Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Title from accompanying text. / Diane Legge, pianist. / Recorded on November 1, 1977, All Faiths Chapel. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries / Department: Music.

Lecture, Introduction to Chinese piano music -- Liu yang rive / Wang, Jian Zhong -- The picture of ba shu / Huang, Hu Wei -- Colorful clouds chase the moon ; Three stanzas of plum-blossoms / Wang, Jian Zhong -- Encore (announced from stage). / text

This dissertation is about a peculiar conflict that occurs in the process of music performance, a conflict that exists between the body and the mind. What I call “executive mismatch,” this conflict tends to occur when music performance is treated only as an art, and not also as a kind of a sport; that is, when music is valued only for its artistic expression and representation, and not also for its kinetic essence. Executive mismatch happened, for example, during the second quarter of the nineteenth century, a critical time that shaped our modern views on how the piano should be played. While many – among them Liszt, Thalberg, Chopin, and Mendelssohn – managed to find their rightful places in this process of development, individuals like Schumann struggled for theirs. Focusing on this influential but overlooked nineteenth-century dilemma, this dissertation examines the inharmonious collaboration between kinetics and aesthetics as evident in pedagogical writings, training materials, witness accounts, and compositions. This dissertation argues that musical performance mandates a proper matching of the body and the mind, and it does so at two levels. First, it argues historically that Schumann’s famous hand injury was as much about the executively mismatched world he lived in as about biographical details. His pursuit of a performing career was always doomed to end badly, whether or not he tried to use machines to accelerate progress. Accordingly, his injury was unlikely to be self-inflicted, nor was it entirely medical/pathological by nature. Second, it argues that executive mismatch, which found perfect expressions in Schumann’s life and in early nineteenth- century pianism, still influences our modern world through performers, music-score editors, and researchers. / published_or_final_version / Music / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Two significant American composers, Robert Muczynski (b.1929) and Robert Starer (b.1924), composed piano sonatas in the years 1964-66, despite the tendency of other composers of the time to utilize less traditional structures. The second Sonatas of Muczynski and Starer are intricately conceived, finely crafted, and worthy examples of mid-century trends in American composition and they give evidence of the continuing viability of the sonata form. This study will examine the stylistic similarities between two works that utilized, paradoxically, differing methods of compositional technique. These men chose different compositional languages, yet they chose the same formal structure to organize their work. This study will focus on those features that are style-determinant. I believe that many of the common stylistic traits present in the second piano Sonatas of Robert Muczynski and Robert Starer may be a result their common environment, as contemporary trends common to the culture of composers can have a significant influence on the style of their works.

This project explores Samuel Barber’s complete works for solo piano, including his early works published in 2010. The recording, captured on two CDs, represents the first complete collection of Barber’s published piano works and outlines Barber’s maturation from his teenage years to his full development as a world-renowned composer. The document includes a biographical sketch, an overview of his published solo piano works, and a performer’s guide. The performer’s guide examines technical and musical difficulties commonly found throughout his piano output, focusing on three aspects of Barber’s compositional appeal: lyricism, virtuosity, and eclecticism. The goal of this discussion is to aid the student in her exploration of Samuel Barber’s piano music. / School of Music

Title from accompanying document. / Janet Anschutz, piano ; Jerry Langenkamp, tenor. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

The music of American composer Edward MacDowell has, until recently, been largely dismissed by the academic musical community. It is often seen as sentimental and simplistic, not in keeping with the advanced trends in music at the turn of the 20th century. He and his contemporaries have been over-shadowed by composers such as Ives, Cowell, and other American composers of the twentieth-century whose music is perceived as more innovative and progressive. It is important, however, to remember that MacDowell's music was immensely popular during his lifetime, both in the United States and abroad. In order to understand a composer's music, one must understand the culture in which he lived and worked, as well as the training he received as a musician. Learning about the composer's life, education, and the important political, social, and cultural events during the period in which he lived helps to inform the decisions we make as performers. Like all artists, Edward MacDowell was a product of his time. During his childhood and young adult years, Romanticism reigned. Impressionism, an extension of Romanticism, was beginning to develop in France. Nationalism was also a strong force as American composers were struggling to separate themselves from European traditions and create music that was uniquely reflective of their country. These philosophies and the effects they had on music have been discussed in great detail by many scholars. Another important philosophical movement during MacDowell's lifetime is the development of Transcendentalism. This essay will examine the influence MacDowell's music education and life experiences had on his late character pieces. Woodland Sketches, op. 51, Fireside Tales, op. 61, and New England Idyls, op. 62 are three sets of character pieces that were composed by MacDowell during the last decade of his career. Small in scope and diverse in character, these works contain a noteworthy blend of Romantic and Impressionistic elements. MacDowell's philosophy of music as presented in his lectures also appears to be a strong influence in these pieces. Chapter 1 will begin by providing an overview of MacDowell's biography including his music education and his music philosophy. Chapter 2 will provide a summary of four of the ideologies that seem to have had the strongest impact on MacDowell (Romanticism, Impressionism, Nationalism, and Transcendentalism), highlighting key traits and characteristics of each philosophy. Chapter 3 will present a performance guide for Woodland Sketches, Fireside Tales, and New England Idyls, with reference to the influences discussed in chapter 2. MacDowell's late character pieces contain a unique blend of elements from the traditions that influenced him as a composer. Through the process of studying these traditions, one can better understand MacDowell as a musician and make well-informed decisions as a performer of his music.

Compact discs presented in separate bound volume. / Includes reproduction of the author's edition of the piano works of Margaret Sutherland (Allans Publishing ; c2000) / Includes selective list of public performances by the author (leaves 8-14), and comprehensive list of performances of works by Australian composers (leaves [66]-76). / Bibliography: leaf [65] / 173 leaves : / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / The principal focus of this submission is performance, represented by a set of four compact discs containing recordings of a wide range of solo and ensemble repertoire. There is, in addition, a secondary focus in the area of Musicology, represented most obviously in the published edition of the piano music of Margaret Sutherland, and in some of the accompanying commentary. The primary elements of the portfolio are the recordings and the edition. / Thesis (D.Mus.)--University of Adelaide, Elder School of Music, 2004?

Thesis (M. Mus. St.)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.