Bells of Nepomuceno: Intertextuality in Cloches de Noël

Abstract

This article aims to analyze Cloches de Noël for piano (1915) by Alberto Nepomuceno (1864-1920) in an attempt to identify intertextual relationships. The analysis demonstrates a stylistic affinity between Cloches de Noël and Franz Liszt’s religious pieces, mainly in what concerns four aspects: (1) explicit use of Gregorian melodies; (2) harmonization of melodies with the sole use of consonances; (3) extramusical and idiomatic reference to the sound of church bells and (4) a formal structure based on the insertion of musical episodes between sections of Gregorian transcription.

Keywords

• Musicologia
• Alberto Nepomuceno
• música religiosa
• intertextualidade musical.