Liszt sonata - complete form sketch

Here is a sketch of a complete formal breakdown of the Liszt, to spur discussion of the larger form.

INTRODUCTION
m. 1 motive X - g minor
m. 8 motive a - b minor? (Leslie Howard says the Exposition starts here; double bar)
m. 14 motive b - definitely b minor
m. 18 sequences, building higher and higher
m. 25 return of a (Eb major)
m. 30 motive b - cadential 6-4 in b minor
---------------
EXPOSITION
m. 32 - Main theme (combining motives a and b)
m. 36 - repeat, iv
m. 40 fragmentation
m. 45 sequence, starting in Eb minor
m. 47 (F major)
m. 49 (Ab major)
m. 51 further fragmented
m. 54 seq is now just one beat
m. 55 motive a, Bb major, in canon
m. 67 repeat, now in Eb major
m. 71 the octave thing (ends w/ dim. 7)
m. 82 X - now on A (dominant of D major) - standing on the dom.
m. 93 scale motive in diminution
m.  105 motive c, D major, Grandioso
m. 120 motive a - recapitulatory, but now soft, transitional
----------------
Development? Second Group?
m. 125 motive a, now radically transformed into a lyrical theme - F major, period
m. 141 motive b, transition
m. 153 motive b, now radically transformed into another lyrical theme - D major, sentence
m. 171 motive b, variation
m. 179 motive a, with scale motive in R.H. - 4-bar sequence, rising 3x
[is this a sequence, or a repeat of a larger block?]
m. 191 motive b, 2-bar sequence
m. 197 motive a, very slow - F# major - RH trill; repeats in Eb major
Closing section?
m. 205 Triumphant motive a - C major (rising scale in LH)
m. 209 Rising scale - augmentation of preceding LH triplets
m. 213 Sequence - B major [again, is this a sequence or a repeat of a larger block?]
m. 221 new sequence - motive A, Bb minor, 3x - no longer triumphant; developmental
3rd x (m 225) is B dim7 - fragmentation
m. 239 motive a - D major, vivamente; (scherzando, light, upper register)
m. 247 - repeat; harmonically different
m. 255 - motive b, b minor (!); sequence with fragmentation
m. 263 - repeat
m. 270 - ultra fragmentation
m. 277 - motive X, followed by Scale
----------------------
RECITATIVO
m. 297 - motive c, C# minor
m. 301 - recitativo V/C# minor
m. 302 - F minor
m. 303 - recitativo
m. 307 - new material
m. 309 - ascending dim 7 chords (octatonic scale)
m. 310 - motive b and ascending dim 7 chords
m. 315 - motive a fragmented
m. 319 - motive a (augmented) w/ motive b underneath
---------------------
ANDANTE SOSTENUTO
m. 334 - F# major, Chorale
m. 349 - motive b (sentence)
m. 363 - motive c (F# major)
m. 376 - motive c (g minor)
m. 385 & 389 - Motive a (common tone)
m. 394-396 - Ger aug. 6th
m. 397 - F# major (m. 334)
m. 441-433 - cadential
m. 433 - motive b (F# major)
---------------------
THIRD MOVEMENT?? or recap?
m. 454 - recap, motive X + scale
m. 460 - motive a, fugue
m. 509 - dotted figure (motive A variation) LH inverted motive a
m. 523 - amplified m. 25
-----------------------
RECAPITULATION
m. 533 - Recapitulation proper
m. 537 ( = m. 36, iv)
m. 541 ( = m. 40, fragmentation)
m. 546 ( = m. 45, Eb minor)
m. 555 X - in chords, not single octaves, with figuration (8th notes) from motive c
- sequence, 3x - Eb maj, E min, Fr. aug. 6th
m. 569 motive a, on the dominant, followed by Scale; sequence, 3x - climbing higher and higher
m. 582 - standing on the dominant, motive a, diminution; sequence -  climbing higher and higher
m. 590 - V9 - return of the octave thing
m. 595 - motive b - with silence! 3x
m. 600 - motive c - now in tonic, B major
m. 615 - transition - cresc. on whole note (!)
m. 616 - transformation (augmentation) of motive b, still in B major ( = m. 153)
m. 634 - variation ( = m. 171) - now the figuration is in 16ths instead of triplets
m. 642 - motive a, with scale motive in R.H. ( = m. 179)
m. 650 - motive b "stretta quasi Presto" ( = m. 255)
m. 665 - ultra fragmentation
m. 682 - motive a, diminution - apotheosis of B major
m. 690 - repeat, now with melody in LH
m. 711 - return of slow movement, now in B major (is this the start of the Coda?)
-----------------------
CODA
m. 729 ( = m. 319) - motive b in bass
m. 737 motive a
m. 748 - motive X, with scale
(760 bars total)

Theory journals

Daniel Edwards asks an excellent question regarding theory journals to search for good articles about your subject. Here are some that I have found useful:

Music Theory Online - convenient, because it's a web journal
Music Theory Spectrum - also on JSTOR
Journal of Music Theory - also on JSTOR
19th Century Music - on JSTOR; a little more on the musicological side but lots of good stuff here

These four are probably the most prominent; but there are others, and excellent work can be found in all of them.

In Theory Only - University of Michigan graduate student journal, no longer published
Indiana Theory Review - from Indiana University
Intégral - from Eastman

Don't forget to ask your friendly reference librarian for help!

Leslie Howard on the Liszt Sonata

Here is the video Zhi Ru and I were talking about in class today; an informed and opinionated discussion (in other words, what I want for your final project) of Liszt's Sonata by Leslie Howard. Very interesting!

Liszt Sonata - analysis

INTRO
1 x, g minor (Phrygian)
5 x, g harmonic minor (raised 4th)
8 x', motive a - B minor, vii°
14 motive b
18 sequential, cresc. (3x, extension on the 3rd x)
25 motive a, ff
30 motive b, cadential 6/4
EXPOSITION
32 motive a (RH), motive b (LH)
36 (repeat on iv)
40 ctd7 on e, then ctd7 on b
45 sequence, rising (sim. to 18)
55 motive a, Bb major, in canon
61 '', g minor
67 ", Eb major
73, brilliant octave passage
81 x, V of D
105, Grandioso, motive C (chorale) D major
120 a (p), b minor (but it's going to modulate to....
125 F major, motive a, dolce con grazia (radical transformation of character)
141 motive b, key=?
153 motive b, D major (radical transformation of character) cantando express.
171 motive b reprise, D major
179 motive a, fragment (E min/Bb maj), sequence
191 motive b, fragment and sequence
197 motive a, cad. 6/4, F# major; repeats in Eb major (little cadenza)
205 motive a, C major, big arrival point, ff; repeat in B major
221 motive a in LH, fragmented; big sequence, evaporates into:
239 motive a, scherzando, D major; repeats 8vb
255 incalzando; motive b fragment (V of B minor; sequences)
277 motive x, g minor; scale motive; sequence
297 motive c, 3/2, C# minor
301 Recitativo
302 motive c, F minor; another recitativo
SLOW MOVEMENT - development????
334 motive d, F# major

Assignment for Wednesday, April 5

Please listen to the Liszt B minor sonata, if you haven't done so already, and number all the bars in your Dover score. For Wednesday, as a comment to this post, please give a short answer (two or three sentences) about the form of the piece, which is famously controversial. The comment to the video below (Krystian Zimerman's recording) is illuminating, and gives us all a good starting point.

Assignment for Wednesday, March 29

For Tristan, I would like us to make a chart of the form of the Prelude; we will start it today in class. For Wednesday, please read the introductory essays in Robert Bailey's critical edition, up to page 48, and if you have a chance, get started on Bailey's analysis, pages 113-146. There is some good stuff here on third relations, similar to Cohn's hexatonic article. I'll ask you to turn in your form chart of the Prelude on Friday.

Wagner, Prelude and Transfiguration from Tristan and Isolde. 

Christian Thielemann, Vienna Philharmonic.

Spring break assignment: Bruckner and Tchaikovsky

As I've said in class, I am out of town next week conducting at the Arizona Chamber Music Festival - sorry I have to miss class!

In the meantime I'm giving you a couple of projects I've used for exams (both in class and take-home) in the past, on music by Bruckner and Tchaikovsky. Extra copies are in an envelope next to my office door if you weren't able to be in class today. Recordings below - but it's worth it to hear the whole Tchaik 5 if you don't know the piece!

Please email me if you run into trouble, and I will see you all after spring break. After the break we are on Wagner, Prelude and Transfiguration from Tristan. For this piece you need the Norton Critical Edition, as listed in the syllabus; please get the book, and start reading the introductory material on the genesis of the opera - it is quite the soap opera, no pun intended!

Bruckner, Christus Factus Est (with score)

Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 second movement;

London Symphony/Igor Markevitch

Tchaikovsky (with score), NY Phil/Bernstein

Assignment for Wednesday, March 8

As I mentioned in class, please "Das verlassene Mädchen" by Hugo Wolf: this is probably enough for us to worry about, so I will present the other song in class, if there's time.

Please be prepared to hand in the Wolf - I *might* collect it, but I might not (sorry)!

Assignment for Monday, March 6

Please forgive me for not posting this earlier; tomorrow in class we will be looking at Scott Joplin's rag Solace. We will just go over the piece together, I won't ask you to hand it in or anything. Here is a  beautiful performance by Phillip Dyson. Right around 2:40 begins the most famous part of the piece, which appeared in the 1973 movie The Sting (and the video game Bioshock).

Assignment for Friday, March 3; Brahms Intermezzi

Please choose one of the two pieces below to analyze:

Brahms Intermezzo in A major, Op. 76 No. 6

Brahms Intermezzo in B minor, Op. 119 No. 1

Try to find out a little about your chosen piece; when Brahms wrote it, what he was up to at the time, etc. Analyze as best you can with Roman numerals, but again, he is doing lots of weird stuff in these pieces. If there isn't a good Roman numeral, then try to describe what is happening as best you can, either with words, diagrams, etc. Be prepared to hand in your piece.