An informal study: Bernstein's Ḥalil
Ḥalil … is formally unlike any other work I have written, but is like much of my music in its struggle between tonal and non-tonal forces. In this case, I sense that struggle as involving wars and the threat of wars, the overwhelming desire to live, and the consolations of art, love, and the hope for peace. It is a kind of night-music which, from its opening twelve-tone row to its ambiguously diatonic final cadence, is an ongoing conflict of nocturnal images: wish-dreams, nightmares, repose, sleeplessness, night-terrors and sleep itself, Death’s twin brother.
I never knew Yadin Tanenbaum, but I know his spirit.
—Leonard Bernstein, program notes for Ḥalil
In 1973, Israel occupied the Sinai and Golan Heights regions of Egypt and Syria, respectively. This was the result of the 1967 Six-Day War, a decisive Israeli victory which ended with a UN brokered ceasefire.
On 6 October 1973, on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, Egyptian and Syrian military forces broke the ceasefire and launched a surprise attack on Israel, hoping to regain the territory they lost. Both sides were backed by massive resupply efforts by their respective allies, the Soviet Union and the U.S. The result was a twenty-day war which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the eventual creation of the Camp David Accords, and a near-confrontation between the two Cold War nuclear super-powers.
Among the Israeli casualties was the nineteen-year-old Sgt. Yadin Tannenbaum, who was killed along with his comrades when a shell hit his tank in the Sinai. He was a musical prodigy, “A flutist, he was singled out for praise by conductor Leonard Bernstein. He had rejected an offer to serve in the army orchestra and opted for a combat unit” (Rabinovich 123).
Following the tragedies of the Yom Kippur War, Leonard Bernstein was approached by Tannenbaum’s parents asking him to write a piece in memory of their son (Mazey).
On 6 October 1973, on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, Egyptian and Syrian military forces broke the ceasefire and launched a surprise attack on Israel, hoping to regain the territory they lost. Both sides were backed by massive resupply efforts by their respective allies, the Soviet Union and the U.S. The result was a twenty-day war which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the eventual creation of the Camp David Accords, and a near-confrontation between the two Cold War nuclear super-powers.
Among the Israeli casualties was the nineteen-year-old Sgt. Yadin Tannenbaum, who was killed along with his comrades when a shell hit his tank in the Sinai. He was a musical prodigy, “A flutist, he was singled out for praise by conductor Leonard Bernstein. He had rejected an offer to serve in the army orchestra and opted for a combat unit” (Rabinovich 123).
Following the tragedies of the Yom Kippur War, Leonard Bernstein was approached by Tannenbaum’s parents asking him to write a piece in memory of their son (Mazey).
To the spirit of Yadin, and to his fallen brothers
Ḥalil, the Hebrew word for “flute,” premiered 27 May 1981 in Tel Aviv’s Frederic Mann Auditorium featuring Jean-Pierre Rampal as the soloist, with Leonard Bernstein conducting the Israel Philharmonic.
In the 1982 New York Philharmonic program notes for Ḥalil, Richard Freed points out that Leonard Bernstein “has yet to produce a work which he calls a concerto,” attributing this largely to the “theatrical or dramatic substance” of the composer’s works. Indeed, Ḥalil is a single-movement nocturne for solo flute, string orchestra, and percussion.
In its full form, the score calls for solo flute, strings, harp, a wide assortment of percussion, as well as a piccolo and alto flute “seated within the percussion section, preferably invisible to the audience.”
The available reduction of Ḥalil is perhaps the biggest testament against the piece being labeled a concerto. Most solo works are available with a piano reduction for performance in smaller venues and recitals. However, the reduction for Ḥalil is not just for flute and piano. Bernstein makes the point of including a reduced percussion part as well.
This is because of the role that the percussion plays in the piece. As part of many juxtapositions used by the composer, percussion characterizes the violent war against the solo flute, the spirit of Yadin. In this sense, the piece is probably closer to a chamber work than it is a concerto. The programmatic content can also categorize the work as a tone-poem.
Another prominent juxtaposition in Ḥalil is the piece’s “struggle between tonal and non-tonal forces” (Bernstein). The piece opens with a haunting tone-row, and regularly switches between tonal music and atonal passages. Often in conjunction with the tonal quality, the piece alternates between “moments of lyricism and violence…” (Burton 465).
The introductory tone-row can be grouped into three different cells (Figure 1), each taking a portion of the twelve chromatic notes and creating various motifs (Figure 2). These motifs are used throughout the piece in both tonal and atonal contexts, and will be explained in more detail later.
In its full form, the score calls for solo flute, strings, harp, a wide assortment of percussion, as well as a piccolo and alto flute “seated within the percussion section, preferably invisible to the audience.”
The available reduction of Ḥalil is perhaps the biggest testament against the piece being labeled a concerto. Most solo works are available with a piano reduction for performance in smaller venues and recitals. However, the reduction for Ḥalil is not just for flute and piano. Bernstein makes the point of including a reduced percussion part as well.
This is because of the role that the percussion plays in the piece. As part of many juxtapositions used by the composer, percussion characterizes the violent war against the solo flute, the spirit of Yadin. In this sense, the piece is probably closer to a chamber work than it is a concerto. The programmatic content can also categorize the work as a tone-poem.
Another prominent juxtaposition in Ḥalil is the piece’s “struggle between tonal and non-tonal forces” (Bernstein). The piece opens with a haunting tone-row, and regularly switches between tonal music and atonal passages. Often in conjunction with the tonal quality, the piece alternates between “moments of lyricism and violence…” (Burton 465).
The introductory tone-row can be grouped into three different cells (Figure 1), each taking a portion of the twelve chromatic notes and creating various motifs (Figure 2). These motifs are used throughout the piece in both tonal and atonal contexts, and will be explained in more detail later.
Figure 1. The complete tone row, divided in three cells
Figure 2. Basic motifs used in Ḥalil
Introduction: As mentioned before, the piece begins with the introduction of the tone-row. By the end of mm.8 all the pitches have made their appearances, and then the row is played in retrograde. Once it completes its retrogression, the tone row is sent forward once again, this time hauntingly echoed by the alto flute. Finally, the introduction ends on a variant of Motif 1, setting up the transition into the next section.
Ballad (mm.26, Andante tranquillo): The ballad is the first tonal section of the work, rooted in D-flat major. The central theme for the piece is introduced here. The solo flute plays a blooming melody based on Motif 1 over smooth arpeggio accompaniment. In the case of Motif 1’s development into the melody, exact intervals are not followed. Rather it is explored through its basic contour (high, mid, high, mid, low, mid-low). At mm.41, the flute plays a quarter-note quintuplet figure that is widely used throughout the piece, Motif 2a (Figure 2). This is a derivative of Motif 2, the combination of a descending major second and an ascending fourth. The motif is set backwards and “stacked,” creating a descending teeter.
The flute drops out at mm.44 and the melody is continued on a solo violin. As the melody progresses, Motif 2 begins to pervade the increasingly dissonant texture, taking over at mm.52, Andante con moto. The flute, biting, returns with Motif 1 in similar fashion to the beginning. It quickly dies down, and the ballad theme is brought back by in the first violins. Meanwhile the soloist plays counterpoint- a ballad melody based on Motif 2, with an appearance of Motif 3. Motif 1 makes a brief appearance by the flute at mm.70, just as the ballad finally dies down.
Motif 2a Development (mm. 75, Con moto ardente): The ballad sets up the development section by setting Motif 2a in a descending sequence. The development features Motif 2a in a variety of transformations and is a dueling “non-tonal” section. The main idea of the development is an antecedent-consequent relationship. The antecedent is essentially a double set of Motif 2a, in which the first set is inverted. The consequent is similar in structure to the antecedent; a pair of quintuplets including an inversion. The intervals for these quintuplets are more varied than that of Motif 2a, however (Figure 3). The odd metric structure, lack of steady tempo, and absence of tonal center makes this development restless and unsettling. A solo viola and the flute toss the melody around, slowly building into mm.81, Con anima. The orchestra violently throws the motif and melody around in a cacophony of diminutions, trills, and transpositions. This also marks the first entrance of rhythmic percussion (previously used only for sparse accenting and rolls).
Ballad (mm.26, Andante tranquillo): The ballad is the first tonal section of the work, rooted in D-flat major. The central theme for the piece is introduced here. The solo flute plays a blooming melody based on Motif 1 over smooth arpeggio accompaniment. In the case of Motif 1’s development into the melody, exact intervals are not followed. Rather it is explored through its basic contour (high, mid, high, mid, low, mid-low). At mm.41, the flute plays a quarter-note quintuplet figure that is widely used throughout the piece, Motif 2a (Figure 2). This is a derivative of Motif 2, the combination of a descending major second and an ascending fourth. The motif is set backwards and “stacked,” creating a descending teeter.
The flute drops out at mm.44 and the melody is continued on a solo violin. As the melody progresses, Motif 2 begins to pervade the increasingly dissonant texture, taking over at mm.52, Andante con moto. The flute, biting, returns with Motif 1 in similar fashion to the beginning. It quickly dies down, and the ballad theme is brought back by in the first violins. Meanwhile the soloist plays counterpoint- a ballad melody based on Motif 2, with an appearance of Motif 3. Motif 1 makes a brief appearance by the flute at mm.70, just as the ballad finally dies down.
Motif 2a Development (mm. 75, Con moto ardente): The ballad sets up the development section by setting Motif 2a in a descending sequence. The development features Motif 2a in a variety of transformations and is a dueling “non-tonal” section. The main idea of the development is an antecedent-consequent relationship. The antecedent is essentially a double set of Motif 2a, in which the first set is inverted. The consequent is similar in structure to the antecedent; a pair of quintuplets including an inversion. The intervals for these quintuplets are more varied than that of Motif 2a, however (Figure 3). The odd metric structure, lack of steady tempo, and absence of tonal center makes this development restless and unsettling. A solo viola and the flute toss the melody around, slowly building into mm.81, Con anima. The orchestra violently throws the motif and melody around in a cacophony of diminutions, trills, and transpositions. This also marks the first entrance of rhythmic percussion (previously used only for sparse accenting and rolls).
Figure 3. Melody featured in Motif 2a Development
The violence quells shortly after it begins, and the flute re-enters. Paired once again with the alto flute, the flute plays notes very reminiscent of the introduction (Figure 4). The development diminishes into a mysterious murmur.
Figure 4. Comparison of mm.16 and mm.102
The “CBS” section (mm.113, Allegro con brio): The quiet ending of the development is ripped open with a xylophone glissando to reveal a bright E-flat major fanfare. This is built squarely on the Motif 2 using the exact pitches as first found in the introduction. The fanfare clears the way for a bouncy F major accompaniment in ¾ meter. The flute enters with the melody in A-flat major, using primarily three-bar phrases.
This bright “stereotypical-Bernstein” section was not originally written for Ḥalil. Jack Gottlieb notes that, like many composers, “Bernstein recycled musical materials when they suited his needs” (Gottlieb, Ḥalil). In his memoir Working with Bernstein, Gottlieb writes about the symbiotic relationship of Dybbuk (1974), CBS Music (1977) and Ḥalil (1981), noting that both the preceding development and the “CBS” sections are recycled:
This bright “stereotypical-Bernstein” section was not originally written for Ḥalil. Jack Gottlieb notes that, like many composers, “Bernstein recycled musical materials when they suited his needs” (Gottlieb, Ḥalil). In his memoir Working with Bernstein, Gottlieb writes about the symbiotic relationship of Dybbuk (1974), CBS Music (1977) and Ḥalil (1981), noting that both the preceding development and the “CBS” sections are recycled:
The first is a mother lode that feeds into the other two. Least known is the middle work, written at the behest of William Paley, head of the CBS broadcasting company. Paley, on the board of the NYP and the one who supported the Young People’s Concerts, asked LB to write theme music for the fiftieth anniversary of the network in 1978…
The head motif consists of three notes: C, B-flat (B in German) and E-flat (Es in German) to stand for the CBS call letters. This profile of a descending major second and a rising interval of the fourth happens to be indigenous to parts of the Dybbuk ballet, particularly in the pas de deux section titled “LC” (for the doomed bride and groom, Leah and Chanon), dated “4 Feb. ’73.” It was a section that was eventually cut from the ballet, but subsequently thirteen bars from it were incorporated into the flute concerto, Halil (at con moto, ardente). This is done so smoothly that the lift would not be apparent even to discerning ears. But more front and center, LB organically merges the complete “Fanfare and Titles” of the CBS Music into Halil (Allegro con brio). No seams show. It is a feat of legerdemain accomplished by a musical magician at the top of his game.
Why did Bernstein choose to use his CBS Music, nearly verbatim, in Ḥalil? Although there is a possibility that it was not much more than an arbitrary decision to recycle music, the more likely explanation is found by understanding CBS’s role in the programmatic narrative Ḥalil is based on.
The pace of the peace processes following the ceasefire of the Yom Kippur War was slow. Egypt and Israel, led by President Anwar Sadat and Prime Minister Menachem Begin, were reluctant to meet face to face, and they had no established diplomatic relations. Soon, however, Sadat grew weary of the slow pace. In 1977, after hearing rumors of Sadat’s wishes to visit Israel, Walter Cronkite of CBS arranged a televised interview with the Egyptian President, “I asked him about preconditions for an Israeli visit, and he started rattling off the familiar list of Arab demands. It sounded like the denial I expected. To make certain, I asked him again if these were his conditions for going to Israel. Sadat said no, they were his conditions for peace. He was ready to go to Israel anytime.” Sadat explained that he was waiting for a proper invitation.
Later that day, CBS secured Begin via phone for an interview on-air with Cronkite. Begin stated “…I will, during the week, transmit a letter from me to President Sadat, inviting him formally and cordially, through the good offices of the United States, to come to Jerusalem.”
At that moment, 30 years of Arab-Israeli history were reversed. Sadat was set to go to Israel the following Saturday in the first direct exchange between the two countries. “Never in my career had I watched so many formalities swept aside so fast,” Cronkite noted. “The next morning, the papers were hailing CBS News as a force of media diplomacy. Time magazine talked of Cronkite’s coup.”
Walter Cronkite and CBS were the catalysts of peace. The events they sparked led directly up to the signing of the historic Camp David Accords of 1978 and the subsequent Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979. The work of Cronkite and CBS symbolized what Bernstein described in his program notes as “the hope for peace.” His inclusion of CBS Music, which premiered during the time of the diplomatic events, is an appropriate celebration of that sentiment.
Later that day, CBS secured Begin via phone for an interview on-air with Cronkite. Begin stated “…I will, during the week, transmit a letter from me to President Sadat, inviting him formally and cordially, through the good offices of the United States, to come to Jerusalem.”
At that moment, 30 years of Arab-Israeli history were reversed. Sadat was set to go to Israel the following Saturday in the first direct exchange between the two countries. “Never in my career had I watched so many formalities swept aside so fast,” Cronkite noted. “The next morning, the papers were hailing CBS News as a force of media diplomacy. Time magazine talked of Cronkite’s coup.”
Walter Cronkite and CBS were the catalysts of peace. The events they sparked led directly up to the signing of the historic Camp David Accords of 1978 and the subsequent Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979. The work of Cronkite and CBS symbolized what Bernstein described in his program notes as “the hope for peace.” His inclusion of CBS Music, which premiered during the time of the diplomatic events, is an appropriate celebration of that sentiment.
At mm.153 the score departs from the celebratory music, entering a lopsided 5/8 development. The piccolo, heard for the first time, mimics the flute’s playful melody over a light percussion accompaniment. The disjunct figures center around Motif 2 (and naturally the “CBS” theme) and are somewhat reminiscent of Con moto ardente: groups of tonally ambiguous notes in a quintuple setting.
The F major “CBS” melody returns in the strings at mm.175. As the ¾-meter melody is played once again, the flute interjects with passages in an independent 5/8 feel. At mm.195, the meter fully switches to 5/8 with a subito-piano dynamic. It moves directly into 7/8, and an uncomfortable urgency is developed. Suddenly battery percussion enters, the strings bark and screech, and the piece launches into the cadenza.
Cadenza (mm.202): The cadenza is an emotional slurry featuring the various motifs and themes of the piece. “Bernstein was reluctant to reveal that the pyrotechnical cadenza section depicted the slaughter of the Israeli soldier, but critics were quick to note this programmatic aspect of the work” (Gottlieb, Ḥalil). Bernstein calls for qualities of “shrieking” and “panting” in the first section of the cadenza. The middle of the cadenza is a haunting, almost limping, “childlike” passage. It transitions into a 5/8 meter at rehearsal H, revisiting material from the development. At rehearsal J the flute and piccolo perform material from mm.153 again. This time, however, it is a half-step up, desperate and “breathy.” Finally, the flute closes the cadenza with Motif 2 and the highest note of the piece- a screeching F7 (Figure 5).
The F major “CBS” melody returns in the strings at mm.175. As the ¾-meter melody is played once again, the flute interjects with passages in an independent 5/8 feel. At mm.195, the meter fully switches to 5/8 with a subito-piano dynamic. It moves directly into 7/8, and an uncomfortable urgency is developed. Suddenly battery percussion enters, the strings bark and screech, and the piece launches into the cadenza.
Cadenza (mm.202): The cadenza is an emotional slurry featuring the various motifs and themes of the piece. “Bernstein was reluctant to reveal that the pyrotechnical cadenza section depicted the slaughter of the Israeli soldier, but critics were quick to note this programmatic aspect of the work” (Gottlieb, Ḥalil). Bernstein calls for qualities of “shrieking” and “panting” in the first section of the cadenza. The middle of the cadenza is a haunting, almost limping, “childlike” passage. It transitions into a 5/8 meter at rehearsal H, revisiting material from the development. At rehearsal J the flute and piccolo perform material from mm.153 again. This time, however, it is a half-step up, desperate and “breathy.” Finally, the flute closes the cadenza with Motif 2 and the highest note of the piece- a screeching F7 (Figure 5).
Figure 5. The flute’s final notes of the cadenza
The Ending (mm.203, Largo): Following the cadenza, the solo flute rests for nearly 60 bars of music. It is “the sleep after the terror of an unmistakable night of battle,” Humphrey Burton writes. “…the solo flute falls silent as if to suggest Yadin’s wasteful death…” (Burton 465).
At the beginning of Largo, the orchestra loudly plays music based on Motif 2/2a before opening into the passionate ballade theme. At mm.218, Andante amoroso, the alto flute reenters, playing a mournful duet with a solo viola, quintuplet figures based on Con moto ardente. Burton suggests that the hidden alto flute is “a touching metaphor for the spirit departing from Yadin.” At mm.230, Più lento, the piccolo enters, replacing the viola in the duet.
The orchestra plays a final iteration of the ballad beginning at mm.237, Adagio. Gaps in the middle of the phrases are like mourning chokes or a painful loss of words. The piccolo and alto flute make a final return, playing a series of half-steps. These steps, somewhat evocative of the final notes of West Side Story, are played three times, each time transposed a half-step up. The implied leading-tone to tonic relationship of these half-step continuously shifts the perceived tonality leading to the ending.
The solo flute makes a final entrance with a C-natural and a D-flat played over strings on a D-flat major chord, seemingly ending the piece in a simple major mode. However, the harp plays a descending arpeggio of F-flat, D-flat, and F-natural, obscuring whether the piece ends in D-flat major or D-flat minor (Figure 6).
At the beginning of Largo, the orchestra loudly plays music based on Motif 2/2a before opening into the passionate ballade theme. At mm.218, Andante amoroso, the alto flute reenters, playing a mournful duet with a solo viola, quintuplet figures based on Con moto ardente. Burton suggests that the hidden alto flute is “a touching metaphor for the spirit departing from Yadin.” At mm.230, Più lento, the piccolo enters, replacing the viola in the duet.
The orchestra plays a final iteration of the ballad beginning at mm.237, Adagio. Gaps in the middle of the phrases are like mourning chokes or a painful loss of words. The piccolo and alto flute make a final return, playing a series of half-steps. These steps, somewhat evocative of the final notes of West Side Story, are played three times, each time transposed a half-step up. The implied leading-tone to tonic relationship of these half-step continuously shifts the perceived tonality leading to the ending.
The solo flute makes a final entrance with a C-natural and a D-flat played over strings on a D-flat major chord, seemingly ending the piece in a simple major mode. However, the harp plays a descending arpeggio of F-flat, D-flat, and F-natural, obscuring whether the piece ends in D-flat major or D-flat minor (Figure 6).
Figure 6. The harp’s final notes
This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.
—Leonard Bernstein, 25 November, 1963
Works Cited
Bernstein, Leonard. Ḥalil. 1981. New York, NY: Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., 1981. Print.
Cronkite, Walter. “Media Played Role in ‘70s Mideast Peace Process.” All Things Considered, NPR, 15 Jan. 2007, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6861044.
Gottlieb, Jack. “Ḥalil.” Milken Archive of Jewish Music, www.milkenarchive.org/music/volumes/view/sing-unto-zion/work/alil/.
Gottlieb, Jack. Working with Bernstein: a Memoir. Amadeus Press, 2010.
MaineTVClips. “CBS On the Air - 50 Years of CBS.” YouTube, YouTube, 20 June 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix8tJx-yIuw.
Mazey, Steven. “Symphony Holds Free Preview.” Ottawa Citizen, 15 May 2008, www.pressreader.com/canada/ottawa-citizen/20080515/282385510251464.
New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives, and Richard Freed. “New York Philharmonic Program (ID: 4560), 1982 Mar 24, 25, 26, 27, 30.” Edited by Phillip Ramey, New York Philharmonic: Viewer, archives.nyphil.org/index.php/artifact/3dcd7737-5add-46c6-800e-17450ea4a24b-0.1/fullview#page/1/mode/2up.
Rabinovich, Abraham. The Yom Kippur War: the Epic Encounter That Transformed The Middle East. Random House Inc, 2005.
“Six-Day War.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Dec. 2017, simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War.
“Yom Kippur War.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Jan. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War.
Cronkite, Walter. “Media Played Role in ‘70s Mideast Peace Process.” All Things Considered, NPR, 15 Jan. 2007, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6861044.
Gottlieb, Jack. “Ḥalil.” Milken Archive of Jewish Music, www.milkenarchive.org/music/volumes/view/sing-unto-zion/work/alil/.
Gottlieb, Jack. Working with Bernstein: a Memoir. Amadeus Press, 2010.
MaineTVClips. “CBS On the Air - 50 Years of CBS.” YouTube, YouTube, 20 June 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix8tJx-yIuw.
Mazey, Steven. “Symphony Holds Free Preview.” Ottawa Citizen, 15 May 2008, www.pressreader.com/canada/ottawa-citizen/20080515/282385510251464.
New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives, and Richard Freed. “New York Philharmonic Program (ID: 4560), 1982 Mar 24, 25, 26, 27, 30.” Edited by Phillip Ramey, New York Philharmonic: Viewer, archives.nyphil.org/index.php/artifact/3dcd7737-5add-46c6-800e-17450ea4a24b-0.1/fullview#page/1/mode/2up.
Rabinovich, Abraham. The Yom Kippur War: the Epic Encounter That Transformed The Middle East. Random House Inc, 2005.
“Six-Day War.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Dec. 2017, simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War.
“Yom Kippur War.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Jan. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War.
Note: This analysis was written in preparation for my performance of this piece on 3 February 2018 for my Junior Recital at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA.