Doublings

• Doubles more traditionally, again, than Webern

o Color doublings of melodies [not for volume]
o Some very traditional doublings
! Bass instruments double low things / ideas, high instruments double
high ideas [of course]
• Not a lot of mixture with higher sounds [Not a lot of doubling at
the octave, across multiple octaves]
! Adjacent instruments double lines together often
• Violas / Cellos
• B. Cl / Bsn / Contra Bsn.
o Variations for Orchestra [EXTENSIVE THICK DOUBLING]:
! Clarinet + Harp / Bassoon + harp [VAR 1:1:2-3]
• Pitches are also doubled in a harmonic / acoustic / background
fashion
! B. Cl. + Bsn [VAR 2:1:1]
! Flute (fltg.) + harp + Violin I (trem., at pitch) [VAR 2:1:2-3]
! B. Cl. + Bassoon (at pitch) + cello (at pitch) [VAR 2:1:3-5]
! Harp + Celeste (+ cl., at pitch, acc. figure) …
• Harp + Celeste + Oboe (at pitch, acc. figure)
! Bassoon + Viola
! Cello + Bass
! 2 ob. + 3 cl. + Violin I/II (at unison) [VAR 3:1]
! B. Cl. + Bsn. + Contrabsn + Cello / Bass (at unison) [VAR 3:1]
! Violins + flutes (very high, very loud!)
• Doublings are rarely only rhythmic [i.e., same rhythm / motive, different pitches]
o Mostly doubled at the unison / octave
• One instrument group will have the whole line, the doublings will occur in an elided
fashion, transferred from one doubling instrument group to another (to another…)
o This has to do with range possibilities
o [c.f. VAR 3:1, strings = fundamental line contained here, Ob/Cl " Picc/Fl "
Fl/Cl " Ob/Cl]
• Partial doublings
o Picc/Fl + Harp " Celeste/Xylo
• Trb. + Cello [VAR BACH motive, 4:1:2]
• Low violin II + 1 low Hr. + E.H. [VAR 4:1:6]
• Celeste (high, rolled, quiet) + 3 violins (high, tremolo, quiet)
• 3 Fls. (low, quiet, each on a single note) + Celested (medium, rolled, quiet)
• Glock + Harp [VAR 11:1:3]

Textures
• Hauptstimme: [lit. “High voice”] = most important line, to be “brought out” of the texture
• Nebenstimme: [lit. “…”] = Secondary voice, like a countersubject in a fugue. Between the
foreground and middleground
• Schönberg writes counterpoint!
o Including imitative CP [c.f. Var, II]
• Call / response textures, dovetailed / hocketed accompaniment [c.f., VAR, III]
• Division of / partial use of strings to create varied degrees of lightness / color [c.f. VAR
IV, strings: Solo, muted viola; 2 solo (un-muted) celli; solo, pizz. Bass]
• VAR IV:
o The Harp (harmonics)+ Celeste (sustained)+ Mandolin [?] are articulating the
theme in broken 16th notes [rhythmically reinforced by the tambourine], there is
a thin, colorful counterpoint weaving around it [an additional layer…]