When a particular phase of music theory is omitted from the contents of a treatise or textbook on that subject, the omission can usually be ascribed to one of two causes. Either the omitted phase is of little importance or it is not used in the music of the period on which the treatise or textbook is based. It is the purpose of this research study to discuss a particular phase of music theory that has been omitted or avoided by numerous counterpoint and theory textbook authors. The material in the contents of this work is based on a discussion of the melodic use of the augmented second in the music of the eighteenth century.

The purpose of this study is to acquaint the reader with certain scales, not merely as they are used to provide the theoretical "building stones" of all music, but as they have been used as actual scale passages in the piano music of two twentieth century composers. This is a study of the use of various scales in the piano music of Debussy and Ravel. A list of the piano music of these composers which was available for the present investigation is given in the Bibliography. A careful analysis of the music has been necessary in order to determine: First, the types of scales the composer uses; second, the interpretation of the scale in its context; third, the ways in which some scale passages are employed to help project musical thought in the composition; and fourth, the frequency of occurrence of types of scale passages.

One of the difficulties most frequently encountered among music students is reading inadequacy. In this particular study we shall attempt to measure and increase the visual span of reading musical notation.

Mainly, the purpose of this work is to give the brass instrument player a more thorough understanding of how to improve the many factors which combine to make up his technique as a whole; also, to give the brass instrument player a more thorough understanding of the construction and history of his instrument, as well as a list of books which can be useful in developing specific phases of brass instrument playing. In other words, this book is intended to be a help to all brass instrument players who want to learn more about their instrument as well as to improve on it.

In this research, an attempt is made to evaluate the music program of a typical high school in terms of its contribution to the development of pupils who show evidence of possessing musical talent. One of the aims of modern education is to help pupils develop emotional stability, desirable attitudes, and worthy ideals. In other words, the purpose is to teach pupils to feel, as well as to know and do. Music can be powerful force in fulfilling this aim. The purpose of this report is to apply the results of the Pitch and Tonal Memory tests of the Seashore Measures of Musical Talent and the results of the Kuder Preference Record to the building of a Program Music in Borger High School.

The following analysis of Franz Schubert's (1797-1828) song cycle Schwanengesang (1828) was undertaken in the hope that such a treatment of the final contributions of this important master of song literature would prove of interest to students of this field.The materials examined comprise the fourteen songs collectively known as Schwanengesang (Dying Strains), taken from the G. Schirmer's Edition of Schubert's Songs with English translations by Theodore Baker. From a synopsis of the art song concluded with critical remarks on Schubert's style and contributions to the art of writing songs, the author has proceeded to a few general statements on the song cycle itself. This is followed by an analysis of each song from the point of view of the text, the general harmonic scheme, the vocal line, and the function and type of accompaniment.

This teaching guide for adult piano study has been designed to be used with many of the methods which already exist, and to serve as a guide for the teacher who failed to keep abreast with the progress of modern piano study.

This study is to determine some means of directing and supervising practice periods of band students; and to examine the available class study materials with a view of determining their use and suitability as an aid to supervised practice.

This study of Verdi's choral style in the Manzoni Requiem includes an investigation of the bibliography pertaining to the subject, and a detailed study of the score to determine and verify the characteristics of each stylistic component, tabulating statistical material and listing examples demonstrating the various characteristics.

The problems arising in the conception, composing and perfecting of a composition may be divided into two types (1) Those connected with the composition itself; and (2) Those pertaining to the interpretation of the moods and thematic variations of the composition by the orchestra.

The subsequent study is an outgrowth of observations made during a year spent in secondary voice teaching on the college level. For the purpose of working toward a more effective and efficient secondary voice program, the following material is presented. The first part of the study is a critical analysis and comparison of six methods of voice teaching designed for, or adaptable to, class voice teaching. The second part of the study is a suggested plan for teaching secondary voice in classes, including an outline of material which could be used.

The problem which is reported in these pages represents an attempt to bring into one work a critical and analytical survey of the material currently available in the field of music therapy. There is such a wealth of new material, especially since the termination of the war, that the necessity for a new and up-to-date compilation of material is evident. The objective of this thesis is to collect general information as to the theory and practices of music therapy, rather than to secure for purposes of statistical analysis great numbers of detailed items in regard to a technique that has not yet been carried to a point where it can be standardized. However, this compilation does include some actual experiments which have been conducted in hospitals with the object of determining the effect on physical and mental patients of certain musical compositions and certain instruments.

It was this writer's problem to determine which of these two contentions is correct; i.e., to find out whether or not it is possible for a person to perceive a difference in 2/4 and 4/4 meters by listening to the accents. It was felt that a large group of college music students and faculty members should provide satisfactory subjects for this experiment. If, as a result of this experiment, it was found that these trained musicians could actually discriminate between the simple meter and its compound with any marked degree of consistency, it would then be admitted that the difference in the two meters is important. If, however, it was found that even musicians, who knew the technical distinctions between 2/4 and 4/4, could not really hear the difference in the two when the music was played by competent performers, it would then be contended that no important difference exists.

The problem of absolute or positive pitch has been studied by a considerable number of researchers. This cannot be said, however, for the problem of the element of tempo, or the normal speed of the true beat in music. The reason for this probably lies in the fact that absolute pitch can be measured quite accurately, for it is dependent upon the anatomy and physiology of the ear. On the other hand, a means whereby the innate pulse in music can be externalized so as to be capable of exact expression and measure in number, presents a challenge to those interested in further investigation of this phenomenon.

This study was undertaken to try to determine of objective measurement of certain personality traits would indicate that music students are characterized by marked differences in personality make-up. In carrying out this investigation, a group of 100 music students and a control group of the same size were used. The type of measurement used was of such objective nature that evaluations could be made by other persons on identically the same trait indicators as were used in securing information from the person himself. The fact is of great importance, as it makes possible an evaluation of a person's personality by the group in which he is striving for social acceptance. Data for this study were obtained at North Texas State Teachers College during the spring semester of 1946, using cases from the Music Department and the remainder of the college for the two groups.

The problem of the investigator is the compilation of an exhaustive list of art songs other than those dealing with subjects of a romantic or religious nature.

The traditional major-minor tonality and the means for its establishment have been developed and used for the last four centuries, until all the possibilities of musical ideas within the given frame of tonal coherence seem now to be exhausted. Today we see a violent change, affecting the basic vocabulary of music as well as musical grammar and syntax. The possibilities of the major-minor tonality seem to be overgrown and appear to be no longer sufficiently flexible to serve the creative spirit of present-day music as basis for musical expression. Thoughtful composers and theorists, however much they may differ in their background and in their attitude toward different traits of modern music, agree in the realization that musical composition is at a crucial point of development all of over the world.

The problem of this study is to set forth some principles of teaching beginning music theory in Texas colleges; to survey and evaluate critically a sampling of standard theory textbooks basing the evaluation on the principles outlined; and to recommend a methodology for teaching beginning college theory.

Th study of two-piano music was prompted by an active interest in that field and a recognized need for a knowledge of its literature on the part of the writer, who, for the past five years, has devoted most of her time to two-piano work. After careful investigation it becomes apparent that no other study similar to this has yet been made, and it is hoped that it may be helpful to others with interests in common. Much remains to be done and further study would prove profitable. More information might be gained from interviews with prominent duo-pianists, as well as from examination of foreign catalogues and of recital programs given in Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, and similar music centers.

A study of the causes and remedial treatment of inaccurate singing through experimentation and research was chosen by the writer as a practical problem urgently in need of solution.

A study of the carol form immediately leads into the field of the hymn; each is a form of praise or worship. The hymn is as instinctive as life itself, and as universal as the air man breathes. Hymns to the sun god, to the many Babylonian deities, to the Great Spirit of the American Indian - these are found, along with others in all ancient literature.

The presence of musically deficient children in the music classes of elementary public schools is a well-known and a widespread situation. The problem of this study was to determine which of two methods of giving special attention to such pupils would be the more successful in assisting them to improve musically.

It is the belief of many tuners that the best education for the young tuner is to do apprentice work in a piano factory where he must learn all the construction of the piano from the frame work of the case to the final setting of the tuning pins. It appears that most tuners are men now in the late forties to late fifties and were either factory-trained or apprentice-trained by an experienced tuner. The situation has changed and the apprenticeship method of training professional men such as lawyers and physicians has long since been discarded as a method of education. It is now the generally accepted plan to go to a college or university where such specialized training is given or offered under the direction and tutelage of specialists, and where students learn other essential subjects, the knowledge of which is necessary to the success of any educated man or woman.

The study of the twenty-four preludes of Shostakovitch [sic] has a three-fold significance. First, it deals with a body of music literature representing important aspects of twentieth-century music. Secondly, it is an original study since no detailed analysis of these preludes has been made. Very little has been written about this collection of short pieces, and no material is available along the line of a technical, scientific analysis. Thirdly, our subject deals with a collection of compositions written by one of the foremost living composers of today, not only of Russia, but of the entire musical world -- a man who is in the public eye at present, and in whose works the Soviet ideology is reflected.