The late nineteenth century was a time of great change for women's roles in music. Whereas in 1870, women played primarily harp or piano, by 1900 there were all-woman orchestras. During the late nineteenth century, women began to perform on instruments that were not standard for them, such as cornet, trombone, and saxophone. The achievements of early female saxophonists scarcely have been mentioned in accounts of saxophone history. This study gathers scattered and previously unpublished information about the careers and repertoire of American female saxophonists from 1870-1930 into one reference source.The introduction presents a brief background on women's place in music around 1900 and explains the study's organization. Chapter two presents material on saxophone history and provides an introduction to the Chautauqua, lyceum, and vaudeville circuits. Chapter three contains biographical entries for forty-four women saxophonists from 1870-1930. Then follows in Chapter four a discussion of the saxophonists' repertoire. Parlor, religious, and minstrel songs are examined, as are waltz, fox-trot, and ragtime pieces. Discussion of music of a more "classical" nature concludes this section. Two appendixes are included--the first, a complete alphabetical list of the names of early female saxophonists and the ensembles with which they played; the second, an alphabetical list of representative pieces played by the women.The results of this study indicate that a significant number of women became successful professional saxophonists between 1870-1930. Many were famous on a local level, and some toured extensively while performing on Chautauqua, lyceum, and vaudeville circuits. Some ended their performing careers after becoming wives and mothers, but some continued to perform with all-woman swing bands during the 1930s and 40s.The musical repertoire played by women saxophonists from 1870-1930 reflects the dichotomy of cultivated and vernacular music. Some acts chose to use popular music as a drawing card by performing ragtime, fox-trot, waltz, and other dance styles. Other acts presented music from the more cultivated classical tradition, such as opera transcriptions or original French works for saxophone (by composers such as Claude Debussy). Most women, however, performed a mixture of light classics, along with crowd-pleasing popular songs. / School of Music

No description available.

The Melungeons are a group of indeterminable origin living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southeastern Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia. This thesis describes characteristics of these tri-racial isolates and gives theories as to their mysterious origins. Being darker skinned, the Melungeons were pushed into more mountainous regions by European colonists in the early 1700’s. While multiple hypotheses exist as to the origin of the Melungeon people, there is no single theory that is accepted by all scholars. Dr. Brent Kennedy’s The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People, served as a catalyst for my Melungeon research. Kennedy is my cousin, and his book provided facts behind the family stories I recalled from childhood. It also linked me to other famous Melungeons such as Brandy Jack Mullins and Mahala Mullins. Although there are an abundance of stories and facts about my Melungeon heritage, there is also much history that has been lost. This thesis traces my Melungeon roots, following the family stories of N.B. Kennedy, Brandy Jack Mullins, Mahala Mullins, and Kenneth Kennedy. In order to fully understand these people and their stories, I not only researched their history, but I also visited the areas where they lived and died. In this manner, I was able to gain a better understanding my own family as well as the history of the Melungeons. A person’s past is pieced together through oral history, written records, fading pictures, and personal artifacts. Along with these methods, we as writers and researchers add a bit of our own thought and imagination to fill in the gaps of a person’s life. In this manner, personal mythology is created. This thesis ends with an example of one fictionalized story from my family surrounding the death of my uncle, Kenneth Kennedy.

No description available.

Matthew Clay was born on May 25, 1754 in western Halifax County, Virginia, which became Pittsylvania County in 1767. He was the son of Charles and Martha Green Clay. As an officer in the Continental Army, he served in the 9th Virginia Regiment (1776-1778), the 1st Virginia Regiment (1778-1781) and the 5th Virginia Regiment (1781 to 1783). As a member of the 1st Virginia, he achieved the rank of first lieutenant and became Regimental Quartermaster. After being mustered out of the military, Matthew Clay was briefly employed by the State Solicitor's (Auditor's} Office in Richmond, Virginia. Once he had completed reading law in Richmond, he returned to the place of his birth. He married Mary Williams, the orphan daughter of Joseph Williams. Mary's wealthy guardian, Colonel Robert Williams, assisted Clay in launching a career in politics. As a Delegate to the General Assembly, Matthew Clay always considered himself a servant of the people. After his return from the General Assembly, Clay became involved in agriculture, especially tobacco. In 1797 he returned to the world of politics and won election to the 5th through the 12th Congresses (1797-1813). During that period, he established himself as a political conservative, holding true to the principles that he had been exposed to when he entered Congress in 1797. The Old Republicans, as they later came to be known, opposed Jefferson's and Madison's semi-nationalistic tendencies. They supported a frugal and streamlined government, a small and cost-efficient military and a strict construction of the United States Constitution. Clay was a close friend of James Monroe and supported him for President in 1808. Like his fellow Southside Congressman John Randolph of Roanoke, Matthew Clay adhered to the ideals of Old School Republicanism, but unlike the former, he refused to join Randolph in his schism with Jefferson and Madison. In the main, Matthew Clay modified his conservative beliefs only once during his Congressional career as he openly supported the United States' military preparedness in the wake of continued British depredations in 1811-1812. The Pittsylvanian was defeated for reelection in 1813 partly because he abstained from voting on the declaration of war in 1812 and partly because he had become embroiled in unsuccessful litigation with his political rival John Kerr. Matthew Clay was reelected in 1815, but he died suddenly before he could go to Washington to resume his seat. / Master of Arts

Osbert of Clare was an English monastic writer, whose works extended from the mid-1120s to the mid-1150s. His Latin hagiography reflects a deep admiration for Anglo-Saxon saints and spirituality, while his letters provide a personal perspective on his turbulent career. As prior of Westminster Abbey, Osbert of Clare worked to strengthen the rights and prestige of his monastery. His production of forged or altered charters makes him one of England's most prolific medieval forgers. At times his passion for reform put him at odds with his abbots, and he was sent into exile under both Abbot Herbert (1121-c.1136) and Abbot Gervase (1138-c.1157). Also Osbert, as one of the first proponents of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, wrote about the feast, worked to legitimize its celebration, and provided us with the only significant narration of its introduction to England. This thesis is divided into two sections. The first section is principally historical and the second is principally literary. In the first section, I provide an overview of Osbert of Clare's career and examine in greater detail two of his most significant undertaking: his promotion of Westminster Abbey and his attempted canonization of Edward the Confessor. In the second section, I give a philological study of Osbert Latin style and examine themes that nm throughout his writings, such as virginity, exile and kingship. Osbert's promotion of the feast of the Immaculate Conception is included in the second section of the thesis because of its ties to the themes of virginity and femininity within his writings. There are also two appendices: the first is a survey of the extant manuscripts of Osbert's writings, and the second is an edition of Osbert's unpublished Life of St Ethelbert from Gotha, Forschungsbibliothek MS Memb. i. 8l.

published_or_final_version / English / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Comparative Literature / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.

Anne Graham Rockfellow, virtually unknown to history, deserves a place worthy of scholarly attention. Rockfellow's significance to the histories of American architecture, of Tucson, and of professional women is explored. She was the first woman architect academically trained at M.I.T. (the first recognized school of architecture in the United States). In the mid-1890s she made her first move to Tucson, Arizona, a growing southwestern town that already had a long history. When Rockfellow permanently relocated to Tucson in 1915, she was hired by the H. O. Jaastad architectural firm, where she remained until her retirement in 1938. In order to put Rockfellow in a historical context, her biography is juxtaposed with the biographies of some of her female contemporaries who also chose to pursue careers in the field of architecture. Her contributions to the architecture of Tucson and to the development of the Spanish Colonial Revival style are also examined.