This lecture-recital investigated the lineage of French composers who were influenced by jazz during the first half of the twentieth century, with a focus on compositions from the solo trombone repertory. Historically, French composers, more than those of other European countries, showed an early affinity for the artistic merits of America's jazz. This predilection for the elements of jazz could be seen in the selected orchestral works of Les Six and the solo compositions of the Paris Conservatory composers. An examination of the skills of major jazz trombonists early in the twentieth century showed that idioms resulting from their unique abilities were gradually assimilated into orchestral and solo repertory. Orchestral works by Satie, Milhaud, and Ravel works showing jazz traits were investigated. Further, an expose of the solo trombone works emanating from the Paris Conservatory was presented. Although written documentation is limited, comparisons between early recorded jazz trombone solos and compositions for orchestral and solo trombone was established. These comparisons were made on the basis of idiomatic jazz elements such as high-tessitura ballad melodies, blue tonalities and harmonies, syncopated rhythms, and many of the aspects of style associated with improvisation. All major French solo trombone repertory to mid-century was surveyed …

Beethoven is generally acknowledged to be the most important composer of the 19th century. However, many critics and musicologists dismiss Beethoven's Lieder as being of less musical value and sophistication than his more instrumentally conceived late vocal writings. The true musical sophistication of Beethoven's Lieder can be discovered by a careful study of the harmonic structure and the relationship between the vocal and the piano part in Beethoven's Lieder. In discussing Beethoven's Lieder style based on analysis, a number of aspects shall be examined: (1) the harmonic idiom and key relationships; (2) the role of the piano; and (3) other stylistic features.

Celestial Dreams is a three-movement work for chamber ensemble. This piece employs algorithmic processes (coded in BASIC and Pascal) that generate poetic text and convert it to musical pitches. The three movements contain coherent structures that allow for the complete integration of all ensemble members into the texture and for the flexibility to have one ensemble member emerge as the musical foreground. The chamber ensemble includes strings, tape, slides, and a narrator, who recites the poetic text which forms the foundation of the piece.

This work is a comprehensive study of the Sephardic Romancero and the historical, political and cultural elements that have contributed to the maintenance of the romance tradition in Sephardic life. The investigation begins with an overview of the past studies of the Sephardic Romancero and is followed by a survey of the history of the Sephardic Jews, both in Spain and in the Spanish Diaspora. An historical approach to the literary and linguistic aspects of the Sephardic Romancero follows and this approach is then applied to a musical study. The concluding chapter discusses the uses and functions of the romancero in the Sephardic world, particularly among the Sephardic women and the social processes that have contributed to the maintenance of the romance tradition in Sephardic culture.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree.

Watership Down is a work for chamber orchestra in four movements, approximately sixteen minutes in duration. The piece is a programmatic work based on the novel Watership Down by Richard Adams; however, the musical action is not intended to be an aural narrative of the story but, rather, is meant to capture the general mood of the four sections of the novel. The work exhibits the influence of several styles of late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century music with the symphonic poem being the genre it most closely resembles.