This article is about the architectural marvel of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.
“It is a grave error to believe that regularity, rhythmic uniformity, and symmetry are the essential characteristics of Italian music” writes Abramo Basevi in his book on the operas of Verdi ….”It is sufficient to glance at the music of Pergolesi or Jomelli or any of their predecessors to see that they took no account of uniformity of symmetry”
How wrong are these statements, which was quite common. My analysis shows neither are correct. Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater reveals a magnificent, compound symmetric structure and motivic development and uniformity throughout the composition.
Symmetry & The Divine Proportion
The first, basic, observation reveals that the overall structure of the composition is symmetrically Binary: it is clearly divided into two parallel parts, A & A’, defined by meter, tempo and key relations of each movement.
The first movement, Grave in 4/4, is in F minor, the basic tonality of the composition. The second movement, an Andante in 3/8, is in the key of C minor: a perfect 5th above the key of the previous movement. The third movement, Larghetto in 4/4, is G minor, again a perfect 5th above the previous movement’s key. The following movement marks a clear change: it is the first Allegro, in 4/4, and it is in a major key: Eb , a 3rd down from the previous movement. The last movement in the first part is subdivided into two sections: the first, Largo in 4/4, is in C minor, again a 3rd lower than previous movement, and is followed by an Allegro in 6/8 which goes up again to Eb major.
A’- The second part starts also in Slow, Tempo Giusto 4/4, in the key of F minor. It is followed by an Andantino in 3/8, in C minor exactly as the second movement in the first part. At this point in the composition, roughly the golden section of the entire composition, we have two movements which digress from the symmetry. Movements 8 and 9 are sort of “interruption” in this binary structure. Their function and position will be discussed later. In the following movement, number 10, Pergolesi returns to the parallel structure, it is a Larghetto in 4/4, as is number 3 and in the same key of G minor. Movement 11 is an Allegro in 2/2 as its parallel 4; the major key in this movement is Bb which functions harmonically as Plagal Cadence to the following, concluding movement. The final movement, number 12, is subdivided as was it’s parallel in number 5. The first part slow, Largo 4/4 in the tonic key of F minor and the second part Presto, is in F major, thus ending the composition in the major key as customary at that time.Below is a summary of the Binary structure discussed:
A
1 2 3 4 5 5A
Grave Andante Larghetto Allegro Largo Allegro
C 3/8 C 2/4 C 6/8
Fm cm gm EbM Cm- EbM
A’
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12A
Giusto Andantino Allegro Giusto Largo Allegro Largo Presto
C 3/8 4/2 C C C C 2/2
Fm cm gm EbM gm BbM Fm F
As shown above, the clear symmetry of the binary structure is “disturbed” by number 8 & 9. It is quite obvious that these two movements are the climax of the composition and create a new, enlarged, space. Number 8 is a full 3 voice fugue, by far the longest movement hitherto and with completely new material. Further, the fugue in a liturgical composition has a profound meaning. Number 9, the longest, is quite the opposite in terms of musical content – it contains almost all the motives introduced in the composition, except from the fugue in Number 8.
The positioning of this climax is not random, it is proportioned and balanced: If we arrange all the movements quantitatively they form a traditional, perfect, symmetrical cruciform which conforms with the divine proportions: the first 8 movements (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5A, 6, 7) represent the NAVE part of the church, the 2, broader, movements (8 and 9) are the TRANSEPT which is the golden section of the composition, and the remaining 4 movements (10, 11, 12,12A ) are the CHANCEL.
12A
12
11
10
9 8
7
6
5A
5
4
3
2
1