Thesis (MMus (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The work presented herewith is an orchestration of one of the most idiomatic piano pieces composed by Alexander Scriabin: the Sonata no.3 in F‐sharp minor, Op. 23. This particular orchestration involved a process of profound examination and comprehension of the form of the sonata, as well as understanding the role of each instrument of the symphony orchestra, and how they could contribute to an orchestral reconstruction of Scriabin’s work. The re‐creation of the piano part, and the whole experience that supported this challenge, resulted in the individual production in which my particular interpretation of Scriabin’s music reflects the maturity of an absorbed investigation of his style of composition.

The purpose of the following study is to make an analysis of the structural elements and stylistic characteristics of the Sonata in A Minor for violin and piano by David Stanley Smith. This analysis will include the composer's treatment of form, harmony, melody and tonality, rhythm, intellectual and emotional content, and mediums of expression.

Although Robert Schumann’s late style has been the subject of several probing studies in recent years, few scholars have concentrated their attention on the chamber works composed in the autumn of 1851. Perhaps most intriguing are the opp. 105 and 121 violin sonatas, whose first movements suggest a dialogue with the eighteenth-century sonata form by preserving many of the same rhetorical and structural elements. Throughout both movements, however, Schumann uses an intricate web of tonal ambiguities, metrical dissonances, and unusual key relationships to recast the internal workings of these outwardly conventional sonata forms. As he uses these techniques to undermine important structural moments of each movement, Schumann significantly changes the overall plot of the eighteenth-century sonata form, while also demonstrating his sensitivity to the dramatic possibilities of this historical form in the middle of the nineteenth century. By discussing Schumann’s dialogue with the eighteenth-century sonata form throughout the opp. 105 and 121 violin sonatas, this study attempts to situate these works within both their historical and contemporary musical contexts, and thus considers a previously unexplored avenue toward rehabilitating the reception of Schumann’s late chamber works. / School of Music

The name “Berlin School” refers to the group of composers who worked in the orchestra of Frederick the Great in Berlin. The first musicians were engaged in 1732, and the group expanded rapidly to its full strength of about 42 after Frederick’s coronation in 1740. All of the most significant composers were engaged in the first 10 years. Most of these composers wrote music for the viola da gamba, an instrument which by 1740 was already becoming obsolete in most places. The gamba composers are C. P. E. Bach, F. Benda, C. H. Graun, J. G. Graun, J. G. Janitsch and C. Schaffrath. They were encouraged to write for the viola da gamba by the presence in the orchestra from 1741 of Ludwig Christian Hesse, one of the last great virtuosi of the viola da gamba. Hesse was taught by his father Ernst Christian Hesse, who studied the French style in Paris. Hesse junior brought the French style to Berlin, where the Berlin School composers produced a synthesis of French and Italian styles by applying French textural techniques, some of them specific to the viola da gamba, to Italian forms. This study shows how the unique situation which existed in Berlin produced the last major corpus of music written for the viola da gamba. This music was the result of close collaboration between Hesse and the Berlin School composers.

The name “Berlin School” refers to the group of composers who worked in the orchestra of Frederick the Great in Berlin. The first musicians were engaged in 1732, and the group expanded rapidly to its full strength of about 42 after Frederick’s coronation in 1740. All of the most significant composers were engaged in the first 10 years. Most of these composers wrote music for the viola da gamba, an instrument which by 1740 was already becoming obsolete in most places. The gamba composers are C. P. E. Bach, F. Benda, C. H. Graun, J. G. Graun, J. G. Janitsch and C. Schaffrath. They were encouraged to write for the viola da gamba by the presence in the orchestra from 1741 of Ludwig Christian Hesse, one of the last great virtuosi of the viola da gamba. Hesse was taught by his father Ernst Christian Hesse, who studied the French style in Paris. Hesse junior brought the French style to Berlin, where the Berlin School composers produced a synthesis of French and Italian styles by applying French textural techniques, some of them specific to the viola da gamba, to Italian forms. This study shows how the unique situation which existed in Berlin produced the last major corpus of music written for the viola da gamba. This music was the result of close collaboration between Hesse and the Berlin School composers.

Notre recherche porte sur une analyse comparative des interprétations de la Sonate en si mineur de Liszt. Nous avons analysé vingt-cinq enregistrements de pianistes regroupés en cinq écoles :hongroise, française, russe, américaine et allemande. Nous avons comparé les déviations des interprètes par rapport à la partition et les divergences entre les différentes interprétations, en sélectionnant sept paramètres qui nous ont permis de caractériser chaque interprétation. Une double analyse a été effectuée : « à l'oreille » et à l'aide d'un logiciel informatique. Notre recherche a démontré l'importance de plusieurs facteurs d'influence complémentaires : l'enseignement reçu, l'époque où l'on vit et l'on crée, le tempérament et l'individualité artistique. Au terme de notre recherche, nous avons démontré l'existence de spécificités qui se manifestent au sein de chacune des écoles pianistiques nationales, et également de particularités caractérisant le mode de jeu des différentes générations. / Our research focuses a comparative analysis of the performances of Liszt's Sonata in b minor. We analysed twenty-five recordings by pianists grouped into five piano schools : Hungarian, French, Russian, American and German. We compared the deviations of the performers from the score and the differences between the individual performances, based on a selection of seven parameters that allowed us to characterise each of them. A double analysis was made: "by ear" and with the aid of acomputer. Our research has shown the importance of several complementary factors of influence : education, the period during which the pianists lived and created, the artists' temperaments and their artistic individualities. At the end of our research, we demonstrated the existence of specific features within each of the national piano schools, and also of some features that characterise the performing style of each generation.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Gary C. Mortenson / This Master's report contains the biographical, harmonic, and style analysis of the five compositions performed on the author's Master's recital that occurred on October 11th, 2007. The analyses included will provide foundational information for thorough study of Richard Peaslee's Nightsongs, Eric Ewazen's Sonata for Trumpet and Piano, Antonio Carlos Jobim's Desafinado, Horace Silver's Peace, and Bronislaw Kaper's Green Dolphin Street.

The magister thesis is connected with bachelor's thesis, which was concentrated on Piano Sonata in E minor, op. 2 by Slovak composer Alexander Moyzes (1906-1984) and was concerned on it mainly with collected sources. In this thesis we decided to point out its composing work and possible inspiring sources and therefore the focus of this diploma thesis is its introduction into historical context of piano music of the 19th and 20th centuries. Through composite-technical and stylistic analyses of selected piano sonatas and other works, we want to contribute to the closer characterization of Moyzes composer's personality and to complement the literature that Moyzes Sonate has devoted to in minimal terms from composing work and inspiring sources. Selected pieces include: Brahms Sonata f mol, Op. 5 and Variation and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, op. 24 from the point of view of means of piano stylization, Sonata Eroica, op. 24 for piano by Vít zslav Novák because of their mutual interest in working with modality and mutual close relationships (Moyzes's teacher). In addition to these goals, we will also focus on the other piano works of Moyzes by creating a new chronological inventory based on preserved sources. Key words: Alexander Moyzes, Piano Sonata in E minor op. 2, Johannes Brahms, Vít zslav Novák,...

Sonatas for oboe in the classical period are classified as 'solo sonatas.' These 'solo sonatas,' which originated in the baroque period, consist of a melody instrument and basso continuo. Solo sonatas for oboe, which account for a sizeable repertory in the baroque period, continued to be composed in the classical period but in the baroque style. The basso continuo setting for sonatas gradually disappeared toward the end of the period, developing into the duo sonata in which a solo instrument and piano played an equal role in presenting melodic material. While the fully developed classical sonata was written for piano alone, and duos for violin and piano and cello and piano, the sonatas for oboe did not make this transition. The duo sonatas for oboe and piano by Jacques Christian Michel Widerkehr are exceptions to the baroque style 'solo sonatas.' Widerkehr's sonatas are the only true 'duo sonatas' for oboe and piano written in the classical period. François Devienne's sonatas deserve special recognition as the only 'solo sonatas' for oboe written predominantly in the classical style. In addition to presenting an overview of sonatas for oboe, biographical information on Widerkehr and Devienne, current state of research of Widerkehr's sonatas, changes in performance venue and instrumental design of the oboe, an examination of Widerkehr's Duos for Oboe and Piano in E Minor and C Major will follow. Examples of classical style elements and procedures are identified in each analysis with an emphasis on the duo setting. Devienne's Sonata in G Major, Op. 71, No. 1, serves as an example of his six oboe sonatas. Although the work is composed in a basso continuo setting, examples of classical style characteristics are identified in an analysis of the three movements.

Euphonium concertos and similar masterworks for euphonium have been recorded, written about, analyzed, and discussed at length numerous times in recent years. Unfortunately, the most frequently studied and performed euphonium solos have been almost completely ignored in this regard. These works are useful for performance by the undergraduate-level euphonium player. Solos in this category are played by strong high school players and undergraduate euphonium students all over the world. These solos receive countless performances and play a crucial role in the development of young euphonium players, yet have never received attention in the form of a published pedagogical guide. The pieces of greater difficulty and substantial length have received more attention for obvious reasons, but solo pieces most useful for the developing euphoniumist need to be analyzed and discussed on a pedagogical level. This paper is a pedagogical guide to commonly played euphonium solos by the undergraduate level student. The three pieces used in this study are Sonatina by Warner Hutchison, Sonata for Unaccompanied Euphonium by Fred Clinard, and Lyric Suite by Donald White. Pertinent background information about each piece is presented in order for the reader to understand the historical context in which it was written. A list of relevant information and minimum performance skills (instrumentation, length, range, articulation skills, etc.) are included for each selection. An analysis of particular sections of each piece are presented for the reader to adequately grasp concepts and practice ideas that are explained, although the bulk of analysis is of a pedagogical nature. The main body of the paper focuses on assisting the reader with ways to approach this solo literature in daily practice as well as effective performance ideas. Particularly troublesome areas of each piece are identified and strategies to overcome common pitfalls and performance errors are noted.