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The Solo Piano Collections "Reaching Out" and "Travels Through Sound" by Emma Lou Diemer: Pedagogical Guidelines for Contemporary Techniques for Intermediate-Level Students

Description: Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927) is a leading American composer, pianist, and educator. Although she composed many outstanding advanced-level piano works, she also believes that composing for other levels is a good discipline for composers. Her two collections Reaching Out and Travels Through Sound contain various contemporary techniques that are highly approachable for intermediate-level students. The purpose of this study is to provide a pedagogical guide to contemporary elements present in these co… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Yum, Ji-Eun
Partner: UNT Libraries

William Gillock's Contributions to Piano Pedagogy: A Comparison of Three Works of Gillock with Selected Stylistic Models from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic Repertoire

Description: William Gillock, a 20th-century American composer and pedagogue, composed numerous works in the styles of different periods for early intermediate-level piano students. The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce Gillock's pieces to teachers of early intermediate students and illustrate how they can be used as a bridge to the study of similar music from Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods. Gillock's Little Suite in Baroque Style is compared with Handel's Suite in E Major, HWV 430; his… more
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Date: December 2019
Creator: Zhan, Le
Partner: UNT Libraries
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A Performance-and-Analysis Approach to a Cadential Ambiguity: Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35, First Movement

Description: Pianists often have trouble in determining where a phrase ends, or in other words, cadence identification. This is especially true of certain cadences that can be considered either as half cadences or authentic cadences. This analytically ambiguous cadential point can result in different performance decisions, so pianists should make informed decisions about what kind of cadence it is. This study aims to investigate such cadential ambiguity shown at points of phrase boundaries by focusing on Ch… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Kim, Yereum
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Marc-André Hamelin's "Variations on a Theme of Paganini": The Effect of Polystylism through Pastiche and Musical Borrowing in Variations

Description: Paganini's 24th caprice still remains to this day one of the most celebrated themes in classical music history. Many composers have used this theme to create variations and each composer attempted to produce stylistically unique variations on this piece. Hamelin's Variations on a Theme of Paganini stands out because his piece incorporates musical borrowing and many different composers' styles. His variations integrate music from different centuries, using pastiche and musical borrowing from fig… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Kim, Warren
Partner: UNT Libraries
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The Keyboard Toccatas of Michelangelo Rossi (ca. 1602-1656): Performance Perspectives for Organists

Description: This dissertation provides comprehensive performance perspectives for the interpretation of the published keyboard toccatas by Michelangelo Rossi (ca.1602-1656) in his collection, Toccate e Correnti d'Intavolatura d'Organo e Cimbalo (c. 1634). This document consults the following sources on keyboard practice in the early-Baroque period: Girolamo Diruta's Il Transilvano Dialogo Sopra Il Vero Modo Di Sonar Organi, & Istromenti da penna (1593); Adriano Banchieri's Conclusioni nel Suono dell'Organo… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Van Rooyen, Hentus
Partner: UNT Libraries

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: A Newly Arranged Edition of the Orchestral Reduction

Description: As it stands, only one arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 23 orchestral reduction exists, which is by Tchaikovsky himself. A number of critical editions of the piece exist, but none of them cover the subject of the material within the orchestral reduction. Tchaikovsky wrote the reduction from a compositional rather than a pianistic perspective, thus some passages present awkward technical challenges. The purpose of this dissertation is ultimately to contribute to the reperto… more
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Date: December 2019
Creator: Parys, Marcin
Partner: UNT Libraries

A Study of Selected Pedagogical Aspects of Two Intercultural Pieces for Late Intermediate and Early Advanced Students: "Variations sur un thème populaire coréen" by Sung-Ki Kim and "Six Pieces for Piano ‘Nori'" by Chung-Sock Kim

Description: I contend that young students should be introduced to intercultural contemporary music, as this exposure brings benefits to their artistic development and fosters appreciation of other cultures. Variations sur un thème populaire coréen by Sung-Ki Kim (b. 1954) and Six Pieces for Piano ‘Nori' by Chung-Sock Kim (b. 1940) are effective pedagogical works that fit perfectly into the intercultural mold mentioned above, and both are suitable for late intermediate or early advanced level students. A de… more
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Date: December 2019
Creator: Choi, Yujin
Partner: UNT Libraries
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A Holy Night: 10 Arrangements of Timeless Carols: Preparing Early Advanced Piano Students for Standard Repertoire

Description: It is often challenging for early advanced piano students to move from intermediate level repertoire to standard repertoire because the techniques and difficulties present in the new repertoire are simply too overwhelming for them. "A Holy Night: 10 Arrangements of Timeless Carols" can help bridge the gap between the two repertoire categories by introducing several advanced techniques and combinations of techniques to early advanced students in a non-overwhelming way. Several standard technique… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Nahkur, Hando
Partner: UNT Libraries

Uncovering Fanny Hensel's "Das Jahr": Creating an Urtext Edition that Addresses Selected Technical and Interpretive Issues through Added Fingerings and Pedal Markings

Description: Das Jahr is considered Fanny Hensel's most impressive accomplishment of piano solo work. However, the only modern edition that is extant includes many additional editorial markings. By further analyzing the sections that are technically challenging or musically demanding from an interpretive standpoint, pianists wishing to perform the work will have to find workable fingerings and pedal markings to learn this piano cycle. For this reason, this dissertation will not only provide readers with an … more
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Date: December 2019
Creator: Huang, Szu Ying
Partner: UNT Libraries
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"Mich dürstet" (I Thirst) by Younghi Pagh-Paan and the Jeju 4.3 Incident: Images and Piano Textures

Description: Younghi Pagh-Paan is a female Korean-German composer. Although being a prolific composer, she has only twice composed for piano solo. Pagh-Paan's Mich Drüstet (I Thirst) is a piano solo work and based on the tragedy in Korea, the Jeju 4.3 Incident in 1948. Even though the Jeju 4.3 incident triggered mora than 30,000 casualties, I Thirst is the only music to commemorate the incident, as commissioned by the pianist Kaya Han. This study of I Thirst highlights her musical textures for the piano and… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Kim, Seongkyul
Partner: UNT Libraries
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A Comparative Study of Polyphonic Techniques in Chang-Lei Zhu's Ballade for Solo Piano

Description: In Chinese contemporary piano music, large-scale piano compositions featuring innovative polyphonic musical languages are rarely found. Chang-Lei Zhu's Ballade for Solo Piano represents his development of contrapuntal techniques passed on from J. S. Bach and Dmitri Shostakovich in their polyphonic works for solo keyboard or piano. This study focuses on an analysis of Zhu's Ballade as an idiosyncratic composition that makes a significant contribution to the Chinese contemporary piano music reper… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Rong, Xing
Partner: UNT Libraries
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An Introduction to Contemporary Characteristics in Twentieth-Century Piano Music for the Late-Intermediate Student: A Pedagogical Analysis of the Bagatelles, Opus 5 by Alexander Tcherepnin

Description: Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977) was a Russian-born American composer, his musical style represents the modern and diverse features of much twentieth-century piano music. The purpose of this research is to conduct a comprehensive pedagogical analysis of Alexander Tcherepnin's Bagatelles, Op. 5 with the goal of introducing contemporary characteristics in twentieth-century piano music for the late-intermediate student. Chapter 2 contains overall biographical information regarding Alexander Tchere… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Ai, Meilin
Partner: UNT Libraries

Stephen Chatman's Piano Fantasies (1993): An Instructional and Performance Guide for Teachers and Intermediate Piano Students

Description: Contemporary repertoire is not commonly taught or explored by teachers during the intermediate level, when a student's musical training is transitioning to an advanced level. Nonetheless, it is important for piano instructors to be open-minded about contemporary music and have some perspective on the development of music repertoire in the future. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a performance and pedagogical guide to Stephen Chatman's (b. 1950) Fantasies, from both technical and a… more
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Date: May 2019
Creator: Li, Hanhan
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Kaikhosru Sorabji's Rapsodie Espagnole de Maurice Ravel, Transcription de Concert pour piano: A Comparison of the Two Versions from 1923 and 1945

Description: Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892-1988) was an English composer-pianist of Parsi descent. Although he composed many works for piano, these compositions remain largely unknown to the public due to the composer's self-imposed 40-year ban on public performances of all his works and the immense technical difficulty of his music. This research proposes a comparative study of Sorabji's two versions of Rapsodie espagnole de Maurice Ravel-Transcription de concert pour piano (1923, 1945). These transcrip… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Chu, Fang-Yi
Partner: UNT Libraries
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An Instructional Guide to Teaching Dan Beaty's Woodsprite and Waterbug Collection for Intermediate Piano Students and Instructors

Description: The purpose of this dissertation is to offer a pedagogical guide to Woodsprite and Waterbug Collection (1977) by Dan Beaty (1937-2002) through an analysis of its pedagogical values and teaching applications. This set consists of twelve short, intermediate-level pieces, featuring various contemporary idioms. Each piece is also pedagogically written to help intermediate students to refine specific pianistic techniques beyond the elementary level. In addition, Beaty's collection expands students' … more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Hung, Sophie (Shuo-Hui)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Comparative Study of Piano Etudes by György Sandor Ligeti and Unsuk Chin: A Technical and Stylistic Guide to Mastering the Difficulties of Their Etudes

Description: Unsuk Chin (b.1961), a Korean-born woman composer, was a student of Gyorgy Sandor Ligeti (1923-2006). Chin's work reflects the influence of Ligeti but also undeniably has its own style. This study investigates the six piano etudes so far published from 12 Piano Etudes (1995-2003) by Unsuk Chin and compares them with Ligeti's piano etudes to highlight the influence of the teacher on the student and to aid pianists in facing the unique technical challenges posed by both sets of etudes. The practi… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Jang, Miyoun
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Two Argentine Song Sets: A Comparison of Songs by De Rogatis and Ginastera

Description: Latin American classical vocal repertoire is vast, but in the United States, we only hear a fairly limited part of this literature. Much of this repertoire blends western European classical music traditions and native folk music traditions. One example of such a Latin American vocal work that is well-known in the United States is Alberto Ginastera's frequently performed song set from 1943, Cinco canciones populares argentinas. However, another lesser-known, earlier work, Cinco canciones argenti… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Abe, Shoko
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Assessing Perception and Attitude of Pianists toward Ergonomically Scaled Piano Keyboards (ESPK): Raising Awareness about ESPK and Evaluating Changes of Attitude through an Educational Survey

Description: As epidemiologic research demonstrates health concerns for hand problems among pianists, scientists are measuring historic piano keyboards and realizing that much of the piano literature was composed for and played on pianos with smaller keys compared to what is used on the modern piano. Having to play this literature on a larger keyboard is especially difficult for small-handed piano students and professionals. Fortunately, smaller keyboards are now available for use with standard pianos - and… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Son, Youjoo
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Musical Time and Memory: A Bergsonian Interpretation of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op. 32 No. 10 in B Minor

Description: This study uses Bergson's concepts of duration and spontaneous (now termed episodic) memory to reveal how musical material in Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op. 32 No. 10 in B Minor (1910) turns back on itself in recurring remembrances of its own past, bringing the listener out of ordinary time; a process that mirrors themes both from Rachmaninoff's life, and Arnold Böcklin's Die Heimkehr, the painting that inspired this piece. Time perception slows or even suspends when one reflects on the past, eithe… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Buxton, Robert S.
Partner: UNT Libraries
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First Movement of Robert Schumann's Piano Sonata Op. 14 in F Minor from the Performer's Perspective: An Analytical Study of Four Editions

Description: The objective of this dissertation is to review the discrepancies between Concert Sans Orchestre and Grande Sonate edited by Ernst Herttrich, Grosse Sonate No.3 Op.14 Erste and Zweite Ausgabe edited by Clara Schumann of Robert Schumann's No.3 Op.14, providing assistance for performers by clarifying inconsistencies between the three editions. Information in reference to major aspects such as notes, rhythms, metronome marking and expression signs is presented. Examples of discrepancies found thro… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Wang, Xiao (Pianist)
Partner: UNT Libraries
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John Ireland's Piano Sonata (1918-1920) and the Influence of Johannes Brahms

Description: John Ireland is one of the most important British composers of the twentieth century. Many scholars believe the works of his early period were deeply influenced by Brahms. After graduating from the Royal College of Music, Ireland went on to develop a much more individual musical language, with influence from contemporary French composers. However, the young composer found himself confronted with the challenge of finding a new and personal style without turning wholly to impressionism or to chro… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Su, I-Shan
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Ross Lee Finney's 32 Piano Games and Stephen Chatman's Amusements: A Comparison of Two Pedagogical Approaches to Contemporary Musical Elements and Techniques

Description: Piano instructors often have to work as a bridge connecting music from the past and the future. From a pedagogical viewpoint, contemporary works should be considered just as important as those in the standard repertoire. Yet, most piano instructors are skewed towards modern music and their teaching materials are focused on eighteenth and nineteenth century repertoire. It is essential for them to introduce various kinds of music from different periods and cultures in order to fully develop a stu… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Kim, Sooyun (Pianist)
Partner: UNT Libraries
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An Analytical Perspective of the Developing Aesthetic Concepts in Sergey Prokofiev's Choses en soi, Op. 45

Description: The purpose of this study is to analyze the compositional techniques in Choses en soi op.45, by Sergey Prokofiev, and to explore the new aesthetic concepts he claimed to include in this composition. Through the examination of the compositional elements and discussion of its salient characteristics.
Date: December 2017
Creator: Liu, Tzu-Yi
Partner: UNT Libraries
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