A Feminist Analysis of Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Oboe and Piano A thesis submitted to The Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the Performance Studies Division of the College-Conservatory of Music 2006 by Margaret Jean Grant B.M, University of Georgia, 1977 M.F.A., University of Georgia, 1979 M.M., Florida State University, 1986 ABSTRACT Francis Poulenc’s final work, his Sonata for oboe and piano, is one of the standard works in the oboe repertoire. However, this beloved sonata presents many puzzles and challenges for the thoughtful performer. This thesis came about because of those puzzles and challenges. One of the most exciting and innovative directions in music scholarship has come from the feminist movement and its many influences on the way scholars look at, talk about, listen to, and perform music. Feminist music theory steps outside the bounds of traditional techniques, seeking ways to offer new kinds of music analysis that may have more value to a wider audience. This thesis begins with an overview of feminist waves, terms, and philosophies before moving to how feminism has influenced music scholarship. The second chapter explores feminist music theory, citing examples of analysis from important feminist music scholars and drawing conclusions about the nature and work of feminist music theory. The third chapter presents an analysis of Poulenc’s oboe sonata, drawing primarily upon feminist techniques but not neglecting traditional theoretical systems when appropriate. The analysis begins by discussing Poulenc’s contextuality, personal life, and musical style, and then proceeds to deconstruct the music. In the process, Poulenc’s affinity for creating art through music, and for creating dramatic musical narrative in instrumental music, are brought to the forefront. 2 Copyright © 2006 by Margaret Jean Grant All rights reserved 3 To Karin Pendle 4 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . 6 INTRODUCTION . 7 CHAPTER 1. FEMINIST CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS . 11 INFLUENCING MUSICAL THOUGHT Overview: Three Waves of Feminism Feminism and Music Scholarship 2. WHAT IS FEMINIST MUSIC THEORY? . 36 Definitions and Examples Feminist Music Theory and the Sonata Feminist Music Theory Summarized 3. FRANCIS POULENC AND HIS OBOE SONATA: A FEMINIST ANALYSIS . 63 The Context A Feminist Analysis Conclusions and Results of Feminist Analysis CONCLUSION: FINDING JOUISSANCE AS A WOMAN PERFORMER/THEORIST . 106 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 110 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The fact that this thesis finally reached embodiment is a direct tribute to the people in my life who encouraged and believed in me along the way. Chief among them is my advisor and mentor, Dr. Karin Pendle, without whose guidance I would not even have known that feminist music theory exists. Dr. Pendle’s wealth of knowledge, tireless commitment to music scholarship, and personal commitment to her students inspire all who are fortunate enough to work with her. Her wit and wisdom in telling me that I “could have a life after my thesis” provided the correction I needed when my attention often wandered to other matters. Her example of diligence and perseverance continually humbles and amazes me. I am profoundly grateful for the education I have received at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Among my most revered professors is Dr. Mark Ostoich, my oboe teacher, whose phenomenal musicianship and teaching ability challenged and inspired me, and whose friendship I will covet for the rest of my life. Family and friends have gently nudged (and sometimes pushed) me to finish this project, and for that I am grateful. Chief among them are my brother Henry, my parents, and my beloved husband, Steve, who provided both emotional and technical assistance. My church family also encouraged me to stay the course. I am thankful to them, and to the One who gave me life and continues to fill it with the gift of music. 6 INTRODUCTION When I undertook this project, I was already convinced of the many benefits that music theory could bring to performers. I also realized that there were many gaps between the two disciplines. My first attempt to bridge that gap came in my first semester of doctoral studies in a summer course on music performance and theory taught by Dr. David Smyth at Louisiana State University. Our primary text, besides the music itself, was what must now be considered a classic: Edward T. Cone’s book Musical Form and Musical Performance.1 “Valid performance depends primarily on the perception and communication of the rhythmic life of a composition,” Cone writes. “We should look more closely, then, at the other musical elements and try to uncover the rhythmic form that they imply.”2 Dr. Cone’s book challenged me to start thinking “outside the box” of traditional music theory. For our final project in Dr. Smyth’s class we were to present lecture-recitals integrating analysis and performance on a work of our choice (preferably from our own repertoire). I chose the first movement of Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Oboe and Piano. A staple of the oboe repertoire, this sonata is one of the most performed and recorded solo works for oboe. It is also one of the most enigmatic and, in some places, difficult to interpret. I wondered whether music theory could lend any performance insights to these problematic places. 1 Edward T. Cone, Musical Form and Musical Performance (New York and London: Norton, 1968). This short book grew out of a series of lectures given at Oberlin College in 1967. 2 Ibid., 38, 39. 7 Unfortunately, this first attempt to analyze the first movement–Elégie–did not really help me understand how to perform or understand it any differently. My analysis, based primarily on traditional theoretical models, showed that the movement did not follow typical sonata-allegro procedure. Beyond that, though, I did not find any vital connections for performers. Through my ensuing doctoral work at the University of Cincinnati, College- Conservatory of Music (CCM), I gained a greater understanding of music theory, performance, and women’s music. My oboe professor, Dr. Mark Ostoich, and I had many a discussion over why I should (or should not) look to music theory for help in achieving better performance. He often encouraged me not to be so analytical, commenting that I needed to get away from that mindset in order to attain freedom of musical expression. He was right, since I was still approaching music theory using the traditional, masculinist viewpoint that had been instilled in me through my years of higher education. My first real breakthrough in finding a connection between performance and analysis came through an article by Dr. Alexandra Pierce in the journal Intégrale.3 In the article Dr. Pierce describes master classes in which she helped the performers solve problems in their music by identifying and then performing through movement what she calls “middle ground rhythmic vitality.” One of the performers in her class was an oboist working on the introduction to the second movement of Saint-Saens’s oboe sonata–a challenging interpretive place in our repertoire. Dr. Pierce encouraged this student to consider the underlying harmonic motions of the cascading arpeggiations in this passage. By listening and moving to the rhythmic harmonic flow, the student was able to time the 3 Alexandra Pierce, “Developing Schenkerian Hearing and Performing” (Intégrale 8, 1994): 51- 123. Dr. Pierce and her husband have published numerous articles and books relating music, music theory, and movement. 8 arpeggiated sequences in a way that brought much more coherence to her performance. I immediately tried this myself and began to implement these ideas in other pieces I was preparing, with amazing results. Not only did it help my performances; it was fun. I had finally found one really concrete way to bridge the theory and performance gap: movement applied to Schenkerian analysis. In my last year of course work at CCM I took Dr. Karin Pendle’s class on women in music. By the end of the term I had realized that I was missing half of the picture. I rushed to find music for oboe by women composers and began programming that music whenever I could. When the time came to choose a topic for my thesis, I asked Dr. Pendle to advise it. After quite a lot of reading and research, and with her expert guidance, I decided to approach the topic of feminist music theory. And, since I was still mystified by Poulenc’s oboe sonata, I decided to explore what feminist theory might have to offer in working out the interpretive (and therefore, performance) problems that still bothered me. Since feminism was still relatively new to me (and, I suspected, to many others who might be interested in an analysis of this sonata), I decided that I must first lay a foundation for the analysis. This proved to be a critical decision, since the more I learned about feminism, the more I began to discover that helped me understand Poulenc’s oboe sonata. Therefore, this thesis begins with an overview of feminist waves, terms, and philosophies before moving to how feminism has influenced music scholarship. In the second chapter I explore feminist music theory, citing examples of analysis from important feminist music scholars and drawing conclusions about the nature and work of feminist music theory. Finally, I analyze Poulenc’s oboe sonata, drawing primarily upon 9 feminist techniques but not neglecting traditional theoretical systems when appropriate. The result has exceeded my own expectations. It is my hope that this thesis will launch further feminist investigations in this other music. 10 CHAPTER ONE FEMINIST CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS INFLUENCING MUSICAL THOUGHT Although feminism began influencing music scholarship later than it did many other fields–such as history, literature, psychology, and art–it has now made major inroads, first in musicology and later in music theory.