Accent and Grouping Structures in the String Quartets of Béla Bartók Page: 19
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organization, its 'points of gravity."'9 While I agree in general with these statements, I
prefer to distinguish between accent and gravitational qualities resulting from tonal
organization. In my opinion, accent can only be experienced in time. The magnetic
properties of tonality exist apart from time. Even so, in order for harmonies to receive
accent, they must coincide with another accent factor. As with melodic intervals above,
placement and context determine whether pitches or harmonies are perceived as accented.
Alone, they do not possess the ability to create accent.
Carl Schachter agrees that the gravitational properties of tonality produce focus
outside of a rhythmic environment. However, he believes that referential pitches
revealed from reductional analysis do produce a tonal rhythm. He distinguishes between
tonal rhythm, which is a result of rhythmic properties of the tonal system, and musical
rhythm, which consists of durational patterns, accents and grouping.
(In tonal rhythm) the contrast between stable referential tones and the
transitional ones produces an impression of patterned movement, in other
words, an impression of rhythm.... This impression does not depend
upon accentuation... Nor does it come from pulse or meter. The tonal
rhythm persists through almost any conceivable pacing.... Tonal rhythm
is most easily perceived where there is little or no durational patterning...
in the same way, durational rhythm makes itself most strongly felt where
the tones have little or nothing to do.10
The ideas set forth by Graziano, Lerdahl and Jackendoff and Schacter above are
not universally accepted, even though there is precedent for these concepts in the works
of much earlier theorists such as Rameau, Vogler, Sechter, Hauptmann and Riemann.
Neither Joel Lester nor Wallace Berry accept tonal function as accentual. Berry states,
"Although tonal function can support metric function. . ., it is in and of itself metrically
9 Ibid., 18.
10 Carl Schachter, "Rhythm and Linear Analysis: A Preliminary Study," in The Music Forum 4, ed. by
Felix Salzer (New York: Columbia University Press, 1976), 313-315.19
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Bocanegra, Cheryl D. Accent and Grouping Structures in the String Quartets of Béla Bartók, dissertation, May 2001; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2820/m1/29/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .