Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 2015 Characteristics of a Modern Ballet: The Adoption of Sonic Vocabulary and Textual Treatment in The Earth Without Water (2014) Mark Luke Rheaume Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in Music at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Rheaume, Mark Luke, "Characteristics of a Modern Ballet: The Adoption of Sonic Vocabulary and Textual Treatment in The Earth Without Water (2014)" (2015). Masters Theses. 2393. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2393 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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CHARACTERISTICS OF A MODERN BALLET: THE ADOPTION OF SONIC VOCABULARY AND TEXTUAL (2014) TREATMENT IN THE EARTH(TITLE) WITHOUT WATER BY MARK LUKE RHEAUME THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN MUSIC IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS 2015 YEAR I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE CITED ABOVE THESIS CDMMITTEECHAIR DATE DEPARTM���OOL CHAIR DATE O"(HA�,.S DESIGNEE 5-6 -is-- DATE THfSIS COMMITTEE MEMBER DATE THE� COMMITTEE MEMBER DATE THESIS COMMITTEE MEMBER DATE ii Copyright 20 15 by MarkL. Rheaume iii ABSTRACT Characteristics of a Modem Ballet: The Adoption of Sonic Vocabulary and Textual Treatment in The Earth Without Wa ter (2014) Mark Rheaume The modem ballet, as an orchestral genre, owes much of its status and value to composers of the early 20th century. Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky's groundbreakingworks , Prelude l'apres-midi d'unjaune and Le Sacre du Printemps a respectively, revolutionized the sonic landscape of ballet and expanded the ideas of interaction with texts and scenarios. This paper demonstratesthe continued use of these innovations in the author's composition, The Earth Without Water. This analysis identifiesthree categories-harmonic vocabulary, rhythmic/formalorganizatio n, and textual treatment-by which The Earth derives content or technique fromPrelude and Le Sacre. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many thanks to the following people fortheir insight and advice during my time as a graduate student: Dr. Brad Decker, thesis advisor Dr. Stefan Eckert, Dr. Kathryn Fenton, and Dr. Jemmie Robertson, committee members Dr. Marilyn Coles, Graduate Coordinator v TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 Chapterl: CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF THE EARTH WITHOUT WA TER .......4 Chapter 2: HARMONIC VOCABULARY .........................................................................8 Chapter 3: RHYTHMIC AND FORMAL ORGANIZATION ..........................................28 Chapter 4: TEXTUAL TREATMENT: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF POETRY AND SCENARIO DRUING THE PROCESS OF COMPOSITION ...............................40 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................55 APPENDICIES ..................................................................................................................57 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 125 vi LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES EXAMPLE 1-1: The Earth, motive .......................................................................4 primary EXAMPLE 1-2: The Earth, secondary theme, m.74 ...........................................................6 EXAMPLE 1-3: The Earth, stratification in Scene 2, 204-205 ...................................6 mm. EXAMPLE 1-4: The Earth, stratification in Scene 6, 396-401 ...................................7 mm. EXAMPLE 1.5: The Earth, Coda, 405-408 ................................................................7 mm. EXAMPLE 2-1: Arabesques of Prelude, Le Sacre, and The Earth . .......... ........................9 EXAMPLE 2-2: Motivic Alteration in Prelude, 102 ...................................................12 m. EXAMPLE 2-3: Motivic Alteration in Prelude, 103-106 ........................................ .12 mm. EXAMPLE 2-4: Motivic Alteration in Prelude, 107-108 .........................................13 mm. EXAMPLE 2-5: Motivic Alteration in Le Sacre, 66-68 ............................................13 mm. EXAMPLE 2-6: Motivic Alteration in The Earth, 48-49 and 94-95 ................14 mm. mm. EXAMPLE 2-7: Motivic Alteration in The Earth , 162-163, 166, and 300-301 .......14 mm. EXAMPLE 2-8: Bitonality in Le Sacre du Printemps, 76-77 ...................................16 mm. EXAMPLE 2-9: Bitonality in The Earth, 34 ................................................................17 m. EXAMPLE 2-10: Bitonality in The Earth, 322-323 .................................................17 mm. EXAMPLE 2-1 1: Split-Third chord in Le Sacre, 553-554 ........................................18 mm. EXAMPLE 2-12: Split-Third chord in The Earth, 272 ................................................18 m. EXAMPLE 2-13: Whole-Tone Usage in Le Sacre, 444-447 ....................................20 mm. EXAMPLE 2-14: Whole-Tone Usage in The Earth , 133-135 ..................................20 mm. EXAMPLE 2-15: Whole-Tone Usage in The Earth , mm. 295 ..........................................21 EXAMPLE 2-16: Possible Octatonic Scales .....................................................................22 EXAMPLE 2-17: Allen Forte's analysis of Octatonic Content in Prelude , 1 ..............22 m. EXAMPLE 2-18: Octatonic Harmony in Le Sacre .. ....................................... ................23 . EXAMPLE 2-19: Octatonic Usage in The Earth, mm. 70-73 ...........................................24 EXAMPLE 2-20: Octatonic Usage in The Earth, mm. 260-264 .......................................24 EXAMPLE 2-21: Prelude, mm.20-21, mm. 48-50 and The Earth 35-37 .................25 mm. EXAMPLE 2-22: Le Sacre 194-197 and The Earth 80-82 ...............................25 mm. mm. EXAMPLE 2-23: Le Sacre 321 vs. The Earth 272 .................................................26 m. m. EXAMPLE 2-24: Le Sacre 611 vs. The Earth mm. 306-307 .......................................26 m. EXAMPLE 2-25: The Earth, intervallic content, 306 ..................................................27 m. EXAMPLE 3-1: of ...........................................28 Rhythmic Characteristics the Arabesque EXAMPLE 3-2: Rhythmic Alteration in Prelude, Syncopated Motive, 1, 95 .............31 m. EXAMPLE 3-3: Rhythmic Alteration in Prelude, Flowing