University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2017 Identifying French Compositional Styles: Subtlety Through Familiarity Brandon Kinsey University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Kinsey, Brandon, "Identifying French Compositional Styles: Subtlety Through Familiarity" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1302. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1302 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. IDENTIFYING FRENCH COMPOSITIONAL STYLES: SUBTLETY THROUGH FAMILIARITY __________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts __________ by Brandon Kinsey June 2017 Advisor: Kristin Taavola Author: Brandon Kinsey Title: IDENTIFYING FRENCH COMPOSITIONAL STYLES: SUBTLETY THROUGH FAMILIARITY Advisor: Kristin Taavola Degree Date: June 2017 Abstract In this study, I examine two French berceuses for violin and piano to identify common compositional traits, specifically subtlety and familiarity in rhythm and harmony. Both Fauré’s Berceuse (1878-9) and Ravel’s Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré (1922) are representative of small form pieces written by French composers; in addition, the relationship of the two works is particularly striking as Fauré was Ravel’s teacher. The similarities of genre and instrumentation, coupled with 40 years of separation provides a unique setting to examine aspects of French compositional practices over time.