Selected Male Part-Songs of Anton Bruckner by Justin Ryan Nelson
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Songs in the Night: Selected Male Part-songs of Anton Bruckner by Justin Ryan Nelson, B.M., M.M. A Dissertation In Choral Conducting Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts Approved John S. Hollins Chair of Committee Alan Zabriskie Angela Mariani Smith Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School May 2019 Copyright 2019, Justin Ryan Nelson Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To begin, I would like to thank my doctoral dissertation committee: Dr. John Hollins, Dr. Alan Zabriskie, and Dr. Angela Mariani Smith, for their guidance and support in this project. Each has had a valuable impact upon my life, and for that, I am most grateful. I would also like to thank Professor Richard Bjella for his mentorship and for his uncanny ability to see potential in students who cannot often see it in themselves. In addition, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Alec Cattell, Assistant Professor of Practice, Humanities and Applied Linguistics at Texas Tech University, for his word-for-word translations of the German texts. I also wish to acknowledge the following instructors who have inspired me along my academic journey: Dr. Korre Foster, Dr. Carolyn Cruse, Dr. Eric Thorson, Mr. Harry Fritts, Ms. Jean Moore, Dr. Sue Swilley, Dr. Thomas Milligan, Dr. Sharon Mabry, Dr. Thomas Teague, Dr. Jeffrey Wood, and Dr. Ann Silverberg. Each instructor made an investment of time, energy, and expertise in my life and musical growth. Finally, I wish to acknowledge and thank my family and friends, especially my father and step-mother, George and Brenda Nelson, for their constant support during my graduate studies. This project is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Karen Lynn Nelson. ii Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT v LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES vii CHAPTER ONE: PURPOSES AND PROCEDURES 1 Introduction 1 Thesis 2 Justification 2 Methodology 2 Delimitations 3 Review of Literature 4 CHAPTER TWO: BRUCKNER BIOGRPAHY 6 CHAPTER THREE: BRUCKNER AND THE LIEDERTAFEL TRADITION 21 CHAPTER FOUR: “MITTERNACHT” (WAB 80) 26 Poem and Poet 26 Formal Analysis 28 Harmonic Analysis 29 Linear Analysis 32 Conclusion 33 CHAPTER FIVE: “TRÄUMEN UND WACHEN” (WAB 87) 35 Poem and Poet 35 Formal Analysis 37 Harmonic Analysis 38 Linear Analysis 41 Conclusion 43 CHAPTER SIX: “UM MITTERNACHT” (WAB 89 AND 90) 45 Poem and Poet 45 iii Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 WAB 89 Formal Analysis 47 Harmonic Analysis 48 Linear Analysis 51 WAB 90 Formal Analysis 54 Harmonic Analysis 56 Linear Analysis 58 Conclusion 61 CHAPTER SEVEN: PUBLCATIONS, PERFORMANCE 63 RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY 67 APPENDIX A: LISTING OF BRUCKNER MALE PART-SONGS LISTED 70 BY WAB NUMBER iv Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 ABSTRACT The Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) has long been admired for his sacred choral music and expansive symphonies. Bruckner’s sacred pieces, such as the motets “Locus iste” and “Os justi,” have often been performed and become part of the choral canon in the United States. However, his secular choral music written for male choirs, numbering more than thirty pieces, is often overlooked and has been largely forgotten. This document serves to introduce and re-introduce conductors, scholars, and choristers to Bruckner’s secular male choral music by providing information about his early life, musical training, and his involvement in the Germanic Liedertafel tradition. At the core of this study is musical and poetic analysis for four of Bruckner’s secular songs for men’s choir written between 1864 and 1890 that are tied together through a common theme—the night. These songs display the composer’s uncanny ability to interpret poetic text as musical sound and offer glimpses into his improvisational ability. This document also offers information regarding the impact of musicians such as Simon Sechter and Richard Wagner on Bruckner’s life and compositions, and how his association with male choirs facilitated his meeting of these renowned musicians. v Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 LIST OF TABLES 4.1 “Mitternacht,” Tonal Centers 28 5.1 “Träumen und Wachen,” Tonal Centers 38 6.1 “Um Mitternacht” (WAB 89), Formal Analysis and 47 Key Centers 6.2 “Um Mitternacht” (WAB 90), Formal Analysis and 55 Key Centers vi Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 LIST OF FIGURES 4.1 “Mitternacht,” Formal Structure 29 4.2 “Mitternacht,” mm. 64-74, Harmonic Reduction 31 4.3 “Mitternacht,” Rhythmic Figure 32 4.4 “Mitternacht,” Augmented Rhythmic Figure 32 5.1 “Träumen und Wachen,” Formal Structure 37 5.2 “Träumen und Wachen,” mm. 15-25, Harmonic Reduction 39 5.3 Bruckner Symphony No. 4, Mvmt. I, mm. 65-68, “Bruckner Rhythm” 41 5.4 “Träumen und Wachen,” mm. 7-8, “Bruckner Rhythm” 42 5.5 “Träumen und Wachen,” mm. 48-50, “ Bruckner Rhythm” 42 5.6 “Träumen und Wachen,” mm. 1-4, Non-Chord Tones 43 5.7 “Traumen und Wachen,” mm. 44-50, Bass Line 43 6.1 “Um Mitternacht” (WAB 89), mm. 7-12, Harmonic Reduction 50 6.2 “Um Mitternacht” (WAB 89), mm. 41-46, Harmonic Reduction 50 6.3 “Um Mitternacht” (WAB 89), mm. 1-7, Non-chord tones 52 6.4 “Um Mitternacht,” (WAB 90), mm. 11-16, Melodic and 57 Harmonic Shifts 6.5 “Um Mitternacht,” (WAB 90), mm. 11-16, Key Relationships 57 6.6 “Um Mitternacht,” (WAB 90), mm. 50-57, Melodic Sequence 59 6.7 “Um Mitternacht,” (WAB 90), mm. 11-14, Linear Analysis 59 6.8 “Um Mitternacht,” (WAB 90), mm. 77-85, Tenor I, Motive 60 vii Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 CHAPTER ONE PURPOSES AND PROCEDURES Introduction The Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) has long been admired for his sacred choral music and expansive symphonies. Bruckner’s sacred pieces, such as the motets “Locus iste” and “Os justi,” and his large-pieces such as the Mass in E minor and Te Deum, have often been performed and become part of the choral canon in the United States. However, his secular choral music written for male choirs is often overlooked and have been overshadowed by his other compositional output. During his compositional career, Bruckner wrote more than thirty short pieces for men’s choir. These pieces range from short unaccompanied mottos for Germanic male choral societies, or Liedertafel, to through-composed settings of German texts. Characterized by creative use of harmony and shifts between tonal centers, some of his works for men’s choir are rather challenging. Despite these difficulties, these pieces display Bruckner’s ability to paint text with musical sound, and these pieces deserve to be thought of as some of the finest examples of music written for the Liedertafel tradition. 1 Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 Thesis This document serves as an introduction to Anton Bruckner’s male part-songs by examining the musical traits of four works that are tied together by the theme of night. The musical examples are presented in the order of their WAB catalogue number and include analysis of form, harmony, and linear aspects.1 Each musical example is also used to illustrate how the composer manipulates form, harmony, and linear aspects to interpret a poetic text. Details about Bruckner’s life, musical education, and involvement with the Liedertafel tradition are also included in this document. Justification Prior to this study, there has been no comprehensive research completed dealing with Bruckner’s male chorus Liedertafel repertoire. This study and the analyses included are important because they offer insights into Bruckner’s compositional genius when setting non-sacred texts. His secular compositions for men’s chorus are often overlooked and therefore also underappreciated. These pieces are rich and appropriate literature for both amateur and professional men’s ensembles, and offer an alternative to the more traditionally programmed Romantic composers such as Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. 1 WAB numbers are from the thematic catalogue compiled by Renate Grasberger entitled Werkverzeichnis Anton Bruckner. 2 Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 Methodology This research and resulting document combines details from Bruckner’s biography, his involvement in the Germanic Liedertafel tradition, and detailed musical and poetic analysis of four of Bruckner’s male chorus compositions. Chapter Two is a biography of the composer that focuses on his early life, musical education and development, and skills as an improviser at the organ. Chapter Three discusses Bruckner’s intersection with the Liedertafel tradition, including his roles as singer, conductor, and composer. Chapters Four through Six are analyses of four Bruckner compositions. Each of the compositions will be listed by title and WAB number. The final chapter offers performance suggestions, score locations, and listings of recordings. Delimitations Chapter Two focuses on biographical information regarding Bruckner’s improvisatory skills at the organ as well as his musical education, and does not focus on his sacred or symphonic output. Chapter Three, describing Anton Bruckner’s activity within the Liedertafel tradition, does not consider the typical repertoire performed most Liedertafel groups. Chapters Four through Seven contain song analysis of four of Bruckner’s works. These analyses strive to illuminate Bruckner’s use of musical elements as pertains to his poetic interpretation. Each chapter offers brief introductory remarks about the poet and origin of the composition. These chapters do not deal with his 3 Texas Tech University, Justin R. Nelson, May 2019 large-scale works for men such as Helgoland. Further research would be necessary to explore each poet and to completely explicate the origin of each composition.