perfect fifth. Traditionally, the drone of
an open perfect fifth in the bass is a characteristic accompaniment of
the mazurka genre, both in its folk form and in its nineteenth-century
stylized form. Szymanowski expands upon this convention and uses
parallel perfect fifths as a viable part of the voice leading. Whereas in
tonal harmony, fifths and sixths are traditionally distinct intervals, they
lose much of their distinctiveness in this music. Some examples from
op. 50 are given in Example 7. (Note the parallel fifths in the bass of
op. 50, nos. 4 and 9.)
Another nontraditional use of perfect fifths in this music is the
coupling of two fifths in tandem to create a structurally stable sonority,
as illustrated in Example 8. (See the final sonority of op. 50, no. 2,
which combines the fifth A-E with the fifth E-B.) Derived from the
structure of the Podhalean mode, this sonority relates to the couplings
of two perfect fifths in the extended ambitus of a tenth, found in Ex-
ample 3 (C-G-D and D-A-E). Another abstract relationship may be
drawn between this sonority and the harmonic possibilities set up by
the two tritones, suggesting IV-I-V, the upper and lower fifths of
the tonic. Remarkably, the only pitches common to all three scales in
Example 6 (Podhalean, major, and natural minor) are C-G-D, again out-
lining this nontraditional sonority.
One may take the idea of coupling two perfect fifths in tandem as a
structural sonority one step further by considering the layering or over-
lapping of perfect fifths at various intervals. For example, in the open-
ing measures of op. 50, no. 3, as shown in Example 9, a layering of two
perfect fifths at the interval of a minor third occurs. The resulting tetra-
chord, pitch-class set 4-26, also structures op. 50, no. 7, as Example 10
illustrates. (The terminology and concepts of pitch-class set structure
refer to Allen Forte's The Structure of Atonal Music. 17)
A similar layering of fifths structures no. 9, with the added dimen-
sion of introducing various levels of 4-26. As shown in Example 11, at
the middleground level in the upper voices, the form [10,1,3,6] ap-
pears, while the forms [4,7,9,0], [9,0,2,5], and [10,1,3,6] occur in
66
major Podhalean minor
Example 6. Comparison of major, Podhalean, and natural minor scales
Allegramente, risoluto
.~~? 14? s
(poco avviv.)
(poco Ped.)
(poco Ped.)
Example 7. Parallel fifths, Op. 50/4, mm. 1-4 and Op. 50/9, mm. 10-11
i ,t- =L
M/
Sc~ II
Example 8. Stacking of two perfect fifths, Op. 50/2, fminal measures
67
Moderato co avviv.
Sdolce
t~~ ~ fp, [
t "m,L .
Example 9. Layering of two perfect fifths, Op. 50/3, mm. 1-5
Example 10. Op. 50/7, structural 4-26
4-26 [10, 1,3, 6]
9 21
4-26 [4, 7, 9, 0] 4-26 [9,0, 2, 5]

4-26 [10, 1,3, 6]
!~ ~ - I
mm.23 37 52 58
4-26 [4,-7, 9,0] ,

4-26 [10, 1,3,6]
4-26 [0, 1,3,6] 4-26 4,7,9, 0

V-I
Example 11. Op. 50/9, middleground occurrences of set 4-26

68
the lower voices. The structural tetrachord for the entire piece, [7,10,
0,3], is a subset of the combined middleground forms, and may be
illustrated as in Example 12.
The concept of a layered structure corresponds directly to the actual
sound of the music. Particularly in op. 50, nos. 3, 7, 9, 17, and 19, the
question of bitonality arises. As outlined in Example 11, the upper
voices of op. 50, no. 9 appear to be organized in F#, while the lower
voices seem to be in C. Jim Samson, in his The Music ofSzymanowski,
describes op. 50, no. 9 as follows: "Similar 'bitonal' textures occur fre-
quently in the rest of the mazurkas, most notably in the ninth, which
opposes C and F# in a manner familiar enough from the Opus 33 Stud-
ies." 18 He does not explain how these two scales on F$ and C, a tritone
apart, relate to one another, create a coherent piece of music, or lead
convincingly to a final cadence on Eb.
The Podhalean scale built on Eb, as shown in Example 13, contains
the background tetrachord [7,10,0,3]. (Compare Examples 12 and 13;
the structural tetrachord in both is D#-A#, enharmonically Eb-Bb, and
C-G). The interval at which the two fifths are layered in the structural
4-26 set, a minor third, is exactly the interval at which Eb symmetri-
cally splits the tritone C-Fe in no. 9. An aurally perceptible confirma-
tion of this symmetrical division occurs in measures 35-47, reproduced
as Example 14. The open fifth D#t-At~ (enharmonically the tonic fifth
Eb-Bb) appears in both upper and lower voices as part of the crescendo
to the sff chord in m. 39. The motion to the sff chord may be read as
an ascent of a minor third from the upper fifth D#-At to F$-C# and a
descent of a minor third from the lower D#-At to C-G, thereby reveal-
ing the elegant symmetrical division of the C-F# tritone from which the
resulting coherence of the piece derives. 19
The theoretical implications of 4-26 have interesting manifestations
in the Podhalean mode. The set 4-26 is found once in the scale as two
perfect fifths a whole-tone apart, spanning the ambitus of a tenth and
utilizing two out of the four possible perfect fifths available, as illus-
trated in Example 15.
The set 4-26 occurs only once as a subset of the Podhalean scale
(7-34). It is not the most "characteristic" tetrachord of 7-34; both 4-22
and 4-27 occur four times, and all the other tetrachords of 7-34 except
4-3 and 4-25 occur exactly twice. This suggests a decision by the com-
poser to feature the symmetrical structure 4-26 and its special attri-
butes.
Szymanowski employs only two forms of 4-26. Reduced to normal
order they are: [7,10,0,3] (used, for example, in op. 50, no. 3), and
[4,7,9,0] (used in nos. 7 and 9). If the first form contains pitch-class 0
as the tonic, it is not found in the literal ordering of that tonic's Pod-
dhalean scale [0,2,4,6,7,9,10]. The third scale degree would have to
69
Example 12. Op. 50/9, correspondences among [10,1,3,6], [7,10,0,3],
and [4,7,9,0]
~5~-
Example 13. Podhalean scale built on Eb
e m es .-
sif ~fi
3,, -
.?. m3
Example 14. Symmetrical split of C-Fg tritone, mm. 37 ff., Op. 50/9
A-i
Example 15. Pitch-class set 4-26 in the Podhalean scale
iJ,
Example 16. Set 4-26 linked by perfect fifths (C-G-D-A-E)
70
be lowered, thereby creating an ambiguity of major-minor mode. The
second form has pitches all of which are found in the scale. Because
the systems described and discussed in connection with the analysis
are so intricately intertwined, one might expect that the tonic fifth
(dyad 0,7) would be represented in the abstract system and within the
forms of 4-26. Indeed, that dyad is the only one common to the two
forms of 4-26 given above.
The final aspect of the central importance of the perfect fifth in this
music relates to the unique cyclic ordering found in the Podhalean
mode. (See Example 16.) The two perfect fifths in pitch-class set 4-26
link with one another in exactly the partial cycle of fifths present in the
mode itself, C-G-D-A-E. The directional nature of this partial cycle is
structurally significant.
Because Op. 50, no. 3 contains so many interesting musical ideas and
exhibits numerous unusual features, it will be analyzed further to intro-
duce the general concept of interlocking fifths as a structural frame-
work. The entire piece appears as Example 17. Jim Samson describes
the opening as follows: "In the third mazurka the harmonic asperities
result in part from a tendency towards white-note/back-note 'bitonal-
ity,' clearly in evidence in the introductory bars..., though the final
cadence is an unambiguous Ci major triad."20 As shown in Example
18, the two fifths in the structural 4-26 of Mazurka 3 (E-B and C#-
G$), present four possible directions of cycles. In op. 50, no. 3, all four
of these possibilities occur and are illustrated in Examples 19a and
19b.
With respect to these Mazurkas, I am defining a cycle as either the
complete circle of fifths or a portion of it. The middleground motion
over the span of the entire piece, which combines all of the foreground
cycles, generates the complete circle of fifths. A cycle may be ex-
tended by either linear motion or vertical fifths. If we follow Cycle III,
we find that the linear motion G$-C#-F#-B is followed by a verticality
E-A-D at m. 42 in the music. This simultaneous occurrence of E-A-D
will be regarded as a viable presentation of the cycle's continuation.
When four cycles represent the four possible directions arising from
two fifths, as in Examples 18, 19a, and 19b, the term source dyad will
be used to designate the original fifth of each cycle. The two source
dyads in no. 3, E-B and C#-G4, are graphically highlighted by boxes in
Example 19a and by open circles in the directed graphs of Example
19b. A discussion of each of the four cycles in no. 3 follows.
Cycle I. In the soprano, as shown in Example 20, E-B moves to F in
m. 11, then to C4 in m. 12, and to G$ in m. 17. Measure 17 unites
many features: mm. 10-16 repeat an octave lower; the primary tone G$
repeats; Cycle I reaches GC; Cycle III, containing G#-C$-FS, returns to
its source dyad which includes G$. After this juncture, Cycle I also
71
ModeCato cviv. poco avivw.
Mazurka Kw S Opts S0, Number 3
I, dole_
7 Poco nt
a temrn poco rit.
, ce
:8 auioco nit. POCo meno~c C grm
i . . ? . .
oco nt, a tempo (auvwv.)
avvoiv.
orit.
i tran llo
30 -r
C~ ( 1r () ~
-w(P r
=z j ~$
Example 17. Op. 50/3, entire piece

72
a tempo poco sost.L rit.
36 - II 1
'meno mos v. :L J. J . t..
*rt.
ai r i
nt - "
.54- t
r-tt.
Tmo I me soPr) rt a
poco it. poco . soste to
. . p dole
rit.
77 allargao
I I .P 19. 1 2 .. ', ].J '

~P
Example 17 (continued)
Copyright 1954 and 1982 by PWM, Krakov, Poland. Used by permission. 73
A 3. ~?
rry r_ II ~1 ~d~l Clh,~~
Example 18. Four possible directions of fifths cycles in Op. 50/3
Cycle
Cycle I. E -FC-=G$
II. F-C-G-D-A -E
Cycle IV. F-G-D-A-E-B-F D-(A/B-F
Cycle IV. L J-D# -(A*/BL')-F
Example 19a. Chart of fifths cycles, Op. 50/3
Cycle L. Cycle II.

E_ B E S
G F1 A F
D C
c# G
Cycle RT. Cycle I.

c FG C/G
B C F D
E G
A D (A
Example 19b. Directed graphs of fifths cycles, Op. 50/3
m. 11 17 26
Example 20. Op. 50/3, Cycle I, mm. 1-26

74
returns to its source dyad, E-B, at the repetition in m. 26. With the re-
turn to E-B the opposite direction commences, that is, Cycle II.21
Cycle II. The source dyad E-B in the soprano at m. 26 proceeds
cyclically in a change of direction, as shown in Example 21a: B-E (m.
39) A-D (m. 42) D-G-C (m. 47) C-F (m. 52). For the section of the
piece at m. 30 and following, Cycles II and III overlap, thus incorpor-
ating both upper and lower voices. At m. 42, Cycles II and III intersect,
as shown in Examples 21a and 21b.
Cycle III. In the bass of Example 21a, the following cycle proceeds
from the primary tone G4: G#-C$-F$ (mm. 11-12). This is repeated in
mm. 17-25, with reference back to the source dyad G$-C# in m. 26. At
m. 30, however, the cycle continues in the bass with F$-B, E-A (m. 33),
and proceeds to E-A-D at m. 42, where it connects with Cycle II.
Cycle IV. The final possible direction of perfect fifths is from the
tonic C4 to the primary tone G$. The next fifth in this direction, D#, is
literally connected by the composer with a diagonal line in m. 29 (G$-
DC). This DS, often spelled Eb, carries through until m. 52 and acts as
the critical link to the recapitulation, which will be discussed below.
How these four cycles interact with one another over the span of the
entire piece is graphically shown in Examples 22a and 22b, highlighting
six important points of interaction: 1) m. 11, 2) m. 17, 3) m. 29, 4) m.
42, 5) m. 52, and 6) m. 70. The following discussion deals with these
six points.
1. The first common ground between Cycles I and III is FC, which
forms perfect fifths to connect the source dyads at m. 11, as shown
in Example 23 (E-B-F#-CA-G$). This F$ also marks the first har-
monic motion, in a tonal sense, from I to IV. The tonic chord, to-
gether with the lowered-seventh scale degree of the Podhalean mode,
becomes a secondary dominant to the IV; thus, when IV is reached
and the cycles intersect, an elegant melding of both systems is
created, as illustrated in Example 24.
2. The second point of contact arises at m. 17, where both Cycles I and
III contain the fifth C$-G$. In the upper voices, this marks the end
of Cycle I, because the source dyad E-B returns in m. 26 and initiates
Cycle II by reversing direction. For the lower voices, it marks the
opening up of both possible directions. The FA in m. 16 stems from
Gt-C$-F$, but the return to the source dyad C#-G$ in m. 17 initiates
the following change of direction in m. 29: (Fe) - C#-G# - D -.
An important link between the linear and cyclic structures occurs
here. As shown in Example 25, the span in the soprano's cycle that
brings it to coincide with G$-Ct is well-timed with both a reiteration
of the primary tone G$ and a repetition of mm. 10-16 an octave be-
low. The lower octave thus brings G# into the range of Cycle I's
75
m. 17 Cyclei. 29 4 5
- yle. BT "____--__
Cycle IlL.
Example 21a. Op. 50/3, Cycles II and III, mm. 17-52
Cycle If.
E B
A \F
D C
Cycle IT.
F) " F
B C
E G
A D
Example 21b. Op. 50/3, directed graph of Cycles II and III
76
m. 11 17 29 42 52 56 70
'I
Example 22a. Op. 50/3, all four cycles
Cycle I. Cycle I.
E B E B
G c F# A F
D C
) IG
A D(A*/BI)
Cycle 1I. Cycle IV
Example 22b. Op. 50/3, all four cycles
77
source dyad E-B and also introduces the bass CA-G$ in m. 24 into
the proper register for m. 30.
3. Interaction between cyclic and formal structures occurs in mm. 29-

41. In Example 26, the arch-rondo form of this piece is outlined.
Cycles I and III overlap at m. 29, and a new section of the rondo
form begins. Section C marks a change of direction for both Cycles
I and III, thereby initiating Cycles II and IV. As mentioned pre-
viously, Cycle I ends at m. 25 and creates Cycle II by a change in
direction from the source dyad, while in the bass in m. 29, the com-
poser literally links the source dyad C~-G$ with D$ by means of a
diagonal line, thus beginning Cycle IV.
A problematic situation arises from the F-C in the upper voices at
mm. 30-41 and the F-C in the lower voices at mm. 36-39. As illus-
trated in Example 27, the F and C may be read as two upper neigh-
bors to E and B. Resolutions of these neighbor notes occur in the
bass at m. 39 (F to B), in the alto at m. 39 (F to E), and in the so-
prano at m. 41 (C to B). These resolutions are perfectly timed, as
shown in Example 28, because they coincide with the intersection of
Cycles II and III, and with their continuation in m. 42. The fifth F-C
which introduces Section C also anticipates the F-C fifth in m. 52
and following, the goal of the motion in Section C'.
4. Another point at which the cycles interact is m. 42 and following,

where Cycles II and III intersect. (See Example 21a.) In the descant
Cycle II, B-E-A-D-G-C-F, the C in m. 52 refers back to the upper-
neighbor C in m. 40. This C again resolves to B in m. 56 (not to Bb,
which would continue the cycle). The bass, Cycle III, moves through
G4-C$-F4-B-E-A-D-G-C-F, ending with the fifth C-F at m. 52. As
illustrated in Example 29, during the C section where the cycles
intersect, an important middleground event occurs in a linear sense,
a descent of a sixth from E to G$ in mm. 42-60. Here, the composer
elegantly combines both systems again. The linear middleground
descent complements foreground examples of upper and lower per-
fect fifths on the downbeat of mm. 42 and 47.
To prepare for the recapitulation, the following three events take
place: 1) at m. 52 the fifths match in the upper and lower voices, C-
C-F; 2) the linear and cyclic systems combine; and 3) the first part
of the middleground descent which spans E-B reflects the source
dyad for Cycles I and II. The total descent, E-G4, reflects all four
cycles (two with E in the source dyad, the other two with G$ in the
source dyad).
5. The fifth, and probably the most important point of interaction,

occurs at the recapitulation, which is brought about interestingly
78
m. 11
Example 23. The two source dyads of Op. 50/3 linked by perfect fifths
m. 11 12
7I' /V7 of IV IV
Example 24. Correspondence between tonal and cyclic systems
in Op. 50/3, mm. 1-12
m. 10 17 24 30
Example 25. Registral shifts, Op. 50/3
Measures:
1 10 17 26 29 42 55 60 67 70
A B B' A C C' A' B B' A"
Example 26. Arch-rondo form of Op. 50/3
m. 36 39 41 m. 36 39 41 42
Example 27. Op. 50/3, mm. 36-41 Example 28. Op. 50/3, mm. 36-42
79
through an elision in the cycle. Looking at Example 30a, we see that
in m. 52, the Eb assumes a greater role as the seventh of a V7
(F-A-C-Eb) that points towards Bb. This Bb never appears, but is
strongly suggested, both by the V7 and by the direction of Cycle II
and Cycle IV. The Eb present in m. 52 has as its source D$ in m. 30,
as part of Cycle IV, C#-G4-D#(Eb). Its cyclic role is to continue to
the elided Bb (An), in order to intersect Cycles II and III with the
perfect fifth F-C in the bass. Cycle II contains the following pitches:
B-E-A-D-G-C-F-Bb-. Bb should have appeared next in this cycle
as well. If it had been present, as indicated by the brackets in Exam-
ple 30a, it would have linked directly to the recapitulation in m. 55
in the following way:
B-E-A-D-G-C-F-- B - E (D$) (m. 54)-Ab (G$) (m. 56)-C$.
The enharmonic respelling of Ab and Db as G$ and C# is highly sig-
nificant here, for it reflects the completion of the cycle and the
corresponding return to the recapitulation (Section A') at m. 55.
Examples 30a and 30b illustrate the recapitulation by means of both
a linear graph and a directed graph.
All four cycles of op. 50, no. 3, together with the elided B, form a
full circle of fifths which is completed at the recapitulation. With re-
spect to the linear motion, the return of the primary tone occurs in
m. 60, coincidental with the completion of the descent of a sixth.
These factors all combine to create a recapitulation on many levels
and to underline a formally important point in the piece.
6. The sixth and final point of contact occurs when Cycles I and IV
meet again at m. 67, as shown in Example 31. The most important
new pitch in the final phrase is the EC in m. 70. This E# enharmoni-
cally recalls the highlighted F before the recapitulation in mm. 36-
38 and in mm. 52-54. In those instances, the F participates in
preparing for the recapitulation, both as an upper neighbor to E and
as partto
serves ofestablish
the elision
E$ in the cycle
within F-B--Eb.
the tonic triadInofm.C$.
70,Because
however,
theit
cycles have intersected and moved on together, the source dyad
E-B is not in conflict with ES, thereby resolving any question of bi-
tonality.
Just as the recapitulation occurs via an elision in the cycle, so does
the E# in m. 70 appear through an elision. Cycles I and IV, with
C$-G4-D -A - E4, would literally bring in the E$. However,
the A$ is missing, which is remarkable, for it is exactly that pitch,
Bb, which was elided in m. 52. In both instances the elision in
the cycle highlights formally important points, first the recapit-
ulation and then the end of the piece. With the establishment
of El in m. 70, the piece ends with a complete, major, tonic triad,
80
m. 42 60
Example 29. Linear and cyclic systems combined, mm. 42-60
m.26 29 42 52 55 60
Example 30a. Op. 50/3, recapitulation
Cycle 117.
C# cG
F#F
B C
C
E G
A D
E Cycle IV.
ACcl D
Cycle if. F
(A#/Bb)
Example 30b. Op. 50/3, recapitulation
Cycle . m. 70
Cycle IVr
Example 31. Op. 50/3, intersection of Cycles I and IV

81
C$-Ef-G$, and the question of bitonality has been convincingly
answered.
In summary, the generator of the unusual harmonic language found

in these Mazurkas is not bitonality, but the Podhalean mode. Unlike
other diatonic scales, it contains two tritones; these are exploited
throughout the Mazurkas, both melodically, with an emphasis on the
raised-fourth and lowered-seventh scale degrees, and harmonically, with
the potential for tonicizing the dominant and subdominant. Another
feature of the Podhalean mode, its unique structure of perfect fifths,
complements the folk idiom of an open perfect fifth drone in the
mazurka genre. Whereas parallel fifths are avoided in traditional tonal
music, in these Mazurkas they are not only an accepted part of the
voice-leading, but also part of the cyclic flow and the layering of fifths.
The unusual structure of upper and lower fifths, as outlined in the
mode, generates stable verticalities (for instance, the final sonority A-E-
B of no. 2), and harmonic progressions to both the dominant and the
subdominant. Because the subdominant is not literally a pitch in the
Podhalean scale, the use of bIV creates an ambiguity of melodic con-
tent and often of key.
A sense of ambiguity is created in other ways. The drone of an open
fifth allows a mixture of major and minor modes, a technique Szyman-
owski frequently exploits. The lowered-seventh scale degree lends a
minor quality to the upper portion of the octave, juxtaposed with the
major third in the lower portion of of the octave. Two perfect fifths
often are layered a minor third apart, also contrasting with the major
thirds of the scale, thereby introducing more ambiguity to the surface
sound with a seemingly bitonal structure. And ambiguity and surprise
are central to these pieces. Rather than abandoning all traditional
gestures, the composer manipulates those gestures to create a sense of
non-resolution. The capricious final V-I cadence is a hallmark of these
Mazurkas.
The system of interlocking fifths has two main features. In one di-
mension there are cycles of perfect fifths which are directed towards
important formal points and have their own set of foreground, middle-
ground, and background levels. And in more than one dimension there
are layers of perfect fifths. These are in the form of stackings a minor
third apart and are connected to one another by a partial cycle of per-
fect fifths. The layers form the tetrachord 4-26, and it, too, has its own
set of levels.
The remarkable parallel between the major scale and the Podhalean
scale lies in the pitches common to both: C-G-D-A-E... the structure
of pitch-class set 4-26 with the linking fifth. As a final indication of
how the systems interlock, the only pitches common to all three scales
82
(major, natural minor, and Podhalean) are C-G-D, the structure of
upper and lower fifths and the generator of the entire system of inter-
locking fifths, which is largely responsible for the continuity of short,
as well as long spans of music in Szymanowski's Mazurkas. Whether or
not this theoretical framework can be used effectively to analyze other
composers' music that also has the appearance of a bitonal structure is
a topic for future study.
83
NOTES
1. Darius Milhaud, "Polytonalite et Atonalite," La Revue Musicale 4/4 (1923):

29-44.
2. Hans Tischler, "Remarks on Hindemith's Contrapuntal Technique" in Es-

says in Musicology: A Birthday Offering for Willi Apel, ed. Hans Tischler
(Bloomington: School of Music, Indiana University, 1968), pp. 175-84.
3. Paul Hindemith, The Craft of Musical Composition, trans. Arthur Mendel
(New York: Associated Music Publishers, 1942), p. 156.
4. For example, Jinos Kirpiti, "Tonal Divergences of Melody and Harmony: A
Characteristic Device in Bart6k's Musical Language," Studia musicologica 24
(1982): 378-80.
5. Gordon Cyr, "Intervallic Structural Elements in Ives's Fourth Symphony,"
Perspectives of New Music 10/1 (1971): 291-303.
6. Cyr, p. 298.
7. Kenneth Hicken, "Schoenberg's 'Atonality'-Fused Bitonality?" Tempo 109
(1974): 27-36.
8. Constant Vauclain, "Bartok: Beyond Bi-modality," The Music Review 42
(1981): 243-51.
9. Vauclain, p. 245.
10. Vauclain, pp. 248-49.
11. Keith W. Daniel, "A Preliminary Investigation of Pitch-Class Set Analysis in
the Atonal and Polytonal Works of Milhaud and Poulenc," In Theory Only
6/6 (1982): 22-48.
12. Daniel, p. 48.
13. An exception to this is Jim Samson, The Music ofSzymanowski (New York:
Taplinger, 1981).
14. Teresa Chyliiska, Szymanowski, trans. A. T. Jordan (New York: Twayne Pub-
lishers, 1973), p. 189.
15. Chylifiska, p. 118.
16. This scale is also referred to as the acoustic or overtone scale. See, for exam-
ple, Erno Lendvai's explanation in Bila Bart6k: An Analysis of his Music
(London: Kahn & Averill, 1971), p. 67.
17. Allen Forte, The Structure of Atonal Music (New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1973). I would like to thank Allen Forte for his helpful reading of this
paper.
18. Samson, p. 172.
19. Any discussion of a structurally important tritone in early twentieth-century
music should be compared with discussions of axis tonality. Interesting con-
trasts may be drawn between my theoretical model and those of the following
theorists: Arthur Berger, "Problems of Pitch Organization in Stravinsky,"
Perspectives of New Music 2/1 (1963): 11-42; Erni Lendvai, Bdla Bart6k: An
Analysis of his Music, p. 67; and Joseph Straus, "Stravinsky's Tonal Axis,"
Journal of Music Theory 26 (1982): 261-90.
20. Samson, pp. 171-72. One should be aware, however, that the two Es's in
mm. 3 and 7 do not belong to a "black-note tonality."
21. Contrast this cyclic structure of perfect fifths with Liszl6 Dobszay, "The
Absorption of Folksong in Bartok's Composition," Studia musicologica
24 (1982): 308-09, and with Tibor and Maria Bachmann, Studies in Bar-
tok's Music 3 (Media: Bartok Society of America, 1984), pp. 25-41.
84

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What is the author analyzing in the piece of music?

What is the author analyzing in the piece of music?

How does the author describe previous approaches to analyzing bitonality?

How does the author describe previous approaches to analyzing bitonality?

Yale University Department of Music

Bitonality, Mode, and Interval in the Music of Karol Szymanowski

IN THE MUSIC OF KAROL SZYMANOWSKI

The term "bitonality," which implies the simultaneous use of two

The labelling of bitonality or polytonality without any discussion of

Two equally confused analyses are entitled "Schoenberg's 'Atonal-

In Poland, Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) is considered to be the

Sostenuto. Molto rubato

Example 2. Opening measures, Op. 50/1; Podhalean mode on E

Example 3. Symmetrical fifths in the Podhalean mode

Example 4. Intervals in the Podhalean mode

Example 5. Tritones defining secondary dominants

Example 6. Comparison of major, Podhalean, and natural minor scales

Example 8. Stacking of two perfect fifths, Op. 50/2, fminal measures

Example 9. Layering of two perfect fifths, Op. 50/3, mm. 1-5

Example 10. Op. 50/7, structural 4-26

4-26 [10, 1,3, 6]

4-26 [4, 7, 9, 0] 4-26 [9,0, 2, 5]

4-26 [4,-7, 9,0] ,

4-26 [0, 1,3,6] 4-26 4,7,9, 0

Example 11. Op. 50/9, middleground occurrences of set 4-26

Example 16. Set 4-26 linked by perfect fifths (C-G-D-A-E)

:8 auioco nit. POCo meno~c C grm

Example 17. Op. 50/3, entire piece

'meno mos v. :L J. J . t..

poco it. poco . soste to

I I .P 19. 1 2 .. ', ].J '

rry r_ II ~1 ~d~l Clh,~~

Example 18. Four possible directions of fifths cycles in Op. 50/3

Example 19a. Chart of fifths cycles, Op. 50/3

Cycle L. Cycle II.

Cycle RT. Cycle I.

Example 19b. Directed graphs of fifths cycles, Op. 50/3

Example 20. Op. 50/3, Cycle I, mm. 1-26

Example 21a. Op. 50/3, Cycles II and III, mm. 17-52

Example 21b. Op. 50/3, directed graph of Cycles II and III

Example 22a. Op. 50/3, all four cycles

Cycle 1I. Cycle IV

Example 22b. Op. 50/3, all four cycles

3. Interaction between cyclic and formal structures occurs in mm. 29-

4. Another point at which the cycles interact is m. 42 and following,

5. The fifth, and probably the most important point of interaction,

Example 25. Registral shifts, Op. 50/3

Example 26. Arch-rondo form of Op. 50/3

Example 29. Linear and cyclic systems combined, mm. 42-60

Example 30a. Op. 50/3, recapitulation

Example 30b. Op. 50/3, recapitulation

Example 31. Op. 50/3, intersection of Cycles I and IV

In summary, the generator of the unusual harmonic language found

1. Darius Milhaud, "Polytonalite et Atonalite," La Revue Musicale 4/4 (1923):

2. Hans Tischler, "Remarks on Hindemith's Contrapuntal Technique" in Es-

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