Analysis of Sonata in B-Flat Minor (1856-57)
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STUDY ON MILY BALAKIREV’S PIANO SONATAS by Joohee Lee Submitted to the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music Indiana University July 2018 Accepted by the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Music Doctoral Committee ______________________________________ Arnaldo Cohen, Research Director ______________________________________ Arnaldo Cohen, Chair ______________________________________ Evelyne Brancart ______________________________________ David Cartledge August 28, 2018 ii Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ iii List of Examples ............................................................................................................................. iv Chapter 1 : Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 : Analysis of Sonata in B-flat minor (1856-57) ............................................................... 9 Chapter 3 : Analysis of Sonata in B-flat minor (1905) .................................................................. 19 Chapter 4 : Analysis of Mazurkas .................................................................................................. 34 Chapter 5 : Conclusion................................................................................................................... 46 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 49 iii List of Examples Example 1. First movement, 1856-57, mm. 1–13. ......................................................................... 10 Example 2. First movement, 1856-57, mm. 38–43. ....................................................................... 11 Example 3. First movement, 1856-57, mm. 44–53. ....................................................................... 12 Example 4. First movement, 1856-57, mm. 67–80. ....................................................................... 13 Example 5. First movement, 1856-57, mm.139–143. .................................................................... 14 Example 6. First movement, 1856-57, mm. 198–207. ................................................................... 15 Example 7. Third movement, 1856-57, mm. 1–13. ....................................................................... 17 Example 8. Third movement, 1856-57, mm. 24–34. ..................................................................... 17 Example 9. First movement, 1905, mm. 1–13. .............................................................................. 19 Example 10. Tchaikovsky, 66 Russian Folk Songs, no. 43. .......................................................... 20 Example 11. Tchaikovsky, 66 Russian Folk Songs, no. 65. .......................................................... 20 Example 12. Georgian Song. ......................................................................................................... 21 Example 13. First movement, 1905, mm.26–31. ........................................................................... 22 Example 14. First movement, 1905, mm. 39–44. .......................................................................... 23 Example 15. First movement, 1905, mm. 48–54. .......................................................................... 24 Example 16. First movement, 1905, mm. 65–72. .......................................................................... 25 Example 17. First movement, 1905, mm. 139–145. ...................................................................... 26 Example 18. First movement, 1905, mm. 151–153. ...................................................................... 27 Example 19. First movement, 1905, mm. 163–170. ...................................................................... 28 Example 20. Third movement, 1905, mm. 1–7. ............................................................................ 29 Example 21. Fourth movement, 1905, mm. 179–191. ................................................................... 30 Example 22. Fourth movement, 1905, mm. 1–16. ......................................................................... 30 Example 23. Fourth movement, 1905, mm. 50–60. ....................................................................... 31 Example 24. Fourth movement, 1905, mm. 101–110. ................................................................... 31 iv Example 25. Fourth movement, 1905, mm. 371–374. ................................................................... 31 Example 26. Fourth movement, 1905, mm. 33–38. ....................................................................... 32 Example 27. Fourth movement, 1905, mm. 464–485. ................................................................... 33 Example 28. Mazur, 1856-57, mm. 68–79. ................................................................................... 35 Example 29. Mazur, 1856-57, mm.100–124. ................................................................................ 36 Example 30. Mazur, 1856-57, mm. 289–308. ............................................................................... 37 Example 31. Mazurka, 1905, mm. 213–220. ................................................................................. 38 Example 32. Mazur, 1856-57 mm. 47–67. .................................................................................... 39 Example 33. Mazurka, 1905, mm. 47–59. ..................................................................................... 39 Example 34. Mazurka, 1905, mm. 221–230. ................................................................................. 40 Example 35. Mazurka, 1905, mm. 236–245. ................................................................................. 40 Example 36. Mazur, 1856-57, mm. 168–178. ............................................................................... 41 Example 37. Mazurka, 1905, mm. 256–265. ................................................................................. 41 Example 38. Mazur, 1856-7, mm. 1–15. ....................................................................................... 42 Example 39. Mazurka, 1905, mm. 1–14. ....................................................................................... 43 Example 40. Mazur, 1856-57, mm. 53–57. ................................................................................... 44 Example 41. Mazurka, 1905, mm. 60–74. ..................................................................................... 44 Example 42. Mazur, 1856-57, mm. 22–34. ................................................................................... 45 Example 43. Mazurka, 1905, mm. 22–34. ..................................................................................... 45 v 1 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION This dissertation proposes to describe and analyze the piano sonatas by Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (1837–1910). Among the three piano sonatas that are left in manuscripts (1855, 1856- 57, 1905), the latest one was the only one that was completed and published. However, the second one was also published in 1948 and the earliest one remains unpublished. Although the research on these earlier sonatas is very scarce, they are significant works. All of these sonatas are written in B-flat major, to which Balakirev had a special affinity. Also, all of them had a Mazurka movement with the same thematic material, the first being the simplest, the last the most elaborate, virtuosic and highly effective. Comparing the earlier and the late Mazurkas will lead us to discover the stylistic and technical development of the piano music by Balakirev. Balakirev, head composer of the Mighty Handful1, played a critical role in the development of musical nationalism in Russia in the mid-nineteenth century. Musical nationalism, a reaction to the prominence of German music in Western music history, began to rise during the late nineteenth century. Musical nationalists sought to express their identities through their traditional or folk music, rather than following German classical conventions. This movement was manifested in diverse areas of Europe, including Scandinavia, Bohemia, Hungary, and the Soviet Union. The new musical languages and styles emerging from these regions provided abundant melodic materials and fresh sounds to the Western art music tradition. What is especially noteworthy about Russian nationalist music, compared to that of other regions, is that the Russian art music scene began to prosper, becoming one of the centers of Western art music, despite having been almost barren of classical music for centuries. Russian 1 The Mighty Handful (1856 to 1870) played a critical role in the rise of Russian nationalism in music. Mily Balakirev was the leader, followed by César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Alexander Borodin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. They composed music based on Russian folk songs and orientalism. Mussorgsky, especially, incorporated realism into his operas. The music by these composers was significant in the development of Russian music. 2 nationalists fought the prevailing forces of Western culture around St. Petersburg. During the nineteenth century, Russia was in the midst of a clash between Western European culture and local tradition. The