Extended Phrase Structure and Organic Unity in Mozart's Vespers: An Approach to Interpreting Form in Classical Choral Music
Williamson, Richard Anthony
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/72440
Description
Title
Extended Phrase Structure and Organic Unity in Mozart's Vespers: An Approach to Interpreting Form in Classical Choral Music
Author(s)
Williamson, Richard Anthony
Issue Date
1993
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Hill, J.,
Department of Study
Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
D.M.A.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Music
Abstract
This study presents the theory of Heinrich Christoph Koch (1749-1816) as a precise and historically relevant means of interpreting form in Classical choral music. In his Versuch einer Anleitung zur Composition (1782-1793), Koch explains how one can produce a complete composition by combining and extending phrases. He also shows that pieces consist of smaller formal units nested within larger sections. By applying his theory in reverse, one can divide a piece into successively smaller segments (main periods, periods, internal phrases, and incises) and reduce it to the series of unextended phrases on which it is hypothetically based. In this study, the validity of Koch's theory with respect to Classical choral music is tested in analyses of Mozart's Vespers K. 321 and 339, a small but varied sample of compositions.
Koch's ideas on phrase structure and organization hold true in the Vespers, and his general descriptions of major formal types are consistent with Mozart's practice. There is no consistent relationship between Koch's formal units and text segments. Thus, it is apparent that purely musical factors--not textual ones--determine form in the Vespers. Comparison of Koch-style and Schenkerian analyses of the Vespers yields support for two premises fundamental to both theories: that musical structure is hierarchical and that some material is essential to a piece while other material serves to extend or embellish. The two theories agree as to the relative structural importance of certain formal divisions and as to which material in each movement is most essential. Thus, hierarchical structure must be inherent to the music and not just the two theories. It is also apparent that Schenkerian theory does not necessarily conflict with eighteenth-century musical thought.
Koch analysis offers valuable insights to the performer. It identifies points of phrase articulation and indicates the relative importance that should be accorded to each. In addition, division into Koch's formal units is a stylistically appropriate means of simplifying a piece for pedagogical purposes. Moreover, Koch's theory provides a historically valid conceptual framework around which to organize one's aural image of Classical works.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
