JAVS Spring 2019

Example 2. The Dies Irae chant in the vocal rapsodies, “L’Étang,” mm. 36–38.

Loeffler gives the baritone’s melody in mm. 36–37 of the vocal rapsodies to the viola and oboe in mm. 99–100 to be performed in a unison sotto voce . This melodic material is placed immediately following a forte crescendo , and if it is performed correctly, it should create an unnerving and eerie effect. Hemiola, thick orchestration, and frequent changes in both dynamics and tempo are pervasive throughout “L’Étang” (ex. 5). The multi-layered texture and instability of tempo combine to obscure the clarity of the musical motives and possibly allude to the muddy and

foggy scene that the poem depicts. The thick textures along with the tempo changes blur and obscure the inherent cross rhythms between the voices and help portray the overall, dark, esoteric and tangled nature of the text.

“La Cornemuse”

In the reworking of the second poem “La Cornemuse” in the instrumental rapsodies, Loeffler introduces new themes and departs from the clear textual and structural correlation that was apparent between both musical

Example 3. The Dies Irae chant in the instrumental rapsodies, mm. 106–107.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 35, No. 1, Spring 2019

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