A Tonal Revolution in Fifths and Semitones: Aaron Copland’sQuiet City

Abstract

Tonal ambiguity in Aaron Copland’sQuiet City, a feature frequently noted by critics, results from a radical reorganization of the constituent elements of tonality. Many sections of the work eschew triads and, in lieu of tonal progressions and key centers, the work shifts between referential collections and emphasizes pitches through salience. This paper creates a perfect fifth/semitoneTonnetzto model two ofQuiet City’smost notable features: motives built from pentatonic subsets and semitonal shifts. TheTonnetzreveals isomorphisms between melodic motives and characteristic shifts between pitch-class collections, and it shows that climactic sections feature dramatic reversals of motion. Pattern completion—a voice-leading technique in which a missing note from a collection established as normative sounds conspicuously—articulates points of arrival and confirms central pitches. This analysis shows thatQuiet Citytransforms the relations among the constituent elements of tonality in order to further explore the potential of the tonal system, an avowed aesthetic goal of Copland’s.

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