Violin Sonata [No. 2], Mvt. II: "Blues" (1927)

When did Ravel write his first autobiographical sketch?

1928

What did ravel want to demonstrate in Violin Sonata No. 2?

Independent part-writing

Which 2 instruments did Ravel believe to be incompatible ?

Violin and Piano

Which work by Maurice Ravel reveals the incompatibility between the Piano and Violin?

Violin Sonata No. 2

Commentators have suggested what about Ravel’s opinion regarding the violin and piano’s compatibility?

it is “old news”

What instrment is Susan Baer best known for?

violin

What does Susan Baer argue about the piano?

It doesn’t blend well with any instruments it’s been paired with in Sonatas

Which musician argues that that piano’s are incompatible with any of the instrument’s its been paired with in Sonatas?

Susan  Baer

How did Ravel further emphasize the separate and distinct identity of the violin and piano?

He treated each of the 2 hands of the piano as separate instruments

Because of Ravel’s treatment of the hands of the piano as distinct entities it is arguable that the Violin Sonata features how many instruments?

3

How does the violin begin the Blues movement?

With steady pizzicato block chords

How many block chords does the violin play per beat in the introduction of the Blues movement?

1 per beat

What key are the block chords in the violin at the start of the movement?

G Major

What is the time signature of the Blues movement?

4/4

The pizzicato (Plucked) violin chords mimic the strumming sounds of what instruments?

guitar, piano or ukulele

The violin’s resemblance of a guitar or ukulele brings what musical style to mind?

country blues 

The regularly occurring chords have what effect?

ostinato effect

How does Ravel interrupt the steadiness of the chords?

Shifting to new harmonies and sudden dynamic constrasts

What pattern do the introductory chords NOT follow?

12 bar blues pattern

What aspect of the blues DO the introductory chords follow?

The 3 primary harmonies of the 12 bar blues 

What are the 3 primary harmonies of the 12 bar blues?

I, IV, V

The piano’s sustained pulses resemble what aspect of a jazz work?

the trombone or string bass in a rhythm section

Both hands of the piano are in what clef?

Bass clef

How many sharps are in the key signature of the violin part?

1

How many flats are in both he left and right hand of the piano part?

4

What interval make up the pulses in the piano in measure 7?

a perfect 5th

How many counts do the perfect 5th pulses get sustained for before repeating?

8

Which is simpler the perfect 5th interval in the piano or the pizzicato chords in violin?

the perfect 5th in the piano

What signifies that the work is by an art-music composer rather than a blues musician?

The appearance of the perfect 5th interval

What are the 2 sustained pitches in the Piano pulses?

Ab and Gb

What is the key of the Piano part?

Ab Major

Which pitches played by the piano in measure 7 aren’t in the key signature of the violin?

Ab and Eb

What is Ravel’s contrasting of keys between the violin and piano parts create?

polytonality

which other Musical selection also employs polytonality?

Milhaud’s “La Creation du monde”

When does the right hand of the piano make it’s first appearence?

measure 8

What role does the right hand of the Piano have in measure 8?

It plays a short bluesy riff

what is the motion of the right hand in measure 8?

an upper neighbor motion, C-D-C

The C-D-C motion in the bluesy riff in the right hand in Violin Sonata reminds which musical theorist of the opening of the fugue in Tableau 1 from Creation du Monde?

Mark DeVoto

The bluesy riff reminds Mark DeVoto of which other work?

Milhaud’s “La Creation du Monde,”

The bluesy riff reminds Mark DeVoto of which part of La Creation du Monde?

The opening of the fugue in Tableau 1

After the bluesy riff is repeated what does Ravel change about the work thus far?

The time keeping pulses from the violin shift to the piano

Which hand do the time keeping pulses shift to after the repetition of the bluesy riff?

The right hand

Does anything change in the left hand after the repetition of the bluesy riff?

No, it remains playing sustained notes

What key does the Violin change to after the repetition of the bluesy riff?

Ab (matching piano key)

What marks the end of the Intro in Violin Sonata No. 2?

The second appearance of the upper neighbor riff in the piano

What marks the beginning of the first A section in Violin Sonata No. 2?

The steady piano pulses in G major (right hand)

In the A section the violin begins playing with what device?

The bow rather than playing pizzicato 

What is theme 1 called?

nostalgico 

How is the violin instructed to play in the A section?

nostalgico

What does the nostalgic playing of the violin evoke?

The blues style singing of the early 20th century

How is the violin melody in the A section notated? What is it filled with?

carefully; slides and bends similar to Bessie Smith’s flexibility in “Lost your Head Blues”

Although the blue singers resemblance is clear what do some analysts also hear?

The tone of a clarinet or saxophone

What structure is “Blues” in?

Rondo-like structure

Which other work uses Rondo structure?

I cant help lovin Dat man and Burlesque

Which section functions as the refrain in Blues? Which ones function as the contrasting episodes?

the A section; B,C,D sections

What does the B episode feature?

busier ostinato patterns in piano and a simpler violin melody

The first return of the A section is different in what way?

It features a more animated ragtime style accompaniment supporting the violin melody

The violin plays what role in the C episode?

An accompanying role of steady pizzicato pulses

What role does the piano play in the C episode?

It’s own bluesy melody

Which instrment leads in the D episode?

the violin W

What does the piano play in the D section?

crisp ostinatos

What are the piano ostinatos in the D section based on?

the short C-D-C riff from the introduction

The violin lead in the D episode is rhythmically _________?

independent

When the C section first returns which instrument takes the lead?

the piano 

What does the violin play in the return of the C section?

Short pairs of 16th notes

What instrument does the violin resemble in the return of the C section?

a banjo accompaniment

The banjo motifs continue even as what section tries to enter?

the A refrain

When the A tune does re-enter how does it interact with the piano?

It engages in call and response 

When does the call and response between violin and piano in the final A repetition end?

When the piano plays the upper-neighbor riff a last time

How does Blues end in piano?

The piano arpeggiates through an Ab Major chord

How does Blues end in violin?

Violin performs a forceful glissando up to a Gb

What chord does the violin end the piece on?

a jazz like 7th chord