Alfred Schnittke’s quest for a universal musical language in the Penitential Psalms (1987–88)

Lehmann, Zhanna A.

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Description

Title

Alfred Schnittke’s quest for a universal musical language in the Penitential Psalms (1987–88)

Author(s)

Lehmann, Zhanna A.

Issue Date

2018-07-09

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Alwes, Chester L.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Alwes, Chester L.

Committee Member(s)

• Tsitsaros, Christos
• Bashford, Christina
• Tharp, Reynold

Department of Study

Music

Discipline

Music

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

A.Mus.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• penitential poems
• spiritual poems
• Russian Orthodox Christianity
• polystylism
• znamenny rospev (chant)
• choir concerto
• partesny style (part-singing)
• naïve kant
• prichit (lament)
• ison (drone)
• heterophonic polyphony
• pitch centrality
• motifs
• monograms.

Abstract

This dissertation explores the genesis of Alfred Schnittke’s choral masterpiece, Penitential Psalms (1987–88), commissioned to celebrate the millennial anniversary of the Christianization of Russia (988–1988). Given the vast scope of this historical narrative, Schnittke decided that his composition must take into account a wide range of textual and musical developments. The analysis of the work proceeds along two complimentary axes: a discussion of the historical antecedents of the text, and a thorough examination of how Schnittke synthesized the musical elements associated with historical Russian Orthodox sacred music and Russian folkloric tradition with his own unique esthetic goals and personal compositional style to produce a blended, universal musical language.

Graduation Semester

2018-08

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/101543

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2018 Zhanna Lehmann

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