Volume 2 (1996) No. 1
Alexander Silbiger
Passacaglia and Ciaccona: Genre Pairing and Ambiguity from Frescobaldi to Couperin
Table 1: Frescobaldi's Passacagli and Ciaccone in the 1637 Aggiunta
Common elements
triple beat
dance character
cyclic structure (cycles marked by V-I cadences)
linking of cycles
end of one cycle coincides with beginning of next:
________ ________ ________ ________
/ | / | / | /
\/ / \/ / \/ /
/ / /
V | I V | I V | I
cycle begins on weak beat and ends on strong beat:
________ ________ ________ ________
/ | / | / | /
\/ / \/ / \/ /
/ / /
V | I V | I V | I
cycle begins on tonic and ends on dominant:
________ ________ ________ ________
/ | / | / | /
\/ / \/ / \/ /
/ / /
V | I V | I V | I
cross-rhythms:
h. h. <-----> h q q h <-----> h h h
w h | w h <-----> q h q h | q h q h ("Zefiro" shift)
[h=half note; h.=dotted half; q=quarter; w=whole; |=bar line]
Contrasting elements
PASSACAGLIA CIACCONA
rocking, restrained stepping, lively
at beginning of cycle bass moves:
by scale steps by descending fourths
upper voices:
conjunct and oscillating disjunct and directed
minor mode major mode
frequent dissonances, especially fewer dissonances
dissonant suspensions on
strong beats
4 groups of 3 beats: 2 groups of 3 (subdivided) beats:
6/4 h. h. | h. h. | 3/2 w. | w. |
or
3/2 w. | w. | w. | w. |
predominant pattern:
| h w | h w | h w | h w | | w h | w h |
[h.=dotted half note; w.=dotted whole; h=half; w=whole; |=bar line]
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