Tracing Color in Scriabin's Piano Music: How Mindfulness of Colors Can Enhance the Understanding of the Composer's Musical Language in His Late Piano Poems

The Poem of Fire: Prometheus, a symphony by Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915), was a revolutionary work of its time. It was an early attempt at intersensory artwork that included colored lights to be displayed along with the orchestral performance. Scriabin created a system of color-tone symbol associations for the symphony that would outline the tonality and convey philosophical symbols behind the music through illuminating colors. Colors were the basis of Scriabin’s experiment with intersensory experience, which became a vital part of his artistic language and music philosophy. However, colors are seldom referenced in the study of his piano works. The purpose of the study is to explore ways to use color-tone-symbol associations established in Prometheus to aid in the interpretation process of his late poems using Scriabin’s symbols and color metaphors.

The color analysis results in color-coded scores of Poem op. 59, no. 1, Poem op. 69, no.2, and Vers la Flamme, op. 72. The first chapter outlines the scope of the study. The second chapter provides background on the inspiration behind his color-tone-symbol associations. It

also addresses how performers can relate to his associations through color metaphors. The third chapter offers a color analysis, interpretation, and performance suggestions for the three poems. The fourth chapter encapsulates the findings from the analysis and the benefits of color analysis.