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METRIC DISSONANCE and HYPERMETER in the CHAMBER MUSIC of GABRIEL FAURÉ by RICHARD VONFOERSTER A.B., University of Michigan, 19

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METRIC DISSONANCE and HYPERMETER in the CHAMBER MUSIC of GABRIEL FAURÉ by RICHARD VONFOERSTER A.B., University of Michigan, 19 METRIC DISSONANCE AND HYPERMETER IN THE CHAMBER MUSIC OF GABRIEL FAURÉ by RICHARD VONFOERSTER A.B., University of Michigan, 1984 Psy.D., University of Denver, 1991 M.A., University of Denver, 2003 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy College of Music 2011 This thesis entitled: Metric Dissonance and Hypermeter in the Chamber Music of Gabriel Fauré written by Richard vonFoerster has been approved for the College of Music _______________________________ Carlo Caballero, committee chair _______________________________ Daphne Leong, committee member _______________________________ Thomas Riis, committee member _______________________________ Keith Waters, committee member _______________________________ Antonia L. Banducci, committee member _______________________________ Michael Lightner, committee member Date:______________ The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. iii ABSTRACT vonFoerster, Richard (Ph.D., Music) Metric Dissonance and Hypermeter in the Chamber Music of Gabriel Fauré Dissertation directed by Associate Professor Carlo Caballero Perhaps because of its elusive and enigmatic character, Gabriel Fauré’s music has received scant analytic attention. Most authors who have studied it analytically have examined Fauré’s harmonic language, and have de-emphasized the rhythmic and metric features that also play an important role in defining his style. While his piano and vocal music is best known, his instrumental chamber works represent a significant component of his oeuvre, and they are the focus of this study. Building on the important work of Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, Harald Krebs, and Richard Cohn, I present an analytic approach to Fauré’s rhythm and meter that involves identifying metric levels active within a given passage of music. My approach yields important insights about his treatment of rhythm and meter, particularly in the areas of metric dissonance and hypermeter. It modifies and expands on existing metric models and methodologies in the areas of lowest levels, highest levels, intermittent levels, non-isochronous levels, and adjacent levels, and introduces a new graphic representation of metric phenomena, the metric state graph, a modified version of Richard Cohn’s ski-hill graph. My examination of three movements from Fauré’s chamber music (the final movement of his Piano Trio, the first movement of his First Violin Sonata, and the first movement of his First Cello Sonata) identifies several characteristic features of Fauré’s metric language, including iv frequent metric dissonance, multiple simultaneous dissonances, non-duple hypermeter, and very large hypermetric structures. These metric devices help to define large-scale form, provide shape and direction, and set the music’s emotional tone. This analytic model proves useful for music other than Fauré’s chamber works. By applying the model to vocal works of Fauré and works by contemporaneous composers (Camille Saint-Saëns and Maurice Ravel), as well as to works by late twentieth century composers (Philip Glass and Alfred Schnittke) I demonstrate its versatility, and suggest areas of future research such as the extent of stylistic influence between Fauré and other composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Keywords: Fauré, Gabriel; Meter; Rhythm; Hypermeter; Metric Dissonance; Chamber Music v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I must thank my partner Don. During the years I spent creating this document, I curtailed other activities, including household chores, socializing, vacations, and quiet time at home together. I never heard a complaint, only offers of help. I am more grateful than I can say for his support and understanding. My University of Colorado professors Carlo Caballero and Daphne Leong have provided invaluable help in many ways. As a student in their seminars, I was fortunate to witness a rare blend of enthusiasm for the subject, excellence in teaching, academic rigor, and fun. Their examples have inspired me to greater heights, and their research interests have become my own. They have both spent countless hours reading early drafts of this dissertation, making constructive suggestions, and helping to mold it into its final shape. My other committee members, Antonia Banducci, Mike Lightner, Tom Riis, and Keith Waters, have also generously given their time and expertise. Other colleagues and friends at the University of Colorado, the University of Denver, and the Community College of Denver have also contributed. Paul Miller graciously offered a tutorial on the software with which I created my metric state graphs. Joel Cohen provided consultation on the formal mathematical aspects of chapter 4. Chris Malloy, Joe Docksey, and Cathleen Whiles allowed me to take time off from my teaching responsibilities so that I could finish this dissertation, and Jack Sheinbaum offered moral support. Many musician friends and colleagues have waited patiently for the dissertation’s completion and respected my decision to curtail my performance activities. For their patience, thanks to Alix Corboy, Lynne Glaeske, René Knetsch, Leah Peer, and my friends in the vi Playground Ensemble: Conrad Kehn, Brian Ebert, Sarah Johnson, Anna Morris, Megan Buness, Sonya Yeager-Meeks, Rachel Hargroder, and Jonathan Leathwood. Ted and Agathe Lichtmann graciously allowed me the use of their mountain house for several summers. Living in such a beautiful setting, free from distractions, gave me necessary inspiration and motivation. Finally, my parents have encouraged and supported me unceasingly during my academic journeys. Although my father did not live to see the attainment of this final milestone, and my mother would not understand much of what I have written, I know that they are both happy and relieved to see it completed. vii CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………….x CHAPTER 1. FAURÉ’S ENIGMATIC STYLE…………………………………………………1 General Stylistic Features of Fauré’s Music………………………………5 Analytic Writings on Fauré’s Music……………………………………..10 Tonal and Harmonic Analysis………………………………….. 10 Rhythmic and Metric Analysis…………………………………. 14 Two Potentially Contentious Issues……………………………………. 16 Large-scale Structure and Formal Labels….…………………… 16 Ambiguity in Music…………………………………………….. 17 A Brief Musical Example………………….…………………….………19 Organization of Dissertation……………………………………………22 2. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS……………………………………………...24 Lerdahl and Jackendoff’s Model………………………………………...25 Krebs’s Model……………………………………………………………31 Cohn’s Model…………………………………………………………….35 Summary of Three Models and Areas of Disagreement…………………40 My Model………………………………………………………………...43 Overview…………………………………………………………43 Lowest and Highest Levels………………………………………45 Relationships between Levels……………………………………53 Non-isochronous Beats and Metrical vs. Antimetrical Levels…..58 viii Summary…………………………………………………………75 3. ANALYTIC METHODOLOGY………………………………………………...78 Identification of Levels…………………………………………………..78 Lowest Levels……………………………………………………79 Intermediate Levels………………………………………………80 Higher Hypermetric Levels………………………………………92 Summary of Identification of Levels………………………….. 107 Intermittently Expressed Levels………………………………………. 107 Intermittently Expressed Lowest Levels………………………. 108 Intermittently Expressed Intermediate and Higher Levels……..115 4. METRIC STATE GRAPHS……………………………………………………121 Graphic Representations of Metric Phenomena………………………..121 Mathematical Structure of Graphs……………………………………...125 Cohn’s Graphs………………………………………………….125 Modifications to Cohn’s Graphs for Dissonances……………...128 Modifications to Cohn’s Graphs for Non-isochronous Levels…133 Reoriented Graphs…………………………………………………….. 147 Summary………………………………………………………………. 154 5. FAURÉ’S PIANO TRIO, THIRD MOVEMENT…………………………….. 157 Overview………………………………………………………………..157 Hypermetric Organization…………………………………………….. 162 Metric Dissonance……………………………………………………...173 6. FAURÉ’S FIRST VIOLIN SONATA, FIRST MOVEMENT…………………184 ix Overview………………………………………………………………..184 Accelerating Hypermetric Organization………………………………..185 Pervasive Displacement Dissonances…………………………………..193 Grouping Dissonances………………………………………………… 199 Lowest Levels…………………………………………………………. 201 7. FAURÉ’S FIRST CELLO SONATA, FIRST MOVEMENT………………….205 Overview………………………………………………………………..205 Metric Ambiguity in the Main Theme………………………………… 209 Hypermetric Ambiguity………………………………………………...218 8. BEYOND FAURÉ’S CHAMBER MUSIC…………………………………….230 Two Vocal Works by Fauré…………………………………………….231 Two Contemporaneous Chamber Works……………………………….246 Two Late Twentieth Century Chamber Works…………………………253 Final Thoughts………………………………………………………….265 x FIGURES Figure 1.1. Fauré’s multi-movement chamber works…………………………………………4 1.2. Second Cello Sonata II, cello part, mm. 39-40……………………………………8 1.3. Second Violin Sonata I, opening, renotated……………………………………...20 1.4a. Second Violin Sonata I, opening, first interpretation with quarter note beat………………………………..20 1.4b Second Violin Sonata I, opening, second interpretation with quarter note beat……………………………..21 1.5a. Second Violin Sonata I, opening, first interpretation with dotted quarter note beat…………………………21 1.5b. Second Violin Sonata I, opening, second interpretation with dotted quarter note beat……………………. 22 1.6. Second Violin Sonata I, mm. 1-3………………………………………………. 22 2.1. Dot grid for four levels in one measure
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