Jonah Seigler 

Tuesday, August 2, 2022 | Academia

Bernstein uses the tritone in West Side Story to evoke a number of emotions and ideas, such as love, violence, and racial discrimination. In the “Prologue”, the tritone is used throughout the scene when both gangs walk up to each other or are fighting. In “Maria”, the tritone is used to symbolize the forbidden love between Tony and Maria. In “Somewhere”, the tritone represents the sadness and longing for Tony and Maria to be together (Laird & Schiff). In “America”, the tritone is used for the overglorification of American in reference to racial discrimination that the characters experience. As the tritone is placed on the word, America and not on the racial lines of text and negativity, but rather to dilute the connotation, almost to hide it. 

Before we begin, a quick overview of West Side Story. West Side Story is a retelling of Shakespear’s Romeo and Juliet. Instead of two families, there are two rival gangs and a boy and a girl from the opposing gangs fall in love, causing a fiasco (Hanning). Throughout the work Bernstein uses the tritone. The tritone or diminished fifth/augmented fourth is an interval of six semitones. It is one of the most dissonant intervals in music because of this, the interval used to be called the Devil’s Interval. This evoked the negative connotation, in the situation of Berstien’s West Side Story, He uses it thematically for negative topics, such as violence (Laird & Schiff).

The tritone is used throughout the “Prologue”. The first place we hear this interval is in the alto saxophone and vibraphone, in a swung, descending line from F-sharp to B-sharp (Bernstien 2). This is being played as the Jets, one of the rival gangs, are standing menacingly intimidating the others people around them. This first instance is used to establish dominant presence by the dissonance of the interval. The same phrase is played adding the interval again ascending from B-sharp to F-sharp (Conrad), as the Jets intercept a ball from a nearby game being played, just to cause trouble. The Tritone is heard again through this same melodic phrase, but also in accompaniment to provide an accent on the situation. As the Jets dance we hear the Tritone as accompaniment, with the rhythm being played the music and tone sound corrupted, and lop-sided, as if something bad is about to happen. We hear the Tritone again the first time the Jets come in contact with Bernardo, the leader of the rival gang, The Sharks. In this situation the French Horn holding out a G-sharp then ‘resolves’ it to a D, as the Jets look over to Bernardo (Bernstien 10). We continue to har the interval Spread throughout the orchestra, most times followed by a pause, each time the Jets and Sharks meet each other in this scene. In measures 108-109, the tritone appears in the brass with a syncopated rhythm (Bernstien 12), At this moment [11:01], both gangs look at each other with tensions building from this last interval, as it has not resolved. When the actual fight begins [12:00] The style of the music changes to this more aggressive upbeat jazz feel (West Side Story). However, the tritone is still present in each phrase that is played, most of the time at the end of the phrase, mostly in the piccolo and upper strings. One Of the last times that we hear the tritone is when both gangs begin a full brawl [14:53]. We hear this in a chord on the offbeat, paralleling some of the punches being thrown in the brawl. Soon after in the “Jet Song”,  we hear some of the same motives from the “Prologue” that have the tritone, but some of the new motives have the tritone again placed inside of a chord accentuating the text being sung, “We’re hanging a sign/ ‘Visitors forbidden’, this is in reference to The Jets taking out the Sharks. Everytime that we have heard the tritone there has been some element of strife happening in the scene, whether that be actual fighting or just a standoff. Bernstein uses the tritone to express other ideas. The next idea being love.

The Tritone appears again in the orchestra during the Meeting scene just after Bernardo pushes Tony away from Maria. The tritone placed here symbolizes the love and longing between Tony and Maria [42:29]. The next time the interval appears is in the song “Maria”. Bernstein uses this to portray the love between Maria and Tony. The interval for Maria should be consonant, as we hear Tony sing “I have just met the most beautiful girl I have ever seen” (Bernstien).  However, their love is forbidden, as Tony and Maria  have relations to the two opposing gangs, the Jets and the Sharks (Hanning). Tony begins the song with tonality, mostly diatonic until we get to the text [44:53] ‘Maria’ where the tritone is placed. Tony is still star struck, infatuated with Maria and we move back to tonality (Bernstien). After this we hear the same motif in the strings accompanying Tony. The same motive is sung two more times before a key change. Finally, we end the song with the text ‘Maria’ [46:57] starting with the interval of a perfect fifth, and actually resolving to a tritone in the next chord (Bernstien). The tritone is here to symbolize that this relationship between Tony and Maria should not be.

In the song “America” the tritone is used, but it is hidden. The text is about the good in America from the Puerto Rican girl’s point of view, while the Puerto Rican boys point out the bad things of America. The tritone is in the girls chorus during this song. It appears the third time the girls sing “America” [50:37].  The Girls begin singing about how great of a country America isThe tritone placed here is alluding to the racial bias the Puerto Ricans are facing now. The Tritone is placed on the second syllable of the word “America” which places a negative connotation towards America showing how bad racism is, rather than placing it on the actual negative phrases, for example “... For a small fee in America” or “One look at us and they charge twice” (West Side Story). This is how Bernstein has hidden the tritone, rather than placing it on the negatively connotated phrases placing it on the positively connotated words. Bernstein writes similarly in the song “Somewhere”.

In “Somewhere” the tritone appears in accompaniment and the vocals. First it appears in the piano during an eight and sixteenth note pattern leading to the key change [1:52:06], while the piano is the only instrument that has this pattern and interval it is not too noticeable. Once the Modulation is complete we hear the tritone again in the new key between the violins and the piano. The text that is happening here is “We’ll find a new way of living” and it happens on the word “living”, as it gives the idea of Tony and Maria’s love for each other, but alluding to Riff and Bernardo’s death, while also foreshadowing Tony’s Death. The tritone appears again when a similar passage is played in the orchestra. Finally, on the last chords of “Somewhere” the tritone appears between the vocals and the orchestra. This suspends the chord note giving it any resting point. Again, foreshadowing Tony’s death, as Tony and Maria will not have this happy ending they were just singing about. However, the tritone in this case can still serve as a symbol of Tony and Maria’s love. 

As we have seen Bernstein uses the tritone in West Side Story to evoke a number of emotions and ideas. We have seen the tritone used between Tony and Maria to portray an idea of forbidden love in the songs “Maria” and “Somewhere”. While “Somewhere” also uses it to portray death, and the violence that had been associated with the interval. The tritone was used in the “Prologue” to portray violence between the Jets and the Sharks. Lastly we hear the tritone in association of racial discrimination agains the Sharks in the song “America”.

Works Cited

Bernstien, Leonard. West Side Story. Amberson Holdings, LLC; Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company, LLC. Boosey & Hawkes Inc. 1994. Print. 

Conrad, Jon Alan. "West Side Story." Grove Music Online. 2002. Oxford University Press. Date of access 14 Oct. 2020, <https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.databases.msutexas.edu/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-5000009114> 

Hanning, Barbra Russano. Concise History of Western Music. W.W. Norton and Company. New York. 5th Edition. 2014. Print.

Laird, Paul R., and David Schiff. "Bernstein, Leonard." Grove Music Online.  July 30, 2020. Oxford University Press. Date of access 14 Oct. 2020, <https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.databases.msutexas.edu/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002223796>

West Side Story. Directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, Performances by Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, Music by Leonard Berstien, The Mirisch Corporation. Netflix. 1961.

Tuesday, August 2, 2022 | Academia

Carissimi's Jephte ,which contains the Lenten themes of obedience and suffering. Specifically, looking at Jephtha's ariaosos and recitatives and how the music interacts with the text to exemplifies the themes of obedience and suffering. Giacomo Carissimi served as a part of the music program at the Collegio Germanico in Rome and the church of Sant'apollinare did not begin with Carissimi, but it was apparently well maintained by him (Clark). Carissimi has an immediate connection with the church which is used to create Jephte (Hanning). Carissimi's Jephte, contains the themes of obedience and suffering. These can be found in Jephthah’s ariosos and recitatives.

    Jephte is based on the story of Jephthah in the book of Judges. Judges contain the underlying message that sovereignty is from the grace of God, but Yahweh of Ammon wants to hold his sovereignty higher than God. The importance of loyalty to Yahweh is what causes the story of Jephtha to happen. In Jephtha’s situation loyalty can be observed with suffering and obedience found in his story. Obedience can be a physical example of obeying a person or your own oath taken for example where Jephtha is bound to duty, but vows to sacrifice the first thing he sees when he returns home. Jephthah also experiences suffering (pain, sadness, or sorrow) for example, after Jephtha asks for two months to lament for his daughter, an example of suffering, but submits again, to leave for his duty (Hanning), another example of obedience.  

    In Jephthah’s first recitative as stated in English translation "and made a vow to the Lord, saying: If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, then whoever comes first out of the doors of my house to meet me, I will offer him to the Lord as a complete sacrifice” (Liu). This can be heard with confidence and a major tonality to reprise the confidence given by Jephthah in the recording (Carissimi 1). This is an example Jepthe will do his duty and will do this so long as he has a sacrifice this is a symbol of obedience, but also a sign of suffering. Consider that Jephte would not do this without a sacrifice, Jephte shows the sign of suffering because he observes himself as weak. There is emphasis on “the first who comes out of the doors of my house”(Liu) as this would imply Jephte’s family; Jephte only has one descendant, a daughter, Filia. Even after Jephtha considers that he may lose his daughter, he chooses to obey and fight in the war and he brings down cities and towns, “So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon with the spirit, strength, and valor of the Lord to fight against them” (Liu). Jephtah has felt victorious with this power of God and again is sung confidently with interaction to the continuo.

As Jephthah has made a vow to the Lord, “When Jephthah, who had sworn his oath to the Lord, saw his daughter coming to meet him, with anguish and tears he tore his clothes” (Liu) this show his obedience by submitting to give the first being he saw at his door, his daughter, as a sacrifice just as he had vowed. Throughout the whole oritario this next arioso sung by Jephthah contains the most suffering, as he laments in the recitative, “you have undone me, my only daughter, and you, likewise, my unfortunate daughter, are undone” (Liu) in this the continuo contains this minor tonality to envelope the feeling of sadness from Jephthah (Carissimi 2). Not only the feeling of sadness is evoked, but the feeling of pain and remorse that he must do this to his own child. This same pain is expressed in the next arioso “But what can I do, doomed daughter, to comfort you and your soul” (Liu), but this is sung more solem, shown by the change from lute to harpsichord, rather than full of pain as to respect the wishes of the dead; a form of obedience. This pain is reflected in Filia’s arioso “Send me away, that for two months I may wander in the mountains, and with my companions bewail my virginity”, the pain is of the realization that she will not bear a fruitful life. It can be heard that the tonality changed to a minor tonality through the use of a different mode in this arisoso to reflect the grave feeling (Carissimi 2).  Also, reflective of obedience as she could choose to resist more than just wander the mountains for two months, Filia could choose to run but decides against it. Jephthah is obedient to his daughter’s wishes as he tells her “Go, my only daughter, go and bewail your virginity” (Liu) and allows her to go, as respect for the dead; a form of obedience. 

 Look at Filia’s lamet toward the end “Mourn, you hills, grieve, you mountains, and howl in the affliction of my heart” (Liu). Filia is expressing her grief due to her father’s ‘obedience’. The stress placed on the word “mourn” is much greater than the rest of the phrase as she is suffering and awaiting her death (Carissimi 3). Notice that the music does not give an angry tone to the section, rather it gives a feeling of sorrow and the effect given by the words “and howl in the affliction in my heart”. Filia is being obedient to her father’s oath that he had given, as the lament is for her as she had accepted her fate. This continues with the next arioso by Filia “Weep, you children of Israel, bewail my hapless virginity, and for Jephthah's only daughter, lament with songs of anguish” (Liu). Filia wants others to feel pain with her and send condolences to her father. This is a practical obedience as this is what people are supposed to do when someone dies; to give their condolences.

    As Jephthah has sacrificed his daughter for the greater good against the Ammonites, there was instances of both obedience and suffering. These themes were observed throughout the book of Judges. Obedience can be observed in Jephthah’s actions by call of duty and his determination to give a sacrifice to gain the power of the Lord. On the other hand suffering is observed through this sacrifice, as it ended up being his daughter. Both he and his daughter lament this soon to be sacrificed and ask the world to grieve with them. 

Works Cited:

“Carissimi: Jephte (1/3) Le Parlement de Musique” Youtube. July 30, 2008. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TN9VI1vNKM

“Carissimi: Jephte (2/3) Le Parlement de Musique” Youtube. July 31, 2008. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-URH_22zagk

“Carissimi: Jephte (3/3) Le Parlement de Musique” Youtube. August 1, 2008. www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0GNdPKFFGI

Clark, Alice V. Carissimi’s Jephte and Jesuit Spirituality. 1 April 2019.  symposium.music.org/index.php/current-issue/item/11430-carissimi-s-jephte-and-jesuit-spirituality 

Hanning, Barbra Russano. Concise History of Western Music. W.W. Norton and Company. New York. 5th Edition. 2014. 

Liu, James C.S. Notes on the Carissimi Oratorio, Jephte, 7 February 2003. www.jamescsliu.com/classical/Carissimi_Jephte.html

Tuesday, August 2, 2022 | Academia

 Dvořák uses characteristics of dances from different areas of Czechoslovakia, rhythms, and the creation of new folk styles helped to define Traditional Czech music, separating it from European music. Specifically looking at the characteristics of the five dances used in the cycle. The Furiant containing hemiolas switching between duple and triple time with a fiery tempo (Clapham); the Dumka with contrasting keys and styles; the polka the contrasting styles of gentle and festive; sousedska a slow couple's dance; skocna, a jumping dance using the rhythm of an eighth note followed by two sixteenths (Jiang). Dvořák did not use exact melodies from the Czech music and liked using the rhythms and his own folk-like melodies (Hanning). The creation of a new style can be seen as atypical key changes. In some dances the key changes are very quick and only last a few measures before going back to the original key, like in No. 5. On the other hand, there is an interesting harmonic movement, instead of  going from tonic to dominant, the key goes to a different chord such as the IV or vi, which is atypical at the time.

    The Furiant, is a Bohemian dance in triple meter with occasional hemiolas. The Furiant was one of the most widely known Czech’s dances, which was popularized by Smetana. In Slavonic Dances the Furiant is the first movement begins with a hemiola (Hanning). The time of the work feels like it is changing because of the hemiola, Though the hemiola has been seen since the Renaissance period it was only used in the chanson until the Czech began to use it more commonly in dance. The furiant is the style movement eight and it begins immediately with a hemiola. In No. 8, the furinat begins in G minor, then to G major creating a shift in the overall tone and to push the dance along (Dvořák). Dvořák’s decision to use the furiant brings attention to the Czech region as a whole, along with the fact that Dvořák is Czech, creates the idea that the furiant is a stereotype of the Czech people. 

    In No. 2 is the style of the dumka which originated from the Ukraine. The term, Dumka translates to “thoughts and dreams”, which is exactly what this movement does. The dumka contrasts between sad, dreamy and fiery emotions (Jiang). Dvořák takes this happy, but melancholy dance and reflects these emotions by the tempo and keys. At the beginning of the movement the key is E minor and the tempo is Allegretto scherzando, which creates this sad emotion. The next section of the work is contrasting. The key is in the parallel major, G major, and the tempo has changed to Allegro Vivo. These changes in the music are sudden which is not typical of other dances around the world (Dvořák). Dancing music is supposed to be consistent and predictable. It seems that Dvořák has used this dance to bring more attention to the Ukrainian culture because of sudden changes that reside in the music making it different from other dance music. Movement No.3 is contrasting this unevenness. 

    In No. 3, the style of the dance is the Polka, which originated from mid-nineteenth-century Bohemia (Döge). The term polka means half step indicating a gentle step from foot to foot. With a typical polka is a lively dance usually in a duple meter. Throughout the verse the alternating of gentle and festive characteristics can be heard (Jiang). The gentle can be heard in the first few measures in the primo part, then the festive around measure 29 in the primo part (Dvořák). Dvořák is using the dances to create a sense of nostalgia to the Bohemian people to bring them back to a simple time, where the only worry would have been entertainment. The festive style of No. 3 contrasts the slower feeling of the sousedska.

Dances No. 4 and No. 6 are in the style of the sousedska, from Bohemia, typically in 3/4 time in a moderately slow tempo and very gentle. The tempo is “tempo di minuetto” or minuet tempo, a minuet is quite soft and this is exactly how Dvořák begins the fourth movement at a mezzo forte with a singular note passage in the primo part with a large crescendo then a release on measure eight (Jiang). Dvořák contrasts this in No. 6 with the tempo and style marking of Allegretto Scherzando, however still at a piano dynamic at the beginning (Dvořák). Again, Dvořák has created a sense of nostalgia by using this dance to the Bohemian people, creating a longing and bringing people together to remember the music of Bohemia. 

Dances No.5 and No.7 are in the form of the skocna, A leaping dance in duple time, usually at a rapid tempo. Both No. 5 and No.7 feature a rhythm of an eighth note followed by two sixteenths (Jiang). In No. 5, there is an interesting harmonic movement, instead of going from tonic to dominant, the key goes to a different chord such as the IV or vi, which is atypical at the time (Dvořák). Dvořák uses the dances and ideas to help depict the rustic life and fills them with the spirit from their original cultures (Jiang).

    Dvořák uses these dances to help depict a rustic life, brings nostalgia to an easier, simpler time for the bohemian people. Dvořák uses influential dances of the cultures that created the Slovic area, from rhythm and chord structure in some to make a movement to bring these peoples closer together. 

Works Cited:

Clapham, John. Antonín Dvořák. Musician and Craftsman. 2009. Web. is.muni.cz/el/cus/podzim2009/CZS33/8974387/lecture7/_84-94__7-Clapham-Dvorak. Accessed Sept. 16, 2020.

Döge, Klaus. Dvořák, Antonín (Leopold). Grove Music. 2001. Print. doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.51222 Accessed Sept. 16, 2020.

Dvořák, Antonín. "Slavonic Dances Op. 46, No.1" N. Simrock. Berlin, Liepzig. Book 1. Web.   imslp.org/wiki/Slavonic_Dances%2C_Op.46_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn) Accessed Sept. 15, 2020.

Hanning, Barbra Russano. Concise History of Western Music. W.W. Norton and Company. New York. 5th Edition. 2014. Print.

Jaing, Qichen. Antonin Dvořák , the Piano Duet and Nationalism. DMA Diss. University of Kansas, 2015. Accessed Sept. 16, 2020.