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Analysis of Musical Quotes in Michael Schelle's Hammerstein MUSC 261 Adam O'Dell 12/10/12

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Analysis of Musical Quotes in Michael Schelle's

Hammerstein

MUSC 261Adam O'Dell

12/10/12

Adam O'Dell

Analysis of Musical Quotes in Michael Schelle's Hammerstein

Music Theory II

Michael Schelle's piano solo Hammerstein was written in 1994, and commissioned by the

1996 American Pianists Association competition as the required “new work” for each competitor.

The piece was distinctly in the style of Schelle's works, but also carried the stylings of Ludwig

van Beethoven, and one particular piece by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. In this

piece, Schelle includes his own motifs, and develops them through drawing from the styles of the

etudes by Fryderyk Chopin, and the use of quotes from Beethoven's Sonatas No. 21 (Waldstein),

and No. 29 (Hammerklavier), and Rodgers and Hammerstein's “This Nearly was Mine” from

South Pacific.1

Dr. Michael Schelle was born in 1950 in Bergen County, New Jersey. He began his

musical training in his childhood, and his interest for rock and roll and classical piano nearly

kept him from graduating high school. Beyond high school, however, Schelle was very

successful in college pursuing his fine arts degrees. He hold a Bachelor's in Theatre from

Villanova University. He then pursued his musical education at the Hartt School of Music at the

University of Hartford, earned his diploma in music from the Trinity College of Music in

London, and his Doctorate in composition from the University of Minnesota. During this time,

Schelle's composition teachers included Aaron Copland, Arnold Franchetti, Eric Stokes and

Dominick Argento.2 This mixture of influences in the Modern-Classical, Opera, non-Traditional,

and Rock and Roll from his younger years has formed Schelle into one of the most unique, and

consequentially most performed composers of his generation.

1 Schelle, Michael. Hammerstein – Program Notes. Keiser Classical. 19942 Schelle, Michael. BIOGRAPHY - MICHAEL SCHELLE, Composer. Web. 25 Nov. 2012

Schelle currently holds a position at the Jordan College of the Fine Arts at Butler

University as composer-in-residence, a position he has held for thirty years. During his career, he

has also held residencies at Universities in Japan and China, including the Nagoya Imperial

University (Japan 2009), Aichi Prefectural University (Yazako, Nagakute, Japan: Fall 2010 and

summer 2013), The People's Power Grid University School of Music (Beijing, China, 2010), and

the National University of San Jose / Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional (Costa Rica).

Schelle has merited numerous awards for his compositions. These include, but are not

limited to; the Rockefeller composition prize, the National Endowment for the Arts, the

American Symphony Orchestra league, and a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize in composition.

His works have been performed by over 300 professional orchestras across the nation and

worldwide, and he has proven himself to be one of the most prolific and influential composers of

the contemporary style.

Michael Schelle's Hammerstein is a distinctly modern piece. The voice leading is non-

standard, and the material not driven by musical quotes resists classification harmonically.

Despite its deep-seated place in the 20th century style, the quotes from Beethoven's Romantic era

works are entered seamlessly. There is no well-defined form to categorize Hammerstein. While

there are a few repeated themes, they are brief, and are altered nearly every time they appear. The

piece, therefore, is through-composed.

There are two recurring themes that Schelle includes within the development sections of

the piece. One of which is a trill figure distantly related to the trill figures in Beethoven's

Hammerklavier, and the other is an arpeggiated figure that is entirely original. The quasi-

Beethoven theme (Theme 1) of the development sections is a trill figure ending with an

ornament starting below the principle note, then to the principle note, then above the principle

note. Schelle uses this motive, and alters it by changing its principle note, auxiliary note, and the

interval to the final note. The arpeggiated theme (Theme 2) remains relatively unaltered in its

recapitulations through the piece. The alterations, instead, occur in their respective following

measures. Schelle alternates between different versions of these two themes in the opening

development. (Figure 1)

Figure 1 (Theme 1 and 2- Hammerstein)

The trill motive (Theme 1) is inspired by a similar motive in Beethoven's Sonata No. 29

“Hammerklavier”. Beethoven uses this motive in the third movement of the Sonata. While it is

used mostly as an accompaniment part, its continued presence through the piece clearly

establishes it as a theme. (figure 2)

Theme 1Theme 2

Theme 1

Theme 2

Figure 2 (Trill figures, Hammerklavier mvt. 3)

At measure 38, Schelle moves from making subtle references to Beethoven, into quoting

an entire section from the third movement of Hammerklavier, the section starting at 130. Each of

these pieces use contrapuntal sixteenth notes, ending each phrase with an ascending passage of

two eighth notes and a quarter note. (figures 3 and 4)

Figure 3 (Hammerstein, mm. 38-43)

Figure 4 (Hammerklavier, mvt. 3, mm. 135-140)

In the section directly after the sixteenth note section, Schelle moves backward through

Hammerklavier, using ideas from the previous section to develop his own piece. The leaping trill

figures from Beethoven's piece (which also influenced one of Schelle's major motives in the

development sections) become leaping quintuplet figures in Schelle's (figures 5 and 6)

Figure 5 (Hammerstein, mm 44-46)

Figure 6 (Hammerklavier, mvt. 3, mm. 117-122)

A partial quote from “This Nearly was Mine” by Rodgers and Hammerstein (from mm

88-93) occurs before the direct quote. Keeping in mind that the piece was to be performed by

twelve pianists in the American Pianist Association competition, Schelle added these quotes in

“reference to all the 11 finalists who DIDN'T win the competition”. This partial quote has similar

contour to the vocal line of “This Nearly Was Mine” in the line which the pianist hums. Schelle

alters the South Pacific segment heavily by rewriting it in a serialist style, then returning the

texture to a more sparse setting to return to another section of development. (figures 7 and 8)

Figure 7 (Hammerstein mm. 88-93)

Figure 8 (This Nearly was Mine)

The next quote come again from Beethoven's Hammerklavier. Starting at measure 107,

Schelle quotes the dolce section of the 3rd movement (mm. 252-260) (figures 9 and 10)

Figure 9 (Hammerstein mm. 107-115)

Figure 10 (Hammerklavier, mvt. 3, mm. 250-275)

In this section, Schelle adds a great deal of his own harmonic language into the quote. In

Beethoven's piece, there are no sustained notes in the left hand. In Schelle's version, however,

there are numerous sustained notes. These sustained notes create passing dissonances in the

upper passages, in order to remain consistent with the 20th century harmonies in the development

sections written entirely by Schelle. This thematic idea returns at measure 135, where he quotes

the same passage, with even more 20th century harmony to drive the piece forward. (figure 11)

Figure 11 (Hammerstein mm. 136-139)

The direct quote from “This Nearly Was Mine” directly follows the second quote of the

dolce section from “Hammerklavier”. In “Hammerstein”, it is stated in the melody accompanied

by a very dense droning chord. (figures 12 and 13)

Figure 12 (“This Nearly Was Mine”)

Figure 13 (Hammerstein mm. 140-145)

The final Beethoven quotes drive the piece into their conclusion. This quote is the main

motive of the first movement of Waldstein. This theme is a rhythmic passage of eighth notes, set

to a consistent second inversion C chord, which moves into a D7 chord in the final beat,

transitioning into a new melodic idea. Schelle quotes the eighth note passage relatively unaltered,

but then sends it into a wild arpeggio before returning to the eighth note passage, unlike

Beethoven, who maintains the rhythmic idea under a melodic passage. (figures 14 and 15)

Figure 14 (Hammerstein 147-151)

Figure 15 (Waldstein, mvt. 1, mm. 1-8)

Michael Schelle's Hammerstein is an elegant, yet wild combination of Classical ideas

with 20th century harmonies. Through this “brief schizophrenic etude”3, Schelle includes

influences from Romantic era piano music, serialism, pointillism, diatonic and octotonic

atonalism, and musical theatre. Schelle's smooth transitions between new and quoted material

contributes to the success of this fresh, yet well-conceived and easily communicated piece.

3 Schelle, Michael. Hammerstein – Program Notes. Keiser Classical. 1994

Bibliography

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Piano Sonata No. 21 “Waldstein”. Public Domain. 1804

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Piano Sonata No. 29 “Große Sonate für das Hammerklavier”. Public Domain. 1818

Rodgers, Richard. Hammerstein, Oscar. South Pacific “This Nearly was Mine”. Musical Theatre International. 1949

Schelle, Michael. Hammerstein – Program Notes. Keiser Classical. 1994

Schelle, Michael. BIOGRAPHY - MICHAEL SCHELLE, Composer. Web. 25 Nov. 2012

Schelle, Michael. Interview by Adam O'Dell. Web. Nov. 2012