UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________ I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in: It is entitled: This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ Tonal Mirages: a multifaceted view of tonality in the early transitional pieces of Alexander Scriabin A thesis Submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies and Research of the University of Cincinnati In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music In the Division of Composition, Musicology, and Theory of the College-Conservatory of Music 2008 by Brian D. Hoffman B.M. University of Michigan, 2003 Committee chair: Steven J. Cahn, Ph.D. David Carson Berry, Ph.D. Catherine Losada, Ph.D. Abstract References to the music of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915) abound in books and articles; dedicated analyses of the music, however, are somewhat rare. The most complete attempt at understanding Scriabin’s musical style comes from the 1986 monograph by James M. Baker, The Music of Alexander Scriabin. Baker focuses on Scriabin’s “transitional” period, employing a combination of the predominant methodologies of the day: Schenkerian analysis and set-theoretic analysis. This thesis proceeds from the same basic premise that Baker’s book did over 20 years ago. That is, the balance of tonal and post-tonal elements in Scriabin’s transitional music gradually shifts from primarily tonal motivations to primarily post- tonal motivations. In order to accomplish an examination of Scriabin’s use of tonality along with a response to Baker’s work, I analyze two preludes from early in his middle period, Prelude Op. 48, no. 4 (1905) and Prelude Op. 49, no. 2 (1905) through the perspective of Schenkerian analysis and contextual voice-leading analysis. This leads to my titular concept of “tonal mirages” whereby the presence of tonality in a piece slowly fades as one gets closer to the piece’s surface. iii iv Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge my advisor, Dr. Steven Cahn, for his patience throughout this long process. While his editorial contributions have helped me grow considerably as a writer, our analytical discussions around the piano helped me gain new insights into this treacherous music and solidify old ones. I would like to thank readers Dr. David Carson Berry and Dr. Catherine Losada for their invaluable advice and thoughtful revisions. I would also like to thank my family, whose unending support and confidence aid me in everything I do. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my colleague, Breighan Moira Brown, whose dedication to scholarship unwittingly influenced my own. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………1 Chapter 1: Extending Schenkerian Analysis……………………………………………………..7 Chapter 2: Schenkerian Analysis…………………………………….…………………………..29 Chapter 3: Voice Leading………………………………………………………….…………….67 Conclusions ………………………………………………………………………..…………….98 Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………………….110 vi Introduction References to the music of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915) abound in books and articles; dedicated analyses of the music, however, are somewhat rare. The tonally tenuous nature of his transitional music allows many authors to find examples that illustrate various analytical concepts. However, the goal of such examples is to make a greater theoretical point and not to better understand Scriabin’s compositions, themselves. The most complete attempt at understanding Scriabin’s musical style comes from the 1986 monograph by James M. Baker, The Music of Alexander Scriabin. Baker focuses on Scriabin’s “transitional” period,1 employing a combination of the predominant methodologies of the day: Schenkerian analysis and set-theoretic analysis. While Baker’s voice-leading graphs make great strides in capturing the “implicit tonality” contained in Scriabin’s work from 1903– 1913,2 his atonal analyses often amount to little more than locating certain sets melodically and harmonically. Jim Samson, to whom the term “transitional” music is greatly indebted,3 described these analyses as “an exhaustive taxonomy of set usage.”4 This thesis proceeds from the same basic premise that Baker’s book did over 20 years ago. That is, the balance of tonal and post-tonal elements in Scriabin’s transitional music gradually shifts from primarily tonal motivations to primarily post-tonal motivations. As such, an 1 Baker defines this period from 1903–1910, ending with “an abrupt break with traditional tonal structures and procedures.” James M. Baker, The Music of Alexander Scriabin, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986), vii. 2 Baker coins this term in the title of an early Scriabin article, James M. Baker, “Scriabin’s Implicit Tonality,” Music Theory Spectrum 2 (1980): 1–18. 3 Jim Samson, Music in Transition: a Study of Tonal Expansion and Atonality, 1900– 1920 (New York: Norton, 1977). 4 Jim Samson, “Review of The Music of Alexander Scriabin by James M Baker,” Journal of Music Theory, 32/ 2 (1988): 355. - 1 - understanding of both elements in these pieces requires a combination of methodologies. My approach differs from his in three meaningful ways: First, the scope of my thesis is considerably reduced. As such, I use the term “transitional” not to suggest motion from and to, but rather to express a state of being in between. Unlike Baker, I am not concerned with the fluctuating balance of compositional influences between multiple pieces. Rather, I am more concerned with the interaction of these influences within a single piece. Second, Baker’s concept of “implicit tonality” factors greatly into his Schenkerian analyses. As I discuss at length in Chapter 2, this perspective (in addition to his view of these works as “in transition”) causes Baker to view these pieces in terms of perturbations of a traditional tonal practice. Not only does Baker compare these pieces to a traditional tonal background, but he includes elements in his Schenkerian graphs that reflect what he considers to be latent tonal features. From a conceptual standpoint, my analyses differ by addressing the elements of tonality present in the work rather than the elements that Scriabin may be alluding to. My alternate use of “transitional” also accounts for this difference, being less concerned with changes to former uses of tonality, and more concerned with the state of tonality within a particular piece. This distinction is made explicit with Leonard Meyer’s discussion of style and deviance from Emotion and Meaning in Music.5 Meyer states that once a style has been established, the listener is able to recognize musical elements and moments that deviate from that style. Ultimately, the deviants become common and are assimilated to form a new style. He goes on to say: “For in any style the deviants as well as the norms are finite in number; and it is both 5 Leonard B. Meyer, Emotion and Meaning in Music (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1956). - 2 - possible and likely that deviants through constant employment may become so fixed, so common in its recurrence in particular situations, that the probability relationships of the system become modified by this recurrence. Consequently a sound term which was once a definite deviant may become more or less normative within the style and thus lose its potential for expression.”6 Baker seems to consider the post-tonal elements in this music as deviants from a completely tonal style. I, instead, consider the ubiquity of these post-tonal sonorities as an indication of a new style. This leads to my titular concept of “tonal mirages” whereby the appearance of tonality in a piece slowly fades as one gets closer to the piece’s surface. In a direct comparison of terms, Baker’s “implicit tonality” views the tonal elements of a piece in terms of how it implicates an earlier style. I view tonality as present in its own right, yet highly evasive. Third and finally, my thesis represents a change in methodology, using contextual voice leading in lieu of atonal set analysis. Although the structures used in this compositional period are either close or identical to structures that Scriabin uses later in his post-tonal compositions, I believe that in the case of the two preludes I will examine, each sonority can be understood in terms of tertian harmony. Thus, particular features of the voice leading between such sonorities take precedence over any novelty in their construction. In order to accomplish an examination of Scriabin’s use of tonality from this perspective, I analyze two preludes from early in his middle period, Prelude Op. 48, no. 4 (1905) and Prelude Op. 49, no. 2 (1905). My investigation will proceed as follows: In Chapter 1, I justify the application of Schenkerian analysis to Scriabin’s music. In order to do this, I review Schenker’s own writings in addition to the various analytical accomplishments and extensions made by previous authors. I conclude this chapter by evaluating 6 Meyer, Emotion and Meaning in Music, 65. - 3 - both the appropriateness of Schenkerian analysis for my purposes and the type of information gained through such an analysis. Chapter 2 contains thorough Schenkerian analyses of the two preludes in question. My analysis of Op. 49/2 takes Schenkerian and bass-line concepts from Marian Kelian-Gilbert as its starting point. It incorporates the perspective