Thesis submission ID 972 | created
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Darragh Gilleece, Schubert's Piano Works for Four Hands: Performative and Pedagogical Insights into a Selection of Schubert's Piano Duets
Volumes, pp.: 1 (398pp.)
Supervisor(s): Prof. Lorraine Byrne Bodley
Repository (online): https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19932/
Repository (hard copy): Maynooth University Library
General specialism: Musicology: Performance Studies
Key terms, persons: Schubert
Abstract:
Franz Schubert’s engagement with piano duets began at the age of thirteen and continued until his untimely death in 1828. He elevated the piano duet to a new degree of sophistication, composing extensively for the medium – 34 works. He was a pioneer in this genre and no composer has rivalled his legacy since then in terms of the quantity and quality of his piano duets. There was a point in time during which the popularity of the four-hand genre rivalled that of solo piano, though many of these works were transcriptions/arrangements. Schubert’s works though were almost exclusively original piano duets. His output consists of extremely diverse genres and forms including sonatas, polonaises, marches, dances, variations, fantasies, overtures, rondos, divertissements, and a fugue. Of all his opus numbers published during his lifetime, his piano duets were second only to his Lieder in number. His artful complexity in the genre paved the path for Schumann, Brahms, and later composers to explore this area, as Schubert attracted new attention to the genre as a serious artform. However, despite Schubert’s efforts in transcending the boundaries of the piano duet, the significance of his piano duets remains largely unexplored or at least significantly unaddressed in scholarship. Why is this? This thesis will investigate contributing factors that until now, have not been given significant attention. Much of the scholarly efforts in the nineteenth and twentieth century on Schubert were centred around his Lieder – though I argue Schubert was of a pioneer in the genre of piano duets too. More recently, scholars have begun to re-examine Schubert’s solo piano works, especially his ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy and his late piano sonatas. I posit that Schubert’s cultivation of the piano duet genre was equally authentic as his solo works and ask, why have his piano duets not been held in such a high regard? A selection of Schubert’s overlooked piano works are provided as case studies, providing performative and pedagogical perspectives. This research penetrates uncharted territory, as scholarship on Schubert’s piano duets is minimal and a more comprehensive study is due. Consequently, this thesis will bridge gaps in the reassessment of Schubert’s piano works, and it will contribute to the creation of new perspectives in Schubertian scholarship.
Darragh Gilleece, Schubert's Piano Works for Four Hands: Performative and Pedagogical Insights into a Selection of Schubert's Piano Duets
PhD, Maynooth University, 2025
Volumes, pp.: 1 (398pp.)
Supervisor(s): Prof. Lorraine Byrne Bodley
Repository (online): https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19932/
Repository (hard copy): Maynooth University Library
General specialism: Musicology: Performance Studies
Key terms, persons: Schubert
Abstract:
Franz Schubert’s engagement with piano duets began at the age of thirteen and continued until his untimely death in 1828. He elevated the piano duet to a new degree of sophistication, composing extensively for the medium – 34 works. He was a pioneer in this genre and no composer has rivalled his legacy since then in terms of the quantity and quality of his piano duets. There was a point in time during which the popularity of the four-hand genre rivalled that of solo piano, though many of these works were transcriptions/arrangements. Schubert’s works though were almost exclusively original piano duets. His output consists of extremely diverse genres and forms including sonatas, polonaises, marches, dances, variations, fantasies, overtures, rondos, divertissements, and a fugue. Of all his opus numbers published during his lifetime, his piano duets were second only to his Lieder in number. His artful complexity in the genre paved the path for Schumann, Brahms, and later composers to explore this area, as Schubert attracted new attention to the genre as a serious artform. However, despite Schubert’s efforts in transcending the boundaries of the piano duet, the significance of his piano duets remains largely unexplored or at least significantly unaddressed in scholarship. Why is this? This thesis will investigate contributing factors that until now, have not been given significant attention. Much of the scholarly efforts in the nineteenth and twentieth century on Schubert were centred around his Lieder – though I argue Schubert was of a pioneer in the genre of piano duets too. More recently, scholars have begun to re-examine Schubert’s solo piano works, especially his ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy and his late piano sonatas. I posit that Schubert’s cultivation of the piano duet genre was equally authentic as his solo works and ask, why have his piano duets not been held in such a high regard? A selection of Schubert’s overlooked piano works are provided as case studies, providing performative and pedagogical perspectives. This research penetrates uncharted territory, as scholarship on Schubert’s piano duets is minimal and a more comprehensive study is due. Consequently, this thesis will bridge gaps in the reassessment of Schubert’s piano works, and it will contribute to the creation of new perspectives in Schubertian scholarship.
Thesis submission ID 972