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Musical Analysis As a Technique for Performance Decisions in Selected Preludes by Claude Debussy

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Musical Analysis As a Technique for Performance Decisions in Selected Preludes by Claude Debussy Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1997 Analysis and Interpretation: Musical Analysis as a Technique for Performance Decisions in Selected Preludes by Claude Debussy. William Timothy O'steen Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation O'steen, William Timothy, "Analysis and Interpretation: Musical Analysis as a Technique for Performance Decisions in Selected Preludes by Claude Debussy." (1997). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6511. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6511 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text direct^ from the origmal or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter 6ce^ while others may be from any type o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the qnali^ of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely aflfect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, b^inmng at the upper left-hand comer and continuing fi’om left to r i ^ in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photogr^hed in one «posure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell lufofination Compai^ 300 Noith Zeeb Road. Ann Aibor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION: MUSICAL ANALYSIS AS A TECHNIQUE FOR PERFORMANCE DECISIONS IN SELECTED PRELUDES BY CLAUDE DEBUSSY A Monograph Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in The School of Music by William Timothy 0 Steen B.M., Auburn University, 1979 M.M., Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, 1981 August 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Ntinber: 9808768 UMI Microform 9808768 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To Mom and Dad 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author thankfully acknowledges the assistance of Dr. David Smyth, his continued, patient, support and direction of this research, his reading of the monograph and bringing to bear his talent and expertise in the field of musical analysis. The thoughtful direction of Dr. Kathleen Rountree proved to be invaluable. For her support of the project, reading the monograph and assisting in bringing it to its final form, the author is indeed grateful. Many thanks to Dr. Jack Guerry for his reading of the paper and for many valuable suggestions. Thanks to the Theodore Presser Company and to Dover Publications Inc. for kind permission to use the musical excerpts in the paper. It is with deepest gratitude that I acknowledge the warm, continued support, shown in so many ways, by the members of my family. To my father, whose life is a loving gift in example, and to my mother, the person who provided my first inspiration to music, and who probably would have taken the most pride in my completion of the degree, I owe loving appreciation beyond words. To my wife, Debby, for her strength and courage. ixx Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and for her abiding faith in me, I am eternally and affectionally indebted. She has shared the burden of my graduate work with heavier and more important ones. IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.................................... iii LIST OF F I G U R E S ..................................... vi ABSTRACT ...................................... vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................. 1 The Analytical Approach ................. 1 How This Study P r o ceeds................... 5 2 ANALYSIS THROUGH STUDY OP WRITTEN MATERIALS AND RECORDINGS ................. 7 History and Chronology of the Works Studied.............................. 7 Performance Tradition ................... 13 Debussy and Performance Directions . 21 Debussy's Own Recordings ............... 25 3 SOLVING PROBLEMS FOUND IN "DES PAS SUR LA NEIGE": DYNAMIC INFLECTION, RHYTHMIC NUANCE, AND VOICING ............. 31 Problems of Dynamic Inflection ........ 31 Problems of Rhythmic Nuance ............ 45 Problems of V o i c i n g ...................... 51 4 SOLVING PROBLEMS FOUND IN "LE VENT DANS LA PLAINE": TECHNICAL CHALLENGE, PEDALING, AND PHRAS I N G.................... 58 Problems of Technical Challenge ........ 58 Problems of Pedaling .......... ,...63 Problems of Phrasing ................... 69 5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ................... 76 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................. 81 APPENDIX: LETTERS OF PERMISSION ................... 86 VITA ................................................88 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES 1. Dumesnll's diagram of a portato attack .... 22 2. "Des pas sur la neige," mm. 33-36 ............. 23 3. "Feuilles mortes," mm. 10-14 23 4. "Le vent dans la plaine," ram. 1-8....... 27 5. "Le vent dans la plaine," mm. 1 7 - 1 8 ............. 28 6. "Le vent dans la plaine," mm. 53-59............. 29 7. "Des pas sur la neige," mm. 1 - 7 ................. 32 8. "Des pas sur la neige," mm. 1-4, autograph s c o r e ..........................................40 9. "Des pas sur la neige," mm. 12-15 ....... 41 10. "Des pas sur la neige," mm. 1 9 - 3 2 ............... 42 11. Triple division of eighth-note in ostinato, m. 1, "Des pas sur la n e i g e " ................ 49 12. Triple division of quarter-note for playing ostinato, "Des pas sur la n e i g e " ............ 49 13. "Des pas sur la neige," mm. 8 - 1 1 ............... 55 14. "Le vent dans la plaine," mm. 7 - 1 2 .............58 15. "Le vent dans la plaine," mm. 27-30 ........ 61 16. Pitch assertions in "Le vent dans la plaine" . 66 17. "Le vent dans la plaine," mm. 2 1 - 2 8 ..........73 VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Thorough analysis will serve the performer as a valuable tool for making effective performance decisions. This study follows two guidelines; 1) analysis must include the examination of all elements of musical structure and 2) the performer must view the music from as many perspectives as possible, for example, as listener and analyst, as well as performer. In serving the second of these two guidelines, the study examines performance tradition as it pertains to Debussy's piano music, including historical performances of his contemporaries as well as Debussy's own recorded performances. A larger part of the study analyzes the structure of "Des pas sur la neige" and "Le vent dans la plaine" to develop suggestions for such pianistic devices as rhythmic nuance, phrasing, dynamic articulation, voicing, pedaling, and the execution of technical difficulties. vix Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Analysis can be a valuable tool for the performer who is seeking solutions to performance problems. The primary purpose of this study is to examine various ways in which analysis can provide solutions to problems that may arise in the performance of Debussy's Preludes for piano. This study, through thorough analysis, provides pianists with insights into analytically-based problem-solving techniques by examining passages in which analysis can provide assistance in solving specific performance problems. The Analytical Approach It is beyond the scope of this study to make an in-depth exploration into all aspects of the relationship between analysis and performance. The performer who turns to analysis to solve performance problems should be aware that there are many
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