Topic: "Kinetic Form in Debussy's Recording of D'un cahier d’esquisses”
Dr. Alan Dodson, Assistant Professor at Mount Allison University
Abstract: Debussy recorded 13 of his compositions on a Welte reproducing piano in 1913. His recording of D'un cahier d'esquisses ("from a sketchbook," composed in 1904) is among the most remarkable of these piano rolls, especially as far as its temporal structure is concerned, for it diverges from the tempo markings, rhythmic values, and time signatures in the score in so many ways that it seems more like a revised version of the piece than a mere interpretation. Through a series of analytical animations, this paper shows that the cumulative effect of these rhythmic revisions is to dismantle the proportional structure latent within the score (as described by Roy Howat in Debussy in Proportion) and instead to infuse the recording with the kinds of dynamic, wavelike rhythmic processes that are at the heart of Richard Parks's conception of kinetic form.
Room 130, Edward Johnson Building at 80 Queen's Park
Event is free and open to the public, and is followed by a casual reception.