JAVS Fall 2024

low register, with a dot on the chord indicating a short, dance-like attack (Shown in Figure 2). The right-hand proceeds to play the second and the third beats with a repeated chord in a higher register with a dot on the first chord and a dash on the second chord. Measure 26 is the precise moment where the word “valse” appears in the poem for the first time. When the stanza reappears

in mm. 60-67, this waltz pattern emerges again, though this time it’s not as consistent as the first time. There is another recurring rhythmic pattern—two consecutive dotted quarters which first appear in m. 9 both in the voice and the viola. Perhaps this is Loeffler’s attempt to describe the syncopated waltz steps (See Figure 3).

Figure 2. Charles Martin Loeffler, “Harmonie du Soir,” mm. 26-30. This example makes use of the following edition: Charles Martin Loeffler: Selected Songs with Chamber Accompaniment, edited by Ellen Knight. Recent Researches in American Music, vol. 16. Madison, WI: A-R Editions, Inc., 1988. Used with permission. www.areditions.com.

Figure 3. “Harmonie du Soir,” mm. 6-10. This example makes use of the following edition: Charles Martin Loeffler: Selected Songs with Chamber Accompaniment, edited by Ellen Knight. Recent Researches in American Music, vol. 16. Madison, WI: A-R Editions, Inc., 1988. Used with permission. www.areditions.com.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 40, No. 2, Fall 2024

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