In Capriccio. Richard Strauss and Clemens Krauss examine the very nature of opera with the core of their thesis being the relationship of words and music. A work that is, in essence, an extended discussion poses two problems to the composer and librettist: how to sustain the argument of the thesis without losing the attention of the audience, and how to prevent a conversational opera from sounding like endless recitative. Strauss and Krauss manage to present their case without having to resort to an actual discussion for the duration of the opera. Their characters are engaging, identifiable human beings who are also allegorical figures. Their participation in the stage action sustains the argument of the thesis even when the dialogue itself addresses other subjects. The players symbolize various facets of opera, theatre, and the public with all of them, principal and secondary characters, being sharply etched. The little stage action that Capriccio does contain is carefully paced and closely coordinated with the presentation of the work's thesis. The octets, similar in dramatic function to the central finale of a Mozart opera buffa, provide the climax of the stage action and come soon after the Fugal Debate, the centerpiece of the collaborators' argument. The final section of the central scene, which also contains the aforementioned octets and Fugal Debate, serves as the denouement of both the plot and thesis. Such close attention to dramatic structure gives Capriccio and the argument it presents cohesion and dramatic shape. The text itself is written in clear, concise prose and is set in Strauss's patented "conversational style." This style, a rapid syllabic declamation, is delivered "mezza voce" in order to simulate natural speech and is sung over continuous melos in the orchestra. This accompaniment keeps it from sounding like dry recitative. This study explores the …
This presentation demonstrates the significance both historically and aesthetically of the obscure Portuguese composer Carlos Seixas, (1704-1742), to the development of the keyboard sonata during the transitional period between the Baroque and Classic eras. The relationship between Seixas and his better-known colleague Domenico Scarlatti is explored and particular musical styles and techniques generally assumed as innovations of the latter composer are shown to exist in keyboard works of Seixas which probably pre-date those of Scarlatti. Thematically-related multi-movement sonatas and structural techniques anticipating the ternary single-movement sonata design are illustrated in several of Seixas1 sonatas. In addition to the recorded performance of selected sonatas by Seixas, this dissertation includes three tape recordings of selected piano works by J. S. Bach, Barber, Beethoven, Chopin, Franck, Prokofieff, and Scriabin.
Erwin Schulhoff (1894–1942) was a Czechoslovakian musician born in Prague, to a German-Jewish family, and whose life came to a premature end in 1942 at the Wülzburg concentration camp, near Weißenburg, Bavaria. Schulhoff’s life, compositional style, and two of his flute works are addressed in this dissertation: Sonata for flute and pianoforte, WV 86, and Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass, WV 75. Each work is considered as a discrete entity, and insight provided into the structure of the music; stylistic and compositional influences, form, phrase structure, and other aspects are discussed. The intended audience is the flutist seeking knowledge regarding the historical significance and performance of each piece. The analysis and summary of Schulhoff’s life and primary flute works will contribute to the understanding of performance scholarship of his music and provide a deeper understanding of the composer, from the perspective of musical and compositional style.
This lecture-recital deals with the two percussion sextets of Carlos Chavez. Each of the compositions is analyzed by examining compositional characteristics and performance problems. The selection, substitution, and construction of the necessary instruments for performance are explored. Suggestions for stage set-up are also included. The percussion ensemble has become an integral part of most high school and university percussion programs. Much of the literature composed for this medium has not become part of the standard literature. Chlvez's Toccata has obtained its place in the literature—it is one of the most often performed percussion works in the world. Although Tambuco has not yet attained the same status as Toccata, it is, nevertheless, an important contribution to the literature. An attempt is also made to identify the significance of these works by examining some of the early influences on Chavez's compositional style both from his native Mexico, and from other composers writing for percussion ensembles.
Zvklus (1959) by Karlheinz Stockhausen and Duettino Concertante (1966) by Ingolf Dahl represent two of the most significant percussion compositions that present the percussionist as soloist. The performer of these works, either unaccompanied or accompanied by a non-percussion instrument, is featured as executant, interpreter, and improvisor. They are regarded as classics in the medium of multiple percussion because of their frequency of performance and their profound effect on notation, musical composition, and the technical expectations of the percussionist. This paper examines these compositions and their historical significance to both percussion literature and the percussionist. Each of these compositions is analzyed by examining instrumentation, compositional procedures, and performance problems. Finally, the notational procedures and role of the performer in these compositions are compared. A discussion of the development of the percussion batterie, percussion ensemble, and the important early solo multiple percussion compositions provides historical perspective for these compositions. This perspective is enhanced by consideration of biography, influences, and stylistic development of each composer.
The purpose of this paper is to identify Spanish elements in the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti and to determine the extent of their use. All 555 sonatas in facsimile edition, edited by Ralph Kirkpatrick, were compared to the printed anthologies of Spanish folk music by Kurt Schindler and Felipe Pedrell as well as recordings of authentic Spanish folk music. The study concludes that Scarlatti incorporated Spanish musical elements extensively. In some sonatas, fragments of folk tunes occur, but always with some rhythmical alterations or melodic elaborations. Only K. 513 contains an entire folk tune. Scarlatti evidently wrote melodies of folk-like quality and did not merely copy the folk tunes.
The present study makes available a modern performing edition of an eighteenth-centyry clarinet concerto. Written by the Mannheim oboist and composer Ludwig August Lebrun, the Concerto in B-flat for solo clarinet and orchestra has existed solely as a set of manuscript parts for over 200 years. The following chapters present biographical information on Ludwig August Lebrun as an oboist and composer of the late eighteenth century, the historical background of Lebrun's Concerto in B-flat. a thematic and harmonic analysis of the concerto's three movements, and a summary of the procedures followed in preparing the present edition of orchestral parts and piano reduction. Contemporaneous sources which provided pertinent performance practice information in the areas of articulation and ornamentation are also discussed. A copy of the piano reduction and orchestral performing parts are included in the appendices.
This study deals with trombone soloists and music of nineteenth-century Germany. Much of the discussion is based on the influence of two trombone virtuosos, Carl Traugott Queisser (1800-1846) and Friedrich August Belcke (1795- 1874) . Finally, a style and form analysis is given of several representative trombone compositions of the period. These include Ferdinand David's Concertino. Op. 4, Friedebald Grafe's Concerto. and Josef Serafin Alschausky's Concerto No. I.
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