Yale University Department of Music

Harmonic Resources in Bartk's "Fourths"

Author(s): Richard S. Parks and Bela Bartk
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Journal of Music Theory, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Autumn, 1981), pp. 245-274
Published by: Duke University Press on behalf of the Yale University Department of Music
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/843651 .
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HARMONIC RESOURCES IN
BARTOK'S "FOURTHS"

Richard S. Parks

Bela Bart6k may be counted among those remarkablecomposersof

the early twentieth century whose vision profoundly altered the way
we hear and experience music. His works are intuitivelyaccessible,but
have proven difficult to penetrateanalytically,for his handlingof pitch
materials seems to resist conventional analytic approaches.His music
has been characterizedas tonal, for instance,yet surelythis label means
something different for Bart6k than for composersa generationor so
older, since the harmonicand contrapuntalinterrelationshipsthat were
essentialin their music are only vestigialin his.
This papercontends that atonaltheory can providea better approach
to Bart6k'ssecrets,includingthe natureof tonality in his music and the
extent to which it servesas a source of control. The issue of tonality
will be explored in the light of remarksby the composerhimself, and
invarianceand linearity will be examined as possible sources of tonal
function. This essay focuses upon a single composition, but it reveals
aspects of process and structure important in other works by Bart6k
as well. "Fourths" provides an excellent object for analysis, because
it is an uncomplicatedpiece, exhibiting the extraordinaryeconomy of
means characteristicof all Bart6k'sworks. The piece is reproducedin
Example 1.
245

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Allegro non troppo, .a

'K

124

a- A

Si

11<

21

W--

II f"

from MIKROKOSMOS, Vol. V, 1940 by Hawkes and Son (London)

1967. Reprinted by permission of Boosey and Hawkes, Inc.

Ltd.; renewed

Example 1. Bart6k, "Fourths,"Mikrokosmosno. 131

246

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26

316

41

46

f
31

--ll? !

Example 1 (continued)

247

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As the title "Fourths" implies, Number 131 of Bart6k's didactic

series, Mikrokosmos, treats that interval as a performanceproblem.1
Although piano studies which addressthis particulartask are not common, one earlier example, Debussy's "pour les Quartes" from the
Douze tudes, invites comparison.2 Harmonic fourths are pervasive
in both handsthroughoutDebussy'sstudy, as in Bart6k's,but Debussy's
study admits diminished and augmented fourths as well as perfect
fourths. In addition, Debussy frequently injects extraneoustones (that
is, non-fourth related), and while some passagesare entirely chordal,
the two hands exhibit some rhythmic independence throughout the
work. Bart6kalso employs harmonicfourthsin both handsthroughout,
but, unlike Debussy, he uses only perfect fourths, avoids extraneous
tones, and does not emphasizeindependenceof line. The only change
in texture which occurs (in mm. 35-42) is still based upon perfect
fourths.Indeed,everynote in the piece appearsas a memberof a perfect
fourth. Of course, this concentrationupon perfect fourths in each hand
does not exclude other intervals arising from the vertical coincidence
of fourthsin right and left hands and their coalescenceinto chords.
The formal plan, shown in Figure 1, divides the piece into nine sections which are defined by changesin thematicmaterialor by repetition.
As the diagramshows, symmetry in the form of statement-contrastreturn is sparse; sections D1 and D2 (separatedby E) constitute an
exception. In general, the piece evolves through a succession of interrelated but contrastingblocks of material.Certainunifying featuresare
obvious and include the pervasiveuse of perfect fourths in each hand
already mentioned. Most thematic shapes also prominently feature a
stepwise contour resemblinga neighbor-noteconfiguration,as illustrated
in Example 2 which shows the upper line from the beginningsof sections A through D. In section E of the formal plan (mm. 35-42), the
stepwise shape is less obvious; nonetheless, it exists in the bass of
mm. 35-36, 37-38 and 39-40.
A glance at the details of the piece from section to section points
first to the examination of four-note vertical sonorities as an obvious
basis for segmentation;Bart6k's articulativemarkingsin the form of
slurs suggestanotherway of grouping(and hearing)tones. Only Section
E (mm. 35-42) does not lend itself so convenientlyto these segmentation procedures;the remainingsections consistently yield tetrachords.
Example 3 shows vertical segmentationfor mm. 1-3 of Section Al and
for the first measureof each succeedingsection except for section E.3
Example 4 shows a representativesegmentationinto four-note collections based upon slur markingsin each hand for the initial barsof sections Al, B and C1.
Section E (mm. 35-42) does not lend itself to the same segmentation
process. It seems reasonablein mm. 35-36 to hear the first six eighth248

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Al
1 --

A2
4

5 --

B
8

9 --

C1
16

17 --

D1

C2
20

21 --

30

31 --

Figure 1. FormalPlan for "Fourth

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Al

B
10

C1

19

D1

Example2

250

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Al

4-26
/,(10,

1,3,6)

(1, q ,4,5)2

4-8
B

11t
(56,10

4-26

4-8

/(10'1'

316)

31,6

4-9
(2,3,18,9)

4-20
4-23
(7,8,3)

4-26

4-8

4-26
(C1
"o1.

4-26
3 (10,1,

6, 8,1)
J 3,

3,-,

IFF

D2

4-8
4-26
,4,5) ,3, 6)

4-23

(10o,o,,1 4-23

Example3

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251

4-8

Al

4-26

S(0, 1,5,6)

10,1 3 4)

4-23
L -

(35,8,10)

10,

4-8

4-23

2(10, 1, 3,6)

3 68)

6)

(9,10,2,3)

4-26

4-8

C1 4-8
(0,

17

(6,7,11,0)

4-8

4-8
Example4

4-20

6-324-20
(10,0,2,3,5,7)

Example5

252

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notes as a unit comprised of six pitches arrangedin superimposed

perfect-fourths,followed by a tetrachordfor the last two eighths(Ex. 5).
Measures37-38 may be similarlypartitionedand yield a transposition
of the first six-note set followed by a different four-noteset. Measures
39-40 repeat the material of mm. 35-36 an octave lower, while mm.
41-42 yield a three-note set-the only trichord which contains two
perfect fourths.
Figure 2 displays the locations of all sets derivedfrom the segmentation processesjust described.4The economy of Bartok'sfour-note set
vocabularlyis remarkable;segmentationrevealsthat only five different
tetrachordsoccur throughoutthe piece. All appearby m. 9, and four of
the five are introducedby the end of m. 3. A varietyof transpositions
occur for each tetrachord, and these are listed in Table 1, along with
the approximatenumber of times each transpositionoccurs.(This gives
some indication of the relativeemphasisgiventhese formsboth individually and collectively.)
The five sets cited may be expressedby the followinginterval-arrays:
5-4-5 (4-26), 5-6-5 (4-8), 5-1-5 (4-9), 5-5-5 (4-23) and5-3-5 (4-20).
In Example6, the sets are transposedto C in orderto facilitatecomparisons.5 The six-note set which appearsin two transpositionsin mm. 3540 may be expressedas 5-5-5-5-5; the three-noteset of mm. 41-42 as
5-5. The affinity of all sets to the perfect fourth (interval-class5) is
obvious.
In order to understandthe nature and degree of selectivity which
Bart6khas imposed upon this piece, one must consider certain special
characteristicsof the tetrachordsused relative to all possible sets of
four pitch-classes.
Forte lists a total of 29 distinct four-note pitch class sets. Of these,
only one contains a total of three of interval-class5 (hereafterabbreviated i.c.) in its intervalvector; no set contains more than three.6Eight
of the other 28 sets contain no i.c. 5 at all, while twelve sets each
contain only one. The remainingeight sets all include two of i.c. 5 in
their interval vectors. Overall,of 29 distinct four-note sets, only nine
contain two or more perfect fourths, and only one containsas many as
three (in other words, a true "quartal"chord: 5-5-5).
As might be expected, all of Bart6k'sfive sets contain at least two
perfect fourths (Table 2 displays the intervalvectors for the five sets),
and the set with three perfect fourths is an importantmember of the
list. (It appearsapproximately44 timesin the piece and by this standard
is emphasized less than two other sets: 4-26 and 4-9.) However,
Bart6k's selectivity extends beyond the high concentrationof perfect
fourths, since his five sets share an additionalproperty;they all replicate themselvesin inversionand thus haveno distinctinversionalforms.7
Of the nine sets containingat least two perfect-fourths,six possessthis
253

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4)

Figure 2. Chartof "Fourths,"showingtetrachordalsegmentation

groupingsof pitches, as well as largeraggregatesderivedfrom formal
Key:

Sets

designated

A = 4-26
B = 4-8

(5-4-5)
(5-6-5)

D = 4-23
E = 4-20

(5-5-5)
(5-3-5)

SECTION:

C = 4-9 (5-1-5)

BAR
NOS.:

PITCHES:

[B

3
[B
10

8-6

segmentation:

11

[A
10

3
[A

A
(Secondary

5
]

]
10
6
]

1
A

(10,11,0,1,3,4,5,6)

SECTION:

BAR
NOS.:?
PITCHES:

10

[A]
1
3
[A ]
10

10

0,1,3,4,5,6)

[B ]

7-20

10

11

[D]

10

11

[B ]
10

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8-14

0
[B ]

(10,9,8,6,3,2,1)

(0,11,10,8,7,6,5,3)

[(9's'E'Z'T'O'OT'6

'Z'T) iZ-8

(E'S'9'L'8'ot'tt'0)
1T-8

'9'L'S'0I'TI'0)

(?'S'9'L'8'0I'II'0)
Wl

Sl

TT

[
TT

0
?
3 ](

tT-8 [(9'S'E'Z'T

[ 8]

TT

] [ a]

T
9

S
[

[
01
01 [ 0 ] 88 o] OT
OT

01
OT

]]

[s]

11
TT

(9'S't,'E'T'O'TT'OT)9-8

[ 5]

E
T
]

TT
[5 ]

01
OT

01 [[
OT

] [

oT

ot

E
I

E
[

[]

@
G

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99

WS'

[5]

] []1

0Z-L]

(6'8'L'9'E'Z'T'O) 6-9

T
[a]
9

O:*

[(t'Z'E'9'8'6'ot)

oT

\'

Sl

6-8

''T','0)

('6'8'L'9'

1'-8
Sl

T
][
9

[5 ]

E
]

@&:SONOI

(Figure

2,

continued)

ON
SECTION:

(C2)

BAR
NOS.:
@
PITCHES:

6
4
] [ D ]
11
1

[D ]

[B]
11

10

4
[ D ]

3
[B]

11

10

[D0]

4
5
6
3
[ B ] [ D]
[ B
[B]
[D]
0
11
1
10
0

11

8-14

8-6

(9,11,0,1,2,4,5,6)

4
[ D]

11

[B]

10

[D]

(10,11,0,1,3,4,5,6)

SECTION:

BARNOS.:
PITCHES:

11

10

[B ]
6

11

8
3

[A]

10

[B ]
6

11

9
[ B ] [B]
3
4
B

11

[A ] [ A ]

[B i

8
[A]
3

8-6 (3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11)

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11

[B i

[A J [ A ]

9
8
B ] [ B ] [A]
4
3
B

11

6 [A] 3
A

10

[B ]

[B I

5
9
[ B ]

[ B]
4
B

SECTION:

BARNOS.:
PITCHES:

6-32

SECTION: (

9,2,7,0,5,10

6-32

8-14

(7,6,5,3,2,1,0,10)

2,7,0,5,10,3

10,3,8

6-32

3-9

8-14

(2,1,0,10,9,8,7,5)

(7,6,5,3,2,1,0,10)

BARNOS.:
PITCHES:

10

2,7,0,5,10,3

8-14

10

10

[ B ] [ B ] [ A ] [A
1
0
1
10

6
[A i f A

4
[B ]

3
[8]

[ B ]

[ B]

]1[

[ B

10

11

10

10

11[B]

8-6

A
10

[A ]

6
[A]

[ Bi [
1
0

Bi [
1

3
[A

10

(10,11,0,1,3,4,5,6)

tO
;1

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10[B
A

3
Ai

[A]
10

6
[A ] [A]

5
B]

[
1
3

[ B

4
[B4]

11[B3]

10

10

11[B]

Table 1. List of tetrachordalsets used in "Fourths," their transpositions, and the numberof times each appears.
Set
Label

Transposition

Numberof
Occurrences

A
4-26

10,1,3,6
3,6,8,11
5,8,10,1

60
29
1

B
4-8

11,0,4,5
0,1,5,6
10,11,3,4
9,10,2,3
5,6,10,11
6,7,11,0
1,2,6,7
4,5,9,10
3,4,8,9

15
15
16
4
17
7
2
4
8

C
4-9

2,3,8,9
0,1,6,7

3
1

D
4-23

1,3,6,8
5,7,10,0
3,5,8,10
7,9,0,2
10,0,3,5
11,1,4,6

11
4
8
2
10
5

E
4-20

7,8,0,3
1,2,6,9
5,6,10,1

7
4
2

Total for
Each Set

90

88
4

44

13
Table2. Intervalvectors for tetrachordslisted in orderof appearance.
Set Label
A = 4-26
B = 4-8
C = 4-9
D= 4-23
E = 4-20

IntervalArray

IntervalVector

5-4-5
5-6-5
5-1-5
5-5-5
5-3-5

258

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[012120]
[200121]
[200022]
[021030]
[101220]

self-replicatingfeature: the five above, plus set 4-6 (which can be

representedby the interval array 5-5-1).8 The reason for the latter's
absencein this piece will be seen shortly.
Besides these common properties (an abundanceof i.c. 5 and selfreplication), the five sets also have a potential for contrast in their
interval contents-a potential which Bart6k exploits. Sets 4-26 and
4-23 contain neither minor seconds (i.c. 1) nor tritones (i.c. 6), but
both containmajorseconds (i.c. 2) and minor thirds(i.c. 3). In contrast,
sets 4-8 and 4-9 exclude major seconds and minor thirds, but do contain minor seconds and tritones. A dichotomy thus exists amongthese
four sets; they may be grouped into two categories based on their
inclusion of i.c.'s 1, 2, 3, and 6. The fifth tetrachord(4-20) fits neither
category, for it lacks one of the intervalscharacteristicof each (i.c. 2
and i.c. 6) and containsintervalsexcluded from both (i.c. 1 and i.c. 3).
Bart6k's choice of these five particularsets can be understood,in
part, by returning to the performance problem he poses: namely,
playing perfect fourths in both hands at all times. Example6 shows the
sets with pitches arrangedso that each is partitionedinto two perfect
fourths connected by another interval. The connecting intervalvaries,
rangingfrom i.c. 1, to i.c.'s 3, 4, 5 (the "quartal"chord) and 6. Intervalclass 2 cannot serveas the connectinginterval,since it would producea
redundantpitch-classamongthe two perfect-fourths,thus reducingthat
set to a trichord(Ex. 6, shown in parentheses).
The reasonfor avoidingthe remainingself-replicatingset 4-6 (5-5-1)
becomes clear;its pitches cannot be arrangedin a way which permitsa
partitioninginto two disjunct perfect fourths, that is, a perfect fourth
cannot be assignedto each hand or to each half of a melodic-harmonic
unit under a slur (compare Exs. 8 and 9). The remainingthree tetrachords of the nine that contain two or more perfect fourths, 4-14,
4-22, and 4-16 (whose fourths could be distributedin intervalarrays
as 5-5-3, 5-5-4 and 5-5-6 respectively) are eliminated for the same
reason.
The elucidationof tetrachordalconstructionin "Fourths"proceeded
from a direct approach to segmentation which relied upon obvious
associationsof adjacentpitch-classeson the surfaceof the piece (in the
form of chords, or adjacent fourths linked by slurs). This may be
designated a primary method of segmentation. A secondary method,
less obvious but nonetheless important, examines aggregatesof tetrachords as they accumulate from section to section. A judicious partitioning of sections into smallerunits (phrasemembers,pairsof adjacent
chords, and so forth) yields collections which areindeed of interest.9
Figure 2 shows this secondarysegmentationwith the resultantlarge
sets indicated by brackets and labeled beneath the integer chart. The
initial two measuresof the piece (the firstof two phrasemembers)display
259

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(4-26)

(4-8)

5 . 6

(4-23)

(4-9)

-5-

(4-20)

not possible

Example6

set A (4-26)
5

inversionon D

- 5

-4-5

Example7

4-6

5 - 5 - 1

4-14

5 -5 -3

4-22

5-5-4

Example8

1
set 4-26

or

Example9
260

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4-16

- 5 -6

eight pitch-classesforming set 8-6. Measures3-4 (the second phrase

member)usessevenpitchesformingset 7-20. The correspondingphrase,
section A2, may be similarlypartitionedwith identicalresults.Section
B may be divided into two measureunits for the most part (mm. 9-10,
11-12, 13-14, 15), the aggregatesyielding sets 8-14 and 8-9.
The secondary segmentation proceeds, for the most part, quite
easily and yields sets of cardinal8 (8-6, 8-9, 8-14, 8-23) and cardinal
7 (7-20, 7-22 and 7-35). However,mm. 15-16 are refractory,since in
m. 16, the chord of beat 1 (which concludesthe B section) cannot usefully be joined with the two precedingchords since that yields a set of
nine notes (9-5) which never recurs. But if the tetrachordof m. 16 is
consideredwith only the precedingvertical from m. 15, the collection
formed is 7-20, the set which previouslyoccurredin mm. 3-4 and 7-8).
A similarsegmentationmay be appliedto mm. 18-19 (Figure2) for the
purpose of bringing the second vertical into a larger aggregate.The
results are less felicitous, yieldingtwo overlappingforms of set 8-17, an
anomalous collection which is not part of the complex of sets used
throughoutthe piece.
The secondary segmentationuncoversseven importantlarge collections. Among these are two complementsof familiartetrachords,8-9
and 8-23. All of these large sets naturallyare rich in i.c. 5. The octachords (8-6 and 8-14) whose complementarytetrachordsdo not occur
are among those which possess at least six of i.c. 5 in their interval
vectors. Two of the seven note sets, 7-20 and 7-35, are rich in i.c. 5,
the latter of which possessesthe maximumnumberpossible. Set 7-22 is
not so endowed, but it occurs once only (m. 18) and can hardlybe consideredimportant.
Table 3 lists all importantsets otherthanthe tetrachordsandtogether
with Table 2 may be considereda catalogof harmonicresourcesfor the
piece. Table 3 includes intervalarraysfor the sets which display their
contents of i.c. 5 and also demonstratetheir symmetries.) Given the
richnessof content in i.c. 5, it is not surprisingthat the entire catalogof
sets evinces strong interrelationshipsin terms of subset and superset
interconnections. Figure 3 (a matrix of these relations) discloses that
each octachord contains all the tetrachordsas subsets, except for 8-9
which omits 4-26. Set 7-20 contains all five tetrachords;set 7-35
contains all but 4-9, and 7-22 (of marginalinterest) omits 4-9 and
4-23.
It should be apparentthat althoughthe octachords(except for 8-9)
contain all of the tetrachords, each exhibits only a selection in its
compositional contexts. Set 8-14 neverdisplays4-9 as a subset;set 8-6
never displays sets 4-9 or 4-20, and set 8-9 never displays set 4-8.
Also, while perfect fourths are central to the idea of the piece, the set
matrix reveals 3-9 as the subset most often omitted by the five tetra261

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Table 3. Intervalvectors for 3, 6, 7 and 8 note sets used in "Fourths."

Set Name

Vector

IntervalArray

3-9

[010020]

5-5

6-32

[143250]

5-5-5-5-5

7-20
7-22
7-35

[433452]
[424542]
[254361]

5-3-5-5-5-5
5-6-5-5-6-5
5-5-5-5-5-5

8-6
8-9
8-14
8-23

[654463]
[644464]
[555562]
[465472]

5-5-5-6-5-5-5
5-5-5-3-5-5-5
5-5-5-5-5-8-5
5-5-5-5-5-5-5

262

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(7-22)

(4-8)

(7-35)

.00

(7-20).,.

(8,-

(4-9)

(8-9)

(4-20)

'li

-14)

(4-23)

..

(4-26)

(8-23)

(6-32)

(3-9)

Figure3. Matrixof Subsetand SupersetRelationsin "Fourths"

263

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chords, in spite of the fact that it is a "quartalchord." Set 6-32 is most

often omitted as their supersetalthoughit, too, is a quartalchord.
According to Benjamin Suchoff, Bart6k described this piece as bitonal, alludingto Eb minor and Gb majoras providingconcurrenttonal
centers.10Conservativeviews of tonal organization(for example,those
expressedby Schenkerand even Hindemith)hold such a conception of
tonality as inherently contradictory.On the other hand, advocatesof a
more liberal attitude admit the possibility of multiple keys, but caution
that elements must be separatedin such a way that the ear may unambiguously distinguishthe two centers.11Clearly such centers are not
without ambiguity in "Fourths," since neither register nor timbre
separatethe Eb and Gb triads. Perhapsa re-examinationof pitch class
content will shed light on Bart6k's allusion to this mixture of major
and minor tonalities. Set 4-26 in its initial transposition(10,1,3,6) is
the predominantsonority for the piece, shown by the tabulationsin
Table 1. Its fournotes includeboth the Gb major(6,10,1) and Eb minor
(3,6,10) triads, but they are completely fused, so that the role of tonic
triad cannot be assignedto either with certainty.12 On the other hand,
these four notes together do provide a referentialintervallicand pitchclass collection for the piece. They occur in cadences which mark important points of subdivisionin the formalplan (for examplemm. 4, 8,
16, 30, and 46). Also, the pitch-classcontent of the set providesmost
of the stressedpitches of the outer lines in terms of accentuation,and
registraland durationalemphasis.Example 10 isolates these pertinent
tones (notated in open noteheads) and shows how they are connected
through linear motions. (Note that pitch-class6 is often notated as F?
in the lower voice, rather than as Gb ) The unfolding skips between
tones of the referential sonority throughout the piece are almost
invariably filled out by stepwise motion. These linear motions are
charted in Example 11. (Again, the referential sonority is always
represented using open noteheads while connecting tones, passing or
neighboring,are filled in.) In Example 11, graphII is a reductionwhich
better displays the long-rangelinear motions of graph I. This example
demonstratesthe extent to which the pitch-classcontent of the referential sonority is prevalentthroughoutthe piece and also how its presence
increasesand attentuatesfrom section to section.13 In Example 11 four
simultaneous lines are displayed in which both treble and bass parts
focus upon members of the referential sonority; where they do not,
only the appropriateouter line is shown. The hands(and thus the treble
and bass registers)exchange fourths frequently. This may be seen in
m. 2, beat 2. The lineargraphsshow how these exchangesareconnected
by stepwise motions reflecting,on the surfacelevel, similarconnections
which occur over longer spans. An examinationof all set-formsused in
the piece revealsthat the pitch-classcontent of the referentialsonority
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A1,A2
1i 4

5-8

/L..=I.M-I,-

C2

C1
11

13

24

Dl

25

,-17-20

34

26

27

28

D2

E
-

-22

so.

23

31

15 - 16

35-3637-3839-4041-42

43-46

29

..12-

30

F
47 -

50

Example 10

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Ioldtrexg

is1

?MI

WINI=,

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17

14

13

E.18

,
_ .

15

(contin
20

19

M-

h)

Ex. 11 (continued)

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16

0)
00

....
I

.r......

.1

23

..

.,

.....
.. ....h

24

25

e,

26

283

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W,

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MA-

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29

b'

...._____._

b~f

30

Ex. 11 (continued)

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32

33

34

;35

Ib

10Ex.

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(continued)

04

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II

(4-26 as 10,1,3,6) is well represented;very few set-formsappearwhich

do not contain at least one pitch-classfrom this transposition,and most
include two or three.
It is apparent that the process of selecting pitch-class resources,
which accounts for the remarkablyhomogeneous sound-color of this
composition, is inextricably wedded to the didactic problems which
Bart6kdesignedfor the pianist:the playingof perfect fourthsin various
contexts-one in each hand, two in each chord, and two in each pairof
adjacentintervalsin each hand.14
It might be tempting to conclude that the pianistic problem is
responsiblefor the set vocabulary.But the temptationmust be resisted,
for even a piece preoccupiedwith perfect fourths in each hand could
employ a broadercatalog of resources-for example by includingmore
or fewer pitches for each hand or by duplicatingpitches between hands.
In this regardtwo notational details are of interest. First, the "ossia"
ending, mm. 47-50 (which Suchoff says "should be played") adds a
fourth pitch to eachmotivicunit of each hand.is Perhapsan afterthought
arose from a sense of inconsistency in sound color here in the original
version, for the pianistic consistency is greaterwith dyads (since each
hand is assigneddyads throughout the rest of the piece). Also, the G
of m. 35 (left hand) is not sustainedinto m. 36, althoughthe F on the
treble staff is, with the result that the first three eighthsof m. 36 each
contain a four-note sonority. Retaining the G would have resulted in
five-note sonorities, and dropping the F would have left three note
sonorities-all inconsistent with the norm of four note sonorities
establishedin the first 34 bars.16
While the tetrachordalset vocabularyis limited to five, their varying
dispositions from section to section throughout the work complement
the formalplan. Certainsets (in certaintranspositions)thus predominate
for each section. Sections Al, A2, D1 and D2 are dominatedby set
4-26, with set 4-8 appearingintermittently as a foil (since its tritone,
lacking in 4-26, suppliesa sharpcontrastin sound). Sections C1 and C2
are dominated by set 4-8 (in severaltranspositions),and here set 4-26
serves as a foil. Section B provides new sonorous color through its
quantitativeemphasisupon sets 4-23 and 4-20. Set 4-26 appearsonly
at the end of Section B as a cadentialsonority. Section E departsfrom
the predominantlyvertical texture of the rest of the piece, displaying
few tetrachordsin favor of the hexachord comprisedof superimposed
fourths, 6-32. Section F is dominatedby the quartaltetrachord,4-23.
But although the use of tetrachordsis closely tied to the formal
plan, the largesets revealedby the secondarysegmentationarenot. For
example, set 8-6 appearsin Sections A1, C1, D1 and D2, but not in C2.
Contrastbetween sections may therefore be associatedwith changesin
the vocabularyof tetrachords,but not to changesin the largeraggregates
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formed by their conjunctions into octachords. Instead, the larger

aggregatesfluctuate independentlyof the formalplan.
In conclusion, a kind of tonal process unfolds from section to section and is discernablein the fluctuationof pitch-classcontent vis-i-vis
the referentialsonority. Sections Al, A2, C2 and D2 are replete with
articulationsof that sonority, but in Sections B and E it appearsinfrequently. The referentialsonority in its referentialtranspositiondominates the beginningand ending of the piece. It providesthe pitches for
the framingstructure,interlacedwith linear connections, which shapes
the outer parts. Also, its constituent pitch-classesappearfrequently as
members of different sets and transpositionsin the outer sections, so
that we are never far from hearingat least a portion of this referential
collection. It is interestingto observe that the descendingthird, Gb to
Eb, so prominentat the beginningof the piece, closesit aswell. Initially,
Gb predominates(by accent, duration and iteration); at the end, Eb
predominatesby the same means. One can hear this as simply another
aspect of the dichotomy represented by the bitonal idea to which
Bart6kalluded.
It seems likely that Bart6k'srigorouscontrol and selectivity of pitchclass resources,though tied to pianisticand pedagogicalconsiderations,
was not merelya by-productof them, but ratherwaspurposeful-perhaps
unconscious,but not accidental. The evidencesuggeststhat Bart6kwas
intriguedwith the compositionalpossibilitiesof subtle interconnections
and differencesresidingwithin a very limited numberof pitch combinations. Obviously Bart6k understood the nature of his pitch materials.
Analyses of No. 9 of the FourteenBagatellesfor Piano, opus 6 (1908),
the third movement of the First String Quartet, opus 7 (1908), the
second movement of the Piano Sonata (1926) and the middle movement of Contrasts (1938) reveal a similarharmonic consistency and
orderlinessof construction.
A systematic examination of many works spanningBart6k'sentire
career would surely provide new insights into the scope and nature of
his compositional techniques. Moreover, like most of his pioneering
contemporaries,Bart6k remained unattached to any school or group,
yet his music shares many characteristicswith theirs. Set-theoretic
analysis offers a more concrete basis for comparisonthan has been
available in the past and enables us better to appreciatethe kinship
they shared both in historical era and in the effort to create a new
musicallanguage.

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NOTES
1. Bela Bart6k, "Fourths," from Mikrokosmos, Vol. V (London: Boosey and
Hawkes, 1940): No. 131.
2. Claude Debussy, "pour les Quartes," from Douze Etudes, Vol. I (Paris:
Durand et Cie., 1915).
3. The pitch class content of each vertical is displayed in normal order as defined by Allen Forte in The Structure of Atonal Music (New Haven: Yale
University Press, 1973), pp. 3-4, and labeled using Forte's list of sets found
in Appendix I (Ibid.), pp. 179-81. In m. 30, the score implies a C0 for the
last eighth in the right hand (the pick-up in example 2-D1). I strongly suspect
this is incorrect: the note should be Cb. C 0 creates a tritone instead of a perfect fourth here-a glaring anomaly in view of the otherwise consistent use of
perfect fourths as vertical intervals in both hands throughout the piece.
4. In Figure 2 each four-note pitch-class set is represented by a letter (the same
letter is used for all transpositions of that set) and pitch classes are represented
by integers. Tetrachords resulting from vertical segmentation are labeled
below each measure; those resulting from segmentation based upon slurs appear
in brackets, within each measure.
5. In Example 6 the pitch classes of each set are disposed in these interval arrays
in ways which conspicuously display their perfect fourths; the letter labels, A
through E, correspond to the order of initial appearances of the sets.
6. The term interval vector refers to the interval-class content of a set displayed
such that, reading from left to right, the first integer indicates the number of
i.c. 1, the second, of i.c. 2, and so forth, through i.c. 6. Thus the interval vector for set 4-26 is [012120], meaning that the content of the set includes
none of i.c. 1 (minor seconds or major sevenths), one of i.c. 2 (major seconds
or minor sevenths), two of i.c. 3 (minor thirds or major sixths), one of i.c. 4
(major thirds or minor sixths), two of i.c. 5 (perfect fourths or fifths) and
none of i.c. 6 (tritones). See also Forte, Atonal Music, pp. 13ff.
7. Set A (4-26) from Example 6 is inverted in Example 7. Note that the pitch
content is the same for both forms, although the ordering is different.
8. The reader may recognize them as members of the group of thirteen symmetrical tetrachords-"symmetrical" because their pitch-class contents may
be ordered to yield interval arrays which display the same i.c. on each end.
For example, set 4-26 (10,1,3,6) may be ordered as 3-2-3, or as 5-4-5
(1,6,10,3); both are symmetrical arrays.
9. The term phrase member is adopted from Douglass Green, Form in Tonal
Music, 2nd ed. (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1979), p. 30, and
refers to a sub-unit of a phrase.
10. Benjamin Suchoff, Guide to Bart6k's Mikrokosmos, rev. ed. (London: Boosey
and Hawkes, 1971), p. 114. Under the heading "Bart6k's Comments" are
found the statements: "Contrasts of fourths in Gb major and Eb minor. Good
example of duo-tonality." Suchoff also includes the phrase "has pentatonic
feeling"-an interesting observation, for although there are no conspicuous
appearances of five-note pitch-class sets (pentatonic or otherwise), two of the
most pervasive tetrachords (4-26 and 4-23), as well as the trichord of mm. 4142 (3-9), are subsets of the five-note set which yields the pentatonic scale as

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11.

12.

13.

14.

15.
16.

one of its forms (5-35). Furthermore, the six-note set of mm. 35-40 (6-32)
is its most characteristic hexachordal superset.
Leon Dallin, Techniques of Twentieth-Century Composition, 3rd ed. (Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, 1974), p. 133, is typical in his assertion that
"For polytonality to be consciously perceived, the two keys must be relatively
pure and adequately separated in register or timbre."
One might argue that polytonality in this piece resides in the opposing interval
roots of the perfect fourths disposed in treble and bass registers: Gb for the
right hand and Eb in the left. Without questioning the Hindemithian assertion
of these tones as roots, it is open to question whether Bartok was aware of
the concept, and it should be emphasized that his inclusion of the qualifiers
"major" and "minor" suggests a more conventional view of what constituted
a tonal center.
One is reminded of Stravinsky's use of the terms "pole of sonority," "poles
of attraction," and "polar centers" in his attempt to describe his freer conception of tonality (or "antitonality"-again, his term), by which he seems
to mean that a pitch class or collection of pitch classes could serve as a stabilizing force in a piece-however unconventional this combination might be.
Igor Stravinsky, "The Phenomenon of Music," in Poetics of Music, trans.
Arthur Knodel and Ingolf Dahl (New York: Vintage Books, 1947), pp. 2346, and especially pp. 37-40, 44.
Bart6k's preoccupation with the number four in this piece is demonstrated
not only by his emphasis on fourths, but also in his persistent use of fournote sonorities, in his choice of a duple meter featuring subdivision into four
eighth-notes per bar, and in a formal scheme which divides the piece into
four-measure phrases. (The two exceptions, Section C2 [mm. 21-30] and
Section E [mm. 35-42], still incorporate the number four into their structures-in the first instance as four-plus-two-plus-four measures, and in the
last as four-plus-four measures.)
Suchoff, Bart6k's Mikrokosmos, p. 114.
The three notes of mm. 41-42 represent just such an inconsistency of course,
but this does not diminish the consistency of the four-note sonorities so carefully maintained in the above-mentioned bars. Indeed, the anomaly of
mm. 41-42 is even more striking precisely because it constitutes a singular
departure from the established texture.

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