PROKOFIEV’S ROMEO & JULIET AND CINDERELLA: A COMPARISON OF LEADS Carolyn Zoe Brouthers A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC August 2011 Committee: Nora Engebretsen, Advisor Gene Trantham ii ABSTRACT Nora Engebretsen, Advisor Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) composed several ballets over the course of his career, including two based on well-known written works: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and Cinderella . Their parallel characters and somewhat parallel storylines allow for comparative analysis of certain pieces. Because the ballets are both love stories, pieces characterizing the lovers individually and as couples are considered. The purpose of this work is to determine what musical structures contribute to characterization, if the use of those structures is consistent across the ballets, and if/how they match aspects of Prokofiev’s musical language described by other analysts. The pieces from Romeo and Juliet examined in this paper are “Romeo,” “Juliet,” and “Love-Dance.” Parallel pieces from Cinderella are “Cinderella,” “The Prince,” and “Duet – The Prince and Cinderella.” Form, phrase structure, melodic tendency, motive, tonal center, cadence, and chromatic displacement are all considered in the analyses. Of these, the structures that contribute most to characterization are form, phrase structure, motive, tonal center, and cadence. Melodic tendency sometimes plays a role in defining a character, but not consistently; chromatic displacement has no significant effect. Few of the structures are used to the same effect in both ballets. iii For Dr. Snodgrass, without whom I would not have thought to pursue music theory. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Engebretsen, thank you for your dedication, patience, and good humor in helping me complete this thesis in the short amount of time we had. Dr. Trantham, thank you for reading my thesis, giving helpful suggestions, and being you. I would also like to thank all of my theory professors from Appalachian State University and Bowling Green State University for encouraging my pursuit of music theory. Mom, your happy dances delight me! Thank you for dancing whenever I succeed. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER II. ROMEO AND JULIET ................................................................................. 5 Romeo…………….................................................................................................... 5 Juliet…………........................................................................................................... 17 Love-Dance………………………………………………………………………… 31 Summary…………………………………………………………………………… 43 CHAPTER III. CINDERELLA ............................................................................................. 47 Cinderella………....................................................................................................... 47 The Prince……… ...................................................................................................... 63 Duet – The Prince and Cinderella………………………………………………….. 73 Summary…………………………………………………………………………… 86 CHAPTER IV. COMPARISON OF ROMEO AND JULIET AND CINDERELLA........... 92 Romeo and the Prince................................................................................................ 92 Juliet and Cinderella .................................................................................................. 97 Love-Dance and Duet……………………………………………………………… 101 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………… 105 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................................. 107 APPENDIX: FORM CHARTS ............................................................................................. 108 vi LIST OF EXAMPLES Example Page 2.1 Beginning of “Romeo” (mm. 1-5) ............................................................................. 6 2.2 New basic idea (b.i. 2) juxtaposed with presumed original basic idea (b.i. 1), “Romeo” (mm. 7-9)…………………………………………………………………………… 7 2.3 Lyrical theme, beginning of the B section, “Romeo” (mm. 15-17)........................... 8 2.4 Octave displacement of introductory harmonic pattern, “Romeo” (mm. 15-18) ...... 8 2.5 Codetta, “Romeo” (mm. 41-44)................................................................................. 10 2.6 Altered cadences ........................................................................................................ 13 2.6a. Chromatic substitution, altered-PAC; from Romeo and Juliet “Romeo” (mm. 42-43) 2.6b. Mediant substitute for dominant harmony, altered-PAC; from Romeo and Juliet “Juliet” (m. 2) 2.6c. Predominant simultaneity with dominant harmony, altered-IAC; from . Cinderella “Duet” (mm. 5-6) 2.7 IACs with non-chord tones, “Romeo” (mm. 6-7, 13-14) .......................................... 14 2.8 Alternate readings of unaltered IACs, “Romeo” (mm. 22-23, 30-31)....................... 15 2.9 Two-measure group characteristic of the A section, “Juliet” (mm. 1-2)…………... 19 2.10 Beginning of B section, “Juliet” (mm. 9-13) ............................................................. 20 2.11 Antecedent phrase of C couplet, “Juliet” (mm. 27-30).............................................. 21 2.12 First phrase of D couplet, “Juliet” (mm. 43-48) ........................................................ 22 2.13 Antecedent phrase of D couplet, “Juliet” (mm. 48-51) ............................................. 22 2.14 Coda, “Juliet” (mm. 80-89)........................................................................................ 23 vii 2.15 Variation of antecedent melody in consequent phrase, “Juliet” (mm. 27-34)........... 25 2.16 Small-scale version of mediant key relationship introduced in harmonic progression, “Juliet” (m. 2) ............................................................................................................ 26 2.17 Small-scale semitone relationship? “Juliet” (mm. 50-51) ......................................... 27 2.18 Enharmonic VII, at a parallel moment with ex. 2.17; “Juliet” (mm. 62-63) ............. 28 2.19 Altered-PAC; Dominant has raised fifth, “Juliet” (m. 38)......................................... 29 2.20 Leaping PAC, “Juliet” (mm. 29-30) .......................................................................... 30 2.21 Altered-IAC, highest voice resolves by leap, inner voice cannot double resolution, “Juliet” (mm. 41-42 ................................................................................................... 30 2.22 Elided cadence of (a) theme, “Love-Dance” (mm. 13-16) ........................................ 33 2.23 Theme (d), including predominant half cadence, “Love-Dance” (mm. 18-22)......... 34 2.24 Theme (e), “Love-Dance” (mm. 42-46) .................................................................... 34 2.25 Theme (f), “Love-Dance” (mm. 34-38)..................................................................... 35 2.26 Theme (i), “Love-Dance” (mm. 92-95) ..................................................................... 36 2.27 Beginning of B section, theme (g), “Love-Dance” (mm. 57-60)............................... 37 2.28 Tonic bass displaced to sound under “dominant” ii 7, then transformed into submediant harmony through passing motion, “Love-Dance” (mm. 62-64)................................ 37 2.29 Similar opening rhythms of themes (a) and (d), “Love-Dance”................................ 38 2.29a. Opening rhythm, theme (a) (mm. 4-6) 2.29b. Opening rhythm, theme (d) (mm. 18-20) 2.30 Rhythmic and melodic similarities of themes (g) and (h), “Love-Dance” ................ 40 2.30a. End of theme (g) (mm. 62-63) 2.30b. Beginning of theme (h) (mm. 64-65) viii 2.31 Melodic motives in themes (g) and (h), “Love-Dance”............................................. 41 2.31a. Beginning of theme (g) (mm. 58-59) 2.31b. End of theme (h) (mm. 66-67) 3.1 Beginning of Cinderella’s first theme (mm. 1-5)....................................................... 48 3.2 Antecedent phrase of Cinderella’s second theme (mm. 11-15)................................. 49 3.3 Altered-IAC, “Cinderella” (mm. 22-23).................................................................... 51 3.4 Beginning of Cinderella’s third theme (mm. 28-29) ................................................. 52 3.5 Two formal interpretations of mm. 40-41, “Cinderella” ........................................... 53 3.6 Sequential, major-mode transition between C and B sections (E major and C major), “Cinderella” (mm. 68-76).......................................................................................... 56 3.7 Rhythmic motives across themes, “Cinderella”......................................................... 57 3.7a. Rhythmic motives a and b in A theme (mm. 3-4) 3.7b. Rhythmic motives a and b in B theme (mm. 17-18) 3.7c. Rhythmic motive b in C theme (mm. 41-42) 3.8 Melodic arpeggiation motive across themes, “Cinderella”........................................ 58 3.8a. Melodic arpeggiation motive in A theme (m. 3) 3.8b. Melodic arpeggiation motive in B theme (m. 12) 3.9 Semitone motion from pc 6 in minor and major keys, “Cinderella” ......................... 59 3.9a. Traditional upward resolution of pc 6 to pc 7; raised fourth in a minor key (mm. 3-4) 3.9b. Downward resolution of pc 6 to pc 5; lowered fifth in a major key (mm. 13-14) 3.10 Melodic