Expanding the Choral Conductor's Horizon
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: EXPANDING THE CHORAL CONDUCTOR’S HORIZON: THE APPLICATION OF SELECTED LITERARY THEORIES TO THE PROCESS OF CHORAL SCORE STUDY Gary B. Seighman, Doctor of Musical Arts, 2009 Dissertation directed by: Professor Edward Maclary School of Music The main premise of this document is that the various movements associated with literary theory can provide unique interpretative insights for the modern choral conductor during score study. Traditionally, score study involves making performance decisions based upon formal analysis, study of performance practices, examination of historical and stylistic information, and practical ensemble considerations. By adopting a stance that also acknowledges elements offered by literary theory, the conductor can begin to uncover those elements in the music that maximize the potential for the singer to have a meaningful musical experience. Literary theory deals critically with the process of interpretation and focuses especially on the relationship between the literary text and the reader. On one end of the literary theory spectrum, formalist studies of interpretation place value only on the words and notes and their grammatical relationship with one another while ignoring historical information as a determinant source for meaning. On the other end, Reader-Response Criticism focuses on the attributes of the reader, understood as part of the culture he belongs to, and through his personal background and experiences. Many branches of theory are located in the middle and consider how the properties of a text fuse with a reader’s expectations and guide him to a particular interpretation. The adaptation of these theories to music is not new, as shown by the sizeable corpus of books and articles devoted to musico-literary studies. Few if any of these studies focus exclusively on choral repertoire or address practical issues of score preparation and conducting gesture, however. This document surveys several literary theories, identifies their key concepts, and adapts them to the analysis of specific choral works. The result is a series of analyses that offer fresh perspectives for a variety of choral works. Topics include, but are not limited to the following: uncovering hidden dialogue, music as a system of signs (semiotics), tropes and hermeneutic windows, the vocality of text, and conducting gesture as metaphor. The goal of musico-literary studies as it relates to choral training should be to educate a new generation of conductors who understand the processes of how we as both performers and listeners perceive meaning from our vast repertory and to develop strategies that improve its accessibility. EXPANDING THE CHORAL CONDUCTOR’S HORIZON: THE APPLICATION OF SELECTED LITERARY THEORIES TO THE PROCESS OF CHORAL SCORE STUDY by Gary B. Seighman Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts 2009 Advisory Committee: Professor Edward Maclary, Chair Professor Barbara Haggh-Huglo Professor Michael Hewitt Professor Francine Hultgren Professor Martha Randall © Copyright 2009 by Gary B. Seighman All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported my educational endeavors. I especially thank Dr. Edward Maclary not only for his guidance on this paper but for serving as a model of musical and educational excellence. His knowledge and encouragement have greatly aided the realization of my own professional goals. I would also like to thank my committee members for their collective wisdom during this process. I thank Dr. Dennis Shrock for opening my eyes to the importance of scholarship in the field of choral conducting. His compassionate teaching has forever impacted my perspective on music. I greatly appreciate the support of Dr. Haig Mardirosian who has given me incalculable musical opportunities at Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes and has served as a wonderful mentor. I also wish to thank Dr. Frank Abrahams, a consummate music educator who has offered me numerous insights concerning the teaching profession. I must acknowledge all of the students and singers over the years that have motivated me through their dedication to music. I am humbled to stand in front of them each day. I also thank Dr. Joseph Ohrt for his encouragement in my pursuing a career in music. He has inspired countless young musicians to go after their dreams. I thank all of my family and for their unconditional love and support. My parents, Bernard and Diana, have taught me that anything is possible if I apply myself. They have instilled in me a passion for life and learning. Jennifer, my wife, has worked by my side for the past eleven years and it is her love and sense of humor which have kept me going. She is an exceptional musician, scholar, and human being with whom I look forward to creating many more wonderful memories. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................v CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION ............................................................................1 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................1 The Need ........................................................................................................................2 Organization and Scope .................................................................................................3 CHAPTER TWO BACKGROUND .............................................................................5 The Limits of Theory .....................................................................................................7 The Impact of Formalism in the Study of Literature .....................................................9 Modern Musico-Literary Studies and Musical Formalism ..........................................12 CHAPTER THREE THE ROLE OF THE READER ...................................................16 American Reader Response Criticism (RRC) ..............................................................16 Phenomenological Hermeneutics.................................................................................19 The Constance School............................................................................................24 CHAPTER FOUR MUSICAL ANALYSIS AS READER RESPONSE .....................31 Musical Hermeneutics .................................................................................................31 The Listener’s Perspective ...........................................................................................35 An Introductory Exercise in Musical Hermeneutics: Three Readings of W.A. Mozart’s Litaniae Laurentiae K.109 ............................................................37 Hidden Dialogue in Johannes Brahms’s Abendlied , from Vier Quartette, Op. 92/3................................................................................50 Character Delineation and Moral Lessons in J.S. Bach’s Ich Elender Mensch , BWV 48 ...............................................................................55 CHAPTER FIVE STYLE, SIGNS, AND TROPES ...................................................62 Structuralism ................................................................................................................62 Jacques Derrida and Deconstruction ............................................................................67 A Semiotic Approach to Musical Style .......................................................................70 Extroversive and Introversive Semiosis in Dieterich Buxtehude’s Nimm von uns, Herr, du treur Gott (BuxWV 78) ......................................................73 Extroversive Semiosis ............................................................................................73 Introversive Semiosis .............................................................................................76 Semiotic Incongruities and Hermeneutic Windows ....................................................82 Salve Regina a 4 – Josquin Desprez ......................................................................84 Ave Verum Corpus – William Byrd .......................................................................88 Yver, vous n’estes qu-un villain !, from Trois Chansons – Claude Debussy ..........93 Additional Thoughts ....................................................................................................98 iii CHAPTER SIX HUMANIZING ANALYSIS .......................................................101 The Vocality of Words...............................................................................................101 Sì, ch'io vorrei morire (Madrigal Book IV) – Claudio Monteverdi ....................103 The Cloud Capp’d Towers , Three Shakespeare Songs – R.V. Williams .............108 The Blue Bird – Charles Villiers Stanford ...........................................................109 The Role of Metaphor ................................................................................................115 Conducting as Metaphorical Gesture .........................................................................118