AN ANALYSIS OF ALFRED SCHNITTKE'S POLYSTYLISM IN HIS STRING QUARTET NO. 3 (1983)

Abstract

The study of polystylism and its role in the history of music is a relatively new idea; Alfred Schnittke is often regarded as the first true proponent of the term, and the bulk of his compositional output did not begin until the latter half of the twentieth century. My interest in the music of Schnittke began from an extension in my research of the music of Shostakovich, who, as an earlier composer of the Soviet orbit, was quite influential on Schnittke's early style. Many of Schnittke's early works exemplify an apparent Romantic syntax, often regained within dramatic chromaticisms that Shostakovich is well known for. Perhaps some of the most notable of these is Schnittke's Symphony No. 0 (1953), and his Violin Concerto No. 1 (1957, later revised in 1963). This thesis will provide an in-depth theoretical analysis of Schnittke's String Quartet No. 3, as one of the major works within the idea of polystylism. Further examinations will include Schnittke's use of motivic connections in relation to polystylism, such as the BACH and DSCH motives of Bach and Shostakovich, Orlando di Lasso's "Stabat Mater," as well as Beethoven's Great Fugue Op. 133, and how these connections are used to intertwine highly disjunct, abruptly contrasting styles and musical periods.