Gilles Saint Arroman, Considerations on the Genesis and Theory of Vincent d’Indy’s “Cyclical Form”

Abstract

Vincent d’Indy (1851-1931) is one of the most important practitioners and theorists
of “cyclical form”. Before the major works of his master César Franck, his very first
compositions already make use of cyclical processes. Subsequent works, influenced
by the work of his predecessor, seek to constantly refine this structuring principle,
which he starts to theorize when he first begins teaching at the Schola Cantorum.
The term “cyclical form” first appears in his writings in 1899, but it is in the second volume of his Cours de composition musicale (Durand, 1909) that he develops
his most complete theorizing. D’Indy seems to see the “cyclical form” as the ultimate
manifestation of an evolution of musical art in which works would acquire an ever
greater unity and cohesion. This article aims to shed light on his conception of the
“cyclical form” in the context of his early attempts in this field and of his theoretical
writings.