Interweaving Forms: Chekhov’s Narrative Techniques as a Lens for Interpreting Tchaikovsky’s Music (84906)
Session Chair: Andrada Fiscutean
Saturday, 16 November 2024 11:40
Session: Session 3
Room: Live-Stream Room 3
Presentation Type:Live-Stream Presentation
Composer Dmitri Shostakovich once famously observed that many of Anton Chekhov’s short stories are written in sonata form, highlighting Chekhov’s use of particular musical structures in his literary works. This paper examines Chekhov’s incorporation of musical approaches to plot and character development, drawing comparisons between his play The Cherry Orchard and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s sixth symphony. While comparative literature scholars such as Rosamund Bartlett and Nikolai Fortunov have attempted foundational musical analysis of Chekhov’s works, there are gaps in their understanding of musical forms, and their insights have not yet been applied to the performance interpretation of the musical works themselves.
This paper aims to bridge this gap by providing a deeper musical analysis that complements the existing literary scholarship regarding musicality in Chekhov’s works. The first part identifies the exact elements of sonata form in Chekhov’s short story “The Black Monk” while the second part offers a cross-disciplinary analytical comparison of the formal structures in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard and Tchaikovsky’s sixth symphony.
By understanding the thematic parallels and structural similarities between literary and musical composition within their specific cultural context of late 19th-century Russia, musical performers can achieve more enlightened and inspired interpretations of Tchaikovsky’s music. Conversely, a deep comprehension of musical form can enhance the appreciation of Chekhov’s narrative techniques. This paper thus seeks to bridge the disciplines of literature and music, emphasizing the interwoven nature of narrative and musical form and offering fresh insights for performers and literary scholars alike.
Authors:
Belinda Chen, Bilkent University, Turkey
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Belinda Chen is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at Bilkent University in Turkey
See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule
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