University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Humor and irony in Beethoven's variations for piano, 1791-1802

Krol, Peng Du

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/112814

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Title
Humor and irony in Beethoven's variations for piano, 1791-1802
Author(s)
Krol, Peng Du
Issue Date
2021
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Kinderman, William
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Ehlen, Timothy
Committee Member(s)
  • Tsitsaros, Christos
  • Tharp, Reynold
Department of Study
School of Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D. (doctoral)
Keyword(s)
  • Beethoven
  • humor
  • Romantic irony
  • piano variations
  • high comedy
  • comic opera and ballet
Language
en
Abstract
This dissertation investigates the humorous dimensions in Beethoven’s seven piano variations from his first decade in Vienna. Documentation of source material comic operas and evaluation of the musical humor of Beethoven’s contemporaries are both important components in this research. In addition, this work provides translations of some select operatic works to explore the literary references used as humor devices in Beethoven’s variations. Beethoven’s intrinsic humor and creative strategies of musical comedy are associated with romantic irony, and in this work, exploration of romantic novels from Laurence Sterne and Jean Paul Richter plays a significant role in understanding Beethoven’s humor and irony. After delving into seven selected variations and their historical context, this project explores how high comedy results in Beethoven’s hands through: 1) the drama itself from the original operatic source material, 2) the use of parody, which evokes previously established styles and comic exaggerations of those styles, 3) the use of silence, a technique which Beethoven inherited from other Classical composers such as Haydn, and 4) the use of incongruity, in which two or more inconsistent parts in a piece invite both laughter and surprise. Through the study of humor in the musical language of the Classical style, pianists may benefit from a deeper understanding of Beethoven’s whimsical character.
Type of Resource
  • text
  • still image
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/112814
Copyright and License Information
©2021 Peng Du Krol

Owning Collections

Doctoral Project Theses [Option 2] - Music PRIMARY