AN INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERISTICS IN TWENTIETH- CENTURY PIANO MUSIC FOR THE LAT E-INTERMEDIATE STUDENT: A PEDAGOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE BAGATELLES, OPUS 5 BY ALEXANDER TCHEREPNIN Meilin Ai, B.M., M.M. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2019 APPROVED: Joseph Banowetz, Major Professor Bradley Beckman, Committee Member Adam Wodnicki, Committee Member Steven Harlos, Chair of the Division of Keyboard Studies Felix Olschofka, Interim Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Music John W. Richmond, Dean of the College of Music Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Ai, Meilin. An Introduction to Contemporary Characteristics in Twentieth-Century Piano Music for the Late-Intermediate Student: A Pedagogical Analysis of the Bagatelles, Opus 5 by Alexander Tcherepnin. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), May 2019, 70 pp., 110 musical examples, bibliography, 21 titles. Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977) was a Russian-born American composer, his musical style represents the modern and diverse features of much twentieth-century piano music. The purpose of this research is to conduct a comprehensive pedagogical analysis of Alexander Tcherepnin’s Bagatelles, Op. 5 with the goal of introducing contemporary characteristics in twentieth-century piano music for the late-intermediate student. Chapter 2 contains overall biographical information regarding Alexander Tcherepnin and a discussion of the general compositional style of his piano works. Chapter 3 analyzes the Bagatelles, Op. 5 from the perspective of musical challenges concerning the contemporary characteristics, including contemporary harmony: interval of seconds, non-tertian chords, special use of the seventh chords, and ninth chords; contemporary rhythm and meter: shifted accents, asymmetric meter, meter change, and ostinato; modal melodic resources and tonalities; and other special tonalities. Chapter 4 has suggestions on fingering, pedaling, articulation, tone, dynamics and phrasing, and practicing procedures for individual technical difficulties. Studying the Bagatelles, Op. 5 provides a transition for the student from learning standard repertoire of the eighteenth and the nineteenth century, to contemporary repertoire through the combination of Russian compositional traditions with twentieth century repertory. Copyright 2019 by Meilin Ai ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am sincerely grateful to my major professor Mr. Joseph Banowetz, and my committee members Dr. Bradley Beckman and Mr. Adam Wodnicki for their advice and guidance. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ................................................................................................ vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF ALEXANDER TCHEREPNIN AND OVERVIEW OF HIS COMPOSITIONAL STYLE ................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Brief Biography of Alexander Tcherepnin ............................................................. 4 2.2 An Overview of Alexander Tcherepnin’s Compositional Style ............................. 5 CHAPTER 3. THE MUSICAL CHALLENGES OF THE BAGATELLES, OP. 5 ........................ 8 3.1 Contemporary Harmony ......................................................................................... 8 3.1.1 The Interval of 2nds .................................................................................... 8 3.1.2 Non-Tertian Chords .................................................................................... 9 3.1.3 Special Uses of the 7th Chords .................................................................. 11 3.1.4 The 9th Chord ............................................................................................ 13 3.2 Contemporary Rhythm and Meter ........................................................................ 15 3.2.1 Shifted Accents ......................................................................................... 15 3.2.2 Asymmetric Meter .................................................................................... 18 3.2.3 Meter Change ............................................................................................ 19 3.2.4 Ostinato ..................................................................................................... 23 3.3 Modal Melodic Resources and Tonalities ............................................................. 28 3.4 Other Tonalities .................................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER 4. THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGES OF THE BAGATELLES, OP. 5 .................. 36 4.1 Fingering ............................................................................................................... 36 4.1.1 Redistributing Notes Between the Hands ................................................. 36 4.1.2 Chromatic Fingering ................................................................................. 40 4.1.3 Legato Fingering ....................................................................................... 43 4.1.4 Other Fingerings ....................................................................................... 43 4.2 Pedaling................................................................................................................. 46 4.2.1 Melodic Material Pedaling ........................................................................ 46 iv 4.2.2 Pedaling as an Aide to Phrasing and Articulation .................................... 47 4.2.3 Rhythm-Projecting Pedaling ..................................................................... 48 4.2.4 Blurring for Color and Special Effects ..................................................... 48 4.2.5 Other Uses of Pedal .................................................................................. 49 4.3 Articulation and Notation ..................................................................................... 51 4.4 Tone, Dynamic, and Phrasing ............................................................................... 55 4.4.1 Sequential Phrases .................................................................................... 55 4.4.2 Repeated Phrases ...................................................................................... 57 4.4.3 Balance ...................................................................................................... 59 4.4.4 Other Dynamic Suggestions ..................................................................... 60 4.5 Other Techniques .................................................................................................. 61 4.5.1 Leaps ......................................................................................................... 61 4.5.2 Repeated Notes ......................................................................................... 64 4.5.3 Large Chords ............................................................................................. 65 4.5.4 Appoggiatura (Grace Notes Notated as ) ........................................... 67 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION...................................................................................................... 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 69 v LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Page EXAMPLE 3.1: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 1, mm. 7-8 ................................................... 8 EXAMPLE 3.2: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 2, mm. 1-2 ................................................... 9 EXAMPLE 3.3: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 7, mm. 1-4 ................................................... 9 EXAMPLE 3.4: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 7, mm. 20-23 ............................................... 9 EXAMPLE 3.5: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 3, mm. 20-21 ............................................. 10 EXAMPLE 3.6: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 4, mm. 4-6 ................................................. 10 EXAMPLE 3.7: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 7, mm. 146-150 ......................................... 11 EXAMPLE 3.8: Scriabin: 24 Preludes, Op. 11, No. 6, mm. 50-54.............................................. 11 EXAMPLE 3.9: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 1, m. 15 ..................................................... 12 EXAMPLE 3.10: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 2, mm. 30-31 ........................................... 12 EXAMPLE 3.11: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 4, mm. 23-30 ........................................... 13 EXAMPLE 3.12: Prokofiev: Vision Fugitives, Op. 22, No.15, m. 7 ............................................ 13 EXAMPLE 3.13: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 1, mm. 1-4 ............................................... 14 EXAMPLE 3.14: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 3, mm. 76-77 ........................................... 14 EXAMPLE 3.15: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 5, m. 7 ..................................................... 15 EXAMPLE 3.16: Prokofiev: Vision Fugitives, Op. 22, No.1, mm. 1-4 ....................................... 15 EXAMPLE 3.17: Tcherepnin: Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 3, mm. 36-40 ........................................... 16 EXAMPLE 3.18: