Mahlerian Tonality: Challenges to Classical Foreground Structures in the Music of Gustav Mahler

<p>This dissertation presents a detailed study of harmony and voice leading at local levels of structure in the music of Gustav Mahler. The results are grouped into three domains: cadences, common-tone techniques, and the Mahlerian imaginary continuo. An investigation of Mahler’s cadences reveals an underlying simplicity in the diverse tonal progressions that Mahler uses to execute the tonal close of a phrase. Cadences are shown to derive from two basic types (authentic and plagal) and three basic transformations (tonic intrusion, Phrygian 2, and contrapuntal bass). In a study of common-tone techniques, this dissertation proposes a new system for identifying common-tone harmonies based on their voice-leading distance from a local reference harmony (“applied displacement”). The study then demonstrates how common-tone techniques generate new harmonies/voice-leadings, modulations, and non-structural (“associative”) relationships. A final essay on the Mahlerian imaginary continuo uses the concept of the imaginary continuo to help articulate the dissolution of classical tonality in Mahler’s music.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Music

Grantor

The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Kosseff-Jones, Ryan

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• William Rothstein

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Joseph Straus
• Poundie Burstein
• Kofi Agawu

• Music Theory
• Music analysis
• Gustav Mahler
• Schenkerian theory
• Cadence
• Common-tone tonality
• Imaginary continuo

Repository record dc:identifier

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1919

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:gc_etds-2945