A study in clarity : Josef Suk's Asrael re-envisioned via Schoenberg

Karst, IA

Abstract

During the second season of the Society for Private Musical Performances (1918-1922), known in Austria as the ‘Verein für musikalische Privataufführungen’, the members began to transcribe orchestral music for their chamber ensemble (Meibach, 1984). Previously, the Society had programmed, although not performed, a piano transcription of Symphony no. 2, Asrael, by Josef Suk (Berg, 1920). If the Verein had continued beyond its final concert in 1922, it is conceivable they may have seen the value of creating and performing a chamber ensemble transcription of Asrael. Had the Society arranged Asrael for their ensemble, what orchestration techniques would they have used and how would those techniques have functioned when applied to Symphony no. 2? What can be learned from the analysis of the Verein orchestral arrangements by applying their transcription methods to Suk’s Symphony no. 2?

This thesis has approached these questions via historical context, analysis, and applied transcription. As a means to establish the historical context for my research, I have examined the connection which existed between the Verein and the music of Suk, with particular focus on Asrael. It continues with a comparative analysis of the orchestration techniques of the Verein arrangements of Bruckner’s Symphony no.7 (1921), Mahler’s Symphony no. 4 (1993), and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (1983) to the original scores.

This is followed by a section detailing my ‘Verein-Karst Method of Transcription’ as I have extracted and constructed it through my research, an example of its application to Asrael, a discussion on the issues of authorship and authenticity, and the limitations and future of the Verein methods. The final section is focused on my application of the Verein-Karst Method of Transcription to Asrael, with the transcribed score included in the appendix of the thesis.

Citation

Karst, I. A study in clarity : Josef Suk's Asrael re-envisioned via Schoenberg. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Nov 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 10, 2020
• Award Date: Oct 30, 2020