A Theory of Musical Semiotics

Contents

• Foreword by Thomas A. Sebeok
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Part One: Theoretical Background
• I. In Search of a Theory
• 1.1 A Brief Critical History of Musical Semiotics
• 1.2 Reflections on the Logic of Musical Discourse
• 1.3 The Problem of Narrativity in Music
• 1.4 Toward the Definition of Modalities: Signs in Opera
• 1.5 On the Truth in Music
• 1.6 The Theory Itself in an Abridged Form
• II. Musical Time
• 2.1 Music in Micro-Time: The Role of Memory
• 2.2 Music in Macro-Time: Music Models throught the Ages
• III. Musical Space
• IV. Musical Actors
• 4.1 Ernst Kurth as a Precursor of Musical Semiotics: Steps toward the Definition of Actoriality in Music
• 4.2 From Musical Subjects to Theme-Actors
• Part Two: Analyses
• V. Semiosis of the Classical Style: Beethoven's "Waldstein"
• VI. Narrativity in Chopin
• 6.1 Polonaise-Fantaisie and the Idea of Narrative Program
• 6.2 Writing a Modal Grammar: Chopin's Ballade in G Minor
• VII. Music and Literature
• 7.1 The Case of Obermann: Franz Liszt and Marie d'Agoult in Switzerland
• 7.2 "Apres un reve": A Semiotic Approach to the Study of Musical Performance
• VIII. Music and Visual Arts: Pictures and Promenades-A Peircean Excursion into the Semiosis of Musorgsky
• IX. The Semiotics of Symphonism: A Deconstruction of National Meanings in Sibelius's Fourth Symphony
• X. Toward the Modern Scene
• 10.1 Debussy's Impressionism in the Prelude "...La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune"
• 10.2 Minimalism and Anti-Narrativity
• Conclusion
• Appendix: "Apres un reve"
• Glossary
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index