REINTERPRETING ROMANTIC SOUND WORLDS: FLUTE ADAPTATIONS OF BEETHOVEN, BRAHMS, AND SCHUMANN

Abstract

This Doctor of Musical Arts performance dissertation centers on the creation of a professional recording featuring flute adaptations of three major Romantic-era chamber works: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Sonata in F Major, Op. 24 (“Spring”), Johannes Brahms’ Violin Sonata in G Major, Op. 78, and Robert Schumann’s Three Romances for Oboe and Piano, Op. 94. The project addresses the relative scarcity of substantial Romantic chamber repertoire originally composed for the flute by examining how these canonical works can be reinterpreted for the instrument while preserving their expressive and structural integrity. Through performance, recording, written analysis informed by historical research, score study, and comparative listening, the dissertation explores issues of range, articulation, phrasing, breath, and timbral translation amongst violin, oboe, and flute, situating these adaptations within broader discussions of Romantic performance practice and evolving instrumental technology.