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The Modal World of Brouwer’s El Decameron Negro Part III: Ballade … Amoureuse

This is the third and final instalment in this series and will look at the final movement of Brouwer’s work published in 1983. It is far more complex than the previous movement in terms of modulations and scales used and is a very interesting piece to conclude the triptych.

Although the key signature is in D Major, the piece starts in G Major, signified by the C natural in bars 1- 6. The predominant bass note here is D with one bar of A and so the modal sound is mainly D Mixolydian with A Dorian to break it up. To me its as though the lady in question is pondering things over, as its a Dominant sound, not resolved but yearning. It then moves through A Major to D Major and then the first ‘minor’ note is heard from B Harmonic minor. This section (bars 9 – 10) then has a nice move through:

D Major - G Harmonic Major #4 – G Major – C Major – G Major

It’s very Bach like in my opinion, the balance is obtained by using the keys either side of the favoured key G Major, D – G – C – G to create a wave like effect. The page ends with a change to G Melodic – F Major – G Melodic with a wave like effect once more.

The second page commences with the melodic idea from bar 3 but this time it is back a fifth, moving from G Major to C Major. It also has the nice wave effect, she’s going from one extreme to the other, this time going from:

C Major – G Major – D Major – G Major

And then its G Major all the way to the next section in C Major marked Piu mosso. This is really a very quiet section, a brief stroll through D Melodic to F Major and then a nice little sequence of scales:

D Harmonic minor – D Melodic – D Neapolitan Major – C Melodic – C Harmonic minor

One can see the unique property of the Neapolitan Major scale being utilised in this sequence in that the Neapolitan Major scale can produce two different Melodic scales just by the alteration of one note, for example:

D Neapolitan Major mode II = Eb Lydian +#6 (+1) = E Dorian b2 ( D Melodic)

D Neapolitan Major mode VII = C# Alt bb3 (-1) = (C Melodic)

For a more in depth discussion on the symbiotic relationship between Neapolitan Major and Melodic see my post here: https://www.facebook.com/.../permalink/376670818483721

Let’s continue. From this point, the music hits rough terrain and the modal rocks starting appearing in the road and I can only assume the love-sick maiden is suffering somewhat from her pangs of love. The modes become more altered and less stable:

C Harmonic minor b5 * - C Neapolitan minor – C Neapolitan Major – C Melodic – C Harmonic minor – C Neapolitan minor – Ab Major – Bb Melodic – Bb Major – Eb Major – Ab Major

* = two places in the music in this section use scales with an added 8th note creating C Harmonic minor b5 with an added b2 and later D Melodic b5 with an added b2 also. The above sequence uses scales on a common root to good effect – six of them in total, again she is being blown this way and that by the winds of passion. Now we enter into territory familiar to both Brouwer and Takemitsu’s music: the Melodic b5 scale.

NB: See my analysis on Takemitsu’s influence on Brouwer for a more detailed discussion on the use of the Melodic b5 scale here:

The last three bars of page 3 move us into Melodic b5 territory along with episodes in other b5 scales including Ionian b5, Harmonic b5 and Locrian natural 7. The wave of emotion hits again:

D Melodic b5 – D Ionian b5 – D Melodic b5 – D Ionian b5

One must say that the emotional aspect of this story is really well expressed in the music, once one knows how to look for it, I hope you’ll agree. Now another sequence of changes on a static root again, 13 in total this time, symbolizing the knife twisting in her heart:

D Neapolitan Major – D Neapolitan Major b5 – D Locrian natural 7 – D Neapolitan minor – D Locrian natural 7 – D Neapolitan minor – D Harmonic minor – D Harmonic Major –

D Major – D Melodic – D Harmonic minor – D Harmonic Major – D Harmonic minor

She really is going though it, isn’t she? Well, she manages to get a grip as it modulates back to D Major over the next 4 bars:

D Harmonic minor - F Major – Bb Melodic – G Harmonic minor b5 – G Melodic b5 – G Ionian b5 – G Major – D Major

We can see in this sequence an ingenious use of changing to the parallel Major, much like the examples I have written about in my ‘cooking’ with scales posts: https://www.facebook.com/groups/modalmethodmusictheory/permalink/399792229504913

(Think of the initial key as D minor and the target key as D Major and then invent a tortuous, circuitous route between the two of them, that’s the general idea and its great fun to do.)

The repeat is followed by a coda which leads us into the second piu mosso section. Again look at the key signature – D Major, but we have a C natural making G Major but played over the fifth of D is Mixolydian once more. The next bar introduces a C# into the music making D Major and then returns to the G Major and back, turning, turning, almost dizzy.

The home stretch now and some light at the end of the tunnel. The first sequence is a gentle move from the Major to the parallel minor to its relative Major:

C Major – C Melodic – C Harmonic minor – Eb Major

Can you visualise the steps involved? Flatten the 3rd, then the 6th and then finally the 7th, simple really but effective. Notice that the music is spending more time in a Major key, lightening the mood as we go with Bb Major and then F Major, moving up through the circle of fifths and raising the lover’s spirit’s as we go. Next we get a final period of anguish with:

D Harmonic minor – F Major – D Harmonic minor – D Harmonic Major – G Hungarian minor – D Persian – D Locrian natural 7

And now you can almost feel the swelling of emotion as the circle of fifths takes over once more:

Eb Major – Bb Major – F Major – C Major – G Major – D Major

After an unprecedented five changes through the circle of fifths, the music returns us to the previous turmoil until we get to the final coda:

D Harmonic Major – G Melodic – F Major – G Melodic

Ending on G Melodic is a nice touch, it could have been a happy ending with G Major, but there is still a tinge of sadness with the Bb in the penultimate bar. What an excellent movement in a truly magnificent composition. I hope you enjoyed my analysis, next up is Takemitsu’s All In Twilight and then I thought I might tackle a piece by Stephen Funk Pearson for light entertainment.

The method I use to analyse is fully explained in my book The Modal Method of Music available here: https://www.bedwellmusic.co.uk/general-7

Thanks for reading.


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