Traditions in orchestration can be described by relating the practices of most of the important composers of a particular time. This was done with great success by two composers of the nineteenth century, Hector Berlioz and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, in their books on orchestration. These texts are the basis for the traditional uses of brass instruments appearing in the chapter.

The idea for this investigation was inspired by the writer's attempt to acquire a more complete knowledge of piano teaching techniques. It is hoped that this report will challenge musicians of all ranks to delve further into the subject and investigate other methods of technique not included in this report.

Since the time of Johann Sebastian Bach many musical compositions have been written on the letters of his last name. In German musical notation, these letters are the equivalents of out B flat, A, C, and B natural. This study traces the use of this motive in works written for the organ throughout the past two centuries. The discussion in these chapters has been an attempt to illustrate the use of the motive B A C H in organ compositions from before the time of Bach up to the present. Time limitations required that this study limit itself to those works appearing in generally available editions.

Except for a group of three songs, the two piano concertos were the last things Ravel wrote. They have been said to be the culmination of Ravel's style; and, since they were written simultaneously, much attention has been drawn to a comparison of the two, particularly with emphasis on their divergent features. It is the purpose of this paper to show the interesting circumstances under which these concertos came to exist, to acknowledge the differences recognized by authors and critics, and to point out some important ways in which these concertos are similar to each other.

Sonata in A major, Opus 120, was written by Franz Schubert in 1819. The sonata was chosen for this study because of its proximity to the middle of the span of time in which Schubert wrote his piano sonatas. His first piano sonata was written in 1815 and the last in 1828. Since no sonatas were written in either 1821 or 1822, the years in the middle of this span, the sonata written in 1819 was chosen.

The purpose of this study is to show how standards of pitch became a matter of importance in musical performance. The existence of innumerable varieties of pitches was not an actual handicap in a time when voices were accompanied by only one instrument, or when a singer accompanied himself. But when instruments began to be used with the church organ, and ensembles were formed to play in the royal courts, a standard pitch was found to be desirable. Many factors were involved in the adjustments of pitch as small ensembles evolved into the military band and the symphony orchestra. An attempt will be made to show how many of the standards were derived, and what long lasting effects they had.

This examination of Ralph Vaughan Williams' song cycle to poetry of Alfred Edward Housman, "On Wenlock Edge," will follow primarily two avenues of approach. First, following a brief biographical sketch of Vaughan Williams' career prior to the composition of "On Wenlock Edge," will be a discussion of Vaughan Williams' and Housman's respective aesthetic philosophies. In order to lay the background for certain salient characteristics of this cycle, parallels as well as differences in their artistic thinking will be explained. Secondly, a poetic analysis will precede the musical analysis of each song in order to differentiate between the original intent of the poet and the interpretation of the poetry by Vaughan Williams.

Hugo Wolf drew the strands of form, rhythm, and other elements together to form tightly woven songs, each element of which can be traced to the text as its original inspiration. Truly this was a genius of romantic expression, who took the tools developed by his predecessors in song, tempered them with his own sensitive personality, and used them to the fullest in setting the meaning and the mood, as well as the words, of the poems he had chosen.

The two basic needs which motivated this study were instructional material and instruments. By investigating these problems the writer hopes to improve not only his own techniques of teaching, but to present a useful source of information concerning the tuba. Analysis of the problem statement led to subordinate questions, or sub-problems, which may be stated as follows: 1. What do the authorities consider to be the desirable physical and mental characteristics in the tuba player? 2. How do the authorities teach the specific techniques of tuba performance. 3. What are the authorities' opinions concerning tubas and tuba mouthpieces? 4. What are the authorities' recommendations concerning instructional materials for tuba students?