Le 29 juin 2017
de 10h00 à 10h30
Le Patio (université de Strasbourg)
22 rue René Descartes, 67000 Strasbourg
amphithéâtre 4
Séance - Partimento and Schemata
Pré-acte / Acte
Auteur : David Jayasuriya
Recent scholarship in eighteenth-century music recognises the importance of galant schemata as central elements in compositional pedagogy and practice. Moreover, the functioning of these musical conventions as well-understood devices or procedures within the dynamics of communication between composer and listener is a notable feature of classical music. Fonte and Monte were of particular importance as the only schemata to be discussed by contemporary theorists such as Riepel and Koch. While variation of these schemata was recommended for composers, my research has exposed the remarkable variety and extent to which Haydn employs schematic manipulation in his symphonies.
My research has required the development of an analytical framework for the identification and description of Fonte and Monte schemata. In this paper, I explain how this framework comprises definitive parameters within the three broad categories of construction, completion and context. I then describe its application to an empirical study of Haydn’s symphonies, with discussion of its principal statistical findings. The empirical and analytical results confirm that Haydn’s employment of Fonte and Monte is far more extensive than previously realised, and I offer several examples from the symphonies which illustrate not only the skill and sophistication of his manipulations, but also the qualities of wit, humour and irony for which the composer is renowned. My study therefore performs a dual purpose: to propose a model of general application for the empirical analysis of galant schemata, and to show how it sheds light on a previously unknown aspect of Haydn’s musical style and compositional methods.
