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The Language of Johannes Brahms’S Theme and Variation

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! ! THE LANGUAGE OF JOHANNES BRAHMS’S THEME AND VARIATION: A STUDY OF HIS CHAMBER WORKS FOR STRINGS by Joanna Pepple June 29, 2012 Director of Thesis: Dr. Amy Carr-Richardson Major Department: Music Theory, Composition, and Musicology The variation movements of Johannes Brahms portray a continuous development of his musical discourse. Regarding variation form, he advocated for formal unity and the important role of the bass throughout his letters. In his music, he invented a language of theme and variation capable of creating new structures through old forms. The present analysis studies Brahms’s approach to theme and variation through four representative movements from his chamber works for strings: Op. 18/ii, Op. 36/iii, Op. 67/iv, and Op. 111/ii. Comparing these movements reveals a continuous development of his musical rhetoric in the variation genre. By challenging the historic aesthetics of variation technique through a progressive release of structure, Brahms establishes a discursive, goal-directed language within a recurring framework. He thus asserts his individual voice within a traditional form, contributing to the genre of theme and variation with an ongoing, teleological dialogue. ! THE LANGUAGE OF JOHANNES BRAHMS’S THEME AND VARIATION: A STUDY OF HIS CHAMBER WORKS FOR STRINGS A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Music Theory, Composition, and Musicology East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Music in Music Theory/Composition by Joanna Pepple June 29, 2012 ! © Copyright 2012 Joanna Pepple ! THE LANGUAGE OF JOHANNES BRAHMS’S THEME AND VARIATION: A STUDY OF HIS CHAMBER WORKS FOR STRINGS by Joanna Pepple APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF THESIS:________________________________________________________________ Amy Carr-Richardson, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER:_______________________________________________________________ J. Christopher Buddo, DMA COMMITTEE MEMBER:_______________________________________________________________ Thomas Huener, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER:_______________________________________________________________ Mark Richardson, PhD CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC THEORY, COMPOSITION, AND MUSICOLOGY: ________________________________________________________________ Thomas Huener, PhD DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: ________________________________________________________________ Paul J. Gemperline, PhD ! Acknowledgements I am grateful to numerous professors, colleagues, friends, and family who have supported me through this endeavor. To Dr. Amy Carr-Richardson: Thank you for your direction in this project, for continually turning me to new sources of analysis, and for always giving thoughtful answers to my myriad of questions. To Dr. Thomas Huener: Thank you for providing leadership in this process as well, for freely giving of your office hours, and for providing valuable insight into the Baroque harmonic language and rhetoric. To Dr. Mark Richardson: Thank you for always having an open door to me these past two years, for teaching me volumes about music theory pedagogy, and for being a mentor to me with the tutoring lab. To Dr. Christopher Buddo: Thank you for your ongoing patience and your continual support during my academic career at East Carolina, especially through your gentle leadership and faithful encouragement. To Judy Barber: Thank you for constantly challenging me in my writing and spending time brainstorming with me about this project. Most of all, thank you for believing in me and for pushing me to keep going. To Nara Newcomer: Thank you for your detailed and constructive feedback on these thesis chapters. Your editing was of inestimable value, as well as your kind support and interest in this undertaking. Thank you also to David Hursh, Dr. Jorge Richter, and Dr. Lori Wacker for sharing your discerning thoughts and impressions regarding certain sections of the document. Many thanks to my parents for their continuous love and support in both my successes and failures, and above all, I give God the glory for this present accomplishment. ! Contents List of Musical Examples ...................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables and Figures ...................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 I. Theme and Variation as a Formal Principle ........................................................................ 1 Paratactic versus Hypotactic ......................................................................................... 2 Recursive versus Discursive ......................................................................................... 3 II. Variation Types ................................................................................................................... 4 Ostinato ......................................................................................................................... 5 Constant-melody ........................................................................................................... 6 Constant-harmony ......................................................................................................... 7 Melodic-outline ............................................................................................................. 8 Formal-outline ............................................................................................................... 9 Characteristic .............................................................................................................. 10 Fantasy ........................................................................................................................ 11 Serial ........................................................................................................................... 12 III. Brahms and Variation ........................................................................................................ 13 IV. Content of Study ................................................................................................................ 14 Chapter 2: Biographical Contexts of Brahms’s Chamber Works for Strings .............................. 15 I. Brahms’s Professional Pursuits ......................................................................................... 16 II. Periodization of Brahms’s Compositional Output ............................................................. 20 Broad Periods based on Genre .................................................................................... 20 Stylistic Periods and the Chamber Music ................................................................... 20 III. Background for the String Chamber Works ...................................................................... 22 Op. 18 B-flat major String Sextet (1859–1860) .......................................................... 23 Op. 36 G major String Sextet (1864–1865) ................................................................ 24 ! Op. 67 B-flat major String Quartet (1875) .................................................................. 26 Op. 111 G major String Quintet (1890) ...................................................................... 27 IV. Historical Foundations for Analytical Study ..................................................................... 29 Chapter 3: Methodologies for Analysis in the Music of Johannes Brahms ................................... 30 I. Traditional versus Progressive Approach .......................................................................... 30 Brahms as Traditionalist ............................................................................................. 32 Brahms as Progressive ................................................................................................ 34 II. Developing Variation ........................................................................................................ 36 III. Organic Unity .................................................................................................................... 39 IV. Schenkerian Theory ........................................................................................................... 42 V. Ambiguity .......................................................................................................................... 45 VI. Unity in Analytical Approach ............................................................................................ 49 Chapter 4: Historical Roots in the Baroque Tradition: Brahms’s Sextet in B-flat major, Op. 18 .... 51 I. Formal Overview ............................................................................................................... 52 II. The Theme: A Binary Design ............................................................................................ 54 Passacaglia .................................................................................................................. 54 Basso Ostinato and Harmonic Progression ................................................................. 55 Melody ........................................................................................................................ 55 III. Performing Forces ............................................................................................................
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