Innovations in the Usage of the Damper Pedal (open access)

Innovations in the Usage of the Damper Pedal

The piano first came into existence about 1709, but until the 1770's it was probably used most successfully as an accompanying instrument because of the small volume of tone it could produce. In its earlier stages the piano was not capable of producing even as big a tone as a large. sized harpsichord, During these seventy years piano builders experimented a great deal with the piano and its mechanisms, As with any instrument, some ideas were kept and improved, and others were tried and then discarded.
Date: June 1970
Creator: Richards, Ruby Juliet
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dramatic Expression in Thirty Musical Settings of Goethe's "Der Erlkonig" (open access)

Dramatic Expression in Thirty Musical Settings of Goethe's "Der Erlkonig"

This study is an investigation of the dramatic expression in thirty musical settings of Goethe's "Erlkonig," to attempt to determine why the works by Franz Schubert and Carl Loewe have achieved such popularity.
Date: May 1973
Creator: McDaniel, Mary Eileen
System: The UNT Digital Library
Recurring Thematic and Motivic Material in Gustav Mahler's Symphonies I-IX (open access)

Recurring Thematic and Motivic Material in Gustav Mahler's Symphonies I-IX

Mahler's use of recurring thematic and motivic elements is the topic under consideration in this paper. The subject was decided upon after a preliminary investigation into possible instances of the use of leitmotiv in Mahler's Symphony JI led to the conclusion that occurrences of that device are, at best, only matters of supposition. The study did reveal, however, a considerable number of themes and motives in Symphony 1I that could be traced directly to Symphony I. A logical question followed: Were there similar recurrences in any of the other symphonies? Further research indicated that such instances of cyclicism (a more concise synonym for "recurring themes and motives") were not only common, but were an important element in Mahler's style.
Date: August 1970
Creator: DuPree, Richard D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Representative Nineteenth-Century Choral Symphonies (open access)

Representative Nineteenth-Century Choral Symphonies

This study is concerned with the examination of choral symphonies by major nineteenth-century composers. Its purpose is to delineate the common characteristics which these works have. Emphasis is given to the investigation of the choral elements in the symphonies. Detailed musicological studies of nineteenth-century music are minimal; there has. been a particular lack of interest in nineteenth-century works for chorus. Therefore, the principal sources of data for this study were the full scores of the following nine symphonies: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet and the Funeral and Triumphal Symphony, Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, Liszt's Faust Symphony and Dante Syrmphony, and Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 2., 3, and 8. Other important sources included major biographies of the composers of the symphonies listed. chapter is devoted to each of these composers, subdivided as follows: a general survey of the composer's other works for chorus and/or orchestra; the historical facts connected with the composition and first performance of the individual symphonies; analysis; and conclusions.
Date: December 1971
Creator: Alexander, Metche Franke
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Variations for Piano, Op. 27 of Anton Webern and the Quaderno musicale di Annalibera of Luigi Dallapiccola: A Lecture Recital, Together with Four Recitals of Selected Works of J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, F. Schubert, R. Schumann, J. Brahms, F. Chopin, A. Schoenberg, and M. Ravel (open access)

The Variations for Piano, Op. 27 of Anton Webern and the Quaderno musicale di Annalibera of Luigi Dallapiccola: A Lecture Recital, Together with Four Recitals of Selected Works of J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, F. Schubert, R. Schumann, J. Brahms, F. Chopin, A. Schoenberg, and M. Ravel

The lecture recital was given on November 20, 1972. The discussion of Webern's Variations and Dallapiccola's Quaderno Musicale consisted of a analysis of the two works followed by a comparison of stylistic and performance aspects. The two works were then performed. In addition to the lecture recital four other public recitals were given. Two of these consisted entirely of solo literature for the piano. The third recital was a vocal chamber music recital and the fourth consisted of a piano concerto performed with an orchestra.
Date: May 1973
Creator: Bell, Digby
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analytical Critique of the Use of Twelve Equal Tones as Utilized in "Sonata-Fantasia" by George Rochberg (open access)

An Analytical Critique of the Use of Twelve Equal Tones as Utilized in "Sonata-Fantasia" by George Rochberg

This thesis centers around a certain twentieth-century compositionaI device, the method of composition with twelve tones. There are many terms to designate this device, for example: "basic set," "tone-row," "note-series," "serialism," "serial technique," "twelve-note series," "twelve-tone technique" or "twelve-tone method." TI is thesis is a methodical research demonstrating the contemporary conventional way of scientifically and artfully manipulating twelve equal tempered degrees of the chromatic scale to produce a desirable system. In order to arrive at any substantial conclusions, it is necessary to make a critical examination and evaluation of known twelve-tone compositional procedures from as many angles as possible, so as virtually to exhaust every practical and speculative potentiality included in the technique, that is, within the range and limits of our present needs. This examination and evaluation will also involve a comparative investigation of various uses of the device, in order to produce and suggest ideas for further theoretical insights. The ultimate purpose of this thesis is to pinpoint the "hows" and "whys" of Rochberg's use of the twelve equal tones in Sonata-Fantasia.
Date: July 1968
Creator: Tiroff, Philip Knight
System: The UNT Digital Library
Prolegomena to a Phenomenology of Music: A Comparative Study of Arnold Schoenberg and Edmund Husserl (open access)

Prolegomena to a Phenomenology of Music: A Comparative Study of Arnold Schoenberg and Edmund Husserl

Chapter One introduces the problem that existed in music and logic-psychology at the end of the 19th century. Both music and logic-psychology were in the cul-de-sac of relativism, which had led to obscurity of method and language. Asthetics-criticism is seen to be in the same relativistic position. It is postulated that phenomenological method could aid in music criticism and aesthetic awareness. The second chapter presents a motivic, or Idea, analysis of Schoenberg's second and third string quartets, showing how the twelve-tone method was developed as a way of curing musical composition of the tonal obscurity of late Romanticism. The third chapter is a short exposition of Husserl's development of phenomenological method from his initial work in logic and mathematics to transcendental phenomenology. Chapter Four discusses some of the methodological parallels between Schoenberg and Husserl. Parallels are drawn from all creative periods of their respective work. Chapter Five focuses on similar problems raised in contemporary aesthetic-criticism and their relationship to the methods of Husserl and Schoenberg. Showing how both men solved their problems, a solution is projected for aesthetics-criticism.
Date: August 1973
Creator: Kimmey, John A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dialogo della musica antica et della moderna of Vincenzo Galilei: Translation and Commentary. [Part 1] (open access)

Dialogo della musica antica et della moderna of Vincenzo Galilei: Translation and Commentary. [Part 1]

The purpose of this study is to provide a practical English translation of Vincenzo Galilei's significant treatise on ancient and modern music (1581). In spite of the important place this work holds in the history of music, it has never before been made available in its entirety in any language other than the original Italian. This volume includes the front matter and chapters 1-3.
Date: August 1973
Creator: Herman, Robert H., 1934-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dialogo della musica antica et della moderna of Vincenzo Galilei: Translation and Commentary. [Part 2] (open access)

Dialogo della musica antica et della moderna of Vincenzo Galilei: Translation and Commentary. [Part 2]

The purpose of this study is to provide a practical English translation of Vincenzo Galilei's significant treatise on ancient and modern music (1581). In spite of the important place this work holds in the history of music, it has never before been made available in its entirety in any language other than the original Italian. This volume includes chapters 4-6, with an index and bibliography for the entire dissertation.
Date: August 1973
Creator: Herman, Robert H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Florence, Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini, Manuscript Basevi 2439: Critical Edition and Commentary (open access)

Florence, Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini, Manuscript Basevi 2439: Critical Edition and Commentary

The subject of the present study, Florence, Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini, MS Basevi 2439, abbreviated Florence 2439,1 contains secular and sacred vocal music of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, with texts in French, Dutch, Italian, and Latin.
Date: June 1968
Creator: Newton, Paul George, 1930-
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 French Cantata: A Survey and Thematic Catalog (open access)

The French Cantata: A Survey and Thematic Catalog

The musical compositions known collectively as the French cantata have remained relatively unknown since their popularity waned in the middle of the 18th century. In order to establish a foundation for their systematic study and to bring them to the attention of a wider audience, this survey and catalog have been prepared. The cultural mileu in which the cantatas were written, their formal structure, and principles related to their performance have been presented along with pertinent biographical and bibliographical information.
Date: 1970
Creator: Vollen, Gene E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clavecin Pieces of Louis Couperin (open access)

Clavecin Pieces of Louis Couperin

Louis Couperin (c. 1626-1661) was an outstanding member of the seventeenth-century clavecin school and an important link in the Couperin dynasty. His works for the harpsichord, or clavecin, have been neglected. This is due primarily to the fact that there are relatively few of his works, in comparison with those of his nephew, Franois Couperin Le Grand, who greatly overshadows him. Louis wrote no treatise on how his works are to be played, and there are few accounts of him, or his works, that are written in English. There is no biography of Louis Couperin. A more detailed study should be made of his music and its place in the French clavecin literature. Before examiinig the music itself, however, it is necessary to trace the origins and development of the clavecin school and its style.
Date: January 1968
Creator: Hudgens, Cecilia K. Knox
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Stage Works of Franz Schubert with an Analysis of Fierrabras (open access)

The Stage Works of Franz Schubert with an Analysis of Fierrabras

Performances of Fitrabras and the other Schubert operas have been very rare. Parts of Fierrabras were given in concert form in Vienna in 1853 and again in 1858. The first stage production was in Karlsruhe, February 9, 1897, but the music was revised for that performance by 0. Neitzel and the text by F. Mottl. The text was translated into French for a production in Brussels in 1926. A concert version was also heard in London in 1938. None of these performances, with the possible exception of the one in Brussels, was in the original version. It has always been assumed that the work could not be performed as it stands; at any rate, no one has ever tried. True, there are certain problems in production, especially in the rapid shift of scenes in the third act, but modern stage technique could undoubtedly conquer such difficulties easily.
Date: August 1968
Creator: Corse, Sandra
System: The UNT Digital Library
Martin Agricola's 'Musica Instrumentalis Deudsch': A Translation (open access)

Martin Agricola's 'Musica Instrumentalis Deudsch': A Translation

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of presenting a concise English translation of the book which Martin Agricola wrote in 1528 in German on the musical instruments and practices of his time. In addition to the translation itself, there is a major section devoted to a comparison of the material of Musica instrumentalis deudsch with other books and treatises on the same and related subjects which were written at approximately the same time or within the next hundred years. Agricola states that the purpose of his book was to teach the playing of various instruments such as organs, lutes, harps, viols, and pipes. He also noted that the material was prepared expressly for young people to study. To facilitate the accomplishment of this purpose Agricola wrote the book in short, two-lined, rhymed couplets so that the youths might quickly memorize the material and thus retain the instructions better.
Date: May 1972
Creator: Hollaway, William W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Symbol and Motive in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande (open access)

Symbol and Motive in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande

It is not by accident that virtually every important study of Debussy's life or works (including the recent and definitive biography by Edward Lockspeiser) has been made from a psychological viewpoint. The peculiar nature of the composer's art, resulting from his intimate ties with the French symbolist poets and his contacts with many other extra-musical influences, makes such an approach not only advantageous, but necessary. In this brief study of Pelleas et Melisande, the composer's only completed music drama, an attempt will be made to trace these many and varied influences, correlate them with the composer's musical style, and thus arrive at a deeper understanding of the nature of this remarkable work, along with its place in the history of the music drama. The actual study of the structure of the opera will give equal consideration to both the literary and the musical elements. As the unique quality of this work is grasped, the justification of such an approach will perhaps be verified.
Date: August 1967
Creator: Simpson, Patrick L. (Patrick Lynton)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Influences Seen in Prokofiev's Piano Style (open access)

Influences Seen in Prokofiev's Piano Style

The influence of existing musical trends is evident in almost every composer. Prokofiev entered the musical scene in Russia when Scriabin was the recognized leader in innovation. To understand fully the rapid popularity of Prokofiev one must be aware of the musical forces of his time, the circumstances leading up to them and their influence on Prokofiev. In the latter half of the nineteenth century there began a movement toward nationalism in music. Among the most important of these nationalistic countries were Bohemia and Russia. Composers deliberately drew their inspiration from the musical resources of their native country. From all that is known a native Russian music did not exist before the nineteenth century. The music enjoyed by the upper class and royalty had to be imported. In the eighteenth century this included Italian opera and in the beginning of the nineteenth century, French opera. Pianists such as Field, Mayer and von Henselt were popular as both teachers and performers.
Date: June 1970
Creator: Lewis, Ronald Edwin
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Poetic Ideal in the Piano Music of Franz Liszt: A Lecture Recital, Together with Three Recitals of Music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, and Contemporary European and North American Composers (open access)

The Poetic Ideal in the Piano Music of Franz Liszt: A Lecture Recital, Together with Three Recitals of Music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, and Contemporary European and North American Composers

The dissertation consists of four recitals: one chamber music recital, two solo recitals, and one lecture recital. The chamber music program included a trio with the violin and cello performing with the piano. The repertoire of all of the programs was intended to demonstrate a variety of types and styles of piano music from several different historical periods. The lecture recital, "The Poetic Ideal in the Piano Music of Franz Liszt," was an attempt to enter a seldomexplored area of Liszt's musical inspiration. So much has been written about the brilliant and virtuosic compositions which Liszt created to demonstrate his own technical prowess that it is easy to lose sight of the other side of his creative genius. Both as a composer and as an author, Liszt reiterated his belief in the fundamental kinship of music and the other arts. The visual arts of painting and sculpture were included, but he considered the closest relationship to be with literature, and especially with poetry.
Date: December 1972
Creator: Lawhon, Gladys Louise, 1911-
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparison of the Use of Music in the Holy Eucharist of the Roman Catholic Church and the Sabbath Morning Service of the Jewish Synagogue in the Middle Ages (open access)

A Comparison of the Use of Music in the Holy Eucharist of the Roman Catholic Church and the Sabbath Morning Service of the Jewish Synagogue in the Middle Ages

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of comparing the medieval musical traditions of two of the world's most influential religions. The similarities are discussed in two major categories: the comparison of liturgical texts and ritual, and the comparison of the music appearing in each ritual. This study has one main purpose. That purpose is to demonstrate how, through musical traditions, each religion has developed through the influence of the other. Samples of the liturgies from the musical portions of the services were obtained from prayer books and references dealing with those religions. Investigations of English translations from the Latin and Hebrew revealed a close identity between the two, not only in scriptural uses, but also in prayers and responses. Musical examples demonstrating similar elements in Hebrew and Christian worship were found in the extensive research of A. Z. Idelsohn and Eric Werner. Due to the dispersal of world Jewry, the best examples of Hebrew medieval music were obtained from the most isolated Jewish communities, such as those of Yemen, Musical similarities included modes, melodic formulas, and hymns and songs. This report concludes that the musical portions of the services of Christianity and Judaism in the Middle …
Date: July 1971
Creator: Simmons, Sandra K. (Sandra Kay)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nineteenth-Century New Orleans Composers (open access)

Nineteenth-Century New Orleans Composers

A comprehensive study of all nineteenth-century New Orleans composers is far beyond the scope of this paper. There are simply too many. An attempt has been made, however, to include as many possible in the text. Others, about whom there is insufficient information to include in a narrative, have been relegated to the appendix, where they are treated in the style of a biographical dictionary. The two most important and influential composers of the century, Gregorion Curto and Theodore von La Hache, are covered individually in chapters two and three, respectively. Their music represents all three of the important aspects of composition of the era: opera, salon, and sacred music. Louis Moreau Gottschalk, probably the most famous composer and performer of the period, has been omitted from this study (other than incidental references) because he has already received considerable attention from numerous other researchers. Likewise, another composer of note, Ernest Guiraud, has been omitted because, even though a native of New Orleans, he left America at an early age and never returned. He should more appropriately be considered in annals of French music. Research in this field, a vital part of the American musical heritage, is by no means complete. …
Date: May 1968
Creator: Wolfe, Alvin Duain
System: The UNT Digital Library
Some Aspects of the French Organ Symphony: Culminating in the Symphonie Passion of Marcel Dupré: Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of D. Buxtehude, J.S. Bach, N. Dello-Joio, P. Hindemith, S. Karg-Elert, J. Langlais, W. Latham, F. Liszt, N. Lockwood, F. Martin, D. Pinkham, L. Sowerby, and L. Vierne (open access)

Some Aspects of the French Organ Symphony: Culminating in the Symphonie Passion of Marcel Dupré: Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of D. Buxtehude, J.S. Bach, N. Dello-Joio, P. Hindemith, S. Karg-Elert, J. Langlais, W. Latham, F. Liszt, N. Lockwood, F. Martin, D. Pinkham, L. Sowerby, and L. Vierne

The lecture recital was given July 10, 1973. The Symphonie-Passion by Marcel Dupre was performed following a lecture on various factors that influenced the development of the organ symphony in France. In addition to the lecture recital, three other public recitals were performed, including solo compositions for the organ and three chamber works for organ and instruments. The first solo recital, including works of J. S. Bach, P. Hindemith, L. Sowerby, and L. Vierne, was performed on June 4, 1969. On April 17, 1970 the second solo recital was performed. Compositions by J. S. Bach, D. Buxtehude, M. Duprd, N. Dello Joio, S. Karg--Elert, and J. Langlais were included in the program. On January 25, 1971, a program of organ chamber works by N. Lockwood, D. Pinkham, and F. Martin, as well as solo works by F. Lizst, W. Latham, and Marcel Duprl, was performed. The four programs were recorded on magnetic tape and are filed with the written version of the lecture as a part of the dissertation.
Date: August 1973
Creator: Kean, Patricia June (Patricia June Forman), 1933-
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
Seven Early Songs of Arnold Schoenberg from the Nachod Collection (open access)

Seven Early Songs of Arnold Schoenberg from the Nachod Collection

Arnold Schoenberg viewed himself as an extension of the German Romantic tradition. Schoenberg's early unpublished songs prove his indebtedness to nineteenth century music, but they also show a great deal that is strictly Schoenbergian. This paper investigates the musical elements that Schoenberg assimilated from tradition, especially from the great Lied tradition of the nineteenth century. lements that may be associated with his later works are also investigated, namely the 2rundgestalt principle, and his use of the "primal cell," a trichord set that appears in works of all his periods. This paper shows how these elements are manifested in seven early songs. These songs are from the Nachod collection, an assemblage of correspondence and early unpublished music manuscripts by Schoenberg. This collection is owned by North Texas State University.
Date: December 1980
Creator: Russom, Philip Wade
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