by Wong Cheung Chun Chee, Josephine. / Bibliography: leaves 72-73 / Thesis (M.Ph.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1985

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In the field of musicology, most commentators agree that the late style of Gabriel Faure is highly contrapuntal. At the same time, no systematic or generally accepted methodology exists for the discussion of the way in which Faure combines individual lines, except for Robert Orledge's brief enumeration of Faure's preferred procedures with respect to such things as time and interval of entry. In this thesis, I develop a method for examining counterpoint in selected songs from the late-style song cycle, La Chanson d'Eve. This is based on historical information concerning Faure's education, his pedagogical habits, and his comments concerning the composition of Penelope which was written during the same time period as the songs. This methodology is then applied to an examination of the interaction between the voice and piano, something Orledge has referred to as the "Themeless Contrapuntal Duet." Since Faure himself claimed that he combined motives according to the poetic context, I have also tried to show instances in which their content may be influenced by the text. Finally, I show how these cells of simultaneously sounding motives may be used to create a larger sense of form.

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In this dissertation, I argue that Fauré’s reuse and recombination of certain material musical elements throughout his life deserves recognition as a central aspect of his musical style. The inspiration for my work has primarily been drawn from the work of the musicologist Carlo Caballero, who argues that Fauré would have believed that consistency of style over time, or homogeneity, is a crucial property of any music that is truly original. Yet, few scholars have analyzed the degree to which homogeneity is manifest in Fauré’s music. More often, their focus has been directed at analyzing topics within segments of the three major periods of Fauré’s compositional output and highlighting stylistic contrasts between those periods. In contrast to this more common approach, I build on Caballero’s ideas to present a two-stage argument. First, I delineate certain criteria fundamental to defining a musical style, and observe that a straightforward classification of Fauré’s music is not easily discerned upon applying those criteria to Fauré’s music. Second, I offer support for the more novel perspective that acknowledging homogeneity itself, absent the need to classify the music materially, constitutes an important, informative perspective on Fauré's musical style. The dissertation is structured in two parts. Part I, encompassing the first three chapters, reviews the struggle to gain widespread understanding that Fauré’s music has historically faced. Chapter 1 discusses the criteria of style as they have historically been understood and used; Chapter 2 applies those criteria to Fauré’s music; and Chapter 3 explores Caballero’s assertion that Fauré’s music should in fact display homogeneity. In order to support Caballero’s claim, the following seven chapters of Part II present analytic evidence from the piano Nocturnes. Chapters 4 through 10 identify recurring usages of harmony, tonality, motivic processes, formal events, and textures by Fauré in Nocturnes dating from all three major periods of his compositional life. I conclude that a strong degree of homogeneity has been demonstrated across the piano Nocturnes, and suggest ways in which that perspective can contribute to more widespread understanding and dissemination of Fauré’s music.

The romantic piano literature contains three important collections of nocturnes. The nocturnes of John Field (1782-1837) were the first to appear, and were followed by collections from Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) and Gabriel Faure (1845-1924). While the relationship of the nocturnes of Field to those of Chopin is well documented, the corresponding relationship between Faure and Chopin is not. This study contains a detailed examination of this relationship, and shows the precise nature of Chopin's strong influence on Faure's early nocturnes, as well as the nature of Faure's growth from that influence. Chopin's influence was strongest in the area of harmonic language, as Faure carried certain of Chopin's techniques to logical extremes. Faure also adopted ternary form as the important form for the piece from Chopin. Faure's use of this form shows both similarities and differences from that found in Chopin. Faure's early nocturnes employ the same basic textures as Chopin's nocturnes, but Faure's later works abandon this in favor of increasingly contrapuntal writing. Chopin's influence is weakest in the area of melodic construction, as Faure's melodies often show a rigorous motivic construction which is not found in Chopin.

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Contained in this study is a musical discussion and analysis of seven Romance Sans Paroles (song without words), written by three French composers, Charles-François Gounod, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Gabriel Fauré. The Romance Sans Parole genre seems to be quite unknown in the piano field; as a result, there are few secondary sources available. By immersing myself in these scores, I sought to discover their musical value and compositional nuance and excellence. I thoroughly investigated each composer’s unique treatment of melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, and form. Chapter One includes an Introduction, brief biographical information on each composer, the Need for the Study, the Purpose of the Study, a Review of Literature, and a Methodology. Chapters Two, Three, and Four consist of a musical analysis and discussion of the seven Romance Sans Paroles. Chapter Five offers a Conclusion and Suggestions for Further Study. I believe my dissertation will enhance the understanding and appreciation of this art form. / School of Music