Motivic Identity and Musical Syntax in the Solo Wind Works of Åke Hermansson

Abstract

Åke Hermanson’s five pieces for solo winds constitute a unified body of work. These pieces illustrate important aspects of his compositional technique, most notably his characteristic motivic sense. In general, his motives are highly abstract; they fall into four basic categories: 1) steady-state ideas; 2) arpeggiations; 3) flourishes; and 4) conventional motives, with the first two categories strongly predominating. More typically, though, Hermanson employs hybrid motives (e.g., steady-state/arpeggiation hybrids) or either extends a basic motive type through appended notes or fragments an established motive. That he seems to conceive of his motives in abstract categories (rather than concrete instantiations) and employs variation techniques that blur these categories explains in part the sense that his music demands an unusual level of concentration on the part of the listener. This essay discusses Hermanson’s technique of motive construction and attempts to elucidate his approach to musical syntax through motive arrangement in these five pieces.