The name is absent

128

The movement begins with a series of sustained and repeated chords marked
extremely smoothly. The chords themselves are six-note collections of mostly minor
thirds. The sonority produced creates the impression of bells being struck in the distance.
Initially the pitches for these chords are derived from an F minor diatonic collection, but
as the piece progresses these six note collections gradually move or “drift” away from the
initial pitch collection. Example 3.18 outlines this “drifting” of the chords; in the last four
chords the octaves are rewritten next to the original to put all the pitches in the same
range.

Example 3.18: Viola Sonata, Second mvt, Harmonic Changes

The chords in Example 3.19 occur within long measures of differing lengths. The
meter is ambiguous because the dotted quarters, tied notes, and long sustained chords,
often with syncopation, eliminate any sense of pulse that the viola line might suggest.
The use of rhythmic and harmonic static motion further strengthens the feeling of
drifting. This pulse-less atmosphere is reminiscent of the chant-like and meditative mood
created in the first movement of Black Birds, Red HillsJ⁰

⁷⁰ See Chapter 2.

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