Saturday, 10:30 am–12:00 pm
Monroe 216
Primary Metrical Dissonance in Early Scriabin and What It Means to an Interpreter
Deviations from the metrical implications of a notated time signature are here considered primary metrical dissonances. Unlike Krebs’s metrical dissonance types, these are not temporary, nor do they arise after a primary metrical consonance (represented by the time signature) is already established. Scriabin’s early preludes are replete with Type A metrical dissonances as defined by Krebs, but a number of his preludes are written with quixotic instructions to the performer, instructions that are frequently inaccurate metrically and/or rhythmically. Using Scriabin’s piano-roll recordings as an aid, we can infer that the composer is engaging in a form of self-analysis with respect to the notation of two different types of rubato. The “expressive anticipation” of a melodic line is carried to an extreme in those preludes in which the left hand is entirely notated out of sync with the right hand (Type A rubato). Displacement of the entire texture (Type B rubato) is present in works like op. 11, no. 21, which is also notated in a unique composite meter of <3/4, 5/4, 3/4, 6/4>. This paper shows how Scriabin’s approximate and convenient time-signature notation reflects a performing bias on the part of Scriabin and classifies his preludes according to rubato types and notational idiosyncrasies.
Hypermetric Defiance in the Finale of Beethoven’s Concerto, op. 15: Communicating Musical Process through Performance
The opening theme from the finale of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 exhibits irregular phrase rhythms that present an interpretive dilemma for soloist and conductor. This study, presented jointly by a theorist and a pianist, illustrates how a large-scale formal process revealed through analysis can explain the structure and function of the opening theme within the movement as a whole. It further demonstrates how an understanding of that process can assist in making interpretive decisions that will result in a coherent and effective performance of the movement.
Our interpretation of the piece views the opening theme (the refrain of a rondo form) as an expression of exuberant individuality that struggles against the conventionality of the episode sections. This thematic conflict creates a narrative structure that continues until the movement’s conclusion, where the defiant theme appears at one point to have been pacified, but ultimately wins out over the elements of conformity.