Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2007. / System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Accompanied by 4 recitals, recorded Nov. 9, 1998, Nov. 15, 1999, Jan. 27, 2003, and Nov. 6, 2006. Includes bibliographical references (p. 29-31).

Thesis (D.Mus. Arts)--University of Washington, 1983. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves [146]-148.

This thesis examines the context in which the Russian composer, M. Balakirev, used folk idioms to create a representation of Circassian musical culture in Islamey: Oriental Fantasy. It was composed for piano in 1869 after Balakirev’s trip to the Caucasus during its colonization by the Russian Empire and it is an interesting example of a musical representation of the "Oriental." Based on Edward Said’s theory of the Orientalism, this thesis examines the construction of Circassian stereotype as Russia’s “Other”. It presents the complex historical relations between Russians and Circassians and discusses evidence for treating Islamey as an example of an Orientalist Other, taken from several authors, including Balakirev himself. Ultimately, this thesis describes Balakirev’s representation of Circassian culture and proposes reasons for his appropriation of folk music. It concludes by outlining the benefits of cultural exchanges between the Russian and Circassian nations that took place over the last century.

Balakirev's two early piano and orchestra works, Grande Fantaisie on Russian Folk Songs and Concerto Op. 1 in F# Minor, were composed in the middle of the nineteenth century when in Russia there were no particularly important works for piano and orchestra. Balakirev was still a teenager when he wrote these two pieces and unfortunately both remained unfinished. However the beauty and remarkable compositional achievement of these works should be highly recognized. There are six chapters in this essay. The general background, purpose and the state of research are discussed in the first chapter. The second chapter presents Balakirev's biographical information and the overview of his works for piano and orchestra is stated in Chapter III. Individual works, Grande Fantaisie and Concerto in F# Minor are discussed in the chapters IV and V, which including discussing compositional background, analysis and diagram of structural schemes. The last chapter concludes with Balakirev's contribution to Russian music and the development of the Russian concerto coming into its own. It deals particularly with Balakirev's approach to folk songs, which gives the concerto a unique Russian aesthetic, in addition to his ability to write in the European tradition.

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