Introduction[1.1] American hardcore punk rock-or simply "hardcore"-is a subgenre of punk that first emerged in the late 1970s as a response to the "punk rock revolution" created by bands such as the Sex Pistols and the Ramones (Blush 2010, 14). Although hardcore began as a regional phenomenon, relegated to the West coast of the U.S., other scenes soon sprang up, most notably in Washington D.C. Bands like Bad Brains, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and Minor Threat drew upon the fast tempos and concise song forms of the Ramones and Wire and the dense textures and riff-driven songs of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple in the creation of a new genre. In addition to these musical features, many participants describe hardcore as reflecting intensity, energy, and aggression, particularly in the performance and reception of the music. (1) While hardcore has been the focus of studies in fields such as ethnomusicology, history, and philosophy, its musical features have yet to be examined with any amount of analytical depth.

This chapter examines recurring musical themes, tonality, and musical topics in Verdi’s La traviata (1853) and Don Carlos (1867). It argues that both operas draw upon cultural codes to establish oppositions that propel their dramatic and musical narratives. In Don Carlos, the dramatic opposition of reality versus ideality unfolds within Elisabeth’s aria at the beginning of the final act. This is supplemented and reinforced with recurring themes that, while work-specific, gain much of their meaning as conventionalized musical topics. In La traviata, the dramatic opposition of love versus death unfolds as a foreground musical opposition contained within a single recurring theme, but also as a larger-scale tonal opposition that arises between the first and last acts of the opera. The goal of this chapter is to demonstrate the applicability of contextually based analytical models to Verdi’s operas, while also providing further evidence in support of his compositional and dramatic techniques.

Christopher Alan Reynolds's Motives for Allusion has received wide attention from reviewers who often seem to be as anxious to recount their own preoccupations with the topic of musical allusion as to provide a close reading and evaluation of the text itself. Given the elusive nature of the topic, this is understandable. Attempting to comprehend just how we should view and understand these musical puzzles leads many a scholar into the thorny territory of ascribing meaning and intention. Despite the inherent problems of the topic, Reynolds charges forward with his own views, ultimately leaving the reader to decide what she or he believes.[2] Reynolds defines allusion as "an intentional reference to another work made by means of a resemblance that affects the meaning conveyed to those who recognize it" (p. 6). As reviewer Michael Klein notes, "Here all the troubles of allusion are laid bare: the problem of intention; of the likelihood that an audience will recognize the resemblance; and of the meaning that accrues its recognition." (1) Klein's statement casts a light on what are perhaps the most problematic aspects of allusion, especially that of authorial intention. He goes on to explain that, "In particular, embracing authorial intention seems courageous in the post-Barthesian world, where the 'death of the author' threatens to render moot any argument hoping to recover a poetic level of allusion." (2) Recognizing this knotty aspect, Reynolds admits, "intentionality is an important element, however problematic it may be to determine," and in the end, decides that intentionality is important for understanding the compositional process and in considering questions of originality (p. 6).[3] Reynolds strives forward with nine chapters devoted to several different aspects of allusion, which explore how composers concealed their allusions (Chapter 2); whether composers chose to assimilate (Chapter 3) or contrast (Chapter 4) the original source of a musical allusion; the practice of adding a text to previously composed instrumental music (Chapter 5); the use of musical ciphers (Chapter 7); musical allusions as a form of tradition (Chapter 8); as well as the perennial problems of originality and intention (Chapter 6).[4] In Chapter 2 ("Transformations"), Reynolds describes the various ways in which composers have concealed their appropriated motives (or themes). (3) In addition to changes in rhythm, meter, intervals, and the like, he introduces three other methods: motivic combination (occurring contrapuntally in two voices either simultaneously, melodically in succession,

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