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Crisis and Catharsis: Linear Analysis and the Interpretation of Herbert

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Crisis and Catharsis: Linear Analysis and the Interpretation of Herbert CRISIS AND CATHARSIS: LINEAR ANALYSIS AND THE INTERPRETATION OF HERBERT HOWELLS’ REQUIEM AND HYMNUS PARADISI Jennifer Tish Davenport Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 201 8 APPROVED: Timothy L. Jackson, Major Professor Stephen Slottow, Committee Member Diego Cubero, Committee Member Allen Hightower, Committee Member Benjamin Brand, Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Music John W. Richmond, Dean of the College of Music Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Davenport, Jennifer Tish. Crisis and Catharsis: Linear Analysis and the Interpretation of Herbert Howells’ “Requiem” and “Hymnus Paradisi.” Doctor of Philosophy (Music), August 2018, 365 pp., 19 tables, 147 musical examples, bibliography, 58 titles. Hymnus Paradisi (1938), a large-scale choral and orchestral work, is well-known as an elegiac masterpiece written by Herbert Howells in response to the sudden loss of his young son in 1935. The composition of this work, as noted by the composer himself and those close to him, successfully served as a means of working through his grief during the difficult years that followed Michael's death. In this dissertation, I provide linear analyses for Howells' Hymnus Paradisi as well as its predecessor, Howells' Requiem (1932), which was adapted and greatly expanded in the creation of Hymnus Paradisi. These analyses and accompanying explanations are intended to provide insight into the intricate contrapuntal style in which Howells writes, showing that an often complex musical surface is underpinned by traditional linear and harmonic patterns on the deeper structural levels. In addition to examining the middleground and background structural levels within each movement, I also demonstrate how Howells creates large- scale musical continuity and shapes the overall composition through the use of large- scale linear connections, shown through the meta-Ursatz (an Ursatz which extends across multiple movements creating multi-movement unity). Finally, in my interpretation of these analyses, I discuss specific motives in Hymnus Paradisi which, I hypothesize, musically represent the crisis of Michael's death. These motives are initially introduced in the "Preludio," composed out on multiple structural levels as Hymnus Paradisi unfolds, and, finally, I argue, are transformed as a representation of the process of healing, and ultimately, catharsis. Copyright 2018 by Jennifer Tish Davenport ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend a special thanks to all those who served on my committee: Dr. Stephen Slottow, Dr. Diego Cubero, Dr. Richard Sparks and Dr. Allen Hightower. Most notably, however, words cannot express how grateful I am for my major professor Dr. Timothy Jackson. In my years as a graduate student at UNT, he has transcended the role of professor and truly become a mentor, guiding me into important research opportunities, publications, and helping me forge professional connections. His unique analytical perspectives and teaching methods have forever transformed the way in which I understand, hear, and analytically approach music. I am immensely grateful to my family, my parents Kurt and Linda Kennedy, my sister Terra, and my Aunt Jeanie, for without their unwavering love and support none of this would have been possible. In particular, I am thankful for my mom who encourages and inspires me daily. Through every stage of this project, and throughout my life, she has always been my strongest supporter, a tireless proofreader, and my best friend. Lastly, my appreciation is extended to David Falterman and Scott Topazi for their assistance in typesetting the musical examples and also to Novello and Company for the generous permission to reproduce the score excerpts found in this dissertation from Herbert Howells’ Requiem and Hymnus Paradisi. REQUIEM, Liturgical Text, Music by Herbert Howells Copyright © 1936 Novello & Company Limited. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. Reprinted by Permission. HYMNUS PARADISI, Liturgical Text, Music by Herbert Howells Copyright © 1938 Novello & Company Limited. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. Reprinted by Permission. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................vi LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES .................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Historical Context ....................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Purpose of this Dissertation ................................................................ 7 1.3 Supporting Research and Methodology ..................................................... 9 CHAPTER 2. BACKGROUND ...................................................................................... 28 2.1 Biography ................................................................................................. 28 2.2 Grief and Musical Catharsis ..................................................................... 32 CHAPTER 3. GENESIS AND ANALYSIS OF THE REQUIEM (1932) .......................... 44 3.1 Analytical Overview of Howells’ Requiem ................................................ 47 3.2 Movement I, Salvatore mundi .................................................................. 54 3.3 Movement II, Psalm 23 ............................................................................ 62 3.4 Movement III, Requiem Aeternam (1) ...................................................... 70 3.5 Movement IV, Psalm 121 ......................................................................... 90 3.6 Movement V, Requiem Aeternam (2)..................................................... 102 3.7 Movement VI, I heard a voice from heaven ........................................... 123 CHAPTER 4. ANALYSIS OF HOWELLS’ HYMNUS PARADISI – PART ONE ........... 143 4.1 Overview ................................................................................................ 143 4.2 Preludio .................................................................................................. 151 4.3 Requiem aeternam ................................................................................ 172 4.4 The Lord is my shepherd ....................................................................... 195 4.5 “The Lord is my shepherd” ..................................................................... 197 CHAPTER 5. ANALYSIS OF HOWELLS’ HYMNUS PARADISI – PART TWO .......... 232 5.1 Sanctus .................................................................................................. 232 5.2 I heard a voice from heaven .................................................................. 268 iv 5.3 Holy is the true light ............................................................................... 285 CHAPTER 6. CRISIS AND CATHARSIS: AN ANALYTICAL INTERPRETATION ...... 319 6.1 The Crisis and Related Motives ............................................................. 320 6.2 Catharsis ................................................................................................ 342 CHAPTER 7. FINAL CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................... 358 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 362 v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Howells’ Requiem, Movement Titles and Tonalities/Modalities ....................... 48 Table 2. Movement Ordering and Correlations between Howells’ Requiem and Hymnus Paradisi ......................................................................................................................... 49 Table 3. Ternary Structure of Movements III, IV and V in the Requiem ........................ 53 Table 4. Requiem I, Formal outline ............................................................................... 58 Table 5. Requiem II, Formal Outline.............................................................................. 63 Table 6. Requiem III, Formal Outline............................................................................. 70 Table 7. Requiem IV, Formal Outline ............................................................................ 91 Table 8. Requiem V, Formal Outline ........................................................................... 104 Table 9. Requiem VI, Formal Outline .......................................................................... 128 Table 10. Comparison of Movement Ordering, Howells’ Requiem and Hymnus Paradisi .................................................................................................................................... 143 Table 11. Hymnus Paradisi II “Requiem Aeternam” Division of formal sections .......... 173 Table 12. Formal Division of Psalm 23 in Howells’ Requiem and Hymnus Paradisi ... 198 Table 13. Hymnus Paradisi IV, Blurring of text and tonal boundaries in the B section 210 Table 14. Hymnus Paradisi IV, Tonal Areas ................................................................ 234 Table 15. Hymnus Paradisi IV, Organization of the A section ..................................... 239 Table 16. Hymnus Paradisi IV, Comparison of Harmonic Progression for the Theme and
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