abstract: ABSTRACT A cultural overview of the so-called "early music movement" in Arizona, specifically the musicians who performed early music in the mid-to-late twentieth century, has never been undertaken. In applying ethnographic methods to Western art music, Kay Kaufman Shelemay suggests, in her 2001 article, "Toward an Ethnomusicology of the Early Music Movement," that a musical anthropology "would seem to hold great potential for the study of `Western music.'" In this paper I analyze and discuss issues related to "early music" in Arizona from roughly 1960 to 2008. In focusing primarily on the musicians themselves, I address issues in three primary areas: 1) the repertory and the so-called "early music revival;" 2) specific types of early music which have been presented in Arizona and the effects of economic factors; and 3) Arizona musicians' attitudes toward the repertory and their motivations for specializing in it. I then analyze Arizona musicians' involvement with both the early music repertory itself and with the community, identifying how musicians were exposed to early music and whether or not those first exposures began a long-lasting involvement with the repertory. In this section I also describe ways in which musicians define early music for themselves as well as analyze more critical areas such as musicians' formation of an "early music identity." I also asked informants to discuss how they see early music as being fundamentally different from other types of "classical" music and how they view their own places in that community of "difference." Finally, I compare musicians' thoughts on the "transformative" effect that some early music can have on performers and listeners and how that effect compares with similar phenomena in other types of Western art music. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Music 2010

<p>This dissertation traces the range of popular forms and practices associated with the harpsichord in the twentieth century in the United States, focusing on the 1950s, 60s and 70s. It draws on archives of period correspondence, sound recordings, and news clippings, as well as on my interviews with harpsichord builders and performers and on fieldwork I conducted at a prominent American harpsichord company during 2008. I argue that the harpsichord enabled practices and discourses through which the white middle class could critique the post-World War II United States, and that the material aspects of the harpsichord--its sound, its wooden materials and its construction methods--provided a gauge by which to measure how far the postwar everyday had veered from what was imagined to be an "authentic" human existence.</p> <p>I focus the dissertation around the influence of a particular narrative associated with the harpsichord: that of the aristocratic, delicate instrument decimated by the Industrial Revolution. I first chart the ways that this narrative circulated in academic histories and popular media during the twentieth century, and how it was linked to perceptions of the harpsichord's physical "shortcomings." Focusing on its career in 1940s-60s popular music recordings, I then show how the stereotype of its "tragically disadvantaged" sound shaped acoustic and discursive constructions of that sound. I continue by demonstrating the classed critiques surrounding the instrument's commodification as a "do-it-yourself" kit--an affordable product that seemed to contradict the instrument's history as an elite, custom-made object. Lastly, I show how the harpsichord's story articulated with the biographies and sentiments of specific people, particularly those affiliated with the shop of Massachusetts harpsichord builder Frank Hubbard in late 1960s and early 1970s. Ultimately, I argue that the Movement's ideal of "historical authenticity," along with the post-World War II mass appeal of period instruments and period performance practice, emerged out of time and place-specific meanings, and through multiple social and commodity networks.</p> / Dissertation

Thesis (M.M.)--University of North Texas, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-64).

No description available.

This dissertation thesis Historically informed interpretation of Rennaisance and Baroque vocal music is focusing on phenomenon, which plays an important role in the interpetation of early music from 1970. The text describes the historical, musicological, interpretative and padagogical aspects. The author is drawing from interviews with important europian interprets of early music, that have been realized during studies for the front czech musical journal Harmonie. The author also draws from his longlasting experience in profesional interpreting of early music and conducting student choir and amateur choirs. The first part of the thesis is focused on definition for the whole phenomenon, its historical development and current guidelines, and it introduces important musicians in early music. Using two different recordings of the same musical material the author is trying to describe, what exactly is the historical added value of informed intepretation. In the next part the historical periods of Rennaisance and Baroque are divided into five different aesthetic chapters and in each of them the thesis tries to answer the basic questions of interpretation. Separate chapters are dedicated to different pronunciation of Latin and to possible use of the early music in student choirs. The goal of the text is...

This thesis examines organ reform in England between 1901 and 1965, an arena of practical music-making and intellectual and ideological debates in which a number of related practices surrounding the English organ – notably its scholarship, aesthetics of design, liturgical functions, native and foreign repertoires, including J. S. Bach’s organ music – played a central role in transforming the sound, design, and appearance of the instrument. Whilst influential musicians asserted that the English organ of the first half of the twentieth century was a great work of art, and survived in what could be termed ‘splendid isolation’ from Continental models, others contended that it lacked a logical relationship with more than a home-grown repertory. However, supporters of the English organ claimed that technological and tonal improvements made it the most perfect medium for Bach performance. It was a renewed interest in historical organs and repertory that exposed the limitations of cultural centrism, pointing to the English organ’s weakness as a point of departure for understanding its European repertory. This insistence paved the way for an enthusiastic reception of other organs, which, through their construction and new tonal qualities, won the favour of musicians who had found the English organ too limited and focused on a particular culture. The thesis allows historical actors to populate the discourse, revealing the diverse practices out of which a quest for reform emerged. As such the organ provides a fascinating and preliminary rehearsal case for what in the 1970s and 80s would be termed the early music revival.

When period instruments first appeared, audiences were highly skeptical of their musical value. It was not until the early-1900s—and performers like Arnold Dolmetsch—that they began to become not only accepted, but increasingly mandated for early music performances. However, while criticisms regarding their use persisted into the 1940s, it has never received the type of intense debate other details of performance practice have. Perhaps because of this lack, scholarship has also neglected to consider what ideological roles period instruments have played in historical performance. Why does the role of period instruments matter?  Partly because most writing about early music includes assumptions about them and their importance; for instance, mid-20th century performance practice guides implicitly assign them considerable authority over the ever-contested designation of “authenticity.” However, this is not the only role period instruments play. I argue that early advocates for period instruments like Arnold Dolmetsch used them to create a type of “intimacy” crucial to many aspects of performance practice. Created through both the instruments' materially and their timbres, this intimacy closes temporal and spatial historical gaps, allowing performers and their audiences to connect with distant musics in a modern way—and allowing “old” music to develop a living musical value.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / The purpose of this study was to examine the development of Elizabethan consort music from its weal origin as presented in two manuscripts from the period. The following conditions governed the selection of the manuscripts: (1) they should contain a representative number of composers from the period; (2) they should picture, as clearly as possible, the evolution of Elizabethan instrumental ensemble music; and (3) they should contain a sufficient number of works in one instrumental form so that a valid analysis of that form could be concluded. The two manuscripts chosen on the basis of the forementioned conditions were British Museum Additional Manuscript 31,390 and Bodleian Library Manuscripts D. 212-216. Together they contained almost two hundred vocal and instrumental compositions by both Continental and English composers from the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Approximately half the contents of the two sources were In Nominee, an English instrumental form based on a cantus firmus from the Benedictus of Taverner's "Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas" [TRUNCATED]

abstract: ABSTRACT The early music revival in Paris, which came into full swing in the 1890s, had a defining impact on the composer Claude Debussy. Among the leaders of this movement were the Chanteurs de Saint Gervais under the direction of Charles Bordes and the Schola Cantorum, a school Bordes founded for the study and performance of early music in Paris. Debussy wrote admiringly of the performances of the Chanteurs and opera productions he saw at the Schola. He also spoke of the revelatory nature of performances of Renaissance masses that he heard in Italy after he won the Prix de Rome. Finally, he most likely visited Solesmes, important in the revival of plainchant. Hitherto unknown documents raise questions about the date of that visit, which most likely took place in 1892 or 1893. A powerful manifestation of the influence of early music on Debussy’s compositional style is a melodic gesture that he referred to as “arabesque.” Debussy made many comments about the “divine arabesque,” which he related to the “primitives,” Palestrina, Victoria, and di Lasso. Further, Debussy connected those composers’ use of the arabesque to plainchant: “They found the basis of [the arabesque] in Gregorian chant, whose delicate tracery they supported with twining counterpoints.” Debussy’s writings on early music provide a deeper context for understanding how plainchant, as well as music from the Renaissance, contributed to his compositional style, specifically in his use of modes and his notion of the arabesque. These influences are especially apparent in his only a cappella choral work, Trois chansons de Charles d’Orléans. Until now, analysis of the Trois chansons has not sufficiently considered the importance of either plainchant or the arabesque and their influence on the style and character of this work. Viewing Debussy’s musical aesthetic through the lens of plainchant and the arabesque brings his music to life in a new and exciting way, resulting in a richer understanding and more informed performance practice, especially in the Trois chansons de Charles d’Orléans. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2016

Le vingtième siècle a vu la montée du mouvement de renouveau de l’interprétation de la musique ancienne, notamment celle de la période baroque, appuyé sur une forme de socle théorique. La mise à jour et l’étude des textes contemporains a fourni un ensemble d’éléments permettant de construire des exécutions obéissant à des normes qui rompaient avec l’héritage du dix-neuvième siècle. La démarche appliquée aux modalités d’élocution de la musique s’est accompagnée d’un travail de restauration et de remise en service de l’instrumentarium ancien, qui est devenu un élément central de la pratique moderne de la musique ancienne. Nous nous intéressons particulièrement au répertoire pour clavier de l’époque du baroque tardif. L’instrument pratiqué aujourd’hui, le piano, occupe une place visible dans l’interprétation de ce répertoire. Or, ce répertoire a été conçu pour des instruments différents. Comment le piano a-t-il conquis son statut d’instrument propre à l’exécution de ces oeuvres ? Comment les pianistes ont-ils vécu le mouvement baroquiste ? qu’en est-il des aptitudes du piano à rendre justice à cette musique ? Quelles sont les philosophies interprétatives impliquées dans la problématique ? La recherche projetée se propose de répondre à ces questionnements, en choisissant pour terrain d’étude des oeuvres de Bach, Scarlatti et Rameau, compositeurs porteurs chacun de caractéristiques stylistiques particulières. L’étude analytique appliquée sera circonscrite aux enregistrements discographiques depuis l’époque du microsillon. / The second half of the twentieth century witnessed the development of the movement of renewal in the interpretation of old music, especially that of the Baroque period, depending on theoretical updating, reading and studying of contemporary works that provided musicians with a range of elements which have no relation with the traditional interpretation inherited from the nineteenth century.The approach applied in composing music was accompanied by a restoration and reopening of the former instruments, which became essential to the modern performance of old music. As a pianist, I am very much interested in the keyboard repertoire of the late Baroque, or the second half of the eighteenth century. The instrument played today, the modern piano, has a visible place in the landscape interpretation of baroque repertoire for keyboard. However, these works were designed for an entirely different instrument. How could the harpsichord play old works? How pianists interested in Baroque music experienced the movement "baroque"? What is really the piano skills do to this music? Beyond that, how are the philosophers of interpretation involved in this issue? What is their philosophy and how was it built? The proposed study aims to answer this set of questions, preferred the keyboard works String of Bach, Scarlatti and Rameau, composers representing distinct tradition of writing and Holders of each particular stylistic characteristics.The analytical study was applied in addition to recordings from the time of microstomia. / شهد النصف الثاني من القرن العشرين تطورا مشهودا لحركة تجديد أداء الموسيقا القديمة, خصوصا موسيقا الباروك,مستندة على قاعدة نظرية إن إعادة النظر قراءة و دراسة الأعمال الحديثة قدمت للموسيقيين مجموعة عناصر سمحت لهم ببناء أداءات موسيقية تقطع صلتها تماما مع تقاليد أداء القرن التاسع عشر إن المنهجية المطبقة على كيفية الصياغة الموسيقية, ترافقت مع عملية ترميم و إعادة بناء معتمدين على ا لعودة إلى الآلة القديمة التي أصبحت بدورها عنصرا أساسيا في عملية الأداء المعاصر للموسيقا المؤلفة ماقبل ١٨٠٠كوني عازفة بيانو أعير اهتماما خاصا لمجموعة الأعمال المكتوبة لآلات الكلافيه في فترة الباروك المتأخرةأو الجزء الثاني من القرن الثامن عشر. الآلة الممارسة اليوم البيانو المعاصر يشغل مكانا مركزيا في أداء مجموعة هذه الأعمال. لكن هذه الأعمال كانت مكتوبة و مخصصة لآلات مختلفة كيف استطاعت آلة المطارق (البيانو) أن تحتل مكانها كآلة قادرة بدورها على أداء الأعمال القديمة؟ كيف نظرعازفو البيانو المهتمون بموسيقا الباروك الى ظاهرة حركة الباروكيين؟ ماهي صلاحيات آلتهم لاعطاء هذه الموسيقا حقها الكامل؟ ماهي الفلسفات التي تتضمنها هذه الإشكالية, ما هو تاريخ هذه الفلسفات وعلى أي أساس بنيت؟ إن البحث الآتي يقترح الإجابة على مجموعة هذه الأسئلة بالاستناد إلى دراسة خاصة لأعمال آلات الكلافيه للمؤلفين باخ, رامو وسكارلاتي، الذين يمثل كل منهم مدرسة قائمة بحد ذاتها, و تتميزمؤلفات كل منهم بخصائص أسلوبية واضحة. الدراسة التحليلية المطبقة, معززة أيضا بتسجيلات صوتية لأداءات مختلفة على آلة البيانو منذ عام ١٩٥٠ حتى يومنا الحاضر