Olga Samaroff was one of the most influential American musicians in the 20th Century. She was important not only as a concert pianist, but as a teacher of some of this century's great performers. As a teacher, she instilled in her students the importance of observing all of the composer's written markings and playing within the stylistic guidelines of the time period in which the composer lived. At the same time, she refrained from imposing specific interpretations on her pupils; individuality was a quality she valued above everything else. Although she taught literally hundreds of pianists who made successful careers in both performing and teaching, three students---William Kapell, Rosalyn Tureck, and Alexis Weissenberg---stood out above the rest. An in-depth analysis of these three pianists' recordings suggests to what extent each of these students adhered to her teaching principles. Many of their mannerisms reflect trends in 20th Century pianism and in contemporary musicianship as a whole.

Karen Tuttle is unquestionably a living legacy in the world of viola pedagogy. The potency of her teaching philosophy, along with her dynamic personality, has influenced music students for almost sixty years. She has always been a famously free spirit whose ideas have consistently drawn both controversy and allegiance. Despite changes in cultural climate, Tuttle's belief in the importance of personal exploration has remained steadfast. Her contributions to both the meaning of performance and the mechanics of viola playing have enriched the field of viola pedagogy on a scale that is rare. More than a playing technique or a school, Tuttle's teaching is truly a philosophy. The nature of her playing philosophy, and the level of exposure it has received, has made her teaching both controversial and misunderstood. The purpose of this study is to examine Karen Tuttle's influence on modern viola teaching. Based primarily on many articles and interviews, topics covered include her biography, her teaching principles, and her influence in teaching. This influence is researched through interviews with former students. Of her legacy in viola pedagogy, we see specifically what is most groundbreaking and effective, and how this has made her teaching so revered.

Louis Vierne, one of the most important figures in the rich French organ literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, made a substantial contribution in the cultivation and the promulgation of an organ playing tradition which was initiated by Belgian organist Jaak Nikolaas Lemmens. Vierne's aesthetics concerning organ and organ playing were most explicitly given in a treatise which he began during the First World War but never finished in his lifetime and remained unknown to the public until fifty years after his death. This important document was published by Les Amis de l'Orgue in 1987 as a special issue of their periodical L'Orgue together with an introductory article and editorial remarks by the Belgian musicologist Dr. Brigitte de Leersnyder. With an English translation of the aforementioned document, a lengthy biography dealing mainly with Vierne's organ profession, and a survey of the organ methods in Lemmens' tradition, the present study tries to demonstrate Vierne's role in that tradition and aims at providing organists a tool for an authentic interpretation in their performance of Vierne's organ works.

Many nineteenth-century creative artists saw in Beethoven a substantiation of their own aesthetic ideals and propagated a "mythical" Beethoven who was unique in every respect of compositional styles and forms of music. This incorrect concept has continued to affect our understanding of the Classical period and many significant composers, of whom Beethoven was just one of them, were unduly ignored. Furthermore, this has also influenced our interpretations of Beethoven's music. This present document seeks to place Beethoven's works for the violin and orchestra in a correct historical perspective. These works include an incomplete version of the Konzertsatz (probably composed between 1790 to 1792), the two Romances in G major and F major, Op. 40 and 50; and the incomparable violin concerto Op. 61. Preceding the discussions of these works is a brief outline of the development of the concerto form from Giuseppe Torelli to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The mature Classical concerto form which Beethoven used can best be defined as the ritornello-sonata form, a unique combination of the Baroque ritornello form and the Classical sonata principle. Subsequently, four violin concertos from the French Violin School (Giovanni Battista Viotti's concertos no. 22 and 23, Pierre Rode's concerto no. 7 and Rodolphe Kreutzer's concerto no. 19) are analyzed and compared with Beethoven's music. Many technical and formal similarities are detected between them. This research has also resulted in several practical applications in performing Beethoven's music. Placing Beethoven in the right context will free us from an over-cautious attitude towards his music. We should approach his music in the same way as composers such as Clementi or Viotti. In addition, since it is apparent that Beethoven was attempting to write virtuoso violin music in the style of the French concertos, we should bestow upon them a virtuosic flair in order to do the music justice. Other performance suggestions include the discerning use of vibrato and the feeling of pulses instead of beats.

This document seeks to examine and analyze Debussy's Children's Corner through a pedagogical approach. In the initial chapters, the author provides a general overview of Debussy's piano music, compositional style and a historical background of Children's Corner. Following this introduction, the author summarizes Debussy's aesthetic principles with regards to Children's Corner. A detailed stylistic analysis of the harmony and tonal structure in each movement of Children's Corner is presented. The author also discusses her findings concerning how such analysis might influence performance of Debussy's Children's Corner.

Cesar Franck, Charles-Marie Widor, and Louis Vierne were among the most important figures in France during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They made an enormous contribution to organ literature and the organ playing tradition. However, many of their compositions have proved difficult to execute for organists with small hands. Throughout the organ works of Franck intervals greater than the octave abound. In numerous pieces by Widor and Vierne, melodic intervals or cords are positioned in such a way that precise attacks and releases are challenging. This document demonstrates solutions to the various problems that organists with small hands encounter in playing the literature from this period.

A major part of Johann Sebastian Bach's works was influenced by dance. Only recently, musician-scholars have begun to analyze carefully the effect of dance on instrumental suites from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In the Six Suites a Violoncello Senza Basso, I discuss the evolution of the dances found in this collection (allemande, courante, sarabande, minuet, bourree, gavotte and gigue) and present their basic step patterns. Bach composed in a contrapuntally complex texture and on the surface obscured dance elements: yet, the dance pulse must be recognized and understood. In this study, the original violoncello part is reduced to its basic melodic structure and rhythmic pulses to reveal dance step patterns. The performer is given instruction on how to imitate these dance inflections with the instrument. Even though these instrumental suites were not intended to be danced to, the performer cannot ignore the importance of dance in this work. As a result, this knowledge will help the performer create spirited and intelligent performances.

The main body of this document is comprised of an analysis of the Figures de resonances (1970/76) and 3 preludes (1994) of Henri Dutilleux. The analyses are the result of the writer's own experience in studying and performing these works. Among the techniques discussed are the exploration of sonority and resonance, recurring pitches or sonorities (which the writer refers to as focus tones or focus chords), mirror writing (or inversion), and the continuous variation of given sonorities or motivic cells. The document begins with a biography of the composer that highlights his most significant works, from the Piano Sonata (1948) to Sur le meme accord (2002) for violin and orchestra. It is intended to give the reader a sense of where the Figures de resonances and 3 preludes fit into the composer's output as a whole.

<p> Throughout history, music has consistently played a large role in helping to define the social, historical, and cultural awareness in human society. For children and young adults who have actively studied music in public school music education programs, music has enhanced their self-discipline, self-esteem, and creativity. Over the past 20 years, there have been several examples of how the business world has been turning to the music world for leadership and inspiration. </p><p> There are, however, few studies that compare the effects of public school music education programs on leadership in the workplace. Researchers have primarily focused their studies on the impact of music on learning and academic achievement in the public schools. As a result of shrinking public school budgets and an increased attention to standardized testing resulting due to George W. Bush's January, 2001 <i>No Child Left Behind</i> (NCLB) Educational Reform Act, there has been a decline in student involvement in music, and a decline of music teachers in public schools.</p><p> The purpose of this study was to examine what differences, if any, exist in current-day organizational decision-making, creativity, and learning styles between organizational leaders who participated in public school music education programs and those who did not. This study used a qualitative, phenomenological research design to evaluate and elicit information on the shared experiences of 16 Universal Music Group (UMG) executives. The researcher used a purposive sampling strategy to select 8 executives who participated in public school music education programs and currently serve in a leadership role at the company, and 8 who did not participate in such programs. </p><p> Semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data for the study was derived from each participant's transcribed audio recordings along with the interview notes. The information was analyzed and grouped by themes. The data from the 8 executives who participated in public school music education programs yielded 9 themes regarding key success traits, skills, and characteristics which are important to their success in the workplace. Data from the 8 executives who did not participate in public school music programs yielded 12 themes. </p>

<p> Anthony Plog's Concerto for Trumpet, 14 Brass, and Percussion offers many performance issues and there are many methodologies and pedagogical concepts that one can utilize in order to achieve the endurance, flexibility, and technical facility required. This project report outlines readings and methodologies the author used to achieve the skills listed above. The first chapter discusses the objective pedagogy of David Hickman. Hickman's pedagogy encompasses an array of opinions on common developmental exercises. Chapter 2 concentrates on the methodology of James Stamp, emphasizing range building and endurance but with a unique approach that also develops sound production. The third chapter discusses Anthony Plog's methodology that directly concentrates on the technical facility required to play his concerto. The final chapter discusses preparation for the performance and choosing the appropriate instrument. </p>