Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

D.M.A.

Program

Music

Advisor

Joseph Straus

Committee Members

David Schober

Jeff Nichols

Charles Neidich

Subject Categories

Music Performance

Keywords

Carter, clarinet quintet, core harmony, derived core harmony

Abstract

This dissertation provides a comprehensive account of Elliott Carter’s Clarinet Quintet through analyzing his usage of core harmonies, derived core harmonies and aggregate completion. In this dissertation, Carter’s core harmonies are expanded from the original three, the two all-interval tetrachords, 4-Z15 (0146) and 4-Z29 (0137), and the all-trichord hexachord 6-Z17 (012478) through the addition of 6-Z43 (012568), the complementary hexachord to the all-trichord hexachord. A derived core harmony is generated by combining any of the two core harmonies into a larger set. This dissertation also suggests the expansion of derived core harmonies to include nonachords due to their important harmonic function in local phrases within the quintet. Furthermore, this dissertation suggests the idea of the “super-derived core harmony” to narrow down the harmonic collections given greatest priority. Through detailed analysis, the harmonic concept behind Carter’s pitch-organization in this quintet is revealed. This will help the performer to see the inner relationships between different instruments through the lens of these harmonies, the assigned characteristic identities of each instrument, and the embedded harmonic structure on both the large and small scales. These are all valuable in making interpretive decisions surrounding the performance of this piece.

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