Musicological Explorations, Vol. 14 (2014)
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This issue was first published in 2014 and later released digitally in 2016.
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Item Johanna Kinkel's pedagogical approaches as a socio-political mirror of her time(Musicological Explorations, 2014) Bunzel, AnjaThroughout her lifetime, Johanna Kinkel (1810-1858), a German composer, music pedagogue, and writer, was acknowledged for the extraordinary support of her husband, the German revolutionary Gottfried Kinkel (1815-1882), who, with the help of his wife and several political confederates, escaped from political captivity in 1850. Johanna Kinkel’s reputation as Gottfried Kinkel’s life saver as well as her own exceptional biography eclipsed her artistic output as well as her pedagogical and theoretical writings. Johanna Kinkel’s strong sense of justice, her remarkable perseverance, her courage to question socio-political and cultural conventions, as well as her witty Rhineland character are reflected in both her fictional and non-fictional writings. Having taught more than 200 music students during her lifetime, Kinkel was a well-experienced piano and singing teacher. This article will examine Johanna Kinkel’s pedagogical ideas considering both technical aspects as well as features regarding the factual content. By means of exemplary content analysis, I will expose allusions to socio-political criticism in Kinkel’s pedagogical compositions as well as her non-fictional and fictional writings. The aim of this article is to ascertain how Kinkel’s involvement in politics and her unconventional mind set had an impact on her pedagogical approach, which in turn might have influenced her reception as an artist and pedagogue.Item Biographies(Musicological Explorations, 2014) Bunzel, Anja; Dauer, Tysen; Dias, Michael; Krebs, HaraldItem Functions of metrical dissonance in Schubert's songs(Musicological Explorations, 2014) Krebs, HaraldSchubert employs both grouping and displacement dissonance very effectively in his Lieder, with definite ends in view. Much of his metrical dissonance could be termed pictorial or onomatopoeic; metrical conflicts in his piano parts often conjure up particular sounds or actions that are mentioned in the text. Many of the metrical dissonances in Schubert’s songs represent not physical objects or activity, but internal, spiritual phenomena – particularly inner upheavals and tensions. Metrical dissonances in Schubert’s songs may also have purely structural instead of, or in addition to representational functions. In Winterreise, for instance, the dissonances, beyond their various text-related connotations, also assume a motivic function: particular specific displacement dissonances recur frequently. In Schubert’s tonally deviating songs—songs that begin in one key and end in another—metrical dissonance may act as a highlighter of significant moments within the tonal drama. The analyses provided here reveal that Schubert is a pioneer of the powerful application of metrical dissonance in the Lied, and that his skill at subtly manipulating this device for text-expressive and structural purposes was no less remarkable than that reflected in his manipulation of harmony and tonality.Item 'You Ancient, Solemn Tune': Narrative levels of Wagners' Hirtenreigen(Musicological Explorations, 2014) Dias, MichaelAt the onset of the third act of Tristan und Isolde, Wagner follows fourty-three measures of the prelude with a fourty-two-measure unaccompanied English horn solo. Known variously as the “shepherd’s tune,” the alte Weise or, following Wagner, the Hirtenreigen, this enigmatic interlude has been the subject of some contention among Wagner’s contemporary critics because of its unusual instrumentation and considerable duration. It is suggested that Wagner designed the Hirtenreigen as a means to accomplish his immediate dramatic priority at this point in the narrative: elucidating Tristan’s memories of his complicity in his parents’ deaths and, consequently, his realization and eventual acceptance of a similar fate for himself and his beloved. This is attained not only through the design of the initial exposition of the Hirtenreigen, but through its subsequent treatment when it is recapitulated during Tristan’s “Muss ich dich so verstehen” monologue in Act III, scene 1. First, it is argued that the modal characteristic and Bar-form structure of the unaccompanied melody specifically evoke an “ancient” topos, which Wagner exploits to raise the issue of Tristan’s past. Second, by dressing the melodic material of the Hirtenreigen in various instrumental and harmonic guises throughout the “Muss ich dich so verstehen” monologue, Wagner is able to present the tune in three narrative levels: the diegetic level (sound occurring within the narrative world), the metadiegetic level (sound occurring in Tristan’s memory as he recounts his past), and the extradiegetic level (sound, like the leitmotif, that does not occur within the opera’s narrative world). These concepts of narrativity are borrowed from the structural narratology of Gérard Genette and the film music studies of Claudia Gorbman. The conclusion of the paper is that Wagner’s ability to enhance the transition between narrative levels of the dramatic text through his musical setting is a hallmark of his style.Item Refracted Zen in the art of composition: An investigation of Zen Buddhism in Hans Otte's Book of Sounds(Musicological Explorations, 2014) Dauer, TysenThe scant secondary literature about Hans Otte often locates the influence of Zen Buddhism in his compositions dating from the 1990s. While Otte’s interest in and exposure to Zen Buddhism peaks in that decade, the composer had already begun exploring Zen Buddhism in the 1960s. Otte’s Book of Sounds (1979-1982) was written after the composer had taken up the practice of zazen meditation, read the writings of D. T. Suzuki and Zen-obsessed guru, Rajneesh, and worked with American composers interested in Zen Buddhism and Eastern thought. These interests and influences are evident in the visual art, design, notation, aesthetic goals and musical techniques used in The Book of Sounds, as well as in Otte’s use of language in his introduction to the composition. Identifying the influences of Zen Buddhism in The Book of Sounds also places the work within the larger history of the popularization of Zen Buddhism in the West.Item From the editor(Musicological Explorations, 2014) Koerbler, SashaItem