This comprehensive study of Thea Musgrave's Orfeo I is the basis for a lecture-recital performed on March 20, 1989, at the University of North Texas, as part of DMA dissertation requirements. It includes: brief bio-background of Musgrave and Orfeo; historical background of both the Orpheus legend and some landmark dramatic works based on it; general development of Musgrave's dramatic language and specific ways in which she uses it in this composition; analysis of the work; performance guide; and annotated appendix listing Musgrave's published and recorded chamber works which include flute. Orfeo I is a major work for flute and electronic tape comprised entirely of manipulated flute sounds. It was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation for James Galway, who recorded the taped material and was the featured performer in the 1976 London premier. An alternate version, Orfeo II, with fifteen strings in place of electronic tape, was premiered by David Shostac in 1976 in Los Angeles, and conducted by the composer. Orfeo's form is programmatically designed, divided into six sections based on Musgrave's "Scenario"of the Orpheus myth. Characters are dramatically depicted through means of "motifs"; that of Orpheus in solo flute, and all others in tape sounds. Musgrave uses quotations …

Albert Roussel, a contemporary of Ravel and Debussy, composed nine chamber works which include the flute. His general musical style as well as his use of the flute in these works is discussed in this lecture recital.

The Lecture Recital was given on July 28, 1981. Its subject, Carl Reinecke's "Undine" Sonata, is a major work written for flute during the nineteenth century. Reinecke was highly respected as a conductor and pianist; his great love for the classical style tempered his Romanticism and conditioned his approach to both performance and composition. The subtitle of the sonata suggests a program based on Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué's short novel, Undine. Although few flutists are familiar enough with this tale to recognize its application to the sonata, an exploration of the program implied by the subtitle adds materially to an understanding and appreciation of the work; to a large extent, the content of each movement is conceived in terms of the program. Further examination of Reinecke's life and philosophy reveals that both the choice of this particular literary subject and the uniting of Romantic pictorialism with classical form were entirely characteristic of his writing. Since Reinecke specified no program other than the subtitle, any relating of the music to specific events in the story is necessarily a subjective postulation. The musical content of the work makes it fairly easy to establish a broad correspondence between the movements of the …

The lecture was presented April 7, 1987. This presentation centered on the flute music literature used for the Concours of the Conservatoire de Paris from 1828 through 1893. The historical parameter began with Jean-Louis Tulou's tenure as flute professor at the Conservatoire and ended with Joseph-Henri Altes'tenure in the same capacity. The Concours is an annual performance competition to determine which students on each instrument will graduate from the Conservatoire. The majority of Concours pieces for flute during the tenures of professors from Tulou through Altes were composed by those two men. Short biographies of Tulou and Altes were presented. Discussion of interim professors Victor Coche and Vincent-Joseph Dorus was included, with focus on the role of these two men in bringing acceptance of the Boehm system flute to the Conservatoire. Tulou's fifteen Grands Solos were compared in form, key center and tonal progression. His themes and passagework are constructed to best display the conical-bore, old system-flute with small toneholes. His Solos continued to be used for the Concours, in alternation with Altes', throughout the tenures of both Vincent-Joseph Dorus and Altes. Tulou's Cinquieme Grand Solo was used for more detailed analysis and performance. Altes wrote his Solos de Concours …

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.