On the function of the Tristan chord in Vincent d'Indy's dramatic compositions

Abstract

Through the concept of intertextuality, this article considers Vincent d’Indy’s original theoretical and practical interpretation of the Tristan chord and the “Sehnsuchtsmotiv” as the elements of a specific “foreign” musical “idiolect”, which d’Indy seeks to appropriate. Denying the importance of the harmonic function of the Tristan chord and basing it instead on Riemann's harmonic concept, d’Indy focuses on the phonic qualities of the chord, which predetermines the principle of integration of this structure into d’Indy’s own scores and allows the composer to use it, not only in the role of a “harmonic cell”, but also as the sign of an extra-musical semantic layer, connected with the Wagnerian concept of Liebestod, considered to be one of the most important for the French composers such as Paul Dukas or Ernest Chausson.