' () is a composition by

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in p ...

written in 1978, just before his departure from Estonia. The piece is in the '' tintinnabular'' style, wherein a ''melodic voice'', operating over diatonic scales, and ''tintinnabular voice'', operating within a triad on the tonic, accompany each other. It is about ten minutes long.

Description

The piece was originally written for a single

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

and

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

– though the violin has often been replaced with either a

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

or a

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

. Versions also exist for

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

, horn,

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

, and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

. The piece is an example of

minimal music Minimal music (also called minimalism)"Minimalism in music has been defined as an aesthetic, a style, and a technique, each of which has been a suitable description of the term at certain points in the development of minimal music. However, two ...

. The piece is in

F major F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...

in 6/4 time, with the piano playing rising crotchet triads and the second instrument playing slow F major scales, alternately rising and falling, of increasing length, which all end on the note A (the

mediant In music, the mediant (''Latin'': "being in the middle") is the third scale degree () of a diatonic scale, being the note halfway between the tonic and the dominant.Benward & Saker (2003), p.32. In the movable do solfège system, the mediant no ...

of F). The piano's left hand also plays notes, synchronised with the violin (or other instrument). "Spiegel im Spiegel" in German can literally mean both "mirror in the mirror" and "mirrors in the mirror", referring to an

infinity mirror The infinity mirror (also sometimes called an infinite mirror) is a configuration of two or more Parallel (geometry), parallel or angled mirrors, which are arranged to create a series of further and further reflections that appear to recede to inf ...

, which produces an

infinity Infinity is something which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is denoted by \infty, called the infinity symbol. From the time of the Ancient Greek mathematics, ancient Greeks, the Infinity (philosophy), philosophic ...

image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...

s reflected by parallel plane mirrors: the tonic triads are endlessly repeated with small variations as if reflected back and forth. The structure of the melody is made by a pair of phrases characterized by the alternation between ascending and descending movement with the fulcrum on the note A. This alternation, along with the overturning of the final intervals between adjacent phrases (for example, ascending sixth in the questiondescending sixth in the answer), contributes to give the impression of a figure reflecting on a mirror and walking back and toward it. In 2011, the piece was the focus of a half-hour

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

programme, ''

Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

'', which examined pieces of music "with a powerful emotional impact". Violinist Tasmin Little discussed her relationship to the piece.

Adaptation

The piece has been used in television, film, and theatre including:

Film

Dance

* David Nixon's ''Dracula'' performed by the Northern Ballet (UK, 2009) * Pilobolus' ''Rushes'' in a scene choreographed using chairs. (US, 2007) *

Christopher Wheeldon Christopher Peter Wheeldon (born 22 March 1973) is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet. Early life Born in Yeovil, Somerset, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet dancer at th ...

's 2005 ballet '' After the Rain'', part two (Pärt's "

Tabula Rasa ''Tabula rasa'' (; Latin for "blank slate") is the idea of individuals being born empty of any built-in mental content, so that all knowledge comes from later perceptions or sensory experiences. Proponents typically form the extreme "nurture" ...

" is the score to part one) * John Neumeier's ballet ''Othello'' (1985), the central

pas de deux In ballet, a ( French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The ''pas de deux'' is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well-known ...

(Pärt's "Tabula Rasa" is the score to part two) * Mats Ek's ''Smoke'' performed by Sylvie Guillem and Niklas Ek (1995) * Stephen Mills' ''Desire'' performed by Ballet Austin (1998)

Theatre

*The New York production of ''

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...

'', a play by Sarah Ruhl (2007) *Venezuelan production called ''120 vidas x minuto'' ("120 Lives a Minute"), a play by Gustavo Ott (2007) *Czech production of Forgotten Light ("Zapomenuté světlo"), a play by Jakub Deml *French production of The Glass Menagerie (

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

) a play by Daniel Jeanneteau (2016) *Canadian production of ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'', a play by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, directed by Ian Farthing at the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival (2012)

Television

* The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

documentary ''Touched by Auschwitz'' (2015) * The BBC documentary '' Auschwitz: The Nazis and 'The Final Solution''' (2005) (which also uses '' Fratres'') * The BBC drama '' Hattie'' (2011) * The RTS and Colossal production documentary ''Izgubljeni orden'' (''The Lost Medal'') (2010) * The BBC television series ''

Criminal Justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

'' (2009) * The BBC medical drama '' Casualty'' (2008, 2010) and its spin-off show ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

'' (2016, 2019) * The season two episode of ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'', titled " What is and What Should Never Be" (2007) * The BBC dramatisation of

Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer, and short story writer. Her novels offer detailed studies of Victorian era, Victoria ...

's '' North and South'' (2004) * The BBC documentary '' Century of the Self'' by

Adam Curtis Adam Curtis (born 26 May 1955) is an English documentary filmmaker. Curtis began his career as a conventional documentary producer for the BBC throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The release of '' Pandora's Box'' (1992) marked the in ...

(2002) * The BBC documentary ''John Steinbeck: Voice of America'' by

Melvyn Bragg Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg (born 6 October 1939) is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is the editor and presenter of ''The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010, 2012–2023), and the presenter of the BBC Radio 4 documentary series ...

(2011) * The FOX television show ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' episode 534 '' Yolo'' (2013) * The

RTÉ News RTÉ News and Current Affairs (), also known simply as RTÉ News (''Nuacht RTÉ''), is the national news service provided by Irish public broadcaster (RTÉ). Its services include local, national, European and international news, investigative ...

, on New Year's Eve, at the end of news editions as a memorial to victims of road traffic deaths during the year * The Carlton series ''The Wrong Side of the Rainbow'' (2001) * The

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

television drama '' Gwaith/Cartref'' (2015). * The BBC documentary ''The Secret Life of Chaos'' (2010) presented by Jim Al-Khalili * The BBC documentary series ''Modern Masters'', uses it in the second episode about

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

. Presented by Alastair Sooke. (2010) * The ITV soap opera ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

'' (2022) * The Apple TV television comedy ''

Ted Lasso ''Ted Lasso'' ( ) is an American sports film, sports comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence (TV producer), Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly. It is based on a character Sudeikis portrayed in a series ...

'' in season 3, episode 10, titled "International Break" (2023) * The NBC television comedy '' The Good Place'' in season 4, episode 14, titled “ Whenever You’re Ready” (2020)

Sport

*U.S. ice dancers Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani in their free dance titled Evolution for the 2016-17 season. *Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva adapted for her short programme music for two seasons: 2018-19 and 2019–20. *Japanese figure skater Shoma Uno, as part of his free program for the 2023-24 season. *U.S. ice dancers Caroline Green and Michael Parsons as part of their free dance for the 2024-25 season. *U.S. figure skater Jason Brown for his 2024-25 season free skate.

Recordings

''Spiegel im Spiegel'' was recorded by Gidon Kremer and Elena Kremer in December 1979 and featured on the 1980 album ''Konzert nach dem Konzert'' on the Eurodisc label. ''Spiegel im Spiegel'' is featured on the 1999 album ''Alina'' on the

ECM New Series ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is an independent record label founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner in Munich in 1969. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a variety of recordings, and ECM's ar ...

label. The album, which was recorded with the participation of Pärt, includes three versions of ''Spiegel im Spiegel'', two for violin and piano and one for cello and piano, alternated with two variations of Pärt's piano piece '' Für Alina''. The tempo of the first version of ''Spiegel im Spiegel'' is 69 bpm (larghetto or adagio) and has a more somber feel. The tempo of the second version is faster at 85 bpm (andante) and gives the sense of pushing forward. The tempo of the third version is faster than the first and slower than the second at 78 bpm (a slower andante). ''Spiegel im Spiegel'' is featured on the 2016 album ''Sacred'' by Australian violinist Niki Vasilakis and features Deanna Djuric on piano. Scottish violinist

Nicola Benedetti Nicola Joy Nadia Benedetti (born 20 July 1987) is a Scottish classical solo violinist and festival director. Her ability was recognised when she was a child, including the award of BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was 16. She works wi ...

has the track on her 2009 album ''Fantasie''.

References

External links

BBC Radio 4 programme on "Spiegel im Spiegel"
{{Authority control Compositions by Arvo Pärt 1978 compositions Compositions for violin and piano Compositions for piano and another instrument