Le 1er juillet 2017
de 9h00 à 9h30
Le Patio (université de Strasbourg)
22 rue René Descartes, 67000 Strasbourg
salle 3201
Séance - Schumann, Brahms, and Elgar
Pré-acte / Acte
Auteur : Jon-Tomas Godin
Seemingly divergent iterations of sonata form such as the early piano sonatas of Schumann and Brahms can be viewed as emanating from a limited set of principles when analysis concerns itself with more than musical materials. This analysis is in its essence an eclectic “close reading” of a small number of movements comprising two broad steps. First, I survey early 19th century writings on art and music to discern what characteristics were considered defining in sonata form. Then, keeping these characteristics in mind, I analyse the early piano sonatas of Schumann and Brahms, using elements of Formenlehre (Caplin), Schenkerian linear analysis, and rhythmic theory (Krebs) to see how these young composers were responding to the aesthetics of the time.
A comparison of these sonatas with masterworks of the previous generation, or even with later works by the same composers inevitably highlights the flaws and inconsistencies of Schumann and Brahms’ early sonatas. However, when viewed through the lens of their response to prevailing aesthetics, these same early sonatas gain a coherence that depends less on internal structural factors and more on their relationship with other works and with the arts in general. In the end, this allows us to reflect on how we distinguish between the internal coherence of an analytical framework and that of a musical object, and how to avoid confusing the two.
