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A Stylistic Synthesis

plicitly. According to him, the return of “Dixit Dominus there (except for a quick excursion to the subdominant
Domino meo” (in D) at m. 80 is a recapitulation, and in mm. 113-121), we have already heard enough har-
the second “Donec ponam” (mm. 110-end) is “a long monic development to seriously undermine the status of

coda” (Table 5). m. 80ff. as recapitulation.
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Given the harmonic adventures that occur after the Whether or not one prefers a sonata hearing of the
supposed recapitulation in m. 80, this author finds a so- movement, it is clear that the main interest of its binary

nata hearing hard to sustain. Measures 80-85 present the form lies in its tonal journey. There is little else to enliven
opening choral material, but where the phrase had previ- the second text rotation, which includes no new material,
ously ended firmly in the tonic key (m. 31), this “recapit- motivic development, reorchestration (besides revoicing

ulation” veers abruptly away (Figure 2 on page 12). The of choral passages to accommodate diff erent keys), or
arrival at m. 85 sounds like a half cadence in B minor even signifi cant shortening or lengthening of returning
(vi), and the following reiteration of “Sede” (mm. 86-93) sections. Instead, Martines creates variety and direction
is fi rmly in E minor (ii). These passages present material within her binary form by restating the same sequence
that was initially heard either in the tonic or dominant of material in a completely new sequence of keys.
key; thus, this second text rotation takes us much further While much shorter and less complex, movements 2

away from tonic on the circle of fifths than in the cor- and 3 exhibit a similar rotational binary structure. Af-
responding earlier passages (indeed, much further away ter instrumental introductions confi rming the tonic key,
than at any point in Godt’s “development”). While the both movements present their text twice, using similar
next phrase heads quickly back to D (m. 94ff .) and stays musical material, on a similar scale; in each case, the fi rst

Table 4. Analysis of Movement 1 as Rotational Binary Form

Text segment mm. in Key areas mm. in Key areas in
Rotation I in Rotation I Rotation II Rotation II

“Dixit Dominus Domino meo” 26-31 D 80-85 D h.c. on F

“Sede a dextris meis” 32-54 D A 86-103 e D
“Donec ponam inimicos tuos 59-68 A D 110-119 D G
scabellum pedum tuorum”

“…scabellum pedum tuorum” 68-79 D h.c. on A 119-135 G D

Table 5. Godt’s Analysis of Movement 1 as Sonata Form

Orchestral Exposition Development Recapitulation Coda
introduction
Key (I=D major) I I–V V–V/I I I

Text Dixit Dominus Donec ponam Dixit Dominus Donec ponam

Measures 1-25 26-59 59-79 80-110 110-35

(Table reproduced from Godt, 144)

CHORAL JOURNAL April 2021 Volume 61 Number 9 11