Brahms's models for Opus 39 came from Schubert's Twelve Ländler (Op. 171) and Schumann's Davidsbündlertanze. Brahms acknowledged the debt to Schubert, as seen in examples of harmonic similarities and the introduction of counterpoint into simple dance forms. The bipartite division and "double ending" of Opus 39 seems to have been inspired by Schumann's Davidsbündlertanze, which was comprised of two sets of dances ending with two conclusive pieces.

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Elisabeth Honn

Arthur Sullivan, had he been free of the repressive Victorian mood, would have been one of Europe's greatest composers. However, the philistine repugnance of the English towards expressed emotion forced him to treat his serious opera aspirations in a farcical manner. Instead of developing his own operatic talents, he relied upon burlesquing or copying other masters including Schubert, Donizetti, and Bellini. This imitation was extended to his serious works, including melodic derivations from Mendelssohn.

Works: Sullivan: The Light of the World (11), Princess Ida (11), The Yeoman of the Guard (11), Ivanhoe (12).

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Elisabeth Honn

Self-borrowing occurs for many reasons, such as creative impotence, haste, or desire to reuse an especially felicitous phrase. For Bizet, it was an effort to make use of cast-aside or unfinished materials that otherwise might not have been completed. His self-borrowings were always from unpublished works and those which had never been performed; thus, his borrowing could go undetected during his lifetime. Reworkings include reuse of an entire movement or aria, or adaptation of an older theme to a new context.

Works: Bizet: Symphony in C Major (240, 241), Vasco de gama (240), Le golfe de Bahia (240), Ivan IV (240), Te Deum (240), Don Procopio (240), Clovis et Clotilde (241), Marche funèbre (241), "Le doute" (241), "La coupe de Roi de Thulé" (242, 243), Grisélidis (243), "La jolie fille de Perth" (243), Don Rodrigue (244), L'Arlesienne (244).

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Elisabeth Honn

Chabrier's excursion to Spain proved to be highly influential on his style. In letters sent to his friends and family, he recounts experiences and notates music later utilized inEspaña , including melodic ideas and distinctive regional dance rhythms.

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Elisabeth Honn

Tempi in the Variationen über ein Thema von Joseph Haydn are determined by rhythmic figures which are in turn dictated by melodic patterns present in the theme. Although the analysis of this composition and its rhythmic elements is not Schenkerian, the terminology derives from Schenker's system. The discussion of the background, middleground, and foreground demonstrates at three levels how the melody provides inherent patterns through individual note groupings, tonal values, and recurring pitch accents. The interrelation of these areas can be described as either subdivisions or shifting of rhythmic units, and all of the rhythmic constructions stem from these techniques. The exact tempi derive from correlations between the variations; in order to maintain the perception of proper stress and accent (as dictated by the analysis), it becomes necessary to stay within the confines of a narrow range of tempo.

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Elisabeth Honn

Brahms's influence on the composers of the succeeding generation has often been slighted or eclipsed by the "white heat" of Wagner's effect on the same artists. Traces of Brahms are apparent in many late-nineteenth-century composers ranging from Herzogenberg, who plagiarized his oeuvre, to Reger and Schoenberg, who were both indebted to him for pianistic models.

Works: Herzogenberg: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor (2); Reger: Resignation (3).

Index Classifications: 1800s, 1900s

Contributed by: Elisabeth Honn

That Stephen Foster's style was indebted to folksong is unquestioned. However, the source of folksong is not the Negro spiritual as has been assumed, but the folk tunes of England. This is proved by an analysis of structural harmonies. The pattern I-IV-I-V I-IV-I-V-I found in about thirty percent of Foster's songs resembles the seventeenth-century ground Passamezzo Moderno. Thus, Foster's folksongs demonstrate a strong connection to this popular bass pattern rather than to American folk sources.

Works: Foster: The Voice of Bygone Days (136), The Little Ballad Girl (138), Cora Dean (139).

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Elisabeth Honn

Verdi often utilized recurring themes, most notable in Rigoletto,Aïda, and Otello. The use of a recurring motive (a term semantically preferable to Erinnerungsmotiv (reminiscence theme) provides a dramatic focal point, as opposed to an identification motive used for characterization. Verdi recalls earlier music for dramatic purposes, often reusing the same harmonic constructions. The recalling of a kiss in La Traviata,La Forza del destino, and Aïda is represented both by similar melodies and by a harmonic shift from minor to major mode.

Works: Verdi: Rigoletto (300), Aïda (503), Otello (505).

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Elisabeth Honn

Brahms's Cello Sonata in E Minor is so closely patterned on the E minor cello sonata of Bernhard Romberg that it could be considered a parody, using the sixteenth-century definition of the term. Besides the obvious connection of the key, the choice of opus number and other musical details suggest that Brahms modeled his sonata on that of Romberg. Both utilize similar tempo markings and harmonic progressions. Combinations of Romberg's first and third movement themes appear throughout Brahms' composition, and much of the original accompaniment also appears in reworked form. Some of the more contrapuntal passages seem to derive from Bach. It is possible that Brahms's familiarity with Romberg's work is due to the influence of his friend Gänsbacher, who might have pressed the composer into accompanimental duties. Perhaps Brahms's cello sonata, patterned so closely on Romberg's, was the result of improvisations over Romberg's accompaniment and a subsequent reworking of its ideas.

Works: Brahms: Cello Sonata in E Minor.

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Elisabeth Honn