Tippett - Concerto for Double String Orchestra: movement I

Background

• This is a characteristic work of Tippett's early period
• It reflects Tippett's interest in English madrigals (evident in freely combining independant rhythmic patterns) and Neoclassicism

Rhythm and Metre

• Notated in 8/8 with very occasional changes to 6/8 and 4/8
• Use of quavers as the basic unit permits additive rhythms
• Syncopation is frequent throughout the piece

Melody

• Opening motif is characterised by the repeated step movement before broadening out by leaps of 4ths and 3rds
• Melody extended by sequence in bar 8
• Melody here is also inverted in lower parts
• Prominant broken chord motif in bass at bar 112

Harmony

•  Non-functional
• Harmonic progressions are difficult to spot due to the contrapuntal texture
• Counterpoint leads to dissonance
• Phrygian cadence at bars 20-21
• Common chord progression at bars 39-40
• Ambiguous progression from bar 119 with augmented/whole tone structures heard in passing 

(Harmony continued)

• Final modal cadence of G to A, or tonic preceded by flattened seventh

Tonality

• On A
• Non-functional with modal elements
• Bars 1-4 of melody make use of the pentatonic scale, but accidentals in other parts make it more difficult to be certain which mode predominates
• Tippett shifts the music to various tonal areas, e.g.

         - G (bars 39-67) - E (bar 68) - C# (bar 86) - Ab (bar 107) - A (bar 129) -

• The movement closes with an open 5th chord

Structure

• The regular appearance of the opening motif is reminiscent of the ritornello of the Baroque concerto grosso
• The overall structure is sonata form
• There are two clearly defined subjects (bar 1, bar 39) linked by a transition (bar 21)
• The development (bar 68) passes through more remote tonal areas (see previous card)
• The opening material reappears in a recapitulation (bar 129) with the second subject in the home tonality of A as opposed to the original G
• There is also an extended coda (bar 194)

Resources/Texture

• This concerto plays two equal forces off agaisnt each other rather than a single soloist or group of soloists against a larger accompanying group
• Tippett frequently uses two part counterpoint as in the main theme, but each part is doubled at three octaves
• He also uses occasional homophony and monophony as well as antiphony
• In the more lyrical sections, the accompaniment sometimes takes the form of broken chords
• There are no unconventional playing techniques but notice the 'sul tasto' (bow over the fingerboard) direction at bar 107