HARMONIC ANALYSIS OF “Time remembered” - Bill Evans –
Part one -
This is a first-level analysis, meaning the listed Modes are the most "ingoing."
In the second part, I will list the outgoing Modes.
The piece can be listened to at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VopGbXJ0tc
In my opinion, it is one of the most interesting modal pieces written by Evans.
The modal movement is very articulated due to the presence of several Modes, nine to be exact; for this reason, the piece falls into the "complex modal" category.
I will list the chords as they are labeled in the sheet music commonly found in literature; however, keep in mind that in Modal Harmony, the chord identifies a Mode and should therefore be conceived and performed as such.
I am performing the harmonic analysis following the succession of chords as they appear in the score, indicating first the Mode and then the appropriate scale for the chord.
B-9: B dorian mode – D lydian scale
Cmaj(#11): C lydian mode – C lydian scale
Fmaj: F lydian mode – F lydian scale
E-9: E dorian mode – G lydian scale
A-7: A dorian mode – C lydian scale
D-7: D dorian mode – F lydian scale
G-7: G dorian mode – Bb lydian scale
Ebmaj: Eb lydian mode – Eb lydian scale
Abmaj: Ab lydian mode – Ab lydian scale
A-9: A dorian mode – C lydian scale
D-9: D dorian mode – F lydian scale
G-7: G dorian mode – Bb lydian scale
C-7: C dorian mode – Eb lydian scale
F-9: F dorian mode – Ab lydian scale
E-9: E dorian mode – G lydian scale
B-9: B dorian mode – D lydian scale
Eb-9: Eb dorian mode – Gb lydian scale
A-9: A dorian mode – C lydian scale
C-9: C dorian mode – Eb lydian scale
F#-9: F# dorian mode – A lydian scale
B-9: B dorian mode – D lydian scale
G-9: G dorian mode – Bb lydian scale
Ebmaj: Eb lydian mode – Eb lydian scale
D-9: D dorian mode – F lydian scale
C-9: C dorian mode – Eb lydian scale
Obviously, being faced with a modal piece, we cannot speak of tonality; the prevalent lydian scale in the sense that it is most present is Eb lydian, so in my opinion, the tonal center is Eb lydian, and around it, the other modes gravitate, creating modal tensions and relaxations that then resolve into Eb lydian; this idea is also confirmed by the fact that the final resting chord is C-7, whose reference scale is Eb lydian.
Note the long modal plateau of rare beauty that begins in the ninth measure with A-9 and ends in the twenty-second measure with G-9. It is characterized by a sequence of Dorian-type Modes, and the harmonic movement is entrusted exclusively to the change of the modal tonic while the mode remains the same—a wonderful modal pedal point in the sense that we do not use a single note or a group of repeated notes, as in tonal harmony, but an entire mode to create the pedal point.
The piece is not characterized by particular tension movements since only two Modes are used: dorian and lydian. The alternation of the two modes in various ways—the more tense Dorian and the less tense lydian—determines the modal tensions and relaxations. Note the absence of modal scales that induce a tonal sound; that is, the ionian mode and the mixolydian mode do not exist here. It should be emphasized that the long dorian modal plateau extending from the ninth to the twenty-second measure is fundamental and is the key to reading the piece, in the sense that it creates the long tension that then resolves into Eb lydian, another reason to believe that this mode is the tonal center of the composition.
Regarding the progression of the modal tonics, there are different types of intervals, but the most present is the perfect fourth interval which, when inverted, is a perfect fifth interval, thus creating a pleasant masked cadence due to the fact that it follows the law of overtones.
There would still be much to say; we would go beyond the scope of this article.
It is useful to consult specialized texts.
