Tonal and Formal Structure in Selected Larger Works of Chopin
The dissertation named is a Schenkerian investigation of the tonal unfolding, formal subdivision, and performance interpretation of three large Chopin solo works: the Ballade Op. 38, the Fantaisie Op. 49, and the Polonaise-Fantaisie Op. 61, each of which is characterized by rather unusual tonal and/or formal structures. Analysis of Chopin's larger works according to Schenker's theories has been heretofore largely unattempted. Selected smaller works have been discussed by Franz Eibner and by Schenker himself, but of the larger works only the Ballade Op. 23 and the Scherzo Op. 31 have been so investigated. Moreover, previous analyses have dealt principally with the unfolding of each work's tonal structure; formal structure has not been discussed except in small contexts, and specific interpretive implications have rarely been explored. Hugo Leichtentritt's rigorous analysis of all of Chopin's works is based on a chord-by-chord method of analysis; he does discuss formal as well as tonal structure, but does not concern himself with interpretation.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign