Stylistic and Technical Considerations for Pedaling the Debussy Preludes, Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of L. van Beethoven, A. Berg, J. Brahms, F. Chopin, C. Debussy, W.A. Mozart, S. Prokofieff, A. Schoenberg, F. Schubert, and R. Schumann (open access)

Stylistic and Technical Considerations for Pedaling the Debussy Preludes, Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of L. van Beethoven, A. Berg, J. Brahms, F. Chopin, C. Debussy, W.A. Mozart, S. Prokofieff, A. Schoenberg, F. Schubert, and R. Schumann

The lecture recital was given November 6, 1989. Five Preludes by Claude Debussy were preformed following a lecture on some important considerations of approaching the pedaling complexities in his solo piano works. In addition to the lecture recital, three other solo piano recitals were performed. The first solo recital consisted of works by Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann, and was performed on November 17, 1980. On March 1, 1982, the second solo recital was presented. This performance consisted of works by J. Brahms, W.A. Mozart, S. Prokofieff, and A. Schoenberg. The third solo recital was performed on November 21, 1988 and included the works of L. van Beethoven. A. Berg, F. Chopin, and C. Debussy. The four programs were recorded on tape and filed with the written version of the lecture as part of the dissertation.
Date: May 1990
Creator: Etheridge, Kay, 1954 Apr. 18-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Symphonic Poem "New Life" for Orchestra and Yang-Chin (open access)

Symphonic Poem "New Life" for Orchestra and Yang-Chin

Symphonic Poem New Life is a composition in one movement for orchestra and yang-chin. The work is divided into six continuous sections. It is written in resultant form which is a cumulative process by which all major musical elements return at the end of the work. The tritone is the prominent interval used throughout the piece. Some graphic notation is also employed. The work has a performance time of approximately 13-15 minutes. The yang-chin is a Chinese string instrument similar to the Hungarian cymbalon, which is played with a pair of small beaters. These instruments have similar ranges, and either instrument can be used in this work.
Date: May 1990
Creator: Leung, Chi Cheung
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Cantatas of Jean-Philippe Rameau (open access)

The Cantatas of Jean-Philippe Rameau

By the early eighteenth century, French music was tangibly influenced by the Italian style which had already permeated much of Europe. The French Cantata is symptomatic of that often disparaged influx. The cantatas of Rameau are a significant contribution to an important form. Written almost entirely in the early years of the artist's career, they hold details of his stylistic development. In the present study of Rameau's cantatas several aspects of his style are discussed as they relate both to his theoretic writings and to the various influences of the time. Examples of those stylistic elements found in the cantatas are cited and discussed. There is, as well, a comparison of the works to the poetic form standardized by Rousseau.
Date: May 1991
Creator: McManus, Catherine
System: The UNT Digital Library
"Eyre," a Three Movement Instrumental Work for Small Chamber Ensemble (open access)

"Eyre," a Three Movement Instrumental Work for Small Chamber Ensemble

"Eyre" is a composition of approximately sixteen minutes duration for an instrumental ensemble consisting of two flutes, oboe, B𝄭 clarinet, bassoon, guitar, and cello. It is inspired by a large seasonal lake basin in South Australia of the same name. The piece is divided into three movements; the first is fast and quasi sonata-allegro form without the recapitulation; the second is slow and through-composed; and the third, essentially the missing recapitulation from the first movement. Much of the motivic material for the piece is derived from the initial progression of triads. Harmonic and melodic development of this material contains some modal tendencies. While the overall effect tends toward equal weighting of the instrumental forces, there is some featuring of the guitar and an interplay between the woodwind and string instruments.
Date: May 1991
Creator: Hodges, Glen J. (Glen John)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Explorations: a Composition for Eighteen-Piece Jazz Ensemble (open access)

Explorations: a Composition for Eighteen-Piece Jazz Ensemble

Explorations is a three-movement experimental work for eighteen-piece jazz ensemble consisting of the following instruments: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, two tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, two trumpets, two flugelhorns, three trombones, bass trombone, electric guitar, vibraphone, contrabass, drums and piano. The duration of the work will approximate twelve minutes. The first movement features geometric configurations of spatially notated sound which emphasize percussive qualities of the ensemble (i.e. key clicks, tongue slaps, mouthpiece pops, etc.). Tone clusters of various pitch, texture and dynamics derived from blues scales provide the source material for the second movement. A slowly developing dynamic counterpoint creates the sound mass texture and delineates the form. Movement Three features a contrapuntal poly-metric collage of variations on a four-note theme. The collage provides the background fabric for an exchange of periodic and aperiodic events.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Rudnick, Isidore L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Harmonic and Contrapuntal Techniques in the Late Keyboard Works of Cesar Franck (open access)

Harmonic and Contrapuntal Techniques in the Late Keyboard Works of Cesar Franck

This study examines the five late keyboard works of Cesar Franck: the Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue and the Prelude. Aria, and Finale for piano, and the three organ chorales. The study focuses on harmonic and contrapuntal techniques and their interrelationships, placing the discussion in the context of an analysis of the whole piece. The primary goal is to identify the salient characteristics of each piece; a secondary goal is to identify common harmonic and contrapuntal aspects of Franck's style.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Cranford, Dennis R. (Dennis Ray)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Jindrich Feld's Introduzione, Toccata E Fuga Per Flauto Solo With Three Recitals of Selected Works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Messiaen, Berio, Martinu, Persichetti, and Others (open access)

Jindrich Feld's Introduzione, Toccata E Fuga Per Flauto Solo With Three Recitals of Selected Works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Messiaen, Berio, Martinu, Persichetti, and Others

The Czechoslovakian composer Jindrich Feld (b.1925) composed Introduzione, Toccata e Fuga per Flauto Solo, for the Italian flutist Roberto Frabbriciani. Feld's Introduzione is from his third style period. This work may be labeled as a synthesis of the experiments and experiences that have enabled him to create his own mature style of expression.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Derby McDermott, Dennette
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Musica Practica of Bartolomeo Ramos de Pareia: A Critical Translation and Commentary (open access)

The Musica Practica of Bartolomeo Ramos de Pareia: A Critical Translation and Commentary

This dissertation contains the first complete Latin-English translation of one of the most controversial music theory treatises of the fifteenth-century: the Musica Practica (Bologna, 1942) of Bartolomeo Ramos de Pareia. its title as well as its content illustrate the Renaissance transformation from the abstract mathematical approach of "musica speculativa" to that of an emphasis upon the everyday demands of the practicing musician. Although Ramos provides traditional explanations of the modes, counterpoint, "musica ficta," and white mensural notation, his innovations in temperament, solmization, mutation, and the gamut set this treatise apart from other ffifteenth-century music treatises. Ramos's rejection of traditional Pythagorean-Boethian-Guidonian explanations, coupled with his strong polemic criticisms of the auctoritas, resulted in a treatise that remained at the center of heated debate well into the sixteenth century.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Fose, Luanne Eris
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ode to the Ninth: the Poetic and Musical Tradition Behind the Finale of Beethoven's Choral Symphony (open access)

Ode to the Ninth: the Poetic and Musical Tradition Behind the Finale of Beethoven's Choral Symphony

This study examines the finale of Beethoven's choral symphony and focuses on its inspirations and aims to invoke critical theories involving genre, namely genre's "horizon of expectation", and lead to an enriched perspective that points toward a number of compelling aspects of the Choral Finale overlooked by previous commentators.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Parsons, James, 1956-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Parallels in the Development of Electronic and Percussion Music and an Examination of Performance Problems in Lejaren Hiller's Machine Music for Piano, Percussion and Two-Channel Tape Recorder with Three Recitals of Selected Works of Rolnick, Kessner, Xenakis, Winsor, Niimi, and Others (open access)

Parallels in the Development of Electronic and Percussion Music and an Examination of Performance Problems in Lejaren Hiller's Machine Music for Piano, Percussion and Two-Channel Tape Recorder with Three Recitals of Selected Works of Rolnick, Kessner, Xenakis, Winsor, Niimi, and Others

This study traces the significant developments in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries which led to the development of electronic music and increased writing for percussion. Whether by coincidence or premeditation, the field of percussion in Western culture and electronic music share many parallel aspects in their history. Carlos Chavez, Edgard Varese and John Cage foresaw a time when electronic music would allow composers to realize compositions with ease, provide new sounds to the spectrum of possible material for pieces and aid in the conception of works. Significantly, these same composers were important figures in the development of percussion composition. In many ways, Lejaren Hiller's Machine Music can be seen as a culmination of the developments which had been taking place in the history of electronic music and percussion music. A product of the innovations in both fields, it poses some formidable problems for the performers. This study will give some background into its composition, examine its structure and deal with its performance problems.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Smith, Jeffrey B., 1957-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Paul Hindemith and Neue Sachlichkeit: Zeitoper in the Weimar Republic (open access)

Paul Hindemith and Neue Sachlichkeit: Zeitoper in the Weimar Republic

The focus of this study will be the impact of Neue Sachlichkeit on Zeitoper, specifically its influence upon Hindemith's operatic output. The purpose of this paper is not to.subject these works to detailed musical analysis, but rather to place Hindemith's Zeitopern in historical perspective, examining how they were influenced by and mirrored the aesthetic atmosphere of the Weimar Republic.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Kresge, Kristine Helene
System: The UNT Digital Library
Structure and Form in Two Late Works for Flute and Orchestra by Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Suite Modale (1956) and Two Last Poems (Maybe. . .) (1958) -- a Lecture Recital, Together With Three Recitals of Selected Works of J.S. Bach, Jolivet, Mozart,and Others (open access)

Structure and Form in Two Late Works for Flute and Orchestra by Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Suite Modale (1956) and Two Last Poems (Maybe. . .) (1958) -- a Lecture Recital, Together With Three Recitals of Selected Works of J.S. Bach, Jolivet, Mozart,and Others

The lecture was presented on November 18, 1991. This presentation focused on the only two compositions for solo flute and orchestra by Ernest Bloch. Written during the last three years of the composer's life, the pieces are representative of his last style period. While Suite Modale is neobaroque in style, Two Last Poems is much more subjective. Together they represent a synthesis of many of the stylistic characteristics of Ernest Bloch. The musical parameters discussed included form, melody, texture, rhythm, harmony, and expressive devices.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Stirzaker, Kim E. (Kim Elizabeth)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aspects of Performance in Three Works for Piano and Tape: Larry Austin's Sonata Concertante, Thomas Clark's Peninsula, and Phil Winsor's Passages (open access)

Aspects of Performance in Three Works for Piano and Tape: Larry Austin's Sonata Concertante, Thomas Clark's Peninsula, and Phil Winsor's Passages

This dissertation primarily concerns performance aspects in compositions for piano and tape, using three specific works as the basis for discussion: Larry Austin's Sonata Concertante, Thomas Clark's Peninsula, and Phil Winsor's Passages. These compositions are representative of the medium as a whole, yet each offers its own unique set of performance problems.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Brandenburg, Octavia
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Historical Survey of Woodwind Doubling and A Form/Style Analysis of Four Works for Doubler and Wind Ensemble, a Lecture Recital together with Three Recitals of Selected Works by W.A. Mozart. A. Glazounov. P. Tate. A. Szalowski. A. Copland and Others (open access)

A Historical Survey of Woodwind Doubling and A Form/Style Analysis of Four Works for Doubler and Wind Ensemble, a Lecture Recital together with Three Recitals of Selected Works by W.A. Mozart. A. Glazounov. P. Tate. A. Szalowski. A. Copland and Others

Four works are selected to demonstrate the stature and demands of this craft and to represent a pinnacle in the art of contemporary woodwind doubling. Concerto for Doubles, by Thomas Filas, Concerto Tri-Chroma. by Michael Kibbe, Rhapsody Nova, by Clare Fischer and Suite for Solo Flute. Clarinet and Alto Saxophone by Claude Smith all represent rare, major solo works written specifically for three individual woodwind doublers. The paper will begin with a history of the practice of woodwind doubling from the fifteenth century to the present. The four works will then be examined by considering form, style and related performance practices.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Thompson, Phil A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Joan Tower's Hexachords for Solo Flute: an Analysis and Comparison of its Flute Writing to Tower's Flute Concerto with Three Recitals of Selected Works of Vivaldi, Rivier, Mozart, Davidowsky, and Others (open access)

Joan Tower's Hexachords for Solo Flute: an Analysis and Comparison of its Flute Writing to Tower's Flute Concerto with Three Recitals of Selected Works of Vivaldi, Rivier, Mozart, Davidowsky, and Others

This dissertation discusses two flute works by Joan Tower (born 1938). The performance medium consists of flute alone, Hexachords for Solo Flute (1972), and flute and orchestra, the Flute Concerto (1989). The discussion on Hexachords consists of a theoretical analysis; discussion on the Flute Concerto pertains to Tower's flute writing through an investigation into her musical language and specific performance techniques. Numerous examples are included to illustrate various aspects of Tower's style. Conclusions follow. The purpose of the paper is, first, to illustrate that basic knowledge of the twelve-tone method can bring a composition out of uncertainty for the performer and allow him to present what is unique within it. Secondly, it is to investigate the stylistic maturation of Joan Tower's flute works. In order to facilitate a better understanding of Tower's music and to provide commentary about the performance of each work, the writer has quoted from personal interviews with the composer and with flutists Carol Wincenc and Patricia Spencer, to whom the works are dedicated.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Jones, Margo S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Multi-percussion Writing of William Kraft in his Encounters Series With Three Recitals of Selected Works of Erb, Ptaszynska, Redel, Serry, and Others (open access)

The Multi-percussion Writing of William Kraft in his Encounters Series With Three Recitals of Selected Works of Erb, Ptaszynska, Redel, Serry, and Others

The paper is divided into six chapters. The first two provide a brief summary of the evolution of multiple percussion and biographical information about Kraft. The remaining chapters are an examination of the origin, sound sources, compositional style, and performance problems of the ten Encounters pieces. The paper concludes with several appendices, including a chronological listing of Kraft's compositions which use percussion, a list of percussion equipment and notational symbols used in the Encounters pieces, and a discography of Kraft's music.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Bridwell, Barry D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Structure and Performance of El Polifemo de Oro for Solo Guitar by Reginald Smith Brindle (open access)

Structure and Performance of El Polifemo de Oro for Solo Guitar by Reginald Smith Brindle

El Polifemo de Oro was written in 1956 and revised by the composer in 1981. This two-fold investigation clarifies the structure of El Polifemo through careful analysis of the work and its revision, and by Smith Brindle's approach to composition based on his interviews and books. The second aspect is aimed toward the pragmatic performance issues of tempo, articulation, timbre, voice leading, and the other details of execution. Although the work was written according to serial techniques, the presence, in the twelve-note row, of triadic formations (minor triad, dominant seventh, fully-diminished seventh) juxtaposed with many tritone intervals suggests the use of tonal devices, which Smith Brindle does employ to effect tension and relaxation. It is assumed that tonal devices such as leading tones, stepwise movement in the bass, fourth and fifth relationships, and triadic constructions are heard against a traditional contextual basis and are therefore ways of implying resolution. Where tonal devices are not present, other structural components, i.e., rhythm, dynamics, timbre, etc., are examined with regard to their functions in creating or dissipating tension. Following the analysis of each of the four fragments is a discussion of performance implications based on the analysis. Both the analysis and performance aspects …
Date: May 1993
Creator: LeBlanc, Paul G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Nationwide Investigation of High School Band Directors' Reasons for Participating in Music Competitions (open access)

A Nationwide Investigation of High School Band Directors' Reasons for Participating in Music Competitions

The purpose of this study was to assess on a national level, high school band directors' reasons for their bands' participation in six different types of competitive music activities, identify important reasons for participation in competitive music activities, and examine if statistically significant differences existed between the magnitudes of importance reasons for participation when subjects' responses were grouped by type of competitive activity, frequency of participation in a competitive activity, and by groupings of U. S. states similar in terms of general participation in competitive music activities, emphasis upon ratings or rankings as an indication of a high school band directors' success, and emphasis upon participation in competitive music activities.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Hurst, Craig Willmore
System: The UNT Digital Library
Opera and the Galant Homme: Quinault and Lully's Tragedie en musique, Atys, in the Context of Seventeenth-Century Modernism (open access)

Opera and the Galant Homme: Quinault and Lully's Tragedie en musique, Atys, in the Context of Seventeenth-Century Modernism

The tragedie en musique of Quinault and Lully was a highly successful new genre, representative of contemporary Parisian life. However, it is still largely viewed in the negative terms of its detractors, the proponents of classical tragedy. The purpose of this study is to redefine the tragedie en musique in terms of seventeenth-century modernism. An examination of the society and poetry of the contemporary gallant world provides the historical framework for an analysis of both the libretto and music of Quinault and Lully's Atys (1676). This study attempts to bridge the historical and cultural distances that until now have hindered accessibility to this major new genre in seventeenth-century literature and music.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Browne, Marilyn K. (Marilyn Kay)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Orchestral Accompaniment in the Vocal Works of Hector Berlioz (open access)

Orchestral Accompaniment in the Vocal Works of Hector Berlioz

Recent Berlioz studies tend to stress the significance of the French tradition for a balanced understanding of Berlioz's music. Such is necessary because the customary emphasis on purely musical structure inclines to stress the influence of German masters to the neglect of vocal and therefore rhetorical character of this tradition. The present study, through a fresh examination of Berlioz's vocal-orchestral scores, sets forth the various orchestrational patterns and the rationales that lay behind them.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Lee, Namjai
System: The UNT Digital Library
Practical Aspects of Playing Domenico Scarlatti's Keyboard Sonatas on the Guitar, a Lecture Recital, together with Three Recitals of Selected Works by W.A. Mozart, M. Ponce, A. Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, J. Turina and Others (open access)

Practical Aspects of Playing Domenico Scarlatti's Keyboard Sonatas on the Guitar, a Lecture Recital, together with Three Recitals of Selected Works by W.A. Mozart, M. Ponce, A. Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, J. Turina and Others

The ornamentation in the keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti is investigated in light of evidence from late seventeenth and early eighteenth century Spanish treatises and collections. Additionally, calligraphic and statistical evidence from the earliest known manuscripts and printed source for the keyboard sonatas is explored. The study is focused on three ornaments--the appoggiatura, trill, and tremulo--and concludes that: the appoggiaturas in this repertoire were short unless cadential or present in a cantabile tempo, in which case they could be one-third to two-thirds the value of the resolution note; trills were begun on the main note unless preceded by a grace note; tremulo was usually an alternation of a main note with its lower neighbor note and this ornament is normally indicated at points of harmonic prolongation. The last chapter discusses general approaches to arranging these works for the guitar and the specific influence of ornamentation on the performance of the sonatas on guitar. Details from eight sonatas arranged for the guitar are used to exemplify the conclusions of the research.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Quantz, Michael O.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of Sonata a Quattro K. 347 and Alma Redemptoris Mater K. 186 by Johann Joseph Fux: the Historical Significance as Works for Alto Trombone and Performance Considerations, a Lecture Recital together with Three Recitals of Selected Works by J. Albrechtsberger, R. Gregson, W. Hartley, E. Bozza, Lars-Erik Larsson, A. Pryor and Others (open access)

A Study of Sonata a Quattro K. 347 and Alma Redemptoris Mater K. 186 by Johann Joseph Fux: the Historical Significance as Works for Alto Trombone and Performance Considerations, a Lecture Recital together with Three Recitals of Selected Works by J. Albrechtsberger, R. Gregson, W. Hartley, E. Bozza, Lars-Erik Larsson, A. Pryor and Others

Johann Joseph Fux's influence on the development of eighteenth-century alto trombone literature is significant. His music, when compared with that of other composers who wrote for the alto trombone before 1730, reveals a more elaborate and frequent use of the instrument. Many of Fux's compositions call for alto, tenor, or bass trombone, but his Sonata a Quattro K. 347 and Alma Redemptoris Mater K. 186 are of particular interest in regard to the composer's treatment of the alto trombone. This study points out the technical demands placed on the trombonist in Fux's works as compared to such contemporary composers as Antonio Caldara and Marc'Antonio Ziani. The primary goal of this study is to substantiate the importance of Fux's role in the development of the alto trombone repertoire. Published and unpublished works by Fux that significantly incorporate the instrument have been studied and compared to compositions of his contemporaries. A thorough discussion of Sonata a Quattro and Alma Redemptoris Mater illustrates the technical aspects of his alto trombone writing. The secondary goal of this study is to create a performing edition of Sonata a Quattro and Alma Redemptoris Mater. The existing editions in Denkmaler der Tonkunst in Osterreich and Johann Joseph …
Date: May 1994
Creator: Babcock, Ronald D. (Ronald Dean)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of the Oboe Concertos of Johann Friedrich Fasch with a Performing Edition of Oboe Concerto in G Major (Küntzel 8) : A Lecture Recital Together with Three Other Recitals of Selected Works of Handel, Mozart, Bellini, Poulenc, Britten and Others (open access)

A Study of the Oboe Concertos of Johann Friedrich Fasch with a Performing Edition of Oboe Concerto in G Major (Küntzel 8) : A Lecture Recital Together with Three Other Recitals of Selected Works of Handel, Mozart, Bellini, Poulenc, Britten and Others

Johann Friedrich Fasch's music displays a stylistic variability characteristic among some composers of the early eighteenth century, a time in which the mature Baroque style period of Western art music was beginning to show new elements of the Classical style. Opinions regarding Fasch's contribution vary from praise for his role as one of the most important pioneers to simple acknowledgment as merely one among many significant, forward-looking, transitional composers. During the early eighteenth century, a wealth of fine literature for solo oboe was produced. Current oboe repertoire includes many standard, mature Baroque concertos of the early eighteenth century; few works representative of evolutionary compositions hinting toward the development of a new historical style period are available. The primary purpose of the lecture recital is to introduce to the oboe repertoire an edition of a concerto by Fasch, one representative of the transition from Baroque to Classical eras.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Manning, Dwight C. (Dwight Carroll)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Te Deum (open access)

Te Deum

Te Deum is a single movement work for chorus and orchestra. It employs an ensemble comprising the complement of string, woodwind, and brass instruments typically available in a small symphony orchestra with an expanded percussion section. The choral forces are in proportional relation to the instrumental forces are in proportional relation to the instrumental forces and it is sung in the original Latin. The intended performance time is approximately 18 minutes. Temporal aspects of the work are characterized by three contrasting sections. The slow and solemn opening section is given to long stretches of silence sparsely punctuated by low drums. The remainder of the work is texturally more dense and employs a much quicker tempo. A steady core pulse is also a key feature, with attention given to avoiding any regular metrical implications by use offset accents, non-consecutive identical phrase lengths, and a slow harmonic rhythm.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Piekarski, James
System: The UNT Digital Library