Papers by Timothy R Mastic
This thesis approaches Haydn’s sonata-form procedures from the perspective of the eighteenth-cent... more This thesis approaches Haydn’s sonata-form procedures from the perspective of the eighteenth-century listener, asking, if a moment is allegedly “witty” according to modern analysts, would Haydn's contemporary audience have heard it as such? Eighteenth-century wit has two sides: wit involves an aspect of surprise or deception, a breaking of understood norms; however, wit must also involve an unsuspected congruity, a broader connection created only by breaking the aforementioned norm. Taking this as my starting point, I explore false recapitulations in the Haydn’s music, concluding that this device cannot be considered witty because it did not break an understood convention. I then provide detailed analyses of the first movements of Haydn’s “Military” Symphony no. 100 and String Quartet in D major, op. 33 no. 6, arguing that they are witty not solely because they are disruptive, but because this disruption binds the sonata together in an unexpected way.
Music Theory Online
This article approaches Haydn’s treatment of sonata form from the perspective of the eighteenth-c... more This article approaches Haydn’s treatment of sonata form from the perspective of the eighteenth-century listener, asking: if a moment is allegedly “witty” according to modern analysts, would Haydn’s contemporary audience have heard it as such? Eighteenth-century wit is a two-sided coin: wit does involve an aspect of surprise or deception, a breaking of understood norms; however, wit must also involve an unsuspected congruity, a larger-scale connection created only by breaking the aforementioned norm. Taking this as my starting point, I provide detailed analyses of the first movements of Haydn’s “Military” Symphony no. 100 and String Quartet in D major, op. 33 no. 6. Compared to the expectations set forth by each exposition, Haydn has recomposed each piece’s respective recapitulation in a significant way. I argue that these pieces are witty in the eighteenth-century sense of the term but not in the sense that the term has been used by recent scholars such as Hepokoski and Darcy, who ...
Music Theory Online
This article approaches Haydn’s treatment of sonata form from the perspective of the eighteenth-c... more This article approaches Haydn’s treatment of sonata form from the perspective of the eighteenth-century listener, asking: if a moment is allegedly “witty” according to modern analysts, would Haydn’s contemporary audience have heard it as such? Eighteenth-century wit is a two-sided coin: wit does involve an aspect of surprise or deception, a breaking of understood norms; however, wit must also involve an unsuspected congruity, a larger-scale connection created only by breaking the aforementioned norm. Taking this as my starting point, I provide detailed analyses of the first movements of Haydn’s “Military” Symphony no. 100 and String Quartet in D major, op. 33 no. 6. Compared to the expectations set forth by each exposition, Haydn has recomposed each piece’s respective recapitulation in a significant way. I argue that these pieces are witty in the eighteenth-century sense of the term but not in the sense that the term has been used by recent scholars such as Hepokoski and Darcy, who ...
This paper serves to highlight the first appendix, "Some Grounding Principles of Sonata Theory," ... more This paper serves to highlight the first appendix, "Some Grounding Principles of Sonata Theory," of Hepokoski and Darcy’s Elements of Sonata Theory, bringing to the forefront some of the generating principles, justifications, and conclusions behind their theory. Some principles form a line of logic justifying the methodology of Sonata Theory, while others lay down guidelines for analysis. Many of the concerns raised about Sonata Theory by members of academia in music (myself included) are addressed in this appendix. It properly could have proceeded the current first chapter of the text, serving as an introduction to the theory as a whole by addressing issues of analysis and meaning that are taken somewhat for granted in the body of this text. While these principles are relegated by the authors to an appendix, this paper will explicate them further.
Music Theory Online (21.2), Jun 20, 2015
This article approaches Haydn’s treatment of sonata form from the perspective of the eighteenth-c... more This article approaches Haydn’s treatment of sonata form from the perspective of the eighteenth-century listener, asking: if a moment is allegedly “witty” according to modern analysts, would Haydn’s contemporary audience have heard it as such? Eighteenth-century wit is a two-sided coin: wit does involve an aspect of surprise or deception, a breaking of understood norms; however, wit must also involve an unsuspected congruity, a larger-scale connection created only by breaking the aforementioned norm. Taking this as my starting point, I provide detailed analyses of the first movements of Haydn’s “Military” Symphony no. 100 and String Quartet in D major, op. 33 no. 6. Compared to the expectations set forth by each exposition, Haydn has recomposed each piece’s respective recapitulation in a significant way. I argue that these pieces are witty in the eighteenth-century sense of the term but not in the sense that the term has been used by recent scholars such as Hepokoski and Darcy, who emphasize the disruptive aspects of wit. Ultimately, I suggest that Haydn can be witty without necessarily being deceptive; wit can involve establishing a kind of unexpected coherence that binds together the recapitulation and another section of a sonata form.
This thesis approaches Haydn’s sonata-form procedures from the perspective of the eighteenth-cent... more This thesis approaches Haydn’s sonata-form procedures from the perspective of the eighteenth-century listener, asking, if a moment is allegedly “witty” according to modern analysts, would Haydn's contemporary audience have heard it as such? Eighteenth-century wit has two sides: wit involves an aspect of surprise or deception, a breaking of understood norms; however, wit must also involve an unsuspected congruity, a broader connection created only by breaking the aforementioned norm. Taking this as my starting point, I explore false recapitulations in the Haydn’s music, concluding that this device cannot be considered witty because it did not break an understood convention. I then provide detailed analyses of the first movements of Haydn’s “Military” Symphony no. 100 and String Quartet in D major, op. 33 no. 6, arguing that they are witty not solely because they are disruptive, but because this disruption binds the sonata together in an unexpected way.
Projects by Timothy R Mastic
This is the 2017 proposal for a paper presented at the South Central Society of Music Theorists, ... more This is the 2017 proposal for a paper presented at the South Central Society of Music Theorists, the New England Conference of Music Theory, and various graduate conferences. Full paper to be added at a later date.
If you are interested in collaborating on a translation of this treatise, please email me at: tim... more If you are interested in collaborating on a translation of this treatise, please email me at: [email protected].
I am working on a transcription (including musical examples) of Volume II of Heinrich Christoph Koch's Versuch einer Anleitung zur Composition, from Fraktur (the 1969 printing) into modern typeface, to provide a more accessible copy for translation that is available in the U.S. No corrections have been made to antiquated spellings or any other errors.
If you are interested in collaborating on a translation of this treatise, please email me at: tim... more If you are interested in collaborating on a translation of this treatise, please email me at: [email protected].
I have completed a transcription (including musical examples) of Volume I of Heinrich Christoph Koch's Versuch einer Anleitung zur Composition, from Fraktur (the 1969 printing) into modern typeface, to provide a more accessible copy for translation that is available in the U.S. No corrections have been made to antiquated spellings or any other errors.
Uploads
Papers by Timothy R Mastic
Projects by Timothy R Mastic
I am working on a transcription (including musical examples) of Volume II of Heinrich Christoph Koch's Versuch einer Anleitung zur Composition, from Fraktur (the 1969 printing) into modern typeface, to provide a more accessible copy for translation that is available in the U.S. No corrections have been made to antiquated spellings or any other errors.
I have completed a transcription (including musical examples) of Volume I of Heinrich Christoph Koch's Versuch einer Anleitung zur Composition, from Fraktur (the 1969 printing) into modern typeface, to provide a more accessible copy for translation that is available in the U.S. No corrections have been made to antiquated spellings or any other errors.
I am working on a transcription (including musical examples) of Volume II of Heinrich Christoph Koch's Versuch einer Anleitung zur Composition, from Fraktur (the 1969 printing) into modern typeface, to provide a more accessible copy for translation that is available in the U.S. No corrections have been made to antiquated spellings or any other errors.
I have completed a transcription (including musical examples) of Volume I of Heinrich Christoph Koch's Versuch einer Anleitung zur Composition, from Fraktur (the 1969 printing) into modern typeface, to provide a more accessible copy for translation that is available in the U.S. No corrections have been made to antiquated spellings or any other errors.