Narrative strategies of the Romantic “philosophical epics” in the piano works of Franz Liszt (Analysis o/Sposalizio, Valee D’Obermann, Ballade No. 2 and the Sonata in B minor)

• Authors: Marta Grabocz
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

PL

The article explains how ideas, characters and images borrowed from literary works and of fine arts are represented in Liszt’s the piano works of (i.e. with the help of motives, themes and narrative strategies). I. The first level of analysis concerns the typology of basic elements in the new lisztian forms: A. Four types of musical motives or figures and their signifieds (semes). B. Sixteen types of musical themes with their signifieds (classemes). C. Considering the great parts or sections of a piece we discovered seven types with their signifieds (isotopies). II. The second level of analysis consists in the presentation of three types of narrative strategies. The narrative strategy would mean the conscious organization of concatenation of the above mentioned signifying elements. A. The “figurative strategy” refers to the formal variation [‘Formalvariation” in German] of onetheme, or of one “thematic complex” (theme introduced and followed by expressive describing motives or refrain), for example: Sposalizio. B. The “simple narrative strategy” consists in a succession of character variations [‘Charaktervariation’], i.e. variation in the musical genre, in the signified of one musical theme (for example: Vallee d’Obermanri). C. The “complex narrative strategy” describes the structures which combine sonata form, cyclical sonata in four movements and variation form. This strategy implies that a whole thematic complex (exposition) is submitted to different stages of the character variation (for example: Dante sonata, Sonata in B minor, 2nd Ballade in B minor, etc.).

Keywords

PL

musical signification; musical semiotics; narrative strategy; signifieds in music; character variation; formal variation; complex sonata form; narrative analysis

• Publisher: Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
• Journal: Interdisciplinary Studies in Musicology
• Year: 2015
• Issue: 14
• Pages: 113-135

Dates

published

2018-10-17

Contributors

author

Marta Grabocz

• is professor at the University of Strasbourg (France). 1977-1990: she was scientific researcher at the Institute for Musicology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences where she organized the creation of the first Hungarian Computer Music Studio for research, creation and education. Since 1991: assistant prof. and since 1995: professor of musicology at the University of Strasbourg. Between 1997 and 2010 she was responsible of the research group of “Arts” (“Contemporary approaches in the artistic creations and reflections ) in Strasbourg University. Since 1986 she is member of the international research group on Musical Signification, and between 1999-2007 member of the executive committee of IASS. Her main publications concern narrativity in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century instrumental music on one hand, and contemporary (mostly electroacoustic and computer) music on the other hand. Her monographes: 1 /Musique, narrativité, signification, Ed. L’Harmattan, Paris, 2009; 2/ Morphologie des oeuvres pour piano de F. Liszt, 2nd edition: Ed. Kimé, Paris, 1996; 3/ Entre naturalisme sonore et synthese en temps réel. Images et formes expressives dans la musique contemporaine, Paris, EAC, 2013. Her books as editor : Les Modèles dans l’art, Presses Universitaires de Strasbourg, 1997; Méthodes nouvelles, musiques nouvelles. Musicologie et création (PUS, Strasbourg, 1999); Sens et signification en musique, Editions Hermann, Paris (320 pages), 2007; Gestes, fragments, timbres: la musique de Gyôrgy Kurtâg » (co-ed.: Jean-Paul Olive), Paris, L’Harmattan, 2009; Les opéras de Peter Eôtvôs entre Orient et Occident, Paris, EAC, 2012.

References

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• Grabocz, Marta. “Renaissance de la forme énumérative sous l’influence du modèle épique dans les oeuvres pour piano de Liszt. Facteur de l’analyse structurale et sémantique.” Studia Musicologica 26 (1984): 199-218.