JAVS Fall 1997

28

of a new one. Each of these new dissonant harmonies appears as motive x inverted. The passage comes to the same cadence as the piano in the last measure, however, arpeggiating E~-major and C-minor triads (the last incomplete) and coming to rest on the otherwise missing fifth of the dominant-seventh chord of the piano's half cadence (Figure 10).

FIGURE IO. Phrases from Theme in piano and alternate viola parts in Variation 9

inversion of

inversion• of

r-- x -,inversion of ~ r-x-,

r- x -,inversion of

r- x-,

.12.

L.___ x' ----.J inversion

'-- x' ___, inversion•

L.___ x' ----.~ inversion

inversion of ,.,.....----,----,:--- first phrase----., inversion of

inversion of r-- x'--,

..----X----,

r---x'--,

&

• this figure follows the contour of the inversion, altering one note

Britten does not give clear directions about how this passage is to be played: one perfor mance solution is suggested in Figure 11. This solution assumes that as many notes as can be managed should be played as harmonics, both for consistency of tone and because harmonics were, after all, the viola's original contribution to the variation.

FIGURE n. One performance solution for the "Alternative [viola] part" Variation 9

(senza vibrato)

3 22 3 I 2 It £__) J r r ~r dJJa t pp flautondo r-3--., IV ,- ill' V V I

Lento

II,,~~ B

q

pp

'I;lli l2f#

m 4 113

III·~V 'p , l ==--

==- attocca

(rall.)

Notes not available as harmonics should therefore be played without vibrato and perhaps a bit sul tasto in order to approximate the tone color of harmonics as closely as possible. A number of harmonics involving the stretch of a perfect fifth are used for the clarity of tone such harmonics provide. Britten himself suggests the very dear-toned open string at the end of the passage, which must be approached carefully so as not to be too suddenly prominent. Variation 10 begins very quietly in the piano with a C-G fifth that is held throughout the variation. This pedal note is followed by three slow chords. The top notes of the pedal and the first three chords form motive x' at its original pitch level. After the pedal note is reiter ated, the last chord of the group of three is repeated; this is followed by four chords, the top notes of which form a fragment of the Theme beginning from the second note of its first phrase. This pattern is not, however, continued: the piano's chords do little more than