Dissertation Index
Author: Kleppinger, Stanley V Title: Tonal Coherence in Copland's Music of the 1940s Institution: Indiana University Begun: September 2003 Completed: May 2006 Abstract: Aaron Copland’s compositions of the 1940s present unique approaches to large-scale tonal organization. Particular pitch classes become central through their perceptual salience. In combination with one another and with surface-level pitch events these centers create a sense of contextually-defined tonal coherence. The analyses in this study explore the tonal coherence of five Copland works: the first Allegro from Appalachian Spring, the finale of the Third Symphony, the three movements of the Sonata for Violin and Piano, Quiet City, and “Nature, the gentlest mother” from the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson. The Appalachian Spring excerpt organizes multiple tonal processes around two pitch centers, creating a tonal impetus for the climax of the Allegro. The Third Symphony’s finale adapts music from Fanfare for the Common Man, connecting surface-level thematic elements with shifts between pitch centers and their associated diatonic collections. These shifts are classified according to particular common tones shared by the collections. The finale’s linking of pitch centers, collections, and thematic materials manifests a tonal structure that parallels a motive from the Fanfare across the span of the movement. Analyses of the Sonata for Violin and Piano and Quiet City show contextually-driven ways in which the composer structures entire multi- and single-movement works. Finally, the tonal ambiguities and subtleties of “Nature, the gentlest mother” reflect the song’s poetic text and formal design. Although the approach to tonal coherence is unique in each composition, subsequent comparison of the analyses highlights recurring features among these works’ methods of tonal organization. These shared features include the varying emphasis of notes, triads, or pitch centers related by interval class 5, the association of thematic identity with particular shifts in pitch centricity, the ramifications of ambiguity for the tonal organization of the work, and the use of abrupt shifts in centricity to call attention to impending elements of large-scale tonal structure. Keywords: Aaron Copland, pitch centricity, tonality, Appalachian Spring, Third Symphony, Sonata for Violin and Piano, Quiet City, Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson, tonal structure TOC: Chapter 1: Introduction Justification Survey of Relevant Literature Organization of this Study Chapter 2: Analytic Issues Overview Analytic Principles Small-Scale Examples of Analytic Methodology Terminology Chapter 3: The First Allegro from Appalachian Spring Overview The Pandiatonic Exordium Melody Functional Progressions Polychords Quartal Trichords Triadic T11 Chains Motivic Links and a Transitional Passage “Eden Valley” and Its Connections with the Coda Chapter 4: The Finale of the Third Symphony The Introduction’s Derivation from Fanfare for the Common Man Fanfare for the Common Man and Its Fusion into the Third Symphony A Classification Scheme for Tonal Shifts Formal Overview The Toccata Theme and SUBSUME Tonal Structure and Motivic Parallelisms The Rumba Theme and EMERGE Interruption and Reconciliation using ISOLATE The Transcendent Hymn Theme Formal/Tonal Interactions and Conclusion Chapter 5: The Sonata for Violin and Piano Summary of Tonal Issues The First Movement The Second Movement The Third Movement Synthesis of the Three Movements Chapter 6: Quiet City Background and Formal Overview The Opening “Urban Pastoral” The First “Nostalgia” Section The “Dotted-Note Figure” Section The “Dirge” Section The Climax Reprises of “Nostalgia” and “Urban Pastoral” Sections Synthesis Chapter 7: “Nature, the gentlest mother” from Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson Background Issues of Overall Pitch Centricity Further Correspondences between the Song’s Sections Conclusions Chapter 8: Conclusions Commonalities among Five 1940s Compositions Avenues for Further Study Selected Bibliography Vita Contact: Jordan College of Fine Arts Butler University 4600 Sunset Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46209 skleppin@gmail.com (317) 940-8806 |