UCLA

This dissertation explores broader issues of expressive meaning related to César Franck’s Violin Sonata in A Major. The project is twofold: Part 1 analyzes the Sonata within its historical and cultural context, addressing musical allusion and the large-scale narrative. Part 2 assesses the editions of the Violin Sonata and presents my adaptation for soprano saxophone. The analytical portion considers Franck’s chromatic language through the lens of tension, yearning, and fulfillment, mapping the Sonata’s emotional narrative and exploring its many musical allusions to Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. The transcription portion addresses the practical challenges of adapting the Violin Sonata for saxophone, including the treatment of register, articulation, multiple stops, and phrasing. A thorough study of the autograph manuscripts and subsequent editions of Franck’s Sonata was essential in preparing my transcription for soprano saxophone. Recent Franck scholarship from Joël-Marie Fauquet in 1999 revealed correspondence between Franck and the first edition publisher, Julien Hamelle, which clarified some of the issues regarding the many discrepancies in the first edition. My adaptation for soprano saxophone synthesizes this new research and strives to align with what Franck most likely intended. By exploring issues of musical structure and narrativity, as well as interpretative choices necessary to adapt Franck’s Sonata for the saxophone, this dissertation aims to analyze the Sonata from a new perspective and contribute to the expanding repertoire for saxophone. Although focused on a single composition, my study considers a range of topics, including the historical and biographical context of this imposing Sonata, the presence of Wagnerian influence, and the challenges of adapting this monumental work for soprano saxophone.