Modal Sensibility in Gabriel Fauré's Harmonic Language

Author(s): Taylor Greer

Source: Theory and Practice, Vol. 16 (1991), pp. 127-142
Published by: Music Theory Society of New York State
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 Modal Sensibilityin
Gabriel Fauré's HarmonicLanguage
byTaylorGreer

of the greatestchallengesin interpreting the music of Gabriel Fauré is

accountingfortheoriginality of his harmoniclanguage.It is oftenasserted
thatFauré's unusualblend of tonalityand modalitycan be attributed to his
educationat l'Ecole Niedermeyer, one of the two principalmusic conservatories in
Franceduringthemid-nineteenth century.To be sure,in his classes he was exposed
notonlyto Louis Niedermeyer's own modalaccompaniment forplainchantbutalso to
the harmonictheoriesof GottfriedWeber as formulatedby his student,Pierre de
Maleden, and laterwrittendown by Gustave Lefèvre.1Few criticshave considered
whatconsequencesthismodalsensibility, howeverFaurédevelopedit,had forhis har-
moniclanguageas a whole.2For example,thoughFrançoiseGervaisdevelopsuseful
categoriesin herexhaustivestudyof Fauré's harmonicpractice,includingborrowings
fromGregorianand non-Gregorian modes,modulatory formulas, and thelike,she fails
to considerhowthenumerousincipitsthatshe isolatesfitintoa broaderharmoniccon-
text.3
It is mycontention thata linearconceptionof tonalstructure is crucialifwe are
to understand therole modalityplays in Fauré's uniqueharmonicstyle.In thefollow-
ingessay I will showthatin threematuresongs,"Les Présents," "La Rose," and "Une
Sainteen son auréole,"Fauréuses theflatmediantas botha coloristicsonorityand a
structural harmony. Since his experiments withmodalcolor(and chromaticism in gen-
eral) becomemorepronouncedin the songs written duringthe 1880s and 1890s, the
worksto be discussedare drawnfromthisperiod.Yet his modal borrowings are not
limitedto theharmonicsphere;theyare also inextricably boundup withthedevelop-
mentof linearmotives.My reason forconsideringharmonicpracticeand motivic
treatment togetheris thatin Fauré's modal sensibilitytheyare linked:his greatest
worksare distinguished less by a revolutionary large-scaledesignor new species of
chromaticharmonythanby the way in whichhe uses traditional modal elementsto
unifyan entirecomposition. In addition,
in thelastsongI willshowthatFauré'streatment

127

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128 Theoryand Practice Vol.XVI
of theflatmediantis intimate-
usingFlatMediant
Example1: Two Progressions ly connectedwithhis musical
settingof thetext.
When writingin major
(a) (b)
keys, Fauré, like othereigh-
teenth-and nineteenth-century
composers, was fond of
enrichinghis harmonicpalette
by borrowingor mixingnotes
»te. o ^==s= . if L == ft from the parallel Aeolian
^S hv i P«» II mode and more rarelyfrom
the parallel Phrygian and
Lydian modes. The object of this study is two cases of modal mixturein whicha single
chord- a major triadbuilton theflatmediant - is placed in two different harmonic
contexts, as illustrated by the in
progressions Example 1 . The crucial questionis what
harmonic function does the middle chord in each group have. By examiningFauré's
musicfor answers to that question, we can develop a harmonic lexiconforhis use of
theflatmediant. On the one hand, it can be interpreted as a means of prolonging the
initialchordof the progression: the tonic at (a) and the dominant at (b). Accordingto
suchan interpretation, thischord is a coloristic sonority which purelyarisesfromvoice
leading and thusnever contributes to a piece's fundamental harmonicstructure. In
Example2a theAl?chord resultsfrom the interaction of contrapuntal lines: the soprano
containsa commontone;theinnervoices consistof a chromaticinflection of 3 and a
chromatic lowerneighbor;and finallythethirdmotionin thebass elaboratesthetonic.
Likewise,the secondprogression can be viewedas a variationof a traditional voice-
leadingpatternbetweenoutervoices:^5-8 substituting 5-6, for as shown in Example
2b and2c. Also, thesopranoprolongs2 via an upperneighbor.4
Yet, on theotherhand,in some of Fauré's workstheflatmediantservesas a
structural harmony, helpingto shape a composition'smiddleground design.Naturally,
thechord'sharmonicfunctiondiffersradically,dependingon whetherit followsthe
dominantor tonic.In theformersituation, it providesharmonicsupportfor'>3within
thesoprano'sdescentbetween4 and 2, as indicated in Example3a. The directoctaves

at (a) and DominantProlongation

Example2: Flat Mediantas TonicProlongation
at (b) and (c)
(a) (b) (c)
a I N N

n (2*^' IL^ »^ ILfo^« i

p. i p. y 5
- 6 - 5 p. y5""8"*5

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Gréer in Fauré
Modal Sensibility 129

Example3: FlatMediantas Middleground

Harmony
(a) (b)

^ j ,ljqg J I
J 11
7 7 7 [tf '~"^ 7

" - *- 'T "

~
:

- ^r-
, '

3EE^JT-f r-
F: V till V F: V till V

impliedby theoutertwo voices' approachto 5 in thisexampleare alleviatedby the

of a VI6 chordshownat (b). By contrast,
interpolation whentheflatmediantfollows
thetonic,itslarge-scaleharmonic functionis moreelusive.Since at theend of a piece
V-I
Fauré oftenavoids a traditional cadence, otherfactorscome intoplay thathelp
reinforceclosure: (1) the statementand developmentof melodic motivesassociated
withtheflatmediant,oftenin thebass; (2) thestrategicplacementof theI- till- I pro-
gressionat theopeningand close of a piece. Bothfactorswill be illustrated
at greater
lengthbelow.
"Les Présents"
In manyof Fauré's songsthepiano accompaniment consistsof a short,repeating
figure which eventuallybecomes the vehiclefor introducing subtleharmonicchanges.
"Les Présents,"Op. 46, no. 1 (1887), his musical of a
setting poem by Villiersde l'Isle
a
Adam,provides good example of this of
type opening.5 The piano beginsby repeat-
ing a two-measure ostinato figure four times, twiceby itself and twiceas accompani-
mentforthevocal line whichentersat measure5 (see Example4). The ostinatocon-
sists of two chords- F and At6- which are presentedin different registersand are
closely intertwinedwithan eighth-note melodyalternating betweenthepianist'stwo
hands.Despitetheparallelmotionamongtheupperthreevoices,Fauréavoidsfifths or
octavesin thepairof chordsby presenting theflatmediantin firstinversion.Thus the
primary betweenthereductionin Example5 and themodelin Example2a is
difference
thatthebass ascends a fifthin place of the originalminorthird.In addition,Fauré

Example4: "Les Présents,"

Op. 46, no. 1, mm. 1-4
dolce

WVij 1i [jj I j I i [y> 1j

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130 Theoryand Practice Vol.XVI

Example5: "Les Présents," Example 6: "Les Présents,"middleground

ofpianointroduction, reading
Reduction ofmm.1-12 Ä
mm.1-3 to (!3)
to" /* fr;I* hi «* *

F: I - F: I

occasionallyendowsthebasswitha strong melodicfunction, as inmeasure 2, whereit

unfoldsa shortmotive, Eb-D-C, which the singer echoes at measure 11 and inretro-
gradeatmeasures 7-8.6
The song'sformcan be described as ternary: measures1-12,measures12-24,
andmeasures 24-31.Of thethreesections, the first andthird aredistinguished bythe
conspicuous absenceof anystructural dominant as
harmony, opposed to the second
thatconcludes witha traditionalV-I cadence(measures 23-24).Itis intheseoutertwo
sectionswherethethirdmotionbetween tonicandflatmediant andthebass'sinitial
melodicmotive playthemostprominent role.
In themiddleground reduction of measures1-12displayedin Example6 the
thirdspan,Eb-D-C,nowappearsina different guise- as partofthestructural soprano.
Thislinebeginsandendson 5, whichat measure12 soundsinthepianoaccompani-
ment. Theel?2is initiallysupportedbythepiano'sAb6chordbutis latersuperceded by
a V^ ofIV at measure11. Thislatter harmony is strikinginthatitreflects thesopra-
no'sarpeggiation uptothispoint:F-A-C-Eb.
In thethird sectiontheflatmediant finally makesitsappearance as a structural
harmony: themiddleground reductionin Example7 strongly resembles themodelin
Example2a. Whatis unusualabout
the song is thatit presentsthis Example7: "Les Présents," middleground
modal-based sonority in twocom- reading ofmm.22-31
pletelydînèrent as a means
settings: ^ ^ ^-^
of prolonging thetonicat thefore- '^y (¿9 (27) (3y
groundand as a fundamental har- , ^^ p i -
monyin itsownright.The use of n£ ^ ^^^J^m ^t .^ Lfi====f
billinthefinalsectioncomesas no i W) m " y' '* H*
surprise,as it is impliedor at least 1*^ ^ l
hintedat fromtheverybeginning. <j
Indeed,it is thisharmonic kinship il
betweentheinitialpiano ostinato f|^:i mi =^
and theharmonic planof thefinal #^_ ^^H ' ^i* '?
sectionwhichcompensates forthe 1 ^^ U^ 1
lack of a finalV-I cadence and
helpsbringthesongto a close.Of

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Gréer Modal Sensibility
in Fauré 131

particularinterest is theprincipleof "motivicparallelism"at workin thissongthrough

whicha chromaticdiminution in theaccompaniment correspondswiththesong's fun-
damentalmelodicline.7The thirdspan,!?7-5,also controlsthemelodicstructure in the
finalsectionbuthereit is harmonizeddifferently: thebass ascendsby minorthirdand
thenreturns to I via an El?7chord,as illustrated
in Example7.

"La Rose"
In anothersong fromthesame period,"La Rose", Op. 51, no. 4 (1889-90), the
flatmediantalso plays a centralrole. This harmonyappears twice in the song,as a
briefextensionof a cadencenearthebeginningand in thedense,middlesectionin B
major.We shall examinebothinstanceswithspecial emphasison themotivicfunction
ofthebass.
Throughoutthe song Fauré creates a trioamong threeparts,the singer,the
pianist'ssopranoline,and therestof thepiano accompaniment, each of whichhas its
own distinct melodic shape and
rhythmic contour.The singer'sfalling Example8: "La Rose,"op. 51, no. 4, piano's
lines in measures3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 openingarpeggio
complementthe righthand's ascend-
ing argeggiosin measures2, 4, 6, 8,
and 10 in a quasi-antiphonal arrange-
■
p.a fl i - r ff f h
ment.(The piano's openingarpeggio
is reproducedin Example8). In addi-
tion, a sharp contrast in rhythmic
contourexistsbetweenthepianist'slefthandand thetwoupperparts:constantanapes-
tic rhythms in theformerand moretrochaicrhythms in thelattercreatea continuous
texture of sixteenthnotes.
The underlying harmonicplanof measures1-12,althoughbased on thedescend-
ing third bass motion outlinedin Example3b, containsseveralnew chromatic touches.
At measure7 theV7 proceedsto a D'>6chordsubstituting forthetonic(see Example
9a). The flatmediantin measure8 ushersin a passingharmony, D* whichthencontin-
ues on to thedominantone measurelater.In thiscontext,because theflatmediantsup-
portsi>3in thesoprano'sdescent,it is partof thefundamental harmonic/melodic struc-
tureof the opening section.Withinmeasures6-9 the bass also plays a significant
motivicrole,tracingout a chromaticversionof thepianist'sinitialrisingarpeggioin
measure2, as shownby thebeam in Example 9a: 5-l-l>3-5. This arpeggiation is an
elaborationof thebass's descendingthirdmotion,V- bill,a slightlydifferent
versionof
whichappearslaterin thesong.
Like^the bass, the sopranoalso containsthe flat mediant,passing downward
from5 to 2. As thegraphin Example9b indicates,'>3is initiallysupportedby a Dl?6,
whichat measure8 is supplantedby an A'>harmony. Curiously,whenviewedfroma
middlground perspective,theopeningsectionas a whole displaysthe same dialogue
betweensingerand accompanistwitnessedin the openingmeasures.The three-staff
formatof Example 9a emphasizesthe antiphonalcharacterof the structural melody:
c^al?1 in thevoice and aM-e1 in theaccompaniment.
The piano's tranquillamenteat measure29 signalsa momentof greatcontrastin
"La Rose" fornowhereelse in thesongdo abruptchangesin texture, register,
rhythm,

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132 Theoryand Practice Vol.XVI

readingof mm.1-11
Example9a: "La Rose,"middleground
© ©

/^ rì*
/^Qi
fr» */y± 0w
,/Tpg
^ «^ ^ y^

F: I V till V

Example9b: anddynamics all coincide.Yetthis

extreme surfacecontrast conceals
© © © the underlying harmonic continuity
whichconnectsV7 in measure28
withthedominant in measure44.
^
^r 7
uv6'
'lip/3
|r 7
Indeed, theprogression,
and thecircuitous
V-1>III-V,
bass arpeggia-
tionsbothappearin measures6-
11, seen in Example 10. In this
middleground graphtheflatmedi-
antperforms a structural harmonic
F: I V till V
function,supporting'>3 in the
soprano.Itis as if,byrepeating thesamechordpairfivetimes(measures 28-37),Faure
a
magnifiessingle moment from the firstsectionand then continues with a morechro-
maticversion oftheopening harmonic progression.
measures 28-44alsowitness twosimultaneous statements ofan arpeggiated aug-
mented triadthatgrowsoutoftheopeningpassage.TheyareisolatedinExample10
bybrackets. Theaugmented fifth spaninthebassdependson thechromatic arpeggia-
tionmentioned above,beginning Fl>inmeasure
with 36 andcontinuing through A'>and
C. The derivation of thisspanfromthebass's thirdspan,C-Ab-C, is depictedin
Example11. The descending minorsixthspanin thesopranois no less prominent,
connecting c2 at measure 28 with e1 inmeasure 40. Thesetwoarpeggiated augmented
triadsrevealoneofFauré's mature methods ofmotivic development: thesimultaneous
presentationoftwoormorelinearmotives indifferent voices.8In thefollowing song,
thistechnique helpsportray inmusicalterms a central imageinthepoem'sfinallines.

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Gréer Modal Sensibility
in Fauré 133

Example 10: "La Rose," reductionof mm. 27-44: two arpeggiateci

augmentedtriads
markedbybrackets

@ @ ®
i I ^^^^^^™

' r ^^^ b# ^ ^-
8 - 7 |>6 ' 6 5_ 6 7 7
^6 *
<fl .^^
l_ ^ ' I M

v kn v i
Example 11: Derivationof "La Rose," mm. 27-43 fromdescendingbass motionby
C27) C43)
J J J I J lJ J I J lJ;" ~. ^JI
(fr

F: V till V V till V 'V till V

"UneSainteenson auréole"
La Bonne Chanson,Op. 61 (1892-94), Fauré's settingsof ninepoemsfromPaul
Verlaine'scycle,revealsa daringbutrefinedharmoniclanguage."Une Sainteen son
auréole"(hereafterabbreviated as "Une Sainte"),thefirstsong in thecycle,is a virtual
showcaseforFauré's uniquefusionof modalityand tonality. The prolongationaltech-
niques involvingthe flatmediantobservedin "Les Présents"and "La Rose" both
appearat crucialjuncturesin thissong.In addition,linearmotivesinvolving'>òperme-
ate theentirework,servingnotonlyas thesong's structural climaxbutalso as a musi-
cal commentary on thepoemitself.
Fauré's treatmentof modal mixturealso highlights anothercrucialaspectof La
Bonne Chanson: his sensitivity to the poetry.Althoughsome criticsargue thathis
musicalsettingsof Verlainefail to do justice to thepoet's aestheticof ambiguityand
purenuance,9otherspraiseFauré'sgiftforcapturing thedistinct"mood"of each poem
in thecyclewithan "instinctivemusicalperception."10 Yet this"instinct" forportraying
poetryin musicaltermsis difficult to define.On theone hand,Fauréhimselfadmitted

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134 Theoryand Practice Vol.XVI
in a 1902 interview thathis aim was to "extricatethegeneralfeelingof a poem,rather
thanto concentrate 1On theotherhand,a substantial
on itsdetails."1 numberof Fauré's
ninety-seven mélodiesshowa profoundawarenessof poeticdetails.Whilea thorough-
goingexegesisof his textsettingpracticewould constitute a book-length study,in the
remainder of thisessayI will focuson threeaspectsof his settingof "Une Sainte":(1)
therole thattheflatmediantplays in thesong's fundamental harmonic/melodic struc-
ture;(2) thepresentation and development of linearmotiveswhichinvolvel?3;and (3)
the expansionof the song's prevailingphraselengthwhich,at two different points,
coincideswithone oftheselinearmotives.
Let us beginwitha synopsisof thepoem, the textforwhichis reproducedin
Figure 1. The narratorhas completelysurrenderedto reverie,contemplatingwhat
thoughts his lover'snameawakensin his mind:a saint,a horncall, or thepearlishhue
of a younggirl'sblushingface. As a singleexhalationof sixteenlines,thepoem is a
continuouslitanyof visualand auditoryimages,twoper stanza.The finaltwolinesof
thislitanyserveas theclimaxof thepoem and theaxis aroundwhicheverything else
turns.There is ample evidence in the text to supportsuch an interpretation.First,
Verlaineaccentuatestheselines withhis choice of punctuation: thefirstperiodin the
poem occursat theend of line 16. Second,theonlyactiveverbs,"I see" and "I hear,"
appearin thesame linewherethenarrator finallyemergesfromhis heretofore endless
seriesof freeassociations.Untilthispointthereaderis at a loss as to what holds this
paradiseof soundsand imagestogether. Indeed,theyare unitedin thatthe narrator's
imagination to eloquencebya singlethought,
is stirred his lover'sname,whichevenin
thefinallinehe neverdivulges.The closesthe comes is his description of itsregal,i.e.,
"Carlovingian," character.

Figure1: "Une Sainteen son auréole,"La Bonne Chanson,Paul Verlaine

Une Sainteen sonauréole
Une Châtelaineen sa tour,
Toutce que contientla parole
Humainede grâceet d'amour;

La noted'or que faitentendre

Le cordansle lointaindes bois,
Mariéeà la fierté
tendre
Des noblesDames d'autrefois;

Aveccela le charmeinsigne
D'un fraissouriretriomphant
Eclos dansdes candeursde cygne
Et des rougersde femme-enfant;

Des aspectsnacrésblancsetroses,
Un douxaccordpatricien.
Jevois,j'entendstouteces choses
Dans sonnowCarlovingien.

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Gréer inFauré
ModalSensibility 135
The songcan be dividedintofoursectionscorresponding to thepoem'sfour
stanzas:measures1-14,measures14-39,measures 39-59,andmeasures 59-91.As in
theprevious twosongs,thepianobeginsalone,unfolding a tranquil
pentatonicmelody.
Fauréfrequently entrusts thepianowitha lyricalmelodyofitsownwhichrivalsandat
timesdominates thevocal line.12Example12a presents a detailedreductionof the
opening fourteenmeasures. While this
descendingarabesque prolongs5, thethird
span,
3-2-1, is an important melodicmotivethatimmediately reappearsin thevocallinein
measures 4-5 andlateris chromatically in thebass (measures13-14).Fauré
inflected
eventually disturbsthe pentatoniccalm: he ushersintheloweredmediant bysubstitut-
inga Cb6 chord atmeasure 9 insteadoftheexpected dominanton Ek As thegraphindi-
cates,thedominant is subordinate totheflatmediant, in
participating a voiceexchange
between CbandEk Following a transposedversionofthepiano'spentatonic the
figure,
song returnsto Ab via a V^ chord.
La BonneChanson,
Example12a: "UneSainte," ofmm.1-14
reduction
foreground

6 6 t>7
i*y |

At: I Um I

Example12b: "Une Sainte,"middleground

reduction ofmm.1-14 The middleground structureof
(¿) {}£> thispassage from"Une Sainte" is
I i identical to themodelinExample2a.
l_hl? g^TLf '% il Two linearmotivesin Example12b
vg) v m^ ^#-j^^ are important: thebass's thirdspan,
Cb-Bk-Ak andtheascending halfstep
motive,Gk-G-Akin thevoice (and
. doubledbythepiano).As intheopen-
' )' &''? /^b^m
v ~ --' ing excerptr from"Les Présents," 3
n +
V'>
r^-^ ^ mF
II
andj|A . . ,.
b3neverappearinimmediate suc-
Ak I cessionbutrather emergebycompar-
ingthebass's variousstepwiselines
connecting I andI6 inmeasures1-6andbillandI in measures 7-14.Furthermore, the
harmonic function
ofthecentralchordinExamples2a and 12bis toprolong thetonic.
As willbe shownbelow,thisformoftonicelaboration performs a crucialmusico-dra-
maticroleattheendofthesong.

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136 Theoryand Practice Vol.XVI
Fauré's treatment of phraselengthsalso emphasizesmodal mixture,and their
comparisonis particularly appropriate in thissong because of therepetitive natureof
thepianoaccompaniment, whichoftenrepeatsa two-or three-measure ostinato.Figure
2 summarizesthe song's phrasegroupings;each bracketrepresentsa phraseand the
numberof measuresis indicatedbyan arabicnumeralbelow.For example,in theopen-
ing thirteen measures(i.e., endingon thedownbeatof measure14) thepiano's three-
measureaccompaniment figureappearsfourtimes,the last timelengthenedby one
measure.Whenviewedagainstthispattern of regularity,such an occasionalirregulari-
tyhas a strongimpact on the listener.This particularphraseexpansionis also signifi-
cantas itcoincideswiththebass's inflected thirdspan.As thesongunfolds,Faurécon-
tinuesto linkrhythmic and pitchorganization by juxtaposingthedevelopment of the
thirdmotivewiththeexpansionofphraselength.
The shiftin phraselengthcan also be interpreted as a musicalreference to the
poem's irregular meter. Verlaine is well known forthe inexhaustiblevariety of metric
schemesin hispoetrycalled versimpair."Une Sainte"is no exception.Herethemetric
scheme consists of constantalternationbetweeneight and nine syllables per line
throughout all sixteenlines.13ThoughFaurémakesno attemptin his settingto mirror
thisschemedirectly, his occasional expansionof phraselengthsservesas a musical
counterpart to Verlaine's pattern of alternation.14
The arrivalof theEl? 7 chordin measure22 ushersin a new,morebroodingosti-
nato in both voice and accompanimentThe piano's ostinatopatternis strikingon
accountof itslow rangeand itspolyrhythmic character. Whenthevoice entersat mea-
sure24, it containstrochaicrhythms againstwhichthepiano juxtaposestwo lines in
duplemeter,bothin halfnotes,one laggingbehindtheotherby a quarternote.These
interlocking duple patternsstopeverythreemeasuresat thechangeof harmony. The
piano's movingline voice spans a diminishedfourth,Ct>-G,in which is nestedthe
bass's inflected thirdmotive,Ck-Bt-Ak
The flatmediantalso playsa prominent role in thesecond stanza'soverallhar-
monicand melodicstructure, as shownin Example 13. The same bass arpeggiation,
5-l_|,3-5f alreadyobservedin "La Rose," occurs betweenmeasures22 and 38, but
hereitformsa motiviccorrespondence withthepiano'spentatonic figureof theopening
readingof mm.14-38
Example13: "Une Sainte,"middleground

(u) (22) (38)

iÎ"^Î* M"~r# LJ ~d~i

r--r^^i-+- j-
Ah I V till V I

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Gréer in Fauré
Modal Sensibility 137
measures.A slightvariationoccurs in this arpeggiationfigurein thatit descends
through3 and ascends through'>3.Likewise,the structural sopranoincludestheflat
mediantwithinthesoprano'sdescent,as observedin "La Rose."
As in thefirststanza,Fauréhighlights
thetensionbetween3 and '>3by expand-
ing theprevailingphraselength. The arrival
of theC'> chordin measure34 interrupts
theprevioustwelvemeasuresof polyrhythmic ostinato(see Figure2). This chordsets
thestagefora dramaticbass ascentwhich,thoughitappearsin theforeground as an Ft
major scale fragment, unfoldsat a middleground level the modally-inflected tonic
arppeggiation:l-l>3-5.
Figure2: "Une Sainte,"chartofmusicalphraselengthsby stanzaof text

*
I I 3 II 3 l| 3 || 4 || 4 || 4 I

*
II I 3 l| 3 l| 3 l| 4 l| 4 I

III | 4 || 6 || 6 || 4 I

*
IV I 3 | 3 II 3 imi 3 || 3 II 3 1| 3 1| 3 II 4 1| 3 1

Fauré's settingof the finalstanzaprovidesa fitting climax to the song forhe

continuesto developmotivesalreadypresentedin stanzasI and II. Measures70-91 of
thepiano-vocal score are reproducedin Example 14. In all, aspects of fourdifferent
motivesare combinedin the voice and accompaniment, all highlightedby beams in
Example 15. To beginwith,he recyclesthepiano's polyrhythmic ostinatofrommea-
sures 22-34 and the same V 7 chordbuilton B insteadof Ek In the course of its
descentto thetonicthebass unfoldstheinflectedthirdspan now spelledas B^-Bt>-Ak
This descent,however,is interrupted by a reference to thefirstthreenotesin thepiano
accompaniment, Ak-F-Eb,whichare retrograded and embellishedby therepetition of
thematerialfrommeasures15-18.
By contrast,thepiano's righthand rises fromc2 to el?2,repeatinga thirdspan
whichinitiallyappearsin thepianoin measures49-59. Forthefirsttimein thesongthe
mediantand its flattened versioncoincide,thustransforming an oppositionbetweenC
and C'> heretofore expressedlinearlyintoa singleverticalsonority:Bl?^. Finally,the
voice's arpeggiatedline, whichoutlinesthe tonic,is modeled afterthe vocal partin
measures15-19.By arranging thethirdspans in contrarymotionin thepianoandjux-
taposingthemsimultaneously againstthevoice's arpeggiation, Fauréfashionsa power-
fulthree-partclimax.Since all fourmotivesare derivedfromthepiano's openingpen-
tatonicfigure,the resultis a motiviccondensationfarricherthananythingin "La
Dnco "

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138 Theoryand Practice Vol.XVI

Example14: "UneSainte,"
mm.70-94
67

■
'ii'h' rij i ,1 iJ j i 1} { Ji f
pa- tri- ci- en, Je vois,
'
I ___-- -- - - - - - 19

73

^1T> J ir J'en- tends

ir r Jir
tou- tes ces cho-
ir
ses
i^ff Dans son

ijkj, _ il
"^j
|j r ir
i i
j |j.^ _ u_^, '
nom Car- lo- vin- gi- en.

I P dolce

- - ■ - - "
¿Vj * m i i i i i i

...a . j r ^r" =^-

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Gréer in Fauré
Modal Sensibility 139

of fourfragments
Example 15: "Une Sainte,"overlappingstatements of pentatonic
motive,mm.70-80

© ® ®

^ N é JJ

'K H Hf Vf f

This motivic condensation also serves an important formal function.

Consideringthe factthatno dominantchordappears in the finaltwenty-eight mea-
the
sures, song's conclusionlacks thetraditionalcadentialclosure that
characterizes the
end of stanza II.15InsteadFauré relieson motivicrepetition as muchas harmonyto
conveya senseoffinality.
Fauré also expands the prevailingphraselengthfromthreeto fourmeasures
one last time,buthe delays it untilthepiano's solo epilogue (measures85-89). One
possible explanationforthis delay is the conflictbetweenthe voice's and piano's
phraselengthsthroughout thefinalmeasures.Beforemeasure70, thevoice and piano
sharethesame phrasegrouping.Betweenmeasures70 and 84, however,thisunityis
disrupted, as thevoice partsingsin two-measure phrasesin completedefianceof the
by-now familiar three-measure ostinato in the piano. By reservingthe finalphrase
expansionforthepiano alone, Fauréresolvesthisconflictof phraselengthin favorof
thevoice and, in theprocess,gives thepiano a morereflectivecharacter,as if it had
been listeningto thevoice all along.
The close correspondencebetweenmusic and textin "Une Sainte" becomes
clearonlyin thefinalapproachto thetonic,wherethevividtextualimagesenumerated
over the entirepoem still lingerin the listener'smind- like a "halo" of memories.
Fauré creates a musical counterpart to this"halo" by recapitulatingfragments and
inflections of the openingpentatonicmotiveduringthe finaltwo lines of text.Thus
whenthesingersays"I see, I hearall thesethings," theaudiencehearsthemtoo.
This musical"halo" is also reflected in therepetitionof thebass's inflected
third
span,whichnotonlyhelpsinaugurate thesong(i.e., ends stanzaI) butalso bringsitto
a conclusion.In this respectthe flatmediant'sfunctionas a prolongationof tonic
servesa large-scaleformalfunction.A middleground reductionof theentirepiece is
displayedin Example 16.

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140 Theoryand Practice Vol.XVI

Example16: "Une Sainte,"middleground

readingof song

© © © © © ®

1 l>9 l»6 7 6 7 l>7 9 9

At: I V Ulli V I till I

In thethreesongs chosenfordiscussion,themodalcolors of Fauré's harmonic

paletteare in abundance.The recurrence of the same two progressionsinvolvingthe
flatmediantin theseworksconfirms thatFauré'smodalborrowings can shapea piece's
overallharmonic/melodic framework as muchas a singlemelodic line or chordpro-
gression.In addition,in twoof thethreesongs,theharmonicfunctionof till is insepa-
rable fromthe developmentor condensationof short,linear motives.Indeed, it is
through his controlof motivicdevelopment and phrasegroupingin "Une Sainte"that
Faurérevealshis giftfortextsetting.Finally,his treatment of theflatmediantreveals
how fullyby the 1890s he had integrated a modal sensibilityintohis harmoniclan-
guage. Instancesof modal color involvingotherscale degrees,namelyf4 and t>6,can
be foundin severalsongs written duringthisperiod.16Yet in each worktheharmonic
functionofan alteredscale degreeis inseparablylinkedto a richmotivicnetwork.

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Gréer Modal Sensibilityin Fauré 141

Notes
1. "L'Ecole de Musique Classique Niedermeyer,"Encyclopédiede la Musique et
Dictionnairedu Conservatoire,éd. AlbertLavignac (Paris: Delagrave, 1913-31),
Part2, Vol. 6, 3617-21. See also Lefevre'sTraitéd'harmonieà l'usage des cours
(Paris, Ecole
de l'Ecole de musiqueclassiquefondéepar L. Niedermeyer
Niedermeyer, 1889).
2. Two studieswhichexplorevariousconsequencesof Fauré's exposureto theoriesof
modalityon his compositionaltechniqueare JamesKidd, "Louis Niedermeyer's
System for GregorianChant Accompanimentas a Compositional Source for
Gabriel Fauré," (Ph.D. diss., Universityof Chicago, 1974), and Robin Tait, The
Musical Language of Gabriel Fauré (New York: Garland,1989). Neitherauthor,
however,focuseson thelinearaspectsof Fauré's harmonicpractice.
3. See "Etude comparéedes langagesharmoniquesde Fauré et Debussy,"La Revue
Musicale,(197ï): 272-73.
of thistypeof dominantprolongation
4. A good illustration can be foundin Fauré's
" Au " no. mm. 10-12.
song Cimetière, Op. 51, 2,
5. The scoresused in thisstudyincludetheHamelle editionsof DeuxièmeRecueilde
VingtMélodies,TroisièmeRecueilde VingtMélodies,and theInternationalEdition
ofLa Bonne Chanson,
6. It can be debatedwhetherthethirdspan,El?-D-C,is thetenorvoice droppingbelow
the bass or the bass presentingits own melodic material.Indeed, throughout
Fauré's musicthedistinctionbetweenthebass as an independent melodicline and
as a successionof chordrootsbecomesblurred.
7. This concepthas a longhistoryin Schenkeriananalyticalstudies,includingCharles
Burkhart's"Schenker's 'Motivic Parallelisms,'" Journal of Music Theory22
(1978): 145-75; JohnRothgeb's "Thematic Content: A Schenkerian View,"
Aspectsof SchenkerianTheory,ed. David Beach (New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1983), 39-60; and Allen Cadwallader"Echoes and Recollections:Brahms's
Op. 76, No. 6," Theoryand Practice 13 (1988): 65-78.
8. For a detaileddiscussionof theways in whichthesimultaneousstatements of aug-
mentedtriadsportrayLecontede l'Isle's text,see mydissertation "Tonal Process
in theSongs of GabrielFauré:Two Structural Featuresof theWhole-toneScale,"
(Ph. D. diss. Yale University,1987),94-104.
9. Two studiesuse Verlaine's poetryas a means of comparingFauré's approachto
text-setting with thatof his contemporary, Claude Debussy. See Laurence M.
Porter"Meaningin Music: Debussyand Fauré as Interpreters of Verlaine,"Topic:
A Journalof theLiberal Arts35 (Fall 1981): 26-37 and ArthurB. Wenk,Claude
Debussyand thePoets (Berkeley:University of CaliforniaPress,1976), 22-63.
10. David Cox, "France,"A Historyof Song,ed. Denis Stevens(London: Hutchinson,
1960), 209.
11. InterviewwithLouis Aguettant reprintedin Paris-Comoedia,March3, 1954, 106.
12. An extremeexample of this occurs in the song "Clair de lune," Op. 46, no. 2,
wherethevoice entersonlyat m. 12 as if to accompanythepiano's free-standing
menuet.
13. Of thenine poems whichFauré chose fromthe originaltwenty-one in Verlaine's
cycle,two othersconformto thissame metricscheme:"La lune blancheluitdans
les bois" (no.3) and "J'allaispardes cheminsperfides"(no. 4).

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142 Theoryand Practice Vol.XVI
14. Fauréalsoemphasizes theinflected
thirdspanbyslightly thepoem'sline
distorting
heunites
organization; thewordsparole and humaine(whicharethelastwordin
line3 and thefirstwordin line4, respectively) in a singlephrase:a musical
enjambement ofsorts.
15. Whileitis certainly
possibletohearsomekindofEl?chord - theexpectedcontinu-
ationofthecadential - impliedinm. 78 when thepiano and voicefall ulti-
silent,
^
matelyI mustrejectsucha reading.It is a mistake
totryandexplainFauré'shar-
monicsubtleties
bysupplying theverycadenceheavoids.
16. Two examplesare "Clairede lune," Op. 46, no. 2 and "La luneblanche,"La
BonneChanson, whicharebothsettopoemsbyVerlaine.

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