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Basic
Overview of Janacek’s Style
1.
Janacek's music is grounded in 19th century romanticism but his most
characteristic music was written near the end of his life and belongs in
"sound and spirit" with the early 20th century. 2.
Uses functional harmony within a tonal framework. 3.
His favorite keys are Db C# and Ab. 4.
His works seldom end in the same key as they began. 5.
Uses key signatures more often in instrumental works than in the operas
(abandons them in opera as early as Broucek ). 6.
Contrasts types of harmony such as diatonic with quartal. 7.
Typical melodic patterns consist of 4ths, 5ths, and 2nds. 8.
Frequent use of repetitive fragments and rapid ostinato figures. 9.
Characteristics derived from Moravian folk song: Moravian mirror rhythms,
immediately repeating a tune in a rhythmically displaced version, modal
harmonies, short melodic phrases. He integrated folksong fully into his music. 10.
In about 1897, he began to formulate a theory of
"speech-melody," which was to influence his approach to the voice line
and his whole musical idiom for the rest of his life. 11.
His music progresses by repetition and juxtaposition rather than tonal
tension. 12.
Seldom used counterpoint. 13.
Extremely demanding vocal writing. 14.
Orchestra plays an almost equal role (at times greater) with voices in
his operas and the Glagolitic Mass. 15.
Characteristic orchestral sound: "although capable of great
sweetness, there is a roughness caused by the unblended layers of orchestra and
by the awkward writing in individual parts." 16.
Use of extreme ranges in orchestration. 17.
Orchestration often has a programmatic origin. 18.
Use of unusual instruments (xylophone in Jenufa and Makropulos ,
sleigh bells in Kat'a , and chains rattling, anvil and hammer strokes,
whiplashes and saws in From the house of the dead ). 19.
Use of colorful devices (e.g. use of sul ponticello in the Second
String Quartet). |