“Scriabin,
the Sphinx and The Riddle or Trichord 3-5”
It
has been noted by such scholars as Alfred Swan and Faubion Bowers that Scriabin
was highly influenced by Chopin, his predecessor and fellow piano virtuoso. Indeed,
Vassil Safonov was to dub Scriabin "Russia's" Chopin. However, beyond
general stylistic references, are there more systematic ways of exploring the
influence of Scriabin's esteemed predecessor on his music? I will attempt to answer
the influence with a thorough investigation of Scriabin's Prelude, opus 67, no.
2 and Chopin's Prelude, opus 28, no. 14. By applying bothg set-theoretic principles
and transformational theory, I will demonstrate a tacit connection and sense of
continuity between both preludes; in particular, I will demonstrate an affiliation
in the harmonic content and the T and I relations between constituent pitch-classes,
which are elegantly displayed in the graphic representations of Klumpenhouwer
networks.
As a point of departure, I make reference
to David Lewin's influential work "Klumpenhouwer Networks and Some Isographies
that Involve Them" to introduce the concept of K-networks; then, I will apply
the fourth of Lewin's "Five Rules for Isography of Klumpenhouwer Networks,"
to reveal isographic relations among prominent trichords and tetrachords of both
preludes. I next develop a "parachute" network that demonstrates both
positive and negative isographies that exits between sonorities containing disparate
pitch-class sets and, finally, to develop a super network. The application of
transformation theory and subsequent construction of the K-network will help to
illuminate the organization of these enigmatic harmonies.
“Yuri
Kholopov's Monofunctional Sphere”
On
24 April 2003 we in music theory lost one of our great thinkers, Yuri Kholopov.
A consummate musician, he was the preeminent Russian theorist in the second half
of the 20th century. In this paper I will discuss Kholopov’s concept of the
monofunctional sphere through the music of Alexander Scriabin.
Kholopov
bases much of his late-Scriabin analyses on a single fundamental chord from which
structure emanates. The mystic chord is but one manifestation of this chord. For
Kholopov though, any of Scriabin’s late harmonies that feature a root and
a major third and minor seventh above that root fit the description of fundamental
chord. If we think of four such chords whose roots are separated by minor thirds,
we realize that they would comprise the octatonic scale. For Kholopov, however,
this is the monofunctional sphere.
This sphere is of paramount importance in grappling
with Scriabin’s late music. Also, it is extremely useful in dealing with
a wide body of literature from the late-19th and early-20th centuries that feature
long passages of prolonged diminished harmonies. With this concept, Kholopov is
clearly more concerned with harmonic considerations. We will see, in this paper,
the magnificent usefulness of the monofunctional sphere in grappling with the
music of Scriabin, as well as the music of other composers.