Le 1er juillet 2017
de 9h30 à 10h00
Le Patio (université de Strasbourg)
22 rue René Descartes, 67000 Strasbourg
salle 3201
Séance - Schumann, Brahms, and Elgar
Pré-acte / Acte
Auteurs : Carlos de Lemos Almada et Desirée Mayr
This paper is part of a research project intended to systematically study musical variation. Two complementary principles elaborated by Schoenberg form the theoretical basis of the research: Grundgestalt and developing variation. Grundgestalt can be essentially defined as a basic group of musical elements from which most of the substance of an organically-constructed piece may be deduced. Developing variation techniques (henceforward, DV) correspond to the means employed for producing this derived material and for structuring it. DV provides progressive, organic, and economic growth, consequently being intimately associated to the concepts of coherence and variety, whose balanced interaction is of central importance for musical composition. The main focus of this study addresses correlations between DV and biological/genetic processes. Three original concepts are introduced: Axe of Global Invariance (AGI); Transmitted Heritage (TH) and Residual Variance (RV). AGI represents a group of musical elements which is maintained along transformations of a given musical idea. TH, the very core of this proposal, corresponds to the material that is effectively and progressively modified (through DV). RV is the material that has no further consequences during the process. These elements integrate an original analytical model employed for the exam of organically-constructed music. The final section of the paper presents a practical application of the model in the analysis of eight thematic ideas in the first movement of Brahms’ Violin Sonata Op.78. The results obtained demonstrate the efficacy of the methodology for a systematical and precise analysis of thematic structures built by developing variation processes.
