Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts

Program

Music

Advisor

Scott Burnham

Committee Members

Kofi Agawu

Anne Swartz

Norman Carey

Subject Categories

Music Performance

Keywords

piano performance, music analysis, waltz, piano cycle, Maurice Ravel, Robert Schumann

Abstract

This dissertation undertakes an analysis of Maurice Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales for piano against the backdrop of Robert Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, a work with significant parallels in structure, character, and narrative. The Davidsbündlertänze are examined as a model for the Valses nobles et sentimentales, with an emphasis on the two works’ use of the waltz form, their structure as a series of miniature dances composed as a single cohesive work, and their inclusion of an afterword, or epilogue. The analysis draws from the extensive literature on Schumann’s piano cycles in order to apply similar techniques to the study of Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales. Performance and interpretation considerations are addressed throughout the analysis.

This work begins by establishing the reasoning for selecting only the Davidsbündlertänze, ahead of Schumann’s other dance cycles Papillons and Carnaval, as a model for the Valses nobles et sentimentales. Schumann’s admiration of Schubert’s waltzes and Ravel’s use of a title alluding to Schubert’s waltzes is an important starting point for establishing a similar ideological backdrop to both works. The first chapter traces the development of the waltz form and the waltz set, establishing typical waltz characteristics for the following analysis and situating both the Davidsbündlertänze and the Valses nobles et sentimentales in the historical timeline of the waltz.

The second chapter presents a rhythmic analysis of the Valses nobles et sentimentales from the perspective of ¾ waltz time. The analysis investigates the ways in which ¾ time is achieved or subverted in each waltz, particularly where characteristic waltz figures are distorted to alter the metric emphasis within the constant ¾ time signature. The analysis is founded on the premise that the seemingly free structure of the Valses nobles et sentimentales is achieved precisely by maintaining the rigorous underlying framework of a waltz.

The third chapter analyzes the qualities and characteristics of both the Davidsbündlertänze and the Valses nobles et sentimentales that contribute to their cyclical structure and overall cohesion. The analysis presents the argument that both works achieve not only a cyclical form but also a cohesive structure by including an introductory piece followed by the main body of the work, followed by an afterword. Both works are investigated for how they achieve structural continuity, with an emphasis on recurring rhythmic motifs in the Davidsbündlertänze and the endings of each waltz in the Valses nobles et sentimentales.

The fourth chapter examines the role and construction of the epilogue, or afterword, in both works. The analysis begins with a discussion of the ending of Kinderszenen, Op. 15 in “Der Dichter Spricht”; the ending of the Fantasie, Op. 17; and the Coda of the Fantasiestücke, Op. 12 to establish Schumann’s treatment of the musical afterword. The discussion then centers around the final waltz of the Davidsbündlertänze before undertaking a detailed score analysis of the “Épilogue” of the Valses nobles et sentimentales.

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