Layers of sense and the

problem of coherence in
music

Antonio Grande
Conservatorio of Music, Como (Italy)
 Musical analysis normally aims for a single form of coherence

For example, Schenkerian analysis aims to create

a single line of sense bringing together each
element or detail within a single framework (the
Ursatz).

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 This approach has been subject of
criticism

Instead of aiming to we could think of Schenker's theory as:

show a background
unity … “a means of demonstrating the
diversity, the lack of continuity, the
incongruity - in a word, the disunity - of
the foreground".
Moreover, "Schenker can be read as
dramatizing the tensions between levels
of structure rather than just as
demonstrating their conformance”
(N. Cook)

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 Cohn & Dempster

“… instead of thinking of a complex musical surface as

unified by an underlying structural simplicity, we consider
the musical surface as a solution to the compositional
problem of mutually satisfying the demands of several
sets of independent formal operations" [1992, 176].

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 Arnold Whittall

“… the juxtaposition and superimposition of different

elements may be a more natural and necessary way of
appreciating and describing . . . content . . . than unity or
synthesis " [1992, 176].

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About dis-unity

Jonathan Kramer, The Concept of Disunity and Musical Analysis, 2004

Robert Morgan, The Concept of Unity and Music Analysis, 2003

Alan Street [1988], Daniel Chua [2004]

Jonathan Kramer, Postmodern-Music. Postmodern-Listening, 2016

“My interest… lies” in the "tension between different

kinds of pitch structures operating within the same
work”. That musical structures “never act completely
in phase with one another. Every articulation in some
domain is contradicted in another domain”
[2016, 100]

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 William Wimsatt

“There is a bias towards theoretical monism”

"all the models, phenomena and theories in a given

area ... tend to be treated as ultimately derivative
from one primary theory".

“Complexity and Organization”

Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting
of the Philosophy of Science Association,
1972, pp. 67-86

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 views K-decomposition

Different theoretical
perspectives Ti.
T1 K(T)1
Ti is a view, that is the rule
according to which the
elements are organized and
unified.

Each of these Tis generates a

decomposition of the system
T2 in parts.
Let’s call this decomposition
as K(T)i.
K(T)2 Different K(T)i may, or may
not, give spatially coincident
boundaries for some, or for
all, of the parts of the
system.
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 views K-decomposition

Different theoretical
perspectives Ti.
T1 K(T)1
Ti is a view, that is the rule
according to which the
elements are organized and
unified.

Each of these Tis generates a

decomposition of the system
T2 in parts.
Let’s call this decomposition
as K(T)i.
K(T)2 Different K(T)i may, or may
not, give spatially coincident
boundaries for some, or for
all, of the parts of the
system.
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 System

If all of a set of decompositions, K(T)j produce

Descriptively coincident boundaries for all parts of the system
simple…

Descriptively if two parts from different K(T)i are not coincident

complex…

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 “the measure of the complexity of the
Interactional complexity
causal interactions of a system” (Wimsatt)

… if different subsystems - by which a system

may be broken down according to a specific
decomposition – are, or are not, affected by
subsystems arising from different forms of
decomposition.

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 “Our existing theories work well on simple systems …
because these theories are constructed so as to render
them interactionally simple”

Wimsatt, 75

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Mozart, Sonata K
280/I

Tonal properties 13 26
1
K(T)1
1
T1

T2 1
6
K(T)2
Texture
2
1
These properties are
always paired 2
6

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Beethoven,
Sonata, op. 53/I

This misalignment – that is the lack of phase or

coordination – between two different views is a
case of descriptional complexity. I shall call it
“degree of complexity”.

136
T1 “Thematic-formal structure” view
Misalignment
Main Theme
between 2 two
“Tonal-properties” view Tonic
T2 resolution types of views
152

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Liszt, G#
Consolation n.
2 E

T1
Conventional
tonal view T2
Neo-riemannian view
C

29 33
E

T1 K(T)1

T2 K(T)2

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Chopin,
Prelude, op. 28 n. 4

>

K(T)1

K(T)2
m. 17
expressive accent

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 Chopin,
Prelude, op. 28 n.
1

T1 dynamics

T2 melodic contour

6 5
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 3

T3 bass ascent

bb. 9 15 19 21 23 25
K(T)1

K(T)2

K(T)3

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I
Sect. A

I V
∼

ic6 (mistuned form)

Kárpáti, 1995

I V

I V
ic5 (regular form)
17

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I
Sect. A

I V
∼

mm. 5-12
mm. 17-20
mm. 13-16

WT1
WT0 WT0

I V

mm. 21-28

mm. 29-36

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 alternation or oscillation between two states:
regular and irregular (mistuned) ones

Ti

Tj
process of a gradual completion (Whole-Tone
material)
The final part is the moment of greatest
completeness

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 Our questions are:
• Quality: are there descriptively simple or complex
areas (under Ti and Tj)?
• Focus: which of the two views has – from time to
time - somewhat priority on a perceptual level?
• Interactions: are there cases of interaction on a
perceptual level?

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I
Sect. A

Ti Tj I V
∼
mm. 5-12

I / V∼ mm. 5-20
mm. 13-16
mistuned form
(ic6)
mm. 17-20

mm. 21-28
I/V mm. 21-36

mm. 29-36
regular form I V
(ic5)

WT1
WT0 WT0

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I

Sect. B

4-25 4-25

4-25

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I

62
52

m. 52 62 72 75 78 85

62
66
72

ic5

78 85 86

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I

Retransition (m.
78)

78

V I

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I
Retransition/Return to B♭
52 78 86

conventional segmentation  T1 K(T)1

progression of rising perfect 4ths  T2 K(T)2
tonal vs non-tonal color  T3 K(T)3

Retransitio
n

78

Return to B♭

86

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I C

78

78 84 86 102

Retransition Restatement
T1 K(T)1

Tz K(T)z
Arrangements of cell x

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I C

78

100

ic mm.
B♭ 6 E 86-87

B♮ 5 E 88-89

E♭ 5 A♭ 91-92

A♭ 6 D 92-93

D 5 G 94-95

G♭ 5 C♭ 96-97

C♭ 6 F 98-99
27

8:31
 Analysis

Instead of aiming to find a unity of sense

within the piece … analysis should find
different degrees of complexity able to
increase the aesthetic appeal of the piece.

It plays thus a creative role being able to

propose constructive conflicts and possible
interactions among different spikes of sense.

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 Thank you !

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Bartok, Suite op. 14/I

mm. 82-85 86-87 92-93 99-100

6
5

4
mm. 82-85 86-87 92-93 99-100 100-101

6
2 5

Tz
4

2 3

WT0

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