Zhang, HanniFrom the 19th century to the early 20th century, the spirit of nationalism in music emerged as a response to the growing sense of identity and pride in the newly formed nations of Europe. Composers began to incorporate folk melodies, rhythms, and other traditional cultural elements into works as a way of expressing their national identities and distinguishing themselves from the dominant German and Italian musical traditions.Nationalist composers often drew on themes from their country's history, literature, and mythology and sought to create a distinct national style that reflected their country's unique character. As a result, such efforts contributed to strengthening their country’s sense of nationalism and patriotism. Frédéric Chopin, Maria Szymanowska, and Karol Szymanowski employed traditional Polish folk melodies and rhythms in their compositions. Three Hungarian composers, Franz Liszt, Béla Bartok, and Ernst von Dohnányi, often incorporated Hungarian folk music from their country into their works. In Spain, Joaquín Turina and Enrique Granados were known for using flamenco rhythms and other traditional Spanish elements, while the compositions of Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák were heavily predicated on traditional Bohemian folk music. This dissertation contains two hours of piano solo recordings and explores how each of these composers was influenced by folk music and how they integrated it into their unique style in celebration of national history and identity. Jeff Gruber from Blue House Production Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland, conducted the two-hour piano solo recording project. The recordings will be made available in the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM).enDissertationMusic