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The Role of Narrative in Performing Schumann and Chopin's Music

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The Role of Narrative in Performing Schumann and Chopin's Music James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Dissertations The Graduate School Spring 2017 The oler of narrative in performing Schumann and Chopin’s music Yu-Wen Chen James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/diss201019 Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Chen, Yu-Wen, "The or le of narrative in performing Schumann and Chopin’s music" (2017). Dissertations. 140. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/diss201019/140 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Role of Narrative in Performing Schumann and Chopin’s Music Yu-Wen Chen A document submitted to the Graduate Faculty of JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts School of Music May 2017 FACULTY COMMITTEE: Committee Chair: Gabriel Dobner Committee Members/ Readers: Eric Ruple John Peterson ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am thankful for the numerous people that have contributed to this document. I would like to first thank my committee members: to Dr. Gabriel Dobner, my applied teacher and advisor, for all of his musical expertise and unwavering support, for all these years, I have been fortunate to have his guidance; to Dr. John Peterson, for helping my understanding of musical narrative and providing suggestions regarding analysis and writing; to Dr. Eric Ruple, for his continued patience and gracious encouragement. I would especially like to take this opportunity to express my gratefulness to my former teacher Harvey Wedeen (1927-2015) who supported and inspired me during my years of musical studies at Temple University. Prof. Wedeen served as my role model and mentor. He guided me to pursue my love of musical learning and his inspiration brought a new vision to light for which I will forever appreciate. My heartfelt gratitude goes to my family. To my parents, for their unconditional love: It would not be possible for me to accomplish anything without your support. To my sister and brother: I am so thankful and fortunate to have you as my siblings; your patience and encouragement always strengthen my confidence. Finally, I would like to express my thanks to my friends who have helped me in many ways. All of you have played a significant role in teaching me to value a strong work ethic, but most importantly in showing me the value of love and support. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ ii List of Figures .............................................................................................................. iv List of Musical Examples ..............................................................................................v Abstract ....................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Defining Musical Narrative ..........................................................................1 Introduction ........................................................................................................1 An Overview of Musical Narrative....................................................................4 Chapter 2: The Nature of Narrative in the Music of Schumann and Chopin...............13 Chapter 3: Form and Structure .....................................................................................23 Schumann .........................................................................................................23 Chopin ..............................................................................................................33 Chapter 4: Performance Suggestions ...........................................................................39 Schumann .........................................................................................................39 Chopin ..............................................................................................................44 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................54 Bibliography ................................................................................................................56 iii List of Figures Figure 1.1. Klein’s Temporary in narrative forms in Chopin’s Fourth Ballade ........... 9 Figure 3.1. Form in Kreisleriana, Op. 16 .................................................................. 27 Figure 3.2. Musical cryptograms in Schumann’s Carnival, Op. 9 ............................ 30 Figure 3.3. Chopin Ballade No.1, mm.194-208 ......................................................... 38 Figure 4.1. Structure of Chopin Ballade No. 1 in G minor ........................................ 48 iv List of Musical Examples Example 1.1. Chopin’s Fourth Ballade, mm. 1-3 & 7-9 .............................................. 9 Example 3.1. Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, No. 1, mm. 14-17 ............... 24 Example 3.2. Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, No. 1, mm. 34-41 ............... 25 Example 3.3. Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, No. 16, mm. 1-4 ................. 26 Example 3.4. Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, No. 16, mm. 24-41 ............. 26 Example 3.5. Schumann’s Kreisleriana, No. 1, mm. 1-5 .......................................... 27 Example 3.6. Schumann’s Kreisleriana, No. 1, mm. 21-28 ...................................... 28 Example 3.7. Musical cryptograms “ASCH” in Schumann’s Carnival, Op. 9 ......... 31 Example 3.8. Musical cryptograms “As-C-H” in Schumann’s Carnival, Op. 9 ....... 32 Example 3.9. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, mm. 1-4 .......................................... 34 Example 3.10. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, mm. 23-29 .................................... 34 Example 3.11. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, mm. 37-39 .................................... 35 Example 3.12. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, m. 46 ............................................. 35 Example 3.13. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1: A’ section, mm. 49-50 ................... 36 Example 3.14. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, mm. 71-72 .................................... 36 Example 4.1. Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, No. 1, mm. 34-41 ............... 40 Example 4.2. Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, No. 16, mm. 24-34 ............. 41 Example 4.3. Schumann’s Kreisleriana, No. 1, mm. 21-28 ...................................... 43 Example 4.4. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, mm. 1-8 .......................................... 45 Example 4.5. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, mm. 1-4 and mm. 17-24 ................. 46 Example 4.6. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, mm. 37-41 ...................................... 47 Example 4.7. Chopin Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, mm. 71-77 ...................................... 48 Example 4.8. Chopin Ballade No. 1, mm. 1-10 ......................................................... 49 Example 4.9. Chopin Ballade No. 1, mm. 67-75 ....................................................... 50 v Example 4.10. Chopin Ballade No. 1, mm. 92-107 ................................................... 50 Example 4.11. Chopin Ballade No. 1, mm. 166-171 ................................................. 51 Example 4.12. Chopin Ballade No. 1, mm. 187-194 ................................................. 52 Example 4.13. Chopin Ballade No. 1, mm. 206-207 ................................................. 52 vi Abstract Recognizing how to present a narrative while performing the music of Schumann and Chopin helps the performer to transmit the spirit of the music and convey expression in the music. In the music-making process, what we cannot discount is that the performer plays a crucial role in conveying musical expression to the listeners, which tremendously affects the quality of the entire musical experience. In this document, I argue that there is a qualitative difference between the ways in which performers should express the central story conveyed in the music of Robert Schumann compared with the story conveyed in the music of Frédéric Chopin, two composers whose music has often been the subject of narrative analyses. In performing Schumann’s music, the performer experiences the narrative from a first-person perspective while playing the music. In Chopin, by contrast, the performer is more distanced from the story, acting as a kind of narrator in the position of telling a story within a narrative frame, something akin to a third-person perspective. In this document, I discuss these two perspectives in the piano music of Schumann and Chopin. I begin with an overview of musical narrative, followed by an exploration of the elements of narrative in these composers’ music. I then proceed to provide analyses of their piano music in terms of form and structure. In the last chapter, I suggest some performance interpretations for the pianist that reinforce the different narratological perspectives I identify in the music of both Schumann and Chopin. I conclude by arguing how the result of my analysis can benefit a pianist’s interpretation, and how that interpretation in turn can affect the audience’s musical experience. vii Chapter 1: Defining Musical Narrative Introduction Many philosophers have discussed the relationship between music and emotion. Some
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