Scriabin's Octatonic Sonata

Author(s): Cheong Wai-Ling

Reviewed work(s):
Source: Journal of the Royal Musical Association, Vol. 121, No. 2 (1996), pp. 206-228
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of the Royal Musical Association
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Journal of the Royal Musical Association, 121 (1996)

Scriabin's Octatonic Sonata

CHEONG WALLING

THE first of an uninterrupted series of piano works to follow the

orchestral Prometheus, op. 60 (1908-10), Scriabin's Sixth Sonata, op. 62
(1911), is a striking example of what may be termed an 'octatonic sonata'.
Indeed, the Sixth Sonata shows Scriabin experimenting with the octatonic
at its most rigid and is unique in containing long spans of pure octatonic
writing where not a single extraneous note is invoked. In contrast to the
Fifth Sonata, op. 53 (1907), which is closely associated with the Poem of
Ecstasy, op. 54 (1905-8), the Sixth Sonata has only loose ties with Pro-
metheus. The work is in fact much more closely related to the neglected
Poeme-Nocturne,op. 61 (1911), in which Scriabin first began to experiment
with the combination of sonata principles and octatonicism. In the Poeme-
Nocturne he still draws heavily on the mystic chord and the pairing of
this hexad with its octatonic counterpart.' With the Sixth Sonata,
however, Scriabin creates a sonata-form structure which displays pure
octatonic writing to an unprecedented extent, and the all-pervading mystic
chord of Prometheus now appears only infrequently.2
But the question as to how Scriabin's new-found fascination with
the octatonic stands in relation to the sonata-form design remains
understated. Richard Taruskin, making a passing remark in 'Chernomor
to Kashchei', suggests that 'in a work like the Sixth Sonata... the three
octatonic sets are referential collections, functionally akin to keys in
the traditional sense'.3 Elaborating elsewhere on the same issue, he adds
that
a detailed analysis of the Seventh Sonata ... would show how Scriabin con-
ceptualized the three octatonic collections as contrasting keys ... with the first
collection of reference standing quite obviously as primusinterpares,since it
is alwaysin that 'key'that closures are made ... [The sonata's]region of stability
is centered not around a single tone but around a symmetricallyapportioned
'complexesonore'.4
' The
mystic chord shares with its maximally related octatonic hexad (set 6-Z49) five pitch
classes (pcs). The remaining two - one from each hexad - are semitonally related and are very
often articulated as a chromatic inflection with motivic significance. See, for example, bars 1-3
and 5-7.
2 That the Sixth Sonata is the most octatonic among Scriabin's sonata output is based on
a survey of pure octatonic writing lasting four or more consecutive bars: of its 386 bars, 227
(58.8%) are purely octatonic in basis. The 343-bar-long Seventh Sonata, op. 64 (1911), comes
next, with its gamut of pure octatonic passages adding up to 155 bars (45.2%). If we take into
account Scriabin's entire oeuvre, however, Guirlandes,op. 73/1 (1914), impresses us as most
astoundingly octatonic, for up to 48 (73.8%) of its 65 bars display sheer octatonicism.
' Richard
Taruskin, 'Chernomor to Kashchei: Harmonic Sorcery; or, Stravinsky's "Angle"',
Journal of the American Musicological Society, 38 (1985), 72-142 (p. 99).
4 Taruskin, review of James M. Baker, The Music of Alexander Scriabin (New Haven and
London, 1986), Music TheorySpectrum,10 (1988), 143-69 (p. 160).
SCRIABIN'SOCTATONICSONATA 207

Yet Scriabin's Seventh Sonata ends not with the opening octatonic col-
lection but with a mystic chord in arpeggiation (bars 335-43). While
Taruskin's claim that the three octads assume key-like functions remains,
broadly speaking, verifiable, a 'detailed analysis' of this sonata would in
fact reveal features which do not fall neatly in line with his speculation.
This notion of an 'octatonic sonata' obviously needs refinement, and a
study of various technical problems involved in the actual composing-
out of extended passages of pure octatonicism, where an octatonic reading
is at its least controversial, should prove beneficial. Scriabin's Sixth Sonata
is therefore singled out in the following discussion of this octatonic-form
issue.5 Central to the argument is the postulation that the sonata-form
framework is articulated not only through the three octatonic collections
but, more importantly, through a systematic exploration of other hierar-
chical possibilities inherent in the octatonic domain. Clinging to the idea
of a focal root, Scriabin splits each of the three collections into inter-
related hierarchical structures that revolve around different notes. Thus
not only is the Sixth Sonata centred around 'a symmetrically apportioned
"complexesonore" ', but pace Taruskin, also around 'a single tone'.

I
The highest note of the Sixth Sonata (d""' in bar 365) is unobtainable
on the piano. In his edition of the work for Edition Peters, Gfinter Philipp
remarks that in the absence of this note Scriabin, according to contem-
porary witnesses, would substitute the note c ""'.6 But why then should
d""' be used at all? What is the rationale behind Scriabin's use of a note
that is simply not there? There are obviously factors that go beyond merely
sonic considerations. Bar 365 - the one involving the 'non-existent' note
- marks the start of a passage (bars 365-86) which draws exclusively on
the octatonic collection (G, Aq, BM,B, Cq, D, E, F). The replacement of
d""' by c""' would upset this exclusiveness by introducing a single non-
octatonic note. In addition the series of tetrads presented in bars 365-9
is a strict transposition of that in bars 330-4: these tetrads are tritonally
related, and the one containing the top d""' (bar 365) is a strict trans-
position of the Ab in bar 330. Needless to say, this tritonal relationship
would be distorted by the omission of the d""' or by the replacement
of this note by any other note. In real-time listening, the difference
between d""' and c""' at this point of the structure may seem rather
trivial. Nevertheless, Scriabin's retention of d""' does suggest that he rates
structural integrity, which exists in this case only in the abstract, above
aural effect.

5 Both Claude Herndon, 'Skryabin's New Harmonic Vocabulary in his Sixth Sonata', Jour-
nal of MusicologicalResearch,4 (1983), 353-68, and Herbert H. Wise Jr, 'The Relationship of Pitch
Sets to Formal Structure in the Last Six Piano Sonatas of Scriabin' (Ph.D. dissertation, Univer-
sity of Rochester, 1987), analyse Scriabin's Sixth Sonata. While the former focuses on the domi-
nant quality of Scriabin's harmonies, the latter relies much on the use of 'classical' set theory.
But neither of them thoroughly explores the relationship between Scriabin's use of the octatonic
and his articulation of the sonata form - or even, indeed, the all-important structural role played
by 8-28 in this work.
6
Alexander Scriabin, AusgewahlteKlavierwerke,vi, ed. Giinter Philipp (Leipzig, 1972), 29.
208 WALLING
CHEONG

Thematically, the Sixth Sonata, replete with three themes of distinct

melodic content (see Example 1), displays typical features of a nineteenth-
century sonata-form design. Table 1 shows its overall formal layout. As
will readily be seen, the work owes its structural symmetry to transposed
repetition. The recapitulation is a slightly varied transposition (at t-2)
of the exposition.7 The transposition of the first and third themes is
mostly literal, with only some changes of figuration and register. The
second theme of the recapitulation is, however, curtailed, being more
akin to the latter half of that of the exposition. The high degree of repeti-
tion yielded by the ic28 relationship between the exposition and the
recapitulation is compensated by the florid embellishment of the second
theme in the recapitulation and, more importantly, by a coda which in-
cludes less closely related thematic material.
In order to determine whether the use of different octatonic collec-
tions has any bearing on the articulation of the sonata form, it is necessary

Example 1. Principal melodic ideas.

figure Al
figure Al.1

itrange,ailM figure A1.2

3 6
r

figureA2
contenue
avecunechaleur
1-
A I

figure Bi

figure B1.1 figure B1.2

le riveprendforme(clar1, douceur,pureti)

l~r •.• lI • • ....

•:;" ' l l'l

7 Tn and t-n indicate transposition up and down by n semitones respectively.

8 The interval class of two semitones is abbreviated as 'ic2'. In this study, interval classes
will be specified by the number of semitones involved.
SCRIABIN'S OCTATONIC SONATA 209

TABLE 1

FORM AND DISTRIBUTIONOF AREAS OF PURE OCTATONICISM

area of pure octatonicism

no. of octatonic
bar no. bars collection

Exposition 1st theme (bars 1-38)

2nd theme (bars 39-82) 47-52 6 III
55-8 4 I
65-127 63 III
3rd theme (bars 82-123)

Development (bars 124-205) 128-35 8 II

141-4 4 I
145-52 8 III

Recapitulation 1st theme (bars 206-43)

2nd theme (bars 244-68) 253-319 67 I
3rd theme (bars 268-300)

Coda (bars 301-86) 320-5 6 III

326-9 4 II
330-54 25 I
355-60 6 III
361-4 4 II
365-86 22 I

to establish the extent of pure octatonic writing over the structure as

a whole. At this point it becomes useful to distinguish between 'pure
and 'contaminated' octatonic writing. Table 1 shows the distribution of
areas of pure octatonicism. Here only the exclusive use of an octatonic
collection in a succession of four or more bars is listed. The three oc-
tatonic collections are designated as collections I, II and III.9
The two most extended spans, starting in bars 65 and 253 respec-
tively, which draw exclusively on a single octatonic collection,10 do not
assume obvious formal function, though they fall mainly within the 'boun-
daries' of the second and third themes as stated in exposition and
recapitulation." Indeed, each of the two bars in question marks the
start of a passage where both the exposition and the recapitulation

9 Collections I, II and III refer to the octads (1,2,4,5,7,8,10,11), (0,2,3,5,6,8,9,11) and (0,1,3,
4,6,7,9,10) respectively.
o1 Taruskin notes that bars 64-127, 166-235 and 252-319 of the Sixth Sonata are 'wholly
referable to each of the three octatonic collections in turn'. However, bars 64 and 252 compose
out the mystic chord and contain in them the non-octatonic Aband F# respectively. Bars 166-235,
which draw mainly on collection II, employ a fair number of non-octatonic pcs. See Taruskin,
'Chernomor to Kashchei', 99.
" Both statements of the second theme in
exposition and recapitulation adhere to one col-
lection, with the exception of brief digressions, while those of the third theme (exposition and
recapitulation) remain stricLiy octatonic throughout.
210 CHEONG
WAI-LING

become strictly confined to the eight pcs of an octatonic collection. Since,

as has been stated, the recapitulation is basically a transposed restate-
ment of the exposition, this pair of octatonic spans is largely t-2 related.
Directly preceded by a quartally spaced mystic chord (see bars 64 and
252; see Example 2), each of them extends for well over 60 bars. In the
exposition, the span based purely on collection III takes up very nearly
70% of the second and third theme areas (approximately 50% of the
exposition). This situation is exaggerated in the recapitulation, where
the span based purely on collection I takes up more than 80% of the
area covered by the second and third themes (slightly over 50% of the
recapitulation). Thus the distribution of pure octatonicism, set here
against formal and thematic considerations, suggests collections III and
I as principal pc matrices of these theme areas.

Example 2. Figure B1.2 and its closing mystic chord.

mystic chord

62

AtIl
1dl

PM-
67
7-

But none of these spans, impressive as they are, prepares us for the
sheer extent of octatonic writing which lies ahead. As Table 1 shows, the
coda extends the octatonic writing of the second and third themes into
a new formal section, and this creates a strikingly vast area of pure
octatonicism occupying the final 134 bars of the sonata. In other words,
from bar 253 onward, non-octatonic notes are completely eliminated from
what amounts to well over a third of the work. Pure octatonic writing
may be taken to be a stabilizing factor. Apart from the development, the
endings of the exposition and recapitulation are both marked by an 'un-
contaminated' octatonic passage of significant length. And the coda, which
constitutes a fourth major section of the sonata in terms of time-span,
is purely octatonic throughout.
In so far as it consists of a succession of octatonic passages, each of
which draws exclusively on a single collection, the coda sets the three
octads in rotation. But there is a marked preponderance of collection
I. Occupying none other than the opening, middle and concluding parts
of the coda, collection I assumes 66 out of a total of 86 bars. The coda's
dependence on collection I, together with the second and third themes'
48-bar-long insistence on the same collection, renders it the referential
collection for the closing 134 bars of the sonata.
So far our estimation of the Sixth Sonata's exploitation of the octatonic
has been based solely on pure octatonicism lasting four or more con-
secutive bars. The first theme does not contain any significant span of
SCRIABIN'S OCTATONIC SONATA 211

pure octatonic writing and is thus bypassed. Obviously it does not follow
that the first theme is necessarily non-octatonic. Indeed, collection I is
extensively employed at the outset and its ongoing predominance only
occasionally disrupted by, for instance, the appearance of collection III
at bars 14 and 30 to yield what Pieter van den Toorn refers to as a 'ter-
minating convenience'." But the reading of the first theme as referen-
tial to collection I remains controversial owing to the presence of
non-octatonic notes, even though they are only sparingly used. Never-
theless this somewhat precarious analytical position is considerably saved
by the fact that the distribution of non-octatonic pcs in the Sixth Sonata
bears distinct relation to its surface configurations:

(1) Most non-octatonic pcs are embedded in figures A1.2, A2 and B1.2 (see
Example 1). These figures always bring along non-octatonic pcs and are
strictly excluded where pure octatonic writing prevails.'3
(2) Wholly excluded from the bass, all non-octatonic notes are either linearly
resolved or embedded in a mystic chord. The stable prqjection of a non-
octatonic note occurs only in association with the mystic chord. All other
non-octatonic pcs appear in the capacity of non-harmonic notes, assum-
ing conventional voice-leading roles by, for example, filling in ic2-related
octatonic pcs to act as 'chromatic' passing notes.14
While the reading of the first theme as based primarily on collection I
remains hypothetical, the fact that non-octatonic pcs, except those con-
tributing to the mystic chords, appear intermittently, only to take up
rather peripheral roles amidst sweeping spans of pure octatonicism, in
the sonata does add strength to the argument.
Assuming that collection I, pure or otherwise, is the prime reference
of the first theme in the exposition and of the second and third themes
in the recapitulation, the conventional sonata principle of recasting the
recapitulation in the tonic key is at least partially observed. The exposi-
tion adopts as the principal pc matrices of its themes the t2-related col-
lections I and III. By restating the exposition a tone lower, collections
II and I become the recapitulation's corresponding pair of principal pc
matrices15 and the whole succession of octatonic collections constitutes
a systematic rotation of the three octads (see Table 2).16 Diametrically

"1 The placement of a V-I-like progression at bars 13-14 and 29-30, unobtainable within
one octatonic collection, has probably induced a transient display of collection III. Van den
Toorn refers to this use of extraneous pitch material to facilitate the formation of a V-I-like
cadential gesture as a kind of 'terminating convenience'. See Pieter van den Toorn, The Music
of Igor Stravinsky (New Haven and London, 1983), 332.
"'
Apart from the coda, areas of pure octatonicism are saturated with figure B1.1 and, to
a lesser extent, figure Al.1.
14 The distinction, within an octatonic idiom, between 'harmonic' and 'non-harmonic'
notes, unlike the segmentation of the surface of the music into literal aggregates, allows for
the presence of non-set notes. See Jay Reise, 'Late Skriabin: Some Principles Behind the Style',
19th Century Music, 6 (1983), 220-31 (pp. 225-6), and George Perle, 'Scriabin's Self-Analyses',
Music Analysis, 3 (1984), 101-22 (pp. 102-5), for a similar reading of the normative status of
8-28 in Etrangete, op. 63/2 (1911), and the Prelude op. 74/3 (1914) respectively.
15 Compare a similar retention of the exposition's tonal scheme in Schubert's well-known
subdominant recapitulation.
"' A similar arrangement underlies the Seventh Sonata. Miniatures like Guirlandes and
Etrangete, among others, also set the three collections in rotation.
212 CHEONG
WAI-LING

TABLE 2

ROTATION OF THE THREE OCTATONIC COLLECTIONS

principal pc matrix principal pc matrix

Exposition collection III 1st theme collection I

2nd and 3rd
themes collection III
Development collection II
Recapitulation collection I 1st theme collection II
2nd and 3rd
themes collection I
Coda collection I

opposed to Dahlhaus's claim that 'it is impossible to contrast subordinate

theme with principal theme by means of some characteristic transposi-
tion which would be analogous to the tonal contrast found in tonally-
based sonata form',17 the limited transpositions of the octatonic collec-
tion are shown here to relate closely to a sonata form's thematic
organization.
Remarkably, the same rotation which spans the sonata is mirrored on
a small scale in the coda18 (see Table 1) and there is also conspicuous
mapping of these three collections onto the sonata's tripartite formal
design (see Table 2). Different collections are made prominent in ex-
position, development and recapitulation, and collection I again appears
as the goal of the rotation. Despite collection I's dominion over the first
theme, the second and third themes' insistence on collection III proves
to be more prevalent in the exposition as a whole. As the recapitulation
unfolds as t-2 of the exposition, the structural primacy of collection III
is taken over by collection I. Collection II is seemingly left to be exploited
in the contrasting development section,19 where collection I, the 'tonal'
goal of the work, appears least frequently. The development contains
by far the largest number of non-octatonic pcs, again attributable in most
cases to figures A1.2, A2 and B1.2, and the most rapid change of octatonic
collections. From bar 166 onward, however, collection II is almost ex-
clusively employed. Scriabin's dedication of about half of the develop-
ment to mostly one octatonic collection is unusual even by his standard.
Despite this rather restricted use of pc material, these include some of
the most exciting passages of the sonata, leading up to the dramatic ar-
rival of the recapitulation.

" Carl
Dahlhaus, 'Structure and Expression in the Music of Scriabin', Schoenberg and the New
Music, trans. Derrick Puffett (Cambridge, 1987), 201-9 (p. 206).
18 The coda's rotative use of the three octads also relates closely to a whole-tone transposi-
tion scheme. See section III below for a detailed discussion of this scheme.
19 The development restates the first and second themes (formerly associated with the pro-
longation of collections I and III respectively) at some length, though in reverse order and in
support of a sustained adherence to the outstanding collection II.
SCRIABIN'S
OCTATONIC
SONATA 213
That the recapitulation emerges as a t-2 restatement of the exposi-
tion is in sharp contrast with traditional sonata principles. Although it
summons the orderly reprise of first, second and third themes, the prin-
cipal pc matrix of the first theme (exposition) returns only for the second
and third themes (recapitulation). Theoretically, however, this can readily
be achieved by composing all three themes at the same pitch level and
then transposing them down and up two semitones respectively to form
the first theme of the recapitulation and the second and third themes
of the exposition (see Table 3). Within an octatonic framework, this
ensures the rotative appearance of all three collections as well as the
ultimate recurrence of the opening octad.

TABLE 3

HYPOTHETICAL CONSTRUCTION SCHEME

first theme t-2--* first theme

(expo.) (recap.)

second and third -- t2 - second and third themes

themes (expo.) (recap.)

collection III - collection I - collection II

(principal pc (principal pc matrix of (principal pc
matrix of second first theme/expo. and matrix of first
and third second and third theme/recap.)
themes/expo.) themes/recap.)
I 1

II
The preceding discussion of Scriabin's Sixth Sonata has been based
primarily on the concept of octatonic collection. But, as I argued in
'Orthography in Scriabin's Late Works',20 the concept of 'octatonic
referent' (see Table 4)21 proves equally indispensable in any in-depth
discussion of his octatonic usage and, indeed, the Sixth Sonata's huge

20 Cheong Wai-ling, 'Orthography in Scriabin's Late Works', Music Analysis, 12 (1993), 47-69
(pp. 49-56).
"' An octatonic referent is, in essence, an octatonic collection with a built-in hierarchy. One
of its eight pcs assumes a tonic-like status to which others are subordinate. An important aspect
of this hierarchy resides in its orthography - an asymmetric spelling pattern which singles out
one of its four 'triadic roots' as the centre. The pattern arranges all seven letters as an ascen-
ding scale, with the same letter occupying the third and fourth positions, and thus alludes in-
evitably to the conventional major and minor scales. There are therefore only three octatonic
collections but 12 octatonic referents and more if we include other enharmonic possibilities.
To facilitate discussion, the eight members of an octatonic referent will be named degrees i,
ii, iii, etc., and each of the 12 octatonic referents specified by i. For example, the octatonic
referents (Cs,D,E,Eg,Fx,G4,Ay,B) and (E,F,G,G(>,A,,B,C#,D) will be called 8-28 on CG and 8-28
on E respectively.
214 CHEONG
WAI-LING

TABLE 4

OCTATONIC COLLECTIONS AND OCTATONIC REFERENTS

octatonic collection octatonic referent

8-28 on i (i, ii, iii, iv, v,vi, vii, viii)

Collection I (1,2,4,5,7,8,10,11) 8-28 on C# (C#,D,E,E#,Fx,G#,A#,B)

8-28 on E (E,F,G,G,A#,B,C:,D)
8-28 on G (G,Ab,Bb,B,C#,D,E,F)
8-28 on Bb (Bb,Cb,Db,D,E,F,G,Ab)
Collection II (0,2,3,5,6,8,9,11) 8-28 on D (D,Eb,F,F#,G,A,B,C)
8-28 on F
8-28 on G6 (F,Gb,A,,A,B,C,D,Eb)
(Gg,A,B,B#,Cx,D#,E,F )
8-28 on B (B,C,D,D#,E#,F#,G#,A)
Collection III (0,1,3,4,6,7,9,10) 8-28 on C (C,Db,Eb,E,F#,G,A,Bb)
8-28 on Eb (Eb,Fb,Gb,G,A,Bb,C,Db)
8-28 on F#
8-28 on A (F#,G,A,A#,B#,C#,D,,E)
(A,Bb,C,Cs,D#,E,F#,G)

spans of pure octanicism split rather dramatically into consecutive

segments of different octatonic referents in the light of this concept (see
Table 5). While we come across a complete octatonic referent only in-
frequently,22 any pcs omitted are often provided by its ic3- or ic6-related
counterpart to complete an octatonic collection. From a different perspec-
tive, structures derived from an octatonic referent can be transposed to
yield extended spans of pure octatonic writing, engaging as a result a
series of ic3- and/or ic6-related octatonic referents.
Bars 92-101, 23an excerpt from the Sixth Sonata's first extended span
of pure octatonic writing, illustrate such a flow of pure octatonicism from
two closely related blocks (henceforth M and N) which, together with their
variants (M' and N'), always employ degrees i, ii, iv, v, vii and viii (set
6-Z49 on i)24 of an octatonic referent (see Example 3). Obviously, it
takes only two ic3- or ic6-related blocks to engender all members of an
octatonic collection. But here quite a few more leaps of three semitones
are undertaken to set up an ascent (see Table 5).25 The initial hesitation
and subsequent acceleration of this series of t3s, typically Scriabinesque
in conception, create a sense of urgency that is further heightened by
the gradual elimination of M-type blocks. Block N' eventually goes through
a circle of minor thirds, the completion of which starts a new phase; an
octatonic referent (8-28 on C), linearly displayed, now unfolds in the treble
most forcefully (bars 108-14).
2' A
passage (block E) composing out all eight pcs of an octatonic referent appears only in
the coda (see Table 6).
23 Bars 92-101 constitute the second phase of the third theme (exposition). See section IV
below for a discussion of its counterpart in the recapitulation.
24 This hexad is described as 6-Z49 'on i' in order to distinguish it from its ic3- or
ic6-related counterparts derivable from the same octatonic referent.
25
Forward drives as such are repeatedly forged in this sonata by similar arrangement of t3s.
SCRIABIN'S OCTATONIC SONATA 215

TABLE 5

REGULATED TRANSPOSITION OF M- AND N-TYPE BLOCKS: BARS 92-101

bar block set octatonic referent octatonic collection

92 M(tO) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on A III p*

93 N(tO) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on C
94 M(t3) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on C
95 N(t3) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on Eb

96 M'(tO) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on A

97 N'(tO) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on C
98 M'(t3) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on C
99 N'(t3) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on Eb

100 N'(t6) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on F#

101 N'(t9) 6-Z49 on i 8-28 on A

* Pure and 'contaminated' octatonic as 'p' and 'c' respectively.

writings are abbreviated

Example 3. Blocks M, N and their referential 6-Z49 on i.

block M block N
92

1--1

6-Z49on A
A- 6-Z49on C

i ii iii iv v vi vii viii

8-28 on A i ii iii iv v vi vii viii
8-28 on C
216 CHEONG
WAI-LING

Owing to the repetitive nature of this excerpt, we could of course argue

that the different spellings and hence the different octatonic referents
are simply by-products of t3s. However, the Sixth Sonata also displays
a host of different configurations based on exactly the same hexad (see
Example 4). Even though they often contain figure B1.1,26 Scriabin's
preference for 6-Z49 on i and the orthographic consistency can hardly
be explained on the simple ground of transposition.27 Both figure B1.1
and this hexad dominate the two most extended pure octatonic spans
(bars 65-127 and 253-319) to a near obsessive extent. Not surprisingly,
the Sixth Sonata concludes with the all-pervading B1.1 and 6-Z49 on i
(see Example 4). But what I find most striking is not so much the ubiquity
of B1.1 as the fact that it stays intervallically intact, adopting almost in-
variably degrees i, ii, iv, v and vii of an octatonic referent, despite its
many occurrences.28
The tight control of scale degrees and hence intervallic shape associated
with figure B1.1 is also a hallmark of other important melodic ideas
(figures A1.1, A1.2, A2 and B1.2) of this work. These figures are, at times,
embellished, but their basic shapes and composite scale degrees remain
something Scriabin retains.29 This rigidity, which springs not least from
the haughty presence of a governing pc matrix, carries important
implications - thematic transformation and other developmental tech-
niques often need to be sacrificed.
In a work which pursues octatonicism with such rigour, it is not sur-
prising that the restriction imposed on the linear dimension applies to
the vertical one as well. Ideas which bear thematic importance not only
retain their melodic shapes but their harmonic settings are also highly
standardized. This approach surely corresponds to the Sixth Sonata's
heavy reliance on repetition, but again this cannot be the only explana-
tion. The many recurrences of figure A1.1 show that this is also a distinct
compositional decision.
Figure A1.1, first stated at bar 13 as part of figure Al, is accompanied
by dominant-type chords which lie a tritone apart. The splitting of figure
Al into A1.1 and A1.2, which appear independently, does not alter its
basic harmonic setting. Curiously, even the harmonic setting of the inter-
vallically altered AI.1' remains intact, its framing notes being similarly
harmonized as the 'third' and 'root' of the respective dominant-type
chords (see Example 5). This is a strong sign indeed that the thematic
material of this work no longer lends itself to free moulding. The crux
of the musical flow shifts decisively towards resourceful variations in the
patterning of 'precomposed' blocks. Ideas that have hitherto been stated
26 Figure B 1.1, marked 'le rave prend forme' when it first appears at bars 39-42, is. indeed,
the figure most actively involved in fleshing out the sonata.
27 For a distinct use of octatonic referents in cases where such linkage with a transposition
scheme is without its place, see also Cheong, 'Orthography in Scriabin's Late Works', 49-52.
28 This rigour is, however, coupled with much more relaxed rhythmic treatment; B1.1 ap-
pears as an arching melodic idea or, at times, a fast-moving figure, generating arabesques and
accompaniment material. Compare the use of figure B1.1 in, for instance, bars 39-45, 126-7
and 170-4.
29 Only figure A1.1 shows a slight change in contour on two occasions when its first inter-
val is expanded from ic2 (mod 12) to ic5 (mod 12). This altered version (henceforth A1.1') makes
possible the successive t3 of both A.l' and A1.2 (see Example 5).
SCRIABIN'S OCTATONIC SONATA 217

00
06
L
'"

_o _
. . rll

o
!-4;III1
__ _ 0

C00
Ob
00 b43 00

%J If I

cb 1U
:=
0 I

N
.........I CH~
L I I.

I
........
0
"?

At I

"-- i
0
?d
+,.a
:•3
IIC'
Sd
-I#

?
218 WAI-LING
CHEONG

Example 5. Harmonic settings of figures A1.1 and A1.1'.

23 66

figure Al.1 figure AI.1 figure A l.1

figure
A1.2.

10) on G ( on F (0,4,7,10) on Bb (0,4,7,10) on Bb

(0,4,7,10,1) on C# (0,4,10,1) on E (0,4,10,1) on E

176 L3

S6 1--
r---6

3
33 3 3

figure Al.1' figure Al.1'

figure A1.2

(0,4,7,10) on F (0,4,7,1) on D (0,4,7,10) on Ab (0,4,7,1) on F

SCRIABIN'S OCTATONIC SONATA 219

independently become juxtaposed or superimposed to create variety,

though these combinations remain severely strained by an overriding
concern to stay safely within self-imposed pc confines. Complexity comes
mainly through an additive process and, understandably, this is most pro-
minently carried out in the development.
Bykov's remark that Scriabin's manuscripts contain empty bars with
indications of harmonies"3 is suggestive of a compositional approach
captivated by such patterning of blocks. And though the question as to
how Scriabin annotated the empty bars remains unaddressed, in a work
as highly repetitive as the Sixth Sonata, if only the block type and oc-
tatonic referent be jotted down, he can surely fill in the details at a later
stage. A finishing touch may then be added to smooth out the voice-
leading at various junctures by, for instance, introducing extraneous pcs.
Yet junctures as such are not always smoothed out; often, blocks of
material are simply juxtaposed. Meanwhile, syntactic connection between
blocks, established contextually through repetition, takes on importance
and the adherence to or violation of the syntax becomes a crucial part
of his musical expression. Taking a cue from Hans Keller's remark on
'the Russian love of repetition, the ability to make repetition mean-
ingful',"' Taruskin points out that Scriabin favoured
cut-and-pastedevelopments and recapitulations, in which measures, phrases,
indeed whole periods were repeated in different parts of the 'structure' at
all kinds of varied transpositions (some 'classical',others decidedly un-),hardly
everjoined by new transitions.This is not simply bad composing, though those
whose criteria are formed on Brahms and Berg will undoubtedly feel justified
in calling it that; it is Russian composing, and it is the source of that famous
Stravinskian'method',whose 'progress'was traced so provocativelyby Edward
Cone.-2
Taruskin is surely right in stressing the inappropriateness of setting up
the kind of structural organicism exemplified by the theoretical writings
of Schenker or Schoenberg's notion of developing variation as the highest
ideal and 'measuring' Russian music against it. But cutting and pasting
is by no means typical of 'developments and recapitulations' per se. The
Sixth Sonata's coda, where this approach is most vigorously at work,
reveals how an impressively extended span of pure octatonicism grows
out of the cutting and pasting of a small number of blocks (henceforth
blocks P, X, Y, Z and E; see Example 6), and provides us with a close-up
view of Scriabin's adaptation of the Russian heritage.

III
The coda is marked by a quick turn of gestures; repetitions abound and
there is a notable lack of long-stretched melodic material. Owing largely
to the abrupt juxtaposition of gestures that are both figuratively and
registrally distinct, the coda is heard as a succession of blocks. In so far

so See Faubion Bowers, The New Scriabin (London, 1974), 149.

3' Hans Keller, 'Shostakovich's Twelfth Quartet'.Ienmpo, 94 (1970), 6-15 (p. 8).
32 Taruskin, review of Baker, The Music of Alexander Scriabin, 166.
220 CHEONG
WAI-LING

Example 6. Blocks P, X, Y and Z (complete) and block E (upper parts

only).

block Y
block P block X

block Z
(blockY)
307 -
-

block E (subsection 1)
8--------------------------1

8.--------.---. .

330

-4.F
SCRIABIN'S OCTATONIC SONATA 221

Example 6 (cont.)
block E (subsection 2)
8.----------------------------------------------------------------------

365

8--------------------------1

370"
A 64
6f* ! m

as configurations are concerned, most of them stay intact. At a higher

level, the syntax governing the succession of blocks is also curiously fixed
(see Table 6). Thus block P is invariably followed by block X and block
Y by the cadential Z-type block.33 There is not much in the way of fluid
change of material. Quite on the contrary, this huge span of pure octa-
tonicism depends heavily on the cutting and pasting of very well-defined
and often compact blocks. Continuity is repeatedly barred, though it is
secured at a higher level through the projection of an arching whole-
tone ascent (of which more below).
A neatly organized rotation of the octatonic collection, as shown in
Table 6, underlies the coda. This rotation may in turn be related to a
transposition plan which works in coordination with the cutting and
pasting of blocks. At the outset of the coda, blocks X, P, X, Y and Z appear
as a group based exclusively on collection I. This group of blocks then
recurs and soon afterwards engages in a whole-tone transposition scheme.
As it is twice transposed up a tone, all three octatonic collections are
presented in order. Concurrently, though, there is a systematic cut in the
number of blocks involved. Emerging at tO,t2 and t4 (this can be extended
to t6 if we take into consideration the pair of triadic structures articulated
in the treble of block E), block Y is most unambiguously involved in this
whole-tone transposition scheme. But block X, which has preceded the
opening statements of block Y, is later on discarded. Thus the series of
blocks X outlines a broken pattern, featuring only tO and t2 (t6 also if
we include the pair of tritones articulated in the bass of block E). Through
the gradual wearing away of blocks, a Z-type block has at last come to
precede block Y directly. This setting up of a sequence of gestures which
later on undergoes systematic elimination is again typically Scriabinesque.
The syntactic relationship is established only to be disrupted. The pro-
gressive elimination of blocks creates an accelerandoand this couples with
" The
Z-type block consists of four variants (blocks Z, Z', Z", Z'") which share similar
melodic material. In Table 6 the suffixes '. 1' and '.2' are added to designate the opening ascent
and closing hexad of a Z-type block.
222 CHEONGxWAI-LING

ell PI P l PC.

0 0
CC 00 C 00 0
Cr
cl
00
C
oc ocU
4 r;q

3 c oc o

C,4 n NN LN v N c,

Cr z
H ~oN o t o O
C\
4--+ Cd 4--d 4--d 4--d
4--d 4--d
OOO~
H NN
4-dz--z4-d4- N

=C

zz c, ci cx

I;:
4.Q
CaS 'P S ' j a C ?- m aG

p0 06 36 0
at cj C0 '3

N N n t~jz
4--d4--d 4--d4--
;<z 4,, 4
ocL ~c , Uc ~ c D
, G
c ,c

z Of f
OD D
SCRIABIN'S OCTATONIC SONATA 223

the underlying whole-tone ascent to help dramatize the prevailing sense

of urgency.
Extending from the first block X to the first block E is a rotation through
collections I, III, II and back to I. The rest of the coda is largely taken
up by a reprise of this span at the upper tritone. Thus the cyclic rotation
of collections is smoothly continued from what may be termed the coda's
subsection 1 (bars 301-35) to its subsection 2 (bars 336-69). While this
restatement is not literal down to the finest details, the alterations are,
with one significant exception,"• of relatively small import and come
only at its closing bars.35 Subsection 3 (bars 370-86), which reintroduces
the opening blocks of subsection I at the original pitch level, emerges
as the goal of the arching ascent. The coda has thus come full circle back
to its starting-point. The cut-and-paste approach is even more intensely
at work here. A slice of block E from the end of subsection 2 is now in-
serted between two statements of block X (see Example 7).3'"This sand-
wiched slice has earlier on been rid of its closing chord and the
D-Bb-Ab-E pattern articulated in its treble deprived of its closing E (see
Example 6). Appearing here in subsection 3, it upsets the syntax briefly,
though these blocks remain beautifully linked. The reiterating D and D-Bb
articulated in the treble of blocks X and Y respectively now join the sliced
block in crying out for the missing E. It is none the less withheld until
the end to be the closing note of the concluding flight (block Z"').

Example 7. Coda, subsection 3 (treble only).

block Z"'

block E
block X block X block Y
8
372 , 373 375 378

8-1•]m
moltoaccel.

Although the collectional shift relates closely to the whole-tone

transposition scheme, the coda defies an interpretation of the rotation
as wholly a corollary of this scheme. That the first collectional shift co-
incides with the closing hexad (6-Z50)17 of block Z' rather than t2 of

4 See below for a discussion of this exception.

s That a sextuplet rather than a quintuplet is articulated in the treble of block Z" (subsec-
tion 2) is only a trivial difference. It is none the less of considerable interest that an interchange
between this pair of blocks Z" would have created a much more regular whole-tone relation
among the Z-type blocks. This bit of 'irregularity', though, briefly relaxes the rather rigid scheme
of repetition.
36 This juxtaposition helps to establish block E as a derivation of blocks X and Y. The
tritonal and triadic material held in common by blocks X, Y and E are, for the first time, placed
in proximity at the same pitch level; they even embrace the same spelling pattern.
7 Apart from the Sixth Sonata, 6-Z50 also appears in Poeme-Nocturne, Poeme, op. 71/1 (1914),
and the Prelude op. 74/3 as an important punctuating chord, displaying a typical blend of triadic
and tritonal material, though its significance has never been noted before.
224 WAILING
CHEONG

blocks X and Y is a case in point. Block Z' starts off as a replica of block
Z, but its closing hexad is altered, inducing a sudden turn to collection
III. But this collectional shift is initiated not so much by a change in struc-
ture as by that in pitch level. For the closing hexads of blocks Z and Z',
though rather differently spaced, are t-4 related. This move, which stands
aloof from the overriding whole-tone plan, introduces precisely the same
change in octatonic content which is to come with the ensuing restate-
ment of blocks X and Y at the upper tone.
By far the most important deviation from the tritone relation forged
between subsections 1 and 2 lies with the unifying use of 8-28 on G in
the closing blocks E. The lower parts of these blocks are not, strictly speak-
ing, t6 related. And though their upper parts are t6 related to the extent
that even the 'non-existent' d ""' (bar 365) is incorporated, we note a
curious oddity in spelling. For until now the transposed restatement of
subsection 1 has always been accompanied by corresponding changes
in spelling, which in the case of these two blocks would have intro-
duced 8-28 on Db. Surely this retention of 8-28 on G carries some
significance.38
Despite the rotational shift of octatonic collections, as has been stated,
collection I comes to assume distinct temporal predominance in the coda
as a whole. More specifically, of the 66 bars of collection I only 19 draw
on 8-28 on Db, leaving all the rest to 8-28 on G (see Table 6). Quite apart
from pure statistical predominance, the importance of 8-28 on G is also
signified by the exclusive and prolonged use of this octatonic referent
at both the opening and ending of the coda. The above-mentioned
singular departure from the tritone transposition scheme, which adds
to the temporal predominance of 8-28 on G and renders it the closing
octatonic referent of all three subsections, further attests to its referen-
tial status.

IV
That collection I, which dominates the coda, is largely stated through
8-28 on G throws light on our previous question as to how the sonata's
octatonic idiom relates to its sonata-form design. We have hitherto dis-
cussed possible interrelations between the work's form and octatonic
writing with sole reference to the three octatonic collections. But a more
close-to-the-text reading of the octatonic-form issue still awaits due con-
sideration of the octatonic referents involved. Since collection I claims
dominion not only over the coda but also the first theme in the exposi-
tion and the second and third themes in the recapitulation, it remains
to be seen if the composing-out of collection I in these areas shows a
similar reliance on 8-28 on G.
Collection I's dependence on 8-28 on G is, at times, fairly clear-cut.
Among octatonic referents employed to prolong collection I in the first
theme (exposition), 8-28 on G takes distinct precedence over the rest
38 The use of 8-28 on G in the first block E also sets up a notational boundary which clearly
marks it off from the ensuing unfolding of 8-28 on D6. Thus the 25-bar-long insistence on col-
lection I centred in the coda splits into areas that are orthographically distinct.
SCRIABIN'S OCTATONIC SONATA 225

TABLE 7

DEPLOYMENT OF OCTATONIC REFERENTS: FIRST THEME (EXPOSITION)

bar no. no. of bars octatonic referent octatonic collection

1-13 8 '/3 8-28 on G I c

% 8-28 on C# p
% 8-28 on Bb p
% 8-28 on E p
3 8-28 on D c
14 1 8-28 on G III c

15-29 8% 8-28 on G I c
2% 8-28 on C# p
1 '/ 8-28 on Bb c
2 8-28 on E p
4 8-28 on D c
30 1 8-28 on G III c

31-3 3 8-28 on
34-5 1 8-28 on
1 8-28 on
36-7 2 8-28 on
38 1 8-28 on
B II c
E I c
B c
E III c
D I c

(see Table 7). Right from the beginning of the sonata, it initiates and
contributes substantially to the prevalence of collection I, taking up over
half of the collection I area. As for the second theme (recapitulation),
which impresses us as much more purely octatonic in conception, 16
out of its 25 bars draw on collection I at its purest and fullest, of which
13 are spelt out in 8-28 on G (see Table 8). Embodying an incessant flow
(33 bars) of collection I, the third theme (recapitulation) is underpinned
by a series of different octatonic referents (see Table 9). Here again 8-28
on G stands out in temporal terms, though it fails to form a substantial
span, being scattered amidst a rapid change of octatonic referents. Never-
theless, each of the theme's three phases comes invariably to end with
8-28 on G.
Phase 1 (bars 268-77) draws upon two pairs of ic6-related figures B1.1
in quick succession. This pairing of octatonic figures brings about a cor-
responding shift between 8-28 on DMand 8-28 on G in the first instance,
and subsequently 8-28 on BMand 8-28 on E. Yet none of these surpasses
the others in temporal terms until phase 1 comes to an end with 8-28
on G (bars 274-7). Phase 2 (bars 278-87) resumes the rapid change of
octatonic referents but ic3- rather than ic6-related octads are now in-
volved.39 Phase 3 (bars 288-300) sticks to the same design; however, this
becomes apparent only if we take its underlying octatonic referents into
consideration. Successive leaps of three semitones build up ascents in

9 See section II above for discussion of phase 2's counterpart in the exposition, i.e. bars
92-101.
226 CHEONGWAI-LING

TABLE 8

DEPLOYMENT OF OCTATONIC REFERENTS: SECOND THEME (RECAPITULATION)

bar no. no. of bars octatonic referent octatonic collection

244-7 4 8-28 on B II p
248-9 2 8-28 on Ab c
250 1 8-28 on E I c
251 1 8-28 on Ab II c
252 1 8-28 on E I c

253 1 8-28 on E I p
254-5 2 8-28 on C#
256-68 13 8-28 on G

TABLE 9

DEPLOYMENT OF OCTATONIC REFERENTS: THIRD THEME (RECAPITULATION)

phase bar no. no. of bars octatonic referent octatonic collection

1 268-70 3 8-28 on Db I p
8-28 on G
271-3 3 8-28 on B?
8-28 on E
274-7 4 8-28 on G

2 278 1 8-28 on G I p
279-80 2 8-28 on B?
281 1 8-28 on DM
282 1 8-28 on G
283-4 2 8-28 on B?
285 1 8-28 on Db
286 1 8-28 on E
287 1 8-28 on G

3 288-9 2 8-28 on E I p
290-1 2 8-28 on G
292 1 8-28 on B?
293 1 8-28 on E
294-5 2 8-28 on G
296 1 8-28 on B?
297 1 8-28 on C#
298 1 8-28 on E
299-300 2 8-28 on G
SCRIABIN'S
OCTATONIC
SONATA 227
both phases but the first ascent is, in each case, an abortive one and it
invariably takes a second attempt to attain its goal - a fragment wholly
referable to 8-28 on G. Thus the referential status of this particular oc-
tatonic referent, though somewhat clouded by a scattered distribution,
is none the less forcefully suggested by all three phases' unanimous
establishment of 8-28 on G as their 'tonal' goal.
It is surely no coincidence that areas of formal significance based
predominantly on collection I always attach utmost importance to 8-28
on G. Our former postulation that the reprise of the exposition at the
lower tone brings back collection I to conclude the sonata should therefore
be refined accordingly. If all that matters is the conversion of the prin-
cipal pc matrices of the exposition (i.e. collections I and III) into those
of the recapitulation (i.e. collections II and I), t-2 is clearly not the only
option. Ti or multiples of tI or t-2 by three semitones could have served
the same purpose. But since collection I is composed out primarily
through 8-28 on G, t-2 becomes utterly irreplaceable. In order to achieve
a genuine tonal reprise, it is vital that 8-28 on G and not just collection
I return and that both the beginning and ending of the sonata be firmly
grounded at the same pitch level. Since collection III of the second and
third themes (exposition) is defacto enacted by 8-28 on A, only t-2 can
most readily reintroduce 8-28 on G at corresponding points of the
recapitulation. Ti would, for instance, lead to the arrival of 8-28 on Bb
as the concluding octatonic referent of the recapitulation. Even though
collection I would still retain its structural predominance, the expecta-
tion of a proper reprise would be irrevocably frustrated.
Of the three octatonic collections, collection I obviously stands at the
peak of the hierarchy. But the prominence of collection I is brought
through the engagement of its octatonic referents, which are in turn ar-
ranged in a second hierarchy, with centricity assigned to 8-28 on G and
more specifically to the note G. In this sense, 8-28 on G assumes a key-
like function,41" with G acting as 'tonic', and the sonata-form layout of
this piece is articulated 'tonally' through a systematic exploration of the
hierarchical possibilities inherent in the octatonic domain.
At a time when organic unity is hailed and contrapuntal techniques
feverishly revived, oddly enough, Scriabin preoccupies himself with a
variegated mix of 'precomposed' blocks. In composing a work which ex-
ploits pure octatonicism to such an extent, the development of thematic
material becomes severely restricted and a cut in the flexibility with which
the composer may manipulate the musical material to meet his expressive
ends seems inevitable. The very heavy reliance on repetition is none the
less much in line with Scriabin's earlier style; the richness of surface events
abides with a severe limitation of material. Like a kaleidoscope of sounds,
there is a constant shift of patterning, though the basic material remains
unchanged, evoking a sense of fundamental stasis.
Where form is concerned, Scriabin can hardly be named as an in-
novative composer. As he focuses on the cultivation of new harmonic
idiom, formal archetypes conveniently provide him with predetermined
40 An octatonic referent, however, acts morm like a chord. For degree i is persistently
deployed in the bass, engendering a typically slow harmonic rhythm.
228 CHEONG
WAI-LING

frameworks. This incongruity between form and content has long invited
criticism, though the extent to which Scriabin's 'new music' recreates
'tonal' features on a different plane remains underestimated. Scriabin's
first use of the octatonic roughly coincides with his return to Russia and
this has led Taruskin to suggest that the composer may have picked up
the so-called 'Rimsky-Korsakov scale', which was then in vogue, in
Russia.41None the less Scriabin's octatonicism differs substantially from
the practices of such main Russian exponents as Rimsky-Korsakov and
Stravinsky;42rather, it relates closely to his former use of the asymmetric
mystic chord as a generating source chord. Scriabin's post-Prometheus
delight in octatonicism is very much an extension of his former com-
positional approach just as the octatonic collection is, for him, an ex-
tension of the mystic chord. The octatonic referent, with its built-in
hierarchy, retains both the attributes of asymmetry and centricity
characteristic of the mystic chord. Tonal centricity as such assumes im-
portant form-giving roles in the Sixth Sonata; by abandoning tonality
while retaining centricity in his exploration of the octatonic at its purest,
Scriabin recreates the sonata form, adding to it a new dimension which
none the less owes its root to the past.

Chinese University of Hong Kong

41 Taruskin, review of Baker, The Music of AlexanderScriabin, 164.

42 For Rimsky-Korsakov and Stravinsky's use of the octatonic, see for example Taruskin,
'Chernomor to Kashchei', 72-142, and van den Toorn, 'Octatonic Pitch Structure in Stravin-
sky', ConfrontingStravinsky,ed. Jann Pasler (Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1986), 130-56.