Living Scores Learn - Hans Werner Henze

Improving the practice and performance of contemporary music

Pitch Organization

In this first movement, Henze filters in musical material note by note, until he reaches the full chromatic scale in the fourth line, third beat. The filtering can be easily followed per change of mallets in the piece (in this way also underlining the note reservoir by timbral color). All the notes in Bold, are the ones adding in until he reaches the fully chromatic scale:
  • First line, until the change to medium mallets: Note reservoir: A - Bb - Eb; with A as the most present note. (Numbers 1-2-3)
  • First and second line, until the fingernail section: A - Bb - B - F# - C; F# and C are replacing the Eb in the former passage. (Numbers 4-5-6)
  • End of the second line and middle of the third line: Fingernail passage: C - C# - G - F# - G# - A - Eb. (Numbers 7-8-9)
  • Beginning and end of the third line: soft mallets passage: Bb - B - F - E - C. (Numbers 10-11)
  • Beginning of the fourth line: hard mallets: C# - D# - D. (Number 12)

Figure 1
© Schott Music, Mainz, BAT 39

After this scale introduction, Henze keeps the idea of the note-reservoir per phrase, although the mallet changes do not appear with the same frequency as before and the phrases do not seem to be connected anymore. Every passage seems to have a rather restricted opening (Bold) in the number of notes in the note-reservoir, and is extended towards the end of the passage:
  • End of line 4, beginning of line 5: soft mallets: F# - G - D# - C# - E - D - C - F - B
  • Line 5: grace-note passage: Bb - C - Db - A - Eb - Gb - Ab - D - E - B
  • End of Line 5 - Line 6: G# - D - G - C - B
  • Beginning of Line 7: Eb - A - D - G# - B
  • Line 7: thirty-second notes until F#: C - B - F - G# - C# - Bb - E - D# - F#

Figure 2a

Figure 2b
© Schott Music, Mainz, BAT 39

The next passage features a whole-tone scale in the top accented notes, played by the medium mallet, and a reducing grace-note pattern with the following note-reservoirs:
  • G - B - F - C - Ab - Eb - A
  • Eb - G - A - C# - D - F - G#
  • Bb - Eb - Ab - G
  • F# - C# - A
  • B - F
  • G

Figure 3
© Schott Music, Mainz, BAT 39

Also note the mirroring of pitches before and after the high F# at the end of line 7 and the beginning of line 8 (1). This high F# forms the axis of the whole movement around which the structure is mirrored (2).

Figure 4
© Schott Music, Mainz, BAT 39

The passage played with fingernails in line 9 reminds of the passage at the end of line 5 and line 6: the pitch material is transposed down by a major second.
  • Gb - C - F - E - Eb – A

Figure 5a

Figure 5b

Figure 5c
© Schott Music, Mainz, BAT 39

For the passage with soft and medium mallets combined, see analysis Chung pp. 34-38.

Practicing: It is advised to isolate the different note-reservoirs and to play around and improvise within the given range and notes. This will give a sense of recognition once the different note-reservoirs are inserted back into context. (Different examples of these exercises are to be developed with the practicing students of KCB and will be published later.)


Interval Organization

Throughout all the five movements of Five Scenes from the Snow Country, there is a remarkable use one-semitone intervals: major seventh, minor ninth, minor second intervals. It is by far the most recurrent interval type in the first movement, and it certainly helps to underline the fully chromatic ambiance that is set as pitch material for this movement. It feels very ‘atonal’, ‘serial’ or ‘dodecaphonic’ to the listener’s ears.

Especially in this first movement, these types of intervals are often combined with augmented fourth intervals, which create a false sense of tonal coherence in some of the passages. Some examples:
  • First line: Eb in combination with A and Bb: false sense of a diminished kind of chord (A-C-Eb)

Figure 6
© Schott Music, Mainz, BAT 39

  • Second and third line: fingernail passages: false sense of a seventh kind of chord, or a combination of two seventh chords.

Figure 7
© Schott Music, Mainz, BAT 39

  • Beginning of line 7: Sense of quartal harmony with two combined augmented fourth intervals.

Figure 8
© Schott Music, Mainz, BAT 39

Chung points out in his thesis that set-class 2-1 (3), which as a result has a minor second interval (for example the opening and closing A-Bb, E-F, F-Gb, Eb-E, etc.), is the most important interval for this movement, especially in dyads that are attacked simultaneously. If for example in the case of A-Bb, this minor second interval is combined with Eb, the three notes together form set-class 3-5. In the case of F-Gb, it is combined with C, in the case of Eb-E it is combined with A. These sets of intervals are recurrent all through the movement and function as structural elements in the different phrases of the piece (4), and are even combined with each other to form groups of four notes. For example, the combinations of C-G-C#-F# or Bb-E-F-B.

Rhythmical Organization

See Chung's analysis for most of his rhythmical analysis (5). Chung has a theory that divides this movement into two halves, marked by the High F# at the end of line 7. He states that the amount of sixteenth notes of the two halves are almost equal: 243 and 242 sixteenth notes on either side of the F#.

We believe that a reorganization of this movement in terms of virtual meter, will help to structure, understand and facilitate the practice of the piece for performers. As displayed in the figure below, it is possible to subdivide the first two lines and the beginning of the third line of the piece in a steady combination meter of 3/16 and 2/4. The only exceptions are the 1/16 that replaces the normal 3/16 in line 2 and the 1/8 at the beginning of line 3.

The end of line 3 provides a kind of ‘half-time feel’ with the combination of 3/8 and 4/4 and the beginning of line 4 displays a combination of 4/4 plus 3/16.

This approach might help to stabilize the rhythmical material and practice of the opening of this movement. The rest of the movement has an eighth note feel and can be subdivided accordingly, disregarding the grace-note slurs.


Figure 9
© Schott Music, Mainz, BAT 39

We can also find a different kind of rhythmic and metric adaptation in Chung’s thesis (6). It is different from our approach but nevertheless very interesting. Also, his rhythmical analysis of the closing section starting from line 9 is very complete and enriching for the performers that work on this composition (7). It links the final section of this movement to the similar musical material starting at the end of line 5 with the G# repetition. It also describes a mirror symmetry that is applied to the rhythmical material of the last line of this movement. As Chung points out, there might be very little difference for the listener, but for the comfort and perception of the player it makes a big difference in the way especially the rests are felt.

Dynamic Envelopes per Pitch Phrase

We think the dynamics written in this first movement help to underline the structuring of this piece following the timbral and mallet changes as described above in the pitch organization chapter on this movement. These dynamic envelopes fortify the musical and timbral identity of every small phrase and help to diversify the sound and color of this entire movement.

Notes

  1. CHUNG, Yiu-Kwong, Hans Werner Henze’s “Five Scenes from the Snow Country”, an Analysis”, Doctoral Thesis, City University of New York, 1991, pp. 45-46
  2. id., pp. 47-48
  3. id., pp. 30-34
  4. id., pp. 34-36, 38-39, 48-49
  5. id., pp. 52-67
  6. id., pp. 54-57
  7. id., pp. 63-67