Homotonal

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Homotonal is a technical musical term pertaining to the tonal structure of multi-movement compositions. It was introduced into musicology by Hans Keller. According to Keller's definition and usage, a multi-movement composition is 'homotonal' if all of its movements have the same tonic (keynote).

'Homotonality' is by no means uncommon in compositions of the Baroque era: many Baroque multi-movement works based on dance-forms manifest the same tonic -- and even the same mode -- throughout. Thus, for example, J.S.Bach's solo violin partita BWV 1004 is homotonal [all movements in D minor], as is his solo flute partita BWV 1013 [all movements in A minor]. Homotonality is even encountered in some Baroque concertos: examples include Vivaldi's Cello Concertos RV401 (n.d.) [all movements in C minor] and RV416 (n.d.) [all movements in G minor], and Jean-Marie Leclair's Violin Concerto Op.7 No 1 (1737) [all movements in D minor].

With the Classical era, however, the situation changes. Outside of two-movement works (which, classically speaking, will maintain the same tonic for both movements and will thus be homotonal by definition), classical-era homotonality is relatively rare: a classical work in three movements will normally move to a different tonic for its middle movement, and a classical work in four movements will normally have at least one of its middle movements in a key other than the original tonic.

The classical composer most closely associated with the homotonal principle is Joseph Haydn.

Keller himself was keen to emphasise that different classical composers showed differing degrees of interest in homotonal structure:

“ A notable fact . . . is that although Mozart, as opposed to Haydn, tended to work within narrow tonal frameworks, he did not carry the homotonal approach very far into his maturity . . . whereas Haydn did: some of the older master's greatest string quartets adhere to a single tonality"[1] ”
“ [U]nlike the mature Haydn, Mozart never came to write four movements without changing the keynote"[2] ”

The term 'homotonality' (referring to the manifest retention of a tonic) should not be confused with 'monotonality' (the theoretical position according to which a tonal structure has only one 'real' tonic, and all modulation is superficial or illusory).

[edit] Examples

Examples of 'homotonal' works from the classical era and afterwards are:

1760s:

  • Haydn's Symphony No 34 (1765) [all movements in D minor or D major]
  • Haydn's Symphony No 49 'La Passione' (1768) [all movements in F minor]

1770s:

  • Haydn's string quartet Op.17 Nos 1 (1771) [all movements in E major or E minor]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.17 Nos 5 (1771) [all movements in G major or G minor]
  • Mozart's symphony K.96 (1771) [all movements in C major or C minor]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.20 Nos 2 (1772) [all movements in C major or C minor]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.20 Nos 3 (1772) [all movements in G major or G minor]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.20 Nos 4 (1772) [all movements in D major or D minor]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.20 Nos 5 (1772) [all movements in F minor or F major]
  • Haydn's Symphony No 44 'Trauer' (1772) [all movements in E minor or E major]
  • Haydn's Symphony No 46 (1772) [all movements in B major or B minor]
  • Mozart's 'Serenata Notturna' K.239 (1776) [all movements in D major]
  • Mozart's Notturno for 4 Orchestras K.286 (1777) [all movements in D major]
  • Mozart's Piano Sonata K.331 (1778) [all movements in A major or A minor]
  • Mozart's sinfonia concertante for winds K.297b (1778) [all movements in E flat major]
  • Haydn's Symphony No 70 (1779) [all movements in D major or D minor]

1780s:

  • Mozart's Serenade for winds K.375 (1781) [all movements in E flat major]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.33 No.5 (1781) [all movements in G major or G minor]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.33 No.6 (1781) [all movements in D major or D minor]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.50 No.6 (1787) [all movements in D major or D minor]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.54 No.2 (1788) [all movements in C major or C minor]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.55 No.2 (1788) [all movements in F minor or F major]

1790s:

  • Haydn's string quartet Op.64 No.2 (1790) [all movements in B minor or B major]
  • Haydn's string quartet Op.76 No.2 (1797) [all movements in D minor or D major]

After 1800:

  • Beethoven's string quartet Op.18 No.4 (1801) [all movements in C major or C minor]
  • Clementi's piano sonata Op.40 No.2 (1801-02) [all movements in B minor]
  • Schubert's string quartet D.87 (1813) [all movements in E flat major]
  • Clementi's piano sonata Op.50 No.3 'Didone Abbandonata' (1821) [all movements in G minor]
  • Schumann's Symphony No. 2 Op. 61 (1845-46) [all movements in C major or C minor]

After 1900:

  • Britten's 'Sinfonia da Requiem', Op.20 (1940) [all movements in D major or D minor]
  • Britten's string quartet No.2, Op.36 (1945) [all movements in C major or C minor]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Hans Keller, 'Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91)', p.58
  2. ^ Hans Keller, 'Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91)', p.75

[edit] References

  • Hans Keller, 'Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91)', in The Symphony (Ed. Robert Simpson; London, 1966).
  • Hans Keller, The Great Haydn Quartets: Their Interpretation (London, 1987).