Controlling the Canon: Institutional Piano Performance Repertoires and Their Practical and Theoretical Implications
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CONTROLLING THE CANON: INSTITUTIONAL PIANO PERFORMANCE REPERTOIRES AND THEIR PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS Peter Mark Cartwright A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in the Wits School of Arts, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand. Johannesburg, October 2014 Declaration I declare that this research report is my own unaided work. It is submitted for the degree of Master of Music in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted before for any other degree or examination in any other university. 23 October 2014 ii Abstract This dissertation examines the concept of the canon in Western Classical piano music in practical and theoretical terms, located in South Africa with international reference. Performance-level music qualifications and international piano competitions are identified as institutions with the power and authority to influence the canon as they are two of the most important stepping stones to concert success for pianists. The repertoire prescribed by these institutions is analysed in terms of various categories drawn from research into performed music in both musicology and music history. This research investigates the extent to which the canon, and the historical approach to piano performance, is still prevalent in institutional performance syllabi. It then relates these findings to actual concert experience in South Africa and to the theory that has allowed this canonic music to become entrenched in performance repertoires. The research design draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods, using interviews with leading South African pianists and reflection on my practice as a classical pianist. The research finds that the canon is still influential within the repertoire of these two institutions and that repertoire from the pre-1900 and twentieth-century eras is favoured over contemporary music, demonstrating that piano performance, as defined by these institutions, is still strongly located in a historical performance approach. Furthermore, these institutions are found, at times, to be out of touch with repertoire choice in actual concert experience in South Africa: they promote repertoire that has pedagogical value, but that is constructed in such a way that does not necessarily prepare pianists for concert performance. iii Contents Declaration .............................................................................................................................................. ii Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. iii Contents ................................................................................................................................................. iv List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ vi Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Rationale: Canon and Repertoire in Contemporary Piano Performance ..................................... 3 1.2 Aims: An Inquiry into Composer and Repertoire Privilege ........................................................... 7 1.3 Methodology and Research Design .............................................................................................. 8 1.4 Chapter Outline ........................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter Two: Literature Review and Theoretical Framework .............................................................. 15 2.1 The Development of the Canon and Repertoire ......................................................................... 16 2.2 The Creation and Implications of Performance Repertories ...................................................... 24 Chapter Three: The Repertoire of Performance-Level Music Qualifications ........................................ 29 3.1 The Dominance of a Few Composers in the Examination Repertoire ........................................ 29 3.2 The Establishment of National Cultural Canons - Past and Present ........................................... 34 3.3 Representing Contemporary Composers: Change versus Conformity ....................................... 39 3.4 Types of Available Repertoire: Major and Minor Works ............................................................ 41 Chapter Four: The Repertoire of International Piano Competitions .................................................... 46 4.1 Establishing and Promoting National Cultural Canons ............................................................... 46 4.2 Compositional Traditions Represented ...................................................................................... 48 Chapter Five: Practical Implications of Institutional Canons ................................................................ 52 5.1 The Use and Value of Historically Constructed Repertoire ........................................................ 52 5.2 The Shortcomings of the Institutional Approach to Repertoire ................................................. 60 5.3 Audience Consideration when selecting Performance Music .................................................... 61 5.4 Alternative Approaches to Programme Construction for Performance ..................................... 62 Chapter Six: Theoretical Implications of Institutional Canons .............................................................. 66 6.1 The Concept of the Musical Work .............................................................................................. 66 6.2 The Implications of the Historical Recital Format ....................................................................... 69 6.3 The Implications of National Canons for Contemporary Music .................................................. 71 6.4 Change and Conformity .............................................................................................................. 73 6.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 74 Appendix One: Sample Interview Schedule .......................................................................................... 77 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 79 iv List of Tables Table 1: ABRSM Repertoire Allocation ................................................................................................. 31 Table 2: Trinity Repertoire Allocation ................................................................................................... 32 Table 3: UNISA Repertoire Allocation ................................................................................................... 33 Table 4: Concerto Appearances across seven Competitions ................................................................ 50 v Acknowledgements My sincere thanks to my supervisor, Dr Susan Harrop-Allin: your insightful criticism, constant support and encouragement, and generous sharing of your time and expertise have made this research most informative and enjoyable. A further word of thanks to my piano teachers, Professor Malcolm Nay and Mrs Pauline Nossel: your expert teaching and guidance have made an immeasurable contribution to my development as a musician. I would also like to thank the participants who answered my interview questions. Your responses have made a valuable contribution to this dissertation. Finally, thank you to my family: your support while completing this degree, especially through two challenging events, has undoubtedly allowed me to complete this qualification. vi Chapter One: Introduction The names of five historical Western Classical music composers are inscribed above the entrance to the Chicago Symphony’s Orchestra Hall. Bach, Mozart, Schubert and Wagner, with Beethoven’s name centred, welcome patrons to the concert hall. These composers and their works are made permanent, not only through their physical representation on the façade of the concert hall, but through the repeated performances of their works on the stage inside. Closer to home, the 2012 season of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra saw the orchestra perform 18 concert programmes totalling 45 performances in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Of the works performed, only one was written by a living composer, South African Peter Klatzow, and a significant portion of works were composed in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries by Austrian, German, Russian and North American composers. In my own performances as a pianist, the majority of my repertoire could be considered ‘traditional’ works within the Western canon. For my two Master’s recitals, the composers performed are Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Scarlatti and Schubert, strongly representing central- European and Russian compositional traditions. The continued performance and valuing of historical works prompted me to take a closer look at canonisation in contemporary Western Classical music performance, with specific