John Flannery

Dr. Robert Elfline

Musicianship IV

5/15/2022

Short Analysis Project #2

In analyzing William Duckworth’s seventh prelude from The Time Curve Preludes, a set

of preludes for solo piano, one can find an iteration of the Fibonacci sequence forming an

additive then diminutive process. When analyzing the pattern found in the bass, if one leaves out

the pick-up F3, one can find that the duration between each 3-note group slowly grows. This

sequence follows the Fibonacci sequence until measure 44, where the pattern is ‘reset.’ As the

pattern grows from 2 beats before iterations to 34 beats, the pattern restarts for the second half of

the piece. There are a few places where closer analysis is required to see where the pattern

continues; an example of such a spot is measure 64, where one must not count each beat but

instead count each beat where a new note is struck. This piece, as indicated in the title, feels

circular, as if time has curved, disorienting the audience in a captivating way. The piece is

bitonal, in both Bb major and B minor. The sound is distinct in its blurry quality between these

contrasting keys, but doesn’t lean into full dissonance. This process is not entirely audible, at

least upon first listen with an audience who does not understand the process, and the score is

needed to determine the process.

Tom Johnson’s Tango is a piece for solo piano that focuses purely on the pitch structures

for its process. The melodic line consists of 5 pitches: 2, 5, 8, 9, and 10 (which will be referred to

as ‘T’). Johnson composes a melodic line, and instructs that the performer repeats said pattern 4

times with different pitch permutations. The second permutation takes the first permutation (the
original melodic line) and, instead of starting on 2, starts on 5. Every iteration of pitch 5 in the

original permutation is then replaced by pitch 2. The third permutation alters the second

permutation in a similar fashion, switching pitch 5 for pitch 8. This pattern continues throughout

each permutation, until the piece ends in a short coda. This piece is tonal, and is in the key of D

minor with a sharp 4 (despite its odd key signature that only indicates the two notes consistently

altered: G sharp and B flat.) Both the rhythmic scheme and chord structure resemble a typical

tango, albeit a simple one. The simplicity of the accompaniment, however, allows the process to

be audible to an audience receptive to the changes.

The final piece analyzed is Philip Glass’s Two Pages, written for any combination of

instruments that fit the material of the piece (which traditionally is interpreted as keyboard

instruments.) The piece is an excellent example of the additive process and how it can shape a

piece. The opening 7 measures act as an introduction to the piece, as the first measure features a

5-note pattern that variations of are added to (the variations are the pattern with the last pitch

absent, then the last two pitches, etc.) and then said variations are removed until the melodic line

is as it was in measure 1. The rest of the piece can be divided into sections: 8-39, 40-55, and

56-75. Each section works the same: the melodic idea is introduced, and a portion of it is

repeated more and more times each measure, as indicated in the score. (The first pattern is an

exception to this rule, as it takes more time to grow and for a portion to be consistently repeated.

A portion of the idea is introduced in measure 8, and until measure 15, one single note is added

to the end of each phrase. Measure 15 establishes the portion that is repeated, which is repeated 3

times in that measure.) There is no accompaniment, as found in Tango, or another line, as found

in the selection from The Time Curve Preludes, as the melodic line is the only element of the

piece. There is no established key, although one can hear the piece in C minor as seen by the
consistent E flat. Rhythmically, the piece is a consistent flow of eighth notes until the piece ends.

The lack of variety in modal and rhythmic material allows the audience to focus purely on the

additive process. This process, if the audience can wrap their minds around and stay at a level of

active thought throughout the 17-30 minute piece (depending on the performance), can be fully

audible.