Content of this chapter:
Examples of compositional tools used in the diminutive doubles
Diminutive doubles, as I present them in this research exposition, are those that embellish the original melody by dividing it into smaller note values (almost exclusively and consistently throughout the piece), while the original melody remains clearly recognizable. The harmony of the piece provides certain guidelines or boundaries for the added notes, but its importance is secondary – the shape of the double develops purely from the melody itself.
During the research process, I examined in total 46 pieces containing diminutive doubles (including the 27 doubles for Nouveau recueil de noels by Esprit Philippe de Chédeville). To understand what they have in common and how they differ, I first analysed several general features, which can be seen in Appendix 1 of this exposition. In the first examination, I was interested, in whether:
- The double is purely instrumental, or whether it is based on a vocal piece;
- The first double of the piece is simply doubling the note values of the original melody, or whether the author used triplets or other note values;
- The composer uses the same note values throughout the double, or a combination of rhythmical patterns;
- Whether the movement of the diminutions stops only in the cadences, or whether the composer uses longer note values in other places, too, for the sake of variety and to highlight the original shape of the melody.
From the collected data, analysed in the spreadsheet, one can see that the diminutive doubles for the flute were in their majority based upon vocal pieces. Furthermore, it became clear that the most common practice is to simply double the note value used in the original melody. Only in one instance, the note values used for the first double of the piece were triplets. For the majority of the doubles, the same note values were used throughout the piece, and therefore these can serve as a source for learning the standard type of diminutive doubles. Only in four instances, various rhythmical patterns were used, and therefore these can serve as a source of inspiration for more expressive crafting of diminutive doubles. Finally, while the majority of the doubles stop their movement only at the cadence, and therefore this practice can be seen as a general one or a precept, six doubles displayed the use of longer notes value in other places of the pieces, providing the evidence of variety within the diminutive doubles.
The first variation of La Furstemberg by M. Blavet is a great example of the traditionally-shaped diminutions, which could be learned typically from the diminution treatises of the 16th century.
Doubles by M. P. de Montéclair show a beautiful balance between the vocal character of the original melody and the fact that the double itself is purely instrumental. For instance, in the second line of the air Je jure par tes yeux, the elegantly shaped melodic diminutions are alternated with leaps that clearly signal the instrumental character of the double.
When crafting new doubles after the examples studied from the musical sources, I was occupied with three additional aspects next to simply respecting the original shape of the melody and the underlying harmony:
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How to make the cadences in the double both effective and beautiful?
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How can the double of the vocal pieces reflect the text or the more refined phrasing of the original melody? Does an instrumental double have to follow the phrasing of the text?
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How to vary the shape of the double, so it does not seem too stiff or predictable? How to convey the beauty or “sweetness in the change”, which is often better revealed when it is unpredictable?
For some of the doubles, I took a specific example from the collections examined, as a source of inspiration and a guideline. For instance, the doubles for Feuillages verds, naissez by M. Blavet were composed after the example of his doubles for Brunette Quand j'etois jeune Fillette, the first one consisting of eight notes and the second one of triplets. The style of the diminutions was simple, with clearly the original melody recognizable behind the doubles and only pausing the flow of the music at the cadences. Other doubles, namely those for Lisette aime son berger by M. P. de Montéclair and Ma bergère by M. Lambert were composed with a deeper awareness of their vocal character. The inspiration for the treatment of the doubles was found in the diminutive doubles by Montéclair, mentioned above. The flow of the eighth notes was interweaved with occasional sixteenth notes to add a bit of excitement to the doubles. Sometimes the original rhythmical elements were kept (e.g. the Lombardic rhythm in Lisette aime son berger or the dotted rhythm in Ma bergère) to echo the shape and the character of the melody. For the majority of the diminutions, I decided to use the standardized articulations1 – a slur over a pair of eighth notes or over a triplet, which not only brings the typical flow of the diminutive type of doubles but also reminds both the player and the listener of the vocal origin of the melody, meaning that there are words to be pronounced behind the notes. On some occasions, I found it more convincing to use different articulation patterns that would better express the original rhythmical shape of the melody, for instance in the brunette Feuillages verds, naissez. On the other hand, in the minor key of Lisette aime son berger, I did not see the need to imitate the original rhythm that strongly, perhaps because I consider the natural flow of the slurred-in-pairs eighth notes more fitting of the tender affect of the piece. In general, in creating the diminutive doubles for vocal pieces, I was balancing between the awareness of the original rhythmical patterns and the notion of the doubles being instrumental, supported by my creative intuition.
The videos below the musical excerpts illustrate how the doubles can be incorporated into the performance. In Ma bergère, I decided to play the first part of the double as the accompaniment (or counterpart) of the voice. In my opinion, the voice is embellished by the double in the flute part but not covered. For the performance of airs or brunettes (in this case Lisette aime son berger) without a singer, I find it suitable and convincing to perform the original melody alternately with the double in both parts.
