Rachmaninoff's "Mustard Seed". A Meaning of Triadic Strikes, in the End of "tudes-Tableaux Op. 39"

DOI

10.2991/icassee-17.2018.18How to use a DOI?

Keywords

dramaturgy; intonation structure; rhythmic formula; leit-rhythm; leit-intonation; symbol; genre

Abstract

A well-known work by Rachmaninoff "tudes-Tableaux", Op. 39, is rather difficult for both performing, understanding and interpreting. The tonal plan is of special interest here: eight etudes, picture pieces, are composed in minor, and the last one is the only to be composed in major. The clue to understanding the final major is concealed in the "triadic strike", a special repeated rhythmic formula. Its genre and image content is not limited with the march character: if we draw an analogy with other works by Rachmaninoff (among others, with his two great concerti), it will be clear that the semantics of the triadic formula is rather extensive, is signifies various image motives and states: "determination", "doom", "victory"? Besides, the rhythmic scheme under study definitely refers to religious images, i.e. to the Trinitarian formula. It is important that the leading rhythmical formula is three times stated in three registers as if the Word repeated three times - "For my power is made perfect in weakness". This Word bears the faith of the composer himself: it holds a great power in it, like a mustard seed in the Biblical parable.

Copyright

© 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sadakatsu Tsuchida
PY  - 2017/12
DA  - 2017/12
TI  - Rachmaninoff's "Mustard Seed". A Meaning of Triadic Strikes, in the End of "tudes-Tableaux Op. 39"
BT  - Proceedings of the 2017 International Conference on Art Studies: Science, Experience, Education (ICASSEE 2017)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 78
EP  - 85
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/icassee-17.2018.18
DO  - 10.2991/icassee-17.2018.18
ID  - Tsuchida2017/12
ER  -