The Harmonic Techniques In Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev's Nine Piano Sonatas

As one of the most prominent composers in the twentieth century, Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (1891—1953) started his compositional career at the beginning of the twentieth century which saw the great expansion of functional harmony and the gradual disintegration of tonality. While most composers sought novel techniques to break free from the imprisonment of tonality, he was still wedded to the composition of tonal music, to which he made unique and brilliant contributions. Therefore his creations became outstanding examples of tonal music in the twentieth century.The subject of this dissertation is the harmony of all Prokofiev's nine sonatas. This research includes the aspects of mode, tonality, chordal structures, chordal relationships, tonal relationships, and integral structure to discover the characteristics and evolution of his concepts and techniques of tonal harmony.The main content of this dissertation is contained in seven chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the aesthetic ideas behind Prokofiev's compositions. The subsequent five chapters are divided according to Prokofiev's compositional periods showing the common features of the sonatas. Chapter 2 examines the harmonic features of the first piano sonata from his early period. Chapter 3 discusses the harmonic characteristics of the second, third, and fourth piano sonatas, the period in which his musical personality was formed. Chapter 4 focuses on the harmony of the fifth piano sonata composed, the period in which his harmonic skills were progressed. Chapter 5 explores the harmonic practice of the sixth, seventh, and eighth piano sonatas that reflect his regressive compositional personality. Chapter 6 deals with the ninth piano sonata that espouses a natural simplicity. All the above chapters are concerned with harmonic techniques and their evolution in the sonatas discussed in the different chapters. Chapter 7 summarizes the characteristics and evolution of the concepts and techniques of tonal harmony in his piano sonatas.In his compositions, Prokofiev successfully combined the classic with the innovative, and gradually developed a voice-leading technique and a unique voice-leading harmonic language. The unity of strength and colorful harmonic language is the key to clear tonality, precise function, and rich color in his nine piano sonatas.