What Is Galant Counterpoint?: Examining the Strict Treatment of Folk Melody in Eighteenth-century Music
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Date
2014-06
Authors
Singer, Daniel Pecos
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Throughout the eighteenth century, folk melody found itself constricted within
the confines of the Classical art music tradition. The clearest evidence of this
relationship appears in the fugal treatment of folk melody. Through this lens we see the
courtly styles and tastes of Western Europe manipulating the expression of folk
elements. Within the ruling aesthetic, the representation of the folk functions as a
reference to the primitive or simple. When the "simple" melodies of the folk conform to
the rigid counterpoint inherited from the sixteenth century, we see conflicting gestures
of musical expression, what Elaine Sisman calls ''galant counterpoint." What are we to
make of these contradictions of affect and style? This thesis explores the political
ramifications of these gestures along with the evolution of the role of folk melody in the
Western art music tradition.
Description
33 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Music and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Mus, 2014.
Keywords
Music theory, Music, Eighteenth-century, Analysis, Beethoven, Razumovsky, Aesthetics