Tchaikovsky's Manfred symphony and realism in nineteenth-century Russia

M.Phil.In 1885, Tchaikovsky finished Manfred, a program symphony that is based on Lord Byron’s dramatic poem of the same title. The program depicts a tragic hero seeking redemption from his crime by various means, including supernatural power, religion, authority, and his ideal – memories of his beloved Astarte. Although the convoluted genesis of the work suggested the influences of several contemporary figures, many scholars have offered biographical readings of the symphony, in particular focusing on Tchaikovsky’s lifelong “despair” over his homosexuality. However, Richard Taruskin and Alexander Poznansky have already proved it to be a myth constructed by earlier biographers. My research attempts to offer a new perspective by relating Tchaikovsky, with reference to his Manfred Symphony, to the aesthetics of realism in Russia in the second half of the nineteenth-century. Meanwhile, I also seek to demonstrate the composer’s mastery of style topics, motivic transformation and the manipulation of musical time in creating an effective musical narration.Chapter 1 reviews the concept of realism as an aesthetic trend in Russia and its realization in different art forms. It also puts an emphasis on the characterization of the superfluous man in Russian realist literature and its significance in advocating conformity to the social norm. Chapter 2 then provides a biographical account of Tchaikovsky’s connection with the leading figures of Russian realist literature, and proposes that the writers’ interest in psychological portraiture and their advocacy of conformity contributed to the dramaturgy in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. Chapter 3 begins with an examination of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, which demonstrates a similar dramaturgy to Eugene Onegin. It thus argues, with additional reference to the piano piece, Dumka, that Tchaikovsky’s signature use of musical stasis, distinctive sectional structures, and three-part structure in his instrumental music function to depict dreams, episodes of memories, as well as other mental activities. An analysis of Manfred Symphony follows to exemplify Tchaikovsky’s techniques in narrating the psychological development of his subjects while constructing a complex macroscopic structure. It then shows a musical form of social commentary that is relevant to the tradition of Russian realist art, literature, and Tchaikovsky’s increasing affiliation with the autocracy in the 1880s.My research reveals Tchaikovsky’s position as a realist composer who actively engaged with his environment and the contemporary musical traditions. It also offers a new perspective on the composer’s musical dramaturgy and stylistic innovations that could benefit future analyses of his other compositions.柴可夫斯基於一八八五年完成了《曼弗雷德》交響曲。作品取材自拜倫所作的同名戲劇詩歌，描繪了一個英雄通過不同的手段尋求贖罪，當中包括超自然的力量，宗教，權力和阿斯塔特——他的理想及其苦難的來源。雖然作品曲折的創作背景顯視出作曲家受到當代多名人士的影響，許多學者仍認為這首交響曲反映出柴可夫斯基對自身同性戀傾向而衍生出的「絕望」和「沮喪」，儘管理查德‧塔魯斯金及亞歷山大‧波茲南斯基已證明所謂的「絕望」和「沮喪」乃由一些早期柴可夫斯基傳記的作家所構造出來。因此，本文嘗試通過《曼弗雷德》交響曲將柴可夫斯基與當代的美學——即十九世紀下半葉在俄羅斯盛行的現實主義——聯繫起來，並展述作曲家如何運用風格主題，動機變化和操縱樂感時間，將作品題材以音樂有效地敘述出來。本文第一章回顧現實主義作為俄羅斯當代美學的概念及其在不同藝術範疇中的體現方式。該章仍強調「多餘人」在俄羅斯現實文學中的角色塑造和其作為提倡服從社會規範的功能。第二章展述柴可夫斯基與俄羅斯現實主義作家的關聯，並提出後者對心理肖像的興趣及其對遵守社會規範的倡導如何影響了作曲家在歌劇《尤金‧奧涅金》的戲劇化手法。第三章集中探討柴可夫斯基的器樂作品，首先展述其第四交響曲如何展示出跟《尤金‧奧涅金》類似的戲劇化手法，然後以鋼琴作品《沉思曲》為 參考，提出柴可夫斯基的個人風格是如何以樂感的停滯，明確的結構和三段體的曲式作為風格主題來描繪夢，記憶和其他心理活動。該章最後分析《曼弗雷德》交響曲的曲式和風格主題，從而展示柴科夫斯基在構建複雜宏觀結構方面的技巧。它還顯示出作曲家如何在有效地敘述主角心理發展的同時，帶出與俄羅斯現實主義藝術傳統相關的社會評論，並在一定程度上反映出柴可夫斯基與羅曼諾夫家族在十九世紀八十年代間越來越多的關聯。本文旨在揭示柴可夫斯基作為現實主義作曲家的定位，及描繪出他積極與自己的環境和當代音樂傳統交流的一面。本文在作曲家的戲劇化手法和風格創新方面亦提供了新的視角，有助未來在分析柴可夫斯基其他作品上的研究。Chan, Ko On.Thesis M.Phil. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2018.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-64).Abstracts also in Chinese.Title from PDF title page (viewed on …)