Younghi Pagh-Paan is a female Korean-German composer. Although being a prolific composer, she has only twice composed for piano solo. Pagh-Paan's Mich Drüstet (I Thirst) is a piano solo work and based on the tragedy in Korea, the Jeju 4.3 Incident in 1948. Even though the Jeju 4.3 incident triggered mora than 30,000 casualties, I Thirst is the only music to commemorate the incident, as commissioned by the pianist Kaya Han. This study of I Thirst highlights her musical textures for the piano and elements she employs to express her thoughts about the event; for instance, Korean musical element, 12-tone techniques, and counterpoint. In addition, it addresses the need for the pianist to have background information about Jeju Island and the Incident by matching images with musical sections in order to achieve a deeper interpretation of Pagh-Paan's piano composition.

It is the teacher's responsibility to guide students in building an effective and injury-free piano technique. Improper technique, poor training and bad posture at the instrument all may cause problems such as lack of muscle control, weakness, or tension in the hands. Many teachers are interested in finding information about specific exercises dealing with finger strengthening, stretching, and warm-up strategies, as well as guidelines for safe practicing. It is therefore important for both teachers and students to understand how to build a technique from the earliest years of instruction. Carl Tausig (1841-1871) and Alfred Cortot (1877-1962) both contributed to the development of piano technique by writing books that include a significant number of exercises and excerpts. Their books incorporate detailed instructions on how to play each exercise effectively and without fatigue. Subsequently, Heinrich Ehrlich (1822-1899) collected and systematically arranged Tausig's notes, complementing them with detailed information on how to play Tausig's exercises without causing injury. This dissertation compares and contrasts the exercises found in Alfred Cortot's book, Rational Principles of Pianoforte Technique, and Carl Tausig's book, Daily Studies for the Pianoforte. The latter is based on the practical guidebook, How to Practise on the Piano: Reflections and Suggestions, written by …