César Franck, Restrained Pioneer: Formal Deformations and Harmonic Transformations in "Les Djinns"

The inclusion of innovative practices in Franck’s compositions led to works that blurred traditional models of form and harmony. Among these works is Les Djinns, a symphonic poem for piano and orchestra based on a poem by Victor Hugo. Written in 1884, the work was premiered at the Société National de Musique in 1885. Franck wrote Les Djinns with a unique structural layout. However, the work still resembles a sonata form with “deformations.” This anomaly, standing in between innovation and classical form, makes it difficult to label Les Djinns within a particular structure. Additionally, the harmonic behavior of the piece, deeply rooted in chromatic voice leading, suggests a musical language that goes beyond the reach of diatonic syntax. This project will provide an analysis of Les Djinns focused on its formal structure and harmonic procedures using recent scholarly work. The analysis of its form will outline in what ways the work deviates from conventional models of structure, particularly sonata form. In order to do so, this research will apply the theories of sonata form developed by James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy. The harmonic analysis will rely on Richard Cohn’s writings on chromatic harmony. Throughout this research, I will employ models of graphic representation used by Cohn to explain how some of these innovative harmonic operations work. While other scholars have applied this theoretical approach in other compositions by Franck, no research has applied these in Les Djinns. This paper will be introduced by a brief section that will provide all the necessary terminology to fully comprehend the analysis. Then, the following section will provide a formal analysis of Les Djinns, with a special emphasis on the deformations of sonata form that make the work unique. The last section will provide a discussion of some harmonic procedures that suggest a pan-triadic harmonic language. In this last section, I will examine the usage of hexatonic cycles as unifying devices for triadic coherence in the two expositions, address the importance of the augmented triad in Les Djinns, and discuss how Franck’s harmonic style features cross-type transformations between triads and seventh chords as a result of chromatic voice leading.