My Own Anticipated Thesis Defense Questions and Answers

QUESTIONS

1. In the keyboard of J.S. Bach, the free fantasy was either inserted before a fugue by itself, or if was given what alternate name?

2. Tell briefly the structure (the usual one) of Domenico Scarlatti's piano sonatas.

3. Derek Watson said that Liszt's hands moved like what?

4. For most two-stave passages, Liszt would often use up-stemmed or down-stemmed notes to do what?

5. Was it regular procedure to use rests in the empty spaces between the opposite directions of the stemmed notes?

6. The "Unser dunkel Poebel meint" variations, composed in 1787, was taken from what

opera by Christoph Wilhelm von Gluck?

7. The tragic aria in Act IV, "Le gioje i dolori tra poco avran fine", was taken from what

Verdi opera?

8. Charles Rosen said that the pianoforte was important in the fantasy whether he was the arranger or what other person?

9. Charles Rosen said  that the great instrumentalists were trained as what?

10. Charles Rosen labeled these four composers as mainly keyboard performers. Name them.

ANSWERS

1. It was given a name, capriccio or toccata.

2. It starts with an exposition in the first part, and  then a development and a short

recapitulation in the second part.

3. A great ballet dancer.

4. To indicated the parts of the texture.

5. No.

6. The Pilgrim From Mecca.

7. La Traviata.

8. The innovator.

9. Singers.

10.Scarlatti, Handel, J.S. Bach, and Couperin.

Main Structure of Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasy

Introduction (mm. 1-23)	mm. 1-2--ab: i-VI-VII-bbII (-N6-V7) mm. 3-6--V7 in ab ends unresolved mm. 7-8--eb: i-VI-bVII-bbII-N6-V7 mm. 9-17--change of key center to E           major, with a partial revela-           tion of the polonaise theme mm. 18-22-change of key center to ab mm. 23-24--l.h., on V of Ab, starts a            polonaise  riff to end intro-            duction
Part A- Polonaise (mm. 24-147)	mm. 24-43--full revelation of polonaise            theme mm. 44-65--short reprise of polonaise            theme with new, transitional            material mm. 66-79--New material, changing from            Ab to V7b9 of fm in key center mm. 80-91--Reprise of new material, now            in E major and modulating mm. 92-107--Reprise of polonaise theme             starting in Eb major mm. 108-115--Reprise of polonaise theme              now in Ab minor mm. 116-127--New material, still in              polonaise mm. 128-147--Change to B minor; right              hand has first broken octave              figuration, then scalar              figuration on a i 6-4 in bm,              fading away in slow chords
Part B- Nocturne and Reprise of Polonaise (mm. 148-225)	mm. 148-167--Nocturne theme, with a              little introduction in mm.              148-151 mm. 168-181--Reprise of nocturne theme,              ending with a pause in mm.              180-181 mm. 182-197--Material of polonaise based              on material from mm. 116-              127 mm. 198-205--V7 in B; single, double,              and triple trills mm. 206-214--Coda of the nocturne theme mm. 215-216: Reprise, B: I-bIII-bvii-bii

          

Part C-Transition (mm. 226-241)	mm. 226-229--Stormy passage that ends in              3rd inversion of V7 in Gb mm. 230-233--Another stormy passage that              ends in 3rd inversion of V7               in A mm. 234-237--Another stormy passage of              even more instability in              harmony mm. 238-241--Rising octave passage on              a camouflage of V7 through              nonharmonic passing tones
Part D- Coda (mm. 242-288)	mm. 242-248--Triumphal reprise of polo-              naise theme, now in rhythmic              movement in triplets, now in              A-flat major mm. 249-253--Sudden change to B major,              then a cascade of resolving              secondary dominants ends              with a ii6 in A-flat mm. 254-280--Triumphal reprise of the              nocturne theme in A-flat              major, again in triplets.              Calms down in power and              texture at about m. 280. mm. 281-288--Laid-back coda, ending with              a sudden ff in m. 288

COMMONLY-USED EDITOR'S TITLES FOR SOME OF THE MENDELSSOHN'S "SONGS WITHOUT WORDS"

"Hunting Song"

Op. 19, no. 3, in A major (Molto vivace)

"Venetian Boat Song no. 1"

Op. 19, no. 6, in G minor (Andante sostenuto)

"Venetian Boat Song no. 2"

Op. 30, no. 6, in F-sharp minor (Allegretto tranquillo)

"Passion"

Op. 38, no. 5, in A minor (Agitato)

"Duet" (or "Duetto")

Op. 38, no. 6, in A-flat major (Andante con moto)

"Folk Song" (or "Volkslied")

Op. 53, no. 5, in A minor (Allegro con fuoco)

"The Flight"

Op. 53, no. 6, in A major (Allegro molto vivace)

"Funeral March"

Op. 62, no. 3, in E minor (Andante maestoso)

"Venetian Boat Song no. 3"

Op. 62, no. 5, in A minor (Andante con moto)

"Spring Song"

Op. 62, no. 6, in A major (Allegreto grazioso)

"Spinning Song"

Op. 67, no. 4, in C Major (Presto)

PARTIAL LIST OF OPERAS THAT OPENED UP IN THE 19TH CENTURY IN EUROPE

PARTIAL LIST OF OPERAS THAT OPENED UP IN THE 19TH CENTURY IN EUROPE

Carmen

The Damnation of Faust

Der Freischütz (The Free-Shooter)

Faust

Les Hugenots

La Muette de Portici (The Mute Lady of Portici)

Le Prophète (the Prophet)

Rigoletto

Robert le Diable (Robert The Devil)

My Own Comments of Don Juan Fantasy of Liszt

And what does Liszt do to imitate the orchestra at the start? The opening fantasy of Don Juan is one example---he makes a strong wall of solemn chords to imitate the brass instruments in the original score to "Di rider finirai". And just the ornament, Liszt adds the inner trill in the left hand--the possible reason is that when the statue warns the Don that he will come back, the trills represent the Don's legs shaking in fear.

Gazzaniga - Differences in Character to Da Ponte's Don Giovanni

The main differences in the characters are this: unlike da Ponte's use of one servant,

Leporello, Bertoli uses two servants: Pasquariello and Laterna, but he focuses more on the former than the latter.

The condemnation of the Don to hell is straightforward in involvement, but the Demon voices in Da Ponte's version are called Furies (perhaps attributed to the characters to Dido and Aeneas)

Maturina is a substitute for Da Ponte's character Zerlina.

Biaglo is a subsitute for Da Ponte's Masetto.

Oljola is the Itallianate substitute name for Ulloa.

Dates of Some Piano Works by Claude Debussy and Franz Liszt

Claude Debussy 2 Arabesques (1888-91) Reverie (1890) Pour te Piano (1894) Images I (1899) Estampes (1903) L'isle joyeuse (1904) Masques (1904) Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum (1906) Images II (1907) Gollwogg's Cakewalk (1908) Preludes I (1910) Preludes II (1912-13) Franz Liszt Funerailles (1841) Transcenental Etudes (1851, revised) Sonata in B minor (1852) Dante Sonata (1858) Tarantella from 'Venezia e Napoli' (1859) Valse Oubliee no. 1 (1881) Hungarian Rhapsody no. 20 (1885) Robert Schumann Variations on an Original Theme (1834) Arabeske, op. 18 (1838) Kinderscenen, op. 15 (1838) Kreisleriana, op. 16 (1838) Eight Novelettes, op. 21 (1838) Phantasiestücke, 5 Pieces, (1851)