Dissertation - International Bass Clarinet Research Center

held by the bass clarinet in the last two bars points to the tonal center of the work.
Meanwhile, the piano creates an interesting diversion with its short, isolated eighth notes
punctuating that final held G of the bass clarinet. These shorter notes are seemingly a
harbinger of what is to come as the second movement is an agitated collection of duplets
and triplets in the bass clarinet part with expansive chords in the piano. Much of the
music is short, accented, and aggressive, which is a total shift from the first movement.
In the final bar, the bass clarinet comes to rest alone on the note F#, which is an apparent
leading tone taking the listener to the opening note of the third movement, a G above the
staff. This is a dark and dramatic movement that allows the bass clarinet to soar above
the ascending chromatic lines of the piano. While it is the most chromatically influenced,
there are many instances of large intervals, beginning with the opening octave jump and
continuing throughout the movement. The fourth movement is once again a complete
contrast to what precedes it. The two instruments collaborate more than in any other
movement to create a lively and animated line that propels itself to the very end. The
bass clarinet ends on a low G to further confirm the tonal center. The piano interestingly
complements this final bass clarinet note with a whole-tone chord cluster followed two
beats later by a pedal G. This reaffirms the balance between the consonance of the
recurring G and the dissonance of the whole tone scale, exhibiting the combination of
ideas in which Hába was so comfortable composing.
Dots, Lines, and Zigzags
Sofia Gubaidulina composed Dots, Lines, and Zigzags in 1976. A work that is
audibly visual, it paints the ear with exactly what the title suggests by using
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