Valentine's Day, Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 10:20 am

Went out with the wife for dinner at Red Brick Pizza (delicious Greek salad and whiteBianco pizza with sausage and vegetarian on my half), then Trader Joe's, then Walgreens,etc.Quote: "In For the Fallen, Herrmann immediately plays with use of linear fifths andoctaves, slowly infusing the melodic line with super-imposed augmented fifths and majorsevenths ..."The VC/CB play an ostinato on Great octave E quarter note to E 8th figures. Combinedmuted violins play Line 2 B quarter note up to Line 3 E 8th up to B quarter note down toE 8th. So that's a P4 interval (B up to E) and a P5 interval (E up to B, its inverserelationship). So we have an octave with the B and a fifth but also a 4th. In Bar 2, in thesame pattern, we have A up to E up to A down to E. So now we have a P5 (A up to E)and then P4 (E up to A). In Bar 3, we have G up to D up to G down to D. So P5 to P4again. In Bar 4, the pattern is still there but now the intervals are tritones (unexpectedly)with F# up to C (d5 tritone) and that C up to F# (A4 tritone)--classic and familiardissonant device used by Herrmann right up to the end of his career. So Herrmann had aM2 (whole tone) descent of starting B to (Bar 2) A, and then another M2 descent of thatA in Bar 2 to (Bar 3) G starting note, but then a m2 descent of that G to (Bar 4) F#.What's interesting in Bar 2 is that top staff celli start to play the ostinato on Great octaveB notes (while the lower staff VC and CB still play on E notes). So Herrmann in effect iscleverly playing with the inherent quartal pattern of B to E to A. In Bar 3 the violas nowstart the ostinato on small octave C notes to (Bar 4) D notes. But then the music becomesclearly ambiguous (hmmm...is there such a thing as "clear ambiguity"?!) in Bars 3 & 4with the added layer of notes.Quite frankly, I never much cared for this "berceuse" but Herrmann constructed itcleverly. Normally I associate a berceuse as a lullaby, and this work hardly qualifies inthat specific sense. Perhaps it demonstrates a certain tranquil nature but it's a very sad onein terms of subject matter (for the fallen). So did Herrmann misinterpreted or mislabeledthis work as "A Berceuse"I wonder?? It's nothing in character to that famous berceuse ofBrahms' lied Wiegenlied (cradle song) or Chopin's Opus 57. I don't know. But it's aminor subject for debate perhaps.He employs quartal harmony far less frequently in his later works, although you hear itnow & then (such as the "Stone Faces" cue of N by NW). In Bar 16 he has in effect theF# half-diminished 7th (F#/A/C/E) and other half-dim sevenths later on--and he reallyloved that tonality throughout his writing career! Herrmann is certainly not ambiguous atthe end of the piece. We hear a clear Bb major (Bb/D/F) tonality. Herrmann tempo-marksthis end section as an appropriate Molto Tranquillo (berceuse-speaking!).Time for a tranquil sleep!_______________________________________________talkingherrmann mailing list124