Aligned Cycles in Thomas Adès's Piano Quintet
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5043801 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Philip Stoecker (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 32-64 |
| Publication date | 2014-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Music Analysis (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0262-5245 • E-ISSN: 1468-2249 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/musa.12019 |
| OpenAlex | W1960024695 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 16 |
In this article I investigate aligned cycles in Thomas Adès's Piano Quintet, Op. 20. First identified by Berg in a letter to Schoenberg and later discussed by George Perle and Dave Headlam, an aligned cycle is the result of two or more interval cycles unfolding in the same direction in a note-against-note alignment - for example, a rising whole-tone scale (an interval-2 cycle) simultaneously with a rising chromatic scale (an interval-1 cycle). I begin by exploring in more detail the theoretical properties of three-voice aligned cycles and use concentric circles to show how these cyclic structures generate a closed, tight-knit family of harmonies. I then reveal how Adès uses aligned cycles to provide harmonic, melodic and motivic material throughout his Quintet. These cyclic structures are combined not only with other kinds of cycles (one-, two- and five-voice, and multi-aggregate) but also with the non-cyclic material in the piece. Finally, I discuss how all the transformations of the different cycles function within the large-scale formal design of the piece
Acoustics · Art · Chromatic scale · Combinatorics · Literature · Melody · Physics · Piano · Computer Science · Mathematics · Music Technology and Sound Studies · Musicology and Musical Analysis · Neuroscience and Music Perception
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2024 (2) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |