Narrative and program in the twentieth-century cello concerto.
Item
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Title
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Narrative and program in the twentieth-century cello concerto.
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Identifier
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AAI3187407
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identifier
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3187407
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Creator
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Levitov, Daniel.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Philip Rupprecht
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Date
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2005
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Music
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Abstract
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This study of narrative in five twentieth-century cello concertos builds on recent scholarship in musical narrative as it analyzes in depth Ernest Bloch's Schelomo, William Schuman's A Song of Orpheus , Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Concerto in C, John Tavener's The Protecting Veil, and Tan Dun's Elegy: Snow in June. This study argues that each of these works for cello and orchestra satisfy the criteria for narrative, and that these works are best understood using an analytical process that reconciles melodic structure, formal construction, musical interaction, and meaning with the work's program and narrative voice. These programs---which relate to a Biblical figure (Schelomo), a Shakespeare poem (A Song of Orpheus ), a film (Concerto in C), Russian Orthodox liturgy (The Protecting Veil), and a Chinese myth as well as the Tiananmen Square incidents (Elegy: Snow in June)---act as paratexts that enrich the musical work, and bring context to its narrating voices. In characterizing musical voices, this study does not identify specific utterances, but instead seeks to understand narrative perspective. It is my contention that describing the way that musical narrators exert their authority and relate to their musical surroundings brings meaning to the work, and affirms the value of narrative analysis. These works represent unique manifestations of the concerto genre, and argue for both the versatility and rhetorical power of the cello and for the continued relevance of the concerto in musical study.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy Restricted.xlsx
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degree
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D.M.A.