Sutartinės are little polyphonic vocal gems performed by two, three or four singers.  Melodies generally consist of little repeating figures, usually syncopated and containing only a few pitches.  Counterpoint is derived in different ways, depending on how many parts there are.  What interests me so much about this tradition is that the very specific counterpoint rules that it follows results in very beautiful combinations of intervals, including lots of parallel seconds.  If written down and presented to highly trained singers, these would be a real bear to put together, but peasant women have been singing them in this one little corner of Lithuania for centuries.

There’s quite a bit written about this, so I won’t go into more detail about the theory stuff.  The following audio examples come from a Lithuanian folklore web site, where you can also see a transcription corresponding to each one.

A dvejinė is a two-part sutartinė consisting of two short repeating sections.  In this example, the second part is sung concurrently with the first, but a faux canon is achieved by delaying the second part’s entrance.  Listen:

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This three-part example, or trejinė is closer to what we think of as a normal canon.  There are two sections, only one is longer than the first.  The second voice enters after the first voice has sung the first section.  The third voice enters after the second has completed the first section.  Here’s where it gets really interesting. (Steve Reich, are you listening?)  Since the second section is slightly longer than the first, voice one is still on the last part of the second section when voice three enters.  The result is a constant shifting, such that the harmony and texture are slightly different with each iteration after all three voices have entered.  It’s hard to explain…. Listen:

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Here’s another trejinė that’s structured a little differently.  Listen:

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In the keturinė, or four-part sutartinė, two pairs of singers take turns singing a repeating two-part passage.  In this example, as seems to be typical of these pieces, the two parts are offset by seconds, making for some interesting harmonies.  Listen:

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The harmonies and rhythms that occur in these pieces certainly make one wonder if Stravinsky was familiar with this tradition as he developed his unique sound.  The phasing technique that Steve Reich is famous for is also a component here.  I wonder if he knows this music.

As of a few days ago, mine is an old favorite: Steve Reich’s Music for a Large Ensemble. Before that, and I’ll probably go back soon, it was the announcement jingle heard constantly on Budapest trams and buses.

Check it out:

Now that I think about it… maybe Six Marimbas.

Right now, I’m listening to a big Steve Reich retrospecdtive on NPR’s Fresh Air. I seem to remember Fresh Air being where I first heard Reich interviewed around 1986 or so. Check out the interviews here.

As always, it’s interesting to hear him speak about his work, and there’s no doubt of his important innovations. But, when it comes down to it, I just plain enjoy his music. It’s pleasing and infectious. The technical stuff doesn’t particularly interest me any more. When I was a student he was so controversial; the sort of thing that made my teachers roll their eyes. I’m really glad he now gets appropriate recognition.

Oh, and there’s a tempting new 5-disc retrospective CD . Hmmmm….. Is it really only $31?