'n Vergelyking tussen melodiese gestaltes in die onbegeleide tjellosuites van Bach en in dié van Reger, Bloch en Britten

Abstract

J. S. Bach se ses suites vir onbegeleide tjello word as sentrale werke in die tjelloliteratuur, en spesifiek wat die genre vir onbegeleide tjellomusiek betref, as die norm beskou. Uitgaande van bostaande beskouing vorm die bestudering van die suites dus die basis van hierdie studie. Die werke van Bach staan in die middelpunt van ’n lang ontwikkelingsgeskiedenis van onbegeleide strykersmusiek wat vanaf die 16de tot die 20ste eeu strek. ’n Algemene historiese oorsig van hierdie ontwikkeling word in Hoofstuk 2 weergegee. Die eienskappe van Bach se melodiese styl, en veral die kontraselemente, vorm die uitgangspunt van die analitiese studie van die ses suites in Hoofstuk 3. Op grond van hierdie eienskappe kan latente meerstemmigheid deurgaans in die onbegeleide suites van Bach aangetoon word. Waar Bach se suites die kernpunt van die ontwikkeling van onbegeleide strykersmusiek daarstel, vorm die werke van 20ste eeuse komponiste soos Reger, Bloch en Britten die kulminasiepunt van die hele proses. Hoewel hulle werke en die van Bach tot verskillende stylperiodes behoort, blyk dit egter duidelik uit ’n studie daarvan in Hoofstuk 4 dat daar in die skepping van hierdie werke uitgegaan is van die voorbeeld en basis wat in Bach se suites daargestel is. Die feit dat die werke tot verskillende stylperiodes behoort, bring ook mee dat daar grondliggende verskille, byvoorbeeld wat tonaliteit en vorm betref, tussen die werke van Bach aan die een kant en die werke van Reger, Bloch en Britten aan die ander kant bestaan. n Gemeenskaplike faktor tussen die werke wat in hierdie studie ondersoek is, is dat hulle almal, nieteenstaande grondliggende stylverskille, vir die tjello, wat n melodie–instrument is, geskryf is. Om in die onbegeleide werke beide die horisontale sowel as die vertikale dimensies in die musiek te kan realiseer, moes sekere tegnieke in die melodiese skryfwyse, soos byvoorbeeld meervlakkige beweging in die melodiese lyn deur onder andere pedaalpunte, kontrastering van motiewe en sekwensiële beweging aangewend word. Ooreenstemmende kenmerke in die musiek van die vier komponiste kan dikwels aangetoon word. Afgesien van die ooreenkomste is daar egter ook verskille as gevolg van die onderskeid tussen die individuele sowel as tydstyle wat as grondslag en uitgangspunt van die werke van die verskillende komponiste dien. Selfs in die werke van Reger, Bloch en Britten is daar n ontwikkeling van byvoorbeeld latente meerstemmigheid volgens die voorbeeld van Bach na n meer volwaardige meerstemmigheid soos dit veral in die werke van Britten neerslag vind.

The six suites for unaccompanied cello by J. S. Bach occupy the central position in the repertoire for cello in general and are also regarded as a norm and example for other works in this category. Occupying such a prominent position within the Western art music canon, they form the basis of the research in this study, the aim of which is to study the concept of the unaccompanied cello suites of Bach, Reger, Bloch and Britten. In the introductory Chapter the rationale for the study, the research problem, the aims of the study, the formulation of the central theoretical argument, as well as the method of inquiry are presented. This is followed in the second Chapter by a historical survey of the development of unaccompanied string music from the 16th to the 20th century, within which Bach’s works are found to form the nucleus. The characteristics of Bach’s melodic style, specifically the contrasting elements in the melodic lines, constitute the basis for the analytical study of his six suites for unaccompanied cello in Chapter 3. Based on these characteristics the principle of latent polyphony can be determined as one of the important elements of the style of his unaccompanied suites for cello. While Bach’s suites for unaccompanied cello occupy a central position in the development of this genre, the works of the twentieth century composers Reger, Bloch and Britten form the culmination of this process. Although the works of Bach, Reger, Bloch and Britten belong to different stylistic periods, the analytical discussion in Chapter 4 shows the extent to which these works built on the example of Bach’s unaccompanied suites. The one unifying principle concerning all the works that are examined in this study is the fact that they were all written for the cello which is basically a melodic instrument. In order to realise both the horizontal as well as the vertical dimensions in the music for unaccompanied cello, certain techniques in the melodic writing, as melodic movement on different levels in the form of contrasting motifs, pedal points and sequences, as well as broken chord figurations are observed in the analyses of the works. Corresponding characteristics are found to be present in the works of the four composers. Simultaneously, however, many differences regarding the varying individual styles and the historic environment to which the respective works belong, may be identified. Even in the works of the three twentieth century composers, the process of evolution of the latent polyphonic style based on the music of Bach into a more developed and marked polyphonic style in the works of Britten can be observed.