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BAIN MUSC 216

Theory of Twentieth-Century Music

ANALYSIS
Wagner, Tristan und Isolde, Prelude
1.

Analyst Steven G. Laitz says the interpretation of the Prelude's first chord "rests on a single question: distinguishing
chord tones from embellishing tones." 1 We will explore this analytical hypothesis below. To get started, carefully notate
the first vertical sonority (FBDG) using whole notes on a grand staff. Be sure to include clefs, a grand staff brace,
and barlines. We will refer to this sonority below as the Tristan chord.

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As you will see below, this is but one of many possible interpretations of the first chord.
Fill in the blanks.
2. Given the following NCT interpretation, provide a roman numeral analysis for mm. 1-17.2

3.

An alternative approach would be to assume that the Tristan chord is stated four times in mm. 1-17, appearing on the
downbeats of m. _____, m. _____, m. _____, and m. _____. The first three statements imply a sequence of rising
transpositions, whereas the fourth statement is simply an octave transfer of the _______________ statement.

Steven G. Laitz, The Complete Musician, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), forthcoming.
This harmonic analysis assumes that the underlying harmony in m. 2 is a Fr +6 chord. Of course, the "?" in m. 10 suggests that this is not the complete story.
For a different approach, see Miguel A. Roig-Francoli, Harmony in Context (New York: McGraw-Hill), 844-850.
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Tristan Analysis: Page 1 of 2

BAIN MUSC 216


Theory of Twentieth-Century Music

4.

Many theorists have noted that the prelude employs six interrelated _______________ that occur throughout the prelude
and have specific programmatic meanings in the opera.

5.

In mm. 1-11, each subphrase ends on a V7 chord (Mm) that uniquely implies a tonality, or key. Wagner, however, seems
to substitute _______________ for the normally expected tonic triad. Counting in eighth note pulses, the duration of the
silence measures _____, _____, and _____ (with fermata) pulses, respectively, a series of durational proportions that
helps to propel the music forward.

6.

Using K/P-style key symbols, complete the tonal plan diagram for the sequence of rising tonicizations implied by the V7
chords in mm. 1-17. Be sure to notice that they outline the home key's tonic triad.
_____ :
i:

_____:
III:

_____:
i:
_____:
V/V:

7.

If the G in m. 2 is viewed as a NCT, the chord BDFA could be also interpreted as the altered ________________
dominant chord V7(5)/V (2nd inversion), rather than a Fr+6.

8.

If the A in m. 2 is viewed as a NCT, and the Tristan chord is enharmonically respelled as F-A-C-E, it might interpreted
as a half-_______________ seventh (dm) chord. In this case, the reappearances of the Tristan chord in m. 6 and m. 10
might be interpreted as the root position 'dm' chords: G_______________ and D_______________,
respectively.

9.

Alternatively, the Tristan chord (m. 2) might be viewed as a four-voice simultaneity created by the superimposition of
two intervals (FB & DG): the __________ fourth, or tritone, formed between the B and T against the __________
fourth formed between the A and S. Wagner seems to invert this interval-pair juxtaposition in m. _____.

10. The opening three-note motive (AFE) implies the of A minor. However, the agogic accent (accent by virtue of
durational emphasis) on pitch class _____ creates a sense of tonal ambiguity or imbalence because the accent is placed
on scale degree _____ rather than on ^1 (tonic) or ^5 (dominant).
11. In mm. _____ - _____, Wagner expands the opening three-note motive (AFE) by one note creating a related four-note
gesture whose last note is the tonic note of the home key.
12. In mm. 2-3, Laitz refers to the ascending chromatic line G________B in the S voice as a melodic cell because it
appears in various guises throughout the prelude. For example, in mm. 1-3, it appears in an inverted form as the
descending chromatic line in the A voice: ________________. Both lines span a __________ third. Comparing the
S and T voices, unveils that pitch classes B and G participate in a voice _______________. Finally, the bass
line (FE) could be interpreted as being derived from the _____ voice.
13. Wagner transposes mm. 2-3 up a m3, or _____ semitones, to create mm. 6-7. However, examining mm. 4-5 closely, we
see that the note _____ in m. 5's three note gesture (BGG) is not a result of a strict transposition. This tonal
adjustment allows all of the tones in mm. 4-5 belong to the home key of _____:
14. In m. 14, the motive _____-_____ is a fragment of the melody presented in mm. 10-11 (i.e., the last two notes of that
figure). This developmental technique, called _______________, also helps to propel the music forward.
15. In mm. 16-17, the passage concludes with a _____________ cadence rather than a more conclusive authentic cadence.
Another emphasis of ^6, the EF bass motion may also be interpreted as a retrogression of the bass motion in mm. 2-3.
16. An example of extended tertian harmony, the dominant seventh chord in m. _____ has been extended by a third to
include a ninth. (Be sure that you used a V9 chord in your analysis on the previous page.)
17. Pitch classes F and B play a central role in this passage. For example, in addition to being the lower two notes of the
Tristan chord, they also form the distinctive S-B counterpoint in the appoggiatura that occurs in m. _____.

Tristan Analysis: Page 2 of 2

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