Flamenco is a passionate style of song and dance accompanied by guitar. Its origin may be traced to the Moorish occupation of Spain, which began in the eighth century, and it continues to flourish in the southern Spanish region of Andalucia. This treatise will explore the structure and character of Flamenco and show how it influenced the twentieth-century Spanish classical composer Joaquin Turina in his five guitar works:(UNFORMATTED TABLE FOLLOWS): Fantasía Sevillana, Op. 23 (1923). Fandanguillo, Op. 36 (1926). Ráfaga, Op. 53 (1930). Sonata, Op. 61 (1931): Allegro, Andante, Allegro vivo. Homenaje a Tárrega, Op. 69 (1932): Garrotin, Soleares. (TABLE ENDS)

Music of balance is a portfolio of eight compositions, all of which bear the concealed influence of mandalas in their conception - these are made manifest musically in cycle structures with shifting drones, pedals and tonal ambiguities.The compositional process maximises minimal materials - circles and squares - symbolically. Organising thought, feeling and knowledge into a balanced acoustic music form of expression is the objective of this creative project - which is carried out under the influence of symbols. Whilst the compositional processes are intuitive, they involve a disciplinary measure which employs the circle and the square as tools. Acting symbolically these tools imbue the music with deeper meaning than the obvious listening surface, and provide a rich substance of sound. Programmatic influences have been absented; replaced instead by the language of symbols - namely the mandala symbol. A range of apparent opposites arising from circles and squares - physical/ephemeral matter, chronological/eternal time and form/expression - are investigated for musical reconciliation. The compositional exploration is guided and focused by the circle in a square image understood as a universal symbol (grounded in the ancient Indian Arts, Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism and Jungian psychology), and active in representing, and thus restoring the natural balance of the soul in the universe. / Master of Arts (Hons)

Thesis (M.A.)--Marshall University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 23 p. Includes a live performance (duration 1.01.03). Includes bibliographical references (p. 21-23).

Thesis (M.A.)--Marshall University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 21-23).

This dissertation is a study of the use of guitar in opera. Ten operas were chosen from the early nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century as a representative cross section of operas that use the guitar. The operas studied are: The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini, Oberon by Carl Maria von Weber, Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti, Beatrice and Benedict by Hector Berlioz, Otello and Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi, La vida breve by Manuel de Falla, The Nightingale by Igor Stravinsky, Wozzeck by Alban Berg, and Paul Bunyan by Benjamin Britten. The study examines the technical aspects of each guitar part and how the guitar relates to the libretto and to the other instruments of the orchestra.The study finds that, with some exceptions, the guitar parts are idiomatic and not difficult to execute. There is some need on the part of the guitarist to edit the parts for technical and historical reasons and editorial suggestions are made by the author. The guitar is often related to the libretto and often appears onstage, yet it is almost always used as a prop and the performing guitarist is placed offstage or in the orchestra pit. There are significant problems found concerning the guitar's lack of volume. Composers tend to limit the number of instruments in use with the guitar. They do not, however, tend to give the guitar louder dynamics when other instruments are used at the same time. The guitar is generally used in outdoor scenes, to evoke a folk idiom, or when specifically referred to in the libretto. The use of the guitar is found to be mostly limited to simple accompaniments which do not utilize the full resources of the instrument. / School of Music

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborgs universitet, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 387-396).

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborgs universitet, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 387-396).

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2008. / System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-32).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of California, San Diego, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed July 11, 2009). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Accompanying disc contains PDF file of thesis and recordings of performances.

Treatise (D.M.A.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.