The First Movement of Zoltan Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello Op. 8

analytical aspects and its performance implications

Authors

  • Felipe Avellar de Aquino Federal University of Paraíba

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35699/2317-6377.2004.55725

Keywords:

Kodály, sonata, cello, theory of emotions, structural downbeat

Abstract

Structural and formal analysis of the First Movement of Kodály’s Solo Cello Sonata Op.8, focused on the modal inflections, usage of the pentatonic scale as structural element and other aspects of the Hungarian folk music that influenced the composer’s musical language. It aims at investigating how Kodály employs the sonata form in a work rooted on folk material and how he deals with the listener’s expectations, departing from concepts taken from Meyer’s theory of emotions, Epstein’s concept of structural downbeat and structural accent, and E. T. Cone’s concept of frame. Regarding interpretation, it includes a discussion about the use of rubato and rhythmic flexibility derived from the improvisatory character of Hungarian elements present in the piece.

Author Biography

  • Felipe Avellar de Aquino, Federal University of Paraíba

    Felipe Avellar de Aquino is an Associate Professor in the Department of Music at the Federal University of Paraíba, where he teaches Cello and Chamber Music, and is the Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Music. He holds a PhD in Cello Performance and Literature (Eastman School of Music, New York) and is a member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the Society of Pi Kappa Lambda. He performs as a chamber musician and soloist with orchestras in Brazil and the United States. In addition to his performance activities, he has conducted research on cello technique and literature. His doctoral dissertation focuses on Brazilian elements in the Cello Concerto No. 2 by H. Villa-Lobos. He has published articles in the journal Revista Opus and the British magazine The Strad.

References

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CONE, Edward T. Musical Form and Musical Performance. New York and London: W.W. Norton, 1968.

EÖSZE, László. Kodály, Zoltán. In: SADIE, Stanley (Ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. London: Macmillan. 1980. v.10, p. 136-145.

____________. Zoltán Kodály: His Life and Work. London: Collet’s, 1962.

EPSTEIN, David. Shaping Time: Music, the Brain, and Performance. New York: Schirmer, 1995.

KECSKEMÉTI, István. Kodály, The Composer: Brief Studies on the First Half of Kodály’s Oeuvre. Kecskemét: Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music, 1986.

KODÁLY, Zoltán. Folk Music of Hungary. New York and Washington: Praeger, 1971.

____________. Pentatonicism in Hungarian Folk Music. Jornal of the Society for Ethnomusicology 14 (May 1970): 228-242.

____________. The Selected Writings of Zoltán Kodály. London, Paris, Bonn, Johannesburg, Sydney, Toronto, New York: Boosey & Hawkes, 1974.

LENDVAI, Ernö. The Workshop, of Bartók and Kodály. Budapest: Editio Musica Budapest, 1983.

RÁNKI, György, ed. Indiana University Studies on Hungary. Vol. 2, Bartók and Kodály Revisited. Budapeste: Akadémiai Kiadó,1987.

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Published

2004-07-01

Issue

No. 10 (2004): General Topics

Section

Articles in Portuguese/Spanish

License

Copyright (c) 2004 Per Musi

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How to Cite

“The First Movement of Zoltan Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello Op. 8: Analytical Aspects and Its Performance Implications”. 2004. Per Musi, no. 10 (July): 80-88. https://doi.org/10.35699/2317-6377.2004.55725.