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The Modal World of William Walton’s Bagatelles Part IV

rbedwell3

I am continuing this series with eagerness focusing on the fifth movement marked Con Slancio. This follows the previous posts that covered movements II, III and IV.

The first page is relatively quiet and follows stable ground until bar 22. But before that, WW takes us on a journey with only Major and Melodic scales:

(D Melodic – C Major) x2 – D Melodic – D Harmonic minor – D Melodic - C Major

The first sequence has a real rhythmic effect, 1 – 2, 1 – 2, 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 in its scale changes before a prolonged section in purely Major terms:

C Major – G Major – D Major – G Major – D Major – G Major

Now we enter into the altered scale world with b5 scales dominating:

(F# Melodic b5 – F# Harmonic b5) x2 – F# Melodic b5 –

F# Ionian b5 – B Neapolitan Major – B Neapolitan Major b5 – B Neapolitan Major

This sequence covers bars 20 – 30 and we note a couple of points: The repetition of the first two scales in the first sequence is copied in the second but with Melodic b5 replacing Melodic and then the last three scales oscillate between the two Neapolitan Major scales.

Next we have a symmetrical idea repeated with different scales:

a) B Melodic b5 – B Harmonic minor b5 – B Melodic b5 – B Neapolitan Major b5

b) B Neapolitan Major – B Neapolitan minor – B Neapolitan Major- B Neapolitan Major b4

One can see the idea, a static root note with 8 scales moving around it and the oscillation between two scales to start followed by a third, the first time ending with a b5, the second a b4.

This is followed by another paired sequence:

a) Bb Melodic b5 – Bb Ionian b5 – G Harmonic minor

b) Bb Melodic b5 – Bb Ionian b5 – Bb Major

The first resolves to the relative minor while the second moves to the Major. This is the end of the altered world, but notice the use of the Melodic b5 in particular, what with the use of the scale by Takemitsu and Brouwer too, I am starting to think that perhaps the sound of the classical guitar music of the late 20th century was built around the use of this scale to a fairly large degree, it certainly occurs frequently enough for it to stand out.

Back to the music. After the turmoil of the last 20 bars or so its calm again as the next 9 bars are all in F Major, a bit of a respite. Then comes the next interesting idea, this time over the pedal bass of A:

C Major/A – F Major/A – (D Harmonic minor/A – D Melodic/A) x2 – D Major/A – D Harmonic minor/A – (D Hungarian minor/A – F Major/A) x2 – Bb Major/A – Bb Melodic/A – G Harmonic minor b5/A

Modally, this sounds like:

A Aeolian – A Phrygian – (A Phrygian Major – A Mixolydian b6) x2 – A Mixolydian - A Phrygian Major – (A Double Harmonic – A Phrygian) x2 – A Locrian – A Altered – A Alt natural 6

Bach would be proud, his influence on a sequence like this is undeniable. Again, notice the repetition in brackets firstly with Harmonic minor and Melodic and then Hungarian minor and Major. WW must have worked on this sequence for a while as its a doozie. I know this as I do it myself, but sometimes one will invent a really ear grabbing sequence of scale changes and then write a piece around it, or to fit it in somewhere.

Bar 58 leads us into Melodic b5 once again and then an ingenious change to lead into the next 12 bars of E Major, respite once more but down a semitone from F in the previous Major section to E:

G Melodic b5 – E Harmonic minor – E Harmonic Major –

E Major

Of particular interest is the G Melodic b5 to E Harmonic minor change.

G Melodic b5 = G A Bb C Db E F# and E Harmonic minor= E F# G A B C D#.

You can see here that three changes take place at once, again a Bach like move involving raising Bb to B, then raising Db to D and again to D#. This is basically a Major to relative minor move but he has substituted the G Melodic b5 scale for G Major. This type of change I call a ‘simultaneous modulation’ as more than one alteration occurs when a chord is played.

The move into page 4 begins with F# Ionian b5 and then has a repetition once more:

F# Ionian b5 – F# Melodic – (D Harmonic Major #4 – D Harmonic Major – D Harmonic Major #4 – A Major) x2

You are starting to see one of the dominant ideas in this piece with the repetition of scale changes and the above example illustrates that perfectly. The process from A Major is: flatten the 2nd to D Harmonic Major #4, flatten the 4th, raise the 4th again and then raise the 6th to get back to A Major. The notes that are being altered are: Bb, G#, G, G#, B and then repeat. You can see the symmetry much easier like that. It’s that simple. This method of analysis allows us to view the hidden patterns, do you not agree?

Bar 79 leads us into altered scale territory once more:

D Melodic – D Melodic b5 – D Harmonic minor b5 – F Melodic – G Neapolitan Major

Followed by this repeated change of:

(G Neapolitan minor – G Hungarian minor – G Harmonic minor) x2

This is quite an unusual change as the Neapolitan minor has its b2 raised as well as the 4th to get to Hungarian minor and then the #4 is flattened to reach Harmonic minor. The simpler way is to raise just the 2nd but WW has opted for a more interesting way of getting there.

There are only three sequences left and they follow the pattern of Major – minor – Major. Bar 85 – 94 is a little play between Eb, F and C Major scales:

Eb Major – F Melodic – (F Major – C Major) x2 – F Major

Notice the repetition idea once more, and don’t forget that it is indeed an idea as it started off in his mind along the lines of ‘I know, I’ll repeat this change and then have that as a theme for all of the other changes’, or something like that. Five bars of F Major lead us into the final minor focused sequence:

(G Melodic – F Major – A Neapolitan minor) x2 – A Neapolitan Major – Harmonic Major #4 – A Major – (A Harmonic minor – A Hungarian minor) x2

Sequence repetition again. Now the final page, don’t forget, is the final page of the whole composition, all five movements, so WW opts to end on a high with almost exclusively Major scales changing in all sorts of ways:

C Major – F Major – G Major – A Major – (E Major – A Major) x2 – D Major – E Major – E Melodic – D Major – C Major – Bb Major – F Major – Bb Major – Ab Major

The changes are in the following direction: back (a fifth in the circle of fifths), forward x2, forward 2, (forward then back) x2, back, forward 2, to Melodic (parallel minor), flatten 7th for D Major, back 2, back 2, forward, back and finally back 2. Really inventive major scale sequence.

The last chord ‘resolves’ to an A octave and is functioning as an E13b9b5 chord with G# acting as its third in the bass. Nicely done. The concluding post in this series will focus on the first movement next time. Don’t forget, you can take and use any of these modulating ideas and use them as your own because the actual melody or chords are not the focus which means you can play the same sequence and make a completely original piece of music out of it.

Thanks for reading.


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