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What is bitonality? — Part 6 —

There is a type of music called minimal music, which uses minimal sound materials, that is, a small number of sounds and rhythms repeated, and it began to be composed by American composers around 1960.

This time, I would like to take up “Three Pieces for String Quartet Ⅰ” written by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky as a piece that has both the characteristics of minimal music and bitonal elements.

In this piece, each instrument plays a repeated melody or accompaniment made up of a small number of notes. The repeated melody and accompaniment create bitonal relationships. Therefore, due to the repetition that characterizes minimal music, bitonal elements are also repeated.

This piece is interesting because it has elements that are similar to minimal music, even though it was composed before the period when minimal music was created in America. In addition, it is important to note that bitonality is also repeated along with the repetition of sound elements in minimal music.

＊From around 1960, some minimal music works were written by American composers Steve Reich and Terry Riley and others.

＊＊The first violin plays a melody made up of only the four notes G,A,B,C, while the second violin repeats a single figure made up of the four notes F♯,E,D♯,C♯. The Viola plays only one note,D, while the cello repeats a pattern consisting of three notes: D,D♭, E♭.