Browsing by Subject "Chopin"
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Item Hypermeter as an expressive determinant in the Four Scherzos of Chopin(2016-05) Straub, Joshua Gene; Hatten, Robert S.; Allen, Gregory, 1949-; hilley, martha; gilmson, sophia; tusa, michael; robert mollenauerThe Four Scherzos of Frederic Chopin, influenced by the scherzos of Beethoven, have emerged as some of the most frequently performed works in the modern piano canon. Full of vigor, striking contrasts, raw passion, melodic beauty, and virtuosity, these works have all the constituents of effective pieces for the concert stage. Although important analyses of these pieces by notable theorists elucidate several key features of the works, rhythm, meter, and hypermeter as expressive determinants have not yet received sufficient treatment. After a brief historical context, and a look at the scherzo genre prior to Chopin, I will show how these rhythmic aspects add another interpretive dimension to the work. Thus, this paper explores how Chopin’s manipulation of rhythm, meter, and hypermeter interact with other salient features, including topic theory, to achieve a multiplicity of expressive ends. The hypermetrical and rhythmic language in the Four Scherzos is rich, and diverse. The tension created from the interaction of the regular hypermeter, along with the dissonance suggested by other musical features, significantly contributes to the expressive nature of these works. Hemiolas, syncopations, grouping elisions, expansions, displacements, grouping dissonances, hypermetrical counterpoint, hypermetrical transitions, and numerous other subtle manipulations ruffle the surface, and even completely obscure the regular hypermeter. An understanding of hypermeter leads to an understanding of many compositional features of a work. As a composer, an understanding Chopin’s use of hypermeter could lead to many expressive possibilities in the compositional process. And, since hypermeter is inherently interpretive, its exploration also leads to a wealth of interpretive possibilities in performance. An awareness of all the features necessary to understand hypermetrical interpretation, leads to more informed, expressive, and even spontaneous performances.Item The narrative voice in Chopin's first Ballade(2002) Aydelotte, Belva Jean; Not availableItem "A thousand nuances of movement" : the intersection of gesture, narrative, and temporality in selected mazurkas of Chopin(2012-05) Fons, Margaret Ann; Hatten, Robert S.; Wheeldon, MarianneIt is no secret that Frédéric Chopin was fond of dance music. Dance genres—including the mazurka, polonaise, and waltz—dominate his oeuvre. According to the Henle Urtext edition, Chopin penned fifty-seven mazurkas during his lifetime, writing in this genre more than any other. It is interesting, then, that the mazurkas seem to be one of Chopin’s most historically misunderstood genres. In their haste to point out the mazurkas’ seeming irregularities of rhythm, harmony, mode, accent pattern, and such, critics both of Chopin’s time and in more recent history often ignore two equally fundamental issues: (1) the relationship between Chopin’s mazurkas and the dance of the same name, and (2) the manner in which that relationship might inform hermeneutic readings of the mazurkas. Surely, the perceived “irregularities” were not employed haphazardly, but rather for specific expressive purposes. This essay aims to construct a model for embodied musical meaning as it pertains to Chopin’s mazurkas by examining the intersection of gesture, narrative, and temporal theories. Drawing on Robert S. Hatten’s (2004) and Alexandra Pierce’s (2007) work on musical gesture, I will relate the steps of the danced mazurka to their abstract musical counterparts in Chopin’s solo piano works and examine the affective connection between the physical steps and the musical gestures. I will then call upon the narrative theories of Michael Klein (2004) and Byron Almén (2008) and the temporal theories put forth by Jonathan D. Kramer (1973, 1996) and Judy Lochhead (1979) to construct a framework in which the musical gestures (and the expressive states they imply) interact to produce emergent meanings. Finally, I will present a gestural/narrative reading of Chopin’s Mazurka in C# minor, op. 50, no. 3, which aims to demonstrate both the utility of my proposed theoretical model and the necessity of going back to the dance to grapple with issues of musical meaning in the mazurkas.