Zvklus (1959) by Karlheinz Stockhausen and Duettino Concertante (1966) by Ingolf Dahl represent two of the most significant percussion compositions that present the percussionist as soloist. The performer of these works, either unaccompanied or accompanied by a non-percussion instrument, is featured as executant, interpreter, and improvisor. They are regarded as classics in the medium of multiple percussion because of their frequency of performance and their profound effect on notation, musical composition, and the technical expectations of the percussionist. This paper examines these compositions and their historical significance to both percussion literature and the percussionist. Each of these compositions is analzyed by examining instrumentation, compositional procedures, and performance problems. Finally, the notational procedures and role of the performer in these compositions are compared. A discussion of the development of the percussion batterie, percussion ensemble, and the important early solo multiple percussion compositions provides historical perspective for these compositions. This perspective is enhanced by consideration of biography, influences, and stylistic development of each composer.

The English art song in the 20th-century presents a performance challenge unique in the solo song repertoire. Unlike the corresponding bodies of German Lied and French mélodie, which proceeded from a well-ingrained national tradition of music and poetry, the English art song had no such background. The many British composers who have contributed to the song literature of this century reflect varied backgrounds and influences. Lennox Berkeley combined his English heritage with the French background of his mother's family, largely self-taught musical skills and an innate sensitivity to poetry to become one of the most prominent song composers of this century. He trained with Nadia Boulanger, gaining exposure to the formal and melodic techniques of Faure and the neo-classicism of Stravinsky. Berkeley composed a total of seventy-eight solo songs. His acceptance and furtherance of a fundamentally traditional songmaker's craft place him more directly in the post-war line of succession of English song than Benjamin Britten, whose innovative musical techniques place him in the vanguard of new music.This document explores those aspects of Berkeley's life and work that contribute to his compositional choices. It provides an overview of all of Berkeley's known solo songs as well as a more detailed analysis …