Strength and Vulnerability in Maurice Ravel’s \u3ci\u3eSonata for Violin and Cello\u3c/i\u3e and Osvaldo Golijov’s \u3ci\u3eMariel for Cello and Marimba\u3c/i\u3e: An Analysis through Performance and Composition

In order to “stimulate more ambitious performances,” as David Lewin writes in his Studies in Music with Text, this dissertation is meant to provide new perspectives into two preexisting works, Maurice Ravel’s Sonate pour Violon et Violoncelle, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Mariel for cello and marimba, through the active making of two original compositions written for similar instrumentations, La Libertad se levantó llorando for violin and cello, and Speechless for cello and percussion. Taking Lewin’s proposition into consideration, I share performance insights and discuss how the creation of these new compositions have influenced my interpretations of the two respective works by Ravel and Golijov, stimulating and deepening my understanding of their music. By analyzing the structure of each work, I identify how timing plays a huge role in the linear discourse and intensity of a piece of music, both from a compositional (or analytical) perspective as well as the integrated experience of timing as it pertains to performance. In particular, I focus on the concepts of strength and vulnerability to better understand how to organize our emotional and physical energy on stage