Sonority and Linear Structure in Three Early Works of Olivier Messiaen

<p>In this study I examine three early works of Olivier Messiaen: the motet <em>O sacrum convivium</em> (1937), "La colombe" from the eight piano preludes (1928-9), and the closing passage of "La fiancée perdue" from the song cycle <em>Trois méodies</em> (1930). All three works exhibit varying degrees of tonal behavior in combination with a foreground focus on harmonic sonority. As such, I approach each of them with two contrasting analytic methods: modified Schenkerian linear-reductive analysis, informed by the interaction of diatonic and octatonic collections, and set-class analysis. The latter approach incorporates the harmonic complexity index (HCI) as an innovative harmonic measure calculated from the interval-class vector of each set-class. Informed by established and recent scholarly work, the introduction to the thesis provides a background for the application of these analytic techniques to this repertoire, while the thesis itself demonstrates that form is revealed powerfully through the combination of these two separate perspectives.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• Beckman, Krista Lenore

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kristin Taavola, Ph.D.
• Jonathan Leathwood
• Gregory Robbins

• Choral music
• Harmonic complexity
• Linear analysis
• Olivier Messiaen
• Post-tonal music
• Set theory
• Music

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1207

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-2207