Volume 2 (1996) No. 1
Alexander Silbiger
Passacaglia and Ciaccona: Genre Pairing and Ambiguity from Frescobaldi to Couperin
Table 1: Frescobaldi's Passacagli and Ciaccone in the 1637 Aggiunta
Common elements triple beat dance character cyclic structure (cycles marked by V-I cadences) linking of cycles end of one cycle coincides with beginning of next: ________ ________ ________ ________ / | / | / | / \/ / \/ / \/ / / / / V | I V | I V | I cycle begins on weak beat and ends on strong beat: ________ ________ ________ ________ / | / | / | / \/ / \/ / \/ / / / / V | I V | I V | I cycle begins on tonic and ends on dominant: ________ ________ ________ ________ / | / | / | / \/ / \/ / \/ / / / / V | I V | I V | I cross-rhythms: h. h. <-----> h q q h <-----> h h h w h | w h <-----> q h q h | q h q h ("Zefiro" shift) [h=half note; h.=dotted half; q=quarter; w=whole; |=bar line] Contrasting elements PASSACAGLIA CIACCONA rocking, restrained stepping, lively at beginning of cycle bass moves: by scale steps by descending fourths upper voices: conjunct and oscillating disjunct and directed minor mode major mode frequent dissonances, especially fewer dissonances dissonant suspensions on strong beats 4 groups of 3 beats: 2 groups of 3 (subdivided) beats: 6/4 h. h. | h. h. | 3/2 w. | w. | or 3/2 w. | w. | w. | w. | predominant pattern: | h w | h w | h w | h w | | w h | w h | [h.=dotted half note; w.=dotted whole; h=half; w=whole; |=bar line]
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