Abstracts
Abstract
This article examines how meter serves as a key compositional device in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1960), employed in strikingly idiosyncratic ways. Borrowing Leccia’s (2024) notion of “play” as an analytical metaphor, I explore Britten’s diverse metric types and techniques through representative excerpts. Drawing on the metric theories of Lerdahl and Jackendoff (1983) and Rothstein (1989), alongside key Britten scholarship by Rupprecht (2001), I adapt multiple analytical approaches to account for the opera’s stylistic mélange. Four main findings emerge. First, each of the three character groups (fairies, lovers, and rustics) possesses a distinct musical characterisation, including through meter. Second, Britten employs a variety of meters and hypermeters, often integrating irregular rhythms within the larger structure. Third, he manipulates meter and hypermeter to establish models before deviating, typically for narrative effect. Finally, hypermeter interacts with grouping to generate tonal phrases and static atonal hypermetric units.
Keywords:
- Benjamin Britten,
- hypermeter,
- meter,
- opera analysis,
- theories of rhythm and meter,
- twentieth-century music
Résumé
Cet article met en lumière le rôle central de la métrique comme procédé compositionnel dans A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1960) de Benjamin Britten, où elle est exploitée de manière singulière et inventive. En reprenant la notion de « jeu » proposée par Leccia (2024) comme métaphore analytique, j’examine la diversité des configurations et des procédés métriques chez Britten à partir d’exemples représentatifs. Fondée sur les théories de la métrique élaborées par Lerdahl et Jackendoff (1983) ainsi que par Rothstein (1989), et nourrie par les travaux de référence de Rupprecht (2001), cette étude mobilise plusieurs approches analytiques afin de rendre compte de l’hétérogénéité stylistique de l’opéra. Quatre observations principales se dégagent : d’abord, les trois groupes de personnages – fées, amants et rustres – se distinguent chacun par une identité musicale et métrique propre ; ensuite, Britten déploie une large gamme de structures métriques et hypermétriques, intégrant souvent des rythmes irréguliers dans un cadre plus vaste ; il façonne et détourne ces modèles au service du drame ; enfin, l’hypermètre interagit avec le groupement pour engendrer des phrases tonales ou des unités hypermétriques atonales plus statiques.
Mots-clés :
- analyse d’opéra,
- Benjamin Britten,
- hypermètre,
- métrique,
- musique du XXe siècle,
- théories du rythme et de la métrique
Appendices
Bibliography
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