In their 1976 composition, Für Alina, for solo piano, Arvo Pärt introduced the world to his algorithmic technique, tintinnabuli.
At first glance, the technique’s use in Für Alina looks similar to a two-part first-species counterpoint exercise.
On closer inspection, however, one can see the two voices move in similar or oblique motion.
Using two types of voice: a melody voice, in the right hand, and a tintinnabuli voice, in the left; the tintinnabuli voice is confined to notes of the B-minor triad, while the melody voice is limited to those of the B-natural-minor scale.
The tintinnabuli voice, barring one moment, always takes up a note of the B-minor triad below and closest to the note of the m-voice.
This article is a supplemental short to two others:
- An article/video where I deeply analyse Arvo Pärt’s Für Alina and discuss tintinnabuli more generally. (Link here)
- An article/video where I experiment with tintinnabuli technique to create an arrangement of the nursery song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. (Link here)
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