THE MUSIC FORUM Volume 1 Edited by WILLIAM J. MITCHELL and FELIX SALZER Columbia University Press 1967 New York and LondonA Glossary of the Elements of Graphic Analysts LINEAR-STRUCTURAL oF voice-leading analyses are usually presented in the form of graphs that make use of elements of musical notation and a few additional symbols.! When these are meaningfully employed, the sense of an analysis can be presented with an unrivaled clarity, even when the musical judgments that prompt it are, perhaps, faulty. When carelessly or im- properly employed they can easily create hopeless confusion, even when the musical judgments might be valid. In an attempt to eliminate as much obscurity as possible, a glossary of recurrent symbols is presented herewith. Our aim, it must be understood, is to suggest how analytic judgments can be presented graphically with definiteness and conviction, rather than to give instruction in the ways of reaching conclusions, or to justify conchu- sions that may have been reached. Variants of the symbols and abbrevia- tions here presented are easily conceivable, as are additional symbols not included herein. Analysts have their own ways of presenting conclusions, and contrasting styles of composition often demand different graphing techniques (see the graphs of works by Perotinus and Wagner in this issue). The test of the validity of a symbol is its clarity, rather than its subservience to a fiat. Before proceeding, it should be observed that structure, as conceived in linear analysis, is the interrelation of all musical factors as they subserve the inclusive character of an entire work. Structure, in this sense, exists on several levels, from immediately perceptible relationships to broad inclusive ones. In general, it is sufficient to construct separate but related graphs for three levels—immediate, intermediate, and remote. These are intended as equivalents of Heinrich Schenker’s Vordergrund, Mittelgrund, and Hinter- grand (foreground, middle ground, and background). At times, additional igraphs of sections of a work are required for the explication of complex 1 The content of this gle y applies to the graphing techniques employed in the articles by Peter Bergquist, William J. ell, and Felix Salzer.GLOSSARY 261 relationships. In the case of simple contexts, one or perhaps two graphs will prove sufficient, Notes. Notes in various shapes are employed for the designation of pitches in the usual sense and also to differentiate among the various levels of structure, The different shapes have no fixed temporal or rhythmic value, coee 1, Unstemmed black noteheads are most universally employed to denote immediate levels of structure. Ort 2, Stems added to black noteheads signify an intermediate level of structure. Within this level, further nuances of structural value are indicated by employing stems of different lengths. ales) 3. Combinations of stemmed and unstemmed noteheads represent contexts in which a relationship of the stemmed notes is filled in or extended by means of the immediate values represented by unstemmed noteheads. Jd 4. Half notes represent relatively remote structural contexts and should be employed for this purpose only. . To differentiate in a graph between various levels of structure, the three suggested shapes, unstemmed noteheads, stemmed note~ heads (of which the length of stems may vary), and half notes, should be employed. Three levels of structural relations are illustrated in the marginal example, The half notes indicate a context on a remote level; the quarter notes on an intermediate level; and the noteheads on an immediate level. Note values such as eighths and sixteenths designate immediate, at times intermediate, structural values. They are used sparingly and often mark a specific characterizing feature of a composition. @) ch 7 Patenthesized notes in various shapes represent notes that have been circumvented in a composition, yet form the underlying sense of a melodic or contrapuntal detour. Neledeed ~ = a) Orker Symbols, Notes and noteheads by themselves represent judgments by the analyst about the various levels of structural significance. To clarify their specific contextual meanings, they must be used in connection with other symbols, Unattended notes can be a source of obscurity or they may reveal indecisiveness on the part of the analyst.