The History of the Keyed Brasses (open access)

The History of the Keyed Brasses

This study examines what makes a keyed brass instrument, early keyed brass instruments, and keyed brass instruments of today. Focuses on the Cornett, the Serpent, the Basshorn and Russian Bassoon, the Ophicleide, the Horn, the Keyed Trumpet, and the Keyed Bugle.
Date: May 1963
Creator: Montgomery, Ralph W. (Ralph William)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A History of the Oboe from Antiquity to 1750 (open access)

A History of the Oboe from Antiquity to 1750

The purpose of this study is to trace the development of the oboe and its use from the primitive double reed instruments to the oboes of the Baroque Period. Toward the end of this period the oboe became thoroughly established as an important section in the symphony orchestra and has remained so to the present time.
Date: August 1955
Creator: Stephens, Perry O.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A History of the Bass Tuba and Its Use in the Symphony Orchestra (open access)

A History of the Bass Tuba and Its Use in the Symphony Orchestra

This study has been prepared for the purpose of showing the development of the modern bass tuba through all stages, from its earliest ancestors to its present form. Also by the use of examples, it is hoped that the treatment of the instrument in selected orchestral works will show in some ways how it has and can be used.
Date: August 1950
Creator: Sealy, Byford Gayle
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Romances of the Sephardim: a Reflection of Sephardic History, Culture and Tradition (open access)

The Romances of the Sephardim: a Reflection of Sephardic History, Culture and Tradition

This work is a comprehensive study of the Sephardic Romancero and the historical, political and cultural elements that have contributed to the maintenance of the romance tradition in Sephardic life. The investigation begins with an overview of the past studies of the Sephardic Romancero and is followed by a survey of the history of the Sephardic Jews, both in Spain and in the Spanish Diaspora. An historical approach to the literary and linguistic aspects of the Sephardic Romancero follows and this approach is then applied to a musical study. The concluding chapter discusses the uses and functions of the romancero in the Sephardic world, particularly among the Sephardic women and the social processes that have contributed to the maintenance of the romance tradition in Sephardic culture.
Date: August 1987
Creator: Roth, Janet Ilene
System: The UNT Digital Library
The History of the Trombone from the Renaissance to the Early Romantic Period (open access)

The History of the Trombone from the Renaissance to the Early Romantic Period

The purpose of this thesis is to show the development of the trombone, in form and music, and its use in the orchestra through the times of Beethoven and Schubert. Since very little material has been presented concerning the history of the trombone, it is hoped that the illustrations and explanations contained herein will be a contribution toward a representation of music from different composers and periods. The music covered gives a picture of the use of the trombone from the Renaissance through to the beginning of the Romantic Period. The results of this study are presented in three main sections: (1) The history of the trombone in the Renaissance; (2) The history of the trombone in the Baroque; (3) The history of the trombone in the Classical Period, and up to the time of Schubert.
Date: August 1952
Creator: Highfill, Richard
System: The UNT Digital Library
A History of the Clarinet and its Music from 1600 to 1800 (open access)

A History of the Clarinet and its Music from 1600 to 1800

It is the purpose of this thesis to present a study of music written for the clarinet during the period from 1600 to 1800. The first part is a history of the clarinet showing the stages of development of the instrument from its early predecessors to its present form. Part one also explains the acoustics of the clarinet and its actual invention. The second part deals with composers and their music for the clarinet. No attempt is made to include all music written for the instrument during the prescribed period; rather, the writer's intention is to include chiefly those works by composers whose musics has proven to be outstanding in clarinet literature or interesting historically. The order in which the works themselves are taken up is chronological, by composers, with comment on their styles as to form, harmonic content, melodic content, rhythmic content, problems in phrasing, or any other general technical problem. All of these elements are illustrated with examples taken from the music.
Date: August 1964
Creator: Kireilis, Ramon
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Development and Utilization of the Valved Brasses in the Orchestra of the First Half of the Nineteenth Century (open access)

The Development and Utilization of the Valved Brasses in the Orchestra of the First Half of the Nineteenth Century

The need for a valve mechanism of some type was first felt by French horn players, and after the horn's valve system had somewhat proved itself to composers as well as instrumentalists, it was adapted for the other brass instruments.
Date: January 1969
Creator: Olson, Michael A. (Michael Augustus)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Chansonnier Biblioteca Casanatense 2856: its History, Purpose, and Music (open access)

The Chansonnier Biblioteca Casanatense 2856: its History, Purpose, and Music

The chansonnier held by the Biblioteca Casanatense in Rome, designated Codex 2856 (0. V. 208), is a handsome volume containing 123 polyphonic compositions in the style of the Franco-Flemish School, circa 1450 to 1400. Although no text beyond the incipit is found in the manuscript, the value of the source is enhanced by the names of the composers of 106 of the compositions. Volume one focuses on the manuscript, giving a physical description of the manuscript, recounting the history of the manuscript, and includes discussion of selected composers and a concordance. Volume two contains the music of the chansonnier Biblioteca casanatense 2856.
Date: August 1970
Creator: Wolff, Arthur S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Oboe in Early American Music, 1600-1861 (open access)

The Oboe in Early American Music, 1600-1861

There are no records to substantiate that one of the passengers on the Mayflower brought an oboe with him in 1620, but diaries, journals, and newspaper articles document its presence and utilization in the United States a few years after that date. A reference to musical instruments occurs in the inventories of the goods of two neighboring New Hampshire "plantations" taken approximately ten years after they were originally settled. At "Newitchwanicke, ld of Julie, 1633. . . in the Great House, 15 recorders and hoeboys" were listed, while "at Pascattaquack 2d Julie, 1633," one day later, there were no less than "hoeboys and recorders 26" and "1 drume"!1 By 1635 New Hampshire had 56 oboes and recorders alone. 2
Date: June 1970
Creator: Rager, Brenda Marie
System: The UNT Digital Library
A History of the Music and Composers for the Brass Ensemble Medium Before the Nineteenth Century (open access)

A History of the Music and Composers for the Brass Ensemble Medium Before the Nineteenth Century

The purpose of this thesis is to bring to light some of the music written for, or especially adaptable to, brass ensembles before the close of the eighteenth century. This study must concern itself with the music which has been preserved and is available, and with such music as can be played on modern instruments. It must be stated that some of the music mentioned herein was not written specifically for brass instruments, but the style and general character of the music make it adaptable for a brass instrumentation.
Date: August 1950
Creator: Moore, David N. (David Norton)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Keyboard Ricercare in the Baroque Era: Volume 1 (open access)

The Keyboard Ricercare in the Baroque Era: Volume 1

This study seeks to examine the history of the ricercare, specifically in the baroque era. In this work, all types of keyboard compositions that utilize imitative counterpoint have been examined. Late baroque fugues have been examined to determine which characteristics of the earlier ricercare remained in general use and which specific compositions contain elements causing them to resemble strongly the parent form.
Date: August 1963
Creator: Douglass, Robert S. (Robert Satterfield), 1919-
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Origin and Development of the Solo Cantata (open access)

The Origin and Development of the Solo Cantata

This thesis is designed to acquaint vocalists with the history of the solo cantata and to give a bibliography of available cantatas. Very few singers know that solo cantatas exist and little material is available on the subject in comparison to the material available on other musical forms.This work endeavors to aid the vocalist by compiling the solo cantata material that is available in the North Texas State College Library.
Date: May 1949
Creator: Taliaferro, Rowena Turney
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Accompanied Solo Song of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries (open access)

The Accompanied Solo Song of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the changes and developments of the accompanied solo song throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, including instrument usage and song types.
Date: August 1953
Creator: McCarty, Hurshelene Journey
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Clarinet in Chamber Music from Mozart through Brahms (open access)

The Clarinet in Chamber Music from Mozart through Brahms

It is the purpose of this thesis to present a study of the development of writing for the clarinet in chamber music during the period from Mozart (1756-1791) through Brahms (1833-1897). The first part is a brief history of the clarinet showing the stages of development of the instrument from its beginning to its present form and also surveys the field of chamber music in general, with special attention to the chamber music for the clarinet, and to the performers for whom many of these works were written.
Date: August 1950
Creator: Farris, John Alexander
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
The Flute in Twentieth-Century Chamber Music (open access)

The Flute in Twentieth-Century Chamber Music

Analyzes music of Ravel, Debussy, Schoenberg, Webern, Milhaud, Bozza, Francaix, Poulenc, Cowell and Riegger.
Date: August 1962
Creator: Smith, Donald Mathew
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Evolution of Violin Technique from Monteverdi to Paganini (open access)

The Evolution of Violin Technique from Monteverdi to Paganini

The purpose of this thesis is to show through the presentation and analysis of authoritative information, and opinions drawn from the information and analysis, the development of violin technique from its basic rudiments as an accompanying instrument to the plane of a brilliant solo instrument, a position it still maintains today. This thesis aims to deal exclusively with the technical evolution of the violin. Many books on the history of the violin have been written, but none have dealt exclusively with the technical evolution of this instrument, and it is hoped that the materials in this thesis will constitute a contribution to this field.
Date: January 1954
Creator: Xeros, Chris P. (Chris Pete)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Bass Trombone and Its Use in Selected Works of Smetana, Borodin, Tchaikovsky, and Dvorak (open access)

The Bass Trombone and Its Use in Selected Works of Smetana, Borodin, Tchaikovsky, and Dvorak

The selected works by the composers studied in this thesis might well stand as illustrative of the normal development of the use of the bass trombone near the close of the nineteenth century. Although notable progress was made by the cited composers in increasing the bass trombone's usefulness in the orchestra, each composer also continued to use the bass trombone as it had been used in previous years, such as in doubling bass parts, harmonic backgrounds, and for strong rhythmic punctuations.
Date: August 1969
Creator: Kesting, Gary Walther
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Tenor Roles in the Oratorios of George Frederick Handel Based on the Old Testament and Jewish History (open access)

The Tenor Roles in the Oratorios of George Frederick Handel Based on the Old Testament and Jewish History

George Frederick Handel is one of the most important composers of oratorio in musical history. Between the year 1704, when he composed his Passion According to Saint John, and 1757, the year of his last oratorio, The Triumph of Time and Truth, Handel composed twenty nine works which have at one time or another been classified as oratorios. Only those works that are considered by all authorities as oratorios and are based on the Old Testament or Jewish history are included in this study. Handel writes solo roles for the tenor voice in all of the sixteen oratorios included in the study with the exception of the revision of Esther and in Deborah. The musical and dramatic function of the tenor solo roles varies with each oratorio. The significance of the tenor roles fluctuates with the dramatic impact of the story related by the oratorio and is completely dictated by it. Handel used all solo voices with concern for the best over all theatrical effect foremost in mind. To place in proper perspective his use of the tenor voice in relation to the other solo voices, such factors as the musical and dramatic importance of the tenor roles, character types …
Date: January 1967
Creator: Frederick, Jeffrey D. (Jeffrey Dickson)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Treatment of the Harp in Orchestral Literature from the Eighteenth Century to the Present (open access)

The Treatment of the Harp in Orchestral Literature from the Eighteenth Century to the Present

When one realizes how little the harp of the 1700's had advanced from its Biblical predecessors, its neglect by such masters as Bach, Haydn, and Beethoven does not seem remarkable. Why should a serious composer waste his time in writing for an instrument with no facilities for modulating, an instrument the weak tones of which would be lost in an orchestra?
Date: January 1952
Creator: Harvey, Anita Tsianina
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hebrew Origins and Vocal Practice of Music in the Early Christian Church to 500 A.D. (open access)

Hebrew Origins and Vocal Practice of Music in the Early Christian Church to 500 A.D.

This study aims to show all known knowledge of singing in the earliest days of the biblical New Testament. The practices of the early Christian church in respect to singing are traced during the period directly following that covered by the New Testament and carried forward to around the year 500 A.D. The study aims to learn, insofar as available sources permit, all that we may know today of singing in the earliest days of the New Testament Church. Both Old and New Testaments will be searched for all references to song, and particular attention will be directed to the meaning of St. Paul's reference to "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" in an effort to determine the meaning of these three items.
Date: August 1954
Creator: Palm, Richard C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Development of the Clarinet as a Solo Instrument During the Eighteenth Century (open access)

The Development of the Clarinet as a Solo Instrument During the Eighteenth Century

This study examines the development and creation of the clarinet in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, and the start of their use as a solo instrument in the eighteenth century. This explores Mozart's utilization and development for the clarinet to other various composers and their contributions.
Date: June 1966
Creator: Mahoney, James Mack
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Woodwind Quintet: Its Origin and Early Development (open access)

The Woodwind Quintet: Its Origin and Early Development

The purpose of this study is to trace the early development of a popular twentieth-century chamber music ensemble, the woodwind quintet. The first chapter concerns the history and background of the use of woodwinds in chamber music leading to the development of the quintet. The second chapter discusses the first compositions for this ensemble and their composers. An appendix provides musical examples illustrating the use of the instruments in the early woodwind quintets.
Date: August 1969
Creator: Shanley, Helen Ann
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Origin and Development of the Clavier Dance Suite to J.S. Bach (open access)

The Origin and Development of the Clavier Dance Suite to J.S. Bach

A history of the evolution of dance music throughout time and the instruments used for each type of dance.
Date: June 1957
Creator: Smith, George Lyndal
System: The UNT Digital Library