The Use of Limited Material to Achieve Expressive Quality in Elliott
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THE USE OF LIMITED MATERIAL TO ACHIEVE EXPRESSIVE QUALITY IN ELLIOTT CARTER’S EIGHT PIECES FOR FOUR TIMPANI: A PIVOTAL WORK IN ESTABLISHING THE TIMPANI AS SOLO INSTRUMENTS by JILLIAN DAMITRA BAXTER (Under the Direction of Timothy K. Adams, Jr.) ABSTRACT This capstone project is divided into four major sections. Section one offers a brief history of the timpani from their use as military instruments to their twentieth century use as solo instruments with modification to aid increased tuning changes. Section two provides insight into Elliott Carter’s childhood, influences, and writing style with a brief biography. Section three provides an examination of the Six Pieces for Kettledrums written in the 1950s. Section four provides an examination of the two pieces “Adagio” and “Canto” which were included in his 1966 revision Eight Pieces for Timpani when Carter sought to take advantage of the extended tuning capabilities of the instrument. Sections three and four focus on elements showcasing unique qualities not found in compositions of the same time period, such as modulation techniques, interval usage, mallet choices, and special effects. These elements will also be related to how they challenge the performer in their execution of the piece as well as challenge the listener to experience the distinctions of the performance. INDEX WORDS: Metrical modulation, Temporal modulation, Timbre, Sympathetic Resonance, Harmonics, Articulation, Pulse Polyphony, Timpani THE USE OF LIMITED MATERIAL TO ACHIEVE EXPRESSIVE QUALITY IN ELLIOTT CARTER’S EIGHT PIECES FOR FOUR TIMPANI: A PIVOTAL WORK IN ESTABLISHING THE TIMPANI AS SOLO INSTRUMENTS by JILLIAN DAMITRA BAXTER B.M., Middle Tennessee State University, 1999 M.M., Belmont University, 2004 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2015 ACCEPTANCE © 2015 Jillian Abraham Baxter All Rights Reserved THE USE OF LIMITED MATERIAL TO ACHIEVE EXPRESSIVE QUALITY IN ELLIOTT CARTER’S EIGHT PIECES FOR FOUR TIMPANI: A PIVOTAL WORK IN ESTABLISHING THE TIMPANI AS SOLO INSTRUMENTS by JILLIAN DAMITRA BAXTER Major Professor: Timothy K. Adams, Jr. Committee: Leonard V. Ball, Jr. Roy Legette Electronic Version Approved: Julie Coffield Interim Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2015 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................v LIST OF EXAMPLES ....................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 BRIEF HISTORY OF TIMPANI DESIGN ................................................................................3 ELLIOTT CARTER BIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... 13 1950-1960 PUBLICATIONS: Six Pieces for Kettledrums Improvisation ................................................................................................................. 17 Moto Perpetuo ................................................................................................................. 21 Saëta ............................................................................................................................... 25 March ............................................................................................................................. 31 Recitative ........................................................................................................................ 37 Canaries .......................................................................................................................... 40 1960 WRITINGS FOR PEDAL TIMPANI Adagio ............................................................................................................................ 50 Canto ............................................................................................................................... 57 WORKS CONSULTED ................................................................................................................... 64 WORKS CITED LIST ....................................................................................................................... 66 APPENDIX Lecture Script ................................................................................................................. 68 v LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Edmund Bowles, The Timpani: A History in Pictures and Documents, Ernst Gobler, Small Baroque Timpani, Diameters: 13 ¼ and 15 ¾ inches, pg. 342….………………….…..3 Figure 2: Edmund Bowles, The Timpani Supplement, London, Buckingham Palace Parade Grounds Mounted Timpanist, pg. 116…………………………………….……………..……4 Figure 3. Edmund Bowles, The Timpani Supplement, Baroque Timpani (Prussian or Bavarian) Primitive Tuning Mechanisms, ca. 1660-1700, pg. 17………..……..………………………..5 Figure 4. Edmund Bowles, The Timpani Supplement, Vilnius, Church of SS Peter & Paul Kettledrum (Turkish, 1663) Primitive “screw-eye” tuning bolts, pg. 17…………..………….5 Figure 5. Edmund Bowles, The Timpani Supplement, The Hague, Royal Conservatory of Music Late 19th Century Hand-Screw Timpani, pg. 23…………………….……………..………...6 Figure 6. Edmund Bowles, The Timpani: A History in Pictures and Documents, Gerhard Cramer, Sketch for the First So-Called Machine Drum, pg. 270…………………………….6 Figure 7: Jeremy Montagu, Timpani & Percussion, Pair of Stumpff System Rotary-Tuned Timpani, pg. 121.………………………………………………………………………….…7 Figure 8: Edmund Bowles, The Timpani Supplement, Hans Anheier Chain-Tuning Drums, pg. 71………………………………………………………………………………….……...8 Figure 9: Jeremy Montagu, Timpani & Percussion, Tram Handle Timpani with Einbigler System………………………………………………………………………………………..8 Figure 10: Edmund Bowles, The Timpani: A History in Pictures and Documents, So-Called Pfundt-Hoofman Improved Lever, or Machine, Timpani (Leipzeig ca. 1850), pg. 288…......9 Figure 11: Jeremy Montagu, Timpani & Percussion, Pittrich-system timpani, pg. 127.….....….10 Figure 12: Edmund Bowles, The Timpani: A History in Pictures and Documents, Detail of Pedal and Attachment to Lever Timpano, pg. 304………………………………………….10 vi Figure 13: Edmund Bowles, The Timpani: A History in Pictures and Documents, Ludwig Professional Model Timpani Featuring Suspended Bowl Construction and “Balanced Action” Pedal Mechanism, pg. 344…………………………………………...………....….11 Figure 14: Jeremy Montagu, Timpani & Percussion, Pair of Pedal Timpani by Leedy. Indianapolis, pre-1929, the Smaller Dismounted to Show the Pedal and the Screw in the Base of the Drum, pg. 129…..…………..…..………………...…………………………….11 Figure 15: Edmund Bowles, The Timpani: A History in Pictures and Documents, Metropolitan Model B Dresden Style Timpano, pg. 347…………………....……………...12 Figure 16: Elliott Carter, Eight Pieces for Four Timpani, Performance Notes….………………22 Figure 17: Elliott Carter, “Canaries,” Summary of Intervallic Relationships.....……………..…41 Figure 18: David Schiff Listing of All-Interval Tetrachords…………………………………….42 Figure 19: Elliott Carter, “Canaries,” Autograph page 1……………………..………………….44 Figure 20: “Canaries,” Summary of Modulations……………………………………...………..48 Figure 21: Summary of Entrances Reduction in Canaries mm. 117-130……………………..…49 Figure 22: Elliott Carter, “Adagio,” Autograph page 1………………………………………….56 Figure 23: Elliott Carter, “Adagio,” Autograph page 2………………………………………….57 Figure 24: Elliott Carter, “Canto,” Autograph page 1………….………….…………………….62 Figure 25: Elliott Carter, “Canto,” Autograph page 2…………………………………………...63 vii LIST OF EXAMPLES LIST OF EXAMPLES Page Example 1-1: “Improvisation,” mm. 18-20…………..……………………….……..…….…….17 Example 1-2: “Improvisation,” mm. 24-26……………………………..…….……………..…..18 Example 1-3: “Saëta,” mm. 25-26………………………………………...……………………..18 Example 1-4: “March,” mm. 14-15…………………………….…….....……………….………18 Example 1-5: “Improvisation,” mm. 7-14………………...……………………………………..19 Example 1-6. “Improvisation,” mm. 96-103 ………..…………………………………………..20 Example 2-1: “Moto Perpetuo,” mm. 17-20……….…………...………………………………..22 Example 2-2: “Moto Perpetuo,” mm. 38-41…………………………...………………………...24 Example 3-1: “Saëta,” mm. 1-2……………………..…………………..……………………….26 Example 3-2: “Saëta,” mm. 10-13……………………………………...………………………..27 Example 3-3: “Saëta,” mm. 19-24………………………………..…………...…………………28 Example 3-4: “Saëta,” mm. 25-26…………………………………….………………..………..28 Example 3-5: “Saëta,” mm. 42-49………………………………….…………………..………..29 Example 3-6: “Saëta,” mm. 54-60……………………………………………………………….30 Example 3-7: “Saëta,” mm. 93-96……………...…………………………………...…………...31 Example 4-1: “Stars and Stripes Forever,” mm. 95-102………………………………..……….32 Example 4-2: “March,” mm. 1-7……………………………………………..………………….33 viii Example 4-3: “March,” mm. 14-24…………..………………………………………………….34 Example 4-4: “March,” mm. 42-44…………………………………………………..……….…35 Example 4-5: “March,” mm. 61-64………………………………………………………..….…36 Example 4-6: “March,” mm. 74-76…………………………………………………………...…36 Example 5-1: “Recitative,” mm. 1-3………………………………………………………...…...39 Example 5-2: “Recitative,” mm. 35-38……………………………………………….……….....39 Example 5-3: “Recitative,” mm. 45-49……………….…………………………….………..…..40 Example 6-1: “Canaries,” mm. 1-28………………………………………………………..……45 Example 6-2: “Canaries,” mm. 105-130……………………………………………………..…..47 Example 7-1: Samuel Adler, Canto IX, Movement I, m. 1………….…………………….…….52 Example 7-2: “Adagio,” system 1…………………………………………………………..…...53