Stravinsky - AGON Part-2, (Form and Structure)

There are 17 movements, all short pieces named after the various types of ballet. Each movement has a certain amount of dancers that depict mood and give reason to the composition as a whole. The overall form of all the movements can be considered ABA. There is a coda in the 9th movement that contains material from earlier movements all combined into one movement and can be considered the apogee of the arch form. The pace and intensity of meter and registration of instruments increases and decreases with the amount of dancers during the entire piece. The layout below explains the name of each movement and little explanation of form, instrumentation, and dancers.

I would suggest that at this time you download the piece from iTunes or some source and listen as you read along.

Movement 1 - Pas-de-Quatre for all 12 Dancers (1:37 Long)
Introduction starts fast and strong in 4/8 time, the eighth note = 156, using four boy dancers. The theme is both rhythmic and modal, mostly Lydian based off G, and there is a trumpet fanfare similar in nature to French orchestration and that of the Court of Burgundy found at the 17th measure, Bransle Simple. The notes of the G-Lydian scale are G,A,B,C#,D,E,F#,G, and can be found in measures 10-12. The number 17 will play a large part in many of his compositional techniques.

Movement 2 - Double Pas-de-Quarte for 8 Female Dancers (1:33 Long)
This movement begins with a fast and strong introduction in a spicatto bowing style while legato flutes employ a flutter tonguing technique. The use of twelve notes begin in measure one and continue through measure five where a developmental section begins. The twelve notes are: Eb(0),D(1),E-natural(2),F(3),C(4),B(5),Db(6),Bb(7),Ab(8),A-natural(9),G(10),Gb(11) The use of hexagonic passages the first in measure nine, Bb,F,Ab,Db,A,D#, are traded between instruments while the 12-tone row in cannon can be found against a polyphony of strings.

Movement 3 coming soon.