Variationen über ein Thema von Vinteuil aus Marcel Prousts À la recherche du temps perdu

Abstract

Even though Proust disparages the methods of “musicographies,” his descriptions of and comments on Vinteuil’s violin sonata, including the “petite phrase” as Swann’s favorite theme, are the subjects of this study. By defining the registering of a musical theme as a subjective occurrence, Proust avoids naming any single model; moreover, in the course of writing Recherche, he constantly adds new musical associations. On the one hand, Proust blurs references to his starting point—Saint-Saens’s op. 75—and on the other hand, he manages to individuate the “petite phrase” by superimposing characteristics onto it. While allowing Swann as listener to formulate concrete associations regarding the imaginary “petite phrase,” he stimulates the reader, conversely, to imagine varying kinds of music to these associations.