''En rythme molossique'' (''In

molossian The Molossians () were a group of ancient Greek tribes which inhabited the region of Epirus in classical antiquity. Together with the Chaonians and the Thesprotians, they formed the main tribal groupings of the northwestern Greek group. On th ...

rhythm'') is the second of the Études in the minor keys, Op. 39 for solo piano by the French

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Charles-Valentin Alkan Charles-Valentin Alkan (; 30 November 1813 – 29 March 1888) was a French composer and virtuoso pianist. At the height of his fame in the 1830s and 1840s he was, alongside his friends and colleagues Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt, amon ...

, published in 1846. It is in

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed ...

. The piece is in

rondo form The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "couplets"). Some ...

, with two episodes, and is mostly driven by the rhythm . Ronald Smith compares the theme to the octaves in

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of the

minuet A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually written in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form tha ...

from

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

's string quartet, Op. 76 No. 2. En rhythme molossique A 01

The first episode is lighter in mood, but the rhythm is still pervasive. En rhythme molossique A 02

In the second episode, the rhythm dissolves into a crotchet followed by a minim, and flowing semiquavers appear throughout. En rhythme molossique A 03

The original theme returns only after the second episode concludes, in

double counterpoint In music theory, an inversion is a rearrangement of the top-to-bottom elements in an interval, a chord, a melody, or a group of contrapuntal lines of music. In each of these cases, "inversion" has a distinct but related meaning. The concept of i ...

with the second episode, and the climax then occurs with both episodes being combined. Finally, the flowing semiquavers of the second episode reappear once more in the coda in

D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...

, with the rhythm being repeated over and over again in the bass, and the work ends, referencing Beethoven's "Tempest" sonata, also in D minor.

Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (born Leon Dudley Sorabji; 14 August 1892 – 15 October 1988) was an English composer, music critic, pianist and writer whose music, written over a period of seventy years, ranges from sets of miniatures to wor ...

considered this piece to be one of the 'most original' of the op. 39 set, 'the dour, harsh, heavy brutality of the rhythm is magnificently expressed.'K. Sorabji, 'Around Music' (1932), pp. 217-8

References

External links

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Performance by Jack Gibbons
{{DEFAULTSORT:En rhythme molossique (Alkan) Études by Charles-Valentin Alkan 1846 compositions Compositions in D minor