THE EVOLUTION OF WIDOR‘S COMPOSITIONAL STYLE, AS EVIDENCED IN HIS TEN ORGAN SYMPHONIES By Shin-Kyung Bang Submitted to the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music, Indiana University December, 2012 Accepted by the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music. ___________________________________ Kyle Adams, Research Director __________________________________ Christopher Young, Chair __________________________________ Janette Fishell __________________________________ Marilyn Keiser ii Copyright©2012 Shin-Kyung Bang iii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the help of my research director, professor Kyle Adams, the chair of my doctoral research committee, professor Christopher Young, and committee members, professor Janette Fishell, and Dr. Marilyn Keiser during the completion of this DM document. I would like to express my thanks to Dr. David Lasocki, a retired music librarian at the Cook Music Library, Indiana University, for his help with this document. I also thank my parents and my sister, who have supported me through my doctoral studies. iv The Evolution of Widor‘s Compositonal Style, as Evienced in his Ten Organ Symphonies Widor‘s ten organ symphonies may be divided into three groups: early symphonies, Op. 13 set (Symphonies I—IV); mature ones, Op. 42 set (Symphonies V—VIII); and later ones, Symphonie gothique, Op. 70 and Symphonie romane, Op. 73. Most research about these works has consisted of analyses of a particular symphony or a general overview. This document discusses the characteristics of the symphonies in each period and, by analyzing a movement of a symphony from each period, observes how Widor‘s compositional style developed. The conclusion is drawn that the characteristics of each period clearly show his compositional evolution: the early symphonies demonstrate his simple and conservative tendencies; the mature ones display a more complicated structure with a variety of contrasts in tempo, dynamics, color, rhythm, and mood; the last symphony develops to improvisational, impressionistic and programmatic manner with religious expression. It would be beneficial for performers to understand the stylistic characteristics of Widor‘s compositional periods in order to play his works with appropriate musical expression. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Abstract ................................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Musical Examples ................................................................................................. vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix List of Specifications ...........................................................................................................x Introduction: Cavaillé-Coll and the St. Sulpice Organ ........................................................1 Chapter 1: Widor‘s Ten Organ Symphonies ........................................................................9 Chapter 2: Analysis of an Early Symphony from Op.13 ...................................................18 Chapter 3: Analysis of a Mature Symphony from Op.42 ..................................................36 Chapter 4: Analysis of the Last Symphony, Symphonie romane, Op.73 ...........................70 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................100 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................104 vi List of Musical Examples Example 1. Widor, Symphonie I, 1st movement, mm. 1–7 ................................................23 Example 2. Widor, Symphonie I, 1st movement, mm. 1–13 ..............................................24 Example 3. Widor, Symphonie I, 1st movement, mm. 13–21 ...........................................25 Example 4. Widor, Symphonie I, 1st movement, mm. 18–29 ...........................................26 Example 5. Widor, Symphonie I, 1st movement, mm. 26–38 ...........................................27 Example 6. Widor, Symphonie I, 1st movement, mm. 38–69 ...........................................29 Example 7. Widor, Symphonie I, 1st movement, mm. 70–80 ...........................................31 Example 8. Widor, Symphonie I, 1st movement, mm. 78–97 ...........................................32 Example 9. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, a) mm. 1–4; b) mm. 30–36 ...............40 Example 10. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 1–56 ........................................42 Example 11. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 54–79 ......................................46 Example 12. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 80–112 ....................................48 Example 13. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 113–32 ....................................51 Example 14. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 131–45 ....................................54 Example 15. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 141–51 ....................................55 Example 16. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 152–63 ....................................56 Example 17. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 164–71 ....................................57 Example 18. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 170–81 ....................................58 Example 19. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 179–209 ..................................60 Example 20. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 210–25 ....................................64 Example 21. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 224–35 ....................................65 Example 22. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 231–47 ....................................66 Example 23. Widor, Symphonie VI, 1st movement, mm. 246–55 ....................................68 vii Example 24. examples from Symphonie romane, Avant-propos .......................................72 Example 25. Comparison of a) Wagner‘s Tristan und Isolde (top) and Widor‘s Symphonie romane, Choral, m. 54 (bottom); b) Wagner, Tristan und Isolde, Tristan‘s motive, hero; c) Widor, Symphonie romane, Choral, mm. 57–59 .....................................74 Example 26. Comparison of the beginning phrase of ―Haec dies‖ in the paroissien romain noté en plain-chant (top) used by Widor and the Liber Usualis (bottom) ...........76 Example 27. Widor, Symphonie romane, 1st movement, mm. 1–4 ...................................80 Example 28. Widor, Symphonie romane, 1st movement, mm. 3–11 .................................81 Example 29. Widor, Symphonie romane, 1st movement, mm. 11–16 ..............................83 Example 30. Widor, Symphonie romane, 1st movement, mm. 15–23 ...............................84 Example 31. Widor, Symphonie romane, 1st movement, mm. 21–30 ...............................86 Example 32. Widor, Symphonie romane, 1st movement, mm. 28–38 ..............................87 Example 33. Widor, Symphonie romane, 1st movement, mm. 38–51 ...............................89 Example 34. Widor, Symphonie romane, 1st movement, mm. 54–60 ..............................92 Example 35. Widor, Symphonie romane, 1st movement, mm. 60–84 ...............................94 viii List of Figures Figure 1. Formal diagram of Widor‘s Symphonie I, 1st movement ...................................21 Figure 2. Formal diagram of Widor‘s Symphonie VI, 1st movement ................................38 Figure 3. Formal diagram of Widor‘s Symphonie romane, 1st movement.........................78 ix List of Specifications The organ of St. Sulpice.......................................................................................................5 x Introduction Cavaillé-Coll and the St. Sulpice Organ The greatest influence on Romantic organ music was undoubtedly one of the most outstanding French organ builders, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811–1899). His ―orchestral‖ organs gave French organ composers such as Franck, Widor, and Vierne inspiration to write symphonic organ music. Cavaillé-Coll built or rebuilt a number of organs for great churches in Paris including St. Denis, St. Sulpice, Notre-Dame de Paris, Ste. Clotilde, La Madeleine, St. Vincent de Paul, and La Trinité, and he expanded his organ building to England and other countries. Cavaillé-Coll made many innovations in organ building. He used the Barker pneumatic lever, which overcame the resistance of the pallet, consequently making the organ‘s key action much lighter than it had been when the manuals were coupled together. He introduced divided windchests controlled by ventils. These allowed higher wind pressures, which in turn made it possible to include harmonic pipes as well as brilliant reeds. Unlike the Classical French organ, in which the Grand-orgue division dominated the entire instrument, Cavaillé-Coll designed each manual to be independent. The most remarkable change was in the pedal division. According to Corliss Arnold, in the Classical French organ there were rarely more than three pedal stops which usually carried the plainsong melody in long notes