The English art song in the 20th-century presents a performance challenge unique in the solo song repertoire. Unlike the corresponding bodies of German Lied and French mélodie, which proceeded from a well-ingrained national tradition of music and poetry, the English art song had no such background. The many British composers who have contributed to the song literature of this century reflect varied backgrounds and influences. Lennox Berkeley combined his English heritage with the French background of his mother's family, largely self-taught musical skills and an innate sensitivity to poetry to become one of the most prominent song composers of this century. He trained with Nadia Boulanger, gaining exposure to the formal and melodic techniques of Faure and the neo-classicism of Stravinsky. Berkeley composed a total of seventy-eight solo songs. His acceptance and furtherance of a fundamentally traditional songmaker's craft place him more directly in the post-war line of succession of English song than Benjamin Britten, whose innovative musical techniques place him in the vanguard of new music.This document explores those aspects of Berkeley's life and work that contribute to his compositional choices. It provides an overview of all of Berkeley's known solo songs as well as a more detailed analysis …

The lecture recital was given April 1, 1974. Eighteenth-century accounts of the voices and performing styles of Francesca Cuzzoni, Faustina Bordoni, and Anna Strada del Pò were related to six opera arias written for them by George Frideric Handel. The arias, accompanied by harpsichord, violin, and violoncello, were performed with added original ornamentation. In addition to the lecture recital two other public recitals and two opera roles were performed. The first solo recital was on February 11, 1972, and included works by Mozart, Fauré, Rimsky-Korsakov, R. Strauss, Walton, Moore, and others. The second solo recital, on October 15, 1973, included works by Porpora, Rameau, Handel, Wolf, Donizetti, Debussy, and Schubert. The role of "Urgele" in the marionette opera Die Fee Urgele by Pleyel was performed in English on October 30 and 31, 1972, with the Collegium Musicum of North Texas State University. The role of "Clorinda" in Rossini's La Cenerentola was performed in English on November 26 and 28, 1972, with the Shreveport Symphony.

American composer Jake Heggie's For a Look or a Touch exists as the only classical music work of remembrance based on the topic of remembering homosexual victims of the Holocaust. The composer, after being approached by Mina Miller, wrote this 2007 composition as part of the Music of Remembrance concert series. The music of this work varies in style from a blazing swing dance to a haunting vocalise on "oo." Gene Scheer created the text, delivered in the work by the characters Manfred Lewin and Gad Beck, as a compilation of many influential stories from the documentary film Paragraph 175. For a Look or a Touch chronicles the horrendous treatment of homosexuals before, during, and after World War II. Chapters include an introduction to homosexual persecution during Hitler's reign, a look at current works of remembrance and how For a Look or a Touch came to fruition, an explanation of the texts created by Gene Scheer, a discussion on Jake Heggie's musical setting of this text, and avenues for possible future research. Appendices include text of the German anti-sodomy laws as written in Paragraph 175, the mission statement for the organization Music of Remembrance, transcripts from personal interviews with both …

The lecture recital was given on August 5, 1976. Subsequent to a presentation of some pertinent background material, diverse influences on the compositional styles of five representative composers of the period were discussed. Nine songs by Edward MacDowell, Charles Loeffler, Sidney Homer, John Alden Carpenter, and Charles Griffes were interspersed as musical illustrations. In addition to the lecture recital, three other public recitals were performed. The first solo recital was presented on July 26, 1973, and included works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Richard Strauss, and Wolfgang Fortner. The second solo recital, given on December 3, 1973, was comprised of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jacques Ibert, Arrigo Boito, and Modeste Moussorgsky. The third solo recital (with Miss Jo Ann Pickens assisting), was presented on June 26, 1974, and included works by Thomas Arne, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, Benjamin Godard, Giuseppe Verdi, and Carlisle Floyd.