Enrique Granados, Frank Marshall, and Alicia de Larrocha are the chief exponents of a school of piano playing characterized by special attention to details of pedalling, voicing, and refined piano sonority. Granados and Marshall dedicated the major part of their efforts in the field to the pedagogy of these principles. Their work led to the establishment of the Granados Academy in Barcelona, a keyboard conservatory which operates today under the name of the Frank Marshall Academy. Both Granados and Marshall have left published method books detailing their pedagogy of pedalling and tone production. Granados' book, Metodo Teorico Practico para el Uso de los Pedales del Piano (Theoretical and Practical Method for the Use of the Piano Pedals) is presently out of print and available in a photostatic version from the publisher. Marshall's works, Estudio Practico sobre los Pedales del Piano (Practical Study of the Piano Pedals) and La Sonoridad del Piano (Piano Sonority) continue to be used at the Marshall Academy and are available from Spanish publishing houses. This study brings information contained in these three method books to the forefront and demonstrates its relevance to the performance of the music of Granados, specifically the Escenas Romanticas. Alicia de Larrocha, …

The romantic piano literature contains three important collections of nocturnes. The nocturnes of John Field (1782-1837) were the first to appear, and were followed by collections from Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) and Gabriel Faure (1845-1924). While the relationship of the nocturnes of Field to those of Chopin is well documented, the corresponding relationship between Faure and Chopin is not. This study contains a detailed examination of this relationship, and shows the precise nature of Chopin's strong influence on Faure's early nocturnes, as well as the nature of Faure's growth from that influence. Chopin's influence was strongest in the area of harmonic language, as Faure carried certain of Chopin's techniques to logical extremes. Faure also adopted ternary form as the important form for the piece from Chopin. Faure's use of this form shows both similarities and differences from that found in Chopin. Faure's early nocturnes employ the same basic textures as Chopin's nocturnes, but Faure's later works abandon this in favor of increasingly contrapuntal writing. Chopin's influence is weakest in the area of melodic construction, as Faure's melodies often show a rigorous motivic construction which is not found in Chopin.

The lecture recital was given July 18, 1977. The lecture began with the performance of the Three Preludes and a discussion of these final works in relation to the composer's last period of composition which included the Sonata for Piano. After the biographical foundation was laid, the Sonata for Piano was detailed concerning form and compositional techniques. All works were performed from memory. In addition to the lecture recital, three public recitals were performed. The first solo recital, performed on August 11, 1975, consisted of works by Schubert and Liszt-Busoni. The second recital, a chamber recital, performed March 29, 1976, consisted of solo and chamber works of Messiaen. The final solo recital, performed on August 1, 1977, consisted of works by Clementi, Satie, and Rubinstein. All four programs were recorded on magnetic tape and are filed, along with the written version of the lecture recital, as part of the dissertation.

Charles Valentin Alkan (1813-1888), one of the great genii in music history, was widely misunderstood by his contemporaries because of his highly idiosyncratic ideas. From the perspective of the late twentieth century, his innovations can be better understood, and his music is now gaining wider appreciation. Yet, today many musicians still do not know even his name, much less his achievements. The year 1988 marks the one hundredth year since his death. In commemoration of this centennial anniversary, this thesis is presented as a plea for a greater awareness of the achievements of this important figure in the development of piano music.

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.

This study examines what Busoni meant by "formal deficiencies" when he described his 1884 version of Chopin Variations, and reveals that changes made to the 1884 version during its process of revision in 1922 correct the "formal deficiencies" and show a fundamental change in Busoni's compositional style and perception of musical motion. Including a detailed analysis of the modifications, omissions, and additions made to the 1922 version (including an examination of the Chopin Prelude in C minor, op. 28, No. 20 as a theme to reveal aspects of its construction used in the variation process), which shows how these changes affect the work's compositional structure.

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.