Résumés
Abstract
The Estonian Eduard Tubin’s (1905-1982) second piano sonata, subtitled the “Northern Lights Sonata,” represents a significant turning point for the composer. Written between February and October in 1950, the sonata contains attributes that become hallmarks of Tubin’s mature style—namely, a highly concentrated compositional structure, an enriched, tonally ambiguous harmonic design, and the use of cyclically repeating theme groups. The subtitle of the composition comes from Tubin himself. Specifically, he noted that the work’s opening eight-note harmony represents the programmatic depiction of the whirling flashes from the northern lights he witnessed in Stockholm during 1949. In this article, I trace the various transformations of the Aurora borealis harmony in the second piano sonata and identify its role as a vital structural element of the composition. Following a descriptive assessment of the work’s three movements, I end by identifying some fascinating relationships between the piano sonata and other works by Tubin from this time period.
Résumé
La deuxième sonate pour piano de l’Estonien Eduard Tubin (1905-1982), nommée « Northern Lights Sonata », marque un point déterminant dans la carrière du compositeur. Écrite entre les mois de février et octobre 1950, l’oeuvre recèle des qualités qui seront reprises par la suite et qui seront caractéristiques du style mature de Tubin : structure compositionnelle extrêmement serrée, conception harmonique ayant une tonalité ambigüe et utilisation cyclique de groupes thématiques répétés. Le sous-titre de « Northern Lights Sonata » est de Tubin lui-même ; d’ailleurs ce dernier précise que les huit premières notes de l’harmonie dépeignent, tel un poème symphonique, les éclats de lumières tourbillonnantes qu’il a pu observer à Stockholm en 1949. Dans cet article, l’auteur retrace les différentes transformations de cette harmonie de « aurore boréale » dans la deuxième sonate pour piano de Tubin, lui attribuant un rôle structurel vital dans la composition. Après une évaluation descriptive des trois mouvements, il identifie des liens fascinants entre cette oeuvre pour piano et d’autres compositions de Tubin issues de la même période créatrice.
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Biographical note
Edward Jurkowski is Professor of Music at the University of Lethbridge (Canada), where he is currently Associate Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts. His research has centered on Nordic music, the music of Morton Feldman, and applications of William Caplin’s formal function theory. He is a former president of the Canadian University Music Society and presently English editor of Intersections.
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