Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed Aug. 22, 2007). PDF text: 74 p. : music. UMI publication number: AAT 3237872. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

As it stands, only one arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 23 orchestral reduction exists, which is by Tchaikovsky himself. A number of critical editions of the piece exist, but none of them cover the subject of the material within the orchestral reduction. Tchaikovsky wrote the reduction from a compositional rather than a pianistic perspective, thus some passages present awkward technical challenges. The purpose of this dissertation is ultimately to contribute to the repertoire of accompanists by producing a new edition of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. I created my arrangement through a process of practical trial and error as well as observing the strategies used by other arrangers of orchestral reductions. Through a series of carefully selected omissions, note rearrangements, visual adjustments, and editorial changes, I simplified the reduction as a whole. I sought to improve the readability of the music by reducing accidentals as much as possible and also incorporating small-print cues into the main staves. Each minor adjustment or major revision contributes cumulatively to the ease of execution of the accompanimental part as a whole. Although Tchaikovsky's reduction is authentic and authoritative, a newly revised and simplified version would be useful for collaborative pianists. Thus, I have chosen to create an alternative version of Tchaikovsky's reduction, while still retaining as much of the original material as possible. This edition focuses solely on the collaborative pianist's part.

The link between trumpet playing and emulation of the human voice has been acknowledged by a number of prominent teachers, authors, and composers since the inception of the trumpet as a melodic instrument. This dissertation is a pedagogical guide to lyrical trumpet performance based on the verismo style of singing consistent with the authentic interpretations of operatic soprano arias by Pietro Mascagni, Ruggero Leoncavallo, and Giacomo Puccini. Included are chapters that examine various aspects of the verismo style, as well as comparison and application of late 19th-century voice pedagogy to trumpet practice and performance. This resource examines six recordings of sopranos who created or popularized operatic roles during the verismo period. Included are transcriptions of the six arias for trumpet and piano, with performance notes based on dramatic and textual contexts, as well as interpretive aspects, namely tempo, dynamics, and vibrato.

François Couperin (1668-1733) was one of the earliest French Baroque composers to merge the Italian style into the French tradition. He had great influence on the development of French Baroque music from the end of the seventeenth century until his death. Couperin's four Concerts Royaux and the ten Concerts Nouveaux (published in 1722 and 1724) were written for the enjoyment of Louis XIV. Those suites were popular in the court before they were published, as they were requested to be performed every Sunday during the years 1714 and 1715 to give pleasure to the king. Rittrato dell'amore is the ninth suite out of the fourteen suites. The purpose of this study is to provide a performance guide and a practical edition of François Couperin's Neuvième Concert Ritratto dell' amore. It also contrasts Italian style and French tradition in the Baroque period, and how Couperin blended both styles together in his Neuvième Concert. In addition, this dissertation summarizes the general principles of Baroque performance practice that one may encounter in Neuviéme Concert, including notes inégales (unequal notes), ornamentation, over-dotting, and other issues. It is especially important for one to understand the performance style of French Baroque music in order to perform these works appropriately, since its notation did not adequately notate rhythmic expectations as traditionally understood and the realization of ornamentations in this period and style is highly specific. The tradition was indeed lost in terms of aural transfer and has been reconstructed through published scholarly work in the last century that is based on treatises of the time. Ongoing scholarly and artistic work should bring us ever closer to the ideals of the period.

Bulgaria, though a fairly small Eastern European country, boasts an ancient history of folk traditions and music; however, very few notated works exist due to the people's primitive lifestyle throughout Bulgaria's history. Singing and dancing as well as creating instruments from wood and animal skin were considered an integral part of everyday life, equal to cooking, sewing, herding, or farming; in fact, one almost always accompanied the other. Thus, more than 1500 years of folklore was orally passed on and preserved generation after generation; however, nothing was notated until only very recently when Bulgarians realized the cultural and national value of their history. After the liberation from Ottoman Rule (1453-1877) a nationalist movement spread throughout the Balkan countries, which resulted in the emergence of Bulgarian composers. Music and songs from the local folk traditions evolved, developed, and - with notation - became the foundation for the vocal and instrumental music of the so-called first generation of Bulgarian composers. Around the turn of the century, many Bulgarian artists and musicians traveled to Western Europe (mostly Austria, Germany, and Russia) and upon their return, their artistic output created an original mixture of Bulgarian national folk with influences from Western classical music. After World War II, Bulgaria became one of the countries governed by the Communist regime, which restricted all travel to and contact with the West, including cultural influences from the West. Gradually, as the Communist regime became less controlling until it dissolved completely in 1989, restrictions on music and culture started to lift. Petar Christoskov (1917-2006), considered part of the second generation of Bulgarian composers, began his compositional career immediately after returning from Germany to a communist-ruled Bulgaria. His first opus was the set of 12 Caprices for Solo Violin (1953, formerly known as Concert Etudes in Folk Style); they have a fairly simple compositional style but are full of elements from the Bulgarian folk tradition. Some of these caprices, along with other works from the beginning of Christoskov's compositional career, were commissioned by the nationalist government and/or were required repertoire at national music competitions. Nearly thirty years after the first set of caprices, Christoskov composed another set: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 24 (1978-9). These later works also contain many Bulgarian folk characteristics, but their compositional style is much more abstract, atonal, and complex - more “mainstream Western.” The goal of this document is to compare and contrast the two sets of Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 and Op. 24, by investigating the development of Petar Christoskov's compositional style. I will argue that the constantly-changing political systems in twentieth-century Bulgaria had a direct impact on the composer's artistic output. After a historical overview of Bulgaria's music and political background, the two sets of caprices will be compared and contrasted by focusing on technical, musical, and sociological similarities and differences. In order to illustrate these similarities and differences, three caprices from each set will be selected and analyzed, as well as compared and contrasted with each other. The second part of the document will discuss the negative influence of the political climate on music and printing, with a focus on the difficulties of preserving Bulgarian culture itself. This research has the additional purpose of serving as scholarly support for a future project: as a personal contribution to the circulation and preservation of Bulgarian music, I intend to produce a new violin edition of Petar Christoskov's caprices as well as complete the arrangements for viola.

There is a puacity of original works from the Baroque Era for the guitar. Transcriptions, especially music originally for harpsichord, complement the guitarist's repertoire. Dominating the priviledged space in the guitar canon, represented by Baroque transcriptions, are the composers Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel and Domenico Scarlatti. Underrepresented in the Baroque guitar canon is the music of Spanish composers, most noteworthy, the harpsichordist Padre Antonio Soler, who composed more than 120 sonatas for his instrument. Music is culturally defined and it is clear, through an analysis of the keyboard works of Soler, that his music was imbued with the salient features of his place and time. There is an implicit connection between the guitar and the non-guitar music produced in Spain as guitar gestures are part of the national emblem; this study makes an explicit connection between the harpsichord music of Soler and the modern guitar. The Spanish Baroque style, epitomized by the works of Soler, provide a clear objective for transcription. The current study produces a transcription of Padre Antonio Soler's Sonata No. R.27 and Sonata No. R.100, as well as an analysis of the sonatas to facilitate interpretation for performance and an explanation of the transcription process. The lacunae of Spanish Baroque guitar transcriptions that exists in the repertoire will be partially filled by adding Soler to the distinguished list of composers that currently inhabit the guitarists's library.