Sofia Gubaidulina is one of the leading composers in the contemporary music world. Her compositional interests have been stimulated by the exploration of and improvisation with rare folk and ritual instruments, and by a deep-rooted belief in the mystical properties of music. Gubaidulina is the author of orchestral and choral works, compositions for solo instruments, chamber music, as well as electronics music. Gubaidulina's Piano Sonata sums up the composer's thinking within her piano music, and at the same time projects the development of her spiritual vision within other genres that are to come. The analytical approach in this paper is based on the correlation between each of the elements of the musical material (form, rhythm, sound, etc.) and its contextual meaning in terms of musical dramaturgy. Set-theory is applied to the analysis of motivic components of the work. The traditional form is just the basis for the original intonational structure within a modern musical idiom. Varieties of rhythmic patterns, as well as an unconventional sound production, make this work breath with an impetuous power. The examination of the Sonata's musical language and content should give some insight not only into Guabaidulina's piano music, but also into a consequent development of …

An historical perspective of Theobald Boehm (1794-1881) and his design of the modem alto flute. Chapters I and II discuss the development of design, playing technique and repertoire of the ancestors of the modem alto flute beginning with the Renaissance consorts detailed in the treatises of Agricola, Praetorius and Mersenne, through the Baroqueflate d'amour and its use in the music of J.S. Bach, to Boehm's alto flute design (c. 1855) and its use in early twentieth-century orchestral and chamber repertoire such as Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps (1911), ending with specific aspects of contemporary alto flute design and manufacture since 1950, including the innovations of Dutch flutemaker Eva Kingma. Chapters III and IV concentrate on Boehm's mechanical and acoustical developments for the concert flute in C, the resulting modem alto flute in G, and his career as a virtuoso flutist, teacher, and composer. Chapter V is a critical commentary on Boehm's arrangement of Beethoven's Largo from the Concerto for Piano, Op. 15, No. 1 for alto flute and piano (c. 1858). Appendices A and B include the facsimile of the unpublished Largo manuscript and a list of Boehm's works for alto flute.

In an appendix section, three notable arias have been transcribed for two clarinets, voice, and piano. A further evaluation of Classical period opera orchestration will aid modern performers and musicologists in their understanding of what clarinets and clarinetists were able and expected to do.

Research has been conducted on prominent mid-twentieth century French trumpet concertos and their composers. Jolivet, Bozza, and Tomasi have all been the subject of research. Charles Chaynes' music is equally valuable to modern trumpet repertoire as that of Jolivet, Bozza, and Tomasi. Chaynes' exclusion from research leaves a void in resources available to future trumpet students. A study of Charles Chaynes and his trumpet concertos is essential to preserving the history of the valve trumpet's young modern repertoire. Lack of understanding of Chaynes' trumpet concertos can only lead to misconceptions when interpreting these pieces. The thirty-nine year gap between Chaynes' Trumpet Concerto No. 1 and Trumpet Concerto No. 2 is a remarkable time span between major compositions, and examining the works gives insight to the evolution of the trumpet concerto throughout the twentieth century. This project highlights Charles Chaynes' contribution to the trumpet repertoire from both the beginning and end of his compositional career, and fills the research gap concerning his concertos. It includes correspondence with Charles Chaynes and others, in order to gain information not found in common source materials. It highlights examples from each concerto that are representative of the composer's compositional style.

The connection between text, music, and performance in the lieder of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries is an integral aspect to fully comprehending the style and performance of the genre. It is also essential in order to understand the full development of the lied in its totality. The era represented a transitional period in musical development, influenced by Enlightenment values of elegance, good taste, simplicity, and naturalness which sought to eradicate the overly decorative “excesses” of the high-Baroque. In this study, emphasis is placed upon the unique development of the lied in the northern German regions by the composers Johann Friedrich Reichardt and Carl Friedrich Zelter and their musical settings of the lyric poetry of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The study also addresses the overall development of the genre as it progressed from the Baroque through Classicism/Neo-Classicism, Sturm und Drang, and into Romanticism exploring the musical settings and performance possibilities both then and now in the context of the various treatises and correspondence between the composers and poet. It seeks to effectively address the notion that these early songs were composed and performed by those versed in the ideal of music being an improvisatory/dramatic vehicle for expressing emotion …

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837) was a leading composer, virtuoso pianist, and well-known pedagogue during the late Classical and early Romantic periods. His music was important and frequently performed during his lifetime, but his piano preludes, Op. 67, seem to have been completely forgotten. These preludes reflect the traditional use of the prelude, with many traditional piano techniques. The influence of Hummel's Op. 67 on the next generations is clearly shown in the similarities in their compositions, especially the works of Chopin. This dissertation includes a formal analysis of the preludes and a discussion of each specific type of piano techniques with practicing suggestions, providing a pedagogical guide for students on how to use Hummel's works to prepare for other composers.

Alexander Grechaninov was one of the most important composers of the late Russian Romantic School. By the second half of the twentieth century he remained one of the few living composers who continued the traditions of the great Russian Romantic masters, such as Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. He is primarily known for his liturgical works, which are truly masterpieces of this genre. Because many of his instrumental works remain unpublished, particularly the chamber works, they continue to be undeservedly ignored in the concert hall. Grechaninov's unpublished works for clarinet include Septet for Clarinet, Bassoon and String Quintet, Op. 172a, Serenade for Clarinet and String Orchestra (without opus number), and Sonata No. 1 for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 161. This project not only brings to light Grechaninov's unpublished clarinet works, but also emphasizes the importance of his published clarinet pieces which have to date been forgotten, especially in the United States. The writer prepares a performance edition of the Sonata No. 1, Op.161 from Grechaninov's original autograph manuscript which is held in the New York Public Library's Toscanini Archives. After a brief introduction, the document describes Grechaninov's biography, including his historical and societal background, compositional growth throughout his career, and outside influences …

Walt Whitman's poetry continues to inspire composers of choral music, and the growing collection of musical settings necessitates development of a standard evaluative tool. Critical evaluation of the musical settings of Whitman's work is difficult because the extensive body of verse is complex and of uneven quality, and lack of common text among compositions makes comparison problematical. The diversity of musical styles involved further complicates the issue. Previous studies have focused on either ideology or style, but none have united the two critical approaches, thus restricting potential for deeper understanding of the music. This study proposes an approach to critical evaluation of Whitman settings that applies hermeneutics, or a blend of analysis and criticism, to the process. The hermeneutic approach includes an examination of the interrelationship between musical form and style and the composer's ideology, which is revealed through his/her treatment of Whitman's poetry and analyzed in light of cultural influences. Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961) has composed a large scale choral/orchestral setting of Whitman texts in his Symphony No. 2, opus 67 (1999). The selection, placement, and treatment of poetry in Symphony No. 2 provide a window into the composer's mind and his place in the current musical climate. Liebermann's …