On the Role of “Significant Tonalities” (tonalites significatives) in the Compositions for Musical Theater by Vincent d’Indy
The article explores tonal relations in the following works for musical theater by Vincent d’Indy: the dramatic legend Le chant de la cloche and three operas - Fervaal, L ’Etranger and La Legende de Saint-Christophe. According to d’Indy, one of the key compositional aspects of any musical piece is a structural principle based on repetition of tonalities with established semantics. Thus, based on the research of tonal structure of Franck’s oratorio compositions and Wagner’s musical dramas, d’Indy elaborates a special concept of significant tonalities and applies it in his works. Already in Le chant de la cloche, a certain range of tonalities can be found, which in future will acquire stable semantics in three “Wagnerian” operas. In each subsequent work, the system of tonal relations grows and becomes more complicated, which allows the composer to display the symbolic meaning of what is happening on stage with the utmost precision. In addition to the use of significant tonalities, d’Indy forms a system of tonal centers that fully reflects the dramaturgy of an opera. In the last “Wagnerian” opera La Legende de Saint-Christophe, along with a certain range of tonalities, various modal structures acquire significant importance. Their semantic component can be the subject of a separate study.