In the Process of Becoming: Analytical and Philosophical Perspectives on Form in Early Nineteenth-Century Music

Author:   Janet Schmalfeldt (Associate Professor, Associate Professor, Tufts University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
ISBN:  

9780195093667


Pages:   344
Publication Date:   12 May 2011
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
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In the Process of Becoming: Analytical and Philosophical Perspectives on Form in Early Nineteenth-Century Music


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Overview

"With their insistence that form is a dialectical process in the music of Beethoven, Theodor Adorno and Carl Dahlhaus emerge as the guardians of a long-standing critical tradition in which Hegelian concepts have been brought to bear on the question of musical form. Janet Schmalfeldt's account of this Beethoven-Hegelian tradition restores to the term ""form"" some of its philosophical associations in the early nineteenth century, when profound cultural changes were yielding new relationships between composers and listeners, and when music itself became a topic for renewed philosophical investigation. A recurring metaphor in early nineteenth-century philosophical writings is the notion of becoming. In the Process of Becoming explores the idea of ""form coming into being"" in respect to music by Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, and Schumann. A critical assessment of Dahlhaus's preoccupation with the opening of Beethoven's ""Tempest"" Sonata serves as the author's starting point for the translation of philosophical ideas into music-analytical terms. Due to the ever-growing familiarity of late eighteenth-century audiences with formal conventions, composers could increasingly trust that performers and listeners would be responsive to striking formal transformations. Schmalfeldt's unique analytic method captures the dynamic, quasi-narrative nature of such transformations. This experiential approach invites listeners and performers to participate in the interpretation of processes by which, for example, brooding introduction-like openings become main themes and huge formal expansions offer a dazzling opportunity for multiple retrospective reinterpretations. Above all, In the Process of Becoming proposes new ways of hearing beloved works of the romantic generation as representative of a quest for novel, intensely self-reflective modes of communication."

Full Product Details

Author:   Janet Schmalfeldt (Associate Professor, Associate Professor, Tufts University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 23.60cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 16.50cm
Weight:   0.612kg
ISBN:  

9780195093667


ISBN 10:   0195093666
Pages:   344
Publication Date:   12 May 2011
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

"Preface Chapter 1 Introduction: The Idea of Musical Form as Process Chapter 2 The Beethoven-Hegelian Tradition and the ""Tempest"" Sonata - Formation of the Tradition - Dahlhaus and the ""Tempest"" Sonata - Post-Dahlhausian Critiques - The question of a secondary theme - Introduction or main theme - ST2 and the final cadence of the exposition Chapter 3 The Processual Legacy of the Late Eighteenth Century - Haydn-String Quartet in C Major, Op. 33, No. 3 (Hob. III:39), first movement - Haydn-Piano Trio in C Major (Hob. XV:27), finale - Clementi-Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op. 13, No. 6, first movement - Mozart-Le nozze di Figaro, Act I, No. 7, Trio in B-flat Chapter 4 Beethoven's ""Bridgetower"" Sonata, Op. 47 Chapter 5 On Performance, Analysis, and Schubert - Schubert-Piano Sonata in A Minor, Op. 42, D. 845 Chapter 6 Music that Turns Inward: New Roles for Interior Movements and Secondary Themes - Schubert-Allegro in A Minor for Four Hands, ""Lebensstürme,"" D. 947 - Schubert-Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 100, D. 929 Chapter 7 Mendelssohn the ""Mozartean"" - String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 13: opening of the finale - The Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 49, first movement: opening of the exposition - The Octet, Op. 20 - The finale - The opening of the first movement - More on Mendelssohn's codas: Overture to Midsummer Night's Dream and the Scherzo of the D-minor Piano Trio Chapter 8 sed non eodem modo: Chopin's Ascending-Thirds Progression and his Cello Sonata, Op. 65 - Overview with respect to Chopin's genres - First movement of the Cello Sonata: Allegro moderato -Third movement of the Cello Sonata: Largo Chapter 9 Coming Home - Robert Schumann-""Mondnacht,"" from Liederkreis, Op. 39 - Robert Schumann-""Widmung,"" from Myrthen, Op. 25 - Clara Schumann-""Die stille Lotosblume,"" Op. 13, No. 6 - Robert Schumann-Arabeske, Op. 18 - Robert Schumann-Fantasie, Op. 17 Notes Bibliography Index"

Reviews

It is hard to imagine a more generously inclusive approach to the various doings of composers, performers, analysts, and music-minded philosophers. Vivid strands of modern musical thought are brilliantly reflected and refracted throughout Janet Schmalfeldt's much awaited book. Upon reaching her moving final chapter, we realize that In the Process of Becoming has from the outset enacted a gratifying homecoming for both its subjects and its readers. Scott Burnham, Princeton University


<br> It is hard to imagine a more generously inclusive approach to the various doings of composers, performers, analysts, and music-minded philosophers. Vivid strands of modern musical thought are brilliantly reflected and refracted throughout Janet Schmalfeldt's much awaited book. Upon reaching her moving final chapter, we realize that In the Process of Becoming has from the outset enacted a gratifying homecoming for both its subjects and its readers. -Scott Burnham, Princeton University <br><p><br> What stands out for me in reading Janet Schmalfeldt's In the Process of Becoming is the pleasure of experiencing canonic piece after canonic piece through the exceptionally insightful and musical mind of a seasoned musician - one who has lived with, pondered, taught, and in many cases, played these pieces for years. -Patrick McCreless, Yale University <br><p><br> Will make for a rewarding study, and one that brings us into intimate contact with the many wonders of nineteenth-century musical form and its expressive powers. --Society of Music Theory<p><br>


It is hard to imagine a more generously inclusive approach to the various doings of composers, performers, analysts, and music-minded philosophers. Vivid strands of modern musical thought are brilliantly reflected and refracted throughout Janet Schmalfeldt's much awaited book. Upon reaching her moving final chapter, we realize that In the Process of Becoming has from the outset enacted a gratifying homecoming for both its subjects and its readers. -Scott Burnham, Princeton University What stands out for me in reading Janet Schmalfeldt's In the Process of Becoming is the pleasure of experiencing canonic piece after canonic piece through the exceptionally insightful and musical mind of a seasoned musician - one who has lived with, pondered, taught, and in many cases, played these pieces for years. -Patrick McCreless, Yale University Will make for a rewarding study, and one that brings us into intimate contact with the many wonders of nineteenth-century musical form and its expressive powers. --Society of Music Theory Schmalfeldt's book is a glorious example of how to write animated analytical prose...the range of topics throughout the book is a profound statement about how early nineteenth-century music continues to ignite far-reaching questions in music theory. --Music Theory Spectrum


<br> It is hard to imagine a more generously inclusive approach to the various doings of composers, performers, analysts, and music-minded philosophers. Vivid strands of modern musical thought are brilliantly reflected and refracted throughout Janet Schmalfeldt's much awaited book. Upon reaching her moving final chapter, we realize that In the Process of Becoming has from the outset enacted a gratifying homecoming for both its subjects and its readers. -Scott Burnham, Princeton University <br><p><br> What stands out for me in reading Janet Schmalfeldt's In the Process of Becoming is the pleasure of experiencing canonic piece after canonic piece through the exceptionally insightful and musical mind of a seasoned musician - one who has lived with, pondered, taught, and in many cases, played these pieces for years. -Patrick McCreless, Yale University <br><p><br>


Author Information

"Janet Schmalfeldt is Professor of Music at Tufts University. She has taught at McGill University and at Yale, where she was awarded the Clauss Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities. In 1997-99 she served as President of the Society for Music Theory. Her publications include Berg's ""Wozzeck"": Harmonic Language and Dramatic Design (Yale, 1983) and numerous journal articles."

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