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Dmitri Shostakovich and the Fugues of Op. 87: A Bach Bicentennial Tribute

Description: In 1950-51, for the bicentennial of the death of J. S. Bach, Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his collection of Twenty-four Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87. This thesis is a study of the fugal technique of Shostakovich as observed in Op. 87, in light of the fugal style of Bach as observed in The Well-Tempered Clavier, Volume One. Individual analyses of each of the twenty-four Shostakovich pieces yield the conclusion that Op. 87 is an emulation of Bachian fugal methods as observed in The Well-Tempered Clav… more
Date: August 1981
Creator: Adams, Robert M. (Robert Michael)
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A History of Concert Waltzes for Piano (Lecture-Recital) Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works by Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Schubert, J.S. Bach, Reger, Adams, Covino, Chopin, Schönberg, Ives, and Beethoven

Description: The first three recitals contained solely performances of piano music. The first one consisted of an Etude-Tableau by Rachmaninov, the Capriccio by Stravinsky (the chamberensemble accompaniment arranged for second piano), and the great Sonata in A minor by Schubert. The second recital contained a Prelude and Fugue by J. S. Bach, Reger's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Bach, a Romance by the performer, Peter Covino's Toccatina Op. 4 No. 8, and Chopin's Nocturne Op. 55 No. 2 and Scherzo in E. … more
Date: May 1978
Creator: Adams, William Lloyd, Jr.
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The Flute Professors of the Paris Conservatoire from Devienne to Taffanel, 1795-1908

Description: Since its establishment (1795), the Paris Conservatoire has attracted top-ranking flutists who, through their playing, teaching, writings, and attitudes, (toward the Boehm flute, for example), have influenced flutists and composers throughout Europe. Through Paul Taffanel, who founded the Societe d'Instruments a Vent in 1876, standards of woodwind playing reached new heights. When Taffanel's students, Georges Laurent and Georges Barrere, emigrated to the United States, they influenced the style… more
Date: August 1980
Creator: Ahmad, Patricia
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A Stylistic Evaluation of Charles Valentin Alkan's Piano Music: a Lecture Recital, together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Liszt, Schumann, and Villa-Lobos

Description: Charles Valentin Alkan (1813-1888), one of the great genii in music history, was widely misunderstood by his contemporaries because of his highly idiosyncratic ideas. From the perspective of the late twentieth century, his innovations can be better understood, and his music is now gaining wider appreciation. Yet, today many musicians still do not know even his name, much less his achievements. The year 1988 marks the one hundredth year since his death. In commemoration of this centennial annive… more
Date: December 1988
Creator: Ahn, Joel, 1957-
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A Study of Style and Influence in the Early Schools of Violin Making Circa 1540 to Circa 1800

Description: Chapter I of this thesis details contemporary historical views on the origins of the violin and its terminology. Chapters II through VI study the methodologies of makers from Italy, the Germanic Countries, the Low Countries, France, and England, and highlights the aspects of these methodologies that show influence from one maker to another. Chapter VII deals with matters of imitation, copying, violin forgery and the differences between these categories. Chapter VIII presents a discussion of the… more
Date: December 1987
Creator: Alcorn-Oppedahl, Allison A. (Allison Ann)
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The Choral-Orchestral Works of Hector Berlioz

Description: In this study the choral-orchestral compositions produced by Hector Berlioz are examined in detail for characteristics of musical form, textual setting, and methods of scoring for chorus and orchestra. Reasons for the preponderance of the choral-orchestral medium in Berlioz' output are examined in two introductory chapters. The initial chapter concerns Berlioz' personal experiences as an observer, conductor, and critic of choral music, while the second is devoted to Parisian customs in regard t… more
Date: May 1978
Creator: Alexander, Metche Franke
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Representative Nineteenth-Century Choral Symphonies

Description: This study is concerned with the examination of choral symphonies by major nineteenth-century composers. Its purpose is to delineate the common characteristics which these works have. Emphasis is given to the investigation of the choral elements in the symphonies. Detailed musicological studies of nineteenth-century music are minimal; there has. been a particular lack of interest in nineteenth-century works for chorus. Therefore, the principal sources of data for this study were the full scores… more
Date: December 1971
Creator: Alexander, Metche Franke
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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
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A Musical and Dramatic Analysis of the Principal Tenor Roles in Mozart's Singspiele

Description: This paper will examine one area of Mozart's work, the Singspiele. This study is an analysis of the principal tenor roles of Mozart's Singspiele. The organization for analyzing these works conforms to three periods in Mozart's life. (1) Childhood and Early Youth, to 1774; (2) The Period of the First Masterworks, 1774-1781; and (3) The Years in Vienna, 1781-1791. Related biographical data and historical background have been utilized in discussing each work. Because the Singspiele is a musical co… more
Date: December 1970
Creator: Alexander, Ronald C. (Ronald Curby)
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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
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Drama and Characterization in Opera Settings of "A Midsummer Nightʼs Dream" by Britten and Siegmeister

Description: Although Shakespeare deliberately downplays characterization in his moonlit dream fantasy, both Britten and Siegmeister exploit this dramatic element as the basis of their opera settings of the play. Through the operas, the shallow characters take on new dimensions, creating musical experiences existing quite independently of Shakespeare, while at the same time retaining the atmosphere of a dream-fantasy. Placing emphases upon varying aspects of the play, the two composers create entirely diffe… more
Date: August 1982
Creator: Allen, Debra K. (Debra Kaye)
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Stylistic Analysis of "Banalités" by Francis Poulenc

Description: Because of the nature of the poetry, the interpretation of Banalites in this study has involved certain subjective decisions. These deductions were, nevertheless, colored by statements of the poet, the composer, and authorities on each. This is not to imply, however, that this is the only interpretation. Both poet and composer have given evidence that their creation requires a subjective response on the part of the interpreter. This is perhaps the greatest challenge offered by the work.
Date: January 1968
Creator: Allen, Joy Ann
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An Investigation of Holland's Theory of Vocational Personalities and Work Environments As Applied to Undergraduate Music Majors

Description: Holland's theory of vocational personalities and work environments incorporates four theoretical constructs (congruence, consistency, differentiation and identity) which attempt to explain sources in variability of achievement and satisfaction among employed adults and college students. This study sought to: (1) investigate the relationship of Holland's constructs to academic achievement and educational satisfaction of undergraduate music majors; (2) investigate differences in all variables acc… more
Date: August 1989
Creator: Allen, Michael, 1954-
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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
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Carlos Seixas: The Development of the Keyboard Sonata in Eighteenth-Century Portugal. A Lecture Recital Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of Johann Sebastian Bach, Samuel Barber, Ludwig van Beethoven, Fréderic Chopin, César Franck, Sergei Prokofieff, and Alexander Scriabin

Description: 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… more
Date: August 1982
Creator: Allison, Brian J. (Brian Jerome)
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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
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The Chorale Partita in the Baroque Period, A Lecture Recital, Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of J. S. Bach, C. Franck, M. Duruflé, D. Buxtehude, J. Alain, J. G. Walther, Roger-Ducasse, H. Willan, J. Dandrieu, J. Langlais, J. Guillou, J. P. Sweelinck, J. Reubke, G. Bohm, and Others

Description: The lecture recital was given on August 9, 1974. Chorale partitas by Sweelinck, Scheidt, B051hm, and Walther were performed following a lecture on the chorale partita in the Baroque period. The lecture included a discussion of the instruments that the partitas were written for and the functions for which they were written. The works of Sweelinck and Scheidt and their influence on later composers were discussed. A number of lesser-known composers and their works were mentioned. Also, there was a… more
Date: December 1974
Creator: Anderson, David Zane
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Transcribing Orchestral Accompaniments of Large Choral Works for the Organ

Description: The art of transcribing orchestral accompaniments for organ is one of the most difficult problems which organists must face. Although a few will become professional recitalists, most organists will at one time or other have a church position and be required to play oratorios and other large choral compositions which were originally scored for orchestra. Several of the most popular of these works (Handel's Messiah, Saint-Saëns's Christmas Oratorio, Fauŕe's Requiem) have already been arranged for… more
Date: August 1966
Creator: Anderson, David Zane
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Contemporary Music Studies for the Concert Band

Description: The purpose of this thesis is to isolate the techniques presently being used by composers and to define and explain these techniques. The thesis concludes with a series of studies based on these twentieth-century compositional techniques for high school students in the form of warm-up and technique materials. The purpose of this study was to devise a sequence of studies designed to acquaint band members with twentieth-century composition techniques found in contemporary band literature.
Date: August 1970
Creator: Anderson, William R. (William Ralph)
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Handel and Three Prima Donnas: Reciprocal Influences, a Lecture Recital, Together with Two Recitals of Selected Works of W. A. Mozart, F. Schubert, H. Wolf, R. Strauss, G. Fauré, C. Debussy, D. Moore, and Others, and Opera Roles by Pleyel and Rossini

Description: The lecture recital was given April 1, 1974. Eighteenth-century accounts of the voices and performing styles of Francesca Cuzzoni, Faustina Bordoni, and Anna Strada del Pò were related to six opera arias written for them by George Frideric Handel. The arias, accompanied by harpsichord, violin, and violoncello, were performed with added original ornamentation. In addition to the lecture recital two other public recitals and two opera roles were performed. The first solo recital was on February 1… more
Date: May 1974
Creator: Armes, Mary Beth
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A Survey of the Influence of Heinrich Schenker on American Music Theory and Its Pedagogy Since 1940

Description: This study investigates the influence of the Austrian music theorist Heinrich Schenker on American music theory since 1940, including a survey of writings related to Schenker and theory textbooks displaying his influence. The Schenker influence on American music theory includes many journal articles on Schenker and his principal students. His methods are employed often in analytical discussions of various issues. In addition to numerous dissertations and theses written about Schenker, a number … more
Date: December 1974
Creator: Austin, John C.
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An Investigation of the Laryngeal Activity of Trumpet Players During the Performance of Selected Exercises

Description: The study's purpose was to describe selected laryngeal activity of brass-wind players during the performance of selected musical exercises. Research problems included the observation and description of three internal areas of activity of ten trumpeters as they performed each exercise. Specific areas of observation were 1) movement of the epiglottis during the performance of each exercise, 2) movement of the vocal folds/arytenoid cartilage which includes changes in the size of the glottis during… more
Date: December 1989
Creator: Bailey, Robert E. (Robert Elwood), 1946-
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