Accent and Grouping Structures in the String Quartets of Béla Bartók Page: 51
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Carl Dalhaus explains the notational difficulties facing composers of the 20th century:
A rhythmic technique the principles of which are new instead of merely
enriching older forms leads to problems of notation. The composer has
the problem either of changing the notational system or of the reverse,
namely expressing rhythmic phenomena in a notation which, by virtue of
the historical meaning it has acquired, contradicts that which is to be
conveyed.22
In a discussion regarding the metrical displacement of repeated material in the Danse
Sacrale, Dalhaus further states, "The musical significance of this (change of metrical
placement) suggests that the time signatures, being interchangeable, mean nothing; they
are in fact irrelevant. The barlines are not markings of stress, but merely a method of
ordering the notes."23 Although many scholars would certainly agree with these
statements, it is interesting to note that Stravinsky himself, who was aware of these
contradictions of notation and perception, confirmed the status of the barline in his
discussions with Robert Craft: "The barline is much, much more than a mere accent, and
I don't believe that it can be simulated by an accent, at least, not in my music."24 He also
spoke of the difficulties he encountered with conductors' interpretations and the barline:
The character of articulation in my music eluded most of the conductors,
even in so simple a point as that the metrical lines are constituent to the
rhythm, not mute, inglorious markers which the conductor is invited to
ignore for the sake of something he calls the phrase.25
I agree that very often rhythmic and metric perceptions, particularly in the music
of Stravinsky and Bart6k, conflict with notation; however, this does not suggest that
metric notation should be altogether ignored. Frequently, these composers notate many
22 Dahlhaus, 46.
23 Ibid., p. 48
24 Igor Stravinsky and Robert Craft, Conversations with Stravinsky (Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1959), 21.
25 Igor Stravinsky and Robert Craft, Retrospectives and Conclusions (Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1959), 43.51
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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/m1/61/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .