Theses and Dissertations from UMD
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item CAPTURING SOUND: THE METHODS OF ARRANGING AND EXECUTING INSTRUMENTAL SOUNDS BETWEEN ORCHESTRA AND PIANO(2020) Koelzer, Christopher; Sloan, Rita; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The piano stands today as a romantic instrument, designed to produce large amounts of sound, a wide range of dynamic contrasts, and infinite voicing possibilities. The piano’s ability to create and sustain harmonies across its over seven- octave range provides composers a single instrument to express the harmonic expanses of an entire orchestra. Through the nineteenth century, composers around the world imbued orchestral characteristics into their pianistic writing. In contrast, some composers took the opposite route and began orchestrating solo piano works. This dissertation explored several orchestral works transcribed for piano across selected genres in order to portray the techniques necessary to most accurately represent the intricate collaboration of orchestral textures and production of sound through the piano. The pieces performed were as follows: Claude Debussy’s Nocturnes, arranged by Maurice Ravel for two piano, four-hands; Igor Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps, arranged by the composer for one piano, four-hands; Johannes Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Haydn, originally scored for two pianos, four-hands; and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, arranged by the composer for two pianos, four- hands. Collaborators included pianists Dr. Nadežda Mijatović-Sekicki and Dr. Alexei Ulitin. These works were presented at the University of Maryland’s Gildenhorn Recital Hall on September 30, 2018, and December 8, 2019. In lieu of performing the third D.M.A. lecture recital, this dissertation encompassed additional chapters of detailed processes and suggestions on how to facilitate transcriptions and reductions at the piano. Recital recordings can be found in the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM).Item Twentieth-Century Composers Inspired By Jewish Culture: Selections from the Solo and Collaborative Piano Repertoire(2006-05-16) Slingland, Susan Marie; Sloan, Rita; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Throughout the twentieth-century, many composers of both Jewish and non-Jewish descent found inspiration in the heritage of the Jewish people. The rise of nationalism and increased study of folk melodies and rhythms led to the exploration of the riches of Jewish music. The musicological premise of nationalism in music is that every nation has a unique history and therefore must have its own individualistic musical tradition. Due to the Diaspora, Jewish folksongs come in many different flavors but still convey the basic communal expression of their common struggle for existence, religion and culture. This is musical nationalism in the broadest possible sense. The dispersion of the Jewish people is reflected in the wide range of cultures into which they were assimilated: Slavic Eastern Europe, the Middle East (in particular, Israel), as well as the sephardic tradition of the Mediterranean regions and, of course, the melting pot of America. The composers featured in this performance dissertation project reflect that diversity. In many cases, composers drew upon the exoticism of Jewish music and re-interpreted it to pay homage to their own rich culture or to highlight the tragic history of the Jewish people in the first half of the twentieth-century. The works considered for this topic are influenced by both sacred and secular melodies. These selections all include piano, whether it be art song, chamber music or solo repertoire. The amount of music that could be included within the topic's parameters far exceeds the amount of available performance time. Therefore, the three recitals given merely represent a portion of possible works. Given Shostakovich's fascination as a non-Jew with Jewish topics, one entire recital was devoted to his works. The other selections were grouped to form one vocal recital and one purely instrumental recital. The three recitals took place on February 27, 2004, October 27, 2004, and January 6, 2006 in the Gildenhorn Recital Hall of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland. Recordings of these recitals may be obtained in person or online from the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library of the University of Maryland, College Park.