An Examination of the German Influence on Thematic Development, Chromaticism and Instrumentation of Ernest Chausson's Concert for Piano, Violin and String Quartet, Op.21

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Authors Chiang, Chen-Ju

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Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/195479 AN EXAMINATION OF THE GERMAN INFLUENCE ON THEMATIC

DEVELOPMENT, CHROMATICISM AND INSTRUMENTATION IN ERNEST

CHAUSSON'S CONCERT FOR PIANO, VIOLIN AND STRING QUARTET, OP. 21

by

Chen -Ju Chiang

______

A Document Submitted to the Faculty of the

SCHOOL OF MUSIC

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

In the Graduate College

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

2 0 0 6 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE

As members of the Document Committee, we certify that we have read the document prepared by Chen -Ju Chiang entitled An Examination of the German Influence on Thematic Development, Chromaticism and Instrumentation in Ernest Chausson's Concert for Piano, Violin and Stri ng Quartet, Op. 21 and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts

______Paula Fan Date: 4/14/06

______Tannis Gibson Date: 4/14/06

______Lisa Zdechlik Date: 4/14/06

Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copies of the document to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement.

______Document Director: Paula Fan Date: 4/14/06 3

STATEMENT BY AUTHOR

This document has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements fo r an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the library.

Brief quotations from this document are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests from permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgmen t the purposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author.

SIGNED: Chen -Ju Chiang 4

TABLE OF CONTENT S

ABSTRACT...... 6

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION...... 7

CHAPTER TWO: THE PARISIAN MUSICAL SCENE BETWEEN 1870 AND 1900...... 9

M USICAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE 1870 S...... 9 MUSICAL ACTIVITY IN PARIS IN THE 188 0S...... 10 MUSICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN PARIS BETWEEN 1890 AND 1900...... 11

CHAPTER THREE: ERNEST CHAUSSON'S LIFE AND MUSIC...... 12

B IOGRAPHICAL AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND ...... 12 MUSICAL CHARACTE RISTICS AND STYLE ...... 15

CHAPTER FOUR: THE FRANCK SCHOOL...... 19

CÉSAR FRANCK AND HIS COMPOSITIONAL L ANGUAGE...... 19 L A BANDE À FRANCK ...... 25 FRANCK'S POSITION IN FRENCH MUSIC...... 27

CHAPTER FIVE: WAGNERISM...... 29

WAGNERISM IN PAR IS...... 29 THE BASIC IDEAL OF WAGER'S MIUSICAL LANGUAGE...... 33 THE IMPACT OF WA GNERISM ON FRENCH COMPOSERS...... 38 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued

CHAPTER SIX: ANALYSIS OF CONCERT ...... 40

HISTORICAL BACKG ROUND OF CONCERT ...... 40 FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT ...... 42 WAGNERIAN AND FRANC KIAN ELEMENTS IN CONCERT ...... 47

W AGNERIAN ELEMENTS Tristan und Isolde Parsifal Harmonic Language Instrumentation

FRANCKI AN ELEMENTS The Employment of Sequential Writing and Cyclic Form The Inspiration of Franck's Violin Sonata and Piano Quintet

CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION...... 70

APPENDIX A: THE COMPARISON OF THE KEYS IN CÉSAR FRANCK'S REDEMPTION AND ANTON REICHA'S CHART OF KEY..73

APPENDIX B: FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT, MOV EMENT I...... 75

APPENDIX C: FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT , MOVEMENT II...... 77

AP PENDIX D: FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT , MOVEMENT III...... 78

APPENDIX E: FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT , MOVEMENT IV...... 79

REFERENCES...... 81 6

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a history and analysis of how the two masters, Richard Wagn er and César Franck, influenced Ernest Chausson during his lifetime and how their musical elements are represented in Chausson's Concert . The influential elements include harmonic employment, instrumentation and thematic development. Musical quotations fro m Wagner's operas as well as Franck's sequential writing and cyclic technique are discussed. An analysis of formal structure is provided in this context. Musical circumstances surrounding the composition of Concert are presented as well as a brief biography and description of Chausson's musical style. The impact on French Music of

César Franck and Richard Wagner is also discussed. 7

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Ernest Chausson's Concert occupies a unique place in the chamber music repertory

because it uses the combination of piano, violin and string quartet. It is considered to be

one of the most original instrumentations composed in the genre of six players. The work,

however, inspires controversy. Misled by the title and the dedicatee (a Belgian violinist

Eugène Ysaÿe), scholars and performers have debated whether it is a form of concerto for

violin or a double concerto for solo piano and violin; the work demands that both

instrumentalists be concerto virtuosi. In addition, the complicated harmonic context and

thematic design arouse diverse opinions concerning the formal structure of each

movement.

Three major biographical books written by Jean Gallois, Barricelli and Weinstein,

and Ralph Scott Grover all provide short paragraphs about Concert . Jean Gallois

addresses that it is neither a sextet nor a concerto;1 Barricelli and Weinstein claim that it is "a work in which the solo instruments blend in with the ensemble,"2 reminding one of a

Baroque concerto grosso;3 Grover claims Concert is "a chamber work of unusual design,

a sextet perhaps, in which the solo violin and piano often function in the manner of a

______1. Jean Gallois, Ernest Chausson ([Paris]: Fayard, 1994), 288.

2. Jean -Pierre Barricelli and Leo We instein, Ernest Chausson: The Composer's Life and Works (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1955), 49.

3. Ibid., 143. 8

violin and piano sonata against the quartet." 4All three books, while not necessarily in

agreement, also include a brief analysis of f ormal structure. The controversy brought about by these arguments increases the challenge of interpretation as well as the definition of formal structure.

It has been widely recognized that Chausson was a Wagnerian composer who studied under César Fra nck. Concert is a composition that combines elements of both composers to reveal a genuinely new idea. This document will examine how Chausson incorporates the two masters' musical elements 5 through clever thematic design,

employment of harmonic technique and choice of instrumentation. The writer hopes both

to clarify the controversy and disputes concerning the work and provide supporting

information to enhance performance and interpretation.

______4. Ralph Scott Grover, Ernest Chausson: The Man and His Music (Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press, 1980), 190.

5. The music examples used in this document will be only the excerpts of Ernest Chausson’s Concert published by International Music Company and Dover Publications, César Franck’s Violin Sonata by Wiener Urtext Edition and Breitkopf & Härtel, and Piano Quintet by Edition Peters, Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde by Breitkopf & Härtel. 9

CHAPTER TWO

THE PARISIAN MUSICAL SCENE BETWEEN 1870 AND 1900

MUSICAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE 1870 S

Before the end of the Prussian -Franco War in 1871, Paris was the most important opera center after Italy in the nineteenth century. After Rossini moved there in 1824 and his fellow composer Meyerbeer a year later, bel canto opera , Grand opera and opéra comique were to flourish for almost fifty years. After 1871, Paris's economy receded due to the war expense; since opera production was exceedingly expensive, opera companies declined. People sought out other more modest options to organize musical events. Small circles were formed in the salons of the wealthy where Liszt, Wagner and Rossini were active guests. Instrumental music, especially piano trios, became the most popular genre in such salon concerts and Beethoven's works were in special favor.

Meanwhile several organizations were established with the renaissance of instrumental music as their goal: members of the Société Nationale de Musique, led by

Saint-Saëns and formed in 1871, promoted serious music by their native French contemporaries; the Concert National founded by Edouard Colonne and Georges

Hartmann in 1873 gave performances of French works, especially those of Berlioz.

Charles Lamoureux joined the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire with his string quartet in 1860 and formed a chamber orchestra in 1872 devoted to large -scale choral performances. In addition, he directed the Société des Nouveaux-Concerts from 1881, giving weekly orchestral performances. 10

At the same time, Wagner's concepts fascinated many of the French avant-garde in literature, art and music, especially after the Bayreuth Festival was established in 1876.

While Parisian audiences in the 60's and 70's saw only excerpts from Lohengrin and

Tannhäuser promoted by Jules Pasdeloup, and no complete Wagnerian productions,

Wagner's theories were already discussed in an atmosphere of enthusiasm. Many French composers, either out of curiosity or already staunch devotees, made trips to Bayreuth or

Munich to hear Wagner's operas: Chausson, Chabrier, Debussy, Duparc , d'Indy, Fauré and

Saint-Saëns all made the pilgrimage. However, César Franck was an exception; having thoroughly examined Tristan und Isolde, he decided to keep his distance.

MUSICAL ACTIVITY IN PARIS IN THE 1880S

During the 1880s, instrumental music flourished and reached its peak in France.

Many significant works appeared at this time, such as Franck's Piano Quintet and his

Violin Sonata. Saint-Saëns published some of his most brilliant works during these years: the B minor violin concerto, the Septet for strings, piano and trumpet, and Le carnaval des animaux. In 1886, Saint-Saëns' pupil, Gabriel Fauré also composed one of his most significant chamber works, the Piano Quartet No. 2. The young Claude Debussy was experiencing his most Wagnerian period in this decade. He composed several orchestral works arranged as piano score for four hands such as his first Symphony in B minor, symphonic suite Printemps.

Charles Lamoureux produced the first full staging of a Wagner opera, Lohengrin , in 11

Paris in 1887. Nevertheless, due to rising nationalism, the production was forced to close

after the first performance. Wagnerian enthusiasts still made the pilgrimage to Bayreuth.

But others, who either foresaw the end of Wagnerism or were influenced by the political

si tuation, chose to "de-Wagnerize" by retaining their original aesthetic ―Saint-Saëns, for

instance ―or by exploring new paths, as did Chabrier. In the 1880s, Paris was enlivened

by the quarrels between Wagnerian disciples and anti -Wagnerians; but, by decade's end,

more composers, such as Chausson and Debussy, opted to join the opposition.

MUSICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN PARIS BETWEEN 18 90 AND 1900

Wagner's Die Walküre and Tristan were finally produced in Paris in 1893 and 1899,

but French nationalism and anti -Wagnerism triggered Parisian circles of music, literature, and ar t to create their own idioms. The maturing Debussy began to invent his personal language. He obtained Maeterlinck's permission in 1893 to compose Pelléas et Mélisande,

and Prélude à l'après- midi d'un faune received its first performance in 1894.

Mean while, exoticism began to invade at the end of nineteenth century. Javanese

gamelan music was introduced in the Exhibition Universille in Paris and Maurice Ravel's

Shéhérazade, ouverture de féerie was composed in 1898–1900. 12

CHAPTER THREE

ERNEST C HAUSSON'S LIFE AND MUSIC

BIOGRAPHICAL AND EDU CATIONAL BACKGROUND

Ernest Chausson's life essentially encompasses the second half of the nineteenth

century. He was born in January 20, 1855 in Paris and died in June 10, 1899 in a bicycle

accident.

The only surviving child of Prosper Chausson, a public works contractor, and his

wife, Stéphanie Levrault, Chausson was raised in comfortable circumstances, well

protected by his parents. Because of the early deaths of his siblings, it was determined

that he be tutored at home throughout his entire childhood and adolescence. This played

an important part in the shaping of his personality, which was marked by melancholy

because of his enforced isolation, and an early sense of maturity due to his associating

only with older people.

Chausson studied piano with Cornélius Coster and more significantly, Léon

Brethous-Lafargue, also a poet and a writer, who passed on his fine taste in literature, painting, and music. He was also the person who introduced Chausson to his

"godmother," Mme de Rayssac, the wife of the writer Saint-Cyr de Rayssac. She in turn introduced Chausson to many artists in her circle, including the influential painters

Eugène Delacroix and Odilon Redon.

Chausson's association with talented artists during his adolescence prepared him for his future regular meetings with literary figures, musicians, and artists at his home. Here 13

Symbolists, Impressionists and Romanticists gathered together: Degas, Renoir, Redon,

Rodin, Mallarmé, Camille Mauclair, Maurice Bouchor, Duparc, d'Indy, Fauré, Franck and

Debussy, to name only a few, were frequent guests. Several paintings of these important

artists were exhibited in the gallery of Chausson's mansion on 22 Boulevard de

Courcelles. 6

Possessing a great passion fo r the arts, Chausson was hesitant to choose among

music, painting or literature as a career. He had created hundreds of sketches, which,

preserved by his youngest daughter, still exist and he wrote a novel, Jacques , around

1877; this, however, was destroye d by the author. 7 Nevertheless, evidence of Chausson's

literary talent can still be seen in the libretto he wrote for his opera Le Roi Arthus.

In 1879, Chausson decided to become a composer after hearing Tristan und Isolde for the first time in Munich. He enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire, studying composition with Massenet. He entered the competition for the Prix de Rome with his cantata l'Arabe in 1880 but did not win. After this, Chausson's self -critical nature prevented him from continuing as a st udent at the Conservatoire, but he remained in César Franck's organ class ―actually an unofficial composition seminar ―as an auditor. Joining the many students who were attracted by the Belgian's intense harmonic language and compositional mastery of larger instrumental forms, Chausson came to study with Franck exclusively and became acquainted with his disciple, Vincent d'Indy. Along with d'Indy, he became a central figure in the group of Franck's pupils who were christened " La

______6. Grover, Ernest Chausson, 17-18.

7. Ibid., 15. 14

bande à Franck " because of their faithful and feverish promotion of their master's works.

He concluded his study with Franck in 1883, the year of his marriage to pianist Jeanne

Escudier. During these apprentice years, Chausson was also fascinated with Wagner's

music; he went to Bayreuth and Munich many times, and included a performance of

Parsifal in Bayreuth as part of his honeymoon.

In 1886, Chausson was elected as the secretary of Société Nat ionale de Musique,

founded by Saint-Saëns in 1870. In this important capacity, Chausson devoted himself to

showcasing his teacher's music as well as using his influence to publicize works of new

talented young composers such as Albeniz and Ravel. Meanwhile , Chausson began to

experiment and create his own style. It was about the same time that he formed a close

friendship with the young Debussy. 8 The two composers shared similar tastes while their

diverse personalities complemented each other. Approaching mi ddle age, Chausson

began to rub shoulders with members of the new literary and art groups, such as the

Symbolists Stéphane Mallarmé, Eug ène Carrière and Odilon Redon; Maurice Denis and

Edouard Vuillard from Les Nabis . This was a group of Post -Impressionist artists who

became interested in graphic art that not only followed Paul Gauguin in his paintings and

color techniques but also shared the ideas of Art Nouveau style and Symbolism.

In 1899, riding a bicycle to meet his wife and children at the railway st ation,

Chausson was killed in a mysterious accident. He was found by his eldest daughter "lying

at the foot of the carriage entrance."9 He was only forty -four.

______8. Gallois, Ernest Chausson, 232.

9. Grover, Ernest Chausson, 20. 15

MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND STYLE

Chausson is most often considered to be a Wagnerian disciple, his works marked by

lyricism, heavy textures and chromaticism. Most famous as a song composer, Chausson

set to music a wide range of poet's works, including Parnassians Leconte de Lisle and

Théophile Gautier, Symbolists Villers de l'Isle -Adam, Paul Verlaine and Maurice

Maeterlinck, and Shakespearean poems translated by Maurice Bouchor. Actually, he

composed in a variety of genres; he wrote chamber and solo works for piano or with

other instruments; some choral works, both a cappella and with orchestra; motets

accompanied by various instrumental combinations; larger forms including lyrical dramas

as well as incidental music for legend or Shakespear e's plays; symphonic poems; one opera and one symphony.

Chausson's compositional activities spanned the 1880s and 1890s. His compositions, which comprise forty published and some remaining unpublished works, can be divided into three periods. The compositions of the first period, from 1879 to 1886, are student works and generally reflect the composer following in Franck's footsteps, with the exception of the seven mélodies, Op. 2, which is influenced by Massenet's charming,

Parnassian, simple style. Otherwise these early works are full of modulation and thick textures. Franck's influence can be seen in Chausson's Trio in G minor, Op. 3 in which he first employs the cyclic technique.

However, outside of the world of la bande à Franck, there was another tr emendous movement infusing the music circles of Paris: Wagnerism. Chausson was one of those 16

who found this madness irresistible. One can hear Wagnerian elements in the symphonic

poem Viviane (1882), the lyrical drama Hélène (1883–86), and his famous Poème de l'amour et de la mer for voice and orchestra, as well as in the poems of Maurice Bouchor,

Op. 8 such as Printemps triste . He can be heard deliberately using Wagner's typical orchestration or harmonies. Between 1883 and 1886, Chausson's compositional act ivity was greatly curtailed because of his military service. He also began to be aware of the danger of employing Wagnerian language in his compositions, which, though fascinating to him, would hinder the development of his imagination, creativity and musi cal voice.

The composition of his opera Le Roi Arthus, begun in 1886 and not completed until

1895, spans his second period, which is often considered a transition to a mature style.

However, Chausson, so desperate because of his love-hate relationship wi th Wagnerism, abandoned his opera to compose other works. As Chausson struggled to avoid Wagnerian language in his music, he endeavored to explore other components to utilize in his own music. T he Symphony in B flat major and the Concert for piano, violin and string quartet both contain many experiments toward creating his own style. He turned to Franck's compositional techniques such as cyclic form and sequential writing. While the

Symphony clearly features Franck's cyclic technique, Concert shows Chausson's attempts to employ Franck's ideals to supercede the Wagnerism which was his first love. At this

time, Chausson also assumed the post of secretary of the Société Nationale de Musique.

His duties were to arrange and select the concert programs as well as compile scores for

the library; thus he had opportunities to explore a variety of styles of music, especially

those of contemporary composers. 17

Also stimulating to Chausson's musical thought and conception was his friendship

with the young Claude Debussy. Their acquaintance coincided with Chausson's second period and overlapped with the third period, from 1889 to 1897. Both composers realized that their strong attachment to Wagnerian music would hinder their creativity and imagination.10 Photos as well as their correspondence show that they frequently met and

exchanged musical ideas, encouraged each other and explored contemporary works such

as Musorgsky's Boris Gordonov.11 It is also very interesting that they chose to compose in the same genres during th is period, and that the dates of corresponding compositions overlap as follows: Chausson's opera Le Roi Arthus (1886-1895) and Debussy's Pelléas et

Melissande (1893-1895); Serres chaudes (1893-1896) by the former and Proses lyriques

(1892-1893) by the lat ter; the String Quartet of Debussy (1893) and Chausson's Concert

(1889-1891) and String Quartet (1897). 12

As he moved into his third period around 1889, Chausson's technique was fully

mastered. Encouraged by the Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, the dedicate e of Concert ,

Chausson gained the confidence to compose more instrumental works. The Poème for

violin and orchestra, based on a story by the Russian novelist Turgenev, and the Piano

Quartet in A major composed in the years of 1896 and 1897 are considered the major

works of his third period. Chausson was also inspired by the French Baroque: he re -

______10. François Lesure and Roger Nichols, ed., Debussy Letters, trans. Roger Nichols (London: Faber and Faber, 1987), 54, 58.

11. Barricelli and Weinstein, Ernest Chausson, 59-60.

12. Christian Goubault, "Chausson et Debussy à la Croisee des Chemins," Ostinato rigore: Revue internationale d'etudes musicales 14 (2000): 69. 18

orchestrated the Prélude, air et scène du sommei l by Lully and some pieces by Rameau, such as Adoration du Soleil from Indes galantes . Later he revived tempo markings such

as décidé and trés animé as well as dance forms such as Sicilienne and Sarabande in

Concert . At the same time, Chausson began to exp lore the poems of Symbolists, such as

Maeterlinck and Verlaine, for use in his songs. His late songs show a link to Debussy's,

which lean toward tonal ambiguity; the Tristan Chord and augmented triads disappear,

and instead, nonfunctional sevenths and ninths grace a more transparent, far less

Wagnerian texture. 19

CHAPTER FOUR

THE FRANCK SCHOOL

CÉSAR FRANCK AND HIS COMPOSITIONAL LANGU AGE

Both the life and reputation of César Frank generated extreme controversy among

his contemporaries as well as the scholars who have written about him. The city where he

was born, Liège, which later became part of Belgium, was part of the French -dominated

Walloon district. Franck was primarily of German descent; his mother's ancestry was purely German and his fat her's family came from Gemmenich, a town near the German border. Nevertheless, Franck always considered himself a Frenchman and was proud of it, although he was once refused permission to compete for the Prix de Rome because of his nationality.

Franck's compositions are also considered to be derived from German tradition. His harmonic language shows a resemblance to Wagnerian chromaticism; his chief compositional techniques include the employment of cyclic technique and sequential writing. It is suggested that the former technique is inspired by the works of Beethoven,

Schubert and Mendelssohn; while the latter may have its roots in the works of Bach and the study with Anton Reicha, a Bohemian born in Prague and teacher of Berlioz, Liszt and Gounod. Reicha, a friend of Beethoven and Haydn, introduced Bach's fugues to

Franck.

According to d'Indy, the cyclic form is "the idea of constructing an important work upon the basis of a single theme, concurrent with other melodies, which also reappear in 20

the course of the work, thus creating a musical cycle."13 The reoccurrence of the cyclic theme in different movements within a work unifies the whole piece and "solves the problem of providing a properly conclusive finale." 14 Norman Demuth offers a more complete explanation in his biography of Franck:

The basic idea of this form is to weld the movements of a symphony or sonata into a homogeneous whole by the use of the initial material. This can be done in several ways. The most obvious is the introduction of or direc t reference to the material in each successive movement...the principal theme of the first movement is often quoted in extenso as a climax. Each movement has its own particular themes and the work continually gathers itself about itself, so to speak, snowb all fashion. Another method is to base the entire material of each movement on the initial phrase or phrases...sometimes the basis may be a mere succession of notes which arise out of the progress of the work. These notes not being sounded thematically at any time, become apparent as the work progresses. A more abstruse way is to use mere fragments of separate melodies in the make-up of the successive subjects. 15

Franck began to use cyclic technique as early as in his Trio in F sharp minor, Op. 1,

no. 1. In Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth Symphonies and String Quartet in C sharp minor,

Op. 131, the cyclic technique is presented as a reoccurrence of previously heard themes;

whereas Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy and E major Quartet Op. 125 show a monothematic

tech nique that is similar to "transformations" of the same material. 16 These two types of

______13. Vincent d'Indy, César Franck , trans. from the French, with an introduction by Rosa Newmarch (London: John Lane The Bodley Head LTD., 1909), 88.

14. Andrew Thomson, Vincent d'Indy and His World (New York: Clarendon Press, 1996), 66.

15. Norman Demuth, César Franck (London: Dennis Dobson LTD, 1949), 53.

16. John Trevitt and Joël -Marie Fauquet, “César Franck,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2001), 180. 21

cyclic technique both appear in Franck's works.

Another component of Franck's major compositional language is sequential writing.

This compositional technique employs a four-bar phrase unit which serves as a means of

modulation to a certain key, usually a third apart. Franck frequently harmonizes the first

phrase, then simply transposes it to another key utilizing a third relation. One such

example occurs in his famous Violin Sonata; the chords and the implied keys are simply

transposed up a third (see Ex.4-1):

Ex. 4-1. Franck: Violin Sonata, Movement I, mm. 9 –16 mm. 9 10 11 12

Har. AM d# dim6/5 Ger6 AM d# dim6/5 Ger6 EMm7 EMm4/2 Ger6 G#m6

Key A Major

mm. 13 14 15 16

Har. C#M F x6/5 Ger6 C#M F x6/5 Ger6 G#Mm7 G#Mm4/2 a#dim6/5 BM6

Key C# Major

This sequential technique is strikingl y reminiscent of the episodic passages used in

fugues, where the episodes serve as modulations in terms of sequences. Franck admired

Bach's works, and constantly analyzed Bach's fugues beginning with his apprentice

period. Franck not only takes the inspira tion and composes two remarkable works for

piano both of which represent this sequential writing: the Prélude, choral et fugue and the

Prélude, aira et final, but also employs this technique in his other works (see Ex. 4-2). 22

Ex. 4-2a. Franck: Violin Sonata, Movement I, mm. 89–96 (Breitkopf & Härtel)

Ex. 4-2b. Bach: Prelude and Fugue, BWV 885, mm. 65–72

In Franck's works, the sequential writing is frequently placed in the statement of main themes where the tonality, in the sense of the classical period, is supposed to be establis hed. Therefore, Franck's music often drew condemnation from his contemporaries 23

who asserted that his music lacked a tonal center, sometimes even from the very

beginning. Some even accused him of an overuse of chromaticism.

As far as the choice of melodic structure, Anton Reicha's theory and teaching method may have influenced Franck in his compositional development. Reicha was renowned as a theorist and a composer who focused on the wind repertoire. His treatises emphasize the "procedures of thematic el aboration, and a functional theory of melodic

phraseology." 17 Combining the fundamental ideals of melody and harmony with

mathematics and Kant's philosophy, Reicha draws attention to the "melodic interest,

where the harmony is entirely subordinated to melo dy."18 In Demuth's biography of

Franck, it is noted that Franck's sketches of Les Eolides show that he sketched out the

melody first, paying scant attention to the harmony unless he wanted a definite harmonic

figure. 19

In the first treatise Traitê de mélodie, Reicha uses the works of composers such as

Haydn and Mozart as examples to demonstrate how formal structure is built in terms of

the melodic structure through the smallest figure coupled with different cadences by

using a concept of mathematically subdivided phrase structure. He maintained that the

smallest musical idea is a melodic segment called a figure , usually consisting of two

measures with a mandatory pause, in the form of a cadence. "When the melodic figure is

______17. Peter M. Landey, introduction to Traitê de mélodie (Treatise on Melody), by Anton Reicha (New York: Pendragon Press, 2000), ix.

18. Anton Reicha, Traitê de mélodie (Treatise on Melody), trans. Peter M. Landey (New York: Pendragon Press, 2000), 13.

19. Norman Demuth, César Franck (London: Dennis Dobson LTD, [?]), 50. 24

so short and contains such a weak cadence, it should at least be repeated with additional

notes and a more marked cadence. In this way the melody will acquire greater definition,

because the repetition reinforce [sic ] it."20 This repetition is called a rhythm (or member ), consisting of four measures and having at least a half cadence. To reach a perfect resting point, another symmetric melodic rhythm using similar elements from the first rhyth m

should be followed; therefore, another four-measure rhythm used at a half cadence is added again. When the fourth rhythm is added and ended in a perfect cadence, which totally consists of 16 measures, the whole is called a period.21

Here is a graph showi ng Reicha's melodic structure presented in his book Traitê de

mélodie (see Ex. 4-3a). Compared with Franck's melodic structure in his Violin Sonata,

one can see that Franck's strict 2 or 4 bar phrase structure and the rhythmic pattern of

1+1+2 follow Reich a's idea exactly (see Ex. 4-3b).

Ex. 4-3a. Reicha's melodic structure

Ex. 4-3b. Franck: Violin Sonata, Movement I, Opening

______20. Anton Reicha, Traitê de mélodie , 14.

21. Ibid., 15-16. 25

Another technique that may be influenced by Reicha is Franck's use of sharp keys.

Reicha claimed that sharp keys would sound brighter than flat keys. 22 Franck may have

adapted this concept from Reicha and later developed it to be part of his own

fundamental language, which involves a frequent use of sharp keys to depict twilight or

transcendence, in contrast to flat keys for darkness or sadness. When composing the

symphonic poem Redemption, Franck mentioned to Vincent d'Indy that "I have only used

sharp keys in order to render the luminous idea of Redemption."23 D'Indy further explains

the tonal structure "modeled absolutely upon the meaning of the words, proceeding in the

first and second parts from darkness to light, while the symphonic interlude, faithfully

interpreting his argument, should begin with a full warmth and glow and end in the cold and lifeless tonality chosen for the opening chorus of the work (see Appendix A)."24

LA BANDE À FRANCK

Franck's compositions unfortunately provoked more negative than positive reaction

from the public during his lifetime. Nevertheless, his enthusiasm gradually attracted a

circle of friends and pupils who admired his personality and his works. In their eyes,

Franck found a "perfect" technique that enabled him to incorporate his musical ideas with

______22. Ibid., 9.

23. Vincent d'Indy, César Franck , 150.

24. Ibid., 144-145. 26 the musical construction, his ideal cyclic form, and gradually developed a rational and well -organized compositional process. According to d'Indy's description in his biography of his teacher, Franck's method included three steps of composition: the "conception,"

"the planning out," and the "execution." The conception is defined as the "general plan of the work and the determination of its constituent elements" through synthesis and analysis. Then, in the "planning out," the characteristics, nature, and musical structure of the work are decided, both in relation to the whole and in detail. Finally, the finishing step is the "execution," which is the actual writing, including the instrumentation.25

Believing the master was a successor to Beethoven and deserving of more attention from the public, Franck's pupils began to make the promotion of his music a priority.

These followers came to be cal led la bande à Franck, the Franck school. Members included Vincent d'Indy, Henri Duparc, Alexis de Castillon, Pierre de Bréville, Charles

Bordes, and Ernest Chausson. The Franck school at first made every effort to organize performances of their master's w orks, although most of the time without success. They began following the master's teaching methods, employing sequential writing and cyclic form in their own music. Consequently, the works written by the Franck school began to be marked as "Franckian," "h ighly chromatic," and possessing an "organ -like texture."

______25. Ibid., 97-99. 27

FRANCK'S POSITION IN FRENCH MUSIC

Franck stands opposed to the compositional trend led by Saint-Saëns. Drawing upon

German forms and ge nre, Franck's achievement in French music history rests on his revival of interest in instrumental music, mainly in the form of compositions for organ, chamber music and symphonic works, following the tradition of Beethoven's late style.

Franck is consider ed the founder of one of the two major compositional schools that emerged at the end of nineteenth century in France.

While the influence of Franck's music definitely cannot compare with the impact which Wagner's music created at the same time, Franck's devotion to instrumental works resulted in major additions to the French repertoire. Moreover, he can be considered the only viable alternative to the important composer at the time, Saint-Saëns. Franck's technical innovations and use of cyclic form had a far -reaching influence. Debussy, once

Franck's student at the Paris Conservatoire, who only attended his class occasionally, still chose the technique of cyclic form to unify his works in String Quartet , Fantasie for piano and orchestra as well as La mer , in spite of his criticisms of Franck's schematic modulation and square phrasing. After Franck's death in 1890, Vincent d'Indy gradually became the leader of the Franck school, forming another organization called the Schola

Cantorum with Bordes and Guilmant in 1894. This was a school whose initial purpose was to promote church music, especially Gregorian chant, in France. Later, in opposition to the educational system of the Paris Conservatoire, composition courses were offered, which incorporated Franck's teaching methods and involved the use of cyclic form. 28

Enrollment at the Schola Cantorum reached its highest peak in the first decades of the twentieth century, with up to 600 students enrolled in a year, Joaquin Turina and Erik

Satie among them. 29

CHAPTER FIVE

WAGNERISM

WAGNERISM IN PARIS

"Wagnerism" is a term that emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. The term is

not directly applied to the musical realm; rather, it is better described as "extra musical

form of Wagner reception."26 Wagner's ideas not only encompassed music, but also

literature, art, religion, politics, race relations, philosophy and aesthetics. The impact of

his original artistic ideas was so far -reaching that it and its many related aspects all fall

under the umb rella of "Wagnerism." This movement began in the 1860s, reached its

height in the last three decades of the nineteenth century, and gradually decayed before

the beginning of the First World War.

Wagner's main concept stems from his original motivation, wh ich was to elevate the

position of opera from mere entertainment to a highly serious form of true art. His

conception involved a synthesis of the arts -- the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art).

Wagner began to formulate this concept in the second half of th e nineteenth century,

between 1849 and 1863, when Wagner fled into exile in Zurich with Liszt's help. This

was Wagner's most reflective period as he nurtured his theories and eventually presented

them first in his Tristan und Isolde. During the first few y ears in Zurich, Wagner wrote no

______26. Ulrich Müller and Peter Wapnewski, ed., Wagner Handbook, trans. John Deathridge (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992), 343. 30 music, only a series of articles on his aesthetic th eories: The Artwork of the Future (1849),

Opera and Drama (1850-51), and A Communication to My Friends (1851). A quotation provided by Barry Millington explains Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk:

The elements of dance, music and poetry...were deprived of their expressive potential when divorced from each other. In the "art -work of the future" they would be reunited both with each other (in the "actor of the future," at once dancer, musician and poet) and with the arts of architecture, sculpture and painti ng. Allowance was even made for the occasional use of spoken word. Theatres would need to be redesigned by aesthetic criteria rather than those of social hierarchy. Landscape painters would be required to execute the sets. 27

France's reaction to Wagneris m best illustrates the range of responses from enthusiasm to hatred. The French public was introduced to Wagner through published reviews by several influential literary figures who had seen productions in Germany.

Gérard de Nerval was the first to write about the premiere of Lohengrin in 1850 and later claims that his own theories were close to those of Richard Wagner. 28 Théophile Gautier wrote about Tannhäuser in 1857; his daughter Judith Gautier also became an enthusiastic

Wagnerian.29 The idea of Gesa mtkunstwerk immediately fascinated the poet Baudelaire, who did not have any musical education and had only a brief experience of hearing

Wagner's music. He wrote a letter to Wagner after the concert at the Théâtre Italien in

1860 expressing his admiration; in it Baudelaire claimed not only to have experienced

______27. Barry Millington, Wagner , The New Grove series (London: Macmillan Publishers Limited. 2002), 8.

28. L. J. Rather, Reading Wagner: A Study In the History of Ideas (Baton Rouge: Louisiana state University Press, 1990), 64-65.

29. Bryan Magee, Aspects of Wagner (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), 49. 31

sensations of weightlessness and strange visions of light, but also forms of synesthesia. 30

A year and a mo nth later, he wrote an article defending Wagner in the Revue européenne,

which later was retitled Richard Wagner et "Tannhäuser" à Paris and published as a

single volume with an added section "Encore quelques mots," because of the scandalous

production of Tannhäuser at the Opéra Paris. 31

The feverish "Wagnermania" continued to grow in France. One of the major French

journals, Le Ménestrel , published a number of discussions and reviews concerning

Wagner himself and his productions, including Tristan und Isolde, Tannhäuser , and

Lohengrin during the 1860s. Revue wagnérienne , a journal conceived by Houston Stewart

Chamberlain and founded by Edouard Dujardin, published between 1885 and 1887 included articles on "Wagner and related themes, excerpts in French translation from

Wagner's theoretical writings, and introductions to his theory; and, in addition, it gave factual information about performances and concerts and about the Bayreuth Festival, notes on Wagner literature, references to the Bayreuther Blätter, and so on." 32

While gaining the admiration of the public, Wagner also drew voices of criticism

decrying his theories. Hanslinck, one of Wagner's famous enemies and a critic, wrote,

"The leitmotives are, with few exceptions, of meager melodic and rhythmic substances,

made up of only a few notes, and often very much alike. Only an extraordinary ear and

______30. Ulrich Müller and Peter Wapnewski, ed., Wagner Handbook, 344.

31. Margaret Miner, Resonant Gaps: Between Baudelaire and Wagner (Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1995), 167.

32. Ulrich Müller and Peter Wapnewski, ed., Wagner Handbook, 345. 32

memory can retain them all."33 Nietzsche claimed that Wagner's music was a "typical

décadent" and was surprised that, although Germans were understandably enamored of

the music, French people were so taken by it. 34 Debussy, initially a Wagnerian, said,

"Wagner was a beautiful sunset that has been mistaken for a sunrise." 35

As a matter of fact, "Wagnerism developed entirely apart from the Bayreuth circle" 36

in France. It is linked to the two most important French literary movements of the late

nineteenth century: the Decadent Movement and Symbolism. The Decadent Movement,

which later led to Symbolism, was advocated by avant-garde writers in France who were

initially inspired by the American poet Edgar Allan Poe. Much admired by Baudelaire

and Mallarmé, Poe's stories and poems, full of obsessions with death, decay and madness,

were translated into French. The Decadent writers also fo und an analogy between

Wagner's theories and their own aesthetics, invoking the motifs of degeneration and

declination, especially the sexuality and morality as they appeared in Tannhäuser , Tristan

and Die Walküre .37 Baudelaire's most famous work, Les Fleu rs du Mal, published in 1857,

was an immediate result of this inspiration. Furthermore, the Liebestod is a favorite motif in Decadent poetry, novels, and stories; examples can be seen in Villiers de L'isle -Adam's

______33. Ronald Taylor, Richard Wagner: His Life, Art and Thought (London: Paul Elek, 1979), 250.

34. Ibid., 252.

35. Ibid., 256.

36. Ulrich Müller and Peter Wapnewski, ed., Wagner Handbook, 346.

37. Ibid., 349. 33

drama Axël , which ends with a love-deat h.

In the visual arts, one movement that was directly influenced by the idea of

Gesamtkunstwerk was the Art Nouveau style, an international art movement based on the

belief that all the arts should work in harmony to create a "total work of art:" buildings ,

furniture, textiles, clothes and jewelry. A Belgian group "the Salon des XX," intimates

with La bande à Franck , was one of the groups that promoted the Art Nouveau. It is also

interesting that the timeline of the development of Impressionism (1860–1900) parallels

the Wagnerian movement: Cézanne painted an Overture to Tannhäuser , Renoir painted a portrait of Wagner; Fantin Latour and Redon produced a series of lithographs of scenes from the Wagner operas. Another group, Les Nabis , comprised of Post -Impress ionist artists who became interested in graphic art, shared many of the ideals of the Art

Nouveau movement and Symbolism.

THE BASIC IDEAL OF W AGNER'S MUSICAL LANG UAGE

Wagner was convinced that his concepts reflected the needs of Romanticism, the

essence of his artwork presenting the inner most human emotions. According to his

writings on music and drama, translated by Ashton Ellis, "Essence of drama is knowing

through feeling." 38 In Wagner's eyes, feeling was the supreme catalyst of a music drama.

______38. Richard Wagner, On Music and Drama , trans. H. Ashton Ellis, selected and arranged, Albert Goldman and Evert Sprinchorn and with an introduction (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1992), 188. 34

"To impart a feeling with utmost plainness, the poet has already ranged his row of words

into a musical bar, according to their spoken accents, and has sought by the consonantal

Stabreim to bring them to the feeling's understanding in an easier and more sensuous

form."39 Stabre im is an old German verse form using alliteration. Wagner explains further,

"In the Stabreim, poetic speech has an infinitely potent means of making a mixed

sensation swiftly understandable by the already biased feeling; and this means we may

likewise call a sensuous one...In the first place, the purely sensuous aspect of the

Stabreim is able to unite the physical expression of one sensation with that of another."40

Following is a simple chart that may help in understanding Wagner's basic idea:

Poem (S tabreim)

FEELING

Harmony Melody

Modulation

Since in Wagner's eyes feeling is the center of a music drama, it is the responsibility

of the composer to convey these feelings exact ly so that the listener will perceive them immediately. Music should serve the drama (or words); Wagner's synthesis of artwork is

______39. Ibid., 205.

40. Ibid., 204-205. 35

first fulfilled in music before it extends to other fac tors. The phrase " Liebe giebt Lust zum

Leben " (Love gives delight to living) is given by Wagner as an illustration: in this

sentence, Liebe, Lust and Leben are examples of alliteration; love (Liebe) and delight

(Lust ) are similar emotions, thus, the music will remain in the same key. In the next

phrase, " die Liebe bringt Lust und Leid " (Love brings delight and sorrow), the phrase

contains two opposite emotions, therefore, Lust will be in a selected key which evokes delight while Leid needs to appear in another sorrowful key, which is "determined by the

latter's relation to the emotion rendered in the earlier key." When this phrase is followed

by another phrase: " doch in ihr Weh auch webt sie Wonnen " (But with her woe she

weaves joy), the key remains the sam e as the key of Leid until the word webt, which is

the point of return to the first key, but only "as an advance from the feeling of Weh to that

of Wonnen ...and therefore definitely denotes the genus of the two emotions as one and the

same."41

Wagner also maintained that "melody is the redemption of the poet's endlessly

conditioned thought into a deep -felt consciousness of emotion's highest freedom,"42 and

melody is the mirror image of feeling. Thus melody could be seen as a horizontal chain

that is connec ted by a vertical harmonic chain. To reflect the scansion and consonances of

the German language, Wagner often uses wide leaps, usually 5ths or minor 7ths, between

melodic intervals -- a key reason why he is often criticized for his lack of tuneful melodies.

His principle of synthesis is strengthened by his significant innovation: the leitmotif,

______41. Ibid., 211.

42. Ibid., 209. 36

a recurring musical phrase based on a certain character or action in a music drama. These

leit motives are sung by characters, but more often hidden in the orchestra. Moreover,

most of the latter motives originate from the initial motives uniting the characters and the

general emotion in the music drama. The impression is that of "endless melody."

Wagner also explains the aesthetics of leitmotif:

All those motives, which lay hidden in the moments excised, he must fit into the motives of his main action in such as way that they shall not appear detached; because in detachment they would also demand their own specific moments of action, the very ones excised. On the contrary, they must be so included in the chief motive that they do not shatter, but strengthen it as a whole. 43

These "signature tunes" tend to be longer or phrase -like in Wagner's earlie r operas such as

Lohengrin , and become shorter and more fragmented in his mature operas as in his final

opera, Parsifal.

While Wagner's music is characterized by his leitmotif idea, certain music dramas

are based on one individual chord which generates the key emotion. For instance, the

half -diminished 7th chord in Tristan und Isolde, the so -called Tristan Chord, can be presented as a non-functional chord, which refers to the desire for "Love Death." On the other hand, the "Love Death" is unachievable when this chord is functional. Or as in

Parsifal, the augmented triad appears to support the motif of the King Amforta, portraying his painful wounds and anguish. Wagner felt the relationship between the harmonic chord and melody to be inseparable. Here is Wagn er's point of view regarding the function of harmony:

______43. Ibid., 192. 37

The harmonic chord is a vertical chain of tones in closest kinship, mounting from the ground tone to the surface...just as the ground tone first gives to the melody's unit note a particular expression, so each melodic progress from one key to another is likewise governed by the changing ground tone, which of itself prescribes the harmony's leading tone, as such. The presence of that ground tone, and of the harmonic chord thereby determined, is indispensable in the eyes of feeling, if this later is to seize the melody in all its characteristic expression. But the presence of the ground harmony means its concurrent sounding out. The sounding out of the harmony to a melody is the first thing that fully persuades the feeling as to the emotional content of that melody. 44

This concept inevitably leads Wagner's music to unstable tonality since he thinks the

key emotion should not be interrupted. In his mind, the continuity of emotion, on which

music depends, is "achieved by avoiding or bridging cadences." 45 Unlike Franck's

chromaticism, which eventually arrives at an expected destination in spite of sequential

modulations, Wagner's chromaticism often uses decep tive cadences or coloristic harmony,

such as half -diminished 7th chords or augmented triads, to interrupt the tonal stability.

And when a chord is presented as a non-functional chord, it creates the possibility of unresolved dissonances, which obscures the tonality. Therefore, the melody is always unbroken, coherent, uninterrupted and "endless." Moreover, since the determination of key relationships is based on one emotion moving to another, Wagner often concludes a musical section within a scene with a cad ence on the dominant of the tonic used in the following scene. 46 This is reminiscent of the technique used in Schumann's Dichterliebe.

______44. Ibid., 214.

45. Ulrich Müller and Peter Wapnewski, ed., Wagner Handbook, 309.

46. Rey M. Longyear, Nineteenth -Century Romanticism in Music (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1973), 170. 38

THE IMPACT OF WAGNER ISM ON FRENCH COMPOS ERS

Although many of Wagner's experiences in Paris were unpleasant and bitter, he still

gained support from numerous French composers. The musical impact of Wagner's

music is rather a "Tristanism" than a "Wagnerism." 47 It can be said that Tristan inspired

French composers with its possibilities of dramatic imagination, with the use of leitmotif

and orc hestral color, and with its production values. The harmonic content of the Prelude especially led many composers to either imitate or explore other techniques that eventually made way for a new era. The orchestration of the Love Duet in Act II impressed au diences greatly and composers could not resist the urge to employ similar

ideas in their own operas. Wagner pushed the musical idiom to the limits with his rich

harmonic language, unresolved dissonances, use of leitmotifs and expanded

orchestration.

Wagner inevitably influenced almost every French composer to some extent.

Examples from the old generation include Massenet, who uses leitmotif and a love duet

in his opera Esclamonde. Franck's fifth Béatitude and Les Eolides show the immediate

influence of Tri stan. This new generation of French composers who were influenced by

Wagner and produced Wagnerian works included members of the Franck school, Chabrier,

and the young Debussy. Within the Franck school, d'Indy's Wallenstein , uses a heroic

theme adapted fro m the "forging" and "sword" motives in the Ring; his Le chant de la

______47. David Clay Large, William Weber, and Anne Dzamba Sessa, Wagnerism in European Culture and Politics (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1984), 27. 39

cloches , a cantata inspired from a visit to Nuremburg, employs the technique of leitmotif.

Chausson's opera Les Roi Arthus and Chabrier's Gwendoline, in spite of their libretti

based on Shakespearan legend and a British heroine in Saxon times rather than Nordic

myths, still feature a Wagnerian style.

The anti -Wagnerism group was mainly represented by two French composers,

Saint-Saëns and Fauré. Although they too journeyed to Bayreuth to hear performances of

Wagner's music and Saint-Saëns even recorded his visit in his Harmonie et Mélodie ,48

they decided not to follow the prevailing madness. Later, Debussy, with a growing

awareness of Wagner's music over -dominating his musical ideas, searched for a new language. Nonetheless, he remained faithful to the orchestral effects of Tristan and

Parsifal, which he employed in some parts of his Pelléas and La mer .

Reaction to Wagner's influence sometimes took a satiric turn as composers employed parodied motifs from Wagner's music to show their disdain. Examples ca n be found in Souvenirs de Bayreuth for piano duet composed by Messager in collaboration with Fauré, in Chabrier's Souvenirs de Munich , and in Debussy's Children's Corner

Suite .49

______48. Robert Hartford, "Wagner, the French an d Bayreuth," Opera 29 (London: Seymour Press Ltd., 1978), 753.

49. Danièle Pistone, "Wagner à Paris (1839-1900)," Revue International de Musique Française 1 (Genève: Slatkine, 1980), 64. 40

CHAPTER SIX

ANALYSIS OF CONCERT

HISTORICAL BACKGROUN D OF CONCERT

Concert was one of the works that Chausson was composing in the year of 1889.

Simultaneously, he had been working on his opera Le Roi Arthus, which was first drafted

in 1886. As well, he finished but left unpublished incidental music to Aristophanes' pla y

Les Oiseaux for flute and harp in March. Following this, he began the third movement of

Concert and finished it in May. Setting it aside, in July he paid a visit to Bayreuth to

attend Tristan, Parsifal and Der Meistersinger . On his return around September, he began

to compose his Symphony in B flat major. His three motets, Op. 16, begun a year before

Concert and finished almost at the same time, remained unpublished except for the third

motet, Pater Noster .

The year from 1889 to 1890 was also auspicious. It was at this time that he became

acquainted with Claude-Achille Debussy and his teacher, César Franck, died in

November, 1890. Meanwhile, Chausson had made a decision to move away from

Wagnerism but was still struggling to establish his own style.

Co ncert was born in such circumstances. It consists of four movements: Décidé,

Sicilienne, Grave and Finale . Chausson began with the third movement in May of 1889,

composed the second movement in October and November of 1890 and finished the first

and fourth movements in June and July of 1891. Nonetheless, Jean Gallois asserted in his

biography of Chausson that all the themes of Concert had been sketched in May of 1889 41

during his stay in Crémault, at the time of the completion of the third movement. 50 It is

unknown whether Chausson conceived the whole musical idea before or during the time

he composed the third movement. Upon completion of this piece, he wrote a letter from

Civray in 1891, "I have only made progress on Concert , as long as that animal is not

fi nished and copied, I cannot be calm."51 Later, there was no further discussion of

motivation other than concerns of publication or performances with his friends.

Concert was premiered in Brussels on March 4, 1892, with the pianist Auguste

Pierret, violinist Ysayë, and the Crickboom Quartet. Eugène Ysayë, a Belgian violin

virtuoso and the dedicatee of Concert , had been a supportive friend of the Franck school

and the dedicatee of a number of famous pieces, including Franck's Violin Sonata (a

wedding gift ), d'Indy's first String Quartet and Debussy's String Quartet. Ysayë formed

the Société Moderne in 1886, which during its short life, mainly performed chamber

music in Brussels and Paris. 52 In Brussels, Ysayë joined forces with another visionary,

Octave Ma us, the founder in 1884 of the Salon des XX and an art critic. Ysayë, Maus,

and d'Indy together organized the musical activity held in the Salon des XX, where

Concert was given its premiere. After the successful performance, Chausson dedicated another piec e to Ysayë, Poème for violin and orchestra, in 1896.

______50. Ibid., 290.

51. Barricelli and Weinstein, Ernest Chausson, 49.

52. Michel Stockhem, "Lettres d'Ernest Chausson a Eugène Ysayë," Revue Belge de Musicologie XLII (1988), 241. 42

FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT

Concert reveals itself to be a well -designed work with a careful thematic scheme.

Nevertheless, the formal structure of each movement in Concert has generated contrary and ambiguous arguments from different schola rs because of the complexity of the compositional contents.

Three major biographical books on Chausson written by Barricelli and Weinstein

(1955), Ralph Scott Grover (1980) and Jean Gallois (1967, 2nd ed. 1994) all provide a brief analysis of Concert . Jea n Gallois does not discuss the form but defines the motif (A) and (B) in the first movement; Barricelli and Weinstein define the themes and forms.

However, because further convincing explanation is lacking, it unfortunately produces more controversy. Ralph Scott Grover's treatment is more extensive, giving a more detailed analysis and definition of formal structure based on the two previous books as well as his views, but there are still several ambiguous sections that need to be clarified.

In the following paragraphs, the writer will discuss the controversial issues taken from the various sources mentioned above, providing a thorough analysis of each movement with charts of formal structure placed in the list of tables.

The first issue concerns the expositi on of the first movement. Barricelli and

Weinstein maintain that there are three themes in the exposition. The second theme, beginning is m. 89, is "written for the solo violin, doubled by the violoncello and developed at some length."53 The third theme, which had previously appeared in the

______53. Barricelli and Weinstein, Ernest Chausson, 144-145. 43

piano part in mm. 116–118, is foreshadowed by the solo violin in mm. 128 –130, and is

fully stated by all instruments in m. 140. Grover contains that m. 89 is the second half of

Theme I, while the second theme starts in m. 116, "presented first in embryonic form by

the solo instruments before its full, complete appearance." 54 The analysis presented here,

which agrees with Gall ois' view, shows that the real second theme begins in m. 140 (see

Appendix B).

The reason for the divergence of opinion is the modulating passage in mm. 89–140,

which can be divided into two parts. Between mm. 89 and mm. 115, Chausson only uses

various unresolved dissonant chords, and shows no direction of tonal center until m. 112

in which a perfect cadence in F major closes the section. Therefore, this extreme

chromatic passage (mm. 89–115) functions as a means of transition. Between mm. 116

and mm. 140, the new theme is first foreshadowed in the piano part (m. 116), later

presented in the solo violin (m. 128) at a different pitch level, and finally doubled by the

solo instruments with quartet accompaniment (m. 140). Since the second theme is first

stated in the piano part in m. 116, it implies that Theme II may begin at this point. But the

harmony in this section presents a series of unresolved dissonant harmonic passages,

suggesting more tonal ambiguity. Chausson favors the use of chromatic harmony and

even when entering into a new key, moves to an unknown tonal zone immediately.

However, he always distinguishes the main sections by simply resolving at perfect

cadences. In this section, the key is not settled until mm. 139–140, which presents

Chausson's strategy, moving to a perfect cadence in B major. Recalling the passage

______54. Grover, Ernest Chausson, 190-191 44

between mm. 116 and mm. 139, it is merely a transition leading to the real theme II, a

firm statement in m. 140.

No author mentioned previously gives an analysis of the second movement, but

Grover claims that it is in a ternary form without giving an explanation. The second movement in fact, in the writer's point of view, represents a sonata form in an innovative desi gn. Theme I, occupying the first 28 measures and made up entirely of four-measure phrases, is a complex of two elements alternating abab, the first half presented by the solo violin and the second half by the piano in a different key. Smoothly connecting to

Theme II, the music assumes a lilting character, its rhythmic pattern derived from Theme

I, thus creating a "rhyme" between the two themes as well as unifying each other's

character. The development mainly uses the elements of Theme I followed by a strik ing

point where, in m. 57, Theme I, in the original pitches, is juxtaposed with Theme II

played by solo violin and viola. It is a false statement of the recapitulation because of the

wrong key; the true recapitulation fully blossoms 8 bars later in the ori ginal key of A

minor (see Appendix C).

The third movement, composed first among the four movements, is a large ternary

form. The sections clearly stand out with their own characters through Chausson's distinct

motivic design of the themes: the first theme on which the whole Section A is constructed

is a descending chromatic line, conveying desperation and isolation; the second theme in

Section B is a four-measure unit comprised of the intervallic design utilizing the fifth,

minor and major thirds. Transposition and thematic transformation add more agitation

and lengthen the phrases. The chromatic ostinato accompaniment in the piano part unifies 45 the whole movement (see Appendix D).

The final movement can be considered the most profound of the movements from the perspective of compositional technique. It is thematic transformation and cyclic technique that Chausson uses in this movement as his compositional devices; here,

Chausson's intellect is revealed through his incredible ability to organize themes in a larger form. Because of the complexity of harmonic and thematic development, the initial argument that creates confusion among many scholars first centers on the question of the formal structure of this movement. It is debatable whether the final movement is a variation or a combination of variation and rondo; the former is asserted by d'Indy 55 and

Barricelli and Weinstein,56 while the latter is brought out as a question by Grover. 57 The reason that this movement is so formally obscure is because it is essen tially based on one idea; yet, this idea reappears many times, either in its original form or in different guises.

Moreover, the difficulty of defining the form of this movement is aggravated by the fact of the recurrence of themes from the previous moveme nts and Chausson's employment of contrapuntal devices and frequent modulation.

The difference between the conventional variation and thematic transformation is that the former retains the original melodic and harmonic framework, which most of time coin cides with the length of phrases, when the theme is altered. The latter, although

______55. Vincent d'Indy, "Ernest Chausson," in Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music , comp. and ed. Walter Willson Cobbet, vol. 1 (London: Oxford University Press, 1963), 267.

56. Barricelli and Weinstein, Ernest Chausson, 147.

57. Grover, Ernest Chausson, 193. 46

owing a vague nod to the principle of variation, is usually transformed into a new,

independent unit through motivic modificat ion; the result is sometimes so distorted that

the theme cannot be identified immediately. One should remember one of the most

famous works that employs the technique of thematic transformation: Liszt's Piano

Sonata in b minor. Examining the finale of Concert , Chausson uses Theme I as the main

material to construct the whole structure of what becomes a sonata -rondo form. One can see that Theme I is either stated in full, although perhaps in different keys, which appears in all the A Sections, or is transformed into a new idea through partial use of Theme I, which appears in B and C Sections, and in transitions. What makes the musical content complicated is that Chausson not only uses Theme I, which in fact is derived from

Motive X of Movement I, but also adds the transformed themes from previous movements (see Appendix E).

From the comparison shown in Example 6-1, one can see that a seven -part rondo form can also be considered as a sonata form; the finale of Concert , though it is also divided into seven part s, is, as a matter of fact, even closer to a real sonata -allegro form, since the middle refrain does not go back to the tonic key but continues in the previous one and thus functions as a thematic -developmental section. Chausson's thorough thematic scheme is well -displayed in this movement.

Ex. 6-1.

* Traditional sonata -rondo form

[Exposition] [ Development] [ Recapitulation] A B A C A B A tonic dominant tonic other tonic tonic tonic 47

Ex. 6-1 (continued)

* Concert , Movement IV

[Exposition] [ Development] [ Recapitulation] A B A C A B A tonic lower mediant----- > subdominant tonic upper mediant tonic

WAGNERIAN AND FRANCKIAN ELEMENTS IN CONCERT

Of the two masters Chausson greatly admired, Wagner and Franck, one is

represented as a German musical giant of the nineteenth century while the other is

considered to be a successor to Beethoven's tradition. Their music is the inspiration

behind Concert ; Chausson judiciously draws upon elements from both composers which are evenly displayed in matters of thematic development, chromaticism and instrumentation.

WAGNERIAN ELEMENTS

Tristan und Isolde

Tristan und Isolde was inspired by the philosopher Schopenhauer's idea of

"Negation of will". The will is desire, which is the root of unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

The solution is to reduce one's desire and will to a minimum, "the only final and radical

conquest of the will must lie in stopping up the source of life -- the will to reproduce." 58

Thus, death becomes the only solution. Two motives, "Death" and "Desire," form the key

______58. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy (New York: Simon and Shuster, 1933), 256. 48

elements explored by Wagner in this musical drama.

In the first movement of Concert , a passage akin to a little opera appears in the

transition between mm. 116 and mm. 140. Chausson conceals the "Death" motive of

Tristan first introduced by the piano in m. 116 before leading into the second theme (see

Ex. 6-2a & b). The first violin answers with a reminiscence of the "Desire" motive (see

Ex. 6-3a & b), followed by the solo violin with two measures of a phrase a dapted from

the "Love Potion" motive, which is the cause of the desire and death (see Ex. 6-4a & b).

The solo violin answers with the "Death" motive again, and the piano responds with a chromatic passage full of ecstasy. Finally, the "Death" motive overco mes the "Desire" and becomes the second theme in B major stated by the solo violin and piano as in a love duet (Ex. 6-5).

Ex. 6-2a. Chausson: Concert , Movement I, Piano Part, mm. 113–120 (Dover Pub.)

Ex. 6-2b. Wagner : Tristan , "Death Motive" ( Breitkopf & Härtel) 49

Ex. 6-3a. Concert , Movement I, First Violin, mm. 120–121

Ex. 6-3b. Tristan, "Desire Motive" (Breitkopf & Härtel)

Ex. 6-4a. Concert , Movement I, Solo Violin, mm. 122–23

Ex. 6-4b. Tristan, "Love Potion" 50

Ex.6-5. Concert , Movement I, Second Theme, Tutti , mm. 140–141 (Dover Publications)

Parsifal

In the final movement of Concert , Chausson uses thematic transformation to

integrate the whole movement as well as the whole piece. While the technique of

thematic transformat ion is associated with Liszt, Chausson may have been more directly

inspired by Wagner's Parsifal since, when composing Concert , Chausson had just

returned from his last trip to Bayreuth where he attended Tristan, Parsifal and Der

Meistersinger . The followi ng is an ideogram constructed by Robin Holloway 59 to

show how Wagner came to simplify the construction of the leitmotif with a technique

______59. John Nicholas, ed. Wagner: Parsifal. Opera Guide Series. (Lincon: John Calder, 1986), 25. 51 similar to Liszt's (see Ex. 6-6).

Ex. 6-6. Wagner: Parsifal, leitmotifs

By comparison, Chausson's Concert transforms Theme I using metric changes, rhythmic diminution or augmentation, and different key s when it recapitulates (see Ex.

6-7).

Ex. 6-7a. Concert , Movement IV, Thematic Transformation, Theme I, m. 1 52

Ex. 6-7b. Concert , Movement IV, Theme I in D major, mm.76–78

Ex. 6-7c. Concert , Movement IV, Theme I in G major, mm. 212–214

Chausson also takes part of Theme I and transforms it into new figures, sometimes

retaining the same pitches, in different places (see Ex. 6-8).

Ex. 6-8a. Co ncert , Movement IV, Theme I, material A & B, m.1

A B

Ex. 6-8b. Concert , Movement IV, material B from Theme I, m. 30

Ex. 6-8c. Concert , Mo vement IV, Thematic Transformation of material A, mm. 87–88 53

Ex. 6-8d. Concert , Movement IV, material A as Section B, mm. 95–99 (International Music Co.)

Harmonic Language

Concert represents a typical post -Romantic work that is full of bold harmonic chromaticism. Chausson's harmonic language is strongly influenced by Wagner. It is most fully presented in the first movement of this piece. The employment of Wagnerian harmonic language is mainly based on the use of unresolved dissonances, half -diminished

7th chords and augmented triads.

The first example is clearly shown at the very beginning of this movement. The piano states the motive in unison, which suggests the key is uncertain. While curiosity is still in the air, the strings use the same motive presented first in B minor, however, using an unresolved minor dominant chord, then transposed to F sharp minor and B flat major in the same fashion. One finally sees a glimmer of harmony in m. 13 that may suggest a dominant chord in D major (see Ex. 6-9a). 54

Ex. 6-9a. Concert , Movement I, mm. 1–14 (Dover Publications)

Key: D/d? b: B b: f #: V7/D

This scheme reminds us of the opening of the Prelude in Tristan, where the key suggests moving from A minor to C minor then to E minor without resolving each dominant 7th chord (see Ex. 6-9b).

Ex. 6-9b. Wagner: Tristan/ Prelude, mm. 1–15 (Breitkopf & Härtel)

Key: a: c:

Key: e:

The most interesting Wagnerian feature in Concert is that Chausson frequently employs half -diminished 7th chords and augmented triads. Sometimes they are functional in the key, although briefly; on other occasions they are presented as non-functional 55

chords solely for color. For instance, in the beginning of the first movement, Chausson

juxtaposes the half -diminished 7th chord and augmented triad in the piano part so that

one seems to see a haunting image of Tristan and Parsifal coming together from a

distance (see Ex. 6-10). Nevertheless, the key is not really defined until m. 35 when the

solo violin enters.

Ex. 6-10. Concert , Movement I, mm. 23–30 (Dover Publications)

C+: g half dim.7th C +: d half dim. 7th

E b+: a dim. 7th a dim. 7th g# half dim. 7th 56

Instrumentation

The instrumentation of Concert has generated much written controversy creating

difficulty in determining the genre to which this piece should belong. Concert remains to

this day the only work of its kind as far as instrumentation is concerned. Mendelssohn composed one sextet for piano and strings as well, but in a combination of piano, violin,

2 violas, violoncello and double bass. At the turn of the twentieth century, many composers became more interested in co mposing for larger ensembles of mixed

instruments, but Concert remains unique.

One may find a possible answer for the choice of this combination by examining

events during Chausson's lifetime at the moment of composing Concert : Wagner's

theories and aes thetics were still permeating the air of Paris, his Lohengrin having just

been fully produced onstage. One of Wagner's characteristic features is his massive use of

strings; for instance, his music drama, Der Ring des Nibelungen , uses 16 first violins, 16

second violins, 12 violas, 12 cellos and 2 double basses. The ecstasy and nocturnal

passion of Tristan is expressed by the thick carpet of string sound. In spite of the voice

pounding in his heart warning him of the possibility of being overly influenced by

Wagnerism, it is not hard to imagine that Chausson was still fascinated by Wagner's rich,

linear orchestration; evidence of this can be seen in Chausson's favoring of dense textures

and his demands for larger instrumentations in his Symphony.

On the oth er hand, Wagner's technique of leitmotif is usually associated with particular

timbres and characters. According to Liszt, taking Lohengrin as an example, each of the

elements in this drama has its own distinctive coloring: strings for the Holy Grail, winds 57 for Elsa, and brass for Heinrich.60 Several factors in combination, Chausson's contact with the violinist Eugène Ysaÿe and his string quartet in 1888, the trauma of Franck's death at the end of 1890, together with Wagner's aesthetics could have played a part in the choice of the instrumentation for Concert : the solo violin/string quartet, as a melodic instrument, may represent Franck through the use of sequential writing and cyclic form, which unifies the work with the melody; the piano, a perfect instrument full of harmonic capability, may represent Wagner and his harmonic language. Finally one may recall that in the third movement, which was composed first, the opening consists of only solo violin and piano for 31 measures before the string quartet joins in. It is not far fetched to think that Chausson may originally have conceived a sonata for violin and piano ―since this piece indeed contains the duo feature ―and decided later to add a string quartet, having his string friends in mind.

FRANCKIAN ELEMENTS

The Employment of Sequential Writing and Cyclic Form

Although all the themes of Concert were sketched out by the completion of the third movement, Chausson's Symphony, in which he began to fully use the cyclic technique and sequential writing, was act ually finished before he began working on the first and fourth movements of the chamber work. Perhaps encouraged by the favorable premiere of the Symphony on April 14, 1891, he decided to experiment more with these techniques to fulfill his musical ideas, which is best illustrated in these very movements.

______60. Barry Millington, "Richard Wagner," in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2001), 951. 58

With the main Motive X in the opening of the first movement, Chausson constructs the phrase structure in terms of sequential writing. This main theme appears throughout the whole movement with the same scheme. Here is one of the examples where he starts with the main theme in D major in m. 79 and transposes it to A flat major, then to B major (see Ex. 6-11).

Ex. 6-11a. Concert , Movement I, Motive X

X

Ex. 6-11b. Concert , Movement I, mm. 76–89 (Dover Publica tions) 59

As far as the phrasing is concerned, Chausson is more flexible than his teacher. Not

only using two or four bars as a unit, he also uses 3 -bar units or even phrases of irregular length. The second movement of Concert is a typical example of how Chausson employs

Franck's principle by using four -bar phrases (see Ex. 6-12).

Ex. 6-12a. Franck: Violin Sonata, Movement I, mm. 6–15 (Wiener Urtext Edition)

1 1

2

Ex. 6-12b. Chausson: Concert , Movement II, mm. 1–4 1 1 2

On the other hand, between m. 35 and m. 54 of the first movement where the sequence

occurs at the beginning of the first theme, the phrase in the solo violin can be divided as

3+3+3+2+2+1+2+2 (see Ex. 6-13).

Ex. 6-13. Concert , Movement I, mm. 35–59 (International Music Co.) 3 3 2

2 2 1 2 2

2 60

Cyclic form is well represented throughout the whole Concert . Different from

Franck's cyclic technique, which generally uses short snippets taken from parts of themes that re appear in successive movements, Chausson's cyclic technique in Concert involves a more complicated architectural design. The reason for this may lie in the compositional order of the four movements.

The two themes in the third movement are the basic mater ials that generate the construction of the whole piece. Theme I, containing the motivic elements in each movement, not only recasts as a new theme each time but also unifies all four movements

(see 6-14).

Ex. 6-14a. Concert , Movement III, Theme I, mm. 1 –18 (International Music Co.)

Ex. 6-14b. Concert , Movement I, mm. 1–2 61

Ex. 6-14c. Concert , Movement II, mm. 1–4

Ex. 6-14d. Concert , Movement IV, m. 1

Theme II of the third movement contains two main motives, which may be

considered the most important elements in the whole piece, used either individually or

juxtaposed in each movement. Frequently the Motive II is disguised within a phrase and

appears in each movement (see Ex. 6-15):

Ex. 6-15a. Concert , Movement III, theme II, Motive I & II, mm. 49–52

I II

Ex. 6-15b. Concert , Movement I, Motive II, m. 264 62

Ex. 6-15c. Concert , Movement II, Motive II, m. 40 -43 (International Music Co.)

Ex. 6-15d. Concert , Movement IV, Motive II, mm. 112–119 (International Music Co.)

In the final movement, Motives I and II are juxtaposed creating a new phrase, played by the solo violin in different plac es (see Ex. 6-16).

Ex. 6-16. Concert , Movement IV, Motives I and II, mm. 95–108 (International Music Co.)

I

II

Many times Theme II is presented in full, played by the viola and cello or by the full ensemble (see Ex. 6-17): 63

Ex. 6-17a. Concert , Movement IV, Theme II, mm. 192–198 (Dover Publications)

Thematic Transformation, Movement II, mm. 47–48

Theme II

Ex. 6-17b. Concert , Movement IV, mm. 235–239 (Dover Publications)

Besides this central idea, Chausson also reintroduces in the final movement a short bit of material from the second movement (see Ex. 6-17a and 6-18a) as well as the motive X of the first movement (See Ex. 6-11a and 6-18b). 64

Ex. 6-18a. Concert , Movement II, mm. 47–48

Ex. 6-18b. Concert , Movement IV, mm. 436–447 (International Music Co.)

The Inspiration of Franck's Violin Sonata and Piano Quintet

Franck's Piano Quintet, composed in 1879 and the Violin Sonata composed in 1886 are considered monumental works in the French chamber repertoire and were constantly performed in public during Franck's lifetime. Chausson was very familiar with these two pieces and openly admired them. His Trio, the first chamber music he wrote after studyin g with Franck, owes much to Franck's Piano Quintet in terms of thematic material, piano writing and use of cyclic form. In Concert , one can also see many instances in which Chausson's writing owes much to both of the Franck chamber works.

The first strikin g example is that the third movement of Concert , which is full of depression and desperation, presents extreme chromaticism throughout the whole movement. The chromatic ostinato in the opening, although in a contrasting tempo, shows a strong similarity to the finale of Franck's Piano Quintet (see Ex. 6-19). 65

Ex. 6-19a. Chausson: Concert , Movement III, mm. 1–8 (Dover Publications)

Ex. 6-19b. Franck: Piano Quintet, Movement III, mm. 1–7 (Edition Peters)

Another interesting feature employed by Franck in his Quintet is an intimate dialogue between piano and strings marked by contrasting tempi, which functions as a transition between two themes within a section. This treatment is also used in Chausson's

Concert both in the first and fourth movements (see Ex. 6-20). 66

Ex. 6-20a. Franck: Piano Quintet, Movement I, mm. 312–22 (Edition Peters)

Ex. 6-20b. Chausson: Concert , Movement I, mm. 260–70 (Dover Publications) 67

Moreover, the motivic design mentioned earlier, which is the motivic element of the

original idea contained in a new theme, is one of the features that can be seen both in

Franck's Piano Quintet and Chausson's Concert . In Franck's Pian o Quintet, the beginning

of the second movement obviously shares motivic material with the opening of the first

movement (see Ex. 6-21):

Ex. 6-21a. Franck: Piano Quintet, Movement I, first violin, mm. 1–3 (Edition Peters)

A B

Ex. 6-21b. Franck: Piano Quintet, Movement II, first violin, mm. 1–2 (Edition Peters)

B A

In Concert Chausson only chooses the selected same pitches in the opening theme of each movement instead of using intervallic design as in Franck's Piano Quintet (See Ex.

6-14).

The parallels between Franck's Violin Sonata and Concert can be seen in the piano writing. In more intense passa ges, Chausson uses alternating octaves or chromatic chords, usually outlining diminished 7th chords, which highlight the pianist's virtuosity as well as supporting the string sonority (see Ex. 6-22). 68

Ex. 6-22a. Franck: Violin Sonata, Movement II, mm. 220–23 (Wiener Urtext Edition)

Ex. 6-22b. Chausson: Concert , Movement I, mm. 255–259 (Dover Publications)

Both the final movements of Franck's Violin Sonata and Chausson's Concert employ contrapuntal technique. The difference between the two movements is that Franck uses canonic texture while Chausson uses fugal writing in the recapitulation which owes more to Beethoven's late Piano Sonatas than to his teacher (see Ex. 6-23). 69

Ex. 6-23a. Franck: Violin Sonata, Movement IV, mm. 1–5 (Wiener Urtext Edition)

Ex. 6-23b. Chausson: Concert , Movement IV, mm. 351–364 (Dover Publications) 70

CHAPTER SEVEN

CONCLUSION

Concert stands exactly at the midpoint of Chausson's twenty years of compositional life, which spanned the years between 1879 and 1899. The period leading up to this pivotal work contains the efforts of a late -maturing composer, struggling to find his voice through his study with Massenet and Franck, and consumed by his passion for music, especially for Wagner's. What follows afterwards is the result of finally finding his path to composing instrumental works, just as his teacher Franck did, and the freedom to conceive more genuine musical ideas.

Possessing the musical foundations gleaned from Wagner and Franck, Chausson learned how to overcome both his beloved masters' musical languages and cultivate a new idiom that was absolutely his own. In Concert , one can see how Chausson efficiently combines his original ideas with Franck's sequential writing and cyclic form to develop a more refined version of his master's technique; in Concert , one can also see how

Chausson recreates the Wagnerian ideal by means of quoted motives, thematic transformation, the use of half diminished 7th chords and augmented triads, and delaying the definition of the key by using deceptive cadences or leaving dissonances unresolved, reveling in this extreme chromaticism. Combined with innovative choice of instrumentation, in which the solo instruments represent a love duet blended with the ecstatic string quartet to create a harmonious ensemble, Concert stands as an example of a beautifully craft ed design with well -balanced themes in the individual instruments, and 71

remains a genuinely unique work within the chamber music repertory.

Concert provided great inspiration for his future works. Encouraged by this success,

Chausson gained more self -confid ence, moving forward to a different musical language

in the last ten years of his life. One immediate result was the Poème for violin and

orchestra. It was a work once more inspired by the stimulating association with Ysayë;

the freedom and picturesque ima ges within this work are completely different from

Concert, suggesting a kind of impressionistic style. In an interesting twist of fate, a

manuscript of this piece arranged for piano, violin and string quartet was found in 1997.

Jean Gallois affirmed that it was Chausson's original sketch 61 and it was performed and

recorded by violinist Philippe Graffin, pianist Pascal Devoyon and the Chilingirian

Quartet. In addition, the piano writing in the Sicilienne of Concert can be seen to be occasionally infused wi th an essence of the Schumannesque, and reminiscences of

Fauré's style appear in the modal writing. This feature appears in his later piano works

Quelques danses , Op. 26 and Paysage, Op. 38, in which he employs Baroque dance titles coupled with an ambiguou s tonality. Shortly before Chausson's bicycle accident, he was still enthusiastically planning to compose new pieces. He was working on his String

Quartet, sketching the themes for his second Symphony, and formulating an innovative idea of a piece that use s a new instrumental combination.62 This new piece was another

Concert for piano, oboe, and viola with accompaniment of string quartet; this time with

______61. Joanna Pieters, ed., "Chausson's Poème Discovery is Premiered," T he Strad 108 (1997): 920.

62. Gallois, Ernest Chausson, 370. 72

the purpose of exploring the string quartet's technique.

During the years spent composing Concert , two significant figures entered

Chausson's life: Claude-Achille Debussy and Stéphane Mallarmé . He met the former

through the association, the Société Nationale de Musique, and the latter through a poet

Maurice Bouchor, based on Chausson's desire for English lessons. 63 Chausson benefited

from Debussy's diverse personality, and the two often exchanged ideas in their kindred

correspondence concerning each other's compositions. In contrast, Chausson found a

spirit in Mallarmé, sharing his melancholy nature, full of hesitation and self -criticism,

and withdrawn to the point of "a tendency to live in an interior world." 64 Chausson had always expressed his admiration of Mallarmé's Symbolist poems although he never set any to music. Nevertheless, his symphonic poem Soir de fête , finished in 1898, is an attempt to convey his "personal impression of the dist ant noise of a crowd; as contrast, the calm and serene night."65 It has been suggested that Chausson's late music is linked with Symbolism; unfortunately, he did not live long enough to fully realize this Symbolist

quality in his music.

Concert truly stands as a pivotal point in Chausson's compositional life that demonstrates his originality and artistic ability. In this piece a body of German appearance is revealed to possess a French soul.

______63. Grover, Ernest Chausson, 57.

64. Ibid., 28.

65. Barricelli and Weinstein, Ernest Chausson, 161-62. 73

APPENDIX A

THE COMPARISON OF THE KEYS IN CÉSAR FRANCK'S REDEMPTION AND ANTON REICHA'S CHART OF KEYS

Franck: Redemption 66

Structure Outline of the Poem Key

Part I Introduction A major

Men are seeking to find happiness A minorr in enjoyment and hatred amid the darkness of paganism

The prophecy of the angels E major A major

Redemption announced F# major

Part II Symphonic Interlude A major

The joy of the world transformed F major and flourishing by the word of Christ C major

Melody of redemption recapitulates F# major

Mankind once more return to disc ord A minor and egoism

______66. Vincent d'Indy, César Franck , trans. from the French, with an introduction by Rosa Newmarch (London: John Lane The Bodley Head LTD., 1909), 144. 74

APPENDIX A - CONTINUED

Structure Outline of the Poem Key

Part III Angel's sorrow F# minor

Angels acclaim a new Redemption B minor will come through ardent prayers from mankind B major

Anton Reicha:

Major Keys

D A E B C G flat, D flat, A flat, E flat, B flat, F, C, G, D, A, E, B, F#

*Area EBC sound bright, and the area DAE are somber in comparison to the others 67

Minor Keys

Bflat, F, C, G, D, A, E, B, F sharp, C sharp, G sharp

Somber ------Brighter ------

______67. Anton Reicha, Traitê de mélodie (Treatise on Melody), trans. Peter M. Landey (New York: Pendragon Press, 2000), 9-10. 75

APPENDIX B

FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT, MOVEMENT I

Movt. I Sonata Form

Introduction mm. 1 -34

Key ?

Exposition mm. 35 -82 83 -88 89 -115 116 -139 140 -180 Theme I Trans. Theme II sec. A sec. B sec. C

Key D: D -F: F -? B: Death (mm. 116 -17) Desire (mm. 120 -21) Love Potion (mm. 122 -23)

Development mm. 181 -189 190 -200 201 -206 207 -228 229 -259 (229 -37=89 -97) 260 -270 271 -296 Theme I material trans. material Climax sec. 1 sec. 2 sec. 3 sec. 4 sec. 5 sec. 6 sec. 7

Key bm: D: Eb: C -Bb: Bb -? viiº7/D D? A:

Recapitulation mm. 297 -322 323 -340 341 -360 361 -397 398 -410 Theme I Trans. Theme II Coda sec. A sec. B

Key D: F# -? D: D: Love Potion = mm. 122 -23 76

APPENDIX C

FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT , MOVEMENT II

Movt. II Sonata Form Exposition Theme I The me II sec. A sec. B sec. A sec. B sec. C mm. mm. 1 -16 17 -28 29 -32 33 -36 37 -42 "a": 1 -8 "b": 9 -16 "a": 17 -24 "b": 25 -28 Key am: E: A: C#: ? Development false statement of "a" "b" "a" "c" recap. Theme I + Theme II mm. 43 -46 47 -49 50 -52 53 -56 57 -64 Key dm -F: F-Ab: Ab em: C: Recapitulation Theme I + Theme II Coda mm. "a":65 -72 "b":73 -80 81 -91 Key am: A: 77

APPENDIX D

FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT , MOVEMENT III

Mov t. III Ternary

Section A trans. B A Coda measure 1 -40 41 -48 49 -139 "a": 49 -59 140 -161 162 -180

Key f: ? a b-bb-d: f: f:

"b": 60 -69

Key b -?:

"c": 70 -85

Key D:

"d": 86 -97

Key a -e: (borrowed material from piano accomp. of section A)

"a": 98 -118

Key C #/c #-g#-g: (thematic transformation)

"a": 119 -127

Key c -eb:

"a": 128 -139

Key d: 78

APPENDIX E

FORMAL STRUCTURE OF CONCERT , MOVEMENT IV

Finale Sonata -rondo Form Section A 1) 1 -11 2) 12 -29 3) 30 -41 4) 42 -49 5) 50 -72 6) 73 -86 theme I theme I thematic transformation tran sition I transition II closing → theme I (material B) →theme I

Key d: d: A -D-f#-c#: ? f/F: (V7/D) D -f# (F#Mm7) trans. 87 -91 92 -94 (thematic transformation: material A of theme I)

Key B? E -a: B 1) 95 -118 2) 119 -154 thematic transformation of theme I (material A) thematic transformation + cyclic technique cyclic technique: Movt. III, theme I= mm. 101 -02 → Movt. II: mm. 9 -10, "b"

Key B b: b b:

A 1) 155 - 160 - 164 - 169 - 181 2) 182 - 192 - 200 - 211 theme I thematic transformation + cyclic technique → Movt. II: mm. 47 -48, Movt. III: theme II recurrance: mm. 188 -89= mm. 101 -02

Key B b- G - C - e - b - c #- E b- V7/D C 1) 212 -235 2) 236 -254 thematic transformation thematic transformation + cyclic technique → theme I → Movt. III: theme II

Key G -c? c -c#- V7/d

A 1) 255 -272= 12 -29 2) 273 -288 3) 289 -306 theme I thematic transformation → theme I (material B) transition

Key d: A -F-d ? 79

APPENDIX E - CONTINUED

B 1) 307 -330 (307 -348= 95 -136) 2) 331 -350 thematic transformation of theme I (material A) thematic transformation + cyclic technique cyclic technique: Movt. III, theme II = mm. 313 -14 → Movt. II: mm. 9 -10, "b"

Key F: f: A 1) 351 -368 2) 369 -374 3) 375 -411 4) 412 -422 5) 423 -426 theme I (FUGUE) transition thematic transition CLIMAX (flase statement) transformation → theme I Movt. III: theme II

Key B b- a? ? - V7/D D: ? a - Coda 427 -474 thematic transformation + cyclic technique → Movt. III, theme II (mm. 427 -430), Movt. I, motive X (mm. 436 -37)

Key D: 80

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______. Concert in D for Piano, Violin and String Quartet . note by Victor Rangel - Ribeiro. New York: Do ver, 1999.

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