Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942): An Analytical Study and Discussion of Concertino for Flute, Viola, Double Bass, WV 75, and Sonata for Flute and Pianoforte, WV 86 (open access)

Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942): An Analytical Study and Discussion of Concertino for Flute, Viola, Double Bass, WV 75, and Sonata for Flute and Pianoforte, WV 86

Erwin Schulhoff (1894–1942) was a Czechoslovakian musician born in Prague, to a German-Jewish family, and whose life came to a premature end in 1942 at the Wülzburg concentration camp, near Weißenburg, Bavaria. Schulhoff’s life, compositional style, and two of his flute works are addressed in this dissertation: Sonata for flute and pianoforte, WV 86, and Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass, WV 75. Each work is considered as a discrete entity, and insight provided into the structure of the music; stylistic and compositional influences, form, phrase structure, and other aspects are discussed. The intended audience is the flutist seeking knowledge regarding the historical significance and performance of each piece. The analysis and summary of Schulhoff’s life and primary flute works will contribute to the understanding of performance scholarship of his music and provide a deeper understanding of the composer, from the perspective of musical and compositional style.
Date: December 2011
Creator: Harman, Maria D Alene
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Serenades and Divertimenti of Mozart (open access)

The Serenades and Divertimenti of Mozart

This study has two divisions: Part I, an historical and analytical summary of the emergence and development of the divertimento and the serenade in the eighteenth century, and Part II, the culmination of these structures in the works of W. A. Mozart. Two primary purposes are envisioned: 1) to further our knowledge of how German Gesellshafts-musik evolved toward its peak in the second half of the eighteenth century, and 2) to furnish a useful analytical handbook of Mozart's works in these genres.
Date: June 1960
Creator: Gibson, O. Lee (Oscar Lee)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Seville Cancionero: Transcription and Commentary (open access)

The Seville Cancionero: Transcription and Commentary

The Seville Cancionero is a manuscript collection of songs from late fiftennth-century Spain and is preserved today in the Biblioteca Colombina of Seville with the number 7-1-28. This dissertation describes the document and provides commentary and transcriptions of the Seville Cancionero.
Date: August 1960
Creator: Lawes, Robert Clement
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Pedagogical Methods of Enrique Granados and Frank Marshall: an Illumination of Relevance to Performance Practice and Interpretation in Granados' Escenas Románticas, a Lecture Recital, together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of Schubert, Pofkofieff, Chopin, Poulenc, and Rachmaninoff (open access)

The Pedagogical Methods of Enrique Granados and Frank Marshall: an Illumination of Relevance to Performance Practice and Interpretation in Granados' Escenas Románticas, a Lecture Recital, together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of Schubert, Pofkofieff, Chopin, Poulenc, and Rachmaninoff

Enrique Granados, Frank Marshall, and Alicia de Larrocha are the chief exponents of a school of piano playing characterized by special attention to details of pedalling, voicing, and refined piano sonority. Granados and Marshall dedicated the major part of their efforts in the field to the pedagogy of these principles. Their work led to the establishment of the Granados Academy in Barcelona, a keyboard conservatory which operates today under the name of the Frank Marshall Academy. Both Granados and Marshall have left published method books detailing their pedagogy of pedalling and tone production. Granados' book, Metodo Teorico Practico para el Uso de los Pedales del Piano (Theoretical and Practical Method for the Use of the Piano Pedals) is presently out of print and available in a photostatic version from the publisher. Marshall's works, Estudio Practico sobre los Pedales del Piano (Practical Study of the Piano Pedals) and La Sonoridad del Piano (Piano Sonority) continue to be used at the Marshall Academy and are available from Spanish publishing houses. This study brings information contained in these three method books to the forefront and demonstrates its relevance to the performance of the music of Granados, specifically the Escenas Romanticas. Alicia de Larrocha, …
Date: December 1988
Creator: Hansen, Mark R. (Mark Russell)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Exploratory Study of Children's Multi-Sensory Responses to Symbolizing Musical Sound Through Speech Rhythm Patterns (open access)

An Exploratory Study of Children's Multi-Sensory Responses to Symbolizing Musical Sound Through Speech Rhythm Patterns

The purpose of the study was to investigate the multi-sensory responses of children to symbolizing musical sound through speech rhythm patterns. Speech rhythm patterns consist of the number of syllables and the stress/nonstress relationships of these syllables in a word or a phrase. The research problems were (1) to determine children's responses to speech rhythm patterns according to the differential sensory modes used; (2) to determine the children's responses to speech rhythm patterns by age, and (3) to compare children's responses to speech rhythm patterns by age and sensory modes.
Date: December 1981
Creator: Bennett, Peggy Dee
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Beginnings of Music in the Boston Public Schools: Decisions of the Boston School Committee in 1837 and 1845 in Light of Religious and Moral Concerns of the Time (open access)

The Beginnings of Music in the Boston Public Schools: Decisions of the Boston School Committee in 1837 and 1845 in Light of Religious and Moral Concerns of the Time

The research problems of this dissertation were: 1) A description of the perceived value of music in light of political undercurrents in Boston prior to and during the years under investigation, and 2) the profile of the constituency of the Boston School Committee and Committee on Music in 1837 and 1845. Questions addressed the effect of religious and moral concerns of the day on the decision by the School Committee in 1837 to try music in the curriculum, and the possible effect of religious politics on Lowell Mason's dismissal from the schools in 1845. In the minds of mid-nineteenth century Bostonians, religious and moral values were intrinsic to the very nature of music. Key members on the School Committee portrayed music as being spiritual yet nonsectarian in its influence. Therefore, the findings suggest that music was believed to provide common ground between opposing and diverse religious sects. Reasons given for Mason's dismissal by John Sargent, a member of the Committee on Music, showed parallels to H. W. Day's accusations in the press a year earlier that Mason had managed his position in a sectarian manner. Sargent's background supports the theory that religious politics were at work in Mason's dismissal. Although …
Date: August 1989
Creator: Miller, David Michael, 1951-
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Texas Music Educators Association: A Historical Study of Selected Landmark Events Between 1938 and 1980 and the Decisions Which Influenced Their Outcomes (open access)

The Texas Music Educators Association: A Historical Study of Selected Landmark Events Between 1938 and 1980 and the Decisions Which Influenced Their Outcomes

The purpose of this study was to investigate selected landmark events in the historical development of the Texas Music Educators Association, 1938-1980, and the decisions which influenced their outcomes. A polling of twenty former presidents of TMEA selected the following landmark events that helped to shape the history of TMEA: (1) the change from a band organization to a music educators organization in 1938, (2) the University Interscholastic League takeover of contests in 1947, and (3) TMEA's separation from the Music Educators National Conference in 1976. In addition to developing a historical chronology from documentary sources, in-depth interviews were conducted with actual participants in these landmark events. The interviews utilized comparable questions, in order to identify decision-making patterns, while also capturing the atmosphere and visceral context of TMEA history. Literature from the social science disciplines on organizational decision—making was explored for help in understanding what happened, how, and why. In all three events the final decision was strongly influenced by factors external to the TMEA. The strong power position held by school administrators was evident in both the first and second events, while reinforcement from actively lobbying choral directors was also a factor in the first event only. The strong …
Date: August 1989
Creator: Grant, Daniel Ross, 1955-
System: The UNT Digital Library
The History and Development of Vibrato Among Classical Saxophonists: A Lecture Recital Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of A. Desenclos, L. Robert, J. Ibert, K. Husa, B. Heiden, R. Schumann and Others (open access)

The History and Development of Vibrato Among Classical Saxophonists: A Lecture Recital Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of A. Desenclos, L. Robert, J. Ibert, K. Husa, B. Heiden, R. Schumann and Others

This study examines the history and development of vibrato among classical saxophonists as well as briefly summarizes the history of vibrato in general from its origins on string instruments, the voice and other wind instruments. An analysis of recordings of early saxophonists shows the approximate time period of incorporation of vibrato on the saxophone and the influences of performers and musical styles on its development. Pedagogical methods of performing vibrato on the saxophone are included as well as a discussion of saxophone vibrato styles. An exploration of vibrato as an expressive musical device is provided along with conclusions drawn concerning performance practice implications.
Date: December 1986
Creator: Lamar, Jacquelyn B. (Jacquelyn Brown)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Schoenberg's Janus-Work Erwartung: Its Musico-Dramatic Structure and Relationship to the Melodrama and Lied Traditions (open access)

Schoenberg's Janus-Work Erwartung: Its Musico-Dramatic Structure and Relationship to the Melodrama and Lied Traditions

Arnold Schoenberg's atonal monodrama, Erwartune. Op. 17 (1909). has been viewed as an unanalyzable athematic aberration, without any discernible form. Recognizing Erwartune's forward-looking aspect, this dissertation also explores the melodrama and the Lied, a connection with the past which forges a new understanding of its form and structure.
Date: December 1989
Creator: Penney, Diane Holloway
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Investigation of the Laryngeal Activity of Trumpet Players During the Performance of Selected Exercises (open access)

An Investigation of the Laryngeal Activity of Trumpet Players During the Performance of Selected Exercises

The study's purpose was to describe selected laryngeal activity of brass-wind players during the performance of selected musical exercises. Research problems included the observation and description of three internal areas of activity of ten trumpeters as they performed each exercise. Specific areas of observation were 1) movement of the epiglottis during the performance of each exercise, 2) movement of the vocal folds/arytenoid cartilage which includes changes in the size of the glottis during the performance of each prescribed exercise, and 3) movement of the thyroid cartilage during the performance of each prescribed exercise. Musical exercises performed by each of the subjects included a sound volume change, use of vibrato, single-tonguing, step-wise descending and ascending slurs, descending and ascending lip slurs, register change, and a descending chromatic scale. In addition, each subject performed an excerpt from the second movement of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. Data were collected through direct observation of subject performances and then described using three different means. Data analyses revealed a prominent amount of highly individual, non-patterned laryngeal activity which played an integral role in the performance of each subject. Individuals including Law (1960), Cramer (1955), Jacobs (Stewart, 1987), and Noble (1964) have advocated an unrestricted airway during …
Date: December 1989
Creator: Bailey, Robert E. (Robert Elwood), 1946-
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Guide for the Performance of Trumpet Mariachi Music in Schools (open access)

A Guide for the Performance of Trumpet Mariachi Music in Schools

The purpose of this study is to provide a guide for the instruction of a trumpet mariachi performance ensemble in a music curriculum. The fulfillment of this purpose is dependent upon the data supplied in answer to the sub problems: (1) What socio-cultural information provides authentic trumpet mariachi music; (2) What trumpet mariachi literature illustrates the repertoire and style; (3) What instructional source materials may be developed such that Mexican American and non-Mexican American instructors build a competency in repertoire and style; (4) How could this guide be evaluated in its functional design for a music curriculum? The data collected for use in this study has been presented in three major categories: (1) the history and milieu in which the trumpet, mariachi crystalized; (2) the repertoire--its history and function in Mexican society and the transcriptions of types demonstrating the musical structure; and (3) the technical information relative to the instruction of the particular mariachi instruments. An evaluative instrument has been supplied in an attempt to establish the validity of the information and examples provided in this practicum. The validity of the research seems to rest on its authenticity and its serviceability. The findings of this study are stated as assertions …
Date: August 1979
Creator: Bennett, James G., fl. 1979-
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effect of Rhythm on Melodic Expectancy (open access)

The Effect of Rhythm on Melodic Expectancy

The present study sought to confirm melodic expectancy patterns discovered in a previous investigation and to determine whether data would be affected by altering the rhythmic condition of the stimuli. The three problems of this investigation were to study expectancies generated by two-note stimulus intervals of equal duration; the expectancies generated by stimulus intervals presented with a long-short rhythm; and the expectancies generated by stimulus intervals presented with a short-long rhythm. Fifty subjects were asked to sing what they believed would be the natural continuation of the melody begun by a two-note stimulus interval. The stimulus intervals were grouped in rhythmic sets, one set of neutral-rhythm stimuli, one set of long-short stimuli, and one set of short-long stimuli. The interval from the second note of the stimulus interval to the first sung note was transcribed as the generated expectancy response interval. The data were examined in two basic ways, using response data as a whole and examining data for each stimulus interval separately. A third method of data evaluation concerned harmonic triads occurring in the response data. Both when considering response frequency as a whole, and when considering response data separately for each melodic beginning, no significant difference associated with …
Date: August 1985
Creator: Rose, Bernard N. (Bernard Norman)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Harmonic Interval of the Seventh in the Works of Representative Composers of Italian Madrigals, 1542-1614 (open access)

The Harmonic Interval of the Seventh in the Works of Representative Composers of Italian Madrigals, 1542-1614

This study is an attempt to shed some light on the treatment of one dissonance—the seventh—in the works of the following composers: Cipriano de Rore (1516-1565); Philippe de Monte (1521-1603); Giaches de Wert (1535-1596); Luca Marenzio (1553-1599); Carlo Gesualdo (ca. 1560-1613); and Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). The purpose of this thesis is to discover (1) the frequency of occurrence of primary (relatively accented) sevenths and their inversions (^ chords, etc.) in a selection of each composer's madrigals; and (2) the methods of handling sevenths employed by each composer, with particular emphasis on the relationship between these methods and sixteenth century theory.
Date: December 1976
Creator: Dowden, Ralph D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Survey of the Research Literature on the Female High Voice (open access)

A Survey of the Research Literature on the Female High Voice

The location of the available research literature and its relationship to the pedagogy of the female high voice is the subject of this thesis. The nature and pedagogy of the female high voice are described in the first four chapters. The next two chapters discuss maintenance of the voice in conventional and experimental repertoire. Chapter seven is a summary of all the pedagogy. The last chapter is a comparison of the nature and the pedagogy of the female high voice with recommended areas for further research. For instance, more information is needed to understand the acoustic factors of vibrato, singer's formant, and high energy levels in the female high voice.
Date: December 1988
Creator: Stephen, Roberta M. (Roberta Mae)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dissonance Treatment in Fuging Tunes by Daniel Read from The American Singing Book and The Columbian Harmonist (open access)

Dissonance Treatment in Fuging Tunes by Daniel Read from The American Singing Book and The Columbian Harmonist

This thesis treats Daniel Read's music analytically to establish style characteristics. Read's fuging tunes are examined for metric placement and structural occurrence of dissonance, and dissonance as text painting. Read's comments on dissonance are extracted from his tunebook introductions. A historical chapter includes the English origins of the fuging tune and its American heyday. The creative life of Daniel Read is discussed. This thesis contributes to knowledge of Read's role in the development of the New England Psalmody idiom. Specifically, this work illustrates the importance of understanding and analyzing Read's use of dissonance as a style determinant, showing that Read's dissonance treatment is an immediate and central characteristic of his compositional practice.
Date: May 1987
Creator: Sims, Scott G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Lute Books of Giulio Cesare Barbetta: A Polyphonic Transcription of the Composer's Complete Works and an Analysis of the Fourteen Fantasias Volume I (open access)

The Lute Books of Giulio Cesare Barbetta: A Polyphonic Transcription of the Composer's Complete Works and an Analysis of the Fourteen Fantasias Volume I

The great number of musical sources preserved in manuscript and printed form clearly reflects the prominent position held by the lute as a musical instrument during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Only a relatively small portion of this vast literature is presently available to scholars and interested laymen in the form of modern transcriptions. Referred to as "l'instrument noble par excellence," the lute's popular and fashionable appeal is evidenced by the large number of composers who dedicated themselves to this instrument. Among the number of outstanding lute composers living in Italy during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries was Giulio Cesare Barbetta (c. 1540-after 1603). During his lifetime Barbetta published a total of four books of lute pieces containing arrangements of polyphonic compositions of various Renaissance composers as well as a large number of original compositions including .preludes, airs, fantasias, and dance pieces. Although Barbetta achieved importance as a leading figure in the Italian school of lute composition, there is little readily available material, either biographical or musical; this study provides the scholar, the performer, and the listener with biographical data and a modern edition of the composer's complete works.
Date: August 1973
Creator: Thomas, Benjamin W., 1937-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Late Seventeenth-Century Italian Trumpet Concertos of the Bologna School: a Lecture Recital; Together with Three Other Recitals (open access)

Late Seventeenth-Century Italian Trumpet Concertos of the Bologna School: a Lecture Recital; Together with Three Other Recitals

The lecture was given on March 3, 1974. The discussion of the Bolognese trumpet works consisted of an exploration of the local agencies that nurtured the compositional activity centered around San Petronio, biographical details of the principal composers, and stylistic and formal analyses of the works that were performed. Selections were performed from the early, middle, and late segments of the period, represented by the composers Maurizio Cazzati, Petronio Franceschini, and Giuseppe Torelli. In addition to the lecture recital three other public recitals were given. Two of these consisted primarily of solo literature for the trumpet, and the third featured chamber music with trumpet. The first solo recital was presented on July 31, 1972, and included works of Tommaso Albinoni, G. Ph. Telemann, Thérèse Brenet, and Wayne Bohrnstedt. The second solo recital, on July 22, 1974, featured French music of this century. Compositions by Ravel, Fauré,Varèse, Henri Tomasi, Pierre-Max Dubois, Benno Ammann, and Théo Charlier were presented. The chamber music recital displayed the trumpet in combination with other solo instruments and voice, together with varied accompaniments. A group of three arias for soprano and trumpet--by Purcell, Handel, and Bach--and a suite of arias for oboe and trumpet by Telemann were …
Date: August 1974
Creator: Jackson, David L., 1944-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Béla Bartók, Out of Doors: A Lecture Recital, Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of L.V. Beethoven, F. Chopin, J. Brahms, R. Schumann, G. Rochberg, S. Prokofieff, M. Ravel and Others (open access)

Béla Bartók, Out of Doors: A Lecture Recital, Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of L.V. Beethoven, F. Chopin, J. Brahms, R. Schumann, G. Rochberg, S. Prokofieff, M. Ravel and Others

The lecture recital was given January 31, 1971. A discussion of Bartok's Out of Doors, a suite consisting of five movements entitled "With Drums and Pipes," "Barcarolla," "Musettes," "The Night's Music," and "The Chase" included biographical material, general analysis of Bartok's musical style, and specific analysis of the suite itself. The suite was then performed by memory. In addition to the lecture recital three other public recitals were performed. Two of these consisted entirely of solo literature for the piano, and the other was a vocal chamber music recital. The first solo recital was on June 7, 1970, and included works of Alfredo Casella, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, and Bartok. Part of the preparation included the writing of program notes of a historical and analytical nature.The other solo program, on July 5, 1971, consisted entirely of twentieth-century works by George Rochberg, Sergei Prokofieff, and Maurice Ravel. The chamber music recital was performed with a visiting soprano, Jane Paul, on February 28, 1971. Emphasis was given to German Lieder by Schumann, Joseph Marx, and Alban Berg, but Spanish songs of the Renaissance, by Juan del Encina and Fuenllana, as well as a modern English song cycle by Peter Warlock were also programmed.
Date: August 1971
Creator: Kincaid, Desmond, 1931-
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparative Study of the Effects of Two Experimental Methods of Guidance on Vocal Solo Memorization (open access)

A Comparative Study of the Effects of Two Experimental Methods of Guidance on Vocal Solo Memorization

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of guided musical analysis and guided attention to textual understanding on the speed of solo memorization by selected university vocal students. The guided musical analysis consisted of instruction to a subject regarding the melodic elements, rhythmic elements, phraseology, form, and key relationships of the experimental songs. The guided attention to textual understanding consisted of instruction to a subject regarding the meaning and phraseology of the experimental song texts. Subjects were required to rhythmically scan the texts in a declamatory manner. It was concluded that the three conditions of memorization were equally effective. Memorization rates were not significantly altered by historical period of song. Differences in memorization rates appeared to parallel the subjects' academic performances and their performances on the Drake Musical Aptitude Tests. Findings of this study indicated that future memorization experiments should be conducted with larger samples of subjects of a single sex who are music majors.
Date: May 1975
Creator: Reynolds, Martha Helen
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Life and Music of Jacques-Christophe Naudot (open access)

The Life and Music of Jacques-Christophe Naudot

Favorable judgment of a work of art, or of a man, usually means that the work of art, or a record of the man, will be preserved for future generations to judge for themselves. An unfavorable judgment may result in a richly deserved obscurity or an irreplaceable loss, unless favorable circumstances combine to preserve the evidence for a more perspicacious generation. One can be forgiven if he distrusts history's judgment; mistakes which have been corrected are legion (the case of J. S. Bach comes most vividly to mind) and skepticism is warranted unless or until the facts are available for confirmation. It is difficult to explain the paucity of information about Jacques-Christophe Naudot, Not that he is another J. S. Bach; neither Fleury, who made the first serious effort to revive interest in his music in the early 1920's, nor Ruf, who has done much in this regard recently, nor this writer makes any such claim. He does not, however, deserve the obscurity that has been his lot. If his music is not always profound, it nevertheless has both intrinsic and historical value, and some of his works reveal considerable contrapuntal skill. It may be that Naudot stood in the …
Date: June 1970
Creator: Underwood, T. Jervis (Troy Jervis), 1932-
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Acoustical Study of Individual Voices in Choral Blend (open access)

An Acoustical Study of Individual Voices in Choral Blend

The purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of choral blend through acoustical analysis of individual vocal sounds. One aspect of the study involved identifying and comparing the acoustical qualities of sounds produced in the usual solo manner and sounds produced by the same singers attempting to blend with a unison ensemble. Another aspect of the study involved identifying and comparing the acoustical qualities of vocal sounds identified as blending well and poorly with a unison ensemble. Singers attempting to blend adjust their overall intensity not only to affect the perceived loudness of their tones, but also to facilitate other acoustical changes which are helpful for achieving blend. Vocal blend apparently may be achieved more readily on vowels having few upper partials than on vowels having numerous upper partials. Where vibrato is employed, certain vocal sounds can achieve a good blend even though their fundamental frequencies only approximate the theoretically correct frequency. There apparently is an interaction between the vibrato of a vocal tone and its spectral features, making it advantageous for the singer to adopt mutually beneficial approaches to both factors in order to blend. Vowel modification effective for achieving vocal blend- -at least for sopranos-- appears …
Date: December 1977
Creator: Goodwin, Allen W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Stylistic Development of the Tiento on the Iberian Peninsula from Cabezón to Cabanilles, A Lecture Recital, Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of C. Franck, J. Alain, J. S. Bach, M. Reger, F. Liszt, W. A. Mozart and Others (open access)

The Stylistic Development of the Tiento on the Iberian Peninsula from Cabezón to Cabanilles, A Lecture Recital, Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of C. Franck, J. Alain, J. S. Bach, M. Reger, F. Liszt, W. A. Mozart and Others

The lecture recital was given July 22, 1974. A discussion of the tientos of Cabezon, Aguilera de Heredia, Coelho, Correa de Arauxo, and Cabanilles included an analysis of eight specific works, a comparison of styles, and information about performance practices. The eight works were then performed. In addition to the lecture recital three other public recitals were performed, consisting entirely of solo literature for the organ. The first solo recital, on July 2, 1971, included works of Titelouze, deGrigny, Franck, and Alain. The second solo recital, on June 18, 1973, consisted of works by Bach, Klebe, Bruhns, Reger, Heiller, and Liszt. The final solo program, on June 7, 1974, included works by Boyvin, Buxtehude, Mozart, Alain, and Reger. All four programs, recorded on magnetic tape, are filed, along with the written version of the lecture material, in the North Texas State University library.
Date: December 1974
Creator: Stevlingson, Norma
System: The UNT Digital Library
Keyboard Tablatures of the Mid-Seventeenth Century in the Royal Library, Copenhagen: Edition and Commentary (open access)

Keyboard Tablatures of the Mid-Seventeenth Century in the Royal Library, Copenhagen: Edition and Commentary

In the history of seventeenth-century European music the court of Christian IV (r. 1588-1648) occupies a position of prominence. Christian, eager for fame as a patron of the arts, drew to Denmark many of the musical giants of the age, among them the lutenist John Dowland and the composer Heinrich Schltz. Sadly, except for financial records and occasional letters still in the archives, few traces remain of these brilliant years in Denmark. The music composed and played during this half century has largely disappeared, most of it probably in the tragic fire of 1794 that destroyed the old Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen and with it the court music archives. Except for the recently-discovered Clausholm Fragments, only three specimens of keyboard music from the period remain: Ny kgl. Saml. 1997 fol. (Obmaus Tablature), Gl. kgl. Saonl. 376 fol. (Copenhagen Tablature), and mu 6703.2131/6 (VoigtlaJnder Tablature). It has generally been assumed that the manuscripts were of German origin. The present study, however, demonstrates a probable Danish origin for the third, possible Danish connections for the second, and establishes that the first is of Austrian provenance. The Obmaus Tablature is an amateur's preservation of a German keyboard style already outdated. This slender manuscript, …
Date: December 1973
Creator: Dickinson, Alis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Perspectives on the Musical Essays of Lorenz Christoph Mizler (1711-1778) (open access)

Perspectives on the Musical Essays of Lorenz Christoph Mizler (1711-1778)

This study provides commentary on Mizler's Dissertatio and Anfangs-Gründe des General Basses. Chapter V is an annotated guide to his Neu eröffnete musikalische Bibliothek, one of the earliest German music periodicals. Translations of Mizler's biography in Mattheson's Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte and selected passages of Mizler's Der musikalischer Staarstecher contribute a sampling of the critical polemics among Mizler, Mattheson, and Scheibe. As a proponent of the Aufklärung, Mizler was influenced by Leibnitz, Thomasius, and Wolff. Though his attempts to apply mechanistic principles to music were rejected during his time, his founding of a society of musical sciences, which included J. S. Bach, Telemann, Handel, and C. H. Graun as members, and his efforts to establish music as a scholarly discipline deserve recognition.
Date: August 1984
Creator: Pinegar, Sandra
System: The UNT Digital Library