This analytical study of Elliott Carter's Piano Sonata focuses on middleground structural aspects found in the work such as phrases, phrase groupings, cadences and note collections. These are examined under four main headings: The Articulation of Phrases looks at the division of large passages into phrases, showing the various ways in which new phrases are marked. These include sudden changes in texture and register, restatements of thematic material, and recurring characteristics that appear at important cadential points. The Unification of Extended Passages by Middleground Stepwise Motion focuses on the rising linear motion that connects the individual phrases of many of these larger passages. Correlations between thematic material and phrase contours are also explored. The Relationship of Vertical Intervals and Note Collections to the Character and Phrase Rhythm of Particular Passages further examines phrase articulation by means of changes in note collections, with distinctions among phrases arising from the correlation of consonant vertical intervals with passages of linear motion and dissonant vertical intervals with passages that are more static. Anticipation and Overlapping of Materials describes an important aspect of the Sonata's overall structure in which themes and motives, as well as characteristic intervals of these materials are used to link the two movements of the work by a network of anticipations and flashbacks. An examination of the final climactic Maestoso section of the first movement (mm. 252-264) provides a summary of the various compositional aspects described in this study. / Arts, Faculty of / Music, School of / Graduate

No description available.

This study proposes a theory of texture for Elliott Carter's song cycle A Mirror on Which to Dwell. Texture is an important structural aspect of much recent music, as is exemplified in Carter's music. The first chapter is introductory and discusses other textural theories, and the concept of auditory streams. It also provides background to Elizabeth Bishop and to the poems that Carter selected for the cycle, and introduces the song cycle as a whole. The second chapter outlines a textural theory based on streaming. Texture is defined as comprising those contextually defined aspects of sound which lead one to perceive music as consisting of distinct streams. Individual streams are defined by properties, behaviours processes. The ways in which streams are combined, and the changes that occur in the streams during the combinations constitute textural behaviours and processes. The third chapter presents the ways in which textural behaviours and processes can function. They can have symbolic functions by representing personae and actions in the text. They can also have musical functions and thus can play a role in the delineation of form. In the fourth chapter each song in the Mirror cycle is analyzed. Songs that are texturally clear are analyzed first, followed by those that are more texturally complex. Because of the close relationship between text and music in these songs, each analysis starts with a discussion of the text before turning to the music. The main textural features of each song are presented, and then the analytical discussion focuses on form and text-setting. In the conclusion an overview of the songs is presented. The songs, although formally diverse, are similar in many respects. In all of them Carter establishes the important streams, some of which have significant symbolic roles, in the opening measures. The songs are characterized by similar textural processes, which help to delineate the form of the songs and to portray musically the meaning of the text. An analysis of these songs using the textural theory presented in this study provides insight into their form and meaning.

This study proposes a theory of texture for Elliott Carter's song cycle A Mirror on Which to Dwell. Texture is an important structural aspect of much recent music, as is exemplified in Carter's music. The first chapter is introductory and discusses other textural theories, and the concept of auditory streams. It also provides background to Elizabeth Bishop and to the poems that Carter selected for the cycle, and introduces the song cycle as a whole. The second chapter outlines a textural theory based on streaming. Texture is defined as comprising those contextually defined aspects of sound which lead one to perceive music as consisting of distinct streams. Individual streams are defined by properties, behaviours processes. The ways in which streams are combined, and the changes that occur in the streams during the combinations constitute textural behaviours and processes. The third chapter presents the ways in which textural behaviours and processes can function. They can have symbolic functions by representing personae and actions in the text. They can also have musical functions and thus can play a role in the delineation of form. In the fourth chapter each song in the Mirror cycle is analyzed. Songs that are texturally clear are analyzed first, followed by those that are more texturally complex. Because of the close relationship between text and music in these songs, each analysis starts with a discussion of the text before turning to the music. The main textural features of each song are presented, and then the analytical discussion focuses on form and text-setting. In the conclusion an overview of the songs is presented. The songs, although formally diverse, are similar in many respects. In all of them Carter establishes the important streams, some of which have significant symbolic roles, in the opening measures. The songs are characterized by similar textural processes, which help to delineate the form of the songs and to portray musically the meaning of the text. An analysis of these songs using the textural theory presented in this study provides insight into their form and meaning. / Arts, Faculty of / Music, School of / Graduate

This thesis examines separately two rhythmic styles: Renaissance mensural proportions and Elliott Carter's metrical modulation. Some historical background for each style is discussed (including examples from Gafurius' fifteenth-century treatise Practica Musicae) and the musical results of each are enumerated, examined, and compared. Examples of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century compositions are drawn from the works of Guillaume Dufay, Johannes Ockeghem, and Heinrich Isaac, among others. Elliott Carter's first string quartet and Double Concerto provide most of the sources for the study of metrical modulation.Similarities and differences between the two styles are noted, and their significance discussed. / School of Music

The lecture recital was given January 22, 1977. A discussion of Elliott Carter's Piano Sonata emphasized those compositional techniques which foreshadowed important compositional procedures in many of his later works. The following compositions were discussed: Concerto for Orchestra, Double Concerto for Harpsichord and Piano with Two Chamber Orchestras, 8 Etudes and a Fantasy for Woodwind Quartet, Holiday Overture, Piano Concerto, Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello, and Harpsichord, Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, String Quartet No. 1, String Quartet No. 2, String Quartet No. 3, Variations for Orchestra. The Piano Sonata was Ty and Schumann. In addition to the lecture recital, three public solo recitals were performed. The first solo recital, performed on April 2, 1973, consisted of works by Bartok, Debussy The second solo recital, performed on October 28, 1974, included works by Bach and Liszt. The final solo recital, performed on March 7, 1976, consisted of works by Beethoven and Chopin. All four programs were recorded on magnetic tape and are filed, along with the written version of the lecture recital, as part of the dissertation. performed.

For the purposes of expressive intent, Carter developed compositional strategies that possess qualities congruent with the musical language in his Second Quartet (1959). He employed strategies including tempo modulation, triple groupings, and large-scale ratios to assemble the musical discourse and to guide the listener's perception of large-scale continuity. I label these devices collectively as "preferential strategies" because it is Carter who selects certain pre-compositional ideas that organize musical material and demarcate structural locations. Tempo modulations that organize dual meters and triple groupings that interact in transitional and transformational ways demonstrate his concern with controlling the overall time continuity through local level organization. Large-scale ratio relations between nine interlocking sections of this four movement work illustrate how Carter employs a local strategy that projects a large-scale structure. Recognizing that Carter's ultimate compositional goal prioritizes temporal processes, these proposed preferred strategies articulate a convergence of musical elements.

Esse trabalho apresenta um auto-relato da construção da performance da obra Changes (1983) para violão de Elliott Carter, com uma análise estrutural e sua relação com as dificuldades encontradas ao longo do processo de estudo. Foram utilizadas estratégias de estudo já conhecidas e novas foram criadas à medida do necessário. O trabalho oferece um plano para o estudo rítmico da peça, propondo exercícios direcionados para as dificuldades encontradas, as quais se relacionaram principalmente com as configurações de quiálteras de cinco e com as modulações métricas. A identificação de personagens musicais foi fundamental para a construção da interpretação de Changes. A sistematização do plano de estudo apresentado assim como as estratégias criadas poderão auxiliar a preparação dessa e outras obras. / This work presents a self-report concerning the construction of the performance of Changes (1983) for guitar, by Elliot Carter, with a structural analysis and its relationship towards the difficulties encountered during its preparation. Well-known learning strategies were applied and new ones were created when necessary. A plan for the study of the rhythmic complexities of the piece was elaborated with exercises that address the difficulties encountered, especially those pertaining to the quintuplets and metric modulation. The identification of musical characters was fundamental for the construction of the interpretation of the piece. The system organized as the study plan, as well as the learning strategies developed may help others in the preparation of this and other works.

Esse trabalho apresenta um auto-relato da construção da performance da obra Changes (1983) para violão de Elliott Carter, com uma análise estrutural e sua relação com as dificuldades encontradas ao longo do processo de estudo. Foram utilizadas estratégias de estudo já conhecidas e novas foram criadas à medida do necessário. O trabalho oferece um plano para o estudo rítmico da peça, propondo exercícios direcionados para as dificuldades encontradas, as quais se relacionaram principalmente com as configurações de quiálteras de cinco e com as modulações métricas. A identificação de personagens musicais foi fundamental para a construção da interpretação de Changes. A sistematização do plano de estudo apresentado assim como as estratégias criadas poderão auxiliar a preparação dessa e outras obras. / This work presents a self-report concerning the construction of the performance of Changes (1983) for guitar, by Elliot Carter, with a structural analysis and its relationship towards the difficulties encountered during its preparation. Well-known learning strategies were applied and new ones were created when necessary. A plan for the study of the rhythmic complexities of the piece was elaborated with exercises that address the difficulties encountered, especially those pertaining to the quintuplets and metric modulation. The identification of musical characters was fundamental for the construction of the interpretation of the piece. The system organized as the study plan, as well as the learning strategies developed may help others in the preparation of this and other works.

Esse trabalho apresenta um auto-relato da construção da performance da obra Changes (1983) para violão de Elliott Carter, com uma análise estrutural e sua relação com as dificuldades encontradas ao longo do processo de estudo. Foram utilizadas estratégias de estudo já conhecidas e novas foram criadas à medida do necessário. O trabalho oferece um plano para o estudo rítmico da peça, propondo exercícios direcionados para as dificuldades encontradas, as quais se relacionaram principalmente com as configurações de quiálteras de cinco e com as modulações métricas. A identificação de personagens musicais foi fundamental para a construção da interpretação de Changes. A sistematização do plano de estudo apresentado assim como as estratégias criadas poderão auxiliar a preparação dessa e outras obras. / This work presents a self-report concerning the construction of the performance of Changes (1983) for guitar, by Elliot Carter, with a structural analysis and its relationship towards the difficulties encountered during its preparation. Well-known learning strategies were applied and new ones were created when necessary. A plan for the study of the rhythmic complexities of the piece was elaborated with exercises that address the difficulties encountered, especially those pertaining to the quintuplets and metric modulation. The identification of musical characters was fundamental for the construction of the interpretation of the piece. The system organized as the study plan, as well as the learning strategies developed may help others in the preparation of this and other works.