How much do musicians use their music theory knowledge when they perform? This project aims to connect theory and practice by exploring how analysis affects the interpretation of two songs in performance. Are some aspects of music analysis more useful than others when it comes to interpretation and performing? The theoretical method used in the analytical process is foremost inspired by the book The Complete Musician (Laitz 2012). In the research I recorded two songs that set the same poem Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte, both before and after doing a deeper analysis of the songs. Afterward I compared the recordings to examine how the music analysis affect the performance. The interpretation is formed sometime during the process, but when? Do we decide how to interpret the music in the analytical process already, or does it happen while performing?

While he was composing his important orchestral tone poem Finlandia in 1899–1900, Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) made his own piano arrangement of it. The purpose of this study is to compare the piano arrangement and orchestral version and to see further the similarities with Sibelius's other piano compositions from the same time period (1899-1904). Through this study I have found compositional patterns, which are typical for the composer and defined his composition style for piano during his "Kalevala-Romantic" phase. Sibelius's piano style was characterized as unpianistic and bulky by some. However, through my research I can show that with an analysis of certain harmonic structures, subtle use of pedal and correct voicings, his piano texture is indeed very thoughtful and transparent with a clear focus on counterpoint while remaining pianistic and comfortable to play. In order to fully understand the idiosyncrasies of the two versions of Finlandia, a detailed comparative analysis of the piano and orchestral scores is necessary. For this purpose, I primarily used the printed scores of both the piano and orchestral versions. In addition, the manuscript of the piano version of Finlandia was consulted as an important resource. From the orchestra manuscript, only one page has been found. The analysis focuses on the comparison between the textures of both versions, the score and the piano arrangement. I also applied the results of the comparison to the other scores of Sibelius's piano compositions from that time period to show his consistency in his use of the described arrangement techniques. With using the orchestration possibilities of the piano Sibelius's writing allows the instrument to stand completely on its own using all the possibilities of the piano sound while maintaining a highly pianistic texture. The goal of my research is to provide insight to understanding Sibelius's early piano style, introduce some performance practice ideas appropriate to this period, and highlight his smaller-scale works such as the character pieces and songs of this period.

Sibelius’ Rezeption im deutschsprachigen Raum wurde lange Zeit von Theodor W. Adornos Glosse über Sibelius geprägt – so wurde Sibelius, ohne eine gründliche Auseinandersetzung mit seinem Werk, oft als zweitrangiger, konservativer Komponist betrachtet. Die analytische Untersuchung seiner Symphonien zeigt uns aber, dass sein Umgang mit Form besonders innovativ ist: Anstatt mehr oder weniger abgegrenzten ›Themen‹, die durch Ein- und Überleitungen miteinander verbunden werden, treten vor allem die ›leitenden‹ Teile in den Vordergrund. Diese Überwindung der traditionellen Formteile durch eine dynamische, ständig fließende Form, gipfelt in seiner siebten Symphonie, in der die einzelnen Sätze der symphonischen Form zu einem großen, einzigen Satz verschmelzen. Eine zentrale Rolle spielen dabei die Überleitungen, die quantitativ und qualitativ den Großteil der Symphonie ausmachen. / Jean Sibelius’s reception in German-speaking lands was for a long time influenced by Theodor W. Adorno’s commentary, such that, without a thorough examination of his work, Sibelius was often viewed as a second-tier, conservative composer. The analysis of his symphonies reveals, however, that his approach to form was especially innovative: instead of more or less clear-cut “themes” connected by introductions and transitions, it is especially the “connective” parts that come to the fore. This surmounting of traditional formal sections through a dynamic, constantly changing form reaches its peak in his Seventh Symphony, in which the individual movements of the symphonic form coalesce into a single, gigantic movement. Here the transitions play a central role, which make up the majority of the symphony, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

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