Jacqueline Leclair, Oboe and English Horn: Berio Oboe Sequenza VIIa -- Form of Sequenze VII

"Strict rhythmic notation" refers to music that Berio wrote in traditional rhythmic notation with traditional time values (NOT spatial notation). See as an example Line 2, m. 3. This measure is the first material in Sequenza VII that Berio wrote in STRICT or traditional rhythmic notation (except the sixteenth and eighth rests in line 1).

"SPATIAL rhythmic notation" refers to the music Berio wrote in spatial or temporal notation, i.e. music with heads only, no beams or flags or traditional rhythmic reference to time signatures/meters. In these sections horizontal space = time. See as an example the entire Line 1 (ignoring the sixteenth rest and the 2 eighth rests.

Sequenza VII is in 3 sections:

SECTION I:		Beginning (Line 1, m. 1) to the 1st silence fermata (Line 8, 1st m. or m. 92) This section is approx. 176" in duration.
	Rhythmic Character: Section I contains primarily SPATIAL NOTATION with only a few interpolations of STRICT RHYTHMIC NOTATION. Section I should therefore sound primarily "free" or "improvisatory" in character.
	Section I contains only 3 fermatas, hence is very active especially when compared to Section III.
SECTION II:		After the 1St silence fermata (Line 8, m. 1 or m. 92) to the 2nd silence fermata (Line 10, m. 4 or m. 121)
		This section is approx. 60" in duration and contains only 1 fermata.
	Rhythmic Character: Section II is, in terms of rhythmic material, in an arch form: spatial - STRICT - spatial - STRICT - spatial
	- Section II contains the first statement of the high "G" (Line 9, m. 5) which heralds the piece's climax (long high "G" statement in Line 10, mm. 6-9) - The beginning and end of Section II are very similar to the beginning and end of the piece. Section II is the center of Sequenza, and the middle "spatial" section (the center of the center) is the most sustained and calmest section of Sequenza VII. This is the "eye of the hurricane" and must clearly have a strikingly calm character in contrast to the bordering material.
SECTION III:		After the 2nd silence fermata (Line 10, m. 4) to the end (Line 13, m. 13 or m. 169) - This section is approx. 172" in duration (almost exactly the duration of Section I.)
	Rhythmic Character: Section III begins with about 11 seconds of SPATIAL ("free sounding") material. This spatial material includes the high "G" CLIMAX and ends with the works GOLDEN SECTION (Line 10, m. 12). After the Golden Section, Sequenza VII consists entirely of STRICT rhythmic material with only bits of SPATIAL or "free" rhythmic material. Therefore this last section of Sequenza VII is very different in character from the first two sections. It is almost all "strict sounding" and contains many long fermatas (24 of the piece's 30 fermatas). These fermatas create many "stop-times" of held notes or multiphonics. This entire section can be thought of as a large-scale ritard or calming from the first 2 sections' much more frenetic character.

The Form of Sequenza VII

Sequenza VII is in 3 sections:

SECTION I:

SECTION II:

SECTION III: