We’re pleased to announce the next presenter for the Music History/Theory Workshop on February 14, 3:30pm, in the library seminar room, JRL 264. Andrew Westerhaus, graduate student at the University of Chicago, will be presenting an excerpt from his dissertation, titled“Stravinsky’s ‘Blocks’: Analogies and Metaphors of Play.” The pre-circulated writing is available here–for the password please email  marycaldwell@uchicago.edu or aasheehy@uchicago.edu or look in the announcement email.

ABSTRACT:

Since the premiere of Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments in 1921, countless commentators have identified the piece as a paradigm of novel formal construction and evidence of the composer’s object-oriented approach to musical materials. In its more recent reception history, the Symphonies has become widely regarded as the archetypical example of “block form” in Stravinsky’s music and the associated concepts of “blocks” and “block juxtaposition” have become dominant trends in musicological scholarship about the piece. This paper considers the metaphorical basis of the concept of a musical “block,” whose many associations have often led commentators to ascribe a playful or game-like quality to Stravinsky’s music. My approach draws upon existing methodologies in structural analogy theory, conceptual metaphor, and cognitive musicology to examine some of the ways in which the terms “blocks” and “games” are related and have specific grounding in Stravinsky’s music. I argue that musical metaphors like “blocks” encourage us to consider the many ways in which Stravinsky’s music challenges temporality through the apparent spatiality of his musical materials.

This chapter excerpt (§3.0-3.2 only) is drawn from my dissertation titled “Stravinsky and the Ludic Metaphor” (in progress). My dissertation concerns the metaphorical language employed in discourse about Stravinsky’s music and how the twin notions of play and games inform and create meaning for his unique compositional techniques. The methodology draws upon insights from ludology, musical metaphor, sketch studies, and cognitive science, and the chief works that I examine are Renard, Histoire du soldat, Symphonies of Wind Instruments, and Jeu de Cartes.

There will be two formal respondents at this workshop: Peter Shultz and August Sheehy.

Those needing additional assistance to attend this event should contact one of the graduate coordinators, Mary Caldwell(marycaldwell@uchicago.edu) or August Sheehy (aasheehy@uchicago.edu)