Among the numerous eighteenth-century composers of merit whose music remains virtually unknown and unavailable in modern editions, and whose names are absent from the many items of Baroque literature to date, is Andrea Zani (b. Casalmaggiore, 1696-d. Casalmaggiore, 1757). Yet his skill saw him ranked as a virtuoso, and his compositions were published in Vienna, Paris and Amsterdam, as well as his native Italy. Despite the fact that most of his output is extant and accessible either in manuscripts or early prints in the archives of Europe, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, no thorough study of these works has been made. The scant biographical information available on Zani lies in a succession of brief and lamentably incomplete accounts, traceable to one early nineteenth-century writing. A comprehensive study of Andrea Zani and his music has yet to be made. The objectives (and thus the structure) of this dissertation are to present a definitive performing edition of Zani’s entire output and to compile a biographical account that will substantially augment and correct much of the biographical information that is available. These objectives are interdependent. A biography may be illuminated by information found in music sources – dates of compositions or dates and places of publications, names of dedicatees (and even of specific occasions) are all indicators of avenues of research, and as this is undertaken, isolated facts gradually turn into an expanding and yet increasingly tightly-knit network of detail. The music itself may be illuminated by confirming its location within the lifetime of the composer and a growing understanding of the various circumstances surrounding the years in which it was written. When this is allied with a knowledge of the dissemination of his compositions, one is led toward a contemporary estimation of the composer and a measure of the sphere of his influence. One further element of this research is a thematic catalogue of Zani’s works. As a comprehensive description of his output, it provides a stand-alone reference volume for future studies of the man and/or his compositions. More widely, it will assist with the solution of problems of misattributions of compositions among Zani's contemporaries.

French composer Eugene Bozza (1905-1991) has made significant contributions to the repertoire of wind instruments in the twentieth century. Not least among his compositions are the clarinet concerto, the eleven works for clarinet and piano, chamber works involving the clarinet, and numerous etudes for clarinet. Information gathered throughout the course of the study demonstrates why the concerto is a significant work for clarinetists, demanding from the performer technical prowess, tonal control, and mature musicianship. The additional works for clarinet and piano are mostly sectional pieces written in a morceau de contours vein challenging the performer's lyrical and technical playing.This study reveals through analysis a number of compositional devices used by the composer that are stylistic threads running through virtually all the works for clarinet. Harmonically, these devices include extended tertian chords used in succession, parallel chord movement, and quartal and quintal harmonies. Melodic resources include diatonic scales, chromatic scales, some transposed modes, and a limited use of whole tones. The composer prefers homophonic textures, but uses countermelodies and the occasional use of the unaccompanied soloist for contrast. Bozza uses the element of rhythm dynamically, featuring rhythmically-charged motives throughout much of his composition. Numerous expressive modifiers are included in the works, but leave the performer enough latitude for supplementary dynamics and rubato.In addition to analyses of the concerto and the works for clarinet and piano, the study addresses the orchestration of the concerto. This discussion shows the ways in which Bozza uses orchestral colors and alerts the performer to discrepancies between the orchestral score and the piano reduction. Few of the changes from the score to the reduction are significant. Many changes are cosmetic involving the deletion of color effects and short countermelodies in the reduction to allow for idiomatic piano writing.The study offers the performer recommendations for the successful performance of the concerto and the works for clarinet and piano. The recommendations include supplemental expressive modifiers, fingering choices, additional phrasing choices, and practice techniques. As an introduction to the study, biographical information was gathered to provide the reader with a concise sketch of the life and style of Eugene Bozza. Correspondence received from Alphonse Leduc gives additional information on Bozza's works for clarinet. / School of Music

The purpose of this study is to investigate the pedagogical and performance aspects of Robert Muczynski's Concerto No. I for Piano and Orchestra. The work targets the early-advanced level of performance, representing a tutorial step in technical and musical difficulty. Muczynski's writing offers mild characteristic tendencies in comparison to later practices within the century, but does exhibit the emergence of a variety of significant keyboard skills. Moreover, his intermittent use of atonality is ideal for a student who is not yet comfortable with this idiom. For these reasons, the concerto serves as an excellent introduction to the genre for this level of study.This investigation is prefaced by an introduction to the topic of piano pedagogy in relation to concerto study, along with a brief biographical sketch of the composer. The investigation then provides a stylistic analysis of the Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra. Each movement is examined comprehensively (by formal structure) according to inherent technical and interpretive challenges, and musical examples are offered in connection with suggestions for practice and execution.Findings reveal a cross-section of twentieth-century innovation and challenge which not only represent the unification of Muczynski's style, but also offer opportunity for growth and development in terms of keyboard performance and the application of sound musical decisions.The investigation closes with suggestions for the study of other twentieth-century concerti closely resembling this work in style, but more artistically challenging in performance. / School of Music

In this study the author develops a methodology for the study of the Samuel Barber Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 14 by analyzing the stylistic components of the work, presenting important pedagogical principles, and offering an array of performance practice techniques. The primary tool used to formulate the methodology was a survey of exceptional violinists and pedagogues. Twenty-six professional violinists responded to a survey that asked their suggestions for preparing and performing five specific excerpts from the Concerto. The compilation of the responses provides an invaluable guide for violinists who are studying or teaching this staple of the instrument’s repertoire. / School of Music

Thesis (M.M.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1961. / Typescript. Title from title screen (viewed Nov. 7, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (leaves [172-173]). Online version of the print original.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Includes abstract. Vita. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-05, Section: A, page: 1598. Adviser: Ian Hobson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-181), discography (leaves 181-182), and webliography (leaves 182-183). Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2007. / Compact discs. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2007. / Compact discs.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2006. / Compact discs.

Thesis (M.M.)--Missouri State University, 2008. / "May 2008." Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 3 clarinets in Bb, bass clarinet, 2 alto saxophones, tenor saxophone, bass saxophone, solo alto saxophone, 3 trumpets in Bb, 4 horns in F, 2 trombones, bass trombone, euphonium, tuba, timpani, percussion. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-68). Also available online.