A Brief Analysis of the Concerto for Trumpet and Piano by Alexander Arutunian
Although a standard in trumpet literature, the Concerto for Trumpet by Alexander Arutunian is anything but common, featuring a rich influence of traditional Armenian music scored for Trumpet and Orchestra. For this analysis, a modified version featuring trumpet and piano will be examined. After providing a brief history of Armenia and the country’s traditional musical elements, the analysis will broadly cover the ‘big picture’ perspective of the influence Mr. Arutunian had as an Armenian composer. In addition, crucial technical concepts, such as, the importance of harmonic function, scales that were used, and the recurring Komitas’ Ode rhythm will be highlighted.
Armenia
Armenia is located in the South Caucasus region, which lies in between Europe and Asia.
Many geographers consider this southern region an unofficial border region. Due to its location, a mixture of religion, philosophy, music, and culture blankets the area. Throughout several hundred years, Armenia has been repeatedly conquered, resulting in the loss of tradition and culture. In short, Armenia is a country linking significant influence from Western and Eastern hemispheres with folk impact.
The nineteenth century brought a revival of Armenian heritage. Incorporating folk music was crucial to the newfound respect for the history of the Armenian people, “Therefore, fieldwork became an important part of the Armenian national movement, and researchers studied their collections with methods acquired from their Western musical education. Transcriptions were based on authentic material, but the scores had to be understandable by the average Western musician or musicologist…”(Davidjants 185).
At first, the study of folk music was written in the Armenian music notation called the Khaz System. This system incorporates the use of Armenian signs representing neumes. Similar to the Western hemisphere, music notation was largely influenced by the Church. During the second half of the nineteenth century, however, Western notation ousted traditional Armenian notation.
Komitas
Soghomon Soghomonian, also commonly referred to as Komitas, is an Armenian composer and musicologist who collected and studied rural Armenian folk songs. His research impacted the understanding of folk music, and the Yerevan Music Conservatory is named after him. Tragically, a fair amount of his research on understanding the Khaz System was destroyed during the Armenian Genocide in the early twentieth century. Many composers who want to maintain a connection with folk music will follow Komitas principles: “...melody lines and voice parts were created using the modes and rhythmic patterns of a folk tune taken as the thematic material of a new polyphonic composition” (Davidjants 187). However, when referring to the pitches used in traditional Armenian music, many will commonly use the European diatonic scale. Which is a result of the historical development of Armenian Music Theory. The analysis of any Armenian composition is tricky due to the Western and Eastern influence. How does one tell when it is appropriate to identify based off of the Western or Eastern influences?
Speech has a significant impact on the creation of melody and rhythm in any language and culture. For the Armenian people, an example of this is the Komitas’ Ode,
“... the normal lines of the poem in three-syllable rhytmical steps have the following structure:
As the last words of the syllable are commonly accentuated, one can place these at the strong section of
the bar and achieve the following metre and rhythm ” (At'ayan 169).
This distinctive rhythm appears consistently throughout the trumpet concerto.
Alexander Arutunian
Alexander Arutunian was born September 23, 1920, in Yerevan, Armenia. Showing great promise at an early age on piano, Alexander would later graduate from Komitas Yerevan Music Conservatory with degrees in composition and piano. He was a well known Armenian composer and won various awards for his compositions. One of his most famous works was created in 1950, the Concerto for Trumpet. Shortly after, in 1954, Arutunian became the artistic director of the Armenian Philharmonic. In 1965, he joined the faculty at Yerevan Conservatory, and ten years later he was given the title of Professor. He retired in 1990, but continued to compose. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 91.
The Concerto
The Trumpet Concerto is in the form of a single movement with 7 subsections: Andante Maestoso, Allegro energico, Meno mosso, Tempo I, Meno mosso, Tempo I, Cadenza and Coda. In the score, the trumpet part is shown in B-flat while the piano part is shown in C. A standard Western-based Roman Numeral analysis for this composition is possible if one studies the influences from different cultures and regions.
The first subsection begins with a tonal center of a G Neapolitan scale starting with the E-flat as Tonic (E-flat, F-sharp, G, A-flat, B-flat, C, and D). This is a scale for which it is difficult to provide exact roman numerals, hence why the approach of looking solely at the harmonic function is necessary. The introduction has a freedom of tempo that depends on the soloist’s choices. This creates the effect of a structured cadenza-like beginning. The Concerto begins with a whole note tremolo that emphasizes tonic for the first seven bars. There are passing Dominant sounding chords throughout the first seven bars that emphasise the importance of chromatic pitches. This shows the influence of Eastern music, which commonly involved chromatic alterations around a single tone. The solo trumpet enters in measure two, and on the third measure the Komitas’ Ode Rhythm appears for the first time.
This rhythm appears again in measure five and later in measure eight down a perfect fourth. The pitches Aruturian chose for this rhythm maintain a distance of either a half-step or a whole-step. Beginning in measure eight the first appearance of a Dominant chord appears as a root position V. The trumpet solo part in measure twelve returns to a tempo and the Komitas’ Ode Rhythm appears once again, albeit this time creatively dissected.
In addition, Predominant begins in measure twelve and lasts to precede the final measure of the introduction. In the last three measures of the introduction, a quasi-call and response from the trumpet to the piano emerges. The final measure of the introduction ends on a Dominant chord.
The next section, Allegro energico, begins in a five-four meter and then quickly switches to three-four. There is not a tonal region in the Western sense of a word; however, certain pitches are emphasized. The accompanist is tripled in unison and chromatically alternates around E-flat, which was the Tonic of the introduction. After Tonic is quickly established, a Dominant functioning chord in which the B-flat is the most important note is seen in the soprano. This figure is repeated once more, and a transition begins, exaggerating this rhythmically and chromatically, leading to a tonal region of F-minor while the trumpet enters strongly on the downbeat of measure thirty-three. For the entirety of this section, the melody of the solo trumpet continues to incorporate the rhythm of two sixteenth notes followed by an eighth note. The harmonic structure of this section is mostly Tonic with some Dominant functioning chords. As the trumpet and piano approach the end of this section, the pace of the harmonic function quickens. In addition, the usage of the chromatic scale and chromatic passing chords increases until the end of this section.
The Meno mosso begins at exactly half of the tempo from the previous section, seventy-two beats per minute. The tonal region of this section is difficult to determine because it is not one that appears in the common practice era of the Western hemisphere. However, it could be based off of a slightly modified diminished scale or a whole tone scale. The piano begins with a main theme that the trumpet echoes. The melody is in the right hand in the uppermost voice. This fairly simple melody is the previously mentioned scale with rhythmic ornamentations.
Although not complex, it is remarkably beautiful.
While the trumpet takes over the melody, the piano accompanies with a shortened variation of the Komidas’ Ode: an eighth note followed by either a quarter note or a dotted quarter note. The climax of the Meno mosso features the trumpet with a G Hungarian minor scale beginning on E-flat, crescendoing into a fortissimo. The following five measures lead to the final statement of the melody. After the trumpet finishes, the piano continues to slowly transition into the next section, still hinting at the Komida’s Ode.
Tempo I begins strongly with the piano playing the theme that was heard in Allegro energico. The trumpet enters on the eighth measure with a call and response lasting fourteen measures. Arguably, the rhythm is the most important part in this section of the piece. The Komidas’ Ode appears at least thirty seven times, monopolizing over fifty percent of the section. In addition, while the rhythmic figure appears, a significant amount of rests or longer durations of the same pitch are presented in the accompaniment. After the trumpet’s fortissimo whole note G, the piano continues to restate the melody as it transitions into the next section.
The second Meno mosso begins in measure two hundred and thirty-three, and the tempo is once again at seventy two beats per minute. The trumpet enters two measures later con sordino (usually a cup mute) and plays the melody throughout the rest of the section. The piano accompanies with a shortened figure of the Komidas’ ode, a sixteenth note with an eighth note that is repeated for almost the entire section. At first, the harmonic rhythm is slow. Then it begins to accelerate in measure 251, eventually returning to its normal pace 15 measures later. Once again, after the trumpet has finished stating the melody, the piano transitions into the next section.
In this final appearance of Tempo I, no significant difference surfaces between this section and the first time Tempo I appeared at the beginning of the Concerto for Trumpet. After the repeated statement of Tempo I, the Cadenza materializes. The version of the Cadenza played by most performers is one by the renowned Soviet artist Timofei Dokshizer. Finally, the Coda appears in measure 370 and lasts for 6 measures. The Concerto ends with a unison A-flat quarter note triplet.
Analysis of Armenian music is complicated, and it is crucial to consider the importance of traditional folk music and the impact of Eastern and Western Philosophy. Anyone raised with Western music theory is susceptible to bias in the analysis. Fully integrating the complicated factors of such complex music will take years of research and an open-minded eye. However, the crucial concepts emphasized throughout this analysis focus on the importance of harmonic function, the culture mix of cryptic scales, and the recurring Komitas’ Ode rhythm.
Works Cited
At’ayan, Robert. The Armenian Neume System of Notation. Translated by V. N. Nersessian, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.
Davidjants, Brigitta. “Identity Construction in Armenian Music on the Example of Early Folklore Movement.” www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol62/davidjants.pdf.
Komitas, Vardapet. Armenian Sacred and Folk Music. Translated by Edward Gulbekian. Surrey, England: Curzon Press.
Kurkjian, Vahan. A History of Armenia. Armenian General Benevolent Union of America 1958. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Asia/Armenia/_Texts/KURARM/45*.html
Vann, Karine. “Armenian Folk Music and the East-West Dichotomy (on example of Komitas Vardapet and Grikor Suni).” lraber.asj-oa.am/6411/1/318.pdf.
World Atlas. www.worldatlas.com/articles/is-armenia-in-europe-or-asia.html