Search Results

open access

The Nocturnes of Chopin

Description: John Field (1782-1837), an Irishman, was the first composer to use the French term "nocturne," and was the inventor of the nocturne for piano. It can be seen with a glance at the scores that the orchestral notturni by the eighteenth century composers were very different than what is generally thought of today as a nocturne. Field introduced the idea of the nocturne that has remained much the same since. Frederic Chopin enlarged and improved the genre invented by Field, but it was Field's origin… more
Date: June 1957
Creator: Alexander, Monte Hill Davis
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Piano Sonatas Six, Seven and Eight of Prokofiev

Description: The Sixth, Seventh, and E Piano Sonatas of Prokofiev illustrate the composer's more mature style. In these works there is a definite return to the classic forms and contrapuntal devices which have been called Neo-classicism. Prokofiev, himself, has said that form is one of the basic elements of his style. It is the purpose of this thesis to discover the' formal organization and make a comparison of these sonatas with the works of Beethoven and his contemporaries.
Date: January 1956
Creator: Allen, Daniel Joseph
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Comparative Study of Three Sonatas for Solo Brass Instruments and Piano by Paul Hindemith

Description: In the years during the writing of The Craft of Musical Composition, and for the next few years afterwards, Hindemith was engaged in writing a solo sonata for each of the instruments of the orchestra. Muser states that this series of sonatas continues a definite policy of providing music for people who want to play music, and not merely to listen to it. The three sonatas for solo brass instruments and piano were written during this period. The sonatas, written for trumpet, horn, and trombone, w… more
Date: June 1957
Creator: Alley, Edward Lee
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Analysis of Maurice Ravel's Technique of Orchestration

Description: It is interesting to note that several of Ravel's compositions for the piano were successful only after he had orchestrated them. Ravel, a pianist, had a natural gift for orchestration, and when writing for the piano he seems to have projected his thoughts to the orchestra; thus some of his works are more successful' for the orchestra than for the piano. Since he orchestrated several of his own piano compositions, these present an excellent opportunity for a study of his orchestrations.
Date: August 1958
Creator: Allman, Murray Augustus
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Organ Works of Jehan Alain

Description: This study looks at Jehan Alain's music itself. However, it does not propose to analyze every bar of every composition but rather to point out certain melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic traits that are peculiar to this composer's style. It will also set forth facts concerning Alain's registrations and other items of special interest to organists. Upon such investigation an attempt will be made to reach a critical evaluation of Alain as a composer for the organ.
Date: May 1952
Creator: Barron, Richard Errol
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Trumpet in Chamber Music During the 20th Century

Description: The purpose of this thesis is to trace the history of the trumpet in chamber music through the first half of the 20th century. It aims to discuss the technical advances in the instrument and demonstrate the importance of the trumpet in this medium. Chamber music is defined, in this thesis, as all serious instrumental music for two or more instruments played with one instrument to a part. The selections have been chosen on the basis of recognized merit of the composer, the variety of instrument… more
Date: August 1958
Creator: Bauschka, Conrad Romuald
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Transcription into Modern Notation of a Chansonnier (Fonds Francais 2245) of the Duke of Orleans, with Commentary and Concordance

Description: Fonds Français 2245 is a fifteenth-century chansonnier of the Duke of Orleans which is property of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, France. This thesis describes the document and provides commentary and transcriptions.
Date: August 1955
Creator: Birmingham, Hugh Myers, 1929-
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Influence of Motion Picture Techniques on the Status and Character of Music Designed to Accompany Dramatic Forms

Description: Our modern motion picture composers are limited by the necessity of fitting musical impulses to action. The timing is a matter of split-second synchronization. The writers have no classical form to follow as each script requires highly individualistic treatment, highly restricted time elements, and highly technical instrumentation. Therefore, every composition is a challenge. The challenge includes not only the time element but a demand for a greater amount of originality in musical line and mo… more
Date: August 1950
Creator: Brown, Caroline, 1925-
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

John Playford and His Introduction to the Skill of Musick

Description: To provide a background for this study, an attempt has been made to correlate the facts known about Playford's life and work. The examination of the treatise has two main objectives: 1. to give an exposition of the material presented by Playford (which includes not only theory of music with examples, but also instructions on singing and on playing the viol and the violin, as well as a number of musical compositions); and 2. wherever possible, to discover the sources used by Playford in writing… more
Date: 1958
Creator: Carapetyan, Leon F.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Study of the Fugal Writing of Paul Hindemith

Description: Paul Hindemith's compositions are, for the most part, contrapuntal; and since the construction of such a traditionally contrapuntal medium as the fugue was brought to such a high degree of musical expression in the fugal writing of J. S. Bach, it is the purpose of this thesis to compare Hindemith's fugal style with the standard set by J. S. Bach.
Date: August 1952
Creator: Cody, Robert O. (Robert Oswald), 1928-
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Development of an Objective Approach to the Measurement and Improvement of Aural Discrimination in Music

Description: The purpose of this experiment is therefore (1) to design a test to measure the skill of a heterogeneous group of college music students and (2) to administer and evaluate an aural training program which could be used to develop efficiently aural intelligence. The students used in this experiment were intentionally chosen with varying abilities in order to permit comparisons. A careful record was kept of their ages, musical experiences, major instruments (voice, piano, violin, and other orchest… more
Date: June 1951
Creator: Commander, Margie M. (Margie Marie)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Study of the Secular Music of the Major Composers at the Court of Burgundy in the Fifteenth Century

Description: The present work is intended to ascertain the most important stylistic developments of one major composer, Binchois, and several lesser composers: Grenon, Fontaine, Vide, Joye, Constans, Morton and Hayne. All of these musicians were employed by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy (1420-1467), when he was one of the richest, most powerful and most respected of all the sovereigns of Europe.
Date: January 1955
Creator: Couch, Reginald Leon
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Gustav Holst as a Choral Composer: His Life, Factors Influencing His Compositions, His Place in English Music, and a Consideration of the Principal Stylistic Elements of His Choral Music

Description: "An amiable personality, not himself an unusually passionate man, HoIst has excited more violent passions than any other contemporary English composer. How difficult he is to assess as a creative artist is perhaps indicated by the extraordinary fluctuations in his reputation." For a number of years he was completely unknown and ignored, living a quiet and unhurried life as an obscure teacher. Then with a momentary flash, after outstanding works such as "The Planets," and the "Ode to Death," he … more
Date: June 1959
Creator: Daugherty, Leonard Valson
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Dichterliebe by Robert Schumann

Description: The purpose of this work, an analysis of the song cycle Dichterliebe (Op. 48) by Robert Schumann, is to recognize the special features of the songs which will contribute to their understanding and musical interpretation and performance. The Dichterliebe was chosen as the composition to be analyzed because of its prominent position in the vocal literature of the Romantic period.
Date: August 1957
Creator: Davidson, Hubert Neil
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Treatment of the Leading Soprano Roles in Selected Operas of Benjamin Britten: Peter Grimes, The Rape of Lucretia, Albert Herring, and Gloriana

Description: Benjamin Britten is one of the foremost contemporary English composers. He has successfully revived English opera, dead since Purcell, and this is one of his most significant contributions to the contemporary music world. Therefore, the purpose of this document is to give the reader some insight into Britten' s operatic style. The first chapter contains a sketch of Britten's life with particular reference to his operas, along with general characteristics of his writing. The following chapter h… more
Date: August 1956
Creator: Davis, Dolores Su
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Stravinsky's use of the Trumpet and Cornet

Description: This thesis examines the history of the use of trumpet and cornet, and analyzes their use in several Stravinsky pieces: Petroushka, The Rite of Spring, L'Histoire du soldat, and Ragtime. The study concludes that Stravinsky, at the time of the composition of the analyzed pieces, was instrumental in elevating the cornets and trumpets to a more important position in the orchestra.
Date: August 1959
Creator: Deemer, Patricia Eileen
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Beethoven's Choral Fugal Technique

Description: It is the purpose of this thesis to offer some pertinent information in the form of a documentary symposium and analytical study in which historical and technical matters relative to Beethoven's fugal techniques in his choral compositions will be presented. References to specific musical examples in this composer's works will be illustrated by diagrammatic and verbal analyses, and correlated with the pagination of the scores of his complete works as published by Breitkopf and Hartel.
Date: January 1958
Creator: Doering, Harold Owen
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Musical Value of Ten Band Class Methods for Junior High School Level

Description: The purpose of this thesis is to present a detailed evaluation of the musical value in ten leading class band methods suitable for use in the junior high school. Presentation of tone production, mechanics of the instruments, and placement of beginning tones are discussed only when the value of the music is directly involved.
Date: August 1950
Creator: Dorsey, Harold B.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Evolution of the Scherzo Through Beethoven

Description: It would be impossible to trace the evolution of the form of the scherzo without treating also to some extent the history of the minuet, as the scherzo would hardly have come into being in the way it did had there not been the minuet, even though as the scherzo grew to maturity it resembled less and less its parent-form. This thesis examines the early use and origin of the scherzo, and its use and evolution in the works of Beethoven.
Date: July 1957
Creator: Dower, Tamara
Partner: UNT Libraries
Back to Top of Screen