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FRANZ SCHUBERT'S IMPROMPTUS D.899 AND D.935: AN HISTORICAL AND STYLISTIC STUDY

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2005, DMA, University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music : Piano.
The impromptu is one of the new genres that was conceived in the early nineteenth century. Schubert’s two sets of impromptus D. 899 and D. 935 are among the most important examples to define this new genre and to represent the composer’s piano writing style. Although his two sets of four impromptus have been favored in concerts by both the pianists and the audience, there has been a lack of comprehensive study of them as continuous sets. Since the tonal interdependence between the impromptus of each set suggests their cyclic aspects, Schubert’s impromptus need to be considered and be performed as continuous sets. The purpose of this document is to provide useful resources and performance guidelines to Schubert’s two sets of impromptus D. 899 and D. 935 by examining their historical and stylistic features. The document is organized into three chapters. The first chapter traces a brief history of the impromptu as a genre of piano music, including the impromptus by Jan Hugo Voŕišek as the first pieces in this genre. Since the only commonality between the impromptus by Schubert and Voŕišek is the title, chapter I mainly focuses the differences between the two composer’s impromptus. The ensuing chapter deals with Schubert’s keyboard writing style, including repeated patterns and scrambled scales. The third chapter, the main portion of the document, concentrates on the tonal interrelationships between the impromptus of each set. An examination of tonal interconnections of Schubert’s impromptus draws attention to their cyclic procedure and demonstrates why his impromptus need to be performed as continuous sets.
Melinda Boyd (Advisor)
58 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • HAM, I. (2005). FRANZ SCHUBERT'S IMPROMPTUS D.899 AND D.935: AN HISTORICAL AND STYLISTIC STUDY [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1114981145

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • HAM, INA. FRANZ SCHUBERT'S IMPROMPTUS D.899 AND D.935: AN HISTORICAL AND STYLISTIC STUDY. 2005. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1114981145.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • HAM, INA. "FRANZ SCHUBERT'S IMPROMPTUS D.899 AND D.935: AN HISTORICAL AND STYLISTIC STUDY." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1114981145

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)