Rudolph Reti

Rudolph Reti, also Rti (Serbian: , Rudolf

Reti) (November 27, 1885 February 7, 1957), was a
musical analyst, composer and pianist. He was the older
brother of the famous chess master Richard Rti.

'thematic process in music. His approach did not concern itself, however, with tracing the obvious thematic
and motivic 'developments displayed on the musical 'surface', but rather sought to demonstrate the way in which
surface thematic variety is underpinned by a less apparent
unity. For Reti,

and the composer

Biography

Retis way of showing 'maintained substance' would usuUnlike his brother, Reti did not write his surname with ally involve constructing a music example which juxtaposed a number of contrasting themes; the 'homogeneity
an acute accent on the 'e'.
in the inner essence' was represented by the notes printed
Reti was born in Uice in the Kingdom of Serbia and
at full size; the 'variety in the outer appearance' would
studied music theory, musicology and piano in Vienna.
be relegated to small type. In focusing on shared feaAmong his teachers was the pianist Eduard Steuermann,
tures and hidden similarities in shape and contour, the
an eminent champion of Schoenberg and a supporter of
tonal or harmonic signicance of the various 'signicant'
modern music. Reti was in contact with Schoenberg at
notes in the themes would usually be ignored. So too
the time of that composers earliest atonal works, and in
would rhythmwith the result that Retis method focuses
1911 gave the rst performance of his Drei Klavierstcke
on relatively abstract 'pitch cells rather than rhythmically
Op.11.[1]
dened 'motifs. In addition to admitting inversional and
Retis compositions have not remained in the repertoire, retrograde relationships between cells, Reti also introbut he was an active composer and received a number of duced the process of 'interversion', in which the notes of
high-prole performances. At the end of the rst Inter- a cell would be re-ordered.
national Festival of Modern Music in Salzburg, in 1922,
Retis analytical procedure is best understood concurhis 'Six Songs were performed alongside Schoenberg's
rently to the work of other contemporary German anaSecond Quartet; three years later, at the 3rd ISCM Feslysts of the time such as Schenker and Schoenberg. Like
tival in Prague, his Concertino for Piano and OrchesSchenker, and Schoenberg, Retis analysis of musical
tra shared a programme with Martinu's 'Half-Time' and
works was primarily motivic, tracing the evolution of a
Vaughan Williams's 'A Pastoral Symphony'. In 1938, his
musical work from a melodic kernel. The preoccupation
David and Goliath Suite was performed by van Beinum
the three aforementioned theorists had with such proceand the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 1948,
dure stems from a metaphysical belief that the works of
Jean Sahlmark was the soloist in her husbands First Pithe great masters (as exemplied in the First Viennese
ano Concerto. Retis output also includes several volumes
School) were unied thematically often, from a single
of piano pieces and songs, an opera (Ivan and the Drum),
idea. The metaphysical basis of this idea was the fact that
as well as symphonic and choral music.
such unity, was thought to be a metaphor for the unity of
Between 1930 and 1938 Reti was chief music critic for Gods creation. Thus in Retis analysis the thematic prothe Austrian newspaper Das Echo. Together with the cess is explored, in Schenker the analysis takes the form
composer and musicologist Egon Wellesz, he was in- of a reductionist procedure, and in Schoenberg the unity
volved in establishing the International Festival of Mod- of a musical work from a Grundgestalt (basic shape) is
ern Music, and founded the International Society for Con- asserted.
temporary Music in 1922. In 1939 Reti emigrated to the
Retis method has been criticized by music theorist
United States of America and later became an American
Nicholas Cook, who regards as Reti as having been overcitizen. He became a member of the American Musiconcerned with proving the validity of his method, at the
cological Society, and came to hold a fellowship at Yale.
expense of producing convincing analyses of individual
From 1943 he was married to the pianist, teacher, muworks.[2]
sicologist and editor Jean Sahlmark, who helped prepare
for publication his two posthumous books. He died in Whatever ones opinion, it is clear that Retis analysis
must be understood within the context of early twentieth
Montclair, New Jersey.
century musicology.
Reti is best remembered today for his distinctive method
of musical analysis, which he claimed revealed the
1

Writings
'Salzburg - Verheiung und Gefahr', 23. Eine
Wiener Musikzeitschrift, Reprint, Nummer 15/16
(1935)
The Thematic Process in Music (US 1951; UK
1961). ISBN 0-8371-9875-5.
'The Role of Duothematicism in the Evolution of
Sonata Form', Music Review, Volume XVII Number 2 (1956)
Tonality, Atonality, Pantonality: A study of some
trends in twentieth century music (1958). ISBN 0313-20478-0.
Thematic Patterns in Sonatas of Beethoven (ed.
Deryck Cooke; Faber, 1967)

Bibliography
Cook, Nicholas (1987), A Guide to Musical Analysis, Oxford: OUP

References

[1] Morgan, Paula. "'Rudolph Reti'". Grove Music Online.

Retrieved 16 November 2015.
[2] Cook, 1987, pp.2-3

External links

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