Dissertation Index



Author: Boyd, James W.

Title: Mahler and Directional Tonality

Institution: University of Michigan

Begun: January 1992

Completed: September 1993

Abstract:

Carl Dahlhaus's view that the modern era of music began in 1889 with, among other works, Mahler's Symphony No. 1, can be taken as a challenge to explore the origins of this work in detail. There is no better place to begin this exploration than the preceding orchestral song cycle, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, from which the symphony borrows both body and soul. The tonal plans of the two works, however, contrast sharply. It is my purpose to determine if the directional tonal scheme of the song cycle is a phenomenon determined by the poetry, and, if so, what impact this might have had upon the symphony. The linear contrapuntal aspects of these works are historically significant, since they come on the heels of Wagner's Parsifal, but do not necessarily follow in its footsteps.

Keywords: Directional Tonality, Schenker, Tonal Function, Linear Analysis, Recomposition, Text-based, Absolute Music, Lieder, Symphony

TOC:

Chapter One - Defining and Interpreting Tonality
Chapter Two - Analytical Approaches to "Directional" Tonality
Chapter Three - Application to Mahler: Das klagende Lied and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Chapter Four - A Comparison of Tonal Relationships in the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and the First Symphony.


Contact:

James Boyd
29 Winona Ave.
Lawrence, KS 66046
913-865-2330
e-mail: mboyd@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu


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