An Musical Analysis of Max Regers

String Trio No. 1 in A Minor, op. 77b,

3rd Movement: Scherzo

Cheung Tsz Him, James (1155032692)

Music Minor

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

MUSC3432 Tonal Music Analysis Term Paper

16 December 2016
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Table of Contents

Page

1. Introduction 3

2. Overview 3

3. Harmony and Hypermeter: The Two Significant Elements 4

4. The Structure of the 3rd Movement: Scherzo 5

5. The Two Essential Motives 7

6. Harmonic and Hypermetrical Analysis 9

6.1. Period A 9

6.2. Prefix to Period B 11

6.3. Period B 11

6.4. Period A' 12

6.5. Suffix of Period A' 12

6.6. Codetta 13

6.7. Period C 14

6.8. Period D 15

6.9. Period C' 16

7. Appendix: Annotated Full Score of the 3rd Movement: Scherzo 17

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1. Introduction

Undoubtedly, Max Reger is one of the most underrated composers from the late

Romantic Era. As a German composer who started his musical career at the turn

of 20th century, Regers compositional style is what one would expect: the

exploration of harmony, tonality and other musical elements to a deeper extent,

which then, history would prove, gives rise to modernism and atonality. Indeed,

Reger pushes tonality to its limits, and his style of frequent change of tonic center

reminds us of the influence to the music of the forthcoming musical giant, Paul

Hindemith.

During Regers limited lifetime and short musical career, he dedicated himself a

lot in chamber works. In this paper, the third movement of Regers String Trio

No.1 in A Minor, op. 77b, will be analyzed as an example of the composers

unique style of writing and how his music serves as a bridge from romanticism to

the new era coming after.

2. Overview

Although the String Trio is titled as one in A minor, only the first movement is in

its original key, not to mention the first appearance of the subordinate theme in C

major, the relative major, and its reappearance in A major. Following is a

bittersweet second movement: Larghetto, in the dominant major, E major. In

contrast to the serious mood in the first and second movements, the subject of

study in this paper, the third movement: Scherzo, emerges with a blast in the

subdominant key, D major, as a true scherzo which demonstrates a lively and

playful style, featured by a fast tempo and harmonic rhythm, as well as the

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extensive use of staccato. Finally the music leads to an optimistic and playful

fourth movement in the tonic major.

Below, in Figure 1, is the overview of the whole String Trio.

Movement Title / Tempo Key

1 Sostenuto. Allegro agitato A minor
2 Larghetto E major (dominant)
3 Scherzo: Vivace D major (subdominant)
(Trio: G major; subdominant of D)
4 Allegro con moto A major
Fig. 1: Overview of Regers String Trio No. 1 in A Minor, op. 77b

3. Harmony and Hypermeter: The Two Significant Elements

In this piece it is easily seen that Reger has chosen to explore in some musical

elements to a great extent while keeping others in the safe haven. It is clear that

the melody, rhythm, form and texture are designed in the common way as in other

pieces from the romantic era. However, what makes the piece interesting is the

exploration in two elements: harmony and hypermeter. The key of the movements,

extrinsically, may be mere dominant and subdominants of the center key; however,

intrinsically, we can observe Regers harmonic fantasy inside every phrase.

Sometimes even within the same phrase, far-off tonicizations might also occur. In

bar 12 of the third movement, the music is modulated to Ab major, which differs a

tritone from the main key, D major.

By observing the harmonic rhythm, one can also analyze the hypermeter, which is

in fact the main focus of this paper. The third movement: Scherzo is a good short

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example of Regers innovation in terms of harmony and hypermeter.

4. The Structure of the 3rd Movement: Scherzo

From this section, for easier reference, please see the annotated score in the

Appendix in Section 7.

As expected from the title of the movement, the third movement of the String Trio

is in form of a Scherzo and Trio. Following the usual practice, the Scherzo would

be played once more due to a da capo after the Trio section, without repeats. The

overall structure is given by the table below in Figure 2.

Bar number Structural Local tonic center, Hypermeter

component start and final chords (Internal expansions)
Scherzo
: 18 : Period A D+: I V 4+4
: 911 (Prefix of B) C+: I 3
1221 Period B Ab+: I D+: V 4+(2)+4
2229 Period A' D+: I V 4+4
3032 / 35 : (Suffix of A') D+: I C+: V / D+: vii43 3 / 3+(2)
3640 Codetta B+: I D+: I 5
Trio
: 4148 / 50 : Period C G+: I V 3+5
: 5160 Period D G+: I V 3+(2)+5
6169 / 71 : Period C' G+: I I 3+4+(2) / 3+5+(2)
Fig. 2: Overall structure of the third movement of String Trio No. 1 in A Minor

In the above table, one can see that the movement follows a periodic structure and

can be divided into six different periods. Here, unconventional harmony and

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modulations are widely used, hence they all do not belong to any usual periodic

subtype (interrupted, continuous, progressive and sectional). However, by

observation, it is easy to notice that the first five periods show resemblance of

progressive periods, since they end in dominant major triads, resulting in half

cadences. These half cadences provide a source of momentum to the movement,

leading one period to another. On the other hand, Period C' resembles a parallel

continuous period, ending finally in a perfect authentic cadence. More detailed

analysis of the periods will be given in Section 6.

It is notable that the Scherzo and the Trio sections exhibit a parallel structure of a

higher level. In both sections, taking repeats into account, the periods roughly

follow the rounded binary form, i.e. an ||:A:||:BA':|| organization, which is exactly

the traditional structure of the Scherzo and Trio form. In fact, Periods A and C

serve as the exposition of main themes of the respective sections, which is to be

discussed in Section 5.

The Scherzo and Trio exhibit a parallel structure between sections, in terms of

form and organization; however, there are also contrasting elements. A trivial

difference is the key; while the Scherzo is in D major (the subdominant major of

the pieces central key A minor), the Trio is written in G major, subdominant

major of the movements central key. However, it is far more interesting when the

hypermetrical difference is taken into account. The hypermetrical subdivisions for

periods in the Scherzo section follow a conventional 4+4, but in the Trio section,

the hypermeter turns into an interesting irregular 3+5 structure.

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Towards the end of the Scherzo section, the additional Codetta serves as a bridge

between Scherzo and Trio sections, as well as a conclusion of the whole

movement after coming back from da capo.

5. The Two Essential Motives

Before going into the detailed analysis of hypermeter, it is necessary to take note

of the main themes and motifs in the movement. In fact, there is one main theme

in each of the Scherzo and Trio sections respectively. In Section 6, it will be

shown that each reappearance of the such themes indicates the start of a new

period.

The Scherzo theme is presented straight at the start of the movement, as the

antecedent phrase of Period A. The melody is relatively simple, compared to the

two preceding highly chromatic movements. This creates a light atmosphere for

the third movement, in line with the usual style expected from a scherzo.

Fig. 3: The Scherzo theme

In Figure 3 above, we can see that the theme has an interesting function of

defining the tonic center quickly. In fact, the first two notes, as a tonic and a

dominant, provides a strong harmonic implication, which is very important in the

later developments in the movement, enabling the fast and instant modulations

which defines Regers style of harmonic writing. The whole phrase also ends in a

perfect authentic cadence, which further confirms the main key of the movement,

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that is, D major.

In fact, the aforementioned harmonic function of the Scherzo theme relies deeply

on its first bar. Therefore it is evident that the first bar alone has been taken out to

form a main motif in the Scherzo section, providing an even faster harmonic

rhythm. In the terminology of sentence design, the Scherzo theme can be seen as a

basic idea, and its fragmentation appears often in the Scherzo section. The motif is

sometimes varied, as shown in Figure 4.

Fig. 4: The motif from the Scherzo theme and its variant

On the other hand, Figure 5 shows the main theme from the Trio section. Again,

the appearance of such themes, especially in unison, indicate the start of a new

period. However, in Section 6, it will be shown that the themes also appears in the

consequent phrases, as the periods in the Trio section follow a parallel design.

Fig. 5: The Trio theme

Similar to the Scherzo theme, the opening of the Trio theme (presented by the

antecedent phrase of Period C) also contains a strong indication of the tonic center.

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However, in the second bar, an unusual emphasis is given to the leading tone.

Together with the preceding mediant, the scale degrees 3 and 7 form a perfect

fifth, breaking quickly the strong harmonic implication created in the previous bar

and leads to a vague sense of tonic center. The theme then ends with a modulation

to the subdominant key. Such modulation is one of the Trio sections special

feature.

This special 3-7 pair is further intensified by its fragmentation into the main motif

of the Trio section, as shown in Figure 6. In fact, it appears again as another 3-7

pair transposed to the subdominant key of C major, in the consequent phrase in

same Period C. In later developments, variants of the motif also appear with

intervals like a major sixth in bar 52 and a diminished fifth in bar 57 as part of the

inverted theme.

Fig. 6: The motif from the Trio theme

6. Harmonic and Hypermetrical Analysis

In this section, the hypermeter of the whole movement will be analyzed with the

aid of some interesting harmonic features. Once again, please refer to the

annotated full score in the Appendix of Section 7.

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6.1. Period A

Period A from bars 18 starts the whole movement with an exposition of the

Scherzo theme. Observing that the consequent phrase starts with another

motif, Period A is a contrasting period. It is interesting to investigate the

subtype of the period. While the antecedent phrase ends in a perfect authentic

cadence, in bar 5 there is a sudden jump of harmony into the III43 chord.

D+: I V I7 III43 III V7/V V

Fig. 7: Harmonic plan of Period A (bars 18)

The chord succeeding III43 , as shown in Figure 7, is a III as modal mixture

taken from the third triad of D minor. However, the use is unconventional it

does not replace the usual iii chord. The III43 -III pair resembles a Ger6-V

progression under B, but B is actually unrelated to the music. It can

therefore be said that the III chord acts as a substitution in place of a B

major triad (VI) in the original circle of fifths sequence in bars 58. This

substitution changes the circle of fifths sequence into a descending chromatic

sequence, ending in the V chord, and interestingly, with a Scherzo motif at

the end.

Period A also defines the core hypermeter for the Scherzo section, which is

the normal 4+4 hypermeter, in contrast to the later irregular hypermeter

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presented in the Trio section.

6.2. Prefix of Period B

A prefix is added before the appearance of Period B as an external expansion

(Bars 911). As a 3-bar phrase, the prefix can be further subdivided into a

2+1 pattern, featuring a repetition of the Scherzo motif for three times in C

major, the third time even more exaggerated by playing in unison. This prefix

is essential for preparing Period B, as the C major triad can provide a

smoother modulation to the distant key of A major, the local tonic center

when Period B begins. Bridging Periods A and B, the C major triad is a pivot

chord, which can be regarded as a VII from modal mixture of D major, as

well as a III from A major.

The reason that the prefix is in 3-bar structure (instead of a steady 4), is to

create a sense of unexpected entry of Period B at bar 12, where the composer

has clearly stated: subito. Taking the distant modulation from D major to

A major into account, this further confirms the intention of a surprise at the

entry of Period B at bar 12.

6.3. Period B

The tonicization of A major is emphasized by starting the Period B (bars

1221) with the Scherzo theme. (Recall that the Scherzo theme starts with a

strong tonic-dominant pair, fixing the tonic center.) This surprise period can

also be regarded as a development of the theme.

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In bar 16, another surprise key-change is featured, jumping to another distant

key of E major, but finally modulates back to the central key of the Scherzo

section: D major, ending in V of D major. The return to D major is further

emphasized by a composed-out deceleration in bars 1821, explaining the

apparent six-bar consequent phrase. Such return to the tonic key is necessary,

in order to follow the intended rounded binary form (||:A:||:BA':||) inside the

Scherzo section.

6.4. Period A'

The rounded binary form is clearly shown when the antecedent phrase of

Period A' (bars 2229) is considered. It is noticeable that the phrase (bars

2225) is totally identical to the one from Period A. However, the

consequent phrase is changed to a variation of the Scherzo motif in minor

seconds in bars 2627, instead of the original harmonically strong perfect

fourth.

The recapitulating Period A' follows the normal 4+4 hypermeter while ending

in a half cadence, resembling a contrasting progressive period (while not

precisely being one). The half cadence leads the music to the suffix of A'

starting with the tonic triad I of D major.

6.5. Suffix of Period A'

The suffix of Period A' (bars 3032 in the first ending, and bars 3035 in

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the second ending) consists of a repetition of the Scherzo motif in tonic key.

Its 3-bar phrase structure clearly resembles the prefix of B. Together with all

the ||:BA':|| part, we can see that the hypermeter is loosely symmetric in the

second part of the rounded binary form, reminding one of the symmetry

within the expositional Period A where the first and last bars are both the

Scherzo motif.

In the first ending, the 3-bar phrase ends at the V7 chord of C, bringing the

music back to the C major triad in the prefix of B, and creates a circle of

fifths sequence from bar 29 to the prefix. In the second ending, the phrase

however ends in vii43 of D, which acts as pivot chord to B major in the

Codetta.

In bars 3435, a two-bar grand pause creates an internal expansion in form

of a fermata which exaggerates the modulation and the function of pivot

chord. The fermata also provides a sign that the music is developing into the

Trio section.

6.6. Codetta

The Codetta at the end serves as a bridge between the Scherzo and Trio

sections. At the start, the Scherzo theme begins in B major, but continues in a

circle of fifth sequence, ending in a perfect authentic cadence in D major.

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D+: VI ii63 V7 I
Fig. 8: Harmonic plan of the Codetta (bars 3640)

It is noteworthy that the Codetta is a 5-bar phrase. Alternatively, the music

could have ended in the fourth bar after the circle of fifths sequence, but the

final tonic chord is extended to the fifth bar, preparing the irregular

hypermeter in the Trio section. Together with 3-bar structure in the preceding

suffix (bars 3035 in the second ending, since bars 3435 are regarded as

an extension of bar 33), it creates a 3+5 hypermetrical complex which hints

the core hypermeter in the periods in the Trio section, which employ the same

3+5 grouping.

On the other hand, when the music comes back with the da capo after the

Trio section, the perfect authentic cadence provides a legitimate end to the

whole movement.

6.7. Period C

The start of the Trio section is indicated by several changes the key is

changed to G major, phrases now start at a pickup beat, as well as an

exposition of a new Trio theme by a short cello solo. However, the most

interesting change is the introduction of the irregular 3+5 hypermeter.

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The 3-7 pair in the Trio theme creates a vague sense of tonicity, as mentioned

in Section 5. While the Trio theme leads to IV, another repetition of the

theme starts unexpectedly at the fourth bar, transposed to the subdominant

key. Considering also the harmonic rhythm, one can conclude that this

sudden entry at the fourth bar shortens the antecedent phrase to a length of

only 3 bars. Interestingly, the consequent phrase is of a 5-bar length, which

lets the whole period add up to have the same 8-bar length as in the Scherzo

section.

One may argue that the 3+5 structure is merely a reinterpretation of the

normal 4+4 hypermeter. However, when the later periods D and C' are taken

into consideration, we find that the music goes on with a consistent irregular

3+5 hypermeter.

6.8. Period D

Period D can be regarded as a development of the Trio theme: the antecedent

phrase starts off at the same tonic, G major, but the second bar is no longer a

perfect fifth but an even more peculiar major sixth, ending in G#, in bars

5253. This G# in fact functions as a pivot note to become the seventh in V42

of Eb, in bar 53, modulating to Eb major in bar 54.

At first, the hypermeter in bars 5155 is consistent with the one presented in

Period C, but at bar 56, the consequent phrase does not continue as expected.

Instead it now continues in IV of F major, a new tonic center defined. Also

observe that the melody at 56-59 in violin I is in fact an inversion of the Trio

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theme. This sudden entry causes a reinterpretation of hypermeter, setting the

hypermetrical count to 1 again at bar 56. This creates a 3-bar overlap in bars

5658.

To the audience the consequent phrase starting from pickup of bar 54 would

be first perceived as 5-bar phrase, so the inversion may be first misunderstood

as a 3-4-5 count, but as the inversion of the Trio theme continues, it would

then convince the audience to follow the inversion theme to count from 1 to 5

again.

Towards the end of the consequent theme, the fast harmonic rhythm is

preserved by the aid of the trio motif. Especially at bar 60, the music is

quickly directed back to the Trio tonic center: G Major.

6.9. Period C'

Despite the confusion caused by the frequent modulations and deceptive

hypermetrical count, the Trio theme is played once again in forte, bringing

the music back to the antecedent phrase identical to Period C.

Observe that bars 6166 are totally identical to Period C, showing that the

Trio section is also in rounded binary form. However, the consequent phrase

is designed differently. In bars 6869 (or 70 in second ending), there is a

repetition within phrase, which intensifies the perfect authentic cadence,

directing the tonic center back to the Trios tonic: G major.

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It is noteworthy that during the repitition, the original note B at the melody is

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changed into Bb, causing the cadential 6-4, V43 I to become the

progression vii65 /VV65 I, resulting in more chromatic chords, adding color

to the repetition.

There is, of course, a hypermeter change due to the repetition: two extra bars

are inserted in bars 6869. In the first ending, the consequent phrase is

shortened to four bars only, resulting in a 3+4 hypermeter, going back to

Period D again after a quick perfect authentic cadence. However, at the

second ending, the fifth bar of the consequent phrase reappears as a pizzicato,

restoring the 3+5 hypermeter before going back to Scherzo with da capo.

7. Appendix: Annotated Full Score of the 3rd Movement: Scherzo

Here, an annotated full score of the subject of study in this paper, the third movement

from Regers String Trio No. 1 in A Minor, op. 77b, is given.

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