Not quite. In order, by measure
a e f c# d f (we've already seen f before)
d aflat anat (already seen d and a before)
c ("couple of deals before")
d f# a
d
up to there, only 8 different pitches (missing g, eflat, b, bflat to
complete the series).
We get to the last missing pitch (E flat) on the word "And" in the
line "and the street lamp light fills the gutter with gold."
I do agree that the "gold" (Vsus4 to V in Ab, becomes a German 6th to
a cad6/4 in G on the next measure) is very effective. That, and the
"share it with me" (V7(#9) in G) are great examples of how harmony
(Harmony, for pete's sake!) help give us a better and more
sympathetic view on this character. Complex, but poetic and
sentimental too! I'm a big fan of Frank Loesser (composer AND
lyricist!) and this is one of his great moments. Thanks for reminding
me of it, but I was getting excited about a twelve-tone Loesser tune.
Now, the fugue from "Cool" in West Side Story, I would have to check
it again, but I think I remember that it is actually 12 tone. I might
be wrong, or maybe it just isn't strict, but I seem to have a memory...
Christopher
On Thu May 27, at ThursdayMay 27 5:37 PM, Andrew Stiller wrote:
On May 27, 2010, at 8:11 AM, Christopher Smith wrote:
I don't have the score, so I've relied on my ear--wh. admittedly
may err. It seems to me that up through "a couple of deals before
dawn," no pitch is repeated, which would make 11. The next note
(on "when") is so short I can't clearly pick out the pitch--but am
I wrong about the opening 11?
Andrew, I don't get this. I checked the vocal score (took me until
this morning) and although all 12 pitches occur at some point in
this piece, it is neither twelve-tone (as I understand it) nor
atonal.
Am I missing something?
Christopher
Actually, it's twelve-tone, at least at the beginning. I seem to
recall that Loesser was very proud of that number, not least
because
he succeeded so well at fitting that intellectual idiom into the
Broadway style. The gradual move away from that up to the climax at
"fills the gutter with gold" is very powerful.
Andrew Stiller
Kallisti Music Press
http://www.kallistimusic.com/
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