The purpose of this dissertation is the analysis of texture in relation to the structure of complete, large-scale movements, divergent in style, from select twentieth-century piano sonatas. The central thesis of the dissertation is that the treatment of texture can be essential in the generation and organization of a musical structure. / The works chosen for analysis are first movements of four piano sonatas by well-known composers of the twentieth century: Sergei Prokofiev, Sonata No. 7, Op. 83, 1942; Roger Sessions, Second Sonata for Solo Piano, 1946; Pierre Boulez, 2eme Sonate pour Piano, 1948; and Samuel Barber, Sonata for Piano, Op. 26, 1949. The selection of music was based on considerations of medium, genre, form and style. That the works are piano sonatas allows for the analysis of texture in terms of a common medium and genre. That the four movements exhibit fundamental principles of sonata form provides a basis for a comparison of texture in related structures. The works selected differ in compositional procedures, harmonic language, and treatment of the medium to allow for a comparison of texture in music that is stylistically divergent. / Preliminary chapters include an examination of definitions of texture and its aspects, a discussion of methods of structural and textural analysis, and clarification of the method of analysis used in this study. The main body of the dissertation consists of an analysis of each of the four movements. The analyses focus on the manner in which textural processes contribute to the articulation of structural divisions and the delineation of hierarchic structure. Conclusions drawn are then compared with those found in other studies. / Though each movement exhibits diversity in the treatment of texture, recurring textural processes and configurations are evident within each movement that are essential to structural organization and stylistic consistency. In spite of the contrasting styles of the four movements, comparable textural processes are evident that illuminate the functions of texture in musical structure. The similarities in structural function of these processes, observed in this and other studies, suggest the possibility of a general theory of texture, though the formulation of such a theory is beyond the scope of this study. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-07, Section: A, page: 2363. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75862 |
| Contributors | MATHES, JAMES ROBERT., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 271 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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