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Analyzing Tension and Drama in Beethoven’s First-movement Sonata FormsRichards, Mark Christopher 31 August 2011 (has links)
Dramatic, in the sense of “highly intense,” is a quality we often associate with the music of Beethoven, but no theory has attempted to define drama in any systematic manner. This study therefore explores the idea by constructing a theory that distinguishes between dramatic and non-dramatic passages. At the core of the theory is the notion that drama is the result of several types of tension occurring simultaneously. Dramatic passages have a “High” tension level, whereas non-dramatic ones have a “Low” level. Individual tension types are divided into two categories: rhetorical and syntactical. Rhetorical tension types include such features as a loud dynamic, a fast rhythm, and a thick texture, which need no musical context to be expressed. By contrast, syntactical tension types include such features as chromaticism, metric irregularity, and phrase expansion, which always require a comparison of events to be expressed. Only tension types from the same category may combine to form drama.
Because this study examines the relationships between drama and sonata form, the analysis of form is a key issue that receives a separate chapter and additional thought throughout. The methodology combines aspects of William E. Caplin’s theory of formal functions and James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy’s Sonata Theory, and is applied to all of Beethoven’s first-movement sonata forms, a total of eighty-seven movements. Each formal unit is analyzed as one of six dramatic “archetypes” that describe a basic outline of High and/or Low tension levels. These archetypes constitute the dramatic structure of the piece.
Percentage frequencies of the archetypes were calculated for each formal unit in the movements as a whole, and as grouped by the categories of key, mode, genre, and style period. The greatest distinctions in dramatic structure occur among the three style periods of early, middle, and late, the early works showing a sectional approach with contrasting tension between phrases and the middle to late works gradually becoming more continuous, maintaining the same tension levels between units. A concluding analysis of Beethoven’s String Trio, op. 3, demonstrates the theory’s ability to enrich the interpretation of an individual work.
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The Development of the Early String Quartet: The Study of the Transition from the Trio Sonata to the String QuartetHuang, Shiau-mei 04 July 2006 (has links)
The String quartet, a representative genre in the chamber music, was emerged in the Pre-Classical era, a period that the trio sonata was about at end of its development. The musical characteristics of the string quartets and trio sonatas were closely connected. The present study centers on the transitional stylistic features of the two genres in order to classify the initial stage for the development of the string quartet. This research focuses on the analysis of works of the trio sonata and the string quartet which were written during the transitional period.
The thesis consists of three main chapters, in addition to the introduction and conclusion. Chapter one discusses the background of the string chamber music in Pre-Classical era. Chapter two describes the development of the trio sonata from 1720 to 1770. Chapter three concentrates on the musical characteristics of early development of the string quartets. The works of the trio sonata in mid-eighteenth century had already been characterized by the treble-dominated homophonic texture. In addition, the viola replaced the basso continuo and the chordal texture in the inner voices that led to the result in the change of the texture of trio sonata to the string quartet. The emergence of plentiful social occasions in Pre-Classical era required a large number of the chamber music. The string quartets were brought during this crucial moment. The composers at this stage tried a variety of tastes of styles and eventually, the mixed characteristics evolved into a natural, elegance, balanced, and symmetrical style and led the string quartet to its maturity.
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The Essercizii musici, a study of the late baroque sonataVolcansek, Frederick Wallace. January 2001 (has links)
Thesis (M.M.)--University of North Texas, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-104).
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The musical language and formal structure of Bartók's Sonata for piano (1926)Susanni, Paolo 06 April 2011 (has links)
Not available / text
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Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 36 by Karol Szymanowski: Musical and Historial InfluencesKim, Ji-Young January 2010 (has links)
Polish composer, Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) wrote a substantial number of piano works from 1899-1934, yet these works have been mostly forgotten or ignored outside his country. Szymanowski scholars divide his works into three periods. The second period represents the most radical shift in his compositional style particularly in his treatment of form, harmony and texture. This study demonstrates the musical and historical influences evident in his Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 36 (1917), the last piano work written during his second period. Piano Sonata No. 3 exhibits elements of two contrasting styles, French Impressionism and German Romanticism. Manifestations of Szymanowski's Polish musical heritage and his cultural and social isolation during the years of the First World War (1914-1918) are also found in this sonata.This study also provides a detailed analysis of Piano Sonata No.3 in terms of form, motivic unity, thematic development, harmony, and texture. Another important aspect of my study is the extensive use of musical examples drawn from the works of Debussy, Ravel, Wagner and Strauss to demonstrate the musical influences of both French Impressionism and German Romanticism in his third sonata. In this sonata, Szymanowski mirrors French Impressionistic sound and texture through the common use of whole-tone and pentatonic scales as well as unresolved harmonies, trills, 4ths and 9ths. While drawing upon these particular techniques of Debussy and Ravel, Szymanowski's third sonata retains strong German roots in the use of motivic unity, chromaticism and textural crescendi such as those found in the operas of Wagner and Strauss.
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Schubert's apprenticeship in sonata form : the early string quartetsBlack, Brian, 1953- January 1996 (has links)
Until recently, Schubert's sonata forms have been treated as the partially successful products of a classicist who often misunderstood his models. The development of sonata form in his early string quartets, though, raises serious questions about such a view. The quartets (ca. 1810 to 1816), constitute the composer's first concentrated work in large-scale instrumental music and include some of his earliest compositions in any genre. The first sonata-form movements all lack the most basic features of the structure, specifically a clearly delineated subordinate theme and subordinate key in the exposition. The evolution of Schubert's sonata form from 1810 to 1816 consists of an expansion to encompass such necessary tonal and thematic contrast. This process, however, does not lead to a close imitation of the Classical prototype but rather to a highly original reinterpretation of the form. By the end of 1814, many of the distinctive tendencies in his writing are already evident. These include (1) unusual modulatory strategies dependant upon tonal ambiguity and surprise, (2) the first signs of an intensely lyrical quality in the thematic material, (3) complementary, as opposed to derivative, thematic relationships, in which the musical discourse is divided between two contrasting motivic regions connected by underlying harmonic links and (4) a widespread allusiveness in his handling of harmony, which allows an initial harmonic event or "sensitive sonority" to become increasingly significant as the music proceeds. Ultimately Schubert's innovative approach to sonata form, while weakening the Classical attributes of clarity and conciseness, infuses a new atmosphere into the structure, making it the perfect vehicle for the expression of Romantic sentiment.
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The binary sonata tradition in the mid-eighteenth century : bipartite and tripartite "First halves" in the Venice XIII collection of keyboard sonatas by Domenico ScarlattiCampbell, Alan Douglas. January 2000 (has links)
Comparatively few theoretical studies exist on the keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. His music remains largely unexplored. This study investigates formal and functional aspects of the "first halves" in the Venice XIII collection (K 514--K 543) and reveals links to the aesthetics and traditions of his contemporaries. It suggests and examines relationships to the development of the sonata genre. To accomplish this, the study proposes a theoretical base for critical analysis and presents a specialised terminology to examine the features of mid-eighteenth-century sonata forms. The arguments of Michelle Fillion, J. P. Larsen, and Wilhelm Fischer are central to the discussion. Studies by William Caplin, Barbara Foster, Klaus Heimes, Ralph Kirkpatrick, and James Unger also contribute to the development of the theoretical base. An analysis section views the selected repertoire and some contemporary works according to the criteria the thesis establishes. An epilogue sums up pertinent observations made in the analysis section.
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FROM SONATA AND FANTASY TO SONATA-FANTASY: CHARTING A MUSICAL EVOLUTIONHayashida, Mami 01 January 2007 (has links)
Part One of this project examines a group of piano pieces that bear the title sonata-fantasy or fantasy-sonata. While much has been written about quasi-sonata fantasies and quasi-fantasies of the Romantic period, the sonata/fantasy hybrid works of the following era have largely been a neglected area in music research. The purpose of this document is to fill this void and provide an introductory study of these works. The introductory chapter includes a list of sonata-fantasies and fantasy-sonatas I have found in U.S. libraries. The next two chapters outline the history of the fantasy as a genre and its relationship to the sonata up to the mid-nineteenth century: while the two were generally viewed as two contrasting genres in the eighteenth century, their boundaries gradually began to disappear in the early nineteenth century. Six works selected for detailed analysis in this project are Joachim Raffs Fantasie-Sonate, op.168; Alexander Scriabins Sonate Fantaisie, op.posth. and Sonata No.2 (Sonate-Fantaisie), op.19; Joaquin Turinas Sonata Fantasia, op.59; Anatoly Nikolayevich Aleksandrovs Piano Sonata No.11 Sonata Fantasia, op.81; and George Rochbergs Sonata-Fantasia. The final chapter summarizes the analyses of the selected works and explores explanations for the emergence of pieces bearing the sonata/fantasy compound titles. Part Two of this project consists of program notes for the repertoire used in fulfilling the performance requirements of the D.M.A. degree. The following works are individually discussed in this section: Piano Trio No. 28 in D Major, Hob. XV: 16 by Franz Joseph Haydn; Piano Trio in D Major, No. 70 no. 1, Ghost by Ludwig van Beethoven; Piano Trio No. 2 in C Minor, op.66 by Felix Mendelssohn; Prelude in D Major, BWV925 by Wilhelm Friedmann Bach(?); Sonata in G Major, op.78 (D.894) by Franz Schubert; Klavierstcke, op.118 by Johannes Brahms; Rain Tree Sketch for piano (1982) by Toru Takemitsu; Los Requiebros by Enrique Granados; and Concerto in G Major for Piano and Orchestra by Maurice Ravel.
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The Opus 41 Vocalises of Nikolai Medtner: Background, Analysis, and Performer's GuideJanuary 2017 (has links)
abstract: The concert vocalise, a dazzling wordless vocal etude intended for performance, is largely a phenomenon of the twentieth century. Made famous by composers such as Sergei Rachmaninoff and Maurice Ravel, the concert vocalise is generally a short, non-programmatic work with a relatively simple form. In contrast, Nikolai Medtner’s two monumental Op. 41 vocalises, the Sonata-Vocalise mit einem Motto “Geweihter Platz and the Suite Vocalise, are staggering in their length and formal complexity. They are also programmatically conceived, sharing the Goethe poem “Geweihter Platz” as their inspiration.
The innovation of adding a textual element to a traditionally textless genre introduces a tantalizing new layer of complexity that demands further research and exploration. However, as with any innovation, it also offers new challenges to performers wishing to program either or both works. Current scholarship has yet to offer any kind of in-depth analysis of either work, leaving questions as to the structural and motivic elements which bind these large works together, not to mention questions related to exactly how Medtner addresses the challenge of linking specific parts of Goethe’s text to the textless portions of music. Furthermore, neither work is considered standard repertoire, and recordings and performances are limited, leaving aspiring performers in something of an informational desert.
In this paper, I endeavor to fill this informational gap for performers and scholars alike by providing them with a brief biography of Medtner, an outline of the development of the concert vocalise genre, and the background of the Goethe poem that inspired Medtner. Then my in-depth analyses reveal underlying structural, motivic, and programmatic links both within and between the works. Finally, my performer’s guide, based on the analyses and my experience performing both works, offers suggestions regarding the interpretational, ensemble, and technical challenges presented by these great works. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2017
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A Performance Guide of Fazil Say's Sonata for Violin and Piano and Cleopatra for Solo ViolinJanuary 2013 (has links)
abstract: There are a significant number of musical compositions for violin by composers who used folk songs and dances of various cultures in their music, including works by George Enescu, Béla Bartók and György Ligeti. Less known are pieces that draw on the plethora of melodies and rhythms from Turkey. The purpose of this paper is to help performers become more familiar with two such compositions: Fazil Say's Sonata for Violin and Piano and Cleopatra for Solo Violin. Fazil Say (b. 1970) is considered to be a significant, contemporary Turkish composer. Both of the works discussed in this document simulate traditional "Eastern" instruments, such as the kemenҫe, the baðlama, the kanun and the ud. Additionally, both pieces use themes from folk melodies of Turkey, Turkish dance rhythms and Arabian scales, all framed within traditional structural techniques, such as ostinato bass and the fughetta. Both the Sonata for Violin and Piano and Cleopatra are enormously expressive and musically interesting works, demanding virtuosity and a wide technical range. Although this document does not purport to be a full theoretical analysis, by providing biographical information, analytical descriptions, notes regarding interpretation, and suggestions to assist performers in overcoming technical obstacles, the writer hopes to inspire other violinists to consider learning and performing these works. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2013
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