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"Horlacher, Gretchen Grace"
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Superimposed strata in the music of Igor Stravinsky
This dissertation examines ways in which Stravinsky uses repetition to create form; specifically it examines textures where Stravinsky superimposes ostinati and other repeating fragments. The strata nearly always have contrasting structures: they differ in pitch content, duration, and accentual patterns. Thus, although this music is built upon repeating elements, their superimposition provides a constantly varied counterpoint; the subtle differences between contiguous repetitions of fragments create the development necessary for continuity. The differing rhythmic/metric structures of the strata suggests a primary method for their comparison: their simultaneous presentation engages our metric perception of the music. In other words, the creation and progress of accented and unaccented beats is called into question when metrically distinct strata are simultaneously juxtaposed. This is in fact one fundamental way in which the composer develops his material; it is the metric manipulation of each pattern that presents the greatest challenge to the listener. Without a realization of the composer's metric readjustments, the listener will fail to grasp the sense of the music. In addition, the superimposition of strata suggests that the progress of a passage will be determined not only by the individual lines, but also by their interaction: each stratum is controlled not only by its own pattern of repetition, but also by the patterns in other simultaneously-occurring strata. The superimposed repetitions, then, are part of a strictly controlled contrapuntal texture; their interaction has formal implications: it controls the lengths of phrases and contributes to the establishment of pitch priority. In order to measure the contrapuntal progress occurring between two strata, the dissertation introduces a mechanism known as the cycle. It shows that meter identifies the salient features of a given cycle, such as the reinterpretation of a pitch as alternately strong and weak. The analyses, from the Rite of Spring, Three Pieces for String Quartet, Les Noces, Symphony of Psalms, Apollo, and Persephone, show that despite their inherently reiterative constructions, Stravinsky's repetitions in fact contain very little that is repetitious after all.
Dissertation
