Widely regarded as one of the most significant composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Carl Nielsen and his music have come to define the early twentieth-century musical traditions of Denmark. His original songs for voice and piano are often revered as popular folk tunes and contributed to his status as a national icon. My dissertation explores Nielsen's vocal repertoire through a multipart project that includes transcribing and editing eleven of Nielsen's early songs from Op. 4 (1891) and Op. 10 (1894), originally for voice and piano, for flute and piano. I discuss the reception history and context of Nielsen's Songs, the important role of transcription in flute literature, and provide full score transcription of the original works for flute and piano. Many vocal works have been transcribed for flute from the original vocal score, providing variety in programming and attracting diverse audiences to performances. Transcription offers scholars a new view into a work, by determining what elements of the piece are integral to maintain the composer's intentions.

François Couperin (1668-1733) was one of the earliest French Baroque composers to merge the Italian style into the French tradition. He had great influence on the development of French Baroque music from the end of the seventeenth century until his death. Couperin's four Concerts Royaux and the ten Concerts Nouveaux (published in 1722 and 1724) were written for the enjoyment of Louis XIV. Those suites were popular in the court before they were published, as they were requested to be performed every Sunday during the years 1714 and 1715 to give pleasure to the king. Rittrato dell'amore is the ninth suite out of the fourteen suites. The purpose of this study is to provide a performance guide and a practical edition of François Couperin's Neuvième Concert Ritratto dell' amore. It also contrasts Italian style and French tradition in the Baroque period, and how Couperin blended both styles together in his Neuvième Concert. In addition, this dissertation summarizes the general principles of Baroque performance practice that one may encounter in Neuviéme Concert, including notes inégales (unequal notes), ornamentation, over-dotting, and other issues. It is especially important for one to understand the performance style of French Baroque music in order to perform these works appropriately, since its notation did not adequately notate rhythmic expectations as traditionally understood and the realization of ornamentations in this period and style is highly specific. The tradition was indeed lost in terms of aural transfer and has been reconstructed through published scholarly work in the last century that is based on treatises of the time. Ongoing scholarly and artistic work should bring us ever closer to the ideals of the period.