Music Theses and Dissertations

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A History of Bands in the United States Navy
(1967) McCuen, Joseph M.; McCorkle, Donald D.; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
ALTHOUGH THE NAVY HAS HAD BANDS SINCE THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY, LITTLE HAS BEEN WRITTEN CONCERNING THE BACKGROUND, DEVELOPMENT, AND PURPOSE OF THIS DIVISION OF OUR NAVY. THIS WORK ENCOMPASSES A DETAILED STUDY OF THE ENTIRE BAND PROGRAM. IT BEGINS WITH THE ORIGIN OF NAVAL BANOS AND FOLLOWS THE GROWTH OF THE PROGRAM WITH A DISCUSSION OF THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY BAND, THE U.S. NAVY BAND, THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC, AND THE NUMEROUS GENERAL SERVICE BANDS. THESE INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE AMPLIFIED BY DISCUSSING THE MUSICIANS AND THEIR MUSICAL ABILITIES, THE VARIOUS INSTRUMENTATIONS OF NAVAL BANDS, THE BANDLEADERS AND THEIR QUALIFICATIONS, THE MUSICAL REPERTOIRE OF THESE BANDS 1 THE CURRICULUM AT THE SCHOOL AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN TRAINING BANDSMEN, AND THE ABILITIES OF THESE BANDS AS CONCERT AND DANCE ORGANIZATIONS. FINALLY THE PROGRAM IS EVALUATED BY TWO SPECIAL REPORTS SUBMITTED TO AND AT THE REQUEST OF THE BUREAU OF NAVAL PERSONNEL; ONE REPORT BY A FORMER HEAD OF THE MUSIC PROGRAM, AND THE OTHER BY THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION. THE WRITER ALSO INCLUDES HIS OWN SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS BASED ON HIS KNOWLEDGE AS A NAVY MUSICIAN. THIS IS THE ONLY HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SUBJECT AND HELPS TO EXPLAIN THE PLACE AND IMPORTANCE OF BANDS, BAND MUSIC, AND THE NAVAL MUSICIAN IN RELATION TO THE OTHER DIVISIONS OF THE NAVAL SERVICE.
The Eleventh Fascicle of the Manuscript Florence, Biblloteca Mediceo-Laurenziana, Pluteus 29.1 : A Critical Edition and Commentary
(1975) Aubrey, Elizabeth; Roesner, Edward H.; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The eleventh fascicle of the thirteenth-century manuscript Florence , Biblioteca Mediceo-Laurenziana, Pluteus 29.1 contains sixty monophonic Latin songs related to vernacular refrain forms of the period. Previous research has classified these songs as "rondelli," or Latin rondeaux, based upon their form . Their function as part of the thirteenth-century musical repertoire has received scant treatment by musicologists; thus far no definitive study of fascicle eleven has been undertaken. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the form of the pieces and to determine the probable use for which they were intended. The study first examines the manuscript itself and places it in its proper chronological and geographical position. The contents are described and the significance of the manuscript demonstrated. The style of the poetry and music of the songs in question are compared to twelfth- and thirteenth-century conductus style and are found to be closely related to that genre. The function and style of the conductus are described, and the suggestion is made that the songs in the Florence manuscript functioned in an analogous manner, so that they are best considered to be monophonic conducti. The form and style of the songs is presented in detail. The thirteenth-century theorists' definitions of the term "rondellus" are given, and it ls shown that the Florence pieces probably are not "rondelli." The study concludes with a complete edition of the songs with a critical commentary.
The Complete Songs for Voice and Piano of Albert Roussel
(1976) Stevens, James William; McClelland, Louise; Helm, Eugene; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
Although he was highly thought of during his lifetime, Albert Roussel (1869-1937) now falls into the category of the neglected. Some measure of fame is assured by his ballet Bacchus et Ariane, but aside from this masterpiece few of his compositions are regularly performed, especially outside France, The purpose of this project is to introduce Roussel's 39 songs, many of which, in my opinion, rank alongside the greatest masterpieces of 20th century French song. The project is comprised of two parts: a tape recording of myself singing all of the composer's songs for voice and piano, and an accompanying document which contains information on Roussel's life and composing style, the text and my translation of each song, and other information pertinent to the songs.
Black Gospel Music Styles, 1942-1975: Analysis and Implications for Music Education
(1978) Baker, Barbara Wesley; Folstrom, Roger J.
The purpose of this dissertation is to determine styles and style changes that have occurred in Black gospel music since 1942, and to document those changes with representative cassette recordings. Implications of those changes are presented for secondary music education and for prospective music teacher training. This study should provide a significant addition to the field of music, and to Black music, because of the creation of an analysis model that provides the framework for analysis of styles in Black gospel music. This study also provides access to another musical resource for use in the secondary school music classroom by linking the a nalysis of Black gospel to the practical, educative uses of Black gospel music.
THE VIOLIN CONCERTOS, OPP. 2 AND 3, BY MADDALENA LAURA LOMBARDINI-SIRMEN (c.1735-c.1799)
(1979) Berdes, Jane Louise Baldauf; Helm, E. Eugene; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The 18th-century Venetian Maddalena Laura Lombardini-Sirmen had a complex international career as a protegee of Giuseppe Tartini, violin virtuosa, opera singer, and composer, yet original documents providing information about her are almost nil. This thesis assembles information about the life and works of this gifted woman musician and also provides a bibliographic study and analysis of her best known works: a set of six violin concertos (Opp . 2 and 3), Some 30 individual prints by three publishers--Dutch, French, and English--and 12 manuscripts have been located in 20 libraries of eight nations for these concertos, A discussion of Lombardini-Sirmen's style characteristics takes place within the context of concerto composition in the Lombardia-Venetia region of Tartini's influence and in that of the broader, European , pre-Haydn-and-Mozart sphere of influence, The discussion concludes that Lombardini-Sirmen's concertos belong to the high classical style period, In the Appendixes are a copy of Tartini's historic pedagogical "Letter" addressed to Lombardini-Sirmen (in an English translation by Charles Burney); a thematic index of the complete works by the composer and her husband, Lodovico Sirmen, A copy of the keyboard transcription of t he concertos, done by Tommaso Giordani and published in London circa 1773, is separately bound.
Kirsten Flagstad Discography
(1981) Sanner, Howard C.; Serwer, Howard J.; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
Kirsten Flagstad, the leading Wagnerian soprano of her generation, left a legacy of more than 900 recordings. In a recording career that spanned 46 years, she recorded for the Scandinavian branches of Odeon, His Master's Voice (HMV), and Columbia, and made records for the international market on the HMV, RCA Victor, and Decca (London Records in the U.S.A.) labels. In addition, recordings exist of many of her frequent broadcast appearances with the Metropolitan, San Francisco, Chicago, and Covent Garden Operas, as welI as from such then-popular variety programs as the Ford Sunday Evening Hour, General Motors Hour, RCA Magic Key, and Kraft Music HalI. Company files, record catalogues, and correspondence with private collectors, some of them Flagstad's friends, were used to assemble the information. By such means it was possible in most cases to determine matrix numbers, recording dates, and issue numbers of 78s, LPs, and noncommercial records. A Iist of known interviews and other recordings of her speaking voice is included, as is a list of alI known broadcasts, whether or not a recording of them is known to exist. Although best known as a singer of Wagner's operas, Flagstad's repertoire on records reflects wide-ranging versatility. Besides Wagner, she recorded operas by Beethoven, Gluck, and PurcelI; her concert and recital repertoire Includes Bach, Bax, Delius, Elgar, Grieg, Rossini, Schubert, Schumann, Sibelius, Strauss, and Wolf. She also performed the music of many lesser-known composers, especially Norwegians, and recorded some 46 hymns with organ. Her records document the career of one of the twentieth century's leading singers and prevailing performance practice in a large segment of the standard repertoire.
THE GENRE CHARACTER PIECES OF KAROL SZYMANOWSKI: A COMPLETE RECORDING
(1981) Barroll, Rayna Sue Klatzkin; Gordon, Stewart; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) is a transitional figure whose work bridges late nineteenth-century romanticism and the twentieth-century movement away from tonality. The fifty-four genre character pieces, which are recorded on tape as the major portion of this study, delineate the evolution of his style: his origins in a highly chromatic nineteenth-century medium, influenced by Chopin and Skriabin; his flirtation with atonality; and finally, the realization of a personal twentieth-century style, affected by his exposure to the music of Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Skriabin, and also by his immersion in the indigenous folk-music of one of the regions of his country. The Nine Preludes, Opus 1, completed by the time he was eighteen, are intensely personal, finely wrought and quasi-improvisational in nature. Even in some of these early, passionate outcries, which show the specific imprint of Chopin and early Skriabin, however, there is an avoidance of the resolution of dissonance which definitely mark Szymanowski as a twentieth-century composer. There are prophetic suggestions, here and in the Opus 4 Etudes, of atonality and also of the bitonality that dominates much of his later music. The Twelve Etudes, Opus 33, written in 1916 , are already in a full-fledged twentieth-century idiom. The etudes, which are dissonant, usually bitonal, tending toward atonality, show Szymanowski's desire to cast off conventional tonality. He uses seconds and sevenths as predominant colors, pentatonic scales, extended passages of parallel chords, heavy reliance on the tritone, persistent dissonance, and occasional whole-tone scales. The twenty-two Mazurkas written between 1926 and 1935 reflect Szymanowski's involvement with the mountaineers in the Goral region of the High Tatra Mountains in Southern Poland and his enchantment with their culture and their music. Like Bartok, whom he respected and admired, and whose music these late works most immediately resemble, Szymanowski seems to have found his ultimate expression through the indigenous music of his own country. Szymanowski continues in his use of dissonance and bitonality, although the modal orientation of the folk melodies induces a strongly tonal feeling.
The Luther Whiting Mason-Osbourne McConathy Collection
(1983) Hall, Bonlyn Goodwin; Serwer, Howard; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The Mason-McConathy Collection at the Library of Congress contains approximately 700 items, principally nineteenth-century European school song books, folk-song books, and books of vocal pedagogy. The collection belonged to two American music educators, Luther Whiting Mason (1818-1896) and Osbourne McConathy (1875-1947) before being given to the Library of Congress in 1948. This thesis consists of a catalog of the collection and an introductory essay. The catalog organizes the collection into 500 bibliographic records, with indexes by title and personal name. The essay traces the collection's history and relates it to the careers of its two owners. After a brief analysis of the contents, the question of its significance is addressed. This appears to be a unique collection in the United States, for material of its kind and period. Its greater significance, however, lies in its use as source material for songs published in Mason's and McConathy's own American series of school song books. To test the thesis that the collection was so used, Mason's first publication, The First Music Reader, serves as a sample. Of its 64 songs, 48 can be demonstrated to have come from the European song books, most of them German, in the Mason-McConathy Collection. Of those, at least seven have become popular in the United States, as measured by their repeated publication in song anthologies. The collection thus is shown to have special significance as a vehicle through which elements of popular German musical culture have been disseminated in American society.
The King Shall Rejoice (HWV 265) by George Frederic HandeI: a Critical Edition and Commentary
(1987) Brisco, Frederick Arthur; Traver, Paul; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
Heretofore there has been no modern edition available of George Frederic Handel's anthem for chorus and orchestra, The King Shall Rejoice, companion piece to the Dettingen Te Deum. The first part of this project, an edition and commentary, is prepared in accordance with the standards of modern scholarship and at the same time meets the needs of today's performers. The project ls based on the composer's autograph manuscript corrected, where necessary, from the readings in other contemporary sources originating in Handel's circle. Except for one secondary source which is in a private collection and for the moment unavailable, all known sources have been collated prior to determining that the autograph should serve as the copy-text. The process of collating variants led to a hypothesis regarding the filiation of the sources. The edition includes a preface that discusses the events which led to the composition of the anthem and presents what lnformation we have about its first performance. The edition and critical commentary adhere to guidelines adapted from those of the Hallische Handel-Ausgabe, the new complete critical edition of Handel's works. The second part of the project consisted of a performance of the Dettingen Anthem conducted by the editor on April 26,1987 at WiIde Lake High School, Columbia Maryland, with the Columbia Baroque Ensemble based on the the score presented here.
A Study Of Background Characteristics, Preparation, And Perceptions Of Black And Non-Black Performing Musicians As It Relates To Selection And Placement Criteria Within Major And Regional Symphony Orchestras
(1989) Edwards, George Leonard; Craig, Randall J.; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The purpose of this study was twofold. The first was to investigate the extent to which major and regional symphony orchestras employed non-Black and Black musicians. The second was to investigate the background characteristics (education, musical training, culture), Professional experiences, and perceptions of non-Black and Black musicians in major and regional symphony orchestras. The population was composed of 31 major symphony orchestras (orchestras with annual operating budgets in excess of $3.4 million), and 44 regional symphony orchestras (orchestras with annual operating budgets between $950,000 and $3.4 million). From this population, the sample was composed of 75 orchestra managers and 244 performing musicians, 200 non-Black and 44 Black. Data were collected through the use of two questionnaires, one to managers of the orchestras and one to musicians in the orchestras. An analysis of the data was made using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques: frequencies, means, chi-square and MANOVA. The statistical Package from the Social Sciences (SPSS) computer program was used to process the information received in response to questionnaire items. The results revealed that very little progress has been made in hiring Black musicians in symphony orchestras since 1977. There is less than two percent Black employment of musicians in major and regional symphony orchestras. Most of these orchestras have no official training program or activity to increase the number of Black performing musicians, nor is there any significant attempt to recruit qualified Black musicians. Orchestra managers acknowledge the limited participation of Black musicians in symphony orchestras and indicated that few qualified Black musicians apply and audition. This study showed that the background experiences (musical and educational) of the two groups of player personnel (non-Black and Black) were very similar; however, because of the fierce competition for positions, few Blacks apply and audition. It is recommended that early and consistent exposure and a traditional conservatory style of training that concentrates on mastering the instrument and gaining knowledge of the symphony repertoire serve as a means for promoting symphonic music as a career.
The Solo Piano Music of Robert Starer
(1990) Ayesh, Kevin Bradley; Johnson, Roy H.; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
This dissertation consists of a tape recording of the complete solo piano music to date of Robert Starer (b. 1924), and a supplemental, descriptive essay that is designed to be considerably more detailed than the usual booklet that often accompanies commercial presentations of this type. Starer's piano works range from the short to the extensive. He has contributed several genres of keyboard literature: sonatas (one traditional in form, the other unconventional.); a theme and variations; fantasies; toccatas; a fugue; free forms; and preludes, caprices, and other character pieces. The large works include the two sonatas, the fantasy-like Evanescents, The Ideal Self: Fantasy, Variations and Fugue on a Song, and Twilight Fantasies. Smaller character pieces, of which Starer has composed many, exist mainly in collections, such as Five Caprices, Three Israeli Sketches, and At Home Alone. Starer is perhaps best known to pianists through his instructive compositions; most popular are the two sets of Sketches in Color. The dissertation includes a biographical sketch of the composer and a discography of Starer's solo piano works.
Symbolism in the Music of Lili Boulanger: an Analysis of Clairieres dans le ciel
(1993) Dopp, Bonnie Jo; Davis, Shelley; Music; University of Maryland (College Park, Md); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland
French composer Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) lived and worked at a time of experimentation and change in European musical techniques and aesthetics. Her documented interest in French Symbolist literature, her sheltered, sickly life and her mystic personal beliefs were reflected in a style of composition that grew more subjective as she matured. Analysis of her longest work, the song cycle Clairieres dans le ciel, when amplified by specific information about her life, reveals symbolism that parallels personal meanings contemporary Symbolist artists in literature and painting encoded in their work. Other composers of the period engaged in similar semiotic invention, though the term "Symbolist" is seldom applied to them. When critical hallmarks of Symbolist writings are employed, they support the assignation "Symbolist" to the music of Lili Boulanger.
Thirty-Two Transcriptions for Piano of Organ Chorales of J.S. Bach
(1995) Mortensen, John Joseph; Koscielny, Anne; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
Thirty-two new piano transcriptions of selected Bach organ chorales comprise this dissertation. Examples of the various types of the organ chorale are included. Seven pieces from the recently-discovered Neumeister Collection have also been transcribed . Each transcription is accompanied by a commentary which includes the text and translation of the German Reformation hymn upon which the piece is based, a discussion of the music itself and its relationship to the hymn text, and a description of the specific method used in transcribing the piece for piano. The transcriptions themselves cover a range of technical difficulties, from pieces intended for the student to compositions for public performance. Furthermore, some are arranged for piano duet, duo, and in one case, for two pianos, eight hands. The method of transcription varies from an attempt to approximate the organ sound to an approach in which creating a new, thoroughly pianistic timbre is the goal. In some cases significant portions of Bach's originals have been arranged in order to accommodate the piano and its sound.
PERFORMANCE OF THE VIOLIN CONCERTO AND SONATAS OF JOHANNES BRAHMS WITH AN ANALYSIS OF JOSEPH JOACHlM'S INFLUENCE ON HIS VIOLIN CONCERTO
(1997) Hsieh, I-Chun; Heifetz, Daniel A.; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
This dissertation consists of a performance project and extensive studies of selected works by Johannes Brahms, including the Violin Concerto, Sonatensatz, and three Violin Sonatas. The performance project was presented in two recitals at the University of Maryland, College Park, on November 14, 1997, and November 16, 1997. The first recital featured Brahms' s Sonatensatz in C Minor, Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 78 in G Major, and Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 108, in D Minor. The second recital included Brahms' s Violin Sonata No.2, Op. 100, in A Major and Violin Concerto Op. 77, in D Major. Section One gives an overview of this dissertation project. Section Two introduces the violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim, his relationship with Johannes Brahms, and Brahms' s life and major violin works. This section also analyzes Joachim's performance practice and his teaching style. The end of this section focuses on the influence of Joseph Joachim on Brahms' s Violin Concerto and indicates the differences between Brahms' s original manuscript and the version suggested by Joachim. Section Three is composed of the programs of the two recitals. Section Four consists of program notes for the two recitals. The first recital was performed by I-Chun Hsieh, violin and Roy Hakes, piano. The second recital was performed by I-Chun Hsieh, violin and Chia-Hsuan Lee, piano.
SELECTED VIOLIN REPERTOIRE BY CONTEMPORARY KOREAN COMPOSERS
(1997) Kim, Heejoung; Fischbach, Gerald; School of Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
This dissertation deals with violin repertoire of current Korean composers. A survey of this music illustrates the various ways in which Korean composers dealt with their native musical traits on the one hand, and their studies of western techniques on the other hand. This music is rarely performed due to its unavailability and also its complexity. The initial task was one of identifying the Korean composers who write contemporary violin music in order to contact them. This was mostly accomplished with extensive long distance telephone and also a few instances of written or faxed correspondence. Since literature pertaining to the present topic is practically nonexistent in the United States, the generous offerings in the form of books and magazine articles sent by the composers greatly aided in the research. Challenges in the nature of interpretation, unusual violinistic demands, and complex ensemble considerations became the next stage ,of the project once the scores arrived. Performance preparation included stimulating sessions with Dr. Gerald Fischbach who offered many illuminating ideas and ingenious advice in some very unorthodox violin writing. Coachings from members of the Guarneri Quartet also resulted in excellent suggestions. The traditional elements which the composers have at their disposal include Korean scales of three to five tones, rhythmic patterns which are largely based on triplets and triple meter, sonorities of traditional instruments such as the Kaya-gum, and characteristics such as very sustained tempi. The works considered in this study illustrate how these traits are interspersed within twentieth century fabrics of free atonality, the twelve-tone system, quarter-steps, and the intervallic series. Some compositions avoid contemporary techniques by adhering to simple forms and show strong tendencies towards tonality. Still others are highly westernized and only exhibit a few instances of Korean characteristics. The experience of studying and performing this repertoire has culminated in the affirmation that the philosophies of Korean traditional and western musical cultures has been assimilated by contemporary Korean composers to create a musical language that is convincing in its own way.
THE HARMONIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE BLACK RELIGIOUS QUARTET SINGING TRADITION
(1997) Dent, Cedric Carl; Gibson, Robert L.; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The development of folk music in the United States includes many distinct styles of quartet singing. This study examines the harmonic development of black religious quartet singing, a subgenre of black gospel music. This community-based, church-oriented style of quartet singing became popular in the early 1920s and continues to thrive today. This study applies traditional tonal theory, jazz theory and Schenkerian analysis to quartet performances, and through these methods of analysis, identifies and traces threads of harmonic development through the genre, which define stylistic epochs. Threads of development include use of meter and rhythm, call-and-response techniques, function of the bass voice, chord structures and use of added dissonance, number and function of voice parts, and variation techniques in repetitive song structures. The investigation identifies three styles of black religious quartet singing: folk, jubilee, and gospel. The performances examined include "I'm Praying Humble" (1937) by Mitchell's Christian Singers, "One Day When the Lord Will Call Me" (1942) by the Southern Sons and "Mary Don't You Weep" (1959) by the Swan Silvertones. Additionally, a recent trend of development is identified and labeled neo-jubilee, and a performance of ''Mary" (1988) by the vocal group TAKE 6 represents this trend. Complete transcriptions of these performances arc provided for musical analysis. The influence of big band music on the development of black religious quartet singing is also examined. The course of development in quartet singing is strikingly similar to that of big band music and is observable in the aforementioned threads of harmonic development. Finally, group singing is the focus of this study, and only styles that are a cappella or harmonically independent of instrumental accompaniment are examined. Styles where instrumental accompaniment is a part of the fundamental structure of the performance are not examined.
PERFORMANCE OF THE VIOLIN CONCERTO AND SONATAS OF JOHANNES BRAHMS WITH AN ANALYSIS OF JOSEPH JOACHIM'S INFLUENCE ON HIS VIOLIN CONCERTO
(1997) Hsieh, I-Chun; Heifetz, Daniel; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
This dissertation consists of a performance project and extensive studies of selected works by Johannes Brahms, including the Violin Concerto, Sonatensatz, and three Violin Sonatas. The performance project was presented in two recitals at the University of Maryland, College Park, on November 14, 1997, and November 16, 1997. The first recital featured Brahms' s Sonatensatz in C Minor, Violin Sonata No. I, Op. 78 in G Major, and Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 108, in D Minor. The second recital included Brahms' s Violin Sonata No.2, Op. 100, in A Major and Violin Concerto Op. 77, in D Major. Section One gives an overview of this dissertation project. Section Two introduces the violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim, his relationship with Johannes Brahms, and Brahms' s life and major violin works. This section also analyzes Joachim' s performance practice and his teaching style. The end of this section focuses on the influence of Joseph Joachim on Brahms' s Violin Concerto and indicates the differences between Brahms' s original manuscript and the version suggested by Joachim. Section Three is composed of the programs of the two recitals. Section Four consists of program notes for the two recitals. The first recital was performed by I-Chun Hsieh, violin and Roy Hakes, piano. The second recital was performed by I-Chun Hsieh, violin and Chia-Hsuan Lee, piano.
Sonatas for Flute and Piano Composed in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 and Performed at the National Flute Association Conventions in Those Years
(1999) Risinger, KImberly McCoul; Montgomery, William; School of Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
This dissertation project examines recent contributions to the flute sonata genre and provides insights into the compositional techniques of their composers. Because of the abundance of flute sonatas written in the last decade, the scope of this study concentrates on those sonatas composed in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 and performed at the National Flute Association Conventions in those years. The dissertation involves the performance of three recitals which will help to disseminate this literature to professional and lay audiences. The first recital, September 21, 1998, includes sonatas by Samuel Zyman, Gary Schocker and Matthew Halper. The second recital, November 14, 1998, includes sonatas by Elisenda Fabregas and Mike Mower. The third recital, Aprill, 1999, includes sonatas by Martin Hennessy and Jeff Manookian. Extensive program notes for the recitals include a biography of each composer focusing on recent achievements, awards and professional positions and an overview and brief analysis of each work. Appendices provide a listing of each composer's works to date (Appendix A), 1 examples of the main themes from each of the sonatas discussed (Appendix B) and copies of the programs performed (Appendix C). A bibliography is also included. This performance dissertation highlights the effectiveness of the National Flute Association as a vehicle for the creation and performance of new music. By focussing on the sonatas performed at the conventions in the years 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997, the variety of new flute sonatas being composed is illustrated. Insights into each sonata are presented, derived from discussions, interviews (live, telephone and e-mail) and correspondence with each of the composers involved in this project.
GABRIEL FAURE (1845-1924): INNOVATOR OF THE FRENCH MODERN STYLE AS SEEN IN HIS WORKS FOR CELLO AND PIANO
(2003) Oh, Jooeun; Elsing, Evelyn; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Gabriel Faure was a deeply influential leader in establishing modem trends in early twentieth-century French music. His individualistic compositions include both traditional and modern aspects incorporated into his own distinctive style. This doctoral project is a study of Faure's contributions to French chamber-music and explores especially his works for cello. In the first chapter of this dissertation, a brief biography of Faure is presented, and Faure's personal relationships with several influential contemporaries, including Camille Saint-Saens, are discussed. The second chapter describes Faure's highly effective career as Professor and then Director and reformer at the Paris Conservatoire. In the third chapter, Faure's chamber music is discussed, with emphasis on his works for cello. His works can be divided into three time periods, each representative of the composer's unique musical style and illustrative of Faure's stylistic development throughout his career. The fourth and final chapter examines the evolution of Faure's musical approach, while his complete works for the cello are analyzed and compared. Diverse reactions of his contemporary critics to Faure's late-period chamber works are also presented. As part of this doctoral project two recitals of works by Faure and his contemporaries were performed at the University of Maryland School of Music. The works performed in the first recital include Camille Saint-Saens' Romance for Violoncello and Piano, Opus 36 ( 1877); Maurice Ravel's Sonata for Violoncello and Violin ( 1920-22); Claude Debussy's Sonata for Violoncello and Piano ( 1915); and Faure's Violoncello Sonata No. I in d minor, Opus I 09 ( 1917). The second recital incorporated selections from all three of Faure's compositional periods: Elegie for Violoncello and Piano, Opus 2-1 ( 1880); Papillion for Violoncello and Piano, Opus 77 ( 1885), Romance for Violoncello and Piano, Opus 69 ( 1894 ), Sicilienne for Violoncello and Piano, Opus 78 ( 1898, originally 1893 ); Violoncello Sonata No. 2 in g minor, Opus I I 7 ( 1921 ); and Piano Trio in d minor, Opus I 20 ( 1922-1923 ).
Afro-Cuban Bata Drum Aesthetics: Developing Individual and Group Technique, Sound and Identity
(2003-12-05) Schweitzer, Kenneth George; Provine, Robert C; Music
The Lucumi religion (also Santeria and Regla de Ocha) developed in 19th-century colonial Cuba, by syncretizing elements of Catholicism with the Yoruba worship of orisha. When fully initiated, santeros (priests) actively participate in religious ceremonies by periodically being possessed or "mounted" by a patron saint or orisha, usually within the context of a drumming ritual, known as a toque de santo, bembe, or tambor. Within these rituals, there is a clearly defined goal of trance possession, though its manifestation is not the sole measure of success or failure. Rather than focusing on the fleeting, exciting moments that immediately precede the arrival of an orisha in the form of a possession trance, this thesis investigates the entire four- to six-hour musical performance that is central to the ceremony. It examines the brief pauses, the moments of reduced intensity, the slow but deliberate build-ups of energy and excitement, and even the periods when novices are invited to perform the sacred bata drums, and places these moments on an equal footing with the more dynamic periods where possession is imminent or in progress. This document approaches Lucumi ritual from the viewpoint of bata drummers, ritual specialists who, during the course of a toque de santo, exercise wide latitude in determining the shape of the event. Known as omo Ana (children of the orisha Ana who is manifest in drums and rhythms), bata drummers comprise a fraternity that is accessible only through ritual initiation. Though they are sensitive to the desires of the many participants during a toque de santo, and indeed make their living by satisfying the expectations of their hosts, many of the drummers' activities are inwardly focused on the cultivation and preservation of this fraternity. Occasionally interfering with spirit possession, and other expectations of the participants, these aberrant activities include teaching and learning, developing group identity or signature sound, and achieving a state of intimacy among the musicians known as "communitas."

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