Chopin

A great number of reminiscences of Dies Irae are found in Chopin's works, in the preludes as well as in the entire work. The results are used to shed a light on the programmatic content of the Second Ballade. Five preludes are closely analyzed, occasioning critique of previous Schenkerian readings.

The first study of this volume looks for reminiscences of Dies Irae in Chopin's works. A great number of allusions and affinities are found in the preludes as well as in Chopin's output. The study also yields insights into Chopin's composition method. These intertextual findings are used in an attempt to establish the extra-musical content of the Second Ballade. Five preludes A minor, E minor, B minor, A major and C minor are closely examined, using diverse analytical approaches. A primary concern is to critically assess previous readings, and Schenkerian ones in particular. An analysis of the initial right-hand passage of the F-minor étude from Méthode brings up matters of idiomatic and ontology.

Autorentext

Bengt Edlund, trained as a pianist, has been active as a music critic, and as a lecturer at the Department of Musicology, University of Lund, where he was appointed Professor in 2000. His main fields of interest are music theory and analysis, music cognition and aesthetics, and musical interpretation.

Inhalt

Contents: Chopin Preludes Dies Irae Second Ballade Schenkerian Analysis.