Variations on a Theme by Paganini: Narrative Archetypes in Nineteenth-And Twentieth-Century Theme-And-Variation Sets Gillian Robertson
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2015 Variations on a Theme by Paganini: Narrative Archetypes in Nineteenth-and Twentieth-Century Theme-and-Variation Sets Gillian Robertson Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY PAGANINI: NARRATIVE ARCHETYPES IN NINETEENTH- AND TWENTIETH-CENTURY THEME-AND-VARIATION SETS By GILLIAN ROBERTSON A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2015 Gillian Robertson defended this dissertation on April 6, 2015. The members of the supervisory committee were: Joseph Kraus Professor Co-Directing Dissertation Matthew Shaftel Professor Co-Directing Dissertation Read Gainsford University Representative James Mathes Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project would not have been possible without the unending support and guidance of my co-chairs, Drs. Joseph Kraus and Matthew Shaftel. My dissertation topic grew out of directed independent studies that I completed with each of them early on in my studies at FSU. I want to thank both of them for their invaluable insight, encouragement, patience, and kindness throughout this process. Dr. Kraus’s close attention to details (both musical and editorial) heavily impacted this project and his careful instruction and comments helped to fine- tune my analyses and voice-leading sketches. Dr. Shaftel brought creativity and enthusiasm to every dissertation meeting and his insightful comments and suggestions, especially in regards to the “big picture” and the reader’s perspective, were integral to the final project. My writing has improved dramatically since working with both of them, and I am appreciative of the thesis-writing exercises that Dr. Shaftel assigned in his Atonal I class. I am also grateful for the thoughtful and constructive feedback from my other committee members, Dr. James Mathes and Dr. Read Gainsford. It was a pleasure working with my entire committee and I look forward to the professional relationships and friendships with these inspiring scholars and musicians in the years to come. I am extremely grateful for the time that I have spent at Florida State University. The theory faculty is comprised of exceptional scholars and pedagogues who have been instrumental in mentoring and shaping my education, teaching, and research. The collegial environment fostered within the theory department has provided intellectual and emotional support during my time in Tallahassee. I would like to recognize, in particular, my friends and colleagues John Peterson, Brian Jarvis, Cara Stroud, Kim Loeffert, and Judith Ofcarcik. I will cherish the experiences we shared together and I am appreciative for their positive and constructive feedback and unfailing support throughout the doctoral program. To my music teachers and professors during all stages of my education, I would like to thank you for the integral parts you each played in my musical training and for challenging me both in the classroom and the practice room. I would especially like to thank Kevin Swinden for encouraging me to pursue a degree in music theory. Finally, I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am for my family’s unwavering love and support. My parents, Lance and Catherine, have sacrificed so much to help me attain a PhD, for which I am eternally gratefully. My sisters, Heather Anne and Cailin, have always been a source of comfort and encouragement and I would like to extend my thanks to Heather Anne for helping me engrave the voice-leading sketches in the Appendices. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables .............................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... viii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ x 1. INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................1 1.1 Purpose and Scope ..................................................................................................................1 1.2 Review of Literature on Theme-and-Variation Sets ...........................................................2 1.2.1 Descriptive/Paradigmatic Analysis ............................................................................2 1.2.2 Schenkerian Analysis ....................................................................................................3 1.2.3 Aesthetics and Other Approaches ..............................................................................5 1.3 Review of Literature on Narratology in Music ...................................................................7 1.4 Methodological Approach ...................................................................................................10 1.5 Paganini’s Twenty-Four Caprices Op. 1, No. 24 in A minor ..............................................14 1.6 Closing Remarks ....................................................................................................................21 2. BRAHMS’S VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY PAGANINI, OP. 35, BOOK I ...........................22 2.1 Historical Overview ..............................................................................................................22 2.2 Methodology ..........................................................................................................................23 2.2.1 Agency and the Fictional Composer ..........................................................................23 2.2.2 Musical Borrowing .......................................................................................................25 2.3 Comic Narrative with a Discursive Strategy of Emergence ............................................27 2.3.1 Order: Paganini’s Theme .............................................................................................27 2.3.2 Topical Transgressions ................................................................................................29 2.3.3 Structural Transgressions ............................................................................................30 2.3.3.1 Harmonic Alterations ......................................................................................32 2.3.3.2 Arpeggiated Ascent ........................................................................................33 2.3.3.3 Uncovering the Urlinie ...................................................................................35 2.3.4 “Brahms’s” Emergent Identity ...................................................................................36 2.4 Closing Remarks and Implications .....................................................................................37 3. RACHMANINOFF’S RHAPSODY ON A THEME OF PAGANINI, OP. 43 ............................40 3.1 Historical Background ..........................................................................................................40 3.2 Narrative Analysis: Multiple Archetypes ..........................................................................41 3.2.1 Order-Imposing Hierarchy and Transgressive Elements ......................................42 3.2.2 A Tragic Interpretation of Tonality ...........................................................................43 3.2.3 Comic Archetypes of Formal Structures ..................................................................46 3.2.4 Comic Archetype of “Fantastic” Collections (HEX, OCT, and WT) ....................55 iv 3.2.5 Comic Archetypes of Background Structures .........................................................69 3.3 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................78 4. EXTRA-MUSICAL NARRATIVES: EXPLORING THE DIES IRAE AND NOSTALGIA IN THE RHAPSODY .............................................................................................................................81 4.1 Introductory Remarks ...........................................................................................................81 4.2 Rachmaninoff’s Narrative and “Paganini” the Ballet ......................................................81 4.3 The Dies Irae (‘Day of Wrath’) and the Evil Spirit .............................................................85 4.4 The Florentine Girl, Nostalgia, and the “Love Episode” .................................................90 4.5 Conclusions: Comparing Narratives and Considering Formal Boundaries ...............103 4.5.1 Movement I: Introduction to Variation 11 .............................................................103 4.5.2 Movement II: Variations 12 to 18 .............................................................................106 4.5.3 Movement III: Variations 19 to 24 ...........................................................................109 5. CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH ........................................................................114