Hermeneutics decodes the message of a work rather than describing its outward form. The general hermeneutics of Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834) is highly suggestive for music, and hermeneutic prescriptions by Rochlitz (1798), Nägeli (1802), Brendel (1845), and Kretzschmar (1903-07) provide a framework for interpretive music analysis in the 19th c. Elucidatory analysis aims to reveal the content or substance of music. Newly translated analyses by Berlioz, Wagner, Lenz, Elterlein, Spitta, Wolzogen, and Kretzschmar exemplify the category. The operation of the hermeneutic circle shuttles between the whole and part, objective and subjective, to yield the music’s message. Analyses by Momigny, Hoffmann, Schumann, Basevi, Marx, and Helm are used.
The Coherence of the Form: Fryderyk Chopin, Rondo C Minor Op. 1
Source(s) of analysis: Score Musical work: Rondo in C Minor Op. 1 Year of creation: 1825 Composer's name: Fryderyk Chopin Methods of analysis: Conventional / Traditional analysis, Formal analysis, Structural analysis
Target Group / Study LevelLevel of music analysis knowledge: Beginner, Intermediate
Study cycle: Bachelor, Master
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