Undine Sonata, Intermezzo Allegretto vivace

Karl Reinecke
Michel Debost-flute

This piece is a classic example of rounded binary form. The A section begins with an octave jump in both the flute and piano parts. The rhythm is a eighth slurred to a dotted half. This is repeated twice, and on the third time the piano begins a seperate part and the flute begins the motive. The repetition of the octave ensures that the listener will recognize it as the beginning and motive. It also establishes a do. The motive is lite and energetic, with a brisk quarter two sixteenths, quarter two sixteenths rhythm, establishing a compound duple time signature. Part of the brisk feeling comes from the emphasis on one and two. The emphasis is created by one always descending on the sixteenths, sort of creating a whoosh into two and a soild beat. The piano part helps with its two eighths played on one and two. It also has a sort of swinging feel from one always descending into two and two always ascending into one. Meanwhile, the very stacatto, squared feeling of the accompanient gives is a lite, very and tight sound. This part of the motive is the antecedent, and it is answered with a contrasting sixteenth line in the flute part. The line is slurred and more melodic, with less of a jumpy feeling. The line, for the most part is descending, but it maintains the emphasis on one and two by ascending one note up and going back down on each beat. For the most part, the piano maintains the stoic eighths, but at one point it hints back to the original part of the motive with a little quarter eighth, quarter eighth rhythm that is the sames intervals as the original with the quarter two sixteenths, quarter two sixteenths. The A section is made up of a three phrase group, and a asymetrical parallel period in the consequent half, the second phrase being longer by about two measures. The A section transistions into the B section after a PAC, actually rather abruptly to signify a definite change in styles. The biggest change in the new section is in the piano part. It becomes the prominant texture and has a very melodic, minor line (the piece either changes modes directly or modulates directly). The line has very little jumpy intervals, and uses that me-re-ti tension centralized around do. The B section ends on a HC and restates the A section, beginning with the octave leaps to signal the motive. In the consequent phrase of the original motive, the piano part, this time, to signal a terminative function, takes the motive from the B section while the flute part plays a line very similar to the consequent line in the A section. This time, however, there is not the emphais so much on one and two, because the flute part is ascending and descending on sixteenths in each bar, giving it a sort of arched sound. The piece ends on an IAC, with a contrary motion sol-dol between the piano part and flute part. I really, really liked this piece. It was very simple, but the motives of both the A and B sections were very well developed. I especially love the ending, how the motives combine to still create the consequent phrase but give it a longer arched feel, signaling the ending.