Transcendent Sounds: The Early Piano Music of Alexander Scriabin
Studies of Alexander Scriabin (1871-1915) have traditionally focused on his middle- and late-period music after 1902. Discussions of his personal philosophy and its impact on his music also concentrate on these two periods. This thesis examines Scriabin’s philosophy and piano music from a sub-sectio...
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| Language: | English en |
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2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1828/5223 |
| Summary: | Studies of Alexander Scriabin (1871-1915) have traditionally focused on his middle- and late-period music after 1902. Discussions of his personal philosophy and its impact on his music also concentrate on these two periods. This thesis examines Scriabin’s philosophy and piano music from a sub-section of his early period—1892 to 1897—that I designate his “formative” period. I argue that Scriabin’s eccentric belief in transcendence through music was already developing and influencing his music during his formative period. Evidence to support this theory is found in three areas: context, performance practice and analysis. A contextual evaluation of Scriabin’s formative years is compared against his late ideologies from his opera and the Mysterium. Scriabin’s performance practices, as seen in both first-hand documentation and his piano roll recordings, reveal possible philosophical performance traits. Analyses of selected formative compositions expose philosophical and performance related elements, demonstrating the interaction between composer, pianist and philosopher. === Graduate === 0413 === lauralwhitehead@hotmail.com |
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