TheMusicof

artó
A Study of l _lity and Progression
.:,:::;i
.. ) ·
•, 1
·:

in Twentiet ~- _, êntury Music

t.
Elliott Antokoletz
 Symmetrical Pitch Construction 69

Bartók's music, the interval cycles and deriv.itive symmetrical seg-

In have an important function in the large-scale structure. ln order to
ments
demonstrate ·
their fu~ctlons an d _m
· terre lauons
· · hºm t h e music, the proper-
w1t
. 5 of symmetrical p1tch collect1ons must first be defined. Any collection of
ue notes is symmetnca
two · l, smce
· t h e two notes are equ1ºd•1stant f rom an imag-
inary axis. If we join a second dyad to th~ first, with the two notes of the
second dyad equidistant from the sarne a~1s of syrnrnetry, a four-note sym-
metry results jas in any of the tetrachords m Ex. 71 ). Such four-note syrnrne-
tries are basic in the Fourth Quartet. ln Exarnple 7 Ia, the axial intervals dif-
fer 12. _ 1 = 1; 3 - o = 3) but their surns are the sarne 11 + 1 = J; 0 + 3 = J).•
If a note from one dyad is cornbined with either note from the other dyad of
the sarne sum, the rernaining interval will be the sarne, as can be expressed
in the equations 3 - 1 = 1 - o and 3 - 1 = 1 - o. Each pair of intervals will
be referred to as an interval couple.s Transposition changes the sum li.e., the
axis of symmetry) of a dyad, but not its interval class.
Example 7ra is one of the three principal cells 6 of the Fourth Quartet.
We will call this cell X.7 The interval couples of X are demonstrated in Ex-
ample 72. Cell X is a segrnent of the chrornatic scale (interval-1 cycle). Of its
three interval couples, the one expressed in the equation 3 - 1 = 1 - o will
be .called primary, since it is based on the cyclic interval of X. The other
interval couple that also has two equivalent intervals 13 - 1 = 1 - o) will
be called secondary. The rernaining interval couple, containing two non-

71 Four-note symmetries

<•> (b) or

,<?i)• li
(e) (d)

' ./'k71,';. Hi,:

7
;7-. • 11 ;;',#7; • 1

10 O 8 1 2 2 8

g;n~position
1
n~~ber is o(= u). lf the collection is transposed so that its "first" note becomes
m' .ts _trans~s1t1?n number becomes 1 1=13). ·rntervals also imply their complements or har-
n:"i~t~ersions m the sarne interval-class and may be more specifically designated by double
cnthl 1_rs. the perfect unison (or octave) will be interval o/ l 2; the minor second (or major sev•
ma; ' ?terva~
th i/u; the major second (or minor seventhl, interval 1/10; the minor third (or
pcrf~~tsfifthl, !nterval 3/9; the major third (or minor sixth), interval 4/8; the perfect four!h (or
vai 616 _ l, mterval S17; and the tritone (which is equivalent in its harmonic inversion), mter-

= 3a~f!:d: ~parated by the tritone (e.g., Ex. 71c, CI-D and G-G•l have the same sum, 1 .+ 2
is - 12 - I - .1 s-sums 3 and 15 are equivalent accordirig to the present modulus of 12 (1.e.,
the sarne"",~~smce 6 is added to each note, and 2 x 6 = o (or u). Therefore, any two dyads of
5 Ccor can be shown to be symmetrically related around the same axis.
sic and Musf:;:erle and Paul Lansky, "Twelve-Note Composition," Grove's Dictionary of Mu -
6 for a defins_. ~d. Stanley Sadie 16th ed., London: Macmillan, 19801, p. 292.
7 Geo P nnion of cell see Chapter I n. 27 above.
Review l 6 erle, 10 "Syrnmetrical Form~tions'in the String Quartets of Béla Bartók," Music
vernber, 19 SS1, referred to this chromatic tetrachord as set X.
70 Symmetrical Pitch Construction

72 Primary, secondary, and tertiary inte

rva 1coupt
es of ceu )(
tertiary !axial or sum couplc
, sum 31
3

e e,
1 primary lcyclicl
2
secondary
2

(01 (li (21

l3J
73 Primary, secondary, and tertiary interval coupl f
es o cell y

tertiary (axial or sum couple, sum 21

7
6
B~ e 2 D
.1 2 1 l 2
J
E
1 primary (cyclic)
4
secondary 4

(10) (OI 12) 141

equivalent intervals (2 - 1 = r; 3 - o = 3 I, will be called tertiary; this is the

sum couple, 8 since it is hased on the two symmetrically related dyads of sum
3. Cell X is given at its basic transpositional levei ("X-o"I in Example 713 ·
The three interval couples of another principal cell of the quartet-we
will call this cell Y9 -are shown in Example 7 3. Cell Y is a segment of ibe
whole-tone scale (interval-2 cycle). Of its three interval couples, the one_ e~·
pressed in the equation 4 - 2 = o - 10 (or 12 - 10) 1s . pnmar,,
. " since 11 1sd
· expresse
based on the cyclic interval of Y. The secondary interval coup1e 15 (the
· t h e equation 4 - o = 2 - 10 lor 14 - 10). The teruary
m · · · t rval coup1e•nter·
in e .
sum coup1e) consists, analogously to that of X, of two noneq . nsp0si·
~~I

va 1s that are symmetrically related (10 + 4 = o + 2 = 2 · T e

h bas1c ua
tional levei of Y (Y-ro) is shown in Example 71b. '
1hC
. that havc
S um couple refcrs to two intervals that are symmetnca
8 · li related, i.e.,
Y y
sarne sum. chord as sei ·
. "S ymmctncal
9 I>er1e, m . .
Formattons," referrcd to t h.1s w h 0 )e-tone tetra
 ( l
Symmetrical Pitch Construction 71

The third sy mmetrical cell (Z) 'º differs from X and Y in that the two in-
tcrvals in each of its three interval couples are equivalem, and in that two of
these interval couples are also sum couples (Ex. 74). Unlike X and Y, z is not
3 segment of a uni-intervallic cycle. Its interval couple, expressed in the
equation 7 - 1 = 8 - 2, will be called primary, since it is based on two tri-
tones, a property which enables Z to be permuted around either of two axes
of symmetry, sum 3 or sum 9 (Ex. 74a, b). The other two interval couples of
z are the sum couples. The interval couple expressed in the equation 8 - 7
= 2 - 1 has the sum of 3 (8 + 7 = 2 + 1 = 3), which is symmetrically related

74 Primary, secondary, anJ tertiary interval couples of cell Z at

sum 3 and sum 9
(ai 2 -8 at sum 3

tertiary (axial or sum couplc, sum 3)

GI e, D G

1primary
6

5
.____ _____.I 6

5
1
secondary (sum couple, sum 9)

(8) (1) (2) 17)

(b) Z-8 at sum 9

tertiary (sum couple, sum 3)

~' '\'
D G e,
6 s
6 1 l i . 1'r,

1
;:,:
5
h
5
l
{
-~
secondary (axial or sum couplc, sum 9)
~}
(1) 12) (71 (8)

N
Lco Treitler flrst rcferred to this symmctrical tetrachord as cel/ Z, in "Harmonic Proce-
10
durc in the Fourth Quartet of Béla Bartók," fournal of Music Theory 3/ 2 (Novem_ber, i959) :
9 -98, as a follow-up to Perle's designations of scts X and Y. (The Z nomenclaturc 1s not to be
2 2

conluscd with that in the theoretical writings of Allen Forte.)

72 Symmetrical Pitch Construction

75 Pcrmutations of cell Z -812 arou d .

n euher of tw
o ªJCes of
( a ) Z-8 (s um 3) ( b) ( au m 9) syllllll
etry
(d) C1u~ 9)

8 1 2 7 1 2 7 8
2 7 • 1
) 8 1 2

76 Permutations of cell Z-u/s around . h

e1t er of tw
o aJCes of sy
C•> Z· ll 9) (b) 3) lllrnetry
' (e) Z- 5 Ceum 9)
. ,,-::;;::f. li ,z~; z ~
d>csu~3)
• ffe !#A 1•f•ill :¼;; _
li 4 5 10 4 5 10 11 5 10 11 4
10 li 4 S

77 Alignment of two inversionally comple

mentary semiton 1
a cycles
dyads of _ç g fil. !:
even-sum O _ç .!! º
B~ !}_ 9. _g
ft 9.
ç
! I
-º ª9.
Ft
.ê. ç
pitch-class o 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 li o
number !l 2 -ª L
interval º
o 2
IO
4 6 8 10
§
o 2
4
4 ª6 t
8
L
10 o

to the tertiary interval couple of X-0. 11 We will call this the tertiaryinterv~
couple. The interval couple that contains two interval-s dyads 17 - 2 = 1 -
8, i.e., 7 - 2 = 13 - 8) will be called secondary. lts sumis expressedinthe
equation 7 + 2 = I + 8 = 9. We will assume that the basic transpositional
levei of cell Z is Z-8 1Ex. 71 e), since this is the transposition number at iIS
first appearance in the quartet jm. 22, va and vnll. At this occurrence, Z-8~
also a primary thematic element of the transition between first-theme and
2
second-theme groups. If Z-8 jEx. 75a) is transposed by the tritone toZ· l~-
75cJ, the axis of symmetry remains at sum 3 1= 1 s}. If Z-8/2.•is· transposedod Y
lly pr uces
interval 3 to Z-r 1/5 {Ex. 76a e) the interval couple that ongma ai u·
' ' th interv co
sum 3 in Z-8/ 2 now produces sum 9 in Z- r 1/ s. Conversely, e . z.u/l
pie that produces sum 9 in Z-8 / 2 jEx. 7 5b, d} now produces sum ~;ioyed by
/Ex. 76b, d). The pivotal functions of both Z-8/2 and Z- 1115 ;e\her.
Bartók as a means of exchanging one axis of symmetry for beea:a1yzed in1~
As was noted above, any symmetrical tetracho. rd can 50
rrn par tof aserie .
[ dyads that have the sarne sum. These sum dyads will fo . versionallY coJJlb
. • g tWO 1n dY
symmetrically related dyads generated by a1~gnin metr}' is express;fthe
. plementary semitonal cycles !Ex. 77). The ax1s of syrn h's alignlllent
. d ad ln t 1
the sum of the two pitch-class numbers m any Y ·

II See Example 181 fleft column).