This study relates Alfred Schnittke's Five Aphorisms for Piano (1990) both to an earlier set of piano pieces, Dmitry Shostakovich's Aphorisms (1927), and to the poetry of Joseph Brodsky (1940-96). The study identifies musical and extra-musical connections between Shostakovich and Schnittke and examines the genesis of their musical sets in light of the composers' biographies and writings. Later it explores Schnittke's relationship with Brodsky, to whom the Five Aphorisms was dedicated, and whose poetry was intended to be recited before the performance of each of the five pieces. It analyzes the worldview and philosophy of Schnittke and Brodsky within the context of Postmodernism in order to shed new light upon their artistic intentions. Finally, the study considers the broader question of the relationship between music and poetry in late Soviet artworks.

The early polystylism of Alfred Schnittke demonstrates a gradual movement away from strict serialism towards a more mimetic music of quotations, allusions, aleatoric techniques, and tonal styles. This thesis investigates three pieces from 1968: film music for The Glass Harmonica, Serenade for Five Musicians, and Violin Sonata No. 2, Quasi Una Sonata. The first piece is analyzed as a clash of two ideas, the transcendent and the grotesque, which are exhibited in the music’s allusions to J. S. Bach and the presence of twentieth-century aleatory and atonality. The various technical features of Serenade and Violin Sonata No. 2 show the importance of dodecaphony and motivic atonality as unifying procedures. Temporal and pitch indeterminacy are also prevalent but it is perhaps the fleeting tonal references that hint at how important appropriation of older styles would be for Schnittke’s later music.

No description available.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2239. Adviser: Donna Buchanan. Includes Grigory Gerenstein's English translation. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 217-231) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Polystylism in Alfred Schnittke's music has been considered by scholars as a central aspect of his music. Although there are many published analyses of his choral music, symphonies, concerti and violin sonatas, there is no known published research for Schnittke's first cello sonata. Alfred Schnittke grew up in a culturally diverse environment influenced by many different composers and compositional styles under the restrictions of a communist Russian government. These aspects influenced the development of Schnittke's polystylism, characteristically represented by his Cello Sonata (1978). The detailed musical analysis of this sonata in this study serves the purpose to reveal Schnittke's polystylistic tendencies and his use of cyclic elements. These polystylistic elements in the sonata illustrate how Schnittke de-familiarizes listeners from rules commonly accepted as unavoidable and re-familiarizes listeners with the expressive qualities of tonal, twelve-tone and atonal music. Although Schnittke introduces polystylistic materials in de-familiarized contexts in this sonata, this study finds that Schnittke particularly re-familiarizes the audience's musical and stylistic perception through the reappearance of sections, textures and motifs. Abrupt polystylistic conflicts contrast with the repetition of previous materials, thereby forming a combination of traditional styles with features of discontinuity in 20th century music.

The musical compositions of Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) have their own unique voice, and the Concerto for Piano and Strings is not an exception. Through the examination of Schnittke’s life and piano works in the context of the art and literature of his time, this monograph introduces Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and Strings as something much more than just the analysis of a typical piano concerto while giving meaning to the polystylism existent in his works. Alfred Schnittke was of Jewish and German background and experienced living in the Soviet Union during World War II. An internal struggle for identity and the conflict present in the world at that time is evident in the works of Schnittke, which juxtaposes the dichotomy of good and evil. One cannot clearly understand the meaning behind the many different techniques and compositional devices of Schnittke’s music without a deeper knowledge of his life and the literature and art of the time; his music poses many poignant questions about religion and philosophy. The paper that follows consists of five chapters which begin with an introduction to Schnittke’s life, followed by a discussion of his pianistic style, an analysis of his works for piano, and a discussion of his piano concertos. The sections consist of a discussion of his Concerto for Piano and Strings within the context of his other works of the time and works of literature. Part of this discussion draws important parallels between Schnittke's Concerto for Piano and Strings and two literary works: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann. It is hoped that this paper will bring a greater interest in Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and Strings and his other piano works which are not frequently performed. / Music Performance

'Seeking the Soul', 'Auf der Suche nach der Seele' -so lautete das Motto des Alfred Schnittke gewidmeten einwöchigen Festivals, das in London vom 9. bis ZUlU 14. Januar 2001 stattgefunden hat.

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.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2239. Adviser: Donna Buchanan. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 217-231) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (D.M.A.--Music)--University of California, San Diego, 2000. / Vita. Works analyzed: First piano concerto / Dmitri Shostakovich -- Quintet for piano and strings / Alfred Schnittke -- Drei Stücke / Edison Denisov -- Sonata no. 5 in ten movements / Galina Ustvolskaya. Duration of acc. tapes: 1:25:00. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-84).