The Loosening Role of Polyphony: Texture and Formal Functions in Mozart’s “Haydn” Quartets
2013 ◽
Vol 32
(1-2)
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pp. 7-42
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This essay demonstrates that texture can act as a form-defining factor by focusing on one specific textural type: imitative polyphony. Mozart’s six quartets dedicated to Haydn illustrate this claim. Building on William Caplin’s form-functional theory and his distinction between tight-knit and loose organization, imitative texture is shown to serve two purposes: as a loosening device, and as a means of textural and phrase-structural contrast. To deepen our understanding of polyphony’s formal and expressive roles, two new concepts are proposed: contrast pair and imitative presentation. The contrast-pair principle is then explored in select Viennese quartets by Mozart’s contemporaries.
2020 ◽
2012 ◽
Vol 77
(22)
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pp. 10093-10104
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1998 ◽
Vol 78
(1)
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pp. 53-97
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2008 ◽
Vol 129
(21)
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pp. 214105
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Keyword(s):
2012 ◽
Vol 116
(5)
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pp. 3457-3466
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2012 ◽
Vol 116
(27)
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pp. 7787-7794
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