STRUCTURAL DUALISM

STRUCTURAL DUALISM IN THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY SYMPHONY examines the genre''s inherent concept of “STRUCTURAL DUALISM,” considering “what makes a symphony a symphony, regardless of the period in which it is conceived or the style it makes use of.” Emanating from the Baroque sonata, dance suite movement, and sinfonia, STRUCTURAL DUALISM was originally epitomized by the reconciliation of tonal contrasts in the Classical symphony''s SONATA FORM. This tonal contrast shifted to thematic polarity, embodying structural dualism in the Romantic symphony''s extended sonata form, before structural dualism evolved to INTEGRATIVE, TRANSFORMATIVE, and—ultimately—CONCEPTUAL manifestations in various appearances of the twentieth-century symphony. These various manifestations of structural dualism are illustrated with pioneering compositions and key esthetic statements from both composers and theorists.