The Cello Sonatas of Dame Ethel Smyth: A Musical Analysis with Social and Feminist Commentary

Doctoral Essay (April 2023)

Abstract

Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) is primarily known as an opera composer, literary figure, and militant suffragette. While her Mass in D, The Wreckers, and Der Wald cemented her place in music history, her lesser-known chamber works from early in her career remained overlooked in the decades following her death. Among these early works are her Cello Sonata in A minor, op. 5 (1887) and an unpublished Cello Sonata in C minor (c. 1880), the latter of which is only publicly available in manuscript form. Written accounts about her early music frequently contain allusions to moments of harmonic interest but very rarely go into detail about what these moments are. However, a glance through the Cello Sonata in C minor reveals passages that can easily elicit such comments. Smyth’s harmonic language is marked with eccentricities that are elusive of the typical Roman numeral analysis and consequently are left unexamined, attributing and generalizing these eccentricities as mode mixture or non-specified irregular harmonic behavior. However, alternate methods of harmonic analysis—ones that prioritize linear motion over vertical—provide insight into passages in Smyth’s music that appear dense on the surface yet are highly structured underneath. In each case, the analyses provided using these methods (including transformation and passages of extended voice-leading) always show how the immediate harmony serves the greater harmonic function within musical form. This adaptable method of harmonic analysis facilitates an understanding that is inclusive and respectful to Smyth’s unique musical language. Also in need of modernization is the historical context through which Smyth has been viewed. A 21st-century lens is needed to recognize the influence that systemic societal sex and gender biases against women and LGBTQIA+ individuals have exerted on telling the narrative of her life and work. Through societal and feminist commentary, an updated narrative will be given to Smyth’s life and work.