Dramatic Expression in Thirty Musical Settings of Goethe's "Der Erlkonig" (open access)

Dramatic Expression in Thirty Musical Settings of Goethe's "Der Erlkonig"

This study is an investigation of the dramatic expression in thirty musical settings of Goethe's "Erlkonig," to attempt to determine why the works by Franz Schubert and Carl Loewe have achieved such popularity.
Date: May 1973
Creator: McDaniel, Mary Eileen
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Lute Books of Giulio Cesare Barbetta: A Polyphonic Transcription of the Composer's Complete Works and an Analysis of the Fourteen Fantasias Volume I (open access)

The Lute Books of Giulio Cesare Barbetta: A Polyphonic Transcription of the Composer's Complete Works and an Analysis of the Fourteen Fantasias Volume I

The great number of musical sources preserved in manuscript and printed form clearly reflects the prominent position held by the lute as a musical instrument during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Only a relatively small portion of this vast literature is presently available to scholars and interested laymen in the form of modern transcriptions. Referred to as "l'instrument noble par excellence," the lute's popular and fashionable appeal is evidenced by the large number of composers who dedicated themselves to this instrument. Among the number of outstanding lute composers living in Italy during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries was Giulio Cesare Barbetta (c. 1540-after 1603). During his lifetime Barbetta published a total of four books of lute pieces containing arrangements of polyphonic compositions of various Renaissance composers as well as a large number of original compositions including .preludes, airs, fantasias, and dance pieces. Although Barbetta achieved importance as a leading figure in the Italian school of lute composition, there is little readily available material, either biographical or musical; this study provides the scholar, the performer, and the listener with biographical data and a modern edition of the composer's complete works.
Date: August 1973
Creator: Thomas, Benjamin W., 1937-
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Choral-Orchestral Works of Hector Berlioz (open access)

The Choral-Orchestral Works of Hector Berlioz

In this study the choral-orchestral compositions produced by Hector Berlioz are examined in detail for characteristics of musical form, textual setting, and methods of scoring for chorus and orchestra. Reasons for the preponderance of the choral-orchestral medium in Berlioz' output are examined in two introductory chapters. The initial chapter concerns Berlioz' personal experiences as an observer, conductor, and critic of choral music, while the second is devoted to Parisian customs in regard to the choral-orchestral medium during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Included in the historical chapter is a discussion of the haute-contre (high tenor or countertenor) voice preferred in French choruses of that period plus a short review of French orchestral practices, operatic choruses, the French Chapel, Parisian concert societies, and the Paris Conservatory. Especially important is the segment on revolutionary musical fetes which fostered grandiose compositions for chorus and instruments of extremely simple structure. Berlioz' sense of form was governed by his Gallic heritage and for this reason many critics have accused him of formlessness, when in fact his compositions invaribly revolve around a succinct formal plan, admirably executed. Berlioz added to the conservative French tradition which favored the strophe and the Rondeau (an unvarying refrain following …
Date: May 1978
Creator: Alexander, Metche Franke
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Lute Books of Giulio Cesare Barbetta: A Polyphonic Transcription of the Composer's Complete Works and an Analysis of the Fourteen Fantasias Volume III (open access)

The Lute Books of Giulio Cesare Barbetta: A Polyphonic Transcription of the Composer's Complete Works and an Analysis of the Fourteen Fantasias Volume III

The great number of musical sources preserved in manuscript and printed form clearly reflects the prominent position held by the lute as a musical instrument during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Only a relatively small portion of this vast literature is presently available to scholars and interested laymen in the form of modern transcriptions. Referred to as "l'instrument noble par excellence," the lute's popular and fashionable appeal is evidenced by the large number of composers who dedicated themselves to this instrument. Among the number of outstanding lute composers living in Italy during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries was Giulio Cesare Barbetta (c. 1540-after 1603). During his lifetime Barbetta published a total of four books of lute pieces containing arrangements of polyphonic compositions of various Renaissance composers as well as a large number of original compositions including .preludes, airs, fantasias, and dance pieces. Although Barbetta achieved importance as a leading figure in the Italian school of lute composition, there is little readily available material, either biographical or musical; this study provides the scholar, the performer, and the listener with biographical data and a modern edition of the composer's complete works.
Date: August 1973
Creator: Thomas, Benjamin W., 1937-
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Lute Books of Giulio Cesare Barbetta: A Polyphonic Transcription of the Composer's Complete Works and an Analysis of the Fourteen Fantasias Volume II (open access)

The Lute Books of Giulio Cesare Barbetta: A Polyphonic Transcription of the Composer's Complete Works and an Analysis of the Fourteen Fantasias Volume II

The great number of musical sources preserved in manuscript and printed form clearly reflects the prominent position held by the lute as a musical instrument during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Only a relatively small portion of this vast literature is presently available to scholars and interested laymen in the form of modern transcriptions. Referred to as "l'instrument noble par excellence," the lute's popular and fashionable appeal is evidenced by the large number of composers who dedicated themselves to this instrument. Among the number of outstanding lute composers living in Italy during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries was Giulio Cesare Barbetta (c. 1540-after 1603). During his lifetime Barbetta published a total of four books of lute pieces containing arrangements of polyphonic compositions of various Renaissance composers as well as a large number of original compositions including .preludes, airs, fantasias, and dance pieces. Although Barbetta achieved importance as a leading figure in the Italian school of lute composition, there is little readily available material, either biographical or musical; this study provides the scholar, the performer, and the listener with biographical data and a modern edition of the composer's complete works.
Date: August 1973
Creator: Thomas, Benjamin W., 1937-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Keyboard Tablatures of the Mid-Seventeenth Century in the Royal Library, Copenhagen: Edition and Commentary (open access)

Keyboard Tablatures of the Mid-Seventeenth Century in the Royal Library, Copenhagen: Edition and Commentary

In the history of seventeenth-century European music the court of Christian IV (r. 1588-1648) occupies a position of prominence. Christian, eager for fame as a patron of the arts, drew to Denmark many of the musical giants of the age, among them the lutenist John Dowland and the composer Heinrich Schltz. Sadly, except for financial records and occasional letters still in the archives, few traces remain of these brilliant years in Denmark. The music composed and played during this half century has largely disappeared, most of it probably in the tragic fire of 1794 that destroyed the old Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen and with it the court music archives. Except for the recently-discovered Clausholm Fragments, only three specimens of keyboard music from the period remain: Ny kgl. Saml. 1997 fol. (Obmaus Tablature), Gl. kgl. Saonl. 376 fol. (Copenhagen Tablature), and mu 6703.2131/6 (VoigtlaJnder Tablature). It has generally been assumed that the manuscripts were of German origin. The present study, however, demonstrates a probable Danish origin for the third, possible Danish connections for the second, and establishes that the first is of Austrian provenance. The Obmaus Tablature is an amateur's preservation of a German keyboard style already outdated. This slender manuscript, …
Date: December 1973
Creator: Dickinson, Alis
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of the Vocal Chamber Duet Through the Nineteenth Century (open access)

A Study of the Vocal Chamber Duet Through the Nineteenth Century

In this study of vocal chamber duets the various approaches used in duet writing from the late sixteenth century through the nineteenth are examined. Various meanings attributed to the terms "vocal duet" and "chamber duet" are considered, and an appropriate delineation of the genre is determined. The study begins with examination of bicinia, dialogues, and concertato madrigals of the late sixteenth century, three kinds of works related to the continuing lines of interest in duets of later centuries: pedagogical duets, dialogue duets, and duets shaped by general musical trends. After a foundation has been laid in the sixteenth century, examples of duets of various kinds for the next three centuries are considered. It is seen that a discontinuity in the history of the vocal chamber duet occurs during the Classical period. Operatic and chamber duets prior to this time show great similarities in style. Operatic and chamber duets of the nineteenth century show distinct differences in style. At the same time that differences between operatic and chamber duets were increased, the differences between solo and duet chamber works by the same composer were decreased.
Date: December 1974
Creator: Brusse, Corre Berry
System: The UNT Digital Library
San Juan Ixcoi Mass: A Study of Liturgical Music in Northwestern Guatemala (open access)

San Juan Ixcoi Mass: A Study of Liturgical Music in Northwestern Guatemala

The San Juan Ixcoi Mass is part of the San Miguel Acatan Repertory which was found in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala before being purchased by the Lilly Library at Indiana University. Even though the authorship and date of the mass cannot be established, the mass is similar to works from the Josquin generation. Not discounting the few transcription difficulties as well as isolated compositional weaknesses, the San Juan Ixcoi Mass demonstrates the reasonably high quality of music that was performed and even possibly composed in northwestern Guatemala three centuries ago. A modern performance edition of the mass complete with critical notes and commentary on the transcription is included within the thesis.
Date: August 1979
Creator: Garven, Richard O.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The String Quartets of Franz Berwald (open access)

The String Quartets of Franz Berwald

This thesis is concerned with the historical context and evaluation of the string quartets of Franz Berwald. It will establish the environment within which Berwald composed these quartets, and show the results of his efforts. The material for this investigation was gathered from musical scores and literature about music. Chapter I gives an introduction to the thesis and a short biographical sketch of Berwald. Chapter II surveys the string quartet in the first half of the nineteenth century, citing the work of major composers. This chapter concludes with an examination of the influences on Berwald's musical styles. Chapter III surveys Berwald's musical output and describes the Quartet in G Minor. Chapter IV describes his last two quartets. The evaluations and conclusions are presented in Chapter V.
Date: May 1977
Creator: Coffman, Randall Edson
System: The UNT Digital Library
Busoni's Doktor Faust (open access)

Busoni's Doktor Faust

It is the intent of this thesis to shed a new investigative light upon a musician whose importance as a creative personality and aesthetician has been sorely underestimated or at least unappreciated by fellow musicians and audiences of his own and succeeding generations, a musician who formulated a new musical aesthetic which involved the utilization of compositional techniques diametrically opposed to those which had held dominant influence over the musical world for more than half a century, a musician who attempted to fuse the Italian sense of form and clarity with Teutonic profundity, complexity, and symbolism. This musician was Ferruccio Busoni. This thesis will concentrate on the history of the Faust legend and Busoni's final work, his opera Doktor Faust (c. 1924), the creative problems opera imposed upon Busoni, and his attempt to solve them vis-a-vis his own personal aesthetic.
Date: August 1976
Creator: Harrison, Charles Scott
System: The UNT Digital Library
Johann Friedrich Reichardt and His Liederspiel "Liebe und Treue" (open access)

Johann Friedrich Reichardt and His Liederspiel "Liebe und Treue"

The purpose of this investigation is to examine Reichardt's reasons for his development of the genre Liederspiel. A brief biographical sketch of Reichardt reveals an innovative character who was responsible for several developments within the history of music. The Liederspiel was particularly affected by the French vaudeville. However, an investigation into the character of each shows that they are really quite different. A translation of an article by Reichardt from the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitun discloses the purpose of the composer in his presentation of the Liederspiel to the public. The first Liederspiel was Liebe und Treue and was a complete success. The libretto and piano vocal score shows the construction of liebe und Treueand an English translation aids in its understanding.
Date: May 1979
Creator: Peacock, Daniel F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Translation of and Commentary on The Noble Art of Music, by Juan Miguel Urtasun de Yrarraga (open access)

A Translation of and Commentary on The Noble Art of Music, by Juan Miguel Urtasun de Yrarraga

This study is a translation of and commentary on an eighteenth-century treatise written by Juan Miguel Urtasun de Yrarraga. Its purpose is to contribute to the field of knowledge of eighteenth-century Spanish materials, making an original work of that era accessible to the reader unfamiliar with the Spanish language.
Date: December 1972
Creator: Barrera, Xavier
System: The UNT Digital Library
'T Uitnemend Kabinet: Vol Pavanen, Almanden, Sarbanden, Couranten, Balletten, Intraden, Airs: Volume II (open access)

'T Uitnemend Kabinet: Vol Pavanen, Almanden, Sarbanden, Couranten, Balletten, Intraden, Airs: Volume II

'T Uitnemend Kabinet is a two-volume collection of two and three-part instrumental music from Germany, France, Italy, and Holland, published by Paulus Matthysz in Amsterdam (1646 and 1649). Volume I consists of 54 folios in the treble part book, and 19 in the bass part book; Volume II has 37 folios in the treble part book and 21 in the bass part book. he main part of this edition consists of a transcription of the 103 pieces of Volume II, which is accompanied with a brief commentary on the composers represented, the styles and forms of the music, and evidences of significant developments in early seventeenth-century instrumental music.
Date: December 1974
Creator: Wallace, Barbara K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Lady of the Lake: a Reconstructed Piano-Vocal Score, with Commentary on the Historical Background (open access)

The Lady of the Lake: a Reconstructed Piano-Vocal Score, with Commentary on the Historical Background

The document consists of a commentary on the historical background of the work and an edition of the restored score. The commentary treats its relationship to the ballad opera, sources and alternate settings of the music and libretto, a history of the development of "Hail to the Chief," biographical sketches of the primary composers, and a section on early productions in England and America. The commentary includes a history of the English and American premieres, lengths of the first-runs, and the names of the theatres in which the performances were mounted. The reconstructed score is a piano-vocal performance edition with dialogue, cues, scenery, costume and property plots indicated in detail.
Date: May 1979
Creator: Knox, Robert E., Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Representative Nineteenth-Century Choral Symphonies (open access)

Representative Nineteenth-Century Choral Symphonies

This study is concerned with the examination of choral symphonies by major nineteenth-century composers. Its purpose is to delineate the common characteristics which these works have. Emphasis is given to the investigation of the choral elements in the symphonies. Detailed musicological studies of nineteenth-century music are minimal; there has. been a particular lack of interest in nineteenth-century works for chorus. Therefore, the principal sources of data for this study were the full scores of the following nine symphonies: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet and the Funeral and Triumphal Symphony, Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, Liszt's Faust Symphony and Dante Syrmphony, and Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 2., 3, and 8. Other important sources included major biographies of the composers of the symphonies listed. chapter is devoted to each of these composers, subdivided as follows: a general survey of the composer's other works for chorus and/or orchestra; the historical facts connected with the composition and first performance of the individual symphonies; analysis; and conclusions.
Date: December 1971
Creator: Alexander, Metche Franke
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparison of the Use of Music in the Holy Eucharist of the Roman Catholic Church and the Sabbath Morning Service of the Jewish Synagogue in the Middle Ages (open access)

A Comparison of the Use of Music in the Holy Eucharist of the Roman Catholic Church and the Sabbath Morning Service of the Jewish Synagogue in the Middle Ages

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of comparing the medieval musical traditions of two of the world's most influential religions. The similarities are discussed in two major categories: the comparison of liturgical texts and ritual, and the comparison of the music appearing in each ritual. This study has one main purpose. That purpose is to demonstrate how, through musical traditions, each religion has developed through the influence of the other. Samples of the liturgies from the musical portions of the services were obtained from prayer books and references dealing with those religions. Investigations of English translations from the Latin and Hebrew revealed a close identity between the two, not only in scriptural uses, but also in prayers and responses. Musical examples demonstrating similar elements in Hebrew and Christian worship were found in the extensive research of A. Z. Idelsohn and Eric Werner. Due to the dispersal of world Jewry, the best examples of Hebrew medieval music were obtained from the most isolated Jewish communities, such as those of Yemen, Musical similarities included modes, melodic formulas, and hymns and songs. This report concludes that the musical portions of the services of Christianity and Judaism in the Middle …
Date: July 1971
Creator: Simmons, Sandra K. (Sandra Kay)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Prodromus Musicalis of Sébastian de Brossard (open access)

The Prodromus Musicalis of Sébastian de Brossard

Sebastien de Brossard (1655-1730) was a French priest, a zealous collector and historian, a musician of merit, and the author of one of the first dictionaries of musical terminology, the Dictionnaire de musigue of 1703. Largely self-taught in music, Brossard studied theology and philosophy at Caen. He was appointed curate at Strasbourg A in 1687 and maitre de musique in 1689. In 1698 he was made grand chapelain and mattre de musique at Meaux, where he remained until his death. His complete works and immense personal library are contained in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. The first edition of Brossard's solo motets was published in 1695 under the title Elevations et motets a voix seule, avec la basse continue. The title Prodromus Musicalis was used for the second edition, published in 1702, and may be loosely translated "Musical Forerunner" or "Musical Prelude." The motets contain a vocal line with text and a figured bass. The present edition presents a faithful rendering of the figured bass and was prepared from a second edition copy contained in the North Texas State University Music Library. In order to enhance the performance and understanding of the eight motets, much of the prefatory material included …
Date: May 1973
Creator: Bolton, Thomas W. (Thomas Wayne)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Edition of Verse and Solo Anthems by William Boyce (open access)

An Edition of Verse and Solo Anthems by William Boyce

The English musician William Boyce was known as an organist for the cathedral as well as the Chapel Royal, a composer of both secular and sacred music, a director of large choral festivals, and the editor of Cathedral Music, the finest eighteenth-century edition of English Church music. Among Boyce's compositions for the church are many examples of verse and solo anthems. Part II of this thesis consists of an edition of one verse and three solo anthems selected from British Museum manuscript Additional 40497, transcribed into modern notation, and provided with a realization for organ continuo. Material prefatory to the edition itself, including a biography, a history of the verse and solo anthem from the English Reformation to the middle of the eighteenth century, a discussion .of the characteristics of Boyce's verse and solo anthems, and editorial notes constitute Part I.
Date: August 1975
Creator: Fansler, Terry L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Jewish Elements in Representative Published Piano Works of Charles Valentine Morhange (Alkan) (open access)

Jewish Elements in Representative Published Piano Works of Charles Valentine Morhange (Alkan)

The purpose of this study is to show interrelationships between the thematic contents of those piano works by Alkan that are considered to be representative of his general style and the more commonly used melodic phrases taken from the Jewish Synagogue, mainly prayer chants and accents. An attempt will be made to point out the reason behind consequent unacceptable of Alkan's piano works, despite the efforts of Busoni, d'Albert, and Lewenthal to bring them to public attention. The results of this investigation are presented in a systematic analysis and discussion of Jewish prayer-chants and their structure traceable within Alkan's music and in a presentation in table form of the Jewish accents found among Alkan's melodies. After consideration of the outcome of analysis, elements which are known to be European are also presented. These are mainly keyboard virtuousity and harmony and secondarily, form and rhythm. In this section, Robert Schumann's opinions of Alkan's music are quoted and discussed. Because Schumann's ideas carried into the twentieth century, this gave opportunity for a re-evaluation of the lack of musical beauty inherent in Alkan's music.
Date: December 1971
Creator: Radford, Wanda J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Édouard Batiste's Symphonie militaire (1845): edition and commentary (open access)

Édouard Batiste's Symphonie militaire (1845): edition and commentary

Symphonie Militaire is a three movement work for twelve solo wind instruments composed by Edouard Batiste (1820-1876), a professor at the Paris Conservatoire and organist. The composition is scored for flute, two oboes, two B-flat clarinets, two bassoons, E-flat trumpet with valves, two F horns with valves, trombone, and B-flat ophicleide. In this edition, which was prepared from the original manuscript, the trumpet part is transposed to B-flat and a tuba has been substituted for the ophicleide. Based on a study of the score, as well as knowledge of wind band music of the period, several speculations have been made concerning the reason for the composition of the piece. The limited instrumentation supports the idea that, like other military symphonies, Symphonie Militaire may have been written for a special occasion. The work is, however, at least a reflection of the concern in 1845 for the reconstruction of the French military bands.
Date: May 1976
Creator: Smialek, William
System: The UNT Digital Library
Zweyer Gleich-Gesinnten Freunde Tugend- und Schertz-Lieder by Johann Jacob Löwe and Julius Johann Weiland (open access)

Zweyer Gleich-Gesinnten Freunde Tugend- und Schertz-Lieder by Johann Jacob Löwe and Julius Johann Weiland

The purpose of this thesis was to make available for performance and study an edition of the twenty-two secular songs published in this collection by Johann Jacob Löwe and Julius Johann Weiland in 1657. The thesis contains twenty-two secular songs for one, two, or three voices with continuo accompaniment and ritornellos for one or two violins, and/or viola, as well as translations of Lowe's preface and dedication and a poem to Lower and Weiland by Heinrich Schaffer. The work contains three chapters, the first covering Lowe's life and work and association with Weiland, the second the state of German secular song in 16050, and the third a critical commentary on the editing of the songs. Editorial corrections are included.
Date: May 1978
Creator: Clayton, Nancy Jean
System: The UNT Digital Library