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Experiencing Structure in Penderecki’s Threnody: Analysis, Ear-Training, and Musical Understanding
- Author(s):
- Mariusz Kozak (see profile)
- Date:
- 2017
- Group(s):
- American Musicological Society, Music and Sound
- Subject(s):
- Twentieth century, Popular music, Musical analysis, Polish people--Social life and customs
- Item Type:
- Article
- Tag(s):
- 20th century, Contemporary music, Music analysis, Polish culture
- Permanent URL:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6D52B
- Abstract:
- Elliott Carter once extolled the visceral, primitive effect of Penderecki’s Threnody on untrained listeners. In this article, I examine how a formalized analytical approach to the central section of the piece contributes positively to a phenomenological experience of the whole piece. Part 1 presents an ear-training progression aimed at bringing to attention some important structural relationships between pitched elements of the passage, including pitch-space transformations that act on chordal-density compressions. Part 2 initially questions the relevance of transformational analysis––construed as an enactment of a particular kind of understanding––to the experience of Threnody, ultimately favoring a transformational hearing of the work. The conclusion points out how a rationalized ear-training allows a listener to chart an auditory course through the passage and how the resulting experience can illuminate a new way of conceptualizing Penderecki’s intricate sonic materials.
- Notes:
- https://doi.org/10.1093/mts/mtw015
- Metadata:
- xml
- Published as:
- Journal article
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 6 years ago
- License:
- All Rights Reserved
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