Two Tangled Golden Threads Arvo Part His

John Forrestal
8 November 2011
For Boston University – Graduate School Application
TWO TANGLED GOLDEN THREADS: ARVO PÄRT, HIS TINTINNABULATION
TECHNIQUE, AND HIS BERLINER MESSE

ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction Pg. 1
II. Biography Pg. 1
III. Tintinnabulation, Pandiatonicism and Liturgical Bells Pg. 6
IV. The Berliner Messe and the Mass Ordinary Pg. 12
V. Analysis Techniques of the Berliner Messe… Pg. 14
VI. The Berliner Messe Pg. 21
1. Kyrie Pg. 21
2. Gloria Pg. 24
3. Erster / Zweiter Alleluiavers Pg. 29
4. Veni Sancte Spiritus Pg. 34
5. Credo Pg. 38
6. Sanctus Pg. 42
7. Agnus Dei Pg. 45
VII. The Berliner Messe, Arvo Pärt and Minimalism Pg. 47
VIII. Final Notes on the Berliner Messe Pg. 49

iii
EXAMPLE LIST
Example 1, Arvo Pärt, “Fur Alina”, mm.1-3 Pg. 5
Example 2, Fundamental Elements of a Liturgical Bell Pg. 7
Example 3, Comparison of shapes between Liturgical Bells Pg. 8
Example 4, André Lehr, “Hedendaagse Nederlandse Klokkengietkunst", Pg. 10
Generalized harmonics of a liturgical bell
Example 5, Comparison of Pärt’s “Berliner Messe” and the Pg. 13
Mass Ordinary of the Roman Rite
Example 6, Letter/Number Notation Pg. 15
Example 7, Cipher Notation Pg. 15
Example 8, Cipher Notation - Repeated Notes Pg. 16
Example 9, “H” chords used in tintinnabulating voices Pg. 17
Example 10, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, mm.15-20 Pg. 18
Example 11, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, Threshold Technique Pg. 18
(soprano and alto voices)
Example 12a, Arvo Pärt, Berliner Messe, Gloria, mm.1-4 (Unstressed syllables) Pg. 19
Example 12b, Arvo Pärt, Berliner Messe, Gloria, mm.1-4 (Stressed syllables – Pg. 19
as is written in published score)
Example 13a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Kyrie, mm.2-4 Pg. 21
Example 13b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Kyrie, mm.4-7 Pg. 22
Example 13c, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Kyrie, Structure of the text Pg. 24
in relation to number of voices
Example 14a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Gloria, mm.1-12 Pg. 26

iv
Example 14b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Gloria, Organ Passages Pg. 27
Example 15a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Erster Alleluiavers, Full Score Pg. 30
Example 15b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Zweiter Alleluiavers, Full Score Pg. 32
Example 15c, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Erster Alleluiavers, Threshold Pg. 33
Tintinnabulation, Alto/Soprano Voices
Example 15d, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Zweiter Alleluiavers, Threshold Pg. 34
Tintinnabulation, Alto/Soprano Voices
Example 16a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Veni Sancte Spiritus, Pg. 36
Threshold Technique
Example 16b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Veni Sancte Spiritus, Pg. 36
Row Design mm.1-14, Bass voice
Example 16c, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Veni Sancte Spiritus, Pg. 37
Row Displacement
Example 16d, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Veni Sancte Spiritus, mm.131-143, Pg. 38
completion of incompleted row by derivative of mm.101-104
Example 17a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, Row Design Pg. 39
Example 17b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, mm.13-20, Pg. 41
Canonic Writing
Example 18a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Sanctus, mm.1-7 Pg. 43
Example 18b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Sanctus, Organ Passages Pg. 45
Example 19a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Agnus Dei, page 1 Pg. 46
Example 19b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Agnus Dei, Pg. 47
“dona nobis pacem” (contrary motion)

v
Acknowledgments
I would personally like to thank Professor Dennis Leclaire at the Berklee College of Music for
his outstanding guidance with this paper. I would also like to thank Dr. Rachel Cowgill from Cardiff
University for providing her dissertation, from which I gathered information for this paper.
Research Materials
Arvo Pärt’s “Berliner Messe” is available through Universal Edition, in the original 1990 chorus
a cappella version, and the 2002 revision for chorus a cappella and string orchestra.
1
I. Introduction
Arvo Pärt has often been looked to as one of the most important living composers of the last
century. His compositional voice is an amalgamation of his religious foundation, a modernistic
compositional thought process and a musical language that isn’t unfamiliar to the ordinary or
trained ear; however, his tactical approach to manipulating tonality has been nothing short of
revolutionary, and has been a factor in bringing his music to the forefront of music today. There is a
dichotomy between Pärt’s music and what one would consider “modern”, as it surely references the
distant past, however, in the 21st century, his music has come to the forefront of concert music,
transcended the boundaries that genres often set, and reached an international audience.
One of Pärt’s most notable works in recent years has been his Berliner Messe, a setting of the
Roman Catholic Mass, which makes use of his signature compositional style and techniques, in a
combination of contemporary harmonies with ancient liturgical texts. It is intended that this paper
will explain these techniques in great detail, demonstrate their application in the Berliner Messe, and
illustrate how Pärt’s usage of techniques are reused in numerous ways, to create his own unique
sound.
II. Biography
Pärt, originally born in Paide, Estonia (a small urban municipality of Järva county), now
resides in the capital city of Tallinn, after a period of time where he was forced to leave Estonia
under Soviet occupation. When he was 3 years old, his parents divorced, and he left Paide with his
mother, to move to Rakvere, Estonia. In his youth, he began to study piano at the age of 7.
“When I went to the children's school, I practiced on my piano. Not all keys produced
sounds, so I sang the missing sounds. And when it got too complicated, I had to change the hammers,
2
taking them from the side and bringing them to the middle. The basses have big hammers, and at the
top the hammers are small. The keys were all mixed up, some were heavy and some were light. In
short, it was the most peculiar music. Then I tried to tune the piano myself, but I had no tuning key. I
did it with pincers. You can do it only a few times, because the screws become round, and you can't
get hold of them with pincers. I inflicted that piano a great deal of pain. But it kept going to the end. I
really had no other option.”1
Due to only the extreme registers of the piano being available to him, his exploration of these
available notes eventually led him to create his own compositional voice, showing up in smaller
works in his early teenage years. In these years, he briefly studied at the Tallinn Music Middle
School. This was abandoned, due to his requirement to enlist in the military, where he had played
oboe and drums in a military band. While serving in the military, he fell ill and returned to the
Tallinn Music Middle School, where he continued with his theory and composition lessons. Much
of his compositions during this era are neo-classical in style, and an influence of such composers as
Bartok, Prokofiev and Shostakovich are evident. He claims that this period of his life “may have
helped him as a composer.”2
Pärt gained a large amount of experience during his years of study at the Tallinn
Conservatory, under the guidance of Heino Eller. He began to experiment with the compositional
techniques of Arnold Schoenberg, such as dodecaphonic music in his first orchestral work Necrolog,
or his strict serial work Perpetuum Mobile. He also experimented with aleatoric music and collage
techniques in such pieces as his Second Symphony and Collage Sur B-A-C-H. At the time (and up
until 1967), Pärt also worked as a recording engineer and composer at the Estonian Radio, which
opened many doors for commissions; so much so, that when Pärt graduated the Tallinn
1
Arvo Pärt, “24 Preludes for a Fugue”, Juxtapositions, 2005.
2
Hillier, Paul. Arvo Pärt. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.
3
Conservatory in 1963, he was already considered to have enough of a foundation to be a
“professional” composer.
During this time, Pärt wrote several pieces that garnered praise; two children’s vocal works,
the cantata Meie Aed (Our Garden), and the oratorio Maailma Samm (Stride of the World), won first
prize in 1962 at the All-Union Young Composers' Competition in Moscow.3 Pärt’s acceptance of
dodecaphonic and collage music did not come without a cost; Under the Khrushchev era of the
Soviet Union, Soviet rule controlled all aspects of the arts, including music. His experimental phase
between 1960 and 1968 may have placed him at the forefront of Soviet composers (as access to
Western contemporary music was difficult), but it did come with dissatisfaction from the Soviet
ministers of the Arts. Soviet censors placed a ban on performing his music, and, through the
combination of this and his inability to creatively express himself any further in these idioms, he
found himself at a loss. In 1967, Pärt heard the sounds of early Renaissance and Gregorian
plainchant, which had a direct impact on his following work. After his last piece in this period, his
Credo (1968) was banned, Pärt fell into a deep contemplative silence.
During this silence, he met his second wife, Nora, in 1972. He also joined the Russian
Orthodox Church at this time, which has played a very important factor in his life and in his musical
career. Nora, Arvo’s second wife, was Jewish, and so he was led to make a decision when the
emigration of Jewish citizens began in the mid 1970’s. Coupled with the progressively growing
restraint on him from attending his own performances, he made the decision to leave Estonia in
1979 with his family (his wife and two sons), and settled in Vienna for one year, only to move to
Berlin in the following year.
3
Pinkerton II, David E. "Discovering the Music of Estonian Composer Arvo Pärt." Choral Journal (1993). Print.
4
One of the most unique aspects of Pärt’s development as a composer happens to be the close
relation of his compositional voice and the contemplative periods of his life. In lieu of this
encumbrance, Pärt entered what would be one of his periods of contemplative silence.
“I can't even remember where I heard it, maybe in a Tallinn bookshop. The music was so
simple, and so clear and so lucid. I was amazed. And suddenly, I realized that this was the truth. I
mean this kind of musical thinking. It was a turning point. I became interested in the notes of
Gregorian chant. I studied them this way and that way. For years, I played and sang but nothing
helped. No drastic change happened within me. The language remained alien to me.”4
Pärt’s rediscovery of early music in 1967 (which had impacted him greatly, as evident in his
Credo) led to a deep study of music from the 1300’s to the 1500’s. He found himself studying
Franco-Flemish Renaissance music, from composers such as Johannes Ockeghem, Guillame de
Machaut and Josquin Des Prez. After the completion of his transitional Third Symphony in 1971, he
fell into another period of contemplation, delving deeper into the history of western music through
the means of plainsong and organum, and finding comfort in the sounds of Gregorian chant. The
connection to be made between his periods of silence, what has ultimately resulted from his musical
exploration is astounding, and intensifies the underlying strength and beauty of his latter output. As
Dr. Rachel Cowgill states in her dissertation of the anachronistic characteristics of Pärt’s music in
relevance to the 20th and 21st centuries:
“Pärt was drawn to Renaissance and medieval isorhythmic techniques such as mensuration
canon and to Baroque variation, because of the repetitive basis of these forms; the surfaces of the
music seem to change perspective continually around a central core which remains essentially non-
dynamic and motionless.”5
4
5
Cowgill, Rachel E. "'Sacred Music in Secular Times'; Arvo Pärt, an Anachronism in the Twentieth Century?" Diss. 1989. Print.
5
This second period of Pärt’s musical life has come to be the most notable of the two, and the
one with which his followers most commonly associate him. It is also the period that will be focused
upon in further detail, and exemplified in his Berliner Messe.
In 1976, Pärt emerged with a new voice that was both radical, yet extremely organic; Fur
Alina, written as a dedication for the daughter of a family friend (whom was moving away from
home to attend college in London), is a relatively short piece of music, and on the surface, simple as
well.
Example 1, Arvo Pärt, “Fur Alina”, mm.1-3
Two notes move against one another, in parallel or oblique motion, with very little or no
markings of dynamic, tempo and meter. Noteheads are either filled or unfilled, to show the stressing
or un-stressing of certain dyads. The phrases expand and retract over the length of the piece, which,
in its entirety, lasts about 2 minutes long.6 Functional harmony gives way to a floating sense of a
post-tonal stasis, as if the listener is gently drifting through space, unable to control time or motion.
6
Recordings of Fur Alina have been considerably longer in length. (E.g., the recording on the ECM album “Alina”, performed by
Alexander Malter, was a several hour-long improvisation on the piece, which was then reduced to 3 variations picked by Arvo
Pärt himself.)
6
This piece was the first of his to use the tintinnabulation technique that he has become known for.
Pärt experienced other periods where his musical output dwindled, however, “following a lag in
output during the period 1985 to 1988, Pärt began a new period of creativity that would lead into
the highly productive years of 1989-1990.”7 It is during this period that Pärt completed the Berliner
Messe.8
III. Tintinnabulation, Pandiatonicism and Liturgical Bells
Tintinnabulation is a term coined by Arvo Pärt himself (latin for “little bells”), in reference
to the correlation between the sounds of 2 melodic voices and the relation between the fundamentals
and harmonics of bells. Pärt, in the annunciation of his faith in Eastern Orthodoxy, was more than
likely exposed to the “tolling” of Russian Orthodox Church bells, known as zvon. Russian church
bells, unlike their western counterparts, can produce “a whole scale of sounds (up to several dozen of
them)”9, from the unique sculpting and alloy from which they were made. Example 2 shows the
fundamental components of a liturgical bell. Russian bell casting was perfected early in the 17th
century, and by the 20th century culminated into a religious form of art. Bells were not tuned to
specific pitches, but rather in general high-to-low sets, with timbre being the more important
characteristic. The bells were played in various rhythmic patterns, depending on the application to
which they were being used.10 Great emphasis is placed on the detail of the decoration of the bell,
7
Davison III, Joseph F. "Ancient Texts, New Voices." Diss. University of California, 2002. Abstract. 26. Print.
8
For a chronological list of Pärt’s works, they are available at: <http://www.arvopart.org/>.
9
"Russian Orthodox Bell Ringing." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Orthodox_bell_ringing>.
10
Various patterns, such as the different ‘peals’ (e.g., double, triple, chain) are explained in further detail at
<http://www.russianbells.com/ringing/zvontypes.html>.
7
and the aesthetics do play a role in the overall sound, the decorative belts and intricate detailing on
the outer surfaces affecting overtones and projection.
Example 2, Fundamental Elements of a Liturgical Bell
There is something unique to be found in Russian bells, both in the sound and shape of the
physical bell that is different from bells of Western Europe. Example 3 shows the difference (in
shape alone) between the Russian liturgical bell and it’s German and French counterparts.
8
Example 3, Comparison of shapes between Liturgical Bells
Notice the differentiation in the depth of the walls of the Russian bell, especially the
elongated, more gradual flare between the skirt and the mouth. Also take notice to the overall width
of the walls, the shape of the shoulder of the bell and the striking similarity between the neck of the
German and Russian bells, and the angling of the inner lip between these bells. The Russian bell is
much more pronounced in shape, and is similar to the French bell in that regard, however it bears
much more of a similarity to the German bell in construction, with overall thickness of the alloy and
a rounded flare on the outside being the most notable differences.
The tolling of Russian bells is an incredible form of polyphony and rhythmic complexity,
with various rhythms in the assorted sizes of the bells played against the fundamental large bell. It is
inferred that there is a connection between the bells’ resonant sonorities, and the trumpets that are
related to heaven. Hierodeacon Roman of the Danilov Monastery writes:
“They always have a rich timbre, a generally low tone; they are sonorous; they are tuned
neither to major nor minor. The voice of a bell was thought of as exactly that: not a note, not a chord,
but a voice. And that voice had to meet certain characteristics and idea both theological and aesthetic.
9
The ring of a bell must be clear, loud, melodious, harmonious, low, sonorous and resonant. 'God is
calling the faithful: this call must remind them of God, and the sound of the call must touch their
hearts' writes one scholar specializing in the study of heavy Russian bells. The voices of the bells
represented what the craftsman understood the thunderous voice of God to be, a sound image, and a
sound interpretation of all the qualities of God’s voice in Russian Orthodox belief. In that voice
speaking to us we can hear compassion, all-encompassing mercy, and such is the deep, rich timbre of
the great Russian bells: there is might, there is nobility, there is constancy in the volume, in the
sonority, in the depth.”11
Although many of the bells were destroyed during the Soviet Union (for fear of a possible
uprising that they could inspire), it is more than likely that these Russian church bells had made
their way to Estonia at some point, and it can be inferred through Pärt’s delicate approach to
melodic, harmonic, timbral and rhythmic gestures that the Russian zvon played a particular
influence. Pärt himself often mentions the correlation between his music and the tolling of bells, and
how he sees that his unique blend of 2 melodic voices is a direct connection to the ringing of church
bells.
“Tintinnabulation is an area I sometimes wander into when I am searching for answers - in
my life, my music, my work. In my dark hours, I have the certain feeling that everything outside this
one thing has no meaning. The complex and many-faceted only confuses me, and I must search for
unity. What is it, this one thing, and how do I find my way to it? Traces of this perfect thing appear in
many guises - and everything that is unimportant falls away. Tintinnabulation is like this. . . The three
notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I call it tintinnabulation."12
In the following example, André Lehr, a Dutch expert on liturgical bells, created a diagram
showing the decay of a bell’s harmonics (and fundamental pitch) over time.
11
Roman, Hierodeacon. "The Phenomenon of Russian Church Bell Ringing /zvon/ / Returning of the Bells." Returning of the
Bells. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.danilovbells.com/bellsonrussia/publications_about_bells/the_phenomenon_of_russian_church.html>.
12
"Tintinnabulation." David Pinkerton's Arvo Pärt Information Archive. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.arvopart.org/tintinnabulation.html>.
10
Example 4, André Lehr, “Hedendaagse Nederlandse Klokkengietkunst", Generalized harmonics of a liturgical bell
The example depicts a fundamental pitch at the very top, and it’s resonance is shown as a
horizontal line extending outward. Harmonics are shown with roman numerals and numbers to the
left hand side, and their decay times are also depicted as similar horizontal lines. It is interesting to
see how several of the harmonics extend far beyond the fundamental pitch, and, as shown in the
earlier diagram, how the harmonics are often much stronger in volume than the fundamental. We
will find that Pärt makes great use of this, perhaps not so literally as to measure the acoustical
properties and translate them into notation, but to not take such aspects as dissonant tones,
overtones and resonance in music for granted.
Pärt’s translation of the harmonic content found in the ringing of bells to his music is quite
extraordinary; he often utilizes 2 voices in parallel and oblique motion. One voice will only move by
the notes of a given triad, whereas the other voice will move by diatonic step, usually in the form of a
scale. The blends of these two voices often result in rich sonorities, thick with buzzing overtones and
11
dissonances. His consideration of rhythmic and timbral possibilities reflects his desire to stress
particular simultaneities. This places a great deal of importance on phrasing, so as not to lose the
feelings of development or cadence in the music. Pandiatonicism plays a key role in Pärt’s music.
While being tonal, dissonances often will not completely resolve as expected, nor will functional
analysis serve any purpose in understanding his compositional language. The gravitational forces of
functional harmony no longer suffice in this new medium. Melodic voices now function both
independently and yet seemingly co-exist, with less of an emphasis on such tonal urges as cadence
and development, and more so on process and interaction within melodic lines and a modal context.
It is important to keep in mind that the process of tintinnabulation is not a single voice, but
rather a pair of voices that, by means of octave displacement, voice exchange and stepwise motion,
create a harmonic sound-world akin to that of Pärt’s inspirational “tolling of bells”. As Dr. Graeme
Langager states in his dissertation of Pärt’s tintinnabulation technique, “the two elements (in
reference to the scalar and triadic voices) are isolated, stripped of their “functional” roles, and then
superimposed one on top of the other. By this superimposition, they exist as independent entities yet
possess a symbiotic relationship necessary for creating the sound.” 13In some sections of the Berliner
Messe, I have chosen to place a higher emphasis on the diatonic, stepwise voice as opposed to this
tintinnabulating voice; I do this because of the extreme importance Pärt places on this particular
voice. The tintinnabulating voice is a voice created out of a mathematical absolute (as the reader will
see in the analysis), whereas the stepwise voice can be created in a similar fashion, but is often much
more musical and through-composed. While this may seem highly mechanical in analysis, the true
compositional aspect of the music lies in the interaction between these voices, and the ultimate result
is extremely organic. To the listener, it is equally important to weigh these two lines against one
13
Langager, Graeme. "The Tintinnabuli Compositional Style of Arvo Pärt." Diss. California State University, 1997. Print.
12
another, as one without the other does not complete the compositional technique we know as
“tintinnabulation.” As Pärt himself appropriately says, “It's not the tune that matters so much here.
It's the combination with this triad. It makes such a heart-rending union, that the soul yearns to sing
it endlessly.”14
For this thesis, I have chosen to analyze his Berlin Mass (1990 version, for organ and SATB
chorus). The ultimate goal of this thesis is to make evident the use of tintinnabulation in this
composition, and to expose tintinnabulation as a valid compositional style, as noted by not only the
melodic content of the music, but its relation to text setting, phrasing, color, and performance
practice.
IV. The Berliner Messe and the Mass Ordinary
The Ordinary of the Mass is a form of sacred composition, based around 5 liturgical texts of
the Roman Catholic Rite. The 5 texts are the “Kyrie”, “Gloria”, “Credo”, “Sanctus”, and “Agnus Dei”.
Pärt deviates from the standard Mass structure in his Berliner Messe by interpolating a Pentecost
sequence (consisting of 3 separate liturgical texts based upon a celebration fifty days after Easter) into
the Mass: an “Erster Alleluiavers”, “Zweiter Alleluiavers”, and “Veni Sancte Spiritus”. These 3 texts are
used during Pentecost, a celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples of Christ
after the resurrection of Jesus. Pärt’s intention was for the Berliner Messe to serve a dual purpose of
being either a concert or liturgical Mass. This was done for practical purposes, as he places the 3
liturgical texts in between the Gloria and the Credo, and takes this into consideration when planning
a key scheme for the overall Mass.
14
13
Pärt – Berliner Kyrie Gloria Erster Zweiter Veni Credo Sanctus Agnus
Messe Alleluiavers Alleluiavers Sancte Dei
Spiritus
Typical Mass Kyrie Gloria - - - Credo Sanctus Agnus
Ordinary Dei
Key Scheme G G G Ionian E Aeolian E Aeolian E C-Sharp C-Sharp

(Pärt) Aeolian Aeolian Ionian Aeolian Aeolian
Example 5, Comparison of Pärt’s “Berliner Messe” and the Mass Ordinary of the Roman Rite
The key scheme that Pärt has chosen for each liturgical text directly relates to the groupings
that would take place in a traditional Mass setting. The groupings are separated by keys moving to
their parallel Ionian/Aeolian modes (or major/minor, in a tonal context), while each group of
liturgical texts are linked together either by the same key or by relative Ionian/Aeolian (major/minor)
functionality.
The Mass Ordinary referred to in Pärt’s Berliner Messe is in fact the liturgical texts of the
Roman Rite, although his personal faith is in eastern Russian Orthodoxy. It is also worth noting the
influence of Gregorian Chant (a predominantly Western European form of plainchant, which
replaced the Beneventan, Gallican, Ambrosian, Mozarabic and Beneventan chants of Spain, Italy
and Gaul) in his studies prior to the time when the Berliner Messe was composed, and that a majority
of his other sacred a cappella works are set to texts of Roman Catholic background.
As the Eastern Orthodox Church does not use instruments in their service, this may have a
relation to Pärt’s decision to set the music to texts for the Roman Rite as opposed to Orthodox texts.
Pärt’s use of the organ is sparse in the Berliner Messe, and is similar to the aforementioned Russian
bell ringing (the only “instruments” used in an Orthodox service), and so Pärt’s use of the organ may
14
be to disguise it as a “set of bells”, rather than an organ with an idiomatic purpose. In addition,
Pärt’s 2002 revision of the Berliner Messe is scored for strings and chorus a cappella, which reinforces
this claim.
In order to make sense of Pärt’s compositional approach, it is important to be aware of the
Mass texts and the musical vernacular to which they are often related. Pärt takes great caution to pay
respect and detail to traditional forms and development, but does not sacrifice his compositional
voice for the sake of tradition, and finds new methods to explore old concepts.
V. Analysis Techniques of the Berliner Messe and Tintinnabulation
In the Berliner Messe, Pärt explores a variety of ways to convey his tintinnabulation
technique, borrowing from functional relationships in harmony, pandiatonicism, pulsitive and
process music, and modality.15 The melodic voices are created through various methods, such as row
construction and repeating melodic gestures (e.g., the Veni Sancte Spiritus), stepwise diatonic motion
(e.g., the Kyrie), pitch centricity and pitch axes (e.g., the Gloria), and the expansion and contraction
of a melodic figure (also to be seen in the Gloria). Similarly, he creates tintinnabulating voices by 2
important major methods: Set classes (which I will label as H135 and H153) and what I will label as the
“threshold technique”, first appearing in his Erster and Zweiter Alleluiavers, and further explored in
the last movements of the Mass.
15
I am aware of the analyzation techniques that Hillier refers to in his 1995 text “Arvo Pärt (Oxford Studies of Composers)”,
however I have opted for slightly different terminology to reflect a different aspect of Pärt’s compositional technique. Hillier’s
“T-voice” and “M-voice”, in short, are the tintinnabulating and melodic voices that I discuss in this thesis. Where I differentiate
from Hillier’s text is in the definitive roles of the T-voice; Hillier talks about the T-voice in alternating, superior or inferior
manners, and in positions relative to those (for more detail, please reference the Hillier text.) I have chosen to opt out this
approach in exchange for what I will label as
“H-class” and “threshold” technique. These essentially serve the same purpose, however are looked at different than Hillier
approaches Pärt’s tintinnabulation technique.
15
The culmination of these techniques is found in the final movement of the Mass, the Agnus
Dei, where an exclusive combination of stepwise motion is fused together with the threshold
technique.
For explanation of both the tintinnabulating and melodic lines, I will use a combination of
traditional notation language (e.g., D4, E3), graphics and a form of cipher notation, using the
numbers one through seven.
The letter/number notation is used as follows:
Example 6, Letter/Number Notation
This combination of letter and number notation is used for analysis as it demonstrates the
octave displacement that is important to the timbre of Pärt’s voice. In some cases, he will break the
melodic line in a voice, and continue to finish the line one octave below. This is often to create
clusters of notes and dissonances in a different register (with other voices,) to create different
overarching timbres within a piece, and also for practical purposes. Should a line continue on the
path that it was, it may fall outside of the practical range of the particular voice that it is in.
The cipher notation is demonstrated as follows:
Example 7, Cipher Notation

16
It is essentially the diatonic scale, with each number representing the corresponding pitch.
The reason I chose this type of analysis over a more traditional analysis is that the cipher notation
helps to understand how and where Pärt moves the tintinnabulating line, without the issues of
dealing with octave displacement and rhythmic notation. As I said before, octave displacement is a
very important factor of the overall sound of Pärt’s music, however in analysis, it sometimes may be
best to strip down the notes to their most bare form, and by doing so, motifs and melodic gestures
become much more apparent. I will use the letter/number notation to show melodic phrasing,
motivic exchange between voices and timbral characteristics of a piece, whereas I will use the cipher
notation to show motivic development and tintinnabulating characteristics of melodic voices. I will
use parentheses to show a repeated note, as they do often occur in the melodic lines of Pärt’s writing.
As an example, a line such as follows would be notated as “3-5-(5)-1-3-5”:
Example 8, Cipher Notation - Repeated Notes
Closely related to the cipher notation that I have used to analyze Pärt’s writing are the chord
structures that I have labeled for the tintinnabulating voices. I have named each possible
construction of the tintinnabulating voice either H135 or H153. The “H” represents the German letter
for “B”, which I derived from the relation between the tintinnabulating voice and the relation to
liturgical “Bells”. The numbers in subscript are derived from the sequence in which the 3 notes of
the outlined triad are struck (or in this case, sung.)

17
Example 9, “H” chords used in tintinnabulating voices
Of course, with the above two chords, you can have 3 different inversions of each, with them
being 1-3-5/3-5-1/5-1-3 and 1-5-3/5-3-1/3-1-5, respectively. Pärt seemingly picks and chooses a
note with which to begin a line, out of interest to preserve consonance at key points in phrasing and
syllables, and to create dissonances between tintinnabulating voices and melodic voices through
intervals of 2nds, 4ths, and 7ths. Dissonant intervals above the octave are usually continuations of
previous melodic lines, and are products of octave displacement or register changes.
The “threshold technique” that I use to analyze such sections as the Veni Sancte Spiritus and
Credo is a mathematical approach of outlining the melodic voice with specific tintinnabulating notes
that relate directly to what note is in the melodic voice. As the melodic voice rises and falls in
register, the tintinnabulating voice follows the same rise and fall in parallel motion, but rises and falls
by the notes of the tintinnabulating triad as opposed to the diatonic notes of the scale. For instance,
in mm.15-20 in the Credo, Pärt has all 4 voices singing in canon with one another. The soprano and
alto voices are coupled together as tintinnabulating and melodic voices, and the tenor and bass voices
are also coupled together in a similar fashion.

18
Example 10, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, mm.15-20
If the alto and soprano voices’ melodic material is reduced down to the range that they span
over the course of the Credo, we are left with this scale (in the alto voice), and the corresponding
tintinnabulating notes in the soprano voice.
Example 11, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, Threshold Technique (soprano and alto voices)
In regards to rhythmic analysis, I have not placed a great deal of emphasis on Pärt’s rhythmic
writing. This is not because it is lacking in musicality or in any other way, which it is certainly not,
however melody, harmony and tintinnabulation are first and foremost the most interesting and
unique aspects of Pärt’s compositional style. The majority of the Berliner Messe is homorhythmic in
texture (aside from the strict canonic writing in the Credo.) The most important part about the
rhythm in this piece is not so much a constant motor rhythm like one would see in Bach, or perhaps
19
the canonic or contrapuntal development that one might see in Franco-Flemish Renaissance music,
but his use of constantly changing time signatures (to create a more open, free feel reminiscent of
early chant, as well as to show phrasing in a clearer fashion), and his emphasis on stressing syllables
by augmentation of rhythm. For example, in the following phrase, I removed the rhythmic aspect of
Pärt’s writing and focused solely on the notes:
Example 12a, Arvo Pärt, Berliner Messe, Gloria, mm.1-4 (Unstressed syllables)
Pärt then takes these notes, and by stretching the rhythm of specific syllables, creates this
new phrase:
Example 12b, Arvo Pärt, Berliner Messe, Gloria, mm.1-4 (Stressed syllables – as is written in published score)
Pärt places emphasis on weak syllables through augmentation to create a sense of “leaning”,
forward motion. It also often happens where there are dissonances between voices, as opposed to
20
consonant intervals. While Pärt’s music is pandiatonic by nature, the combination of augmentation
in rhythm on weaker beats, combined with dissonant intervals between tintinnabulating and
melodic voices creates a post-tonal sense of cadence and phrasing in his music. The fact that this
inclination towards cadential material through stressed syllables is compounded with an overall
homorhythmic texture only emphasizes the sense of tension and release more so.
There is an argument to be made about the worth of analyzing Pärt’s music from a
functional, “tonal” perspective, versus a modal perspective. Key schemes and the overarching
development of keys in the piece do come from a tonal background (e.g., the parallel minor/major
relationship between the Veni Sancte Spiritus and the Credo, or the relative major/minor relationship
between the Erster and Zweiter Alleluiavers.) However, Pärt’s use of a leading-tone (outside of the
Gloria), and lack of any statement of a functional cadence leaves a big question to one that analyzes
his piece: Does Pärt view his music from a tonal perspective? Pärt’s harmonic language is rather
modal in characteristic, and the influence of early chant in both melodic and harmonic gestures seem
to hint at modality as opposed to tonality. However, for the sake of clarity in this thesis, I have
included the parallel and relative major/minor relationships when discussing key-schemes, and the
relative modes when discussing harmonic relationships.

21
VI. The Berliner Messe (Berlin Mass)
1. Kyrie
The Latin text of the Kyrie is as follows:
Kyrie Eleison / Christe Eleison / Kyrie Eleison.
In English translation:
Lord, have mercy. / Christ, have mercy. / Lord, have mercy.
It is important to note that the Christe Eleison is a later addition in the Roman Rite, and,
much like the initial Kyrie Eleison, is a direct translation of a Greek counterpart from the Divine
Liturgy (which was originally advocated in early Rome, yet was pushed out with the acceptance of
Latin as a popular language.) It is also important to note that popular settings of the text often follow
a ternary form, with the Christie Eleison acting as a contrasting section.
The Kyrie opens with a subtle “G” pedal in the organ, in the lower register. The alto opens
the movement with a descending line, starting on “G4” (which we will call “1”, as the tonal
centricity of the Kyrie is around “G”).
Example 13a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Kyrie, mm.2-4
Of mentionable importance is the first use of the tintinnabulating chord H135 in the soprano
voice. Utilizing cipher notation, the line goes as follows: “3-5-1-3-5”. Similar to the usage of octave
displacement in the altos as a means of transitioning into the 2nd measure (for reasons that will be
22
discussed), Pärt brings the tintinnabulating line into the organ through octave displacement here in
mm.3, and by continuing the process started in the soprano voice. It is duly noted that the process
that began in the soprano voice has now completed, and so Pärt pivots on the “D” in the organ, and
brings in the chord H153 by a pivot note. The complete tintinnabulating passage in mm.2-4 (between
the soprano voice and organ) goes as follows (with the pivot note underlined to be clear):
“3-5-1-3-5-1-5-1-5-3.”
Pärt continues this passage by displacing it into the tenor voice, and in similar fashion,
retrogrades the melodic line in the alto voice. As opposed to the first phrase of the Kyrie, the altos are
now singing a rising figure as opposed to a falling one. The line is still an octave span between two
“G” notes, however the “break-point” between octaves changes from the note “D” to “C.” As the
tintinnabulating line moves from voice to voice, this alto voice will serve as a guide for all other notes
in other voices to create dissonance and consonance against. Example 13b shows mm.4-7, where
Pärt pivots to H153 in the organ, and moves the line into the tenor voices, only to conclude the
phrase with a second gesture in the organ.
Example 13b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Kyrie, mm.4-7

23
The organ line that had ended on the “B6” (it is notated 8va), is now moved into the tenor
voice to continue the tintinnabulation, to create the line as follows:
“1-5-1-5-3-(3)-1-5-3-1-5-3-1-5.”
In measures 4-7, it can be argued that the tintinnabulating line continues in the soprano
voice (who is also singing a tintinnabulating line of their own), but I assume Pärt’s intention was to
move it to the tenor voice for two reasons: The tenors hold over the “3”, which acts more like a
method to continue a line through octave displacement, more so than a fresh new line altogether. In
addition, the soprano voice, if combined with the previous organ passage, create this line:
“1-5-1-5-3-5-3-1-5-(5)-3-1-5-3.”
One’s concern might be the two consecutive underlined notes, “D4” and “Bb4”, in the
soprano voice (mm. 5). Would they sincerely function as pivot notes, or does the tenor better
communicate Pärt’s desire to continue the line? With the argument that the tintinnabulating line is
moved into the tenor voice, we find ourselves with one pivot note in the organ. With the argument
that the line does not break, and continues in the soprano voice, we are left with not one, but two
consecutive pivot notes that do not fall within the H153 pattern, and an additional re-struck “D”. It is
therefore assumed that the tenors continue the line, and the soprano voices take on the role of a
supporting tintinnabuli voice. This method of octave displacement continues throughout the Kyrie.
Now that we have brought in all 4 voices, we can see how their functions serve in the context
of the opening section of the Mass:
Sopranos – tintinnabulation
Altos – Main voice, diatonic motion (stepwise)
Tenors – tintinnabulation
Basses – Supporting voice, doubling altos at one major 6th below

24
As functional harmony ceases to serve a purpose in this context, Pärt finds an ingenious way
of creating a sense of structure and form; by expanding and contracting the amount of voices used in
a given section. The Kyrie, because of its naturally ternary shape, lends itself well to the shape created
by adding and subtracting voices. The table below (example 13c) depicts the addition and
subtraction of voices over the length of the Kyrie. Keep in mind that the Kyrie ends with all of the 4
voices singing, and the Gloria seamlessly picks up from where the Kyrie leaves off, with the entire
choir singing powerfully at forte.
Kyrie eleison K e Christe eleison C e Kyrie eleison K e
1 2 3 4 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4
Example 13c, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Kyrie, Structure of the text in relation to number of voices
2. Gloria
The Gloria of the Berliner Messe continues in the same key (G minor/Aeolian) as the Kyrie
left off. The Berliner Messe differs from a traditional mass in that it can be performed as a continuous
piece of music. Each section serves as what a single movement is to a sonata or symphony. Pärt’s
music has been often considered to be “simple” in it’s nature, and that he often leaves out important
factors (to leave it up to performance practice); While this is true in some regards (e.g., the notation
of dynamics are far more sparse than most works in standard repertory), Pärt is not oblivious to what
message he is trying to convey. It can be inferred that there is a direct correlation between the chant
music that he had studied (in between his transitional Third Symphony and his Fur Alina) and his
notational preferences.
25
In the Gloria, Pärt takes a different compositional approach than in the Kyrie. Tonal
centricity plays a key role in the development of this movement, where he uses the stepwise line
(again voiced in the altos), and moves around a specific pitch-axis to create movement in the voices.
The basses couple along with the altos exactly one major 6th below, so that if the alto voice
“cadences” on a note of the tintinnabulating chord (“1”, “3”, or “5”), there will be no discrepancies
as to the tonality of the cadence; One finds themselves to have arrived at the tonic chord in any of
the 3 possible inversions. Of course, if the altos resolve on “1”, we will be in 1st inversion. Note “3”
will place us in 2nd inversion, and note “5” will place us in root position.
Pärt decides to use note “G4” as the pitch-axis for the alto voice. Since the basses double
what the altos sing (one major 6th below), their voice is mathematically pre-conceived. The only
concern now lays within the two tintinnabulating voices, which are as they were in the Kyrie, the
soprano and tenor voices.
The opening measures give a clear indication of how Pärt is using a pitch-axis to move
smoothly through chord clusters, utilizing the two tintinnabulating lines as dissonant and consonant
tones. The tintinnabulating voices are much more free here than in the Kyrie, utilizing pivot notes
much more frequently to both follow along with the alto/bass voices, and to create more unique
voicing combinations.
26
Example 14a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Gloria, mm.1-12
The alto voice, in the opening two lines, creates a melody as follows (referencing measures 1-
4):
“4-3-2-1-(1)-6-7-1-3-2-1”.
The pivot note, “G4”, is reinforced on all single-beat measures, as well as all cadential
material at the end of any phrase (which seemingly end before any organ passage.) Interesting to
note would be the fact that, the greater the size of the measure (which often directly correlate to the
number of syllables in the text, with the exception of stressed syllables receiving a longer rhythmic
value), the larger the distance that the outside interval between the axis note “G4” and the beginning
of the phrase is. Take measures 7, 9, and 11 as examples. Each measure reinforces its ultimate goal
towards axis note G4 by re-stating it as the very last note of the measure. Each note prior to this note
proceeds stepwise towards it, either from above or below. Depending on the number of syllables in
the text, and whether or not Pärt desired to stress a particular voicing or syllable, the outside interval
27
(in measure 11, D5 to G4) expands in size. Pärt’s inflection of stressed syllables in the melodic and
rhythmic writing aids to break up the monotony of the text, and this slight tearing away from the
steady quarter-note pulsation helps the listener achieve a feeling of cadence. Pärt will further develop
this method of expansion and contraction of a melodic gesture in the Veni Sancte Spiritus, however
in a much different method.
The organ plays a special role in the Gloria, as from first glance, it does not seem to be as
intricately involved in the motion of the tintinnabulating line as it was in the Kyrie. The organ plays
the following passages:
Example 14b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Gloria, Organ Passages
The organ, as it did in the Kyrie, has two voices moving in parallel and oblique motion.
Upon further inspection, we will see that there are tintinnabulating lines built into these two voices,
crossing paths between themselves to create intricate clusters. I have connected the tintinnabulating
voices, and labeled the notes (in their cipher notation) beneath the voicings. It is clearly visible that
the organ passage makes use of both possible tintinnabulating voicings, H153 being used in measures
60 and 68, and H135 being used in measures 12 and 35. It is also worth noting that the other voice is
moving in a fashion similar to the alto voice’s axis/centricity concept; in measures 12 and 35, the
stepwise voice is moving as “5-6-7-1-2”, and in measures 60 and 68, it is moving as “6-5-4”. This
may not seem to have much connection, until we visit the measures following each passage, and see
that these stepwise lines are intricately connected with the alto voice, reusing motivic patterns. The
28
“5-6-7-1-2” motif is then followed by “1-7-6-5-1-2” in the alto, reincorporating the “1-2” as a
means of creating what feels akin to a post-tonal “half-cadence.” Interestingly enough, this happens
to be a section where Pärt breaks away from the centric concept he was using up until now, and
instead inverts the concept. The “1-7-6-5” motif moves away from G4 instead of towards it, as we
have seen so commonly before (and will see afterwards.) Likewise, the “1-2” motif is unique in that
it has been reinforced in our ears before that it should be the other way around, “2-1”. Pärt then
creates development by bringing back the original axis-centric concept as before, and then reversing
it, and bringing it back once more, all the while adding and subtracting extra pitches to compensate
for the syllables.
Lastly, Pärt introduces a concept into the Gloria that we did not hear in the Kyrie; the
leading-tone. Pärt incorporates the leading-tone (F#) sparingly, so as not to stray too far from the
modality of the music. One may hear this leading-tone and consider that Pärt is looking backward to
his previous periods (or perhaps forward in time!), however, the leading-tone does not conflict with
the processes involved in the Gloria’s overall scheme (such as the pitch-axis concept), but instead
offer a foreshadowing of what is to come in the movements of the Berliner Messe. Pärt is not
breaking away from modality, but embracing it, by using the leading tone as a means to branch out
to other modalities that involve “G” as a pitch center.

29
3. Erster and Zweiter Alleluiavers
Pärt’s Erster Alleluiavers and Zweiter Alleluiavers are two of the most significant sections of
the Berliner Messe. While being the shortest (recorded versions of these two sections often happen to
be only about 1 minute each in length), they encompass all aspects of Pärt’s mysterious, enchanting
sound, not to mention all of his techniques of compositional approach that are recycled throughout
the Mass. They also serve as the turning point in the overall key scheme of the mass. Whereas the
Kyrie and Gloria were set in what we perceive as a “G Aeolian” area, Pärt’s usage of the leading-tone
in the Gloria sets the stage for the listener to move to the “G Ionian” realm in the Erster Alleluiavers.
This tonality is later moved to an “E Aeolian” area in the Zweiter Alleluiavers (or G major moving to
the relative E minor.) This gives the listener a sense of spiritual uplifting, only to coincide with the
text:
Alleluia. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur et renovabis faciem terrae. Alleluia.
Alleluia. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the
earth. Alleluia.
The liturgical text in the Erster Alleluiavers alludes to the sense of a “renewal” (in the text
itself, a renewal of the “face of the Earth.”) A correlation can be made between the textual
description of renewal, and the movement to a new modal area that had previously not been
explored in the Berliner Messe.

30
Example 15a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Erster Alleluiavers, Full Score
The Erster Alleluiavers, depicted above, utilizes homorhythmic passages of 4-part writing for
the “Alleluia” text. In the alto voice, the motif heard consists of “3-2-1-7-1”, which is then referred
to in the solo tenor passage. The solo tenor passage happens to be unique in several ways, in that it is
no longer functioning as a tintinnabulating voice. In fact, it functions as the opposite; the tenor
voice is now moving in a stepwise, diatonic manner, a role similar to the one played by the alto and
bass voices in the previous two sections. There is a sonorous, chant-like quality to Pärt’s single voice
writing, hovering around a centric “G” pitch, but not functioning as an axis as it did in the Gloria;
this writing is much more focused on the concept of recycling motivic ideas. For the text “et
creabuntur”, Pärt re-uses the “3-2-1-7-1” motif heard in the altos, and foreshadows the soprano’s
31
motif of “3-4-5-6-5”, heard in the last measure. Perhaps there can be a connection made between
the texts “creabuntur (creation) and renovabis (renewal)” and the shift of harmonic design that Pärt
happens to create in the very last measure: By reassigning the tintinnabulating roles to the alto and
bass voices, and giving the stepwise, diatonic lines to the soprano and tenor voices. It is, in fact, a
renewal of Pärt’s signature melodic writing.
The Zweiter Alleluiavers functions quite similar to the Erster Alleluiavers, only that it serves an
equally opposite role: by the end of the Zweiter Alleluiavers, Pärt returns the assigned roles of
stepwise motion or tintinnabulating lines to their original voices. He accomplishes this flawlessly by
reusing the “3-4-5-6-5” and “3-2-1-7-1” motifs, by transposition, in the soprano and tenor voices.
Pärt also visits “E Aeolian”, a new modal area not previously explored yet in the Berliner Messe,
however directly linked to G Ionian, as it is the relative minor scale.

32
Example 15b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Zweiter Alleluiavers, Full Score
The latin text of the Zweiter Alleluiavers is as follows:
Alleluia. Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium: et tui amoris in ei ignem accende.
Alleluia.
Alleluia. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful: and kindle in them the fire of Thy
love. Alleluia.
Pärt makes use of the “3-4-5-6-5” and “3-2-1-7-1” motifs, however mostly in truncated
form. The only exception to this is the completion of the “3-4-5-6-5” motif is over the text
“fidelium”. There might be a connection between the inferred “faithfulness” of completing the “3-4-
5-6-5” motif, and the text itself, but this is more subjective than objective, and may be more related
33
to text setting and creating a feeling of cadence by ending on a note of the tintinnabulating triad, as
opposed to a less strong note. Pärt does begin to end phrases on weaker notes, such as the constant
use of “7” as a cadential note (“Spiritus” and “accende” both end on “7”), and the lingering feeling of
irresolution with the final “Alleluia”.
In both of the Erster and Zweiter passages, Pärt incorporates a new approach to the
tintinnabulation technique not seen previously in the Mass. In the 2nd and 3rd “Alleluias” of each
section, Pärt breaks away from the H135 / H153 tintinnabulation, and reaches for the threshold
technique as described earlier. This creates a specific scale of dyads (if we are looking at only two
voices; 3 or 4 voices would create other options), which Pärt uses to create stressed and unstressed
syllables, or tension and release.
Example 15c, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Erster Alleluiavers, Threshold Tintinnabulation, Alto/Soprano Voices
This creates tension upon the stressed 2nd note of the syllable “lu” in “Alleluia”, as the listener
hears the “F” in the altos against the “G” in the sopranos (or in the final “Alleluia”, the “D” against
the “E” respectively.) If the harmony of all 4 voices is fleshed out, we find that this particular voicing
yields (from bottom to top): “A/B/F/G” (which resolves to “B/D/G/B” in the second “Alleluia”), or
“D/G/D/E” to “D/F/B/D” in the 3rd and final “Alleluia”. These stressed voicings, in the realm of
post-tonal analysis, can be analyzed as having a tonal function by voice leading (or perhaps added
notes to dominant and tonic chords), but it is far more important to interpret them from a broader,
34
psychological tension/release perspective. In that sense, they are merely clusters of particular notes,
derivative of a given process, that resolve according to this process, and create a feeling of cadence.
Pärt re-uses this technique in the Zweiter Alleluiavers, however due to the modal change and
the octave displacement and re-voicing of the SATB voices, the process yields completely different
harmonies.
Example 15d, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Zweiter Alleluiavers, Threshold Tintinnabulation, Alto/Soprano Voices
This new approach to tintinnabulation sets the stage for the next sections of the Berliner
Messe to explore. From a broader scope, one could say that both the H135 / H153 approach and the
“threshold” approach are simply different processes of a larger minimalist stream of thought, but this
is arguable, and subjectively, one may feel that Pärt is much more detailed than that in his line of
thinking. However, Pärt is not naïve to this principle, and perhaps has considered it on a much more
grand scale of compositional technique. Regardless, the results are unbelievably beautiful to hear.
4. Veni Sancte Spiritus
The Veni Sancte Spiritus continues in the “E Aeolian” modality. Pärt, now having introduced
his cadenza-like approach to single-voice writing, reuses this rhythmic and melodic concept to open
the movement, using the bass voices to outline the E minor triad, with the exception of some upper
and lower neighbor tones. Upon first viewing the score, one would see that the writing is far
35
different from where we began in the Kyrie: It is much more sparse, and focuses upon pairings of two
voices (tintinnabulation at it’s purest form.) However, it appears that Pärt is utilizing the second
voice (which only uses notes of the tintinnabulating triad) far more sparsely, and as a means to create
emphasis on particular words of the liturgical text. Although this seems simple in approach, and
rather random, we should not dismiss it as so. As we have seen before, what appear to be the simplest
concepts in his music often are the most complex.
The liturgical text of the Veni Sancte Spiritus in latin is as follows (with the bold text being
that which has been emphasized):
Veni, Sancte Spiritus, et emitte caelitus lucis tuae radium. Veni, pater pauperum, veni, dator munerum,
veni, lumen cordium. Consolator optime, dulcis hospes animae, dulce refrigerium. In labore requies, in
aestu temperies in fletu solatium.
O lux beatissima, reple cordis intima tuorum fidelium. Sine tuo numine, nihil est in homine, nihil est
innoxium. Lava quod est sordidum, riga quod est arium, sana quod est saucium. Flecte quod est
rigidum, fove quod est frigidum, rege quod est devium. Da tuis fidelibus, in te confidentibus, sacrum
septenarium. Da virtutis meritum, da salutis exitum, da perenne gaudium, Amen, Alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, send forth the heavenly radiance of your light. Come, father of the poor,
come giver of gifts, come, light of the heart. Greatest comforter, sweet guest of the soul, sweet consolation. In
labor, rest, in heat, temperance, in tears, solace. O most blessed light,
fill the inmost heart of your faithful. Without your divine will, there is nothing in man,
nothing is harmless. Wash that which is unclean, water that which is dry, heal that which is wounded.
Bend that which is inflexible, warm that which is chilled, make right that which is wrong. Give to your
faithful, who rely on you, the sevenfold gifts. Give reward to virtue,
give salvation at our passing on, give eternal joy. Amen. Alleluia.
36
By analyzing Pärt’s interpretation of the text, it is clear that his emphasis lies on the key
words of each phrase. He places a great emphasis on such things as “poor” in “father of the poor”, or
the superlative adjective “inmost” in “fill the inmost heart of your faithful.” In addition, by placing the
emphasis on “that which”, it is clear that the unknown that the liturgical text refers to (e.g., the
“unclean”, “wounded”, and “inflexible”) matters a great deal to Pärt in reference to text-setting.
In regards to the pairings of voices, each pair of voices is preceded by a solo passage of
whichever voice takes the dominant role. For example, the piece opens with a solo bass voice, which
leads into a passage where the bass takes the dominant role, and the sopranos outline the
tintinnabulating chord using the “threshold technique” discussed in the Erster and Zweiter
Alleluiavers.
Example 16a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Veni Sancte Spiritus, Threshold Technique
Pärt now incorporates a new compositional method: the concept of row design, which may
perhaps be a reference back to his past relationship involving serialism. Pärt develops a row,
beginning in the bass voice, which extends from mm.1-14.
Example 16b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Veni Sancte Spiritus, Row Design mm.1-14, Bass voice
37
Pärt develops a melodic idea based around a centric note. The row can be divided into two
halves; One half with a pitch axis based around “B”, and the other half based around the pitch axis
“E”, the two outer notes of the prime form of the tintinnabulating triad. The inner 3rd of this triad,
which is an extremely important note, is not taken for granted; In both halves of the row, it is
reinforced through repetition. These two halves are connected by a pivot note (“D”), which moves
stepwise to the nearest tintinnabulating note, “E”. Likewise, at the end of the row, we find ourselves
with another pivot note (“C”), that brings us back to the “B” that we began the row with.
Interestingly enough, this row, when repeated, is rhythmically displaced a certain growing
number of beats. The chart below explains the re-statements of the row and their relative
displacement.
Statement # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Displacement 2 3 5 6 8 10 13 13 15 Inc.
Example 16c, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Veni Sancte Spiritus, Row Displacement
Statement #10 reads “Inc.”, as it is an incomplete statement. However, if we derive the “5-3-
5-3” from “quod (est) devium” in the tenor voice (mm.101-104), we find that this can complete the
fragment at the end of the piece.

38
Example 16d, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Veni Sancte Spiritus, mm.131-143, completion of incompleted row by derivative of mm.101-104
5. Credo
The Credo follows shortly after where the Veni Sancte Spiritus left off. In the row that Pärt
used in the Veni, we examined how he pivoted around the “D” to move to “E” in the second half.
Take into consideration how Pärt ends the Veni Sancte Spiritus; He ends on a lingering “D” note, in
a unison, homorhythmic texture utilizing the full SATB choir. This “D” is, in fact, the pivot note
that will move us into the opening “E” found in the bass voice of the Credo. However, Pärt, in the
interest of changing the color of the Credo, decides to move into the parallel major mode, E Ionian.
As another link between the Veni and the Credo, Pärt decides to reinterpret his row to fit around the
39
new modality. The example below is the row design for the Credo, the bottom numbers showing the
cipher notation, and the top numbers showing the ordered pitch intervals (coinciding with the set-
class theory analysis used by Straus, 2005.) Motifs and their development in the row are labeled, and
shown with brackets.
Example 17a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, Row Design
As notated in the example 17a above, the row of the Credo is made up of 3 separate motivic
ideas, developed through retrograde and inversion. The 26-note row concludes with a low “B” that
falls outside of the motivic analysis, but instead serves as a linking note to begin the row once more.
Unlike the use of a repeating row in the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Pärt creates development in the
composition by dropping notes out of the row systematically, and adding them to the end of the
row. For instance, the 1st and 2nd statements of the row, in cipher notation, are as follows:
“1-2-3-4-3-2-1-5-4-1-3-2-1-5-7-6-5-6-7-1-4-5-6-7-1-5” – Statement 1
“1-4-3-2-1-5-4-1-3-2-1-5-7-6-5-6-7-1-4-5-6-7-1-5-2-3” – Statement 2
The unique approach to Pärt’s canonic writing in the Credo is his method of restating the
row in the same voice that finishes last. In the first row, Pärt begins the Credo in the tenor and bass
voices, with the tenors tintinnabulating and the basses singing the melodic line (in this case, the
row.) The altos and sopranos enter 9 beats later, in strict canonic writing at the octave, however
slightly changing rhythmically so that the rests at the end of each phrase happen simultaneously. He
creates this by changing where the augmented rhythms are in the text. Continuing on, the tenor/bass
40
canon ends at mm.10, while the soprano/alto canon ends 2 measures later. Unlike some canonic
writing, where the tenor and bass voices would’ve began the next motivic gesture while the
soprano/alto voices were still singing (to create a constant stream of ideas), Pärt places the next
installment of the row directly after the first row in the soprano/alto voices end. This allows him to
reverse the leader/follower roles in the canon, and now the truncated row (with the added notes at
the end) begins in the soprano/alto voices, with the tenor/bass following 9 beats afterwards.
The melodic row is stated 12 times, with 2 pitches dropping each time (in the appropriate
order of the row) and reappearing at the very end of the row. The first and last statements of the row
are complete statements, with zero notes dropped, which leads even the most astute listener to
believe the piece has come to a close. Pärt ends the Credo with a restatement of “1-2-3-4-3-2-1”. (It
is important to note that, while Pärt adheres very strictly to the compositional processes in the Credo,
he does drop some notes from the row that are not coinciding with the 2-note rule. The notes that
he does drop, however, are tintinnabuli notes, which may be related to the idea that the notes that
we clearly hear are those that are not of the underlying triad.)
The Credo makes an interesting use of silence and pause: similar to Pärt’s other pieces, all 4
voices will pause at the same moment in time, to create these sonic gaps where the harmonics
(usually created by the reverberation in the performance hall) has a chance to breathe. It is not
complete silence, but the sound that exists within this gap in and of itself that creates such a
dramatic effect. The sounds that exist around these pauses are much more pronounced as a result,
and the outcome is a very musical silence, not to be disregarded. However, Pärt does sacrifice some
canonic rule for the sake of these pauses in the music. In the second statement of the row, between
notes “5-4-1” and “3-2-1”, there exists a pause in the soprano/alto voices. This same pause,
41
regardless of augmentations in rhythm or stressed syllabification, does not exist at the same position
in the row in the tenor/bass voices.
Example 17b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, mm.13-20, Canonic Writing
He instead moves this pause in between notes “1-5-7” and “6-5-6” of the row, so that the
pause in the tenor/bass voices happens to land exactly with the pause in the soprano/alto voices, who
are at a later point in the row from the canon. Had he placed the pause where it would have been
according to canonic rule, the harmonic vocabulary of the composition would completely change
due to a displacement of melodic and rhythmic figures.

42
6. Sanctus
The Sanctus of the Roman Catholic Mass is as follows:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
In the Sanctus of the Berliner Messe, Pärt completely drops the soprano voice from the
texture. This leaves the three lower voices, with the altos singing in their lower register, allowing for a
greater amount of voice exchange between the tenor and alto voices, and therefore a tighter sense of
chord structure and harmony. Pärt, similar to the Kyrie, uses the H135/H153 classes to outline the
melodic voice, which is broken up into fragments with a centricity that leans towards C-sharp (the
perceived key is C-sharp minor, or Aeolian.)

43
Example 18a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Sanctus, mm.1-7
Pitch centricity plays a key role in the melodic setting of the text. Phrases such as “5-6-7-1-1-
(1)-4-3-2-1” (the cipher notation used for “Hosanna in excelsis”, mm.16-18) show a rising and falling
tendency towards C# as a gravitational constant. However, to create tension and “motion” in the
development of the Sanctus, Pärt will occasionally invert the gestures to move away from the target
note, as the Gloria had earlier done. The Sanctus is of considerably shorter length than the previous
texts, and the somber harmonic language, lower registers of each voice, and more sparse feel give the
listener a feeling of calm tranquility. The organ, similar to how it had served a purpose in the Kyrie,
outlines the H-classes in a similar function.
Although the highest pitch in the Sanctus is found in the text “Benedictus qui venit in nomine
Domini”, it should be noted that, in performance practice, many quality recordings of the Berliner
Messe feature the line “Hosanna in excelsis” as the loudest in volume and intensity (mm.16-18,
directly preceding the “Benedictus”.)16 Although dynamics are not marked in the piece, from a
performance perspective, there is an inclination to follow the text “Hosanna in the highest” in a literal
translation of dynamics.
16
Example recordings may be found by Noel Edison with the Elora Festival Orchestra (Naxos), a recording with Tonu Kaljuste and
the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (ECM Records), and Stephen Layton with Polyphony
(Hyperion UK).
44
Another interesting aspect of Pärt’s organ writing in the Sanctus is its relation to historical
and practical purpose in the Roman church. In a ceremonial setting, the Sanctus bells (tiny handheld
bells, derivative of their earlier, larger counterparts) are rung as a way to “create a joyful noise for the
Lord during the Mass.”17 It is known that the Sanctus bells, originally larger in size (for practical
purposes), became handheld over time out of convenience. The organ writing (which will be
replaced with string passages in the 2002 revision of the Berliner Messe) is written 8va, in the right
hand and upper register. There is almost a peaceful incongruity between the bell-like, high passages
of the organ, and the low harmonies of the alto/tenor/bass voices that has not been previously
explored to this extreme in the Berliner Messe.
In a ceremonial Sanctus of the Tridentine Mass, the priest, upon reaching the passage
“Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini”, will make the sign of the cross upon himself. While Pärt
does not incorporate the Canon of the Mass into the Sanctus, the unique 4-note motif repeated in
the organ is reminiscent of the sign of the cross. Although it does not bear a direct resemblance (e.g.,
as in a falling gesture that the priest would make from his forehead to his heart), and there has been
no confirmed evidence that this has an intentional connection, it is interesting to note that the first
two organ passages leading to the “Benedictus” passage are rising figures, whereas the last two organ
passages surrounding the “Benedictus” passage are falling figures, similar to the gesture one would
make with the hand when completing the sign of the cross.
17
"Sanctus Bells Their History and Use in the Catholic Church by Matthew D. Herrera." Adoremus Home Page. Web. 25 Nov.
2011. <http://www.adoremus.org/0305SantusBells.html>.
45
Example 18b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Sanctus, Organ Passages
7. Agnus Dei
The text of the Agnus Dei is as follows:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
The last section of the Berliner Messe serves as a zenith of Pärt’s compositional style; time
signatures, used throughout Pärt’s Mass so far, are now completely missing, as are any starting
dynamics that we have previously seen (aside from the Erster and Zweiter Alleluiavers). The chorus is
broken up into 2 interlocking pairs, with the soprano and tenor voices singing in a responsorial
manner, and the alto and bass voices doing so in a similar fashion. An extremely noteworthy aspect
of the Agnus Dei is the use of barlines: Even between pairs of voices, they do not line up. There is a
slightly fragmented approach to the physical look of the page. The only information that shows the
performer where time “lies” in the music happens to be how the voices line up on particular dyads.
This visual property of the score leaves much of the realization of the music to the performer, and
46
from a performance practice, this translates into the free, almost otherworldly sonority of the Agnus
Dei.
Pärt combines his both lines of tintinnabulation into a single melodic voice: The single voice,
in this case, sings two interwoven lines, one being the tintinnabulating triad, and the other being a
diatonic, falling melodic gesture. Of course, the appropriate threshold notes are assigned to each note
of the scale, so every note serves a complete purpose. Pärt also combines his method of pitch
centricity into the melodic gestures of the voices by developing a pitch center around “B”, further
reinforcing the modal characteristic of his compositional style. Paired voices sing in canonic
imitation by inversion, at a 4 beat distance from one another and an interval of a perfect fourth
between voices. At the second repetition of the Agnus Dei, this interval expands to a fifth between
the soprano and tenor voices, as the distance closes to 2 beats between canonic voices.
Example 19a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Agnus Dei, page 1

47
In the third and last repetition of the Agnus Dei, they reach the point where they are exactly
one beat apart. At this point, all 4 voices are brought in, however are paired quite differently
(soprano/alto, and tenor/bass) than before. The two pairs are in strict canon at the octave, acting as
mirror images of one another, both voices singing a combination of melodic and tintinnabulating
notes. This is also the first time that Pärt explicitly uses contrary motion between voices, whereas in
the past he distinctly used oblique and parallel motion. This creates a new sense of harmony, much
more uplifting and not so heavy in spirit, almost serving as redemption of the listener’s sins. We are,
at last, “granted peace” through a juxtaposition of tintinnabulation, falling and rising melodic
gestures, and mirrored canonic writing all happening simultaneously.
Example 19b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Agnus Dei, “dona nobis pacem” (contrary motion)
VII. The Berliner Messe, Arvo Pärt and Minimalism
The Berliner Messe, when viewed as sectional pieces, contains a multitude of approaches to
Pärt’s tintinnabuli style. However, there are other aspects to the work that are on a much more grand
scale.
48
The Berliner Messe makes great use of form in its music. Several sections are more structured
from a musical standpoint, whereas others are products of the process by which Arvo Pärt creates his
harmonic and melodic language. This leads to an interesting debate that Pärt has been the subject of
for quite a while now: does Pärt’s music fall under the realm of “minimalism”? Hillier mentions that
“American minimal music was originally characterized by the repetition of sound modules within a
constant environment of pulsed rhythms and unchanging tonality… Musical material is thus
reduced to its elemental essence, very often having a single tempo, a single timbre, a single dynamic,
so that the ear focuses uniquely on the process of change, which becomes the only identity the music
is left with.”18 Although Hillier does go on to argue the pedantic that theorists and musicians alike
have objected Pärt’s music to (and he argues in the favor of both parties, to some degree!), Pärt’s
music, in lieu of his careful regard to form and structure, dissuades any evidence that it is purely
“minimal.” Pärt’s overtly “minimalist” voice is characterized by his simplification of harmony to the
bare minimum: two voices co-existing, almost as a yin and yang of one another, sounding and
reacting to one another in a methodical fashion that is reminiscent of early Euro-centric music, yet
entirely post-tonal in the sense that common-practice tonality is not observed in Pärt’s music.
“Process”, in the sense that it exists within the realm of minimalism and pulsitive music of the likes
of such composers as Reich or Andriessen19 is an oversimplification of Pärt’s compositional
technique. For instance, as observed in the Credo, Pärt takes a specific collection of notes (in this
case, a 26-note melody), and through a process of repetition and a dropping out of pairs of notes, he
creates the foundation by which he develops canon and harmony. However, it is important to view
the Credo from a much more large scale, as it is directly linked to the previous and following sections
18
Hillier, Paul. "Sounding Icons." Arvo Pärt. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1997. 15. Print.
19
See example works: Andriessen – Hoketus, Reich – Clapping Music. These pieces are not intended to generalize these two
composers, but rather give an insight into the inner workings of minimalist, or “pulsitive” music, named after the distinct
“pulsation” in music that is a common thread throughout minimalist thought.
49
of the mass, through key, melodic contour (e.g., the connection between the Veni Sancte Spiritus and
the Credo), and practical use (its role in the ceremonial Mass setting.)
VIII. Final Notes on the Berliner Messe
In regards to the performance practice of the Berliner Messe, it is important to note the text,
the key and pitch center, and the overall “mood” that Pärt is conveying in the harmony. Although
the quarter note is set at a constant throughout the piece, and there are no markings in regards to the
tempi or feel, historical knowledge of early Church music relates to how a modern chorus would
perform such a work as the Berliner Messe.
Hesychasm, Greek for “stillness” or “quiet”, is the “process of retiring inward by ceasing to
register the senses, in order to achieve an experiential knowledge of God.”20 Byzantine chant, often
prescribed to in the Russian Orthodox Church (as the Orthodox Church can be traced back to the
Byzantine rite as early as St. Paul and the Apostles), relates to a practice of “inner prayer”, where one
would experience complete silence of the senses (figuratively), and focus entirely on silent prayer. Of
course, as the most insightful music in prayer is often slow, and the most profound moments in
prayer are often in silence, Pärt’s combination of carefully predicted silence and slow, moving music
results in an amalgamation of the past and present; an exaltation of the human spirit that transcends
above and beyond the material being, beyond functional harmony or musical genre, to serve one
purpose: A closer relationship to God through music.
20
"Hesychasm." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesychasm>.
50
Pärt, similar to other sacred composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, have returned to a
traditionalist view of icon painting in music.21 In the Berliner Messe, as well as many other of his
works, he has returned to a timeless voice that had been previously silent for hundreds of years.
Through his contemplative periods and study of early western music, he has not only materialized
once again the eternal sounds of chant music, but also become part of them in a way that is more
than just a manifestation of their harmonic, melodic and rhythmic values.
More specifically, in the Berliner Messe, Pärt distinctly planned the key-scheme and overall
structure with the intention for it to be performed in a liturgical setting (while it is often performed
as a concert work). His use of lyrical, stepwise melodies is reminiscent of those that existed in
Gregorian chant, and while his sense of harmony, through his technique, is extremely modern, his
consideration of the text is very traditional. He recreates the timbres of liturgical bells through his
sparse interpretation of the church organ (or strings), and references religious icons through melodic
gestures, such as the sign of the cross found in the Sanctus.
Pärt’s musical voice does not exist without his faith, nor can the astute listener appreciate the
compositional prowess or disciplined skill that Pärt incorporates into his music without at least a
rudimentary knowledge of his religious and personal life. There is an obvious impetus behind Pärt’s
methodical writing that somehow surpasses our expectations as listeners, and to dismiss the facets of
Pärt that exist alongside of his compositional voice would be to disregard half of the mystery that
surrounds him. Pärt’s music, regardless of the listener’s religious preference, has reached an
international audience, and brought him to the forefront of concert music in the world today.
Whether it is the objectivity of his harmonic language, or the subjectivity of his introspective silence
21
See Henryk Gorecki and John Tavener, with whom Pärt is commonly grouped (as “holy minimalists”.) Gorecki’s “Totus
Tuus”, or Taveners “Funeral Ikon” or “the Whale”.
51
that captures the heart and soul of the listener, Pärt has made it clear that his tintinnabulation
technique is a timeless consideration of western harmony, absent of categorization, and to be treated
with distinct care and reverence.

a
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cowgill, Rachel E. "'Sacred Music in Secular Times'; Arvo Pärt, an Anachronism in the Twentieth
Century?" Diss. 1989. Print.
Davison III, Joseph F. "Ancient Texts, New Voices." Diss. University of California, 2002. Diss. 26.
Print.
"Hesychasm." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesychasm>.
Hillier, Paul. Arvo Pärt. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.
Hillier, Paul. "Sounding Icons." Arvo Pärt. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1997. 15. Print.
Langager, Graeme. "The Tintinnabuli Compositional Style of Arvo Pärt." Diss. California State
University, 1997. Print.
Pärt, Arvo. Berliner Messe.1990. Rev 2002. Universal Edition, 2007. Print.
b
Pärt, Arvo. Fur Alina.1976. Universal Edition, 2007. Print.
Pinkerton II, David E. "Discovering the Music of Estonian Composer Arvo Pärt." Choral Journal
(1993). Print.
Roman, Hierodeacon. "The Phenomenon of Russian Church Bell Ringing /zvon/ / Returning of the
Bells." Returning of the Bells. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.danilovbells.com/bellsonrussia/publications_about_bells/the_phenomenon_of_
russian_church.html>.
"Russian Orthodox Bell Ringing." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Orthodox_bell_ringing>.
"Sanctus Bells Their History and Use in the Catholic Church by Matthew D. Herrera." Adoremus
Home Page. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://www.adoremus.org/0305SantusBells.html>.
"Tintinnabulation." David Pinkerton's Arvo Pärt Information Archive. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.arvopart.org/tintinnabulation.html>.
c
REFERENCE TEXTS
Kyrie (Latin):
Kyrie Eleison / Christe Eleison / Kyrie Eleison.
Kyrie (English):
Lord, have mercy. / Christ, have mercy. / Lord, have mercy.
Gloria (Latin):
Glória in excélsis Deo, et in terra pax homínibus bonae voluntátis. Laudámus te, benedícimus te,
adorámus te, glorificámus te, grátias ágimus tibi propter magnam glóriam tuam, Dómine Deus, Rex
cæléstis, Deus Pater omnípotens. Dómine Fili Unigénite, Iesu Christe, Dómine Deus, Agnus Dei, Fílius
Patris, qui tollis peccáta mundi, miserére nobis; qui tollis peccáta mundi, súscipe deprecatiónem nostram.
Qui sedes ad déxteram Patris, miserére nobis. Quóniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dóminus, tu solus
Altíssimus, Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spíritu: in glória Dei Patris. Amen.
Gloria (English):
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we
adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty
Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of
the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. you are seated at the right hand
of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most
High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Erster Alleluiavers (Latin):
Alleluia. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur et renovabis faciem terrae. Alleluia.

d
Erster Alleluiavers (English):
Alleluia. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Alleluia.
Zweiter Alleluiavers (Latin):
Alleluia. Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium: et tui amoris in ei ignem accende. Alleluia.
Zweiter Alleluiavers (English):
Alleluia. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful: and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Alleluia.
Veni Sancte Spiritus (Latin):
Veni, Sancte Spiritus, et emitte caelitus lucis tuae radium. Veni, pater pauperum, veni, dator munerum,
veni, lumen cordium. Consolator optime, dulcis hospes animae, dulce refrigerium. In labore requies, in
aestu temperies in fletu solatium. O lux beatissima, reple cordis intima tuorum fidelium. Sine tuo numine,
nihil est in homine, nihil est innoxium. Lava quod est sordidum, riga quod est arium, sana quod est
saucium. Flecte quod est rigidum, fove quod est frigidum, rege quod est devium. Da tuis fidelibus, in te
confidentibus, sacrum septenarium. Da virtutis meritum, da salutis exitum, da perenne gaudium, Amen,
Alleluia.
Veni Sancte Spiritus (English):
Come, Holy Spirit, send forth the heavenly radiance of your light. Come, father of the poor,
come giver of gifts, come, light of the heart. Greatest comforter, sweet guest of the soul, sweet consolation. In
labor, rest, in heat, temperance, in tears, solace. O most blessed light, fill the inmost heart of your faithful.
Without your divine will, there is nothing in man, nothing is harmless. Wash that which is unclean, water
that which is dry, heal that which is wounded. Bend that which is inflexible, warm that which is chilled,
make right that which is wrong. Give to your faithful, who rely on you, the sevenfold gifts. Give reward to
e
virtue, give salvation at our passing on, give eternal joy. Amen. Alleluia.
Credo (Latin):
Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium onmium et invisibilium.
Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum. Et ex Patre natum ante onmia saecula.
Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum, non factum, consubstantialem
Patri: per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem descendit de
coelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: Et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro
nobis; sub Pontio Pilato passus, et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas. Et ascendit in
coelum: sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est com Gloria judicare vivos et mortuos cujus regni
non erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem: qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui
cum Patre, et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et unam, sanctam,
catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et exspecto
resurrectionem mortuorum. Et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.
Credo (English):
I believe in one God, The Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and
invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ the Only-begotten Son of God. Born of the Father before all ages.
God of God, Light of Light, true God of True God. Begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father.
By whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And
became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary: and was made man. He was also crucified for us,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. And on the third day He rose again according to the
Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and
Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Who together with the Father and the Son is
adored and glorified, and who spoke through the prophets. And one holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I
f
confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the
world to come. Amen.
Sanctus (Latin):
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Sanctus (English):
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Agnus Dei (Latin):
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Agnus Dei (English):
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
g
DISCOGRAPHY
Pärt, Arvo, Noel Edison, and Jurgen Petrenko. Berliner Messe. Naxos, 2004. CD.
Pärt, Arvo, Paul Hillier, and Christopher Bowers-Broadbent. I Am the True Vine: Berliner
Messe. Harmonia Mundi, 1999. CD.
Pärt, Arvo, Stephen Layton, Andrew Lucas, and Chris Guy. Berliner Messe - The Beatitudes;
Annum per Annum; Magnificat; Sieben Magnificat-antiphonen; De Profundis.
Hyperion, 1998. CD.
Pärt, Arvo, and Tönu Kaljuste. Te Deum. Silouans Song. Magnificat. Berliner Messe / Arvo
Pärt. ECM Records, 1993. CD.

Two Tangled Golden Threads Arvo Part His

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Two Tangled Golden Threads Arvo Part His

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

John Forrestal

For Boston University – Graduate School Application

TWO TANGLED GOLDEN THREADS: ARVO PÄRT, HIS TINTINNABULATION

TECHNIQUE, AND HIS BERLINER MESSE

II. Biography Pg. 1

III. Tintinnabulation, Pandiatonicism and Liturgical Bells Pg. 6

IV. The Berliner Messe and the Mass Ordinary Pg. 12

V. Analysis Techniques of the Berliner Messe… Pg. 14

VI. The Berliner Messe Pg. 21

3. Erster / Zweiter Alleluiavers Pg. 29

4. Veni Sancte Spiritus Pg. 34

7. Agnus Dei Pg. 45

VII. The Berliner Messe, Arvo Pärt and Minimalism Pg. 47

VIII. Final Notes on the Berliner Messe Pg. 49

Example 1, Arvo Pärt, “Fur Alina”, mm.1-3 Pg. 5

Example 2, Fundamental Elements of a Liturgical Bell Pg. 7

Example 3, Comparison of shapes between Liturgical Bells Pg. 8

Example 4, André Lehr, “Hedendaagse Nederlandse Klokkengietkunst", Pg. 10

Generalized harmonics of a liturgical bell

Example 5, Comparison of Pärt’s “Berliner Messe” and the Pg. 13

Mass Ordinary of the Roman Rite

Example 6, Letter/Number Notation Pg. 15

Example 7, Cipher Notation Pg. 15

Example 8, Cipher Notation - Repeated Notes Pg. 16

Example 9, “H” chords used in tintinnabulating voices Pg. 17

Example 10, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, mm.15-20 Pg. 18

(soprano and alto voices)

as is written in published score)

Example 13a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Kyrie, mm.2-4 Pg. 21

Example 13b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Kyrie, mm.4-7 Pg. 22

in relation to number of voices

Example 14a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Gloria, mm.1-12 Pg. 26

Tintinnabulation, Alto/Soprano Voices

Tintinnabulation, Alto/Soprano Voices

Row Design mm.1-14, Bass voice

completion of incompleted row by derivative of mm.101-104

Example 17b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Credo, mm.13-20, Pg. 41

Example 18a, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Sanctus, mm.1-7 Pg. 43

Example 19b, Arvo Pärt, “Berliner Messe”, Agnus Dei, Pg. 47

“dona nobis pacem” (contrary motion)

century. His compositional voice is an amalgamation of his religious foundation, a modernistic

really had no other option.”1

helped him as a composer.”2

Conservatory in 1963, he was already considered to have enough of a foundation to be a

Berlin in the following year.

Franco-Flemish Renaissance music, from composers such as Johannes Ockeghem, Guillame de

relevance to the 20th and 21st centuries:

dynamic and motionless.”5

upon in further detail, and exemplified in his Berliner Messe.

Example 1, Arvo Pärt, “Fur Alina”, mm.1-3

III. Tintinnabulation, Pandiatonicism and Liturgical Bells

the outer surfaces affecting overtones and projection.

Example 2, Fundamental Elements of a Liturgical Bell

Example 3, Comparison of shapes between Liturgical Bells

a rounded flare on the outside being the most notable differences.

related to heaven. Hierodeacon Roman of the Danilov Monastery writes:

sonority, in the depth.”11

“Tintinnabulation is an area I sometimes wander into when I am searching for answers - in

overtones and resonance in music for granted.

IV. The Berliner Messe and the Mass Ordinary

a key scheme for the overall Mass.

Key Scheme G G G Ionian E Aeolian E Aeolian E C-Sharp C-Sharp

influence of Gregorian Chant (a predominantly Western European form of plainchant, which