A style discussion of Strange Quartet, Wits Trio Tribute, and Quin-tête-à-tête : three chamber works of Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph composed between 2000-2019

Abstract

The chamber works of Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph encapsulate a world of stylised nuances. Yet, little has been written about these works, especially those composed after the year 2000. They portray a period in the composer’s compositional career during which she implemented an instinctive approach to composing. However, the composer’s compositional fingerprints permeate these works. This present study aims to analyse and present this style-producing syntax to better understand the composer’s chamber works and the compositional period during which these works were composed (post-2000). These style aspects are grouped and discussed according to the following topics: structure, melodic content, harmonic content, rhythm, and texture. These discussions provide valuable insights into Zaidel-Rudolph’s style, which include melodic writing based on pitch-class sets extracted from non-diatonic scales; interval preference; recurring harmonic structures comprising verticalized tri-, tetra-, and pentachords; quartal and quintal structures; split-member harmonies and added note chords; rhythmic structures expanded and modified to serve as motivic cohesion; and the utilisation of a rich diversity of textures to function as structure-contributing elements. Range and density factors also contribute to structure formation. This study incorporates multiple illustrative music examples and graphics to elucidate the discussed topics and aims to supply analytical information to performers, composers and analysts.