Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2017

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.M.

Department

Music Theory

Degree Program

Music

Committee Chair

Yeary, Mark

Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)

Jemian, Rebecca

Committee Member

Jemian, Rebecca

Committee Member

Burke, Devin

Author's Keywords

Hindemith; Cadence; Transition; Neoclassicism

Abstract

This thesis examines analytical facets in Paul Hindemith’s sonatas for brass and piano, ranging in date of composition from 1938 to 1955, while also considering Hindemith’s role as a neoclassicist and how these works help inform and shape our knowledge of Hindemith’s neoclassicism. The document is divided into four chapters: Hindemith and Tonality, Analytical Concerns and Methods, Brass Sonata Analyses, and Hindemith and Neoclassicism. As a fundamentally neoclassical composer, Hindemith combined traditional aspects of form with new applications of tonality, establishing within his music various levels of what he termed “key areas.” Through analyzing the corpus of sonatas for solo brass and piano, mid-level cadential and transitional phenomena become apparent. In particular, the descending half step is frequently used to navigate key areas that occupy multiple hierarchical levels of tonal space. These mid-level structures are revealed to have overarching hierarchical implications and ultimately inform our knowledge of Hindemith’s neoclassical style.

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