Univ., Diss.--Freiburg (Breisgau), 2001. / Literaturverz. S. 255 - 263.

Alfred Schnittke was a prolific and nuanced musical figure of the twentieth-century, contributing significantly to the fields of musical philosophy and composition. One of his most researched contributions, that bridges both disciplines, is his definition and implementation of the compositional technique, polystylism. His 1971 essay, "Polystylistic Tendencies in Modern Music," served as the first serious discussion of the term, providing a narrower definition, differentiating it from other techniques, and discussing its importance in the oeuvre of twentieth-century artists. Schnittke is also known for his fervent desire to overcome the gap between Ernstmusik (serious music) and Unterhaltung (music for entertainment). This lifelong pursuit, combined with polystylism, lead him to create an eclectic catalogue that championed the ideas it was pioneering. However, there is little research done on the 1947 literary work that served as a creative catalyst to all these ideas: Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus: The Life of German Composer Adrian Leverkühn as told by a Friend. In contrast to other telling's of the Faust legend, Mann's version features a composer-protagonist, Adrian Leverkühn, who sells his soul for twenty-four years of creative musical-genius. During this time, Leverkühn composes numerous successful works, even developing a new system of musical composition. Mann's telling regularly goes into lengthy detail when describing these musical works, compositional techniques, and extramusical associations. To ensure that these musical topics were technically and theoretically sound, Mann chose the philosopher and music critic, Theodore Adorno, to be the primary editor and consultant when writing Doctor Faustus. Exploring and unpacking these connections to Mann's Doctor Faustus exposes numerous hidden layers, even codes, within Schnittke's compositions. Through a close examination of Schnittke's first completed composition, Fuga (1953), many of these Mann influences and hidden layers can be observed and analyzed.

The four Mephisto Waltzes of Franz Liszt constitute the focus of the present paper. Aside from the fascination they hold as individual works, they form an intriguing group related by title and heritage yet made distinct by important structural differences. Also, the separation of more than 20 years between the completion of the first and the last means that as a group they illustrate well the changes of style and concerns in Liszt’s composing. In this paper, the four works are discussed in a manner that reflects a shift in their dramatic source. The first two waltzes are closely tied to the poem Faust by Nikolaus Lenau and derive most of their drama from that extra musical link. The latter two pieces, however, exhibit fewer connections to the poem but contain compelling tonal and structural features. The first two chapters discuss the First and Second Mephisto Waltzes respectively with an emphasis on those aspects that are most closely associated with Lenau's Faust. In addition, certain passages that are not necessarily tied to the poem but are interesting in themselves are discussed. An example of this is the coda of the Second Mephisto Waltz and its effect on the piece's overall tonality. The third chapter discusses those few elements of the Third and Fourth Mephisto Waltzes that can be seen as stemming from Lenau's poem, while the final two chapters are made up of tonal and structural analyses of these latter two waltzes. The Third Mephisto Waltz, in particular, is treated to a more intense analysis since it is the most problematic of the group. In this piece, the overall tonic is unclear as two different, yet related, keys struggle to dominate, with neither coming to a clear and decisive victory. F-sharp major and D-sharp minor are supported in turn throughout the work and can be seen to coexist at times when the piece is viewed in its background. The Fourth Mephisto Waltz, although tonally more clear, contains a dramatic game of frustrated expectations and then unexpected fulfillment as the tonic, F-sharp, is strongly implied twice and only later is attained with little preparation. In order to come to terms with some of the problems posed by these works, I have used a modified form of Schenkerian analysis. Departures from, or additions to standard techniques are mentioned within the appropriate chapters. Since the four Mephisto Waltzes (especially the latter two) have not been exhaustively analysed, it is hoped that this study makes some contribution to the field of Liszt research.

The four Mephisto Waltzes of Franz Liszt constitute the focus of the present paper. Aside from the fascination they hold as individual works, they form an intriguing group related by title and heritage yet made distinct by important structural differences. Also, the separation of more than 20 years between the completion of the first and the last means that as a group they illustrate well the changes of style and concerns in Liszt’s composing. In this paper, the four works are discussed in a manner that reflects a shift in their dramatic source. The first two waltzes are closely tied to the poem Faust by Nikolaus Lenau and derive most of their drama from that extra musical link. The latter two pieces, however, exhibit fewer connections to the poem but contain compelling tonal and structural features. The first two chapters discuss the First and Second Mephisto Waltzes respectively with an emphasis on those aspects that are most closely associated with Lenau's Faust. In addition, certain passages that are not necessarily tied to the poem but are interesting in themselves are discussed. An example of this is the coda of the Second Mephisto Waltz and its effect on the piece's overall tonality. The third chapter discusses those few elements of the Third and Fourth Mephisto Waltzes that can be seen as stemming from Lenau's poem, while the final two chapters are made up of tonal and structural analyses of these latter two waltzes. The Third Mephisto Waltz, in particular, is treated to a more intense analysis since it is the most problematic of the group. In this piece, the overall tonic is unclear as two different, yet related, keys struggle to dominate, with neither coming to a clear and decisive victory. F-sharp major and D-sharp minor are supported in turn throughout the work and can be seen to coexist at times when the piece is viewed in its background. The Fourth Mephisto Waltz, although tonally more clear, contains a dramatic game of frustrated expectations and then unexpected fulfillment as the tonic, F-sharp, is strongly implied twice and only later is attained with little preparation. In order to come to terms with some of the problems posed by these works, I have used a modified form of Schenkerian analysis. Departures from, or additions to standard techniques are mentioned within the appropriate chapters. Since the four Mephisto Waltzes (especially the latter two) have not been exhaustively analysed, it is hoped that this study makes some contribution to the field of Liszt research. / Arts, Faculty of / Music, School of / 5 sound cassettes - Univeristy Archives - AW5 .B7 808160 Discussion of Liszt’s 4 Mephisto waltzes for solo piano. The 1st 2 are Liszt’s arrangements of his own orchestral works. The 1st is his arrangement of the 2nd episode, Tanz in der Dorfschenke, of his Episodes from Lenau’s Faust for orchestra, S. 110. The 3rd and 4th waltzes are piano works, the 4th left unfinished by Liszt. Includes programs of the author’s piano performance graduation recitals and lecture/recital. / Graduate

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