JAVS Summer 2025

Figure 3. Contoured melody through registers. Spiegel im Spiegel, Avro Pärt, mm. 61-79. © Copyright 1978 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien/ © Copyright 1998 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien / UE31257.

This piece is not “difficult” in the traditional sense. It asks for no fireworks, no bravura. But to play Spiegel im Spiegel well is to be completely transparent: to step aside so that something larger may be seen—and heard— through us. As violists, we are uniquely suited to this role. Our instrument, so often described as the voice of introspection, here becomes the mirror itself: reflecting not only the triadic echoes of the piano, but something of the listener’s inner landscape as well. In this way, Spiegel im Spiegel becomes not just a piece to play, but a place to dwell—a quiet chamber where sound meets silence, and where the viola, resonating in steady, measured intervals, becomes the still point in a turning world. Modal Tonality and Medieval Resonance Though Spiegel im Spiegel is nominally notated in F major, its harmonic language resists the gravitational pull of functional tonality. Instead, it dwells in a liminal, modal space—one that feels both ancient and timeless. As the viola unfolds its diatonic, stepwise melody, we begin to sense a modal fluidity that transcends key signatures. Particularly, the frequent use of G, A, and Bb in pivotal roles evokes the Dorian mode, with its characteristic minor third and raised sixth. Yet the lines are too open ended, too meditative, to settle into any single modal identity. This ambiguity is precisely what lends the

music its chant-like quality—a quality violists will find uncannily suited to the instrument’s inward, vocal timbre. • Phrase 1 (mm. 4–7): The first melodic gesture begins on G and resolves to A, then mirrors from Bb down to A. This centering around A with stepwise motion from G and Bb implies A Dorian—a mode associated with chant and introspection. • Phrase 8 (mm. 102–115): This final complete phrase presents two full scalar passages: - F rom G3 to G4 resolving to A4 (Dorian mode from G), - From Bb5 to Bb4 resolving to A4 (suggestive of Bb Lydian, given the raised fourth implied by the underlying F major framework). • Pervasive Symmetry: The viola line often introduces phrases in inversional pairs, such as an ascending motion from F–G–A mirrored by descending motion from C–Bb–A, reinforcing a “mirrored” architecture and symmetrical modal syntax (see Figure 4). • Cadential Centering on A: Nearly every phrase resolves to a prolonged A4, the concert pitch used to tune the viola. This reinforces the idea of A as a spiritual center, transcending major/minor duality and inviting modal ambiguity. • G and Bb Anchors: All odd-numbered phrases begin with G, while even-numbered phrases begin a third below their predecessors (e.g., F, D, B), suggesting a modal scaffolding built around A Dorian and Bb Lydian.

Figure 4. Pervasive Symmetry in inversional pairs ( ascending F–G–A mirrored by descending C–Bb– A). Spiegel im Spiegel, Avro Pärt, mm. 12-21. © Copyright 1978 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien/ © Copyright 1998 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien / UE31257.

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 41, Summer 2025 Online Issue