Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1997. / Bibliography: leaves 140-145.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 193-201). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xxi, 177 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-177). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 87 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-87).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2006. / "December, 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-180). Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 193-201). Also available on the Internet.

Thought of as the hero of the opera at the premiere but described later as being somewhat monochromatic and uninteresting, the role of Posa in Verdi's Don Carlos has recently attracted more attention. On the one hand he is portrayed as a naive ideologue, on the other a ruthless manipulator of persons. It is my intent to show that in crafting the character of Posa, Verdi shaped the music to portray him as a righteous diplomat: diplomatic in that he speaks the musical language of the person to whom he is making his political entreaties, and righteous in that his music stands in stark contrast to that of Le Grand Inquisiteur and is more aligned with that of Une Voix d'en Haut. I put forth and defend the personal interpretation that Posa could, in fact, be a Calvinist. How this theory affects the performance of this role is demonstrated through an investigation of the dramatic impulses of the Trio of Acte III, 3me Tableau.

During orchestral performance, conductors play a role in which they provide their interpretations of the musical composition, communicating these interpretational intentions via their body movement. Pedagogical sources propose movement emblems for stock actions by which a conductor may deliver compositional and interpretational features in conducting practise. This thesis reports a mixed-methods study which provides empirical observations on the kinematic features evident in conducting practise, and which aims to explore the connection between such movements with compositional features and conductors’ interpretative intentions. Six conductors’ interpretational intentions were collected in interviews, and their conducting movements were recorded using a Qualisys motion capture system, while they worked on excerpts of repertoire by Mozart, Dvořák, and Bartók with a small string ensemble. In the interviews, conductors reported their general thoughts and beliefs about conducting. They were also prompted to identify the compositional events which they sought to highlight in their conducting, and to describe the conducting strategies they intended to use to highlight these musical events. The resulting qualitative data were thematically analysed. The conductor-identified compositional features were also used to guide kinematic investigations, using an innovative analysis method original to this project, Deviation Point Analysis (DPA). Conductors’ movements are described using four dependent variables of baton tip (movement distance, speed, acceleration, and jerk). Results are reported for two-way repeated measures ANOVAs (repertoire x trial), and for t-tests revealing significant differences between cross-correlation coefficients for within-conductor trial pairs and between-conductor trial pairs. Further examination of the data using DPA serves to distinguish time-points with observable kinematic deviations from the conducting trials. These kinematic deviations were compared with conductors’ stated intentions. Prominent clusters of kinematic deviations were seen to be associated with key musical events which conductors intended to emphasize temporal, melodic, dynamic, and instrumental aspects. Minor clusters of kinematic deviations were seen to be connected with interpretational intentions in a less stable manner, some occurring remotely from the conductor-identified locations. DPA method and findings are fully reported. The implications, advantages and limitations of this novel analysis approach are also discussed.