JAVS Spring 2010

Viola and Piano, op. 117 in my thesis. This daunting task was soon curtailed owing to the sheer vol ume of material to consider, and in the end my published thesis was on the solo viola sonata only. It was during the research process that I discovered there was a third work by Krenek that included viola, the previously unpublished Sonatina for Flute and Viola, op. 92, no. 2A. A transcription of this work, made by the composer, for flute and clarinet was published in 1945 by Bärenreiter and cataloged as op. 92, no. 2B. I quickly e mailed Mrs. Krenek, and the origi nal manuscript of the work, which was in her possession, was sent to Vienna for publication. Ernst Krenek (1900–1991), who immigrated to the United States in 1938, was a seminal voice in twen tieth century contemporary music. His contributions to modern musi cal life included not only original compositions, but writings on music, music theory, and the com positional process. Like many twentieth century composers still under the influence of the late nineteenth-century style, Krenek was determined to establish a unique and forward-looking voice for himself. Consequently, he went through a variety of periods and

was a master of many styles. Early works from 1919 to 1923, notably his first two string quartets, are aggressively atonal. He followed this with a more Romantic style, often called his “Schubert” period. During this time he continued to display various influences, exempli fied by the jazz-inspired opera sen sation of 1926, Jonny spielt auf . Beginning in 1932, Krenek adopt ed the popular twelve-tone/serial technique. While he did write works in a strict twelve-tone style, his use of serialism was also highly individualized. All three chamber works for viola date from this peri od. Krenek’s late works, from 1962 until his death in 1991, display highly imaginative writing free of any system. In the twenty-first cen tury, scholarship for Krenek and his works has surged, bringing to light strikingly original, although neglected, works for the viola. In the spring of 2010, the Austrian publishing house Universal Edition will release three new editions of Krenek’s works for viola; all of which will certainly find a perma nent place in the viola canon. In the article that follows, I will offer a brief description of the Sonatina for Flute and Viola and the Sonata for Viola and Piano, along with a more detailed analysis

of the Sonata for Viola [solo]. Sonatina for Flute and Viola, op. 93, no. 2A The Sonatina for Flute and Viola is a fascinating composition, not only for its unique instrumenta tion but for its structure, harmonic language, and sheer effectiveness. Krenek composed this work in Poughkeepsie, New York, on January 6, 1942, astonishingly in only one day. A dodecaphonic composition, the Sonatina uses Krenek’s inventive adaptation of the twelve-tone practices of Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School. Krenek’s brilliant interpretation of Schoenberg’s principles included the separation of the twelve-tone row into two six-note segments. After separating the twelve-tone row into two halves, or hexachords, he then implemented an ingenious proce dure that he called “rotation.” This method of row transposition shift ed pitches from the beginning of the row series to the end and yield ed a wonderfully rich, often conso nant, number of musical results. In the Sonatina, Krenek used the row not only linearly but vertically as well, where the flute and viola engage in an intriguing dialogue: sometimes starting and sometimes finishing each other’s rows (fig. 1).

Figure 1. The opening bars of the Sonatina for Flute and Viola. The dual function of the flute’s entrance acts not only as a response to the viola’s entrance, but also serves to complete the row started by the viola. (Ernst Krenek, Sonatina für Flöte und Viola, op. 92/2a/ © Copyright 2009 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien/UE 34943. Used with permission.)

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