Whats this compositional device Bartok uses?

In Bartoks 'Music for strings, percussion and celesta' 2nd mvt. (which is atonal) Bartok has a passage which uses only major chords in a certain way. is there a name for this device? or scale he uses? its pounded out on the piano. the strings fill in pizz. and the bass plays a phase shifting E dim chord with E flat ( e,g,bflat,dflat,eflat )

he uses chords - Fsharp - Bflat - A - Fsharp - F - D - Fsharp - Eflat - F - G - (now with xylophone) A - Bflat - Dflat - D and so on, these are the chords i have the score.

Anyone have any ideas?

listen from 2:40 and you will hear when it comes in.

I need to know how to describe this for my composition at school, i use a similar device, but its more tonal where i only use 3 chords in a diminished pattern (E flat - G - B)

Thanks

...you talking about planing?

Also called parallelism?

Welcome to YC, by the way! ;D

Be sure to share some of your stuff, we'd be happy to see it. :)

...you talking about planing?

Also called parallelism?

Thanks, looked it up on wikipedia and that is exactly what i was looking for! However, what about in terms of just the major chords/minor chords, not 'exact interval parallelism' but can i use the words 'parallel tonality?' as well as parallelism? because i use: (it may not make sense sorry!) 'parallelism' in root position, then 2nd position for 1 chord, back to root parallelism, followed by 2nd, 3rd, (not parallel) then back to root.

Planing and parallelism traditionally maintain voicings, that's where the term comes from. So...I'm not exactly sure what you'd call that.

maybe...pan-chromaticism...I don't know. :P Sorry!

Well, there's this, although it's a jazz term.

I've also noticed this sort of chord progression. Prokofiev uses it all the time.

Parallel harmony? That's been used a long time - I use it regularly myself.

Well, there's this, although it's a jazz term.

I've also noticed this sort of chord progression. Prokofiev uses it all the time.

I think that's it!

Yeah, Bill Evans and Miles Davis were big on the non-diatonic harmony, planing, quartal chords, etc.

Well, there's this, although it's a jazz term.

:hmmm:

I'd never heard it called that.... I'd refer to this as "Planing".

Yea, that's definitely parallelism.

Oh and welcome to YC, Alex! :D

Heckel

probably a little late on this but it's also pandiatonic, or he could be using polytonality. both would "technically" be correct, you could argue either

I dont have a score, but the notes you mention could fit into a messiaen mode 3 (9 pitches, omitting the E G# and C). You also mention the difference between major and minor chords. Maybe this choice for a mayor or minor triad is directed by this scale?

Oh, and you say it is atonal, is that true? I hear tonal centres...