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.

The lecture recital was given December 5, 1971. A discussion of Beethoven's 33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op. 120 included the circumstances under which the work was composed, analysis of the composition, and controversial opinions on the Variations. The piece was then performed by memory. In addition to the lecture recital three other public recitals were performed. These consisted entirely of solo literature for the piano. The first solo recital was on April 12, 1970, and included works of Bach, Beethoven, and Liszt. Part of the preparation included the writing of program notes of a historical and analytical nature. The second solo recital, on January 31, 1971, consisted entirely of sonatas by Beethoven, Chopin, and Prokofiev. The final solo program, on August 11, 1972, included works by Bach, Schumann, and Granados. All four programs were recorded on magnetic tape and are filed, along with the written version of the lecture material, as a part of the dissertation.

The lecture recital was given October 15, 1971. The subject of the discussion was Brahms and the Character Piece: Emotion Guided by Intellect, and it included historical and biographical information, an analysis of Brahms' romantic-classic style, a general analysis of the six character pieces in Opus 118, and performance of Opus 118 by memory. In addition to the lecture recital, three other public recitals were performed. These three programs were comprised of solo literature for the piano. The first solo recital was on April 15, 1971, and included works of Brahms, Chopin, Mozart, and Ravel. The second program, presented on April 28, 1972, featured several works of Beethoven. Performed on Septemhber 25, 1972, the third recital programmed compositions by Chopin, Debussy, and Prokofieff. Magnetic tape recordings of all four programs and the written lecture material are filed together as the dissertation.