This study presents a theory of melodic creation, transmission, memory, and recall within the Anglo- and Celtic-American culture of lower Appalachia, from the time of the earliest European settlers until the present. This theory and its attendant hypotheses draw upon earlier published ideas, current theories of memory and recall, and the results of applying a computer-supported analytical system developed by the author. Sources include previous studies of folksong melody, song collections, and earlier investigations of the psychology of memory. Also important are portions of an anonymous treatise on traditional Celtic musical scales and an authoritative, modern interpretation of this document. A final body of sources is a small group of sound-recordings.

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.

This study is an examination of Earl Hatch and Clair Musser's transcriptions for marimba of Chopin's Waltz, Opus 64 No. 1, Musser's arrangement of Chopin's Mazurka, Opus 17 No. 4, Hatch's setting of Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, and Frank Mac Callum's treatment of Franck's "Chorale" from the Prelude, Chorale and Fugue. Additionally, the role of the transcription during the Romantic Period, the historical development of the marimba transcription, and performance considerations of the specific works presented are discussed.

The music of Marin Marais, a major figure among the French Baroque bass viol composer-performers, is seldom played today. His compositions which are artistically and historically significant, should be available to instrumentalists of this century. Marais published five volumes of bass viol compositions. Seven movements were transcribed from the Second Suite of Marais' first volume. The first chapter is an introduction to Marais; the second chapter pertains to the bass viol and its styles of performance, and the final chapter illustrates the editing required for the transcription. The problems encountered were those of adapting the melodic, harmonic, and contrapuntal styles of the seven-stringed bass viol to the double bass which is normally monophonous. Melodic elements were unchanged, chords were simplified, and contrapuntal lines were retained by giving the second voice to the continuo bass.

The dissertation consists of four recitals: one chamber music recital compiled from two years' series of chamber music performances in residence, two solo recitals, and one lecture recital. The repertoire of these programs was chosen with the intention of demonstrating the capability of the performer to deal with problems arising in works of varying types and of different historical periods. The lecture recital, The Fifth and Sixth Clarinet Concertos by Johann Melchior Molter, begins with perhaps the first performance of the Concerto No. 4 in D Major, Mus. Hs. 337, for clarinet in D with orchestral accompaniment reduced for piano. Bibliographical, historical and technical information is marshaled to justify the solo designation of Badische Landesbibliothek concerto manuscripts 334 and 328 to D clarinet rather than clarino. An investigation into the formal and stylistic aspects shows these two questionable works to be comparable to the composer's other four clarinet concertos. The analysis is followed by a short discussion of the problems involved in the transcription and performance of the works. The lecture concludes with the first performance of the Concerto No. 6 in D Major, Mus. Hs. 328, for clarinet in D with orchestral accompaniment reduced for piano.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an auditor's past musical training and experience on the intelligibility of selected vowel sounds at differential pitch levels. The specific problems of the study were to investigate the effects of extensive vocal music training, extensive non-vocal music training, and limited or no music training on an auditor's ability to discriminate accurately selected vowel sounds performed at various pitch levels. The effects of pitch and vowel sound on auditor recognition of vowel sounds in singing and the ability of each singer to be intelligible to auditors was also investigated.

The Piano Sonatas of Rodolfo Halffter (b. 1900, Madrid, Spain) represent an important body of literature not widely known nor understood for their historical importance and Spanish heritage. The entire development of Halffter's compositional style, which embraces three periods of composition, may be traced through these sonatas. The modes of composition may be seen not to be separate and distinct but as having inter—relationships which therefore affect the outcome of Halffter's final dodecaphonic technique. The culmination of his serial method is found in the Tercera Sonata, op. 30. At first glance, this work appears to be a radical departure from the former styles. However, a more in-depth study reveals this sonata to be the logical outgrowth of earlier compositional techniques, thereby blending diverse, eclectic elements into a unique and homogenous application, all Halffter's own. Forced to flee his native country in 1939, Halffter became the first composer in Mexico to use twelve-tone techniques. Together with Carlos Chavez, he exerted great influence on the present generation's group of Mexican composers. Halffter today remains a crucial link in the continuation of the Spanish tradition as exemplified by his former mentor, Manuel de Falla. A brief explanation of Falla s theory of resonance …

The incidental music for Chansons de Bilitis is little known and rarely performed. However, the relegation of this work to the realms of obscurity is highly unjustified. Chansons de Bilitis requires an unusual combination of instruments: two flutes, two harps, and celesta in addition to a reciter. The work is a theater piece in the tradition of melodrama, with spoken text and background music in alternation. Despite the rather unique nature of the work, many of the melodic, textural, and orchestrational devices for which Debussy is noted are evident. The music is throughcomposed; each movement mirrors and emphasizes the meaning and mood of the accompanying poem. Because of the fragmentary nature of the music and its rather subordinate role in the total theater work, the primary emphasis in gaining an appreciation of the value of the work lies in an investigation of its historical background.

An understanding of the piano transcription is basic to any proper comprehension of nineteenth-century piano music and performance practice. In this study, the transcription for solo piano is examined in relation to several musical milestones in the mid-nineteenth century, including far-reaching technical developments in the piano, the beginning and growth of the public concert, the birth of the solo piano recital, and the influence of virtuosity as a Romantic ideal. In addition, as Liszt was undoubtedly the greatest transcriber of the nineteenth century, several representative transcriptions of Liszt are analyzed and compared to their original models, including Schubert's Gretchen am Spinnrade and Auf dem Wasser zu singen, Chopin's Moja pieszczotka ("My Joys"), Wagner's Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, and the quartet from the final act of Verdi's Rigoletto.

The primary purpose of this thesis is to give the prospective performer of Schumann's piano works a better understanding of his many works for the piano and to give the pianist, and musicians in general, a better understanding of the pianistic devices employed by Schumann in his works for this instrument. Schumann rose to great heights for short intervals. He possessed enthusiasm, humor, charm, and eloquence. Such qualities have kept his music alive and have provided his listeners with lasting pleasure. Much of his music represents the nobility and warm-heartedness that characterized early Romanticism at its best.

It is the purpose of this study to set forth facts, substantiated by investigation of authoritative sources, proving that all selections used on the concert program of a high school chorus should serve a permanently constructive purpose toward the musical growth of the students. The first part of the thesis concerns those elements which have to be taken into consideration in teaeching any high school music group These are: 1. The psychological make-up of the group in regard to age and physical development. 2. The psychological make-up of its audience. 3. The existing level of musical skill of the group as a whole. 4. The existing degree of aesthetic appreciation of the chorus and its audience. The latter part of the work specifies the aims in vocal instruction of the high school choral course. These include sight reading, breathing, tone, pitch, diction, phrasing, and interpretation. It also attempts to demonstrate how the preparation of a concert program serves to accomplish these aims. This involves a critical evaluation of each number on a proposed program in reference to the following points: 1. Psychological reception by the group and its audience. 2. Its contribution toward improved aesthetic discrimination on the part of …

The lecture recital was given on August 5, 1976. Subsequent to a presentation of some pertinent background material, diverse influences on the compositional styles of five representative composers of the period were discussed. Nine songs by Edward MacDowell, Charles Loeffler, Sidney Homer, John Alden Carpenter, and Charles Griffes were interspersed as musical illustrations. In addition to the lecture recital, three other public recitals were performed. The first solo recital was presented on July 26, 1973, and included works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Richard Strauss, and Wolfgang Fortner. The second solo recital, given on December 3, 1973, was comprised of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jacques Ibert, Arrigo Boito, and Modeste Moussorgsky. The third solo recital (with Miss Jo Ann Pickens assisting), was presented on June 26, 1974, and included works by Thomas Arne, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, Benjamin Godard, Giuseppe Verdi, and Carlisle Floyd.

The dissertation consists of four recitals: three solo recitals and one lecture recital. The repertoire of all the programs was intended to demonstrate a variety of music written originally for trombone. The lecture recital, "The Trombone in German and Austrian Concerted Church Music of the Baroque Period," was presented on July 3, 1974. The lecture was an attempt to illuminate the position of the trombone, both as an ensemble instrument and as a solo obbligato instrument, in church music of the Baroque period. The program included the performance of two works by Heinrich Schutz for bass voice, four trombones, and continuo; one work by Andreas Hammerschmidt for alto, bass, trombone, and continuo; and one work by Johann Joseph Fux for soprano, trombone, two violins, and continuo. A line of influence was traced from the Venetian composers Giovanni Gabrieli and Claudio Monteverdi, through Schiitz, Hammerschmidt, and Fux, to Mozart.