National Library Bibfiotheque nationale I*l of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 345. rue Wellington OttawaON KIAON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to BibliothLque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prgter, distribuer ou copies of hsthesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenvise de celle-ci ne doivent Ctre imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. A TRANSFORMATIONAL ANALYSIS OF RUTH CRAWFORD SEEGER'S SONATA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO (1926) Roxane Prevost Department of Music Submitted in partial hlfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Faculty of Graduate Studies The University of Western Ontario London. Ontario July. 1999 ;Cl Roxane Prevost 1999 ABSTRACT This thesis's objective is to demonstrate the overall formal and structural coherence of Ruth Crawford's Sonata for Violin and Piano. Traditional and serial analytical models do nor readily accommodare Crawford's post-tonal vocabulary. but more recent tiexible analytical tools offer greater resources to apply to her music. I summarize biographical in forn~ation.influences Cmvford experienced in the early stages of her compositional career. and current relevant literature in chapter one. 1-1 chapter two. I describe the methodology for the analytical approach. largely based on Joseph Straus's interpretation of David Lewin's rransformational approach. that I undertake in subsequent chapters. In the next four chapters. I analyze each movement through formal designs. motivic and contour relations. and transformational relations. The deeper relations. revealed through the transformational approach. strengthen the argument that this continuously shifting piece is also tightly connected. I discuss the Sonata's overall coherence and implications for further research in c haprer seven. Keywords: Ruth Crawford. Ruth Crawford Seeger. Sonata for Vioiin and Piano. Transformations. Form. Motivic Relations. Melodic Contour Relations. Joseph Straus. David Lewin. Robert Moms CVe should nor seek ro become greater lhan others. but to discover rhe grearness in ourselves. - Ruth Crawford. diary entry. November 8. 1928 I would first like to thank Professor Catherine Nolan for her encouraging words. meticulous readings. insightiid comments. numerous suggestions for improvements in both the writing and musical examples. and enthusiasm for this project. Her attention to detail has not only greatly improved the clarity of this study. but also my writing skills in general. I appreciate her keen sense of balance behveen guidance. as I tackled unfamiliar analytical approaches. and freedom. permitting me to work through these complex issues. The time and energy she has devoted to this project are remarkable. For all of this. 1 am grateful to her. Special thanks also go to Professor John Doerksen for his speedy reading. thought- provoking comments. and suggestions. His insightful comments have increased my au.areness of and made me question the assumptions underlying analytical models. For all of this. I thank him. I would like to acknowledge Merion Press. a subsidiary of Theodore Press Inc.. for granting me permission to use musical examples. C Finally. I would like to thank my parents and brothers for their ongoing personal support. I thank them mostly for encouraging me to fo!low my dreams. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Certificate of Examination .Abstract Epigraph .~cknowlrdgmmrs Table of Contents List of Musical Examples List of Figures Note on the Use of Accidentals Chapters Introduction and Background Introduction ....................................................................... 1 Biographical Information ..................................................... 3 The Sonata for Violin and Piano ....................................... 6 Literature Review ............................................................... I6 Motivation for Selecting the Sonata for Violin and Piano ... 18 Formal Approach ............................................................ 20 Motivic and Melodic Contour Relations .............................. 24 TransFormational Approach ............................................ 28 Surnmw .............................................................................. 33 Analvsis of the First Movement Formal Design ...................................................................... 46 Melodic Repetitions and Contour Relations ........................ 5 l Transformational Analysis ................................................ 5 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS .Continued Analvsis of the Second Movement Formal Design ..................................................................... 70 blotivic Retaticns ................................................................ 73 Transformational Analysis ................................................... 83 -4nalvsis of the Third Movement Formal Design ...................................................................... 93 Motivic Repetitions and Contour Relations ......................... 95 TrCmsfom~ationalAnalysis ................................................... 100 Connections With Other Movements ................................... 112 Analysis of the Fourth Movement Formal Design .................................................................. 116 Literal and Varied Repetitions .......................................... I20 Transformational Analysis ............................................... 123 Connections With Other Movements ................................,.. 129 Conclusions Overall Coherence of the Sonata .......................................... 132 Related Issues ....................................................................... 135 Implications for Further Study ............................................. 140 Selected Bibliography .................................................................................. 141 .-\ ppendix Copyright Permission ......................................................... I48 Vita ............................................................................................................... IS0 vii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example Caption Page Example 1 .I : Scriabin's !Mystic Chord and Its References in Crawford's 10- I I Sonata. I11 Example 1.2: Sonata. I. mm. 7-8. Mysticism 14 Esample 1.3 Sonata I. m. I. Dissonant Harmonic Vocabulary 15 Esample 2. 1: Sonata. I. rnm. 3-5. Violin. Melodic Contour Using CSEG 27 Notation Example 2.1: Sonata. I. mm. 12-14. Violin. Transformations of Directed 33 Interval-Class Segments Esamplr 2.3: Sonata. I. mrn. 12-14. Violin. Transpositional Projection 37 Example 2.4: Sonata. I. mm. 12-11. Piano. Straus. p. 11 1 4 1 Example 3.5: Sonata. I. m. 12. Piano. Two Transformational Interpretations 42 Esarnplc 3.1 : Sonata. I. First Theme. Violin. Transposition 52 Example 3.2: Sonata. I. Second Theme. Violin. Transposition 52-53 Example 3.3 : Sonata. I. Introduction and Coda 53-54 Example 3.4: Sonata. I. rnm. 3-6. First Theme. Violin. Melodic Contour Using 55 CSEG Notation Example 3.5: Sonata I. mm. 12- 14. Second Theme. Violin. Melodic Contour 56 Using CSEG Notation Example 3.6: Sonata. I. rnrn. 22-25. Development. Violin. Melodic Contour 57 Using CSEG Notation Example 3.7: Sonata. I. rnm. 3-6. First Theme. Violin. Transformations of 59 Directed Interval-Class Segments Example 3.8: Sonata I. mm.22-25, Development. Violin. Transformations of 62 Directed Interval-Class Segments Example 3.9: Sonata. I. mm. 18-20. Piano Example 4. I : Sonata. 11. Five Melodic Segments Example 4.2: Sonata. [I. Five Ostinato Figures 75-77 Example 4.3: Sonata. 11. m. 22. Piano. Voice Exchanges 78 Example 4.4: Sonata.. 11. Transformations of Directed Interval-Class Sqpents 84 Example 4.5: Sonata. 11. m. I. Piano. Segmentation of Ostinato Figure. Suaus. 87 pp. 64-65 Example 4.6: Sketch of Regisual Divisions for 0 I. m. 1 87 Example 4.7: Sonata. 11. Segmentation of m. 4 89 Example 3.8: Relations Between the Intervals of the Entry Ostinato Pitches 89 Example 5.1: Sonata. 111. Literal Repetitions 95-96 Example 5.2: Sonata. 111. Motive x 98-99 Exmple 5.3: Sonata. 111. mm. 7-1 9. Violin. Transformations of Directed 10 1 Interval-Class Segments Example 5.4: Sonata. 111. mm. 3-6. Piano. Linear Transformations of Pitch 104 Collections Example 5.5: Sonata. 111. mm. 3-6. Piano. Linear Transformations of Pitch 106 Collections Example 5.6: Sonata. [II. mm. 15-1 7. Piano. Linear Transformations of Pitch 108 Collections - kxamplr 5.7: Sonata ID. mm.26-29. Piano. Linear Transformations of Pitch 1 10 Collections Example 5.8: Connection Between Movements III and lV Example 5.9: Connection Between Movements II and In I I4 Example 6.1 : Sonata N. Motive y and Fragment y' 121 Example 6.2: Sonata. IV. mrn. 1-8. Violin. Transformations of Directed 124 Interval-Class Segments Example 6.3: Sonata N. Violin. Transpositional Projection. Straus. p. 66 126-27 Example 6.1: Sonata. IV.