Degree Discipline

"Santa Eulalia M. Md. 7": a Critical Edition and Study of Sacred Part Music from Colonial Northwestern Guatemala (open access)

"Santa Eulalia M. Md. 7": a Critical Edition and Study of Sacred Part Music from Colonial Northwestern Guatemala

Santa Eulalia M. Md. 7, dated January 20, 1600, is part of the San Miguel Acatán Repertory, which originated in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala and is presently owned by the Lilly Library of Indiana University. The manuscript contains thirty-four four-part songs and dances, two thirds of which are villancicos for Christmas, Easter, the Eucharist, and the feasts of All Saints and St. Michael. The remaining third consists of Latin biblical texts in either fabordón or contrapuntal settings, three pieces with Náhuatl texts, and an instrumental pavana. The thesis contains a modern edition of Santa Eulalia M. Md. 7 with critical notes and commentary, a comparison of the pieces with villancicos and fabordones of European origin, and a survey of several aspects of Mayan culture.
Date: May 1981
Creator: Baird, Sheila Raney
System: The UNT Digital Library
Johann Anton Kobrich's Wohlgeübter Organist (open access)

Johann Anton Kobrich's Wohlgeübter Organist

Johann Anton Kobrich (1714-1791) was the priest and organist of the parish church of Landsberg am Lech in upper Bavaria from 1730 until his death. A prolific composer, Kobrich wrote several works for organ, including the Wohlgeubter Organist (1762), a three-part collection of preludes, fugues, and toccatas. The major portion of this thesis consists of an edition of twenty-six selected pieces from the original fifty-eight in this collection. Also included are a bibliography of Kobrich, a discussion of his significance among other contemporary composers, and a survey of the organs and organ music of eighteenth-century southern Germany. In addition, there is an analysis of the Wohlgeubter Organist and a commentary on its significance.
Date: May 1982
Creator: Carnes, Nancy Warlick
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Program Symphonies of Joseph Joachim Raff (open access)

The Program Symphonies of Joseph Joachim Raff

Joseph Joachim Raff, a nineteenth-century composer of Swiss-German descent, emerged during the 1870's as one of the leading composers of the symphony and was heralded by his peers as the successor to the symphonic tradition of Schumann. Of the eleven symphonies published between 186U and 1883, nine are program symphonies. Hired as an amanuensis by Liszt during the latter part of 181+9, Raff became involved in the New Weimar School surrounding Liszt, but disenchantment with their dogmas and a need to preserve his own identity caused Raff to resign his position with Liszt in 1856. Although his symphonies reflect the programmatic philosophy of the Weimar school, they also maintain a strong affinity to the classicism of Beethoven, a quality inherent in Raff's more conservative outlook. In order to become familiar with this large body of orchestral literature which is virtually unknown today, both a programmatic and formal analysis for each symphony has been presented, although in some instances the two could not be separated. The symphonies have been grouped according to related programmatic content. Because of the wider acceptance of symphonies 1, 3 and 5 during Raff's lifetime and the programmatic relationship of nos. 6 and 7 to these, form …
Date: May 1982
Creator: Bevier, Carol S. (Carol Sue)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clavichord Traits in Selected Late Eighteenth-Century Keyboard Pieces (open access)

Clavichord Traits in Selected Late Eighteenth-Century Keyboard Pieces

Several late eighteenth-century keyboard composers indicated that some of their works were written specifically for the clavichord, as opposed to the harpsichord or pianoforte. This demand was indicated by a composer's commentary, remarks made by a contemporary, or by Bebung and Tragen der Tone indications in the music. The thesis examines selected works of C.P.E. Bach, Johann Eckard, Nathanael Gruner, Johann Hassler, Christian Neefe, F.S. Sander, and Daniel Tt*rk, and discusses elements of the music that seem particularly suited to clavichord performance. These elements are Bebung, Tragen der TOne, finely nuanced dynamic indications, certain types of melodic writing, and a thin textural composition.
Date: May 1983
Creator: Clark, Alice Ham
System: The UNT Digital Library
Alban Berg as Liedkomponist: An Analytical Study of his Two Settings of "Schliesse mir die Augen beide," 1907 and 1925 (open access)

Alban Berg as Liedkomponist: An Analytical Study of his Two Settings of "Schliesse mir die Augen beide," 1907 and 1925

Alan Berg's two musical settings of Theodor Storm's poem"Schliesse mir die Augen beide" have received little in the way of scholarly analytical attention. The three major chapters of this thesis deal with the two settings on three different levels. Chapter II surveys the political and cultural milieu in which Berg functioned as a young composer of Lieder in the years 1900-1910. Chapter III examines the special quality of lyricism which is often attributed to Berg and his works. Chapter IV provides more definitive and complete musical analyses of the two settings than have heretofore been available. The question of what role songwriting played in the development of Berg's compositional process is addressed in the conclusion.
Date: May 1986
Creator: Ray, Karen, 1951-
System: The UNT Digital Library
English Devotional Song of the Seventeenth Century in Printed Collections from 1638 to 1693: A Study of Music and Culture (open access)

English Devotional Song of the Seventeenth Century in Printed Collections from 1638 to 1693: A Study of Music and Culture

Seventeenth-century England witnessed profound historical, theological, and musical changes. A king was overthrown and executed; religion was practiced fervently and disputed hotly; and English musicians fell under the influence of the Italian stile nuovo. Many devotional songs were printed, among them those which reveal influences of this style. These English-texted sacred songs for one to three solo voices with continuo--not based upon a previously- composed hymn or psalm tune—are emphasized in this dissertation. Chapter One treats definitions, past neglect of the genre by scholars, and the problem of ambiguous terminology. Chapter Two is an examination of how religion and politics affected musical life, the hiatus from liturgical music from 1644 to 1660 causing composers to contribute to the flourishing of devotional music for home worship and recreation. Different modes of seventeenth-century devotional life are discussed in Chapter Three. Chapter Four provides documentation for use of devotional music, diaries and memoirs of the period revealing the use of several publications considered in this study. Baroque musical aesthetics applied to devotional song and its raising of the affections towards God are discussed in Chapter Five. Chapter Six traces the influence of Italian monody and sacred concerto on English devotional song. The earliest …
Date: May 1986
Creator: Treacy, Susan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tempo Determination in the Choral Works of Francis Poulenc (open access)

Tempo Determination in the Choral Works of Francis Poulenc

Though Poulenc marks choral compositions with metronomic indications, there are problems concerning tempo. The purpose of this paper is to determine guidelines for dealing with choral tempo. Chapter II relates biographical information pertinent to the study. Style Is examined In Chapter III, determining aspects that call tempo marks into question and influence tempo determination. In Chapter IV, the manner in which Poulenc uses tempo indications in the choral works is analysed and the relationship between form and tempo examined. Chapter V records Information bearing upon tempo from Poulenc's collaboration with conductors, as well as examining recordings of Poulenc's music in which he played or with which he expressed approval. Guidelines for determining tempo are stated in Chapter VI.
Date: May 1989
Creator: Teal, Terri Denise
System: The UNT Digital Library